Postscript Season Review

[upstater1]

I actually enjoyed the Patriots play this season. I enjoyed the variations with Cam running the ball and new designs in the offense. I enjoyed watching our defenders leave their hearts on the field. I enjoyed watching Dugger, Onwenu, JC Jackson, Terez Hall, Damien Harris, Jakobi Meyers. I saw a few flashes from Uche rushing the QB. I enjoyed the many games the Patriots were in it until the end.

I hated the couple of blowouts we were in. I was disappointed that Cam seemed to mostly not be able to throw the ball (except in a couple of games, weirdly enough).

I enjoyed the fact that the team stuck together with very little crying or whining, if at all.

It did not surprise me that a team like this won 7 games, given what I know of the coaching staff. I did not expect a winning record, nor did I expect them to completely crap out.

Sign some key FAs, retain our best, and pray for a QB. In the NFL, you never know how teams will play from year to year, but next year's schedule looks pretty weak--outside the division. The division itself will be rough. If you can go .500 in the division, you give yourself a good chance.

 

[Scotty]

Yes it was the last game and yes it was only the Jets but I did see plenty of plays from around the team that showed we have some good players and a decent core to move forwards. But , and there is always a but , equally there are some gaps that need some talent be it FA or draft sourced. There is plenty to be excited about even if it takes a bit longer than some may wish. Lets go !!!

 

[luuked]

The silver lining of this strange season was that rookies got a lot more playing time then they would have in any of the prior seasons where they would have been stuck behind vet options.

Uche and especially Dugger look like absolute hits that are poised to make a big jump in year two with a proper offseason ahead. Jennings has shown up positively and negatively but it is really hard for ILBs to make the jump to the pros. He would have benefitted from watching Hightower do his thing for a year. Hopefully the retirement rumors end up being wrong and he gets to do that next year.

I will reserve any judgement on both rookie TEs because as we know it is the hardest position in the offense to learn and both missed substantial amount of time on IR and then TEs never ended up being the center of gameplans. That being said Asiasi has held up ok as blocker and finally got to flash that release and those receiving skills on his TD against the Jets. It is just one little piece but still something to built on.

Herron and Owenwu showed both that in terms of depth we will be fine with linemen even if Thuney leaves. I still think we will need a proper RT because Owenwu fits a lot better on the inside as a guard but finding one diamond in the rough and another solid depth option at the very end of the draft is a big plus.

And of course there is no way to write this post without mentioning the jump Meyers has made in his second season. One of the beat guys said last week that Meyers was responsible for 37% of the Pats passing offense this year. This is a wild number. I think he can be a reliable borderline WR2 guy on the inside, winning by understanding leverage and the offense.

Harry didn't make the jump we all hoped and at this point odds are he will not become that WR1 most of us hoped for but personally I thought that he actually looked more solid towards the end of the year even if the stat sheet doesn't show it. I think there is a place for him as a possession type receiver on this team. He has another offseason to grind away at it.


I don't think the offense is that far off from going back to a 28+ points unit. Add one chess piece that you can use to affect coverages via FA, figure out the situation at RT/LG and find more consistency in the passing game with a vet QB and things look a lot different.

On defense the front 7 needs some upgrades at the interior line and also at LB (especially if HT retires).

A fun offseason ahead.

 

[archstanton543]

You like watching poor offensive play and mediocre defensive play (and poor run defense)? Okay....to each their own.

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[upstater1]

You like watching poor offensive play and mediocre defensive play (and poor run defense)? Okay....to each their own.

I'm not spoiled. I look at what they do with what they have. They won 7 and took top teams to the final minute.

 

[archstanton543]

I'm not spoiled. I look at what they do with what they have. They won 7 and took top teams to the final minute.

 

[1960Pats]

This was a strange season.
I, like many fans here, expected it to be worse than it was.
Once I saw that they had a better team than I expected I was hopeful.
Then I saw Cam play and became frustrated that they didn't keep Brady.
Then I heard excuses, even from the HC, and that bothered me.
Now I'm disappointed but not willing to be overly critical.
This team has built up more appreciation than they could ever erase.
Looking forward to 2021.

 

[luuked]

I'm not spoiled. I look at what they do with what they have. They won 7 and took top teams to the final minute.

There has been only one team in the entire regular season that played consistently to their capacities and that was the Chiefs. Even the tier 2 teams like the Ravens and Bills had some ugly outings. In the NFC it is even worse, there is not a single team that looks dominant.

We could have easily beaten the Bills, Seattle, Denver and the Texans if just one play goes differently. That's about 50% less in total than had to break our way to beat the Falcons in the SB.

The difference between the 2013 season and 2020 are those little plays that were not made on both sides of the ball. Whether that is Edelman dropping a game winner in Seattle, Cam fumbling the ball on the way to winning in Buffalo, Butler being blatantly held while Watson slips through the middle and scores or Harry running the wrong route on fourth down against Denver.

I love how people always try to have it both ways and don't appreciate how much luck is involved in winning close football games. On the one hand they celebrate SB LI as some kind of statement of determination and grit when in reality we pulled a once in a million lottery ticket with everything that went our way but then on the other hand don't appreciate how the little things turned a potential 4-0 into a 0-4 just because it doesn't fit the narrative they have chosen in their head.

 

[jdlboot14]

Who would've thought:
1. Zuber had as many catches as Asiasi
2. Passers other than Cam had half his number of passing TD's
3. Meyers over doubled his production from his rookie year, and led the team in receiving, but still has yet to catch a TD pass
4. Harry ended up with 30% more receptions than Edelman, but less yards
5. Michel ended up with a better avg. - 5.7yds/carry - than Harris.
6. Gunner led the league in PR return average.

 

[archstanton543]

I love how people always try to have it both ways and don't appreciate how much luck is involved in winning close football games. On the one hand they celebrate SB LI as some kind of statement of determination and grit when in reality we pulled a once in a million lottery ticket with everything that went our way but then on the other hand don't appreciate how the little things turned a potential 4-0 into a 0-4 just because it doesn't fit the narrative they have chosen in their head.

Winners make their own luck.

 

[sean10mm]

The Patriots have a lot of roster holes, but until they find a quality NFL starter at QB they're in that pile of teams that simply don't matter.

It's one of those things where if they hit on the guy this offseason and spend some of that cap space on WR/TE they're suddenly fine again. But teams spend years - decades, even! - in football purgatory trying to find that one guy.

It's less that everything is doomed and more that they're just a huge amount of uncertainty.

 

[Uptown]