Is there hope for PatsFans???

[SammyBlueCat]

This team has given us so much joy for so many years. What do you think of their future?

 

[Tunescribe]

This team has given us so much joy for so many years. What do you think of their future?

 

[farn]

C’mon. Anyone who is jumping off the cliff over ONE 7-9 season....... let’s see how it goes.

 

[jah]

****, the Browns made the playoffs this year. Of course there's a chance.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I believe Belichick can get them back to serious contender status before he hangs them up, but we are never going to have another run like the 20 year Dynasty we just had. Overall Belichick has created the program for them to have continued success, but it’s hard to imagine another run like that.

 

[NashuaPats]

Perhaps, we can shorten the phrase “what have you done for me lately” with “Patsfans”.

 

[lancerman]

Yes just give me emergency powers, I promise to give them back as soon as we are a contender again

 

[stcjones]

This team has given us so much joy for so many years. What do you think of their future?

Come on cat ....love ya....But this team will be back… How many years will it take?… Who knows… But the patriots will be back!!!!The ride will be super exciting… Go get some extra cat nip!!

 

[Pape]

This team has given us so much joy for so many years. What do you think of their future?

there is always hope

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[102 Pat]

C’mon. Anyone who is jumping off the cliff over ONE 7-9 season....... let’s see how it goes.

On the plus side, maybe those cliff jumpers will leave the forum...

 

[BTTA]

Well yeah, that's the healthy attitude, and where most of us are. The OP asked us to predict. I'm not leaving the bar, but I'm not confident that they'll continue to have my favorite on draft.

C’mon. Anyone who is jumping off the cliff over ONE 7-9 season....... let’s see how it goes.

 

[Steve102]

I have talked about it many times. This team owes me zip. 6 rings. Six. Stop it. Suffering with the HughMillenated years, the 1-15's, the Rod Rust Era, the Yay! **** McPherson Era, walking up and buying a ticket to opening day at the box office the day of... I never thought they'd win one, much less six. I am in.

 

[Wax Frog]

C’mon. Anyone who is jumping off the cliff over ONE 7-9 season....... let’s see how it goes.

I can haz non-treadmill team?

 

[yukon cornelius]

what's the target though?

we just came out of a generational run......will this team return to be in legit contention for a title?

yup

but will they reload for another generational run? probably not.....


what's weird is this is the only sports forum i've really gone to regular......football is really the only sport i watch with any intensity; i'll read about the celtics online, i'll watch the bruins a good bit, but probably won't learn their full roster until march sometime......since my daughters got serious about softball (and my eldest is almost 17, so that's been 8-9 years), i've watched 60-100 softball games a year on TV, and haven't watched the Sox in 2-3, like not an inning.......but my fervor for pro sports has waned a little bit.......in a good way, not a "stop taking a knee" ******** way......i think some of it is due to this run......i'm satisfied

 

[Ochmed Jones]

We will rebound when we get a decent qb.

qb is the most important position on the team and in the nfl there are only two types of teams.

those with a franchise qb and everybody else,

 

[ScottishPatriots]

Are we allow to talk Pats here still?

Thought it was a Bucs fan forum.

 

[Sicilian]

Voted B, because turning it around after one bad season is never something I'm going to bet on. It's entirely possible, but the most likely outcome is it takes a few years before we're back in contention (if we're able to... this league is fickle and the other teams get paid to improve their teams too).

That said, in 99% of years that have three wild cards, 10 wins will get you in the dance. So we need to improve by three wins next year. It won't make us Super Bowl contenders, but it's a step. And where people see a lot of holes in the roster, I see a team with a lot of cap space and some decent draft capital that has a lot of areas that could be made better without any unrealistic circumstances:

1) Get even a league average QB - A Jimmy G or better would be great, but even a mid level veteran or a rookie who hits the ground running would be an improvement over what we got from Cam this past year. This might be the toughest (or at least the hardest one to predict right now).

2) Get some big uglies on the D-Line. This sures up the run defense, which gets our secondary (still the strength of the D) into more 3rd and longs.

3) Get ANY increased production out of WR and TE. This is one of those things that goes hand in hand with whoever the new QB is, but it's an area that has nowhere to go but up.

4) Improvement from young players. I put this lower on the list because I feel like this is often balanced out by regression from older players. For example, Dugger may improve, but does McCourty take a step back? Neither is guaranteed, but both are possible, so it's hard to count on either one. But I feel like there are more 2nd and 3rd year players on this team that I have hope for, than there are old vets (who played last year) that I expect to fall off the cliff.

5) Theoretically, for the first time in a while, this team should have an easier schedule than Buffalo or Miami. But that's always deceptive looking that far ahead, so a minor boon if there is one.

All this said, there's hope. I feel like Patfanken says this all the time and I agree 100%: The differences in this league are never as monumental as they seem to be. The talent difference between the best and worst teams isn't as big as people think. It isn't going to take a total roster purge to win three more games next year and get a taste of the postseason again, and as Parcells used to say, "Just get in the dance then see what happens."

 

[TheRainMaker]

It all starts with the draft and Bill has been bad since 2013 (can't wait to hear resistance from a Team Bill's representative on this). He needs to get better at that. And this board is really overrating this years draft. He needs to do one of two things: 1. Find a future QB (preferred) or 2. Have a solid draft and try for a QB the following year.

 

[IllegalContact]

I chose E ..... I’ve loved watching the Pats for 50 years. Hope is not really a thing to me watching my team.

 

[sb1]

Lots of opportunities to improve with a decent draft position and cap room to sign free agents.

As long as Bill brings in talent and not his pet projects.