Blame Game

[1%er]

1. Fanene, Brace for lack of inside pass rush and fourth defensive tackle.
2. Gaffney, Stallworth, Johnson, Branch, Gonzalez, for no 3rd option at WR and inability to stretch the field.
3. Carpenter, for having no coverage LB for sub-packages.
4. Gregory, for sucking in coverage and not being able to play FS forcing us to use McCourty at FS.
5. Spencer Larsen for having nobody capable of blocking as FB in a goal line situation.
6. Shiancoe and Fells, for having no backup option to protect against an injury to Gronk and AH.

The offseason personal decision mistakes were on display last night more than any other game in the season. We need to nail both the draft and FA this year if we expect to make it to the SB. 50% of the offseason will not cut it. With all the young QB's it's only going to get harder in 2013.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Every personnel decision has risk/reward.

You mentioned the gambles that lost. Several other gambles were big wins:

-drafting Dennard in the 7th round, despite character concerns
-moving up in the draft for Jones and Hightower, though injuries held both back in yesterday's game
-Letting Law Firm go, instead relying on the cheaper trio of Ridley, Vareen, and Woodhead
-Letting Koppen go, instead relying on the cheaper and more versatile O-linemen
-Trading for Talib, whose 1-on-one cover ability allowed the entire defense to be more aggressive. Another move that did not pay off yesterday due to an unfortunately timed injury
-Locking up Gronk and Hennandez on long-term deals

There is no crystal ball that tells you what risks will blow up in your face, what risky moves will offer greatly compensating rewards, and perhaps most importantly what good moves will be rendered irrelevant due to a badly timed injury or an unfortunate bad break.

 

[BadMoFo]

Well, we should see a different approach this season now that we have a new guy in charge in that department.

 

[mgteich]

Let's blame the injuries to Gronk and Talib and move on.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Every personnel decision has risk/reward.

You mentioned the gambles that lost. Several other gambles were big wins:

-drafting Dennard in the 7th round, despite character concerns
-moving up in the draft for Jones and Hightower, though injuries held both back in yesterday's game
-Letting Law Firm go, instead relying on the cheaper trio of Ridley, Vareen, and Woodhead
-Letting Koppen go, instead relying on the cheaper and more versatile O-linemen
-Trading for Talib, whose 1-on-one cover ability allowed the entire defense to be more aggressive. Another move that did not pay off yesterday due to an unfortunately timed injury
-Locking up Gronk and Hennandez on long-term deals

There is no crystal ball that tells you what risks will blow up in your face, what risky moves will offer greatly compensating rewards, and perhaps most importantly what good moves will be rendered irrelevant due to a badly timed injury or an unfortunate bad break.

Thank you for saving me the typing. Pats also had a pretty good draft (ie three defensive starters).

 

[Gronkandez]

I like this game.

I blame Belichick for drafted G*d D**n Ras I Dowling when there were so many other good players available!
I blame the medical staff and coaches for playing Gronk when he wasn't healthly
I blame Hernandez for not getting the hell out of bounds!
I blame Welker for not being as tall or as fast as I would like him to be
I blame Belichick for drafting Tavon Wilson in the 2nd round.

There, I feel a little better

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

Blame Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for allowing all these fairweather fans to be Pats fans.

 

[aztecafut]

1. Fanene, Brace for lack of inside pass rush and fourth defensive tackle.
2. Gaffney, Stallworth, Johnson, Branch, Gonzalez, for no 3rd option at WR and inability to stretch the field.
3. Carpenter, for having no coverage LB for sub-packages.
4. Gregory, for sucking in coverage and not being able to play FS forcing us to use McCourty at FS.
5. Spencer Larsen for having nobody capable of blocking as FB in a goal line situation.
6. Shiancoe and Fells, for having no backup option to protect against an injury to Gronk and AH.

The offseason personal decision mistakes were on display last night more than any other game in the season. We need to nail both the draft and FA this year if we expect to make it to the SB. 50% of the offseason will not cut it. With all the young QB's it's only going to get harder in 2013.

This is the only thing in your post I agree with you about. Nobody is perfect, including BB, every team makes moves in the off season to make themselves better and every single team has misses just like the Pats. BB for the most part did a pretty good job but some things just didn't go out way.

Bottom line is, if Gronk and Talib don't get hurt, we might not be having this conversation right now.

 

[1%er]

Blame Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for allowing all these fairweather fans to be Pats fans.

Not a fair weather fan at all. I'm a fan today just like I was yesterday. My point is that we need to have a good offseason in UFA not just the draft.

 

[jnug]

If I had to blame something I would blame whoever or whatever brought Lloyd here to supplement what the Pats already had for an offense.

More than anything the Pats lost yesterday because they scored fewer points than the Ravens did. Talib going down should finally have proved to those of us suffering under the delusion that Talib was not the element that was responsible for the Pats secondary improvement that in fact Talib was responsible for their improvement. However, including a huge momentum swing the Ravens only scored 28. If before the game somebody told you that the Ravens would only score 28 does anybody think the Pats would have ended up on the short end of the score?

Lloyd was a wasted signing. The Pats had a defined need before the season started and Lloyd was supposed to fill it. Lloyd never came close to filling it. With Gronk out and even with Edelman out, to some degree that mistake came home to roost in a big way.

When you consider the expectations, Lloyd has been a total waste of a position and a roster spot. So if you want to play the blame game I blame whoever or whatever cost the Pats the opportunity to fill that obvious hole in their offense with somebody that at least had a ghost of a chance of doing the job. Lloyd never got close.