“It’ll take us years to contend”

[Joey007]

I think, whether explicitly stated or not, there was always a caveat anytime people said this of "unless Drake Maye becomes an MVP caliber quarterback instantly". You really can't understate the way Maye has EXPLODED onto the scene this year and how abnormal that is. If he was progressing on a more "normal" trajectory this team wouldn't be contending like it is and I don't think too many people were ready to go THAT FAR in projecting his season.

Even if Maye became an above average starter, we’re probably still in playoff contention. There were many that insisted the playoffs weren’t even on the table.

 

[Joey007]

What’s interesting is that while all of their free agent signings worked out, they didn’t necessarily have their pick of the litter. After their big success this year, they will become a free agent destination in 2026, which will let them better stock the roster at the top and middle and end up with better overall depth. This will also help in contract negotiations on extensions.

So yeah, I think that while the schedule will be tougher in 2026, they will be able to compensate for that with key signings.

It was a very good class. But agreed, not to where every need was filled.

I don’t mean to say there still aren’t things to fix on the roster. Just that the reality is we’re “contending” now because we brought in the right coach and right QB. You don’t need every flaw fixed to contend.

 

[Gumby]

What’s interesting is that while all of their free agent signings worked out, they didn’t necessarily have their pick of the litter. After their big success this year, they will become a free agent destination in 2026, which will let them better stock the roster at the top and middle and end up with better overall depth. This will also help in contract negotiations on extensions.

So yeah, I think that while the schedule will be tougher in 2026, they will be able to compensate for that with key signings.

EXCELLENT POINT: while we praise them (Vrabes etc) for all the guys they found and brought in; we should remember they WANTED SOME DIFFERENT GUYS…. We were just lucky that those other offers ( for guys who got injured, have down seasons or whatever. ) were turned down.
So next year, if NE is in fact a prime destination; we better hope they tighten up that FA analysis so they don’t rely on luck.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I’ve been saying for a few years now that the NFL is not what it used to be. Rebuilds can happen overnight because the player and coaching turnover has gotten out of control. I predicted the Pats should be able to win at least 9 games due to the schedule and additions, but a potential #1 seed wasn’t on my radar.

The scary part for the rest of the NFL is that the Pats have a **** ton of cap room ready to steal the good players away.

 

[BUSTAMOVE]

Put me down that I thought it would take 2-3 years to rebuild
What I did not take into consideration is
Maye’s super fast development
Hitting on most every pick and FA
But most important the elite coaching they are getting from skill set to camaraderie and team bonding

 

[festy1986]

It's a interesting post coming from someone who was being quite negative in the game day thread.

In a game the pats dominated no less.

 

[pazrul72]

Whole heartedly disagree. Lowering expectations now because you feel good about the future makes no sense at all to me.
I have never understood why people think it’s better to go through life with low expectations to maybe be surprised than to have high expectations and enjoy the ride more.

Because high expectations that get unmet lead to disappointment. It's easier to not expect much and be pleasantly surprised then to suffer the hurt of not getting what you want. As a husband I deal with this daily to the point it's less painful to not even try. It's a defense mechanism to avoid getting hurt and is very common and understandable.

 

[Uptown]

“It’ll take us weeks to contend…”

 

[Dedhampatsfan]

Let it sink we hit powerball this year . It's very rare for teams like patriots to be up and running in 1 season .

Rookie QB beconing top 5 QB - check

Got the best coach on market - check

Got the best offensive coordinator for rookie QB - check

All free agent signings worked - check

Limited injuries for majority of season - check

All rookie draft picks work - check

Easiest schedule and opponents losing significant players to injury - chRinser and

Rinse and repeat!

 

[Ring 6]

Because high expectations that get unmet lead to disappointment. It's easier to not expect much and be pleasantly surprised then to suffer the hurt of not getting what you want. As a husband I deal with this daily to the point it's less painful to not even try. It's a defense mechanism to avoid getting hurt and is very common and understandable.

Im sorry for you.
Ultimately you get the same result. Just the fact that you think you have to set expectations low to not be disappointment means you expect disappointment. It’s not a better result just because you expect it.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Whole heartedly disagree. Lowering expectations now because you feel good about the future makes no sense at all to me.
I have never understood why people think it’s better to go through life with low expectations to maybe be surprised than to have high expectations and enjoy the ride more.

It's almost cliche in the professional world

Set reasonable expectations and exceed them.

Winning 9 to 10 games was a reasonable expectation.

Setting high expectations among the public and then failing to meet them strikes me as something that Coach Mayo would do

 

[JoeSixPat]

Who did they pursue that they didn’t get? Godwin, but that had nothing to do with the Patriots, he just wanted to stay put in Tampa.

Left tackle for one - I don't think they went into the offseason TRYNG to have an inexperienced rookie protecting the franchise. Once again, this has worked out pretty well - although I'd think there will be efforts to shore up the OL this offseason.

 

[pazrul72]

Im sorry for you.
Ultimately you get the same result. Just the fact that you think you have to set expectations low to not be disappointment means you expect disappointment. It’s not a better result just because you expect it.

Never said it was a better result, I said it saves on feeling hurt. I am absolutely loving this years patriot team and part of it is I expected about 9-10 wins and being in contention for a wild card spot in Dec. Instead I got in contention for the #1 seed and being one of the top 5 teams in the NFL. Happiest I've been watching football in years. Now flip that, assume Maye had flopped, Vrable was over his head, and the team looked incompetent and they were struggling for their 3rd win of the season. I'd be really upset cuz I expected more. I think it's important to keep expectations reasonable and realistic and there is nothing wrong with people having a lower bar. That said the doom and gloom everything is awful crowd go too far the other way. Smell the roses and enjoy the ride, this season has been AWESOME!

 

[upstater1]

Remember the people before the season who insisted this to be true? That it was silly to expect even a postseason bid this year, because this team was going to be a 3-5 year rebuild?

Welcome to 2025. You get the right QB, right coach. Anything can happen. This isn’t the John McKay era anymore. Rebuilds don’t take 5 years.

I was ridiculed this summer when I compared the rebuild to the team construction in 2001.

We brought in some lower priced vets like Tonga and Spillane. We also had holdovers who were considered underperformers.

I'm talking about the Parcells and Bobby Grier guys such as Willie McGinest, Milloy and Bruschi among others. We sent some players away, like Terry Glenn. We were considered the least talented team in the NFL, as declared by GMs.

But there were a ton of good players on the team who simply needed a team that wasn't dysfunctional. Under Mayo it's not a shock that the we were called less than talented.

But now look at Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Jaylin Hawkins, Tavai, Mapu, Barmore, Anfernee, Onwenu, Hunter Henry, Rham, Boutte, Pop Douglas, Hooper. These guys with Milt Williams, Diggs, Spillane, Moses, Woodson, Tonga form our core. I'm still not sold on Chiasson but he looked great last night (I still would like an upgrade there). But as I look around at the rest of the team, I feel like they are all more than adequate starters with hardly a weakness anywhere. Would I like another RB, another safety, another LB, another RT, and especially 2 more DEs?!?! Of course.

The point is, half our starters were already here.

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

I freely admit without reservation or purpose of evasion that I was hoping for and expecting a winning season as the benchmark. i.e. 9-8 or better.

I'm quite pleased to have been wrong.

 

[Ring 6]

Never said it was a better result, I said it saves on feeling hurt. I am absolutely loving this years patriot team and part of it is I expected about 9-10 wins and being in contention for a wild card spot in Dec. Instead I got in contention for the #1 seed and being one of the top 5 teams in the NFL. Happiest I've been watching football in years. Now flip that, assume Maye had flopped, Vrable was over his head, and the team looked incompetent and they were struggling for their 3rd win of the season. I'd be really upset cuz I expected more. I think it's important to keep expectations reasonable and realistic and there is nothing wrong with people having a lower bar. That said the doom and gloom everything is awful crowd go too far the other way. Smell the roses and enjoy the ride, this season has been AWESOME!

I think the ride is a lot more fun when you are optimistic and if they suck it doesn’t really matter what you expected. Last year was the same to me whether I expected a SB or 0-17.

 

[pazrul72]

I think the ride is a lot more fun when you are optimistic and if they suck it doesn’t really matter what you expected. Last year was the same to me whether I expected a SB or 0-17.

That's great for you. Other people are wired differently and there is nothing wrong with that. Being disappointed at your expectations not being met is super common. **** some of the most delicious videos on the internet are Seahawk fans going beast mode beast mode beast mode DEFUQ WAS THAT?!?!?!?! Expectation not being met leading to agony. Bet they would have felt a lot better if they ran it 3 times even if they didn't get in.

 

[Ring 6]

Left tackle for one - I don't think they went into the offseason TRYNG to have an inexperienced rookie protecting the franchise. Once again, this has worked out pretty well - although I'd think there will be efforts to shore up the OL this offseason.

I think they knew it was a draft choice. I don’t know of any LT that they pursued.

 

[patfanken]

I think HONESTY needs to be the biggest factor here. When other teams' fans give us the "weak schedule " jab, we shouldn't get angry or offended. We need to smile and simply look them right in the eye and explain "we EARNED that schedule by sucking for 3 long hard seasons of bad drafts, bad coaching and bad players.

No one expected Miami, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Baltimore to all be weaker than expected. We all expected Maye to be better, but NOONE expected a jump to MVP level in his first year of a complex system. You can't expect to get contributions from ALL your FAs and ALL your draft picks.

So clearly you have to have a little bit of luck on your side to win any Superbowl. Or in our case, it would be a LOT of luck Don't be ashamed of it. Embrace it. This is a bonus season. Next year we will likely be a far better team who might have a much different trajectory if luck breaks against us. Someone wrote down next year's likely schedule and it was HARD.

Bottom line- Just enjoy the next 2 months to the MAX.

 

[Ring 6]

It's almost cliche in the professional world

Set reasonable expectations and exceed them.

Winning 9 to 10 games was a reasonable expectation.

Setting high expectations among the public and then failing to meet them strikes me as something that Coach Mayo would do

Im not talking about the teams public expectations. In fact they rarely provide any.
Im talking about as a fan. Makes no sense to me to hope for mediocrity.