Patriots Pregame Thread 2023 Week 2 OFFICIAL Pre-Game Thread: Patriots vs Dolphins (EDIT: was Phish chatter)

[amfootball]

Oooh Bill is going to show the clip.

 

[turkeyneck]

That was the last of a great run. Didn't the Pats kickoff team score a TD in that game, or was that the Raiduhs game the week before?

Not the Squish game. But in checking my own faulty, aged memory I found this great write-up of the game:
Squish the Fish: 1985 Patriots run one of the greatest in NFL history

I mark this game as the point where the Patriots again became a real football team. I say "again" because the OGs will know that the Pats were contenders in the Holovak years and then re-emerged from football hell in the Fairbanks what-could-have-been period. But it was the incredible road playoff run culminating in the Squish the Fish game that ranks as the most exciting stretch of football for me.

 

[sb1]

Marino put up a tough fight in the final game of his career...

 

[Rob0729]

What a shock.

The run game let Jones down again. Might as well include the OL too.

Stevenson was sick, but still suited up and gave it his best.

Code for lousy WRs and TEs.

Should have got Hopkins.

Whats your plan if the NE run game is churning out real estate, but NE still loses?

Back to blaming that there is no # 1 WR?

SD ran the ball great vs Miami and still lost.

Time for you know who to put his big boy pants on and step up. The Pats are at home.

Your obsession with Mac Jones and anyone who defends him borders on insanity.

Nothing I wrote had really anything to do with Mac Jones other than the RPO and play action doesn't work without a threat of a running game, but that is true with virtually any QB. I wasn't making excuses for him nor his receivers.

Again, the run offense was putrid against the Eagles. Whether it was Stevenson being sick or the o-line missing starting guards or whatever doesn't change the fact the the running game was a big liability in that game and needs to get better quick.

And not wanting to get into a shootout with Miami has more to do with Miami than the Patriots. They are built to get into a shootout. In fact, they may be one of the most suited teams for a shootout in the league. You get into a shootout with them and you are playing to their strengths and not your's. The Pats are defense driven team that relies heavily on the run game.

And who cares what San Diego did? The Patriots are not Chargers. The Chargers also played near exclusively man defense pitting a back up second year CB who was drafted in the sixth round one on one with Tyreek Hill for most of the game. You think that might have played a big part in their loss to the Dolphins?

 

[sb1]

Your obsession with Mac Jones and anyone who defends him borders on insanity.

Just salty that his smurf hero Zappy faceplanted in the "QB competition" if there even was one.

 

[sb1]

Again, the run offense was putrid against the Eagles.

There was nothing there. The backups on the OL couldn't run block very well on a very good DL. The Dolphins DL is good but not as good as the Eagles.

The Dolphins were 4th vs the run last year but the problem is they have a new defense with Fangio and they admitted themselves they're still adjusting to it. We saw how well that worked for us last year with the Patricia/Judge offense. If the OL is healthy enough I think we can run on them. That's the best thing to do against a high powered offense, and we've seen BB use that approach lots of times.

 

[mike_usagisan]

There was nothing there. The backups on the OL couldn't run block very well on a very good DL. The Dolphins DL is good but not as good as the Eagles.

The Dolphins were 4th vs the run last year but the problem is they have a new defense with Fangio and they admitted themselves they're still adjusting to it. We saw how well that worked for us last year with the Patricia/Judge offense. If the OL is healthy enough I think we can run on them. That's the best thing to do against a high powered offense, and we've seen BB use that approach lots of times.

Yeah, the real question is if our OL is healthy enough. If not, Mac will be doing the screen passes instead of runs again.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

The normally skeptical Bedard predicts the Patriot offense will feast:

 

[State]

If we can make Tua uncomfortable…

There it is. BOOM.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

It might appear that way but really, the major difference between those two and Mac is that they're on teams that prioritize the WR position. (And Hurts can run). Put Hill or Brown on the Pats and you'd be singing a different tune about Mac.

Eagles also have a great offensive line

 

[JarOfMayo51]

I don't get the Mac hate?! Can't football fans accept that if a guy isn't the GOAT, he can still be a very serviceable QB and improve to the point of leading a team to wins.

Unfortunately this is the human condition in 2023... People care more about being right than anything, so if they decided last year that they hate Mac and he was the problem, they will not back down from that no matter what. People are calling his game against the Eagles juggernaut defense a bad game after he went 300+ yards and 3 TDs, nearly pulling out a win in the end where his receivers had multiple drops on critical plays, or couldnt get both feet down

Every incomplete he makes will just be used as ammunition, every interception, every batted ball, etc.. those people will annihilate him for all of it in an unfair fashion.

Keep in mind a lot of them are the same people that were flogging their dolphin over Zappe getting a couple TDs against the worst defenses in the league last year, and using that as evidence of how much greater he is than Mac.

They're basically actively rooting for Mac to fail, because their ego is more important than the Patriots success

 

[JarOfMayo51]

No signature wins yet. I would like him to rise up and win one of these tough games. Eagles, Phins, Boys, etc. Until then he is Tommy Hodson light...

It takes everyone to win these tough games

Receivers can't be dropping passes on 3rd downs, or not drag their 2nd foot down to complete a pass

Brady was clutch, but so were lots of the other players on the team. Brady didn't make that ridiculous bobbling catch 1 inch from the ground in the SB against Falcons, Julian Edelman did. Everyone needs to rise to the occasion, not just the QB.

Mac hit receivers in the numbers late in the 4th quarter and they let him down in big moments. Even his interception was a ball that hit Bourne right in both hands, it was a terrible pass but still within reach of Bourne who should have either caught it or batted it down, but instead it deflects off both his hands into the air and right into a defender

That was his only turnover against an elite defense

 

[JarOfMayo51]

lol a chip on his shoulder for being drafted in the 1st round and not living up to it?

Hes basically mad at BB/Pats because he thought he was worth $15M+ on open market and turns out he was worth just a little over veteran minimum

Looking forward to our defensive line dominating that clown

 

[JarOfMayo51]

I smell..... FEAR!

 

[Patsfan1958]

Dolphins' Tyreek Hill says he will still dominate if Patriots decide to double team him

 

[slash83]

No Jonathan Jones is a major blow.

 

[amfootball]

Dolphins' Tyreek Hill says he will still dominate if Patriots decide to double team him

LOL. Tyreek has never feasted vs our D ...

 

[amfootball]

No Jonathan Jones is a major blow.

why? Did he get hurt? I have not been very up to date this week on any news. All I saw today was that he got a vet day off yesterday ...

 

[slash83]

why? Did he get hurt? I have not been very up to date this week on any news. All I saw today was that he got a vet day off yesterday ...

I don’t think it was a vet day off, he’s been on the injury report and was not seen at practice today.

 

[Rob0729]

No Jonathan Jones is a major blow.

Do we know he isn't playing or did they hold him out as a precautionary move since he was injured yesterday?