At The Quarter - What Keeps Us from Being A Likely Playoff Team THIS Year?

[mgteich]

AT THE QUARTER -
What keeps us from being a likely playoff team THIS year?

 

[grux]

I would say not winning the turn over battle most weeks, injuries and poor QB play.

 

[Nikolai]

It's the story we know well at this point; mistakes are what could keep from being a likely playoff team.

Penalties yes, but turnovers are the true killer. Even in the Panther game, when the flags were flying, we were struggling to get things rolling on offense. Once that slowed down, we were in business.

 

[sb1]

AT THE QUARTER -
What keeps us from being a likely playoff team THIS year?

Self-inflicted errors like turnovers and penalties.

We're also already only 1-2 against the AFC we can't afford to lose many of those.

 

[Steve102]

Losing games, scoring less points than the other team.

 

[javajunky]

Injuries to any of our core players.

 

[Patsfan1645]

slow starts, penalties and turnovers.

 

[PatsFan2]

AT THE QUARTER -
What keeps us from being a likely playoff team THIS year?

In a word?? Nothing.

 

[Water Boy]

The refs.

 

[maust]

No more than a couple of fortuitous plane/bus crashes or a few more strategic cases of turf toe

 

[slam]

Taking a look at our season schedule and I was shocked. The schedule looks less difficult than any schedule I’ve ever seen on paper. The team could end up with a record that’s better than it actually plays by 2 or 3 games.

 

[Nikolai]

No more than a couple of fortuitous plane/bus crashes or a few more strategic cases of turf toe

 

[mayoclinic]

Assume that we finish #2 in the AFC. We will likely not win the division this year (next year quite posdibly), and we are not like to be the manure that is Miami and the Jets.

The 4 division winners will get spots, leaving 3 remaining.

The AFC West 2nd place team will likely get a spot, either the Chargers or Chiefs.

That leaves 2 spots. We are as good as any of the remaining teams. Baltimore and Cincinnati have no defense (and have injured QBs), Houston has no offense. Jacksonville needs to show they can sustain success.

And we have a cream puff schedule.

 

[Thelonious]

1) Injuries + little depth across the board.

2) WR's. Virtually no downfield passing game, making run and short-pass game more difficult because D's can cheat up.

3) Persistent crap starts to games and lack of collective team knowledge re "how to win."

4) World. War III. Wish I were kidding.

 

[Steve102]

No more than a couple of fortuitous plane/bus crashes or a few more strategic cases of turf toe

 

[Brotherblues]

Vrabel gets busted for gambling, triggering some obscure clause from Mayo's contract, putting him back in charge.

Pollard unretires for one week.

Other than that we're likely fighting for a wild card spot.

 

[patfanken]

TIME- is the true reason. The Penalties, turn overs, sloppy play are all factors of TIME.

This is a young team playing lots of rookies and young players.

This is a team very unfamiliar with each other.

This is a team playing in an offensive system none have played in. It is a team playing in a defensive system where no one has played in before.

Why is it that in the one area of the game that seems to be running the smoothest and most effectively are the ST's and THAT"s the one part of the team that is running a "system" they ARE familiar with.

I'm the one who is always talking about "patience" to a fan base that has none, but most of the mistakes we are making can be cured by getting more continuity and familiarity with each other. Simple as that, and UNFOTUNATELY there are no short cuts to that.

Even that shocking 2001 team had a full year of reps and playing together before their amazing run. We forget that sometimes. Just like we forget that 2001 wasn't Brady's rookie year.

Thinking about that 2001 season. In my original hopes at the start of the year was for a 5-5 start and build off of that, like in 2001. After seeing the first 4 games AND looking at the schedule, I've raised my expectations a bit. I'd be "OK" with 5-5, but I have to admit that I'd be a bit disappointed if we aren't 6-4 or better at the 10 game mark.

 

[JayNM]

I still think this team is a more than a couple of players away from really contending. And for this, I will exclude a bit of the Panthers game, which has been the outlier match. Here is my view of the defense

I really like our trio of of DTs - Barmore, Williams and Tonga, seem to be doing good, which makes our Edges, and this includes Landry here, a bit lackluster. Even though he is leading in sacks, I don't them getting consistent push, as opposing teams have been running easily on us. Not horrible, mind you, but his stats are misleading.

Even though we have a good pressure number, but it seems that QBs still got time for those intermediate passes

Linebacks are our weakspot. Spillane is good enough, but doesnt seems to have elite traits anywhere. However, whoever plays with him is a loot worse. Elliss shouldn't see the playing field and Gibbens is a Jag

On the secondary, we still have to see our #1 duo play for a whole game. They might be a great duo, but Woodson is a rookie, doing okay, but Hawkins is bad.

 

[TommyD4207]

AT THE QUARTER -
What keeps us from being a likely playoff team THIS year?

Depth.

 

[mgteich]

Depth.

I agree, but that is only really relevant if there are injuries.

If there are no injuries, I only see turnovers and penalties as being what keeps us out, plus luck regarding some of the team we compete against. After all, we could win 11 games and not be in the playoffs.

Obviously, we could make the playoffs even with some injuries. We have enough depth at certainly positions. For example, Brown provides sufficient depth at C and OG.

I see the division winners and a WC from the West and North making it in. That leaves one spot. That spot could certainly go to the patriots.