PostGame Thread 2023 Week 2: Patriots Lose to Dolphins 24-17

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Same as week 1 , no real suprises here. Defense makes it competitive, offense is the achilles heel. Its gonna be that way with the current personnel, I’ve accepted that and tempered expectations for this year. I just hope it doesn’t become a locker room issue of defense vs offense, it cant be easy from the defense pov to contunally go through this yet another season. Hopefully the team has the strength to endure that because we do have the resources next year to improve offensively now that we’ve built up defensively.

Which makes the douglas benching that much more annoying. We’re not competing for a title this year so a promising rookie should NOT get banished for one mistake. Boutte im ok with being on the bench since based off performances i dont see a reason for him to be in ahead of any other wr currently But Douglas needs to be out there imo. Zeke wasn’t banished last week, it just doesn’t make sense. Yet another questionable move by bb that contributed to a loss 2 weeks in a row.

Props to ryland and barringer, so far they look the part and haven’t hurt us. Cant take that for granted.

Must win next week if you want any chance of a good season to build off of. Dallas is probably another L but like we’ve seen 1-3 is not insurmountable.

Mac has his moments, its really hard to judge him given the surroundings. But he does have to get better at getting rid of the ball at least. I agree with all saying Rham doesn’t look right and mentioned it week 1. Maybe both of them are affected by the OL instability.

 

[Steve102]

Same as week 1 , no real suprises here. Defense makes it competitive, offense is the achilles heel. Its gonna be that way with the current personnel, I’ve accepted that and tempered expectations for this year. I just hope it doesn’t become a locker room issue of defense vs offense, it cant be easy from the defense pov to contunally go through this yet another season. Hopefully the team has the strength to endure that because we do have the resources next year to improve offensively now that we’ve built up defensively.

Which makes the douglas benching that much more annoying. We’re not competing for a title this year so a promising rookie should NOT get banished for one mistake. Boutte im ok with being on the bench since based off performances i dont see a reason for him to be in ahead of any other wr currently But Douglas needs to be out there imo. Zeke wasn’t banished last week, it just doesn’t make sense. Yet another questionable move by bb that contributed to a loss 2 weeks in a row.

Props to ryland and barringer, so far they look the part and haven’t hurt us. Cant take that for granted.

Must win next week if you want any chance of a good season to build off of. Dallas is probably another L but like we’ve seen 1-3 is not insurmountable.

Mac has his moments, its really hard to judge him given the surroundings. But he does have to get better at getting rid of the ball at least. I agree with all saying Rham doesn’t look right and mentioned it week 1. Maybe both of them are affected by the OL instability.

Zeke is a veteran who knows what's up, but the rook must be punished and educated.

 

[Salsalife]

Their offense needs a full rebuild

Groceries....

 

[condon84]

Mac Jones has had 5 4th quarter drives in the past 2 weeks with the opportunity to tie the game or take the lead.

He has 0 points on those 5 drives.

People keep blaming everyone else but Mac just doesn't have it. I was watching the Redskins/Broncos game, Howell was getting killed, they couldn't run effectively, they don't have an elite WR, but he stepped up all game long and made plays when they needed it. Brought the team back down from 21-3 and it's his 3rd start of his career. I don't think he's elite, his offense doesn't have elite skill players, his OL was struggling even worse than ours, but he stepped up.

Just stupid **** with Mac. First drive they're moving the ball, he sees the defender sprint up the middle and instead of pausing his snap count to disrupt the defenders' timing, he continues on and snaps the ball. Like wtf brain dead ****. Taking sacks and delay of game penality like he did last week when the game was on the line. Between Trey, Justin Fields, Zach and Mac, these 1st round QBs gotta be one of the worse in draft history. All brain dead players.

 

[Ian]

A leopard doesn't change his spots simply because we wish it.

I said it last night, but I feel like the N'Keal Harry pick is why they took Thornton over Pickens. I think they were too afraid to take a physical player fearing they'd miss again after how he panned out and instead picked speed. The verdict is still out there, but unless they change up how they use him and try and get him in space, I don't know how that's going to turn out. Certainly hasn't gone well so far.

 

[Ian]

People keep blaming everyone else but Mac just doesn't have it. I was watching the Redskins/Broncos game, Howell was getting killed, they couldn't run effectively, they don't have an elite WR, but he stepped up all game long and made plays when they needed it. Brought the team back down from 21-3 and it's his 3rd start of his career. I don't think he's elite, his offense doesn't have elite skill players, his OL was struggling even worse than ours, but he stepped up.

Just stupid **** with Mac. First drive they're moving the ball, he sees the defender sprint up the middle and instead of pausing his snap count to disrupt the defenders' timing, he continues on and snaps the ball. Like wtf brain dead ****.

They did the same thing with Newton, I remember a couple of games where that also came up with him. Not real keen on changing up the cadence or the snap count for some reason. Doesn't feel like it's a point of emphasis, albeit it's easy to say from this vantage point.

 

[Sciz]

I really don’t get it
If a rookie makes a mistake like a fumble they get benched

If a vet makes the same mistake they keep playing

Normally veterans should now better and for a rookie you can expect mistakes , this strategy makes no sense

He’s talked about how not all fumbles are equal. He basically absolved Stevenson of blame against the Bengals last year since “he had two hands on the ball,” and apparently Elliott’s fumble last week was similarly forgivable. But last night, Douglas was carrying the ball like he was in the open field even though they regularly do drills specifically to teach these guys to be prepared for the trailing defender.

 

[Triumph]

It's not smoke and mirrors. And you made the comparison between what Tua did vs what Mac did acting like they were on an even playing field. Switch up the situation last night and put Tua behind that line with only Parker and Bourne to throw to. I don't know how much better that would have gone. But I know if you put Mac behind that offensive line with Waddle (who, like Tua, played with him in college) and Hill, I feel like things absolutely would have been different.

Smokescreen.

I have consistently called for consistent solid QB play. The ability to throw into tight windows. NFL coverage and not rah rah college coverage.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

People keep blaming everyone else but Mac just doesn't have it. I was watching the Redskins/Broncos game, Howell was getting killed, they couldn't run effectively, they don't have an elite WR, but he stepped up all game long and made plays when they needed it. Brought the team back down from 21-3 and it's his 3rd start of his career. I don't think he's elite, his offense doesn't have elite skill players, his OL was struggling even worse than ours, but he stepped up.

Just stupid **** with Mac. First drive they're moving the ball, he sees the defender sprint up the middle and instead of pausing his snap count to disrupt the defenders' timing, he continues on and snaps the ball. Like wtf brain dead ****. Taking sacks and delay of game penality like he did last week when the game was on the line. Between Trey, Justin Fields, Zach and Mac, these 1st round QBs gotta be one of the worse in draft history. All brain dead players.

The biggest mistake people are making is thinking they’re close to being a contender. They’re not. Look at the NFL point spreads each week and it’s rare to find games with margins more than 7 points. Most projected 6-7 win teams playing at home are expected to lose but keep it within one possession.

And that’s why there’s this either/or thinking, like either Mac needs to improve or the supporting cast needs to improve and suddenly the Patriots will be a +7 each week over where they actually are. The reality is teams bring in multiple all-pros just to improve their expected power rating by a few points.

So where am I going with this? All of these things can be true. Mac isn’t the guy. The receivers aren’t adequate. The offensive line isn’t adequate. The coaching staff continues to make head scratching decisions like running on 2nd and inches all game. They aren’t just failing in one area.

 

[Triumph]

I've witheld judgement for 2 years + now.

It's time to see the repeated patterns.

It is not changing.

We have enough evidence.

The very idea that this is some knee-jerk reaction is preposterous.

Mac does not have the WRs and OL. RBs either.

Plus, Patricia ruined Jones development. Rookie playoffs and Pro bowl.

 

[Triumph]

I fear that a 3 INT game is coming vs the Jets.

 

[PatsFan2]

One thing that was officially laid to rest last night is the Mac is better than Tua or in the same zip code...dream on Homers. Tua made throws last night that Mac can't even make in his dreams.

 

[Sect140]

Mac throws off his back foot all the time, has horrible form, gets jittery, is inaccurate, etc.

If there are truly people here who wouldn't take Tua over Mac, I think you need to reevaluate what good QB play is.

At the end of games, when teams are throwing the kitchen sink at you, he fails. He takes horrible sacks. He just does not look the part. And better WRs aren't going to help him in these crucial sitautions.

I noticed that a lot last night that he was throwing off his back foot even when there was no pressure, it was really noticeable when the offense was in front of the end zone I sit in.

 

[Thunderhead]

This is what it's like to be a fan of typical NFL team. I almost forgot after the last couple decades.

But we were all told and believed that, "The Patriots still have Belichick". Sadly, that has amounted to nothing post Brady.

 

[raduray]

I don't understand why they didn't spot the ball and then measure. It was certainly close enough.

The question was the spot, not the measurement after the spot.

 

[Thunderhead]

Jets with Wilson at QB are awful.....

If they lose that game that'll be a tough hole to climb out of.

Patriots OL will be eaten alive again and Mac will have no time to do what he does best. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they lose to the Jets.

 

[Ian]

Smokescreen.

I have consistently called for consistent solid QB play. The ability to throw into tight windows. NFL coverage and not rah rah college coverage.

It's not a smokescreen. Again, I get you hate the guy but the film doesn't lie. All you need to do is look at 2021. One guy was great, one guy was terrible. Tua didn't just suddenly start playing better with the same so-so talent. They loaded up around him and the difference is obvious. You switch it around and put him behind this line and this group of wideouts, and I don't think it goes well. And this isn't me bringing it up, you brought up the comparison. If you want to compare the two, you've got to at least be fair about it.

I don't know what you want here. There's not a better option and they didn't miss out on a better option. And Zappe's preseason was also just as much a result of this personnel as it was his inability to run the offense. He got killed and had no time to think and no one to throw to. No young QB can function in this league that way.

 

[Steve102]

They did the same thing with Newton, I remember a couple of games where that also came up with him. Not real keen on changing up the cadence or the snap count for some reason. Doesn't feel like it's a point of emphasis, albeit it's easy to say from this vantage point.

I think there's too much emphasis on Bill's desire to coach guys he wants to coach. I coached with a guy who joked that real football players play inside the numbers, those pretty boys play outside the numbers. I think there's something to that statement that enters Bill's mindset. Those pretty divas are a pain in the ass to coach and they foul up your cap management. I have no other way to explain it. He can develop DBs all day long, but the other side of the ball, not so much.

Insert dead horse emoji, because I have said it before.

 

[raduray]

11 negative plays...4 sacks, SEVEN tackles for loss....this is not an NFL offense for millionth time...how are people so f#cking blind not to see this?

I don't think anyone's blind. We all see it.

 

[raduray]

The people who insist this is all the QB's fault....you guys are pretty bad at this football analysis thing. This is not an individual sport. Mac didn't fumble. He didn't miss blocking assignments. How many positions do you think the guy plays?

Paging Gisele!