Can we criticize the defense now? Is that allowed?

[raduray]

One poor game by BB and this comes out? Wow

Not any game, the SB. It's the stubbornness that really pisses me off. What he had out there was a sieve, and he still stuck with it and kept Butler on the bench. Why not try him for a series or two? How could it have been any worse?

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

This team has a lot of glaring needs in the offseason and they have some key free agents as well. Just a wasted opportunity against an opposing QB who made himself some money at the expense of a crappy patriots defense.

 

[TbSB5]

**** this defense and **** this super bowl.

 

[TennisBallHead]

Oh god are you really going to pull the “actually they were great in Points allowed” after this?

There's no stopping the Pats rump swabs.

 

[Pessimistic Pete]

So are we going to have a "Best of the Patriots Defense is Great Homers" thread like we have a best of a game thread?

 

[sambam94]

not bringing more blitzes on key 3rd downs was a head scratcher....because what they were doing clearly was not working

 

[upstater1]

Oh god are you really going to pull the “actually they were great in Points allowed” after this?

This defense looked good because against inferior opposition, a team with Brady on it will put your D in position to look good. But against stuff competition, this D was awful all year. Brady covered for them all year.

Let me reel off some names: Grigsby, Elandon Roberts, Guy, Bademosi, Marquis Flowers, Grissom, Guy, David Harris, Jean Francois, Eric Lee, Richards.

You cannot be a good defense if you have these 11 players out there for you.

 

[ATippett56]

This game would have been a major dud if it wasn't for brady. I thought our coaching staff didn't have a good game mainly on defense.

The New England Patriots averaged 28.625 points scored during the regular season.

The New England Patriots scored 33 points in the Super Bowl, which does not include a shanked extra point and a botched chip shot field goal, a 26 yard field goal attempt no less.

 

[ATippett56]

This defense looked good because against inferior opposition, a team with Brady on it will put your D in position to look good. But against stuff competition, this D was awful all year. Brady covered for them all year.

Let me reel off some names: Grigsby, Elandon Roberts, Guy, Bademosi, Marquis Flowers, Grissom, Guy, David Harris, Jean Francois, Eric Lee, Richards.

You cannot be a good defense if you have these 11 players out there for you.

The New England Patriots allowed 86 points in six games against the Bills, Dolphins, Jets. Never mind skewing the average against vastly inferior opponents.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

THey had a very good defense all year. Today it played poorly.

But by all means let’s line them up in front of a firing sqiad because they owed you a win today right?

I'll be surprised if there aren't big changes on the D after this SB.

That said, this is like the great jubilee for self-hating Pats fans who have been waiting to be right for 4 years (and then some, actually).

This was a bad Super Bowl, and the SB is disproportionate within the playoffs, which are disproportionate as compared with the regular season.

You are right, that a few woulda coulda shoulda moments dictated who won and who lost. They always do. I was telling people all week there's a chance of winning, a chance of losing; probabilities are weird and meaningless. It's what happens this game.

So overall, I'm with you: Give the Eagles their due. They were mentally tough, smart, fairly disciplined, and critically, made the big plays when they counted and kept our scoring to a low roar (even if we got 505 yards through the air.)

But this was a good game between two good offenses, and two defenses that got carved up. If we want to say the Pats D was "exposed," I guess so was the Eagles D.

Like I said, I think there'll be changes.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

They were 5th in points allowed and. 1st after week 4. That’s good.

They were last in the league tonight. Granted, only two teams played.

As much as I agree that sometimes, you just lose, if a dynasty proves anything, it's that the distribution of the "random" bounces of the ball etc. are largely controllable, through tremendous effort and smart gameplanning (not to mention talent outliers).

Now to your point, the emotions I'm seeing here actually hit me in 2008 and 2013 (years the SB were played) much harder. Especially 2008, because of the complacency factor. We thought it was going to be a coronation, despite trying to tell ourselves nah, it wasn't going to happen (especially since we'd just seen the Giants, and we'd know how to beat them.) A striking moment for me for the Eagles 30 year old coach (and his name escapes me) is the apparent FU of countering our failed trickeration with their own successful trickeration TD. I always sniff something more when I see unusual parallels like that.

They were as smart as us, they were as prepared as us, and they played better than us... as you say it happens. But I was seeing a lot of patty-cake where tackling should have been, especially in the first half. There's justification for examining what was going on, from tackling upward.

 

[Wrath Mania]

Don't be so hard on the defense you guys. Matt Chatham assures me it's a good group that just played bad, nothing more.

 

[PatsGirl2011]

This was a down year for the league, so I think many defensive stats were favorabily skewed. The loss of Hightower and below average talent LBS and on the DL hindered this team all year and the Eagles took advantage. Simple.

 

[ATippett56]

Don't be so hard on the defense you guys. Matt Chatham assures me it's a good group that just played bad, nothing more.

You mean like trading a 2018 5th round draft pick and a 2018 7th round draft pick for Cassius Marsh?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NFL_Draft#Trades

 

[Wrath Mania]

You mean like trading a 2018 5th round and 2018 7th round draft picks for Cassius Marsh?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NFL_Draft#Trades

Oh come on, that was a good risk. Besides other moves worked out. Take Kony Ealy for instance. In fact I'm surprised he didn't have a big play tonight!

 

[ATippett56]

I'll be surprised if there aren't big changes on the D after this SB.

That said, this is like the great jubilee for self-hating Pats fans who have been waiting to be right for 4 years (and then some, actually).

This was a bad Super Bowl, and the SB is disproportionate within the playoffs, which are disproportionate as compared with the regular season.

You are right, that a few woulda coulda shoulda moments dictated who won and who lost. They always do. I was telling people all week there's a chance of winning, a chance of losing; probabilities are weird and meaningless. It's what happens this game.

So overall, I'm with you: Give the Eagles their due. They were mentally tough, smart, fairly disciplined, and critically, made the big plays when they counted and kept our scoring to a low roar (even if we got 505 yards through the air.)

But this was a good game between two good offenses, and two defenses that got carved up. If we want to say the Pats D was "exposed," I guess so was the Eagles D.

Like I said, I think there'll be changes.

You can start with the players on the inactive list.

www.patriots.com/news/2018/02/04/inactives-eagles-vs-patriots-super-bowl-lii

 

[ATippett56]

Oh come on, that was a good risk. Besides other moves worked out. Take Kony Ealy for instance. In fact I'm surprised he didn't have a big play tonight!

Cassius Marsh! 16-0, here we come!

Tempus fugit

 

[BradyFTW!]

Lots of things to criticize. At least with the defense we knew they weren't very good. The offense was rolling in the first half and for some reason trick plays were called for no apparent reason.

Some of us knew the defense wasn't good. That was a super controversial opinion here, though.

 

[TennisBallHead]

Don't be so hard on the defense you guys. Matt Chatham assures me it's a good group that just played bad, nothing more.

Did the special teams scrub tell you that in his typical smug, know it all voice?

 

[Biffins]

"Pats defense set Brady up for a game winning drive but he fumbled the ball and the game." New York Post

"Brady threw for 503 yards but he was uncharacteristic all night, repeatedly missing open receivers and dropping a crucial pass on a trick play." New York Post


lol.

ok guys, according to the Post, the loss is on Brady not the Defense.