Do we really want a Bye?

[randomk1]

He's actually right. I asked the Texans, Jets, Steelers, and Broncos forum and they all agreed Patriots shouldn't try for a Bye. They said other things but your forum has adult language filters...

Well..there you have it. If people who hate the Pats don't want to see us go for the bye then obviously that is what's best for us.

Did they mention anything about Brady breaking a knee? The jury is still out on that issue imo.

 

[maxhagen]

Sorry dude... one more game = one more chance to lose A game.

I wish we could have 2 byes and go straight to the AFCCG..

 

[Joker]

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Since everyone has already given many great reasons why a bye week is so important, there really isn't much to add..besides, whether we want one or not, it certainly seems as though we're getting one post HOU loss tonight.

Split with MIA and BUF, and we're now guaranteed at worst the #2 seed.

All of the scenarios will work themselves out, having the bye week is everything that we could've hoped for all year.

Once again, our team and fanbase are extremely blessed this season.

Exactly. Whether we like it or not -- we do -- we are going to get a bye save a collapse of very significant proportions (losing to both Mia and Buff would be depressing to the Nth degree).
Now that the #1 seed is in sight, to hell with just the bye! We want the #1 seed. Note this: Baltimore and Pitt will very likely end up a combined home record of 15-1 (the 1 loss is Pitt losing to Balt in Pitt). Conversely, they will likely end up 9-7 on the road. Getting that #1 seed is the difference between getting a rarely losses Pitt and/or Balt team versus a barely above 500 Pitt/Balt team.
Another positive is one less week of some people being in a more critical tizzy about the weaknesses of the team.

 

[PatsFan24]

Don't mean to sound dumb, but what is PS?

Practice Squad

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Not just a bye, but #1 seed should be the goal. That would mean five straight weeks at home for the team; final two weeks of season and first three weeks of playoff. I don't think any other AFC playoff team has that prospect. It looks like the Packers could also have that advantage.

 

[DarrylS]

There is a lot to be said for sleeping in your own bed, eating your own food, using your own locker, staying in the same routine, getting a couple of days off to recharge and heal and a few more days for Belichick to scheme and plot while getting free rent in the other teams brain.

What is not to like??... another football game is not going to make this D any better..

 

[Tunescribe]

I try to avoid bi folks myself. Too unstable. Unless it happens to be a female acquaintance who's in a frisky mood and ... :singing:

 

[supafly]

Exactly. Whether we like it or not -- we do -- we are going to get a bye save a collapse of very significant proportions (losing to both Mia and Buff would be depressing to the Nth degree).
Now that the #1 seed is in sight, to hell with just the bye! We want the #1 seed. Note this: Baltimore and Pitt will very likely end up a combined home record of 15-1 (the 1 loss is Pitt losing to Balt in Pitt). Conversely, they will likely end up 9-7 on the road. Getting that #1 seed is the difference between getting a rarely losses Pitt and/or Balt team versus a barely above 500 Pitt/Balt team.
Another positive is one less week of some people being in a more critical tizzy about the weaknesses of the team.

Nice breakdown of the differences in records, home/away for the 2 toughest foes in the AFC. There's obviously quite a lot to be said for those numbers right there.

One more addition to playing at home is that the defense is barely giving up 18 pts a game in Foxborough. (18.2 to be exact)

That's quite a difference from the 23-24 on the road.

Having home field advantage may be the only realistic shot that the 2011 Patriot team actually had of advancing deep into the playoffs, and it looks like we're going to receive that opportunity.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

this is a no brainer..can't believe this is a thread

It really isn't a no brainer.

I agree that a Bye is better, but I think a reasonable case can be made that, after throwing up all over themselves against the Jests as the number one seed last year and not having won a playoff game in four years, this team could be just as well off not having an extra week to think about those two things and going into the playoffs with a chip on its shoulders.

Sure, now that the bye is inevitable and number one is in our grasp, I'm on the bandwagon, but if those things hadn't happened as a result of the stars aligning in an unlikely fashion last weekend, it wouldn't have been the end of the world.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Absolutely.

I do believe that the team that is playing the best going into the postseason is the team that makes it to the Super Bowl. Having a bye/no bye is irreleevent.

The Pats are playing great and being at home where they are 8-0 has no downside.

The only fear is the loss of any momentum but having fresher legs and an extra week to gameplan is a great trade off.

 

[SpiderFox53]

Absolutely.

I do believe that the team that is playing the best going into the postseason is the team that makes it to the Super Bowl. Having a bye/no bye is irreleevent.

The Pats are playing great and being at home where they are 8-0 has no downside.

The only fear is the loss of any momentum but having fresher legs and an extra week to gameplan is a great trade off.

The Pats are currently 5-1 at home with two games to play.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

I think at this point NOT having a bye would mean we lost to both Miami and Bills. So yes, I want the bye.

 

[Ice Cold Bruschi]

You always want the #1 seed, no exceptions.

 

[TBradyOwnsYou]

 

[ProudestRyno]

this is a no brainer..can't believe this is a thread

It's a legitimate thread.

The OP is clearly mentioning concerns that the team will come out flat after a bye. Ya know, similar to how they did in last year's playoff game and the year before? And similar to how flat they came out in week 8 this season after their week 7 bye.

All this being said, I still would like them to get a bye and only have 2 games to get to the SB.

But the thread is a legitimate one.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

You always want the #1 seed, no exceptions.

That's like saying that you always should punt on Fourth and One at midfield. It's what everyone believes, but statistical analysis after statistical analysis show that you are no worse off going for it (see, for starters, The Hidden Game of Football by Bob Carroll, et al.).

Facts are annoying things, but I had a few minutes this morning, went back 15 years and analyzed what happened to the Number One seed in the two conferences (total of 30 data points):

--Ten of the 30 were one and done, losing in the Division Round (as we painfully recall is possible)
--Seven of the 30 lost their Conference Championship Game
So, over half the Number One seeds don't even make it to the SB.
--Seven of the 30 lost in the Super Bowl
--Six of the 30 won the Super Bowl.

So, based on these data, there's a 20% chance of winning the Super Bowl from the Number One slot, but an 80% chance of winning it from another point on the food chain. There's also less than a 50% chance that you even get to the Super Bowl (43%).

All things being equal, sure, I'd like to be Number One, but all things are seldom equal and so I do think there are "exceptions" since there are multiple factors that allow teams to do better from another seed, whether it's how a team's playoff opponents line up or whether it enters the Playoffs on a roll and with something to prove, as the Giants (ouch) did in 07 and the Pack did last year.

I'd agree with you in the case of a team like New Orleans, which has never won an outdoor playoff game and which seldom wins outdoors after December 1st unless it's playing in 40 or 50 degree conditions in the South; does anyone seriously think that the Saints are going to go into Lambeau and win in January when the average low temperature is in the single digits?

 

[Raymond]

So, based on these data, there's a 20% chance of winning the Super Bowl from the Number One slot, but an 80% chance of winning it from another point on the food chain.

But you are comparing one slot against slots 2-6, thereby sound like a snake oil salesman.

BB's Pats are 4-1 in AFCC games. Their one loss was on the road.

If the Pats are in the AFCC game against either Balt or Pitt, would we rather the game was home or away?

The answer is simple.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The Pats are currently 5-1 at home with two games to play.

I win the Idiot of the Week award. I have no idea why I said that. I flashed back to 2010. Duh.

 

[Joker]

I win the Idiot of the Week award. I have no idea why I said that. I flashed back to 2010. Duh.

keep your chin up, bud...there's still a chance you could win "Moron Of The Month",an award that carries far more clout than just a mere week of inept keystrokes.