PostGame Thread 2025 OFFICIAL POSTGAME THREAD: Patriots improve to 8-2 with win over Bucs

[One-If-By-Sea]

Vrabel is having more success in NE than Tennessee. Why? Because of Drake.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Vrabel is having more success in NE than Tennessee. Why? Because of Drake.

Absolutely agree, but I think having a front office that is aligned with what he’s trying to do helps. Also the opportunity to go on such a crazy off-season shopping spree probably didn’t hurt. It all adds up.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Absolutely agree, but I think having a front office that is aligned with what he’s trying to do helps. Also the opportunity to go on such a crazy off-season shopping spree probably didn’t hurt. It all adds up.

And the easy schedule.

And he had a year off to reset and recharge.

And new coaches commonly get buy in and added effort - see Commanders last year.

But it is mostly Drake.

 

[mike_usagisan]

And the easy schedule.

And he had a year off to reset and recharge.

And new coaches commonly get buy in and added effort - see Commanders last year.

But it is mostly Drake.

The NFL is a terrible place to be for a team without a real QB.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

The NFL is a terrible place to be for a team without a real QB.

I agree. Without Ben the Steelers are in no where land even though they win more than they lose. With Ben they won a SB.

 

[n1997y]

And the easy schedule.

TIL the whole “easy schedule” thing is way overblown.

You know how many games it affects?

Three.

Exactly 3 / 17 of the schedule may be easier because the Pats finished last in division a year ago. And that assumes none of those three opponents improved from last year. Just think, three teams on the Pats’ schedule were deemed to have an easy opponent in the Patriots. How’d that work out for them?

 

[VrabelJr]

Vrabel is having more success in NE than Tennessee. Why? Because of Drake.

A bit early to say that. Vrabel took the Titans to an AFC CG.

 

[VrabelJr]

TIL the whole “easy schedule” thing is way overblown.

You know how many games it affects?

Three.

Exactly 3 / 17 of the schedule may be easier because the Pats finished last in division a year ago. And that assumes none of those three opponents improved from last year. Just think, three teams on the Pats’ schedule were deemed to have an easy opponent in the Patriots. How’d that work out for them?

Those 3 easy games coincide with getting to play the NFC South and AFC North (a bit of a mess right now) and our extra owner greed game is against the Giants.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

TIL the whole “easy schedule” thing is way overblown.

You know how many games it affects?

Three.

Exactly 3 / 17 of the schedule may be easier because the Pats finished last in division a year ago. And that assumes none of those three opponents improved from last year. Just think, three teams on the Pats’ schedule were deemed to have an easy opponent in the Patriots. How’d that work out for them?

How could you possibly completely miss the whole message and conclusion of multiple posts?

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

A bit early to say that. Vrabel took the Titans to an AFC CG.

In Y1 at the Titans, Vrabel was 9 - 7. In Y1 at the Patriots, Vrabel is presently 8 - 2. You think it is a bit early to say Vrabel is presently having more success in NE?

 

[Real fan 02]

To who? I don't know. But there will be a loss. Maybe more.

And I don't say this just to be a contrarian. I say this as someone who sees that this team keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. Not that there's anything wrong with that from the perspective of a young team. And what I really appreciate from Vrabel is that he is allowing them to do that because he's fully cognizant that they have to recover from a season of truly bad coaching. Instead of berating them, he's been spoon-feeding them, encouraging them to play good football.

But you do not stop making mistakes until you truly pay for it. That's the baptism, the rite of passage of a team that wants to transform into a battle-hardened playoff team.

The way this team is playing. The competitiveness they display week in and out. This team is well prepared and well coached. Sure any team, on any given day can get got. However I don't see it with this team. They have shown traits and characteristics of past patriots championship caliber teams. Something special is brewing with this team it feels like.

The only way I can see them catching an L is if it's the end of the season and the 1 seed is locked up and there's no reason to play Drake and other key guys JMO..

 

[TommyD4207]

In Y1 at the Titans, Vrabel was 9 - 7. In Y1 at the Patriots, Vrabel is presently 8 - 2. You think it is a bit early to say Vrabel is presently having more success in NE?

Amazing what he can do when his QB isn't Mariota or Tannehill.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Amazing what he can do when his QB isn't Mariota or Tannehill.

That was my point. It is mostly Maye. There was a good cast of players at Tennessee with no QB.

@VrabelJr says that Vrabel went to the AFCCG once in 6 years at Tennessee so it is too early to say Vrabel is having more success in NE.

 

[Thelonious]

Well, I think they do. Clearly, despite all his reported flaws, the Pats really liked Maye, because they picked him at #3 despite several reportedly pretty good offers to trade down and pick up both an OT and QB in the first round. And think about it, would any of us be truly pissed if our QB was Pennix, Nix, or JJ plus another first round pick and another in 2025. While none of those QB's are as good as Maye, all of them have turned out to be decent starters for their respective teams.

Prior to that draft, it pretty much was consensus that the league rated the 3 top QB's, Williams, Daniels, Maye, so the Pats knew it was very likely Maye was going to be available to them for a long time knowing he had a high ceiling, but the lowest floor and STILL took him.

Now had we had the #1 pick it becomes a lot more complex. To we STILL like Maye's upside so much we trade down to the #3 spot, pick up a boatload of picks and hope Maye is still there.

BTW- for the record, Maye was my top choice when studying for that draft. I liked his size. I liked Pennix if we had traded down for the same reason. QB's get hit, and a QB's best ability is his availability, as they say. I worried about Daniel's frail body type, but I loved his skills. Had it been him that fell to us, we would have loved him here too. I believe he and Maye will have their share of exciting Match ups when they meet, as both will be top QB's in this league.

No question we lucked into the top QB of this decade thus far. The entire class of 2021 has flamed out disastrously, and I can't think of another recent young QB who even approaches Maye's skills, demeanor, leadership skills, and potential.

Everything fell into place, notwithstanding we failed (Is that the right word?) to tank our way to the first pick. I guess I just imagine Jets fans gloating when we fell (Is that the right word? Not in the end it wasn't.) to three, and were forced (Not the right word.) to take the "project guy" at three, then had to settle for the short armed tackle later in the draft. Based on their own dismal experience, I guess, they probably figured the wheel of fortune had finally spun us to the bottom, at long last.

Instead, we ended up with two excellent players: A tackle who is as sound as a dollar (There's an archaic expression for you.) right off the bat with a legitimate prospect of becoming something more and a person of stellar character to boot. And a QB with all the physical attributes and skills, whose character traits - humility, courage, intelligence, assiduousness - are outstanding. It's pretty remarkable.

I don't like to gloat over anybody's misfortune, but the Jets' misfortune does seem to be largely of their own making, so it's all at least a little funny, in a dark sort of way.

 

[TommyD4207]

I don't like to gloat over anybody's misfortune, but the Jets' misfortune does seem to be largely of their own making, so it's all at least a little funny, in a dark sort of way.

Nah, it's ok. It's a lot funny. It's the Jets. They have 5 first round picks the next 2 years. They also had 5 first round picks within 2 years - in 2021 and 2022.

2 are still with the team, both currently injured.

Jets gon' Jets. It just is what it is.

 

[The Gr8est]

Yes, some of us would be truly pissed. You don't pass on a true franchise QB. If you think Penix, McCarthy or Nix are going to be franchise QBs, you need to re-assess.

The Patriots got incredibly lucky that Maye fell to them at #3. Thank God they didn't screw it up. The rest of the NFL is f*cked for the next 15 years, and they know it. It's their worst nightmare.

Not only did the Pats get Maye, maybe as importantly we also got Vrabel.

The Pats replaced Brady and BB with Maye and Vrabel in one fell swoop, to the rest of the league’s dismay, and based on the draft and FA period, Vrabel and team are much better at talent acquisition than BB was.

 

[patfanken]

Everything fell into place, notwithstanding we failed (Is that the right word?) to tank our way to the first pick. I guess I just imagine Jets fans gloating when we fell (Is that the right word? Not in the end it wasn't.) to three, and were forced (Not the right word.) to take the "project guy" at three, then had to settle for the short armed tackle later in the draft. Based on their own dismal experience, I guess, they probably figured the wheel of fortune had finally spun us to the bottom, at long last.

Instead, we ended up with two excellent players: A tackle who is as sound as a dollar (There's an archaic expression for you.) right off the bat with a legitimate prospect of becoming something more and a person of stellar character to boot. And a QB with all the physical attributes and skills, whose character traits - humility, courage, intelligence, assiduousness - are outstanding. It's pretty remarkable.

I don't like to gloat over anybody's misfortune, but the Jets' misfortune does seem to be largely of their own making, so it's all at least a little funny, in a dark sort of way.

Nailed it, my friend.

BTW- Perhaps in today's lexicon, it is "sound as a euro", or if you are a young drug dealer, "sound as a bitcoin"

 

[The Gr8est]

Everything fell into place, notwithstanding we failed (Is that the right word?) to tank our way to the first pick. I guess I just imagine Jets fans gloating when we fell (Is that the right word? Not in the end it wasn't.) to three, and were forced (Not the right word.) to take the "project guy" at three, then had to settle for the short armed tackle later in the draft. Based on their own dismal experience, I guess, they probably figured the wheel of fortune had finally spun us to the bottom, at long last.

Instead, we ended up with two excellent players: A tackle who is as sound as a dollar (There's an archaic expression for you.) right off the bat with a legitimate prospect of becoming something more and a person of stellar character to boot. And a QB with all the physical attributes and skills, whose character traits - humility, courage, intelligence, assiduousness - are outstanding. It's pretty remarkable.

I don't like to gloat over anybody's misfortune, but the Jets' misfortune does seem to be largely of their own making, so it's all at least a little funny, in a dark sort of way.

The Rats have also benefited from their former intern, Roger Goodell, being omissioner, we get hammered and they get a wrist slap.

 

[PatsFan2]

Not only did the Pats get Maye, maybe as importantly we also got Vrabel.

The Pats replaced Brady and BB with Maye and Vrabel in one fell swoop, to the rest of the league’s dismay, and based on the draft and FA period, Vrabel and team are much better at talent acquisition than BB was.

That ^ is key getting next man up Talent from the Draft: build the Talent depth on your Team.

 

[mayoclinic]

Think how much more effective Henderson will be when he gets integrated into the passing game.

Once Drake Maye realizes that a 5 yard checkdown to Henderson can turn into a 50 yard TD, there will be an epiphany.