"Targeting lack of weapons for Tom Brady’s decline growing tiresome" (?)

Well, this year we don't have the horse

Tom Brady will never fall off the cliff. Instead, he's got his ropes, carabiners, and pitons so he can descend at his own rate.

In some ways this is good - he won't hit rock-bottom all at once. But, it's also bad since the gradual decline may cause the team to wait a little too long.

Either way, the Pats finished 12-4, another AFCE Championship, another playoff run, another chance at the big trophy. We're *****ing while 31 other fan bases are jealous.

robertweathers said:

Is this sarcasm?

Before 2019 how did the NEP do in total offense and points scored from 2007-2018?

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I would side more with the statement about lack of investment on offense. Gronk in 2010, but since then no TE. That's 10 years drafted highly, even with Gronk being injured often.

We've had Mitchell, Dobson and Harry drafted as receivers highly in this decade.

We're talking about 3 players drafted at 3 positions in this decade.

Edelman was a 7th rounder, so that's not really a big resource.

That being said, the Patriots certainly do invest a lot of draft capital in bringing in veteran WRs which can be very impactful. Brandin Cooks, Sanu and even Antonio Brown certainly cost the team some picks (though we got it back when trading Cooks). The Brissett for Dorsett trade, though, has been more than underwhelming.

So, Belichick invests draft capital in veteran receivers, but he certainly doesn't take rookies.

luuked said:

That is not true and the evidence can be seen in most of the rewatch threads of the last 4-5 weeks (check out @patsinthesnow breakdowns of how open Meyers was at times) or in the columns of various beat guys. Chatham's stand out most because he actually posts video clips that he narrates but unfortunately they are behind the Athletic paywall.

And to use your own words. An open receiver in the wrong place is as useless as an open receiver in the correct place when the QB once again delivers a bad throw.

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It is true, and the myth to the contrary has been debunked about a billion times. You keep playing the same broken saw.

Keyser Söze said:

Who else but Edelman can beat man coverage?

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Dorsett, if he's able to keep away from a press off the line.

scott99 said:

It's also mind boggling and incredibly frustrating that Brady, who used to go by the mantra of "throw to the open man", doesn't seem to do that anymore, all he does is key in on Edelman & White. If you take them away, game over, and that's on Brady. I've seen many situations where guys were wide open, and he forces it to Edelman or White. The pick 6 was a prime example, Sanu was WIDE open on that play, 15 yards down the middle.

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You, the viewer, don't usually know the order of the reads. But, even if you get the order correct, you have to know the timing, because:

• Being open is meaningless if the QB is under too much pressure to get you the ball, and
  
• "Wide open" isn't usefully wide open if you're not early enough in the progression that it matters, and
• "Wide open" isn't usefully wide open if you've run the wrong ****ing route, and
• "Wide open" isn't wide open if you don't get open until after the QB has looked at you when you were covered, and
• If you've been Jaking it out there, finally getting "wide open" after the QB is tired of you blowing plays, is meaningless, because he's done with you for the time being, as he should be.

It has always been thus. It's only during the struggling times like now, just as in 2013, that people lose their brains and start forgetting such obvious truths.


Now, does that mean that Brady's been perfect, that he's not blown any plays, and that every single failure is on someone else? Absolutely not. Does that mean that Brady hasn't made more mistakes this year than in the past? No. But it does mean that people need to use their freakin' heads about what they're seeing, rather than just spouting off the nonsense about guys being wide open all the time. Because the bottom line is this:

Either the problem is with the receiving corps, or both BB and McD are throwing an entire offense under the bus in order to protect the reputation of their starting QB, because it's the receivers (and linemen) who are getting benched, not the QB.

Froob said:

Was watching the 2007 Pats-Ravens game the other night randomly and saw Watson in the starting lineup. Damn is he old lol. Barely have an NFL caliber tight end on the roster.

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Yeah, poor Watson is just done. Cooked liked the turkey in Christmas Vacation.

KontradictioN said:

Nope. It’s 100% accurate. The WR position is great. Maybe tops in the NFL. They may actually be too good. The TE position? Forget about it. Completely dominant. This team bringing back Gordon and taking a shot on Brown was merely them playing with house money. They didn’t even need the two of them. They just signed those two for the hell of it. And Edelman’s injuries that have piled up are totally unrelated to the fact that he’s getting too many targets because nobody can trusted to be in the spot they need to be at on option routes. It’s just Brady force feeding him the ball for the heck of it. Phenomenal article. The writer should be nominated for a Pulitzer for this work.

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Classic Massachusetts sense of humor! Are you part Irish?

Have we ever had a year that seemed so promising that took us to where we are today? I think that’s a huge source of Patsfan frustration.

“Man #7 is coming!”
“They just can’t stop us!”
“Our defense is all time great!”
“Should we start talking about 16-0?”

Then sh** happens and Felger & Mazz today are predicting it’s the end. I’m watching and thinking “I hope you’re proud you idiots may finally be right...ass****!

PatriotsReign said:

Classic Massachusetts sense of humor! Are you part Irish?

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I’m over 90% Irish.

2015 was similar to this year. Started off like gangbusters but things fell apart due to injury. This years team had such an easy schedule to start the year that it created some over inflated impressions. All that said, if they take care of business last week they would still have been favored to make the AFCCG. Going to be a challenge but this team is still capable.

KontradictioN said:

I’m over 90% Irish.

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Did you get one of those DNA tests?

robertweathers said:

Did you get one of those DNA tests?

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KontradictioN said:

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I know two people who have done them. One 100% believes it's results and has the genealogy tree a relative did to support it and the other says its full of ****. It said hes 10% from Korean peninsula and he was told since birth he was Italian/Sardina. I give him so much **** over it. I call him Kim Jong <hisitalianlastname>. He called them and they said they stand by their results. They even offered to do another one for 1/4 of the price.

I've thought about it. I consider it entertainment. Nothing would surprise me. Russian...French...Greek...Jets Fan....

robertweathers said:

I know two people who have done them. One 100% believes it's results and has the genealogy tree a relative did to support it and the other says its full of ****. It said hes 10% from Korean peninsula and he was told since birth he was Italian/Sardina. I give him so much **** over it. I call him Kim Jong <hisitalianlastname>. He called them and they said they stand by their results. They even offered to do another one for 1/4 of the price.

I've thought about it. I consider it entertainment. Nothing would surprise me. Russian...French...Greek...Jets Fan....

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Yeah I found out that the rest of my bloodline is English and I also have a little Viking in me too. The funniest part is that my dad always told people he was descended from a royal Irish bloodline. I haven’t shared this with him, but that’s nowhere near true.

Deus Irae said:

... Because the bottom line is this:

Either the problem is with the receiving corps, or both BB and McD are throwing an entire offense under the bus in order to protect the reputation of their starting QB, because it's the receivers (and linemen) who are getting benched, not the QB.

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You are being way too over simplistic. First, BB and McD aren’t going to let protecting any snowflake’s reputation get in the way of trying to win football games. Second, it’s easier to replace WRs then TB even if both are playing below potential.

You did get one thing partly right:

Deus Irae said:

...

• If you've been Jaking it out there, finally getting "wide open" after the QB is tired of you blowing plays, is meaningless, because he's done with you for the time being, as he should be.

...

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It seems Brady is done with everybody but his two binkies, Squirrel and Sweetfeet. Not clear to me that the rest of them have been any worse about Jaking it that Brady himself, but it’s his trust in them that matters, and if the chemistry hasn’t gelled he seems to just trust nobody but his binkies.

I’d say Brady hasn’t done his part to develop the chemistry. He got too ****y thinking he had the answers to the test and quit putting in the offseason seasons with new guys the way he did with Jules and even Flash. Used to be Brady made everyone around him better. This year he hasn’t passed that test.

KontradictioN said:

Nope. It’s 100% accurate. The WR position is great. Maybe tops in the NFL. They may actually be too good. The TE position? Forget about it. Completely dominant. This team bringing back Gordon and taking a shot on Brown was merely them playing with house money. They didn’t even need the two of them. They just signed those two for the hell of it. And Edelman’s injuries that have piled up are totally unrelated to the fact that he’s getting too many targets because nobody can trusted to be in the spot they need to be at on option routes. It’s just Brady force feeding him the ball for the heck of it. Phenomenal article. The writer should be nominated for a Pulitzer for this work.

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I think your tongue just poked a hole in your cheek.

Tunescribe said:

I think your tongue just poked a hole in your cheek.

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KontradictioN said:

Yeah I found out that the rest of my bloodline is English and I also have a little Viking in me too. The funniest part is that my dad always told people he was descended from a royal Irish bloodline. I haven’t shared this with him, but that’s nowhere near true.

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Funny. I think its so cool.

My uncle is a retired teacher and he did a whole genealogy thing a couple of years ago. I know a big chunk of my heritage is French Canadian/French and i'm sure there is other parts of Europe mixed in there as well. The kicker is my uncle claims my great-great whatever grandfather in the late 1700s married a squaw in Quebec. They both died in the 1840s and had kids on my dad's side. No documentation to confirm but hes still looking. That is worth the $99 bucks to find out.

scott99 said:

It's also mind boggling and incredibly frustrating that Brady, who used to go by the mantra of "throw to the open man", doesn't seem to do that anymore, all he does is key in on Edelman & White. If you take them away, game over, and that's on Brady. I've seen many situations where guys were wide open, and he forces it to Edelman or White. The pick 6 was a prime example, Sanu was WIDE open on that play, 15 yards down the middle.

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If I had to venture a guess, I'd venture that he gets tired of trusting the other receivers only to see ball after ball bounce off their hands.