Post Game Thread - Pats @ Steelers

Banjo · Dec 17, 2018

Wheelman said:
I really wish Brady would have thrown it to White on the 2nd and 15 with 33 seconds left. Would have made 3rd down much more manageable and stopped the clock.

Brady should be throwing to White in general. Back when he was getting like 10 targets, we would win handily. 0-11 on 3rd down against Miami. You can't tell me that result isn't different if they had used White the way they had all season

supafly · Dec 17, 2018

Banjo said:
Brady should be throwing to White in general. Back when he was getting like 10 targets, we would win handily. 0-11 on 3rd down against Miami. You can't tell me that result isn't different if they had used White the way they had all season

I thought yesterday’s game was a perfect opportunity for this, since you weren’t seeing any production from Gronk, Gordon, Hogan, etc. When your TE and WRs aren’t doing anything, what else do you have left? It was baffling that they didn’t involve him more.

That said, he’s more effective when it’s not as obvious a tell in terms of whether he’ll rush or run a route, so that could be it. The Steelers also seemed to be forcing things to the outside. That said, when they went to him on the last drive it was effective and like I mentioned, none of the other players were producing worth a damn, so it probably couldn’t have hurt all that much.

luuked · Dec 17, 2018

QuantumMechanic said:
To those of you blaming the defense, I'd love to hear an honest answer to the following question:
"If you were told Friday that NE would hold PIT to 17 points, what would you have said NE's chances of winning the game were?"

It really was a continuation of the second half last week where they only scored 6 for 3o minutes. Of course that got overshadowed by a couple of professional players performing a circus routine a the end of the game but the efficiency of the offense went down the toilet right after Brady hit Gronk for the TD and went to down with allegedly his knee brace being an issue.

luuked · Dec 17, 2018

moejr said:
Jules is a shell of his former self. Not the same clutch player he was 2 years ago

And yet he is having one of his best seasons and his drop rate is not significantly higher than at any point in his career really. You are confusing highlight plays for how he looked on average in the past.

luuked · Dec 17, 2018

VectorPrime said:
If the run defense wasn’t so putrid I’d say they’d still have a punchers chance. But not with this D line. Not happening.

They could have the number #1 defense in the league it would not matter if the offense looks like it did in the last 6 quarters. If they would fix whatever their issues are on offense and play up to their potential then the defense is good enough to win against anyone.

There is not a single non-flawed team making the playoffs.

RobertWeathers · Dec 17, 2018

Wheelman said:
You know who is a troll? mcmurtry86

He's awful.

RobertWeathers · Dec 17, 2018

Tunescribe said:
My point is all about looking ahead, not looking back.

Im as optimistic as anyone on this board but we'd be remiss in our analysis if we did not factor in the present state

Kontradiction · Dec 17, 2018

mcmurtry86 said:
What’s the argument for this team to be “much improved”? They have only 20M to spend (15M if they keep 5M in reserve for 2019 in-season moves) and only 44 played under contract. They need to re-sign or replace their best DL and LT. They need to re-sign or replace Hogan and Patterson (each will cost 2-4M to replace). They need two new DT. A new TE or two. Need to re-sign Gordon.

On top of that, they have virtually no internal cheap young options at these positions. Wynn can’t be counted on given the nature of his injury. Sorry but Berrios or Valentine aren’t legitimate replacement options

The draft? Ignoring that the recent drafts have proven useless, you have almost 20 years of Belichick drafts which tell us most rookies will not contribute and maybe 1-3 will be rotational guys or guys who work into bigger roles by the end of the season. Expecting big improvements from the draft is laughable especially if a QB of the future is selected early or if the team goes back to the DB well yet again.

Where is this improvement coming from? The Pats don’t even have the cap space to maintain the status quo which is clearly a declining roster. Outside of wildly, hilariously overrating the impact of the draft, I don’t see how the team will see a big improvement. They look destined for additional decline if anything

You realize that the Pats are likely to bring a significant portion of the cap hits back to the bargaining table (such as HT and McCourty) or outright purge it, right? They’re more than likely going to hit the reset button. This version of the Patriots window is closed.

Kontradiction · Dec 17, 2018

QuantumMechanic said:
To those of you blaming the defense, I'd love to hear an honest answer to the following question:
"If you were told Friday that NE would hold PIT to 17 points, what would you have said NE's chances of winning the game were?"

You think New England held Pittsburgh to 17 points? Outside of a couple of plays, they did not. Pittsburgh held themselves to 17 points and did everything they could to give the game away. Finally, allowing 8.2 yards per carry at one point in the game is horrific. If they had any sense, they would have lined up and just hammered us with the counter over and over again in the second half. We could not stop it.

RobertWeathers · Dec 17, 2018

Wheelman said:
I really wish Brady would have thrown it to White on the 2nd and 15 with 33 seconds left. Would have made 3rd down much more manageable and stopped the clock.

I think we've come to the point of being unable to deny Tom, mentally is not as sharp as he used to be. Even being off by a single millisecond makes the difference.

That does not mean he is unable to go out and kick ass on a regular basis

Halifax_Pats_Fan · Dec 17, 2018

Brady has a couple years left. Jules has to watch out man....he is missing some catches out there...heck even the sure handed Gordon missed one on the numbers.

Dante has the offensive line playing well as usual and I see no reason why that wouldn't change going into the post-season.

They have their work cut out for them...no doubt. One playoff game at home and if they can win that they hit the road, potentially. Tough road. I think the Eagles on the road will not be a slam dunk for the Texans. If we win out, and that is realistic...we can get the bye. That would be sweet.

I said it before and will say it again...I just wonder what this team does not put on tape. Brady kind of eluded to it in the presser yesterday. I know they always have plays like 'Baltimore' in their bag but somewhere in the back of my paranoid mind I think they have many more and are waiting till the postseason to unleash them.

Or maybe I am just delusional...

Mack Herron · Dec 17, 2018

KontradictioN said:
You think New England held Pittsburgh to 17 points? Outside of a couple of plays, they did not. Pittsburgh held themselves to 17 points and did everything they could to give the game away. Finally, allowing 8.2 yards per carry at one point in the game is horrific. If they had any sense, they would have lined up and just hammered us with the counter over and over again in the second half. We could not stop it.

Kontradiction · Dec 17, 2018

Mack Herron said:

I will say the secondary played well and Jackson, in particular, had a very good game. But this team is going nowhere with that run D.

PatsfanTN · Dec 17, 2018

KontradictioN said:
I will say the secondary played well and Jackson, in particular, had a very good game. But this team is going nowhere with that run D.

100% agree. Even with all the other flaws, the quickest road home from the playoffs is a run defense like we saw tonight. Problem is, I don’t see a fix.

Mack Herron · Dec 17, 2018

KontradictioN said:
I will say the secondary played well and Jackson, in particular, had a very good game. But this team is going nowhere with that run D.

Gilmore and Jackson are studs--the two best players on the defense and it's a big drop after that. These 2 CBs controlled the Steeler WRs--the strength of their team--as well as can be done, especially without a pass rush.

lurker1965 · Dec 17, 2018

Ian,
Belts and shoelaces.

mosslost · Dec 17, 2018

EddardSnow67 said:
They barely beat the Jets and managed under 300 yards of offense. I get being down on the team, I just don't know how that translates to having no chance to beat unremarkable teams.

In MetLife. We are bad on the road

primetime · Dec 17, 2018

robertweathers said:
I think we've come to the point of being unable to deny Tom, mentally is not as sharp as he used to be. Even being off by a single millisecond makes the difference.

That does not mean he is unable to go out and kick ass on a regular basis

I think it means he's able to go out and kick ass on an irregular basis, and therein lies the rub. If the Patriots get a bye and Brady plays 10 quarters of football like he did in the first half in Miami, the Patriots can win the Super Bowl. It could happen, it's Tom Brady we're talkimg about, but I just don't have the same confidence I used to when he gets the ball in his hand with the game on the line.

That's not entirely on him, but let's be honest, if this was some other team this board would be laying all the blame at the feet of the quarterback and talking about how good quarterbacks overcome bad teams.

The other issue is the run defense is so putrid that the games will be low tempo and limit Brady's opportunities.

RobertWeathers · Dec 17, 2018

Mack Herron said:

Lets hope they turn into the 2006 Colts.

luuked · Dec 17, 2018

primetime said:
The other issue is the run defense is so putrid that the games will be low tempo and limit Brady's opportunities.

Agree. Every drop or penalty on the offense is magnified and puts more stress on them. But thats how the team is build with the offense controlling the speed of the game in mind. Obviously everyone had higher hopes for Shelton being at least competent and he seemed to trend into that direction during camp otherwise they would have made a few more moves. They moved on from Knighton pretty fast two years ago after it became clear that he was a non contributor.

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