PostGame Thread OFFICIAL POST GAME THREAD: Patriots Lose to Steelers 21-14

[ErniesPinkStripes]

Can't we find one of those Sumo masters to help the line like in the Replacements?

 

[Tunescribe]

Miami win will end up hurting the Pats draft position, similar to the Bengals win in the opener last year. Probably the difference between a top 5 and top 10 pick. Might as well be 0-3 right now, because this team is going nowhere.

I also can't get over Peppers playing considerably better than any of our safeties and having a game-changing forced TO. Another thing that makes me seriously question what Vrabel is doing.

This will look a lot better when they're 1-4 after the Buffalo game. Look at that SOS

 

[Vindicate]

This is what a normal losing team looks like, but is hopefully finding their way and trending towards the positive.

We got used to the worst of the worst last year and might be mistaking some meager improvements as potential playoff promises. When in reality, we're just way too inconsistent right now to sniff the post season.

Give me something to believe you're the guy, Vrabel. I don't want Marvin ****in' Lewis on our hands, that just squanders talent and continually blows it when it matters.

I think we have a team that can win quite a few games. Don't be surprised if we play the Bills close, or even win. It's not about the one game with this team, it's the aggregate. Because only on the aggregate do you see the weakness of this team. Which, to be optimistic, is a fork-in-the-road portion of journey. The Patriots actually have the decision in their hands on how good they want to be. We have not had that the past 4 years.

 

[Mike the Brit]

People here keep barking up the wrong trees. "It's the turnovers!" "It's the penalties!" "It's the defensive backfield!" No. It's THOSE DAMN RED THROWBACK UNIFORMS. You LOOK like the old, bumbling Rod Rust/**** MacPherson Patriots, you PLAY like them. It's uncanny.

Excellent.

I had the misfortune to be subjected to 98.5 Radio's aftergame broadcast, and one thing stood out among all of the idiocy as the most stupid of all -- someone shouting "I don't know what they should do, but they gotta do something!"

So congratulations. Here's a "something" they can do that won't actually make things worse!

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

And we are 3- 16 I believe at home? Is that correct? Last few seasons. The book is still out on drake.. I believe he's still developing he shows it in stretches.. as you said seems to max out in games..

I won't put this loss on the coaches. Fumbles especially unforced ones are strictly on the players. I still believe Vrabel is the right coach for this team now and going forward but we are rebuilding team with a young developing QB. It was like watching a 3 stooges episode with the Fumbles yesterday..

I think Drake is still well ahead of the curve, hes just 23 and hard to expect alot more from him based on his surroundings. While i admit i don’t really understand all these advanced stats lol he is apparently top 10 in most of them which is pretty amazing in his situation. They do go along with the eye test at least to me. The fumble was really bad but im hoping that hero ball stuff goes away with experience and being able to trust his team more. The team must support him better than it has and thats what you hope to see as the season progresses.

The defense imo WILL get better, it is slowly improving, remember they have 7 or 8 new starters. It will take time to gel and reach their peak. spillane played better, we may have finally found a way to keep ellis off the field, and theyre without the best player too. If we start holding teams to under 20 its less stress on drake to carry the team. Same with the OL, 4 new starters. I think the pass blocking is okay but they need to open up more for the rb’s.

The wr’s MAY get better, they are predictably limited at the start. Diggs is still recovering and Williams is developing, if they do contribute more for us it probably won’t come till later in the year. Douglas has been a big disappointment and might have earned a benching. I never was a huge fan of the hollins signing but he was supposedly a leader and i didn’t expect him to take up so many snaps. Boutte is ok. I think theres still some hope here with diggs , boutte, and Williams…hopefully chism gets a shot.

Big concern now with little hope to me is rhamondre. unfortunately i agree with Vrabel that we need him. At least 10 carries a game on a short leash. I like Henderson getting more work, i just get nervous watching him lowering his head into defenders, not sure i want him doing that 20x a game. Rham and Gibson have to be able to steal carries, but if rhams issues continue you simply can’t.

 

[PatsFan2]

I think Drake is still well ahead of the curve, hes just 23 and hard to expect alot more from him based on his surroundings. While i admit i don’t really understand all these advanced stats lol he is apparently top 10 in most of them which is pretty amazing in his situation. They do go along with the eye test at least to me. The fumble was really bad but im hoping that hero ball stuff goes away with experience and being able to trust his team more. The team must support him better than it has and thats what you hope to see as the season progresses.

The defense imo WILL get better, it is slowly improving, remember they have 7 or 8 new starters. It will take time to gel and reach their peak. spillane played better, we may have finally found a way to keep ellis off the field, and theyre without the best player too. If we start holding teams to under 20 its less stress on drake to carry the team. Same with the OL, 4 new starters. I think the pass blocking is okay but they need to open up more for the rb’s.

The wr’s MAY get better, they are predictably limited at the start. Diggs is still recovering and Williams is developing, if they do contribute more for us it probably won’t come till later in the year. Douglas has been a big disappointment and might have earned a benching. I never was a huge fan of the hollins signing but he was supposedly a leader and i didn’t expect him to take up so many snaps. Boutte is ok. I think theres still some hope here with diggs , boutte, and Williams…hopefully chism gets a shot.

Big concern now with little hope to me is rhamondre. unfortunately i agree with Vrabel that we need him. At least 10 carries a game on a short leash. I like Henderson getting more work, i just get nervous watching him lowering his head into defenders, not sure i want him doing that 20x a game. Rham and Gibson have to be able to steal carries, but if rhams issues continue you simply can’t.

Nice post: what's interesting is Rham has looked better than T Henderson catching the Football. Do we make Rham our Third Down RB: and make Gibby and T Henderson split the Major carries?? Vrabel said we Need Rham: it's probably in that respects.

 

[Tunescribe]

I had the misfortune to be subjected to 98.5 Radio's aftergame broadcast

Shame on whoever forced you into that.

 

[PatsFan2]

Somebody need to Teach Drake Maye how to slide: he's coming up just short of the sticks sometimes. We have to clean that up: First Down is better than 3rd or 4th and short.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Nice post: what's interesting is Rham has looked better than T Henderson catching the Football. Do we make Rham our Third Down RB: and make Gibby and T Henderson split the Major carries?? Vrabel said we Need Rham: it's probably in that respects.

I think both are good catching and in open space, Henderson just hasn’t had much room to work with yet. I think itll come. I thought even last year Gibson should’ve been getting 10 or so carries a game. But now we may have no choice

 

[Mike the Brit]

Shame on whoever forced you into that.

I think that they meant well -- trying to help me understand American culture.

 

[PatsFan2]

I think both are good catching and in open space, Henderson just hasn’t had much room to work with yet. I think it'll come. I thought even last year Gibson should’ve been getting 10 or so carries a game. But now we may have no choice

Vrabel need the adopt the BB Philosophy in the Dynasty years. Play Player X where he excels at ie... Rham should be used Exclusively on Third Downs.

 

[Thunderhead]

Mac Jones has as many wins as 49ers starter as Drake does starting for the Pats.

 

[FCB02062]

The lack of big plays on offense is going to kill this team. I don't know why they only throw downfield once a game. But I'm convinced that the lack of any semblance of a deep throw is clogging up the area between the LOS and 20 yards downfield and making it next to impossible for any YAC. this team is the king of getting tackled immediately. There's no separation. Early in the game Diggs caught a pass, I think for a first down. Nice play. Needed 8 got 9 or something like that. But it was the type of route we got used to seeing Edelman and Welker catch an 8 yard pass and take it 15-20 yards. There's no explosion on this team at all. The Pats very rarely have anyone running free, I think the TD to Henry on the fourth down (i think) might be the only time they schemed up something and got someone wide open down field.
So far this team's long plays....vs Oakland, a 27 yard pass to Henry....vs Miami a 55 yard pass to Stevenson....vs Pittsburgh a 23 yard pass to Stevenson. When you're ****ing running back is your biggest playmaker in the passing game we have a problem. So for ****s and giggles, I checked out the way back machine....in 2020 with Cam Newton, the first three games of the year long plays were vs Miami, 25 yards to Izzo, Seattle 49 yards to Edelman, vs Oakland a 48 yard run from Michel. I looked at Mac Jones last two starts....long plays...vs New Orleans, 42 yard td to Jennings....vs Arizona, 34 yards to Pearsall.
I'll say it again. Take the ****ing training wheels off Maye.

 

[1960Pats]

I’m really not that upset. Disappointed because we outplayed them thoroughly and didnt get a win.
There were a lot of good things and this team is moving in the right direction.
This is a playoff team.
We score 35+ without the turnovers.
Maye is the real deal. His arm talent is special.
Today for the first time I saw the defense playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Most of what Pittsburgh got was due to bad officiating calls.
The TE initiated contact with Austin and tried to push off. The call on Davis was terrible, the ball was uncatchable, if landed beyond the sideline stripe.

Teams like this learn from losing games they should have won.
This team has talent. It’s going to win a lot of games and the growing pains will be eased by the weak schedule.

This doesn't look like a playoff team right now. Not even close.
If you're going to take away the turnovers and give them 3 more TDs, then take away the penalties and give them 2 more and call it a 49-0 blowout.
It takes much more than arm talent to be a QB and Maye is still learning.
Stop with blaming the refs. It's a bad look in a game with so many turnovers.
This team hasn't seemed to learn much from losing and they've done plenty of that for a few years now.
They played three of the weaker AFC teams, lost to two of them and barely squeaked by the worst.
This team is clearly not that talented. Saying so doesn't change that fact.

Yes, they have a pretty weak schedule outside of TB, Bal and Buf twice. They also got a break when Cincy lost their QB. Hopefully they turn things around and go 12-6 or 11-7. I just don't have the same amount of confidence after seeing their start.

 

[borg]

Instead, the Patriots took defeat from the jaws of victory. Despite making it onto Pittsburgh's side of the field for each of their final seven possessions of the game and advancing inside the 10-yard line three times, the Patriots mustered only 14 points. Drake Maye's offense had 26 first downs and outgained the Steelers by 166 yards, but it turned the ball over twice inside the 5-yard line, two of the Patriots' five giveaways on the day.

How four teams suffered agonizing Week 3 losses: What went wrong for the Packers, Rams, Pats and Broncos?

We saw four truly frustrating losses Sunday -- including two after blocked field goal tries. Which was the worst, and can these teams rebound?

www.espn.com

 

[Huckleberry1]

Mixed bag is how I’d put it. Good stats don’t mean a lot if you turn the ball over at a bad time.

Tua had great stats in week 2 and threw it all away with a pick.

Maye was making big time throws in critical situations, and ran for first downs at exactly the right times. They should have put up 30 + if not for the mistakes the rest of the offense was making. Maye played a really good game.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Vrabel need the adopt the BB Philosophy in the Dynasty years. Play Player X where he excels at ie... Rham should be used Exclusively on Third Downs.

I would bench Rham for a week to get it through his head that he either secures the ball or doesn’t play. Those fumbles were inexcusable.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Somebody need to Teach Drake Maye how to slide: he's coming up just short of the sticks sometimes. We have to clean that up: First Down is better than 3rd or 4th and short.

Sometimes a healthy QB1 is worth more than a first down.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Maye was making big time throws in critical situations, and ran for first downs at exactly the right times. They should have put up 30 + if not for the mistakes the rest of the offense was making. Maye played a really good game.

He played a really good game except the interception and fumble.

But the kid is definitely improving and seems to be working well with McD's system. And that was my main concern for this year.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Miami win will end up hurting the Pats draft position, similar to the Bengals win in the opener last year. Probably the difference between a top 5 and top 10 pick. Might as well be 0-3 right now, because this team is going nowhere.

As fairweather fans go you have few if any peers.