What have we learned the last 5 seasons?

Brady'sButtBoy said:

Well, maybe they don't "suck" but we certainly don't have a true difference maker back there. A smart, big, bone crushing safety, whose got some stainless steel nuts is what that D needs desperately. Ala, Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, Mark Barron, yes, even like Polomalu.

(I won't say ed Reed because he's become one the dirtiest players in the league along with that tool next to him. I'd be embarrassed to have them on my team.)

Rodney was one of kind of kind but since he left that D has never been as good. The Pats need another dude like Harrsion, ASAP.

Click to expand...

fnordcircle said:

We've learned that no matter what people say about the 'new NFL', no matter how many offensive records get broken, no matter how many lopsided scores the Patriots can put up, we've learned one thing:

Defense still wins championships.

Baltimore's defense, even with Pees at the helm, was able to dictate the pace of that game - not our offense. And so they kicked our ass.

Click to expand...

coolguy said:

Defense doesn't win championships.....Leadership on defense does.

The haven't had a vocal leader on defense since vrabel/harrison/seymour/and teddy left.

Click to expand...

IllegalContact said:

actually, laron landry would have gone a long way.......when it comes to safety, it's not all about coverage......rodney was far from perfect in that respect, but he sure as hell had opposing WR's thinking about he in their vicinity.......not one of the pats safeties comes close to bringing that to the table.......hell, most of them hurt themselves trying to hit someone

as much as I hate him, pollard is better than anyone we have.....and he could have been had cheap, and think of all the injuries we would not have had

Click to expand...

RhodyPatriot said:

Spot on analysis. The Patriots need 2 things.

First thing they need is players who bring toughness. Hate to say it but a guy like Bernard Pollard is exactly what this team needs. Spikes has "it" but Spikes is not an every down defender. They need some nastiness like Rodney and Ty used to bring.
This is a soft team. That needs to change if they're going to win another Super Bowl.

Second thing they need is an "attitude adjustment" from this OC and QB.
All too often this OC and QB revert back to the Greatest Show On Turf. There were multiple occasions yesterday when the Patriots abandoned the run for no legit reason. How many more examples do we need to see that Tom Brady is incapable of carrying this team to championships?? Let the young skilled players play. Where was Shane Vereen yesterday?? These kids can't contribute if they're not given a chance. Vereen has some nice speed. Why was he not allowed to play?? Why do they limit their young skilled backs so much?? It's an annoying recurring theme with this team. Where was Danny Woodhead yesterday? That little waterbug couldn't get that offense some yards?? It's amazing how the passing game opens up if the run is used effectively.
You can run on the Ravens.
Patriots refused to exploit that area of the defense. Need to get away from being Brady-centric. You don't beat good teams in the playoffs that way. How many more times do they need to fail before it sinks in???

Click to expand...

fnordcircle said:

We've learned that no matter what people say about the 'new NFL', no matter how many offensive records get broken, no matter how many lopsided scores the Patriots can put up, we've learned one thing:

Defense still wins championships.

Baltimore's defense, even with Pees at the helm, was able to dictate the pace of that game - not our offense. And so they kicked our ass.

Just like the Giants were able to contain, dictate and win in 2007 and 2011. Just like the Jets defense was able to contain dictate and win in 2010. Just like the Ravens were able to do to us in 2009.

Yes, I'm oversimplifying. The Ravens had some great offensive performances too. Yes, Welker's drop changed the tone of that game. But there's a reason why those key drops used to happen to the Patriots' opponents and now they happen to us. It's because the defense is setting the tone and receivers start pressing. Wes wasn't scared he was getting ahead of himself rather than worrying about catching the ball because our opportunities against that defense were limited.

You can list all the stats you want. You can point out all the blown opportunities from last night that you want. You can do that going back to 2007. The one static amidst all of those variables is that 5 out of the 6 seasons going back to 2007 have ended at the hands of a team with an inferior offense and a far superior defense.

The good news is that I think we're making a lot of positive strides. I think that the loss of Talib robbed us of our ability to play aggressive - something that had help our defense really turn things around. I think the players are there - but we'll need another half season and we'll need to get healthy again.

I think we'll have a top 10 defense next year. But the lack of one this year is why we failed and why we've continued to fail for a while now.

Click to expand...

mayoclinic said:

I'd say it's more than just defense, it's overall physical play on both sides of the ball. Both the 49ers and Ravens were much more physical than their opponents in the playoffs - notably, the Broncos, Patriots, Packers and Falcons. The 49ers offensive line was able to take control in the second half against Atlanta and move the ball, and that was every bit as important as what the 49ers' defense did in adjusting to the Falcon's offense. Similarly, the Ravens were more physical than we were yesterday on both sides of the ball.

Since we won our last Super Bowl in 2004, a physically punishing team has won the Super Bowl 5 times (including this year), a more "wide open" style of team 3 times:

- Physically Punishing: Pittsburgh (2005, 2008), NY Giants (2007, 2011), winner of 2012 SB
- Wide Open: Indy (2006), New Orleans (2009), Green Bay (2010)

In spite of the rules changes favoring a more wide open game, good physically punishing teams still tend to do well in the post-season.

Click to expand...

I think we'll have a top 10 defense next year. But the lack of one this year is why we failed and why we've continued to fail for a while now.

Click to expand...

fnordcircle said:

We've learned that no matter what people say about the 'new NFL', no matter how many offensive records get broken, no matter how many lopsided scores the Patriots can put up, we've learned one thing:

Defense still wins championships.

Baltimore's defense, even with Pees at the helm, was able to dictate the pace of that game - not our offense. And so they kicked our ass.

Just like the Giants were able to contain, dictate and win in 2007 and 2011. Just like the Jets defense was able to contain dictate and win in 2010. Just like the Ravens were able to do to us in 2009.

Yes, I'm oversimplifying. The Ravens had some great offensive performances too. Yes, Welker's drop changed the tone of that game. But there's a reason why those key drops used to happen to the Patriots' opponents and now they happen to us. It's because the defense is setting the tone and receivers start pressing. Wes wasn't scared he was getting ahead of himself rather than worrying about catching the ball because our opportunities against that defense were limited.

You can list all the stats you want. You can point out all the blown opportunities from last night that you want. You can do that going back to 2007. The one static amidst all of those variables is that 5 out of the 6 seasons going back to 2007 have ended at the hands of a team with an inferior offense and a far superior defense.

The good news is that I think we're making a lot of positive strides. I think that the loss of Talib robbed us of our ability to play aggressive - something that had help our defense really turn things around. I think the players are there - but we'll need another half season and we'll need to get healthy again.

I think we'll have a top 10 defense next year. But the lack of one this year is why we failed and why we've continued to fail for a while now.

Click to expand...

Marqui said:

Exactly. Pats rely on too many soft finesse players on defense.

Click to expand...

TomPatriot said:

You might want to tell that to Wilfolk. Or Spikes. Or Love.

There was a reason BB mentioned Kyle Love's injury more than once in his presser.

Click to expand...