NFL.COM Patriots set to collapse, One of worst 3 teams in the league

Chevrolet said:

On paper its hard to argue that patriots do not have proven top tier talent.

How much do scheme and coaching matter in football. They are extremely important and more so than in any other sport.

It is simply I'm possible to predict how Hoyer will fare in his first time starting role. I think it is likely he will have his ups and downs.

However even if they finish at the bottom of the standings, that will give them a chance to replenish their talent pool....so I will not be terribly disappointed.

My expectations are low.

Click to expand...

What is this? A) Hoyer won't be the starter, and B) If he was, it wouldn't be his first time in a starting role?

"The offensive line is average at best."


Andrews back. Thuney staying?. Depth might be good with the draft last year and this year. No way is that an average line at best. The IOL f**king went to 3 straight SBs and won 2 (and in the 1 the lost they weren't the issue) and that's with some OT turnover, Solder 2 times, Brown 1 time at LT and Cannon 2 times and Fleming 1 time.

It's why I hate idiots like Schein, their hot take guys that don't do any more research than what's in their head. Idiot is basing that take on 2 guys that aren't even on the roster anymore. Newhouse & Karas are gone

can't tell what they have until the bullets start flying but as usual they have plenty of depth on the OL to find the right combination

I really don't get the negativity. The Pats under BB have always been a yearly work in progress in spite of looking at the long picture too. I don't see that changing.

It looks like Bill is going to live with Stidham. If that's the case then, as we all know, In Bill We Trust. As great as TB was, he was 42 last year. Who knows what Bill, Ernie and Josh are coming up with for a young QB who can move.

I still think the Pats will surprise people.

1960Pats said:

I really don't get the negativity. The Pats under BB have always been a yearly work in progress in spite of looking at the long picture too. I don't see that changing.

It looks like Bill is going to live with Stidham. If that's the case then, as we all know, In Bill We Trust. As great as TB was, he was 42 last year. Who knows what Bill, Ernie and Josh are coming up with for a young QB who can move.

I still think the Pats will surprise people.

Click to expand...

I hope we win 10+ games. I really want to shut the naysayers up. Obviously, easier with Brady under center but.... You never know.

Chevrolet said:

On paper its hard to argue that patriots do not have proven top tier talent.

How much do scheme and coaching matter in football. They are extremely important and more so than in any other sport.

It is simply I'm possible to predict how Hoyer will fare in his first time starting role. I think it is likely he will have his ups and downs.

However even if they finish at the bottom of the standings, that will give them a chance to replenish their talent pool....so I will not be terribly disappointed.

My expectations are low.

Click to expand...

Hoyer will NOT be the starter.

PatsWSB47 said:

Especially last year? How many years has the GOAT been part of the problem? You've been hinting at it but the way you framed the question speaks maybe not volumes but speaks something.

Click to expand...

I live in the present. The fact that the GOAT was, in my opinion, part of the problem last year is the only thing that should matter, especially at his age. They went 12-4 with Brady and the offense not being "the difference" in a single win. Unless they are decimated by injuries, 5-11 is a laughable prediction.

NFL.com's Bold Prediction: The Patriots Will Be One of the 5 Worst Teams in the League

Ditto...

The look of the Pats with Brady at QB will in no way resemble the Pats with Stidman at QB...

I think they will have more options on Offense especially with the stable of RB's. Stidman brings more mobility at the QB position than Brady did so there is that element other teams have to plan for........I can't wait to see what Josh comes up with for the 2020 Offense.....

TheRainMaker said:

What is wrong with this statement? Wynn still needs to prove he can play well for 16 games. How well does Andrews play after his absence? Can Mason and Cannon rebound from having a poor season?

Click to expand...

With all its problems last year, the OL was 9th in rushing and 5th is pass protection according to Football Outsiders.

2019 NFL OFFENSIVE LINE RATINGS | Football Outsiders

Was well above average last year, and should be better this year.

Kasmir said:

With all its problems last year, the OL was 9th in rushing and 5th is pass protection according to Football Outsiders.

2019 NFL OFFENSIVE LINE RATINGS | Football Outsiders

Was well above average last year, and should be better this year.

Click to expand...

I don't buy what they're selling. Their stat is heavily dependent on the QB. In other words, having the best QB in history who can read pressure, step up, and know how to avoid sacks by reading a blitz and throwing it away, makes the offensive line look much better statistically than they actually are.

The Patriots were sacked 28 times last year. I'll gladly take all bets that that number goes up.

PlainOldEd said:

Hoyer will NOT be the starter.

Click to expand...

I hope you are right..I really do, because that will mean that Stidham has shown up well in training camp.

Hoyer though is extremely familiar with the playbook and given the lack of OTA's and practice time prior to season start it may be unusually challenging for Stidham to start from day 1.

I see Hoyer as starting games 1-4 and then bringing in Stidham around game 5 or 6.

XLIX said:

I don't buy what they're selling. Their stat is heavily dependent on the QB. In other words, having the best QB in history who can read pressure, step up, and know how to avoid sacks by reading a blitz and throwing it away, makes the offensive line look much better statistically than they actually are.

The Patriots were sacked 28 times last year. I'll gladly take all bets that that number goes up.

Click to expand...

we'll see about this...McD is coaching Stids...he'll be drilling that drop back/read clock in his head. With the way they're setting up the backfield I see a primary read, secondary, dump off to the back...1000...2000...RB. I'd expect the sacks to stay about the same. INT's are another story however.

BlueThunder said:

The look of the Pats with Brady at QB will in no way resemble the Pats with Stidman at QB...

I think they will have more options on Offense especially with the stable of RB's. Stidman brings more mobility at the QB position than Brady did so there is that element other teams have to plan for........I can't wait to see what Josh comes up with for the 2020 Offense.....

Click to expand...

I've been vocal in stating something similar. While the skeleton of Erhardt-Perkins may remain in place, I'm intrigued by the fact a mobile QB will be under center, the Pats overhauled Tight End with two extremely exciting prospects, some of the young Receivers showed pre-season rapport with Stidham, they added a Swiss Army Knife in Vitale, we have a more than serviceable Running Back corp and the Pats are getting one of the best Centers in the game back! Heck, I'm chomping at the bit to see physically dominant, oldskool smash mouth football bring along, instil confidence and show our young QB he belongs. The personality of this team will be so very different and if being intrigued and optimistic as to what could happen, call me a homer.

1960Pats said:

I really don't get the negativity.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's weird. All of this negativity out of nowhere and for no reason whatsoever.

Sure, if we lost, idk, let's say an all time great QB or something, then I'd understand it. But these stupid fake news sports media Pats haters are probably just being wishful thinkers.

fnordcircle said:

Yeah, it's weird. All of this negativity out of nowhere and for no reason whatsoever.

Sure, if we lost, idk, let's say an all time great QB or something, then I'd understand it. But these stupid fake news sports media Pats haters are probably just being wishful thinkers.

Click to expand...

Yeah I really don’t get peoples sensitivity to this. The Pats

-had there most disappointing season since 2009

-they are tight on cap space and made very few free agencies moves.

-there offensive skill positions are old and were really bad last year and they are hoping a couple rookie TE’s will save them

-they had a dominant defense sure, but lost some solid pieces to it and the core of it is another year older

-they face a much harder schedule than last year and that’s even if the schedule itself ends up not being as daunting as billed.

-they have an unknown at the most important position for the first time since 2001

There’s almost no reason to project this team doesn’t have a tough year

RelocatedPatFan said:

I think that's assuming that Sitdham is running the same offense that Brady runs. It might be that the offense goes in a slightly different direction to take advantage of what the QB does best. and maybe that translates into more effective use of the WRs we had from last year?

Regardless, it will be exciting because this is the first time we'll be seeing something newer in the last 20 years. Expectations are that the offense will start slower than the defense. Probably simpler offensive playbook, but we know the type of players that BB likes and they get better/smarter as the season progresses.

Click to expand...

You had the QB who probably makes the best reads in NFL history last year and has a history of performing well with subpar talent and he couldn’t make the offense work.

Any notions that an unknown quantity is going to come in and with the correct tweaks improve it is serious wishful thinking.

Gotta wonder if the nefarious Roger has told his minions at NFL HQ to try to piss off the Pats Fans in a vain hope that we will all go away.. he finally has arch foe BB in the crosshairs, he can finally get him fired for gross incompetence...

The Pats will not be 5-11, they will not "tank" they will have a winning season and an outside chance at the playoffs.. but for any NFL team injuries are the equalizer. Wait and see folks, it will be a fun ride if there is a season..

lancerman said:

You had the QB who probably makes the best reads in NFL history last year and has a history of performing well with subpar talent and he couldn’t make the offense work.

Any notions that an unknown quantity is going to come in and with the correct tweaks improve it is serious wishful thinking.

Click to expand...

You also had a QB who saw the field in a certain way and had expectations where the receivers would be. If those receivers weren't making the right cut at the right time, passes could be errant or Brady would pull a little and you'd see passes that would sail over WRs heads. Some of that was probably normal having an off throw, most of it was probably the WR not being in the expected location based on the route-tree and what Brady expected.

Will Stidham be the same as Brady, nobody coming off the bench will be...probably ever.

The talent being considered subpar isn't necessarily the issue. It's the ability of the WR to process the offense and route tree in real time. Hence my comments that you will be assuming Stidham will run the exact same offense.

The coaches won't try to turn Stidham into Brady, they can't. They will leverage what he Stidham does best while trying to minimize what he doesn't do best and build upon that. If that's being more of a run-focused team with hot routes from play-action - then that's what it will be. If there's some RPO mixed in occasionally, that's what it will be. If it's go routes and he occasionally plays "Jump Ball Joe" with a receiver like Harry - think you can guess the next comment.

lancerman said:

Yeah I really don’t get peoples sensitivity to this. The Pats

-had there most disappointing season since 2009

-they are tight on cap space and made very few free agencies moves.

-there offensive skill positions are old and were really bad last year and they are hoping a couple rookie TE’s will save them

-they had a dominant defense sure, but lost some solid pieces to it and the core of it is another year older

-they face a much harder schedule than last year and that’s even if the schedule itself ends up not being as daunting as billed.

-they have an unknown at the most important position for the first time since 2001

There’s almost no reason to project this team doesn’t have a tough year

Click to expand...

I gave you a mulligan on the first "there" but not the second.

*THEIR

I skimmed the rest of your post and disagree with most of it, although you don't define "tough". Is 8-8 a "tough" year? I'd say so. 5-11? No f*cking way, with most of the D returning and the GOAT head coach.

For those who agree with that NFL.com jackass and are so certain that the team will fall of a cliff after losing your God at QB, I assume that all of you are putting big money down on the under. It's easy money, right? Right?

How about you, Captain Stone? iapatsfan?

Well put, Bill.

Me? I'm taking the over and will post a photo of the ticket after I place the bet.