Official Post Game Thread -Pats @ Dolphins

FCB02062 said:

Trying to draw comparisons w other bounce back games like after KC 2014 or buffalo 2003, but I don't think either of those teams was as injury riddled as the pats r right now... Said it before the season, the ONLY thing stopping this team from winning another SB is injuries... - Edelman, -hightower for whole season coupled with tons of others and the team may have reached an injury breaking point

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What about the 2004 orange uni game? We faced injury adversity that year, and that loss was beyond ugly.

luuked said:

The Falcons are the best example of how stupid the entire concept is. We get their lead down to a 7 point lead (we have momentum). On the first play they have a 30yd+ running play that breaks free (we are losing momentum). Ryan completes that crazy pass to Julio (they still have momentum) and they are in FG range. They get stopped and flagged out of FG range (I guess we have momentum again).

There is zero value to it if it doesnt help you actually do anything.

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Houston buffalo 92? Green Bay Seattle 2014 after the botched onside recovery?

luuked said:

I dont believe in momentum or any of this garbage. It is just a writers crutch to make a nice narrative out of random things that happen on the football field. Whats the value of momentum if it can be taken or given on any single play ?

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Well, as much as I respect your stance, it’s one of 5 main points that Belichick brings up when doing speaking engagements, so I think it holds some merit.

Of course, it doesn’t excuse poor play in the other examples that you’ve listed, either. The bottom line is that a second round pick should know better than trying to tackle someone by the shoulders/torso, so I think that’s what irks me about that play.

As bad as they played, as many mistakes as they made they fought til the end and had a chance. I think a big bounce back game is in order against Pitt.

supafly said:

The bottom line is that a second round pick should know better than trying to tackle someone by the shoulders/torso, so I think that’s what irks me about that play.

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There is no question about that. I am even hesitant calling it a tackle because of how awful it was. Cutler was ready to give himself up.

Patriot Missile said:

Really? I'm pretty confident with the matchups myself. Brady has historically played well against them And although you can't base success off that, I would say with a healthy Gronkowski and some defensive starters back their chances are good. I'm assuming they will give up points and try to eliminate Bell, but I just think our defense will be better and that will be enough to get the win.

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I think eliminating Brown is just as important, if not more important, than trying to eliminate Bell.

Obviously, they’ll attempt to take both away, but if I had to choose one or the other, I’m doubling Brown all day long.

Ras-IR Dowling said:

Houston buffalo 92? Green Bay Seattle 2014 after the botched onside recovery?

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What about those games ?

For every game that has game swinging big plays you can find others where a big play gets made and yet the game doesnt swing eventually. Whatever..

Credit Miami -- they came out with a fire that showed from play one. On D they did what I expected (no big secret), often blitzing while smothering those sparse underneath drop and pop targets for Brady (in the process making rush yards difficult too). In this instance the long ball had to be hit by Brady a couple times to make Miami back off. Unfortunately the long ball just wasn't hit at all until it was too late -- Miami was able to keep to their game plan up from start to finish and the Patriots O had no answer that would convert/sustain drives.

VERY disappointed in the pass D. This area of the D was the impetus behind the overall starkly improved D play. Miami deserves credit for hitting some good passes (this will happen) but also too many instances of pitch and catch that produced too many yards. This pass defense is too good to be letting that happen with that kind of frequency. Up until tonight over the last 6 weeks passes were most often contested. Again too much pitch and catch -- uncontested receptions aplenty -- last night.

I look at this as the Patriots had a couple issues exposed/brought into the light. If Gronk is there maybe, possibly, we win this game (certainly I think a few third downs are converted) but it still would have been an exposure of some areas that need reexamination. The exposing, however, can be a good thing if their are practical remedies to it.

I'll tell you this -- this was a game that the D needed to win. Brady and the O were flat out neutralized. I'm perfectly ok with Miami's first two drives that ended in FGs -- keeping them out of the EZ will work. But the conversions the pass D allowed in the 2nd and 3rd quarter sucked the big one and simply cannot happen if this D wants to be top tier.

Botton line: we blew our one game loss, non Pitt loss, margin. It's most simple now: win all remaining 3. With the last 2 against hapless Jets and a Buff team that can't score to save their lives, these should be wins (if the Patriots can't take care of these two then the issues exposed tonight are bigger and probably season killing). No surprise the BFD is next Sunday. And due to this loss last night there is a HUGE, MASSIVE difference between winning and losing. Decent odds versus long odds at making the SB hangs in the balance.

TheBostonStraggler said:

VERY disappointed in the pass D. This area of the D was the impetus behind the overall starkly improved D play. Miami deserves credit for hitting some good passes (this will happen) but also too many instances of pitch and catch that produced too many yards. This pass defense is too good to be letting that happen with that kind of frequency. Up until tonight over the last 6 weeks passes were most often contested. Again too much pitch and catch -- uncontested receptions aplenty -- last night.

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I would love to be able to say that I am disappointed by the pass D but I really was not. Miami attacked exactly the areas of weakness that NE has and in most cases avoided their areas of strength. And in those rare instances where Cutler did go for a pass against one of our better players things just worked out for them with Butler getting beat badly on that TD throw in the endzone or Jonathan Jones & Gilmore giving up DPIs.

The deep completion on Drake against Roberts is something that is a danger at any point in any game if you can isolate your player and look off the safety.

TheBostonStraggler said:

Decent odds versus long odds at making the SB hangs in the balance.

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Personally I think the list of injuries has a bigger effect on SB odds than the location of the AFCCG. If we can get KVN, Flowers, Branch & co back I am more confident traveling to whereever for a championship game than having one at home without those players.

luuked said:

Personally I think the list of injuries has a bigger effect on SB odds than the location of the AFCCG.

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Understood, however, I was speaking bye vs non bye. The location of the AFCCG is acceptable variance, playing on WC is not. If we don't win in Pitt then the bye is out of our control. Jags win their last 3 and we are playing WC weekend and that drops our odds dramatically (in the BB era we have never made the SB from the WC spot).

TheBostonStraggler said:

If we don't win in Pitt then the bye is out of our control.

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This fact will take a handful of days to fully sink in, as we went from potentially wrapping up the #1 seed with a victory on Sunday to potentially having the #3 seed with a loss on Sunday, all within 24 hours.

JAX opened as -11 point favorites for their upcoming game, so I’m thinking we’d be down to two games as a possibility. When you factor in the week 17 game vs TEN (who I don’t take seriously and are barely favored over the 3-10 Niners), we’re down to one game. When you factor in the week 16 game vs SF, things start getting dicey real quickly.

Edit: and I do think that having to potentially go to Pittsburgh for the AFCCG could be problematic, even as a #2 seed with a bye. Here is an article stating just how dominant the Steelers have been when having back to back home games. Roethlisberger pretty much becomes a totally different QB.

Numbers don't lie: Ben Roethlisberger tough to beat at home - USA TODAY Numbers don't lie: Ben Roethlisberger tough to beat at home — Steelers Wire

Seems a lot of people in here forget that the Pats usually have one big clunker of a game every season. Think KC game of 2014. At least we got it out of the way now.

moejr said:

Seems a lot of people in here forget that the Pats usually have one big clunker of a game every season. Think KC game of 2014. At least we got it out of the way now.

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Hopefully you’re right, although I’m assuming that most here feel as though our clunker came earlier in the year against KC.

moejr said:

Seems a lot of people in here forget that the Pats usually have one big clunker of a game every season. Think KC game of 2014. At least we got it out of the way now.

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Didn't we already have that in the Chiefs game? 40 something - 27, awfully played. Though it was the first game of the year.

We sucked on every aspect of the game, both on offense and defense.I don't care as long as BB adjusts. Better happen now than coming playoffs.

gopats.

I figured they would've made this a point of emphasis in the off-season, given the struggles the Falcons gave them with this scheme...

ZERO third down conversions. Brady has a bad night. Offensive line was weak. Pats defensive side was terrible too many missed plays. Miami had a great game plan, their coach did a terrific job. Culter had his night thanks to the Pats.

Biggest problem, was Gronk in the Buffalo game. He plays and we would never be 0 for 11 third down conversions.

Go Pats

We will look better in Pittsburgh

The turning point for me was when Richards should of sacked Cutler. I fell asleep just after that as it was like 2am in UK.

We go again this Sunday. Beat PIT and whatever happens happens! We just gotta believe

luuked said:

I would love to be able to say that I am disappointed by the pass D but I really was not. Miami attacked exactly the areas of weakness that NE has and in most cases avoided their areas of strength. And in those rare instances where Cutler did go for a pass against one of our better players things just worked out for them with Butler getting beat badly on that TD throw in the endzone or Jonathan Jones & Gilmore giving up DPIs.

The deep completion on Drake against Roberts is something that is a danger at any point in any game if you can isolate your player and look off the safety.



Personally I think the list of injuries has a bigger effect on SB odds than the location of the AFCCG. If we can KVN, Flowers, Branch & co back I am more confident traveling to whereever for a championship game than having one at home without those players.

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While Landry caught 8 of 8 for 46 yards and two scores, Drake and Grant combined for 7 of 10 for 121 yards in receptions, a TD and Cutler's two longest plays of the night.

For the first time since **** MacPherson was coach, they seriously did not convert a single 3rd down last night?

That stat alone tells us this game was weird.

No Gronk. No Flowers. No KVN.

I don't care what BB says. They were looking ahead and MIA wanted this.

I still want to know where Jay Cutler is because that was not him last night. That QB looked like he cared.

IcyPatriot said:

Jordan Richards whiffing the sack was the play of the game.

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Excellent contrast in technique between Richards' failure and Jon Jonzz' success in his sack of Moore 2 weeks ago (that BB complimented). Richards got on Cutler way too fast and committed before Cutler did. Jonzz slowed his roll a tad and got Moore to commit first.