12 wins, book it.

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Genuinely asking, where have all the good posters gone?? This is a tough scene. I mean I know it's summer but meaningful football is starting up pretty soon.

I bet you’d even take @DropKickFlutie back at this point.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I bet you’d even take @DropKickFlutie back at this point.

I admire his hustle and commitment but feel bad for w/e LVR board he's terrorizing atm.

Seriously though he's ****y lol. He's dishes it out for well over a decade. @Ian gives him a slap on the wrist and he bolts over it.
(extreme Boston accent) C'mon be a man

Nah lately I feel my choices are gas station sushi or a handy from Edward Scissorhands but the cubby Johnny Depp not the cutie from Cry Baby.

*side note*
Can you put all QB's into two categories?
Freaks & Terminators/Robots or are there more?

Freaks
Otto
Moon
Tark
Young
Mahomes
Allen
Jackson


Terminators/Robots
Unitas
Brady
Aikman
Manning
Brees
Stafford
Herbert

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I admire his hustle and commitment but feel bad for w/e LVR board he's terrorizing atm.

Seriously though he's ****y lol. He's dishes it out for well over a decade. @Ian gives him a slap on the wrist and he bolts over it.
(extreme Boston accent) C'mon be a man

Nah lately I feel my choices are gas station sushi or a handy from Edward Scissorhands but the cubby Johnny Depp not the cutie from Cry Baby.

*side note*
Can you put all QB's into two categories?
Freaks & Terminators/Robots or are there more?

Freaks
Otto
Moon
Tark
Young
Mahomes
Allen
Jackson


Terminators/Robots
Unitas
Brady
Aikman
Manning
Brees
Stafford
Herbert

Lol…let’s see if DKF bites.

Pocket / Scrambler is the major theme on your categories, I think.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I'm not necessarily a good poster, but it is tough watching all the negativity on the board right now with a few exceptions. I have no idea how the Patriots will fare, but I will cheer them on whatever the result. I do believe they are in the middle of a major rebuild, but even with that they are competitive and fun to watch. That is what is important. I am looking forward to seeing all the young players out there and I am hoping they can find a way to keep Tre Nixon I know he may disappear in training camp, but I think he has potential. Who knows with any of them.

Anyway have fun Bacon sorry I have to shorten the name it just is easier and fits in sentences better. Hope you don't mind.

That's the deal though, right? you're either too high on a guy who JUST got on people's radar or 10 seconds after guys are on people's radar they're old and slow.

And BGC, I'm going to assume your where-have-all-papa's-heroes-gone lament was just a general observation and not a comment on yours truly, b/c if it is, gaw. Now, if you're commiserating with me about trying to get some chatter going, that is fine and I'm just a paranoid of Nixonian proportions and I don't mean Tre. Actually even **** is looking like a piker by present day standards.

12-5 and also Carthagio delenda est.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

& about the robots, "Yes, like Westworld, but don't f*** them Morty"

Let he who has ear, hear.

 

[Zuma]

DKF bites.

Fixed it for you

 

[venecol]

Anyway have fun Bacon sorry I have to shorten the name it just is easier and fits in sentences better. Hope you don't mind.

As long as you don't call him Candy.

 

[venecol]

Can you put all QB's into two categories?
Freaks & Terminators/Robots or are there more?

Freaks
Otto
Moon
Tark
Young
Mahomes
Allen
Jackson

Terminators/Robots
Unitas
Brady
Aikman
Manning
Brees
Stafford
Herbert

Where would you put Montana in those categories.

 

[sturmrider]

As long as you don't call him Candy.

Never thought of that I like Bacon better anyway was never a candy fan.

 

[sturmrider]

Where would you put Montana in those categories.

I think Robot/Terminator he was known for his precision and primarily a pocket passer.

 

[sturmrider]

Of course Bacon knows best on this, that was just my impression.

 

[TheRainMaker]

My guess why posters have left:

1. Over moderation
2. Under moderation
3. Life events forcing them to step away
4. They were tired of seeing stuff that didn't align with their beliefs (any criticism or "negativity").
5. They were upset when Brady left and are starting to realize the Pats are now just like every other team.

While the board has been bad at times (inactivity), it was pretty bad during the 2020 season where it seemed like the same posters were talking to each other.

 

[venecol]

I think Robot/Terminator he was known for his precision and primarily a pocket passer.

But he was also a scrambler.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Lol…let’s see if DKF bites.

Pocket / Scrambler is the major theme on your categories, I think.

Yea that was one the first things I thought but I thought of but was going for "more" to represent each description.
I use that word bc scrambling is a huge part of what they do it's their collective that goes into a game plan, how a defense will play you, the extraordinary out of nothing ....

Where would you put Montana in those categories.

Hes a tough one but I would go Terminator. Elway too probably on the freak side.

My guess why posters have left:

1. Over moderation
2. Under moderation
3. Left events forcing them to step away
4. They were tired of seeing stuff that didn't align with their beliefs (any criticism or "negativity").
5. They were upset when Brady left and are starting to realize the Pats are now just like every other team.

While the board has been bad at times (inactivity), it was pretty bad during the 2020 season where it seemed like the same posters were talking to each other.

Bolded is a big fear. This board had a ton of good members and it does seem like there's 10-15 regulars going back and forth on the same topic.

I also think #5 is real. No fun being like everyone else. I knew that would kill some people. Pats were gods like for a time. You had teams that had great success like the Steelers, Ravens, Colts but nobody was competing for a SB like we did for 20 years.

 

[venecol]

Your humor doesn't lessen your hatred

 

[TheRainMaker]

Bolded is a big fear. This board had a ton of good members and it does seem like there's 10-15 regulars going back and forth on the same topic.

The minor gripe I have and I poke fun at on occasion is how some threads get out of control and posters can't stop going back to that thread - like a bee hive. In fact, it has deterred some like myself from creating threads with new topics because people like to go where the action already is.

I also think #5 is real. No fun being like everyone else. I knew that would kill some people. Pats were gods like for a time. You had teams that had great success like the Steelers, Ravens, Colts but nobody was competing for a SB like we did for 20 years.

As of right now, there's no reason to think they couldn't be like they were during the Bledsoe years starting in 1996-1999 (serious playoff/possible Super Bowl contender). Contrary to popular belief, I think they a few draft hits away from being in serious contention (WR, pass rusher, LB, CB). They don't have a lot of weaknesses/question marks, but the one's they do have, are major and will hold the team back (WR, run stuffing DL, LB, CB). With that being said, we have a lot to be excited about with Mac Jones and should keep the Pats in at least playoff/division contention for years to come.

 

[venecol]

No fun being like everyone else.

So we're average?

 

[TheRainMaker]

So we're average?

That Ben Stiller character was ahead of it's time. The fitness industry has blown up in the last 10 years - especially with Instagram.

 

[Salsalife]

I title this, (im just saying 12 wins, really). Its just my offseason questions to myself;
Will Mac's new oline members be as good as last year? No time, no offense.
Fullback gone? Need a new one?
Redzone attempts inside the 20, Brady had 120 last year, Mac had 41 last year. Why?
2 minute hurry up offense, to me, dissmal last year, will it improve?
Defense, #1 shutdown cornerback? Who? Effective against elite WR'S? Who plays opposite him?
Which linebacker will replace Dante?
Last 3 games the Patriots played the opposing team had a whopping
51.61% chance of converting there 3rd downs.
Yikes.... Any actions the team has made to solve this..... crickets... Believe in 12 wins, i'm trying reaaally!

 

[catent]

I title this, (im just saying 12 wins, really). Its just my offseason questions to myself;
Will Mac's new oline members be as good as last year? No time, no offense.
Fullback gone? Need a new one?
Redzone attempts inside the 20, Brady had 120 last year, Mac had 41 last year. Why?
2 minute hurry up offense, to me, dissmal last year, will it improve?
Defense, #1 shutdown cornerback? Who? Effective against elite WR'S? Who plays opposite him?
Which linebacker will replace Dante?
Last 3 games the Patriots played the opposing team had a whopping
51.61% chance of converting there 3rd downs.
Yikes.... Any actions the team has made to solve this..... crickets... Believe in 12 wins, i'm trying reaaally!

Some fair questions, some others that have already been answered.

Regarding the fullback - this was answered quite some time ago. The Patriots appear to have phased out a traditional FB role and I'd expect we see very little 2x personnel (meaning 2 tailbacks on the field simultaneously), perhaps with the exception of goal-line and via some psuedo 2x looks, where Jonnu, Montgomery, or a similar player may end up in the backfield via the formation or motion.

No idea why McDaniels didn't let Mac throw the ball more in the red-area last season. I expect Mac will do a lot more of that this year. His ability to throw with touch and accuracy should make for some sweet touchdowns.

If I remember correctly, the 2-minute offense last season was fairly efficient (as was the offense on the whole throughout the season), but the lack of a meaningful deep threat, combined with an inconsistent OL, made chunk-plays extremely hard to come by, which are critical to successful offensive drives late in halves. The margin for error of the offense was razor thin, they faced a ton of stacked-boxes, single-high ... at times all 11 defenders were within 10-12 yards of the LOS because there was no legitimate vertical threat from anywhere on the field, both in terms of personnel and offensive philosophy. That lack of ability to generate chunk plays was brought into sharp relief during 2-minute drives. Fortunately they've added personnel who can threaten the deeper parts of the field, and it appears the offensive philosophy is being reworked/tweaked.

Your last point about 3rd down percentage over the final three games of the season and the "crickets" regarding actions to solve this ... I think you're being a bit too cynical. Three games is a small sample size and one of those games was the Buffalo Wild Card matchup, which was a statistical outlier and will severely skew an already small sample size. That's not to say there weren't legitimate problems to solve during that Wild Card game, there absolutely were, but a single, standalone game will never be a consistent, reliable way of drawing conclusions and making decisions because there are so many variables that affect the outcome of any given single game in a vacuum.

I do think they've added defensive speed, instinctiveness, and guys who can play in space. A list of defenders, in no particular order, who are likely to play this season but didn't in the Wild Card matchup:

LB: McGrone, McMillian, Wilson, Uche
DB: Peppers, Jones x3, Butler, Dugger (played with a hard cast on his wrist that game, so he effectively played with 1 arm).

With any luck, maybe one of Henry Anderson, LaBryan Ray, or Sam Roberts make a splash and become an effective, versatile, disruptive DL who can defend the run and rush the passer next to Barmore.