Can This Team Win the Super Bowl?

[Its_The_Patriots]

Yes, but buckle your seat belts, because its going to be long and rocky road for this team down the stretch..

 

[TennisBallHead]

If the score 36 PPG like in 2014, then yes. But I wouldn't count on FIFTEEN offensive touchdowns again.

 

[ViperGTS]

Yup they certainly can. The same chance as Dallas, Denver, Oakland and some others.

 

[Flash]

I think we are still the favorite in the AFC, but there are some legitimate concerns regarding this team.

Most notably is Logan Ryan's massive regression. Ryan went from an excellent CB2 to...I don't even know how to describe him. He's so awful right now. Gives up so much space for underneath routes and costs the team a huge amount of yards. McCourty can't cover for him literally every single snap, he needs to step up or teams are just going to abuse him and continue to march down the field with ease.

Coleman is just as bad. We have no good CB after Butler and without a good pass rush to cover up our subpar CB play.

Speaking of the pass rush. It's putrid. A certain Jones would have helped us a lot despite all of his inconsistency issues. Sheard, Long have been invisible so far.

Our consistency in defense has to improve, it's simple as that. Hightower is the only player who has consistently played well every week. Everybody else have not been as good as they can be.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think we are still the favorite in the AFC, but there are some legitimate concerns regarding this team.

Most notably is Logan Ryan's massive regression. Ryan went from an excellent CB2 to...I don't even know how to describe him. He's so awful right now. Gives up so much space for underneath routes and costs the team a huge amount of yards. McCourty can't cover for him literally every single snap, he needs to step up or teams are just going to abuse him and continue to march down the field with ease.

Coleman is just as bad. We have no good CB after Butler and without a good pass rush to cover up our subpar CB play.

Speaking of the pass rush. It's putrid. A certain Jones would have helped us a lot despite all of his inconsistency issues. Sheard, Long have been invisible so far.

Our consistency in defense has to improve, it's simple as that. Hightower is the only player who has consistently played well every week. Everybody else have not been as good as they can be.

On what planet was Logan Ryan ever an "excellent CB2"?

 

[mosi]

Honestly, you never know. If you said Denver would win with a washed up QB, I would have said no. If you said, Baltimore would win the SB in 2012-13, I would have said no. If you had said the Giants would have won in 2011-12 I would have said no.

You never know. The Pats have two remaining non divisional games, Baltimore and Denver. Those games will be good tests. This was the first test, and the Pats failed. Two more chances to show their metal. What will we see?

 

[Bradyking12]

Could be worst, we could of been hearing all week how the dynasty is over and that Tom Brady's not good anymore or how the players hate their coach and that we have no chance... oh wait I remember how that ended

 

[Flash]

On what planet was Logan Ryan ever an "excellent CB2"?

Last year? Maybe "excellent" was pushing it but he was way better than he is currently.

 

[long distance]

I think it has do with talent. How can they tweak it? It's very conservative. I like flowers alot. Yesterday they got a sack and they gave up 13 yards immediately.

In the ultimate team sport like football there are more important things than individual talent.
You have to look no further than Pats OL. Similar personnel was viewed by basically everyone as one of the least talented and worst units in the league even two month ago and was considered the great weakness (together with RB) that will cost Pats the season. Now this is one of the most solid and constant units on the team improving by the game (and ironically so is RB) - with the same “untalented“ or inexperienced players. When everyone were talking about cuts and new signings, Dante didn't think so. He didn't want better talent or new talent. The key for him was to put 5 men out there, work on their technique and stick with them, glue them, make them a unit.

Pats D is not a unit at the moment by any standard - yesterday they even didn't look like they are on the same page. They don't share common passion, they don't have the energy that would lift their individual efforts and constant personnel rotations/benchings are preventing any kind of glueing, consistency. I think its time they take Dante's lesson. This was the first and big and hopefully the last test in the start of the rebuilding process that started with the bye. I believe now its time to decide about the starting line-up(s) and stick with them as much as possible (with necessary rotations on DL etc.) and use the 7 games to glue them and fire them up.

As talent goes, there are at least two guys who were not properly tested on D in a game so far - Mingo and Van Noy - and I would guess the SF game is a great opportunity to see what they have there. If nothing else they have speed and disruptiveness to add - and both are dearly missing at the moment.

Bottom line: decide on and stabilize the core D, glue them and put some fire in them, add some special features from backups and forget about match-ups until the playoffs.