Do you think resting players before the playoffs effects post season performance?

[RobertWeathers]

I'm on the fence about this.

I think you need to be playing good football to keep playing good football.

I also understand not playing key performers as there is an injury risk.

A separate issue is the bye week.

While long-term the bye week is helpful with game planning and giving more time for players who are hurt, heal, it can sometimes be a momentum killer and usually takes a 1/2 to get going.

 

[Canuck]

Resting players could effect post season performance for a variety of reasons:

Negative

1: Instead of of a team concept, it creates two classes of players. The elite who get to take the game off while the rest get to play undermanned against their opponent.

2: The dreaded flat or rusty concept. Resting players may break the rhythm of the team. In the one and gone concept of the playoffs, you don't want players struggling to regain the rhythm they had before being rested. With a bye in the first round of the playoffs, having two weeks off could effect the timing and rhythm of the team.

3: By resting players, the coaches are sending a message that this is not an important game. The players who do play, do so with less vigor and intensity and risk losing the game especially against a team that still has something to play for.

4: You can't predict injuries. You can rest players and anyone of them could be injured on the first series of the first game of the playoffs.

Positive

1: Most if not all players are playing banged up this time of year. By resting players, you give them a chance to heal up and be healthy for the playoffs.

2: Seldom used players get valuable playing time.

3: Reducing the risk of injury to key players.


The Patriots are still fighting for home field advantage. It's going to be interesting to see what Miami does. I expect a hard fought game by both teams.

 

[Deus Irae]

The 2014 pats won it. But they were flat in their first game. Can you remember any teams that took off the pedal that either didn't miss a beat, or maybe came out flat their first game but escaped with a win and went on to win it all. I'm not saying there aren't any by the way, I just wanna know what they are if they do exist

???

They put up 35 against the Ravens in 2014. They started off flat, but they put up 21 in the second half.

 

[1960Pats]

They rested, lost and then fell behind by 14 twice to a team that had no business being close to them.
If they played a better team that day the effects of sitting players would have been a loss.

Your last sentence is pure speculation.

I know these two things as facts:
A - Tom Brady played in 48% of the snaps vs Buffalo in 2014 in a loss and then won 3 playoff games to win the SB.
B - Brady then played in 93% of the snaps vs Miami in 2015 in a loss and was pulled when he almost had his knee taken out, struggled to beat KC at home and lost to Denver in the AFCCG.
I like option A

 

[fightingirish595]

???

They put up 35 against the Ravens in 2014. They started off flat, but they put up 21 in the second half.

Right they started out flat, and were down 14 twice in the game. sometimes you can not recover because you are playing the best teams in the league

 

[Deus Irae]

Right they started out flat, and were down 14 twice in the game. sometimes you can not recover because you are playing the best teams in the league

But that happens all the time. There's no 1:1 relationship with having a week off.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

We rested last year (because of a lot of injuries) and it left a bad taste as we went into the playoffs on a downslide.

They certainly didn't look flat against KC in the divisional, at least from what I remember.

 

[luuked]

I don't think the coaching staff needs to change their philosophy at all. They have been cautious with dinged up players all year and made them inactive if it benefitted the team in the long run (e.g. Hightower's knee). Just continue on like that against the Dolphins and all is well.

 

[gatsby47]

I would definitely like Home Field Advantage throughout. It may happen later in the day regardless of how we play. We should go in with Brady Blount Edelman on all cylinders and kick ass until we have it secure. Allow the defense to manhandle Miami. Use Gostkowski and keep him sharp. It will work out to our favour if we use the skills that made us No. 1 in the league this year. The improvments noticeable as the weeks progressed, tell us that this Patriots team has the "right stuff". Rest them up afterwards. Never let up until Miami gives up.

 

[Ring 6]

Your last sentence is pure speculation.

I know these two things as facts:
A - Tom Brady played in 48% of the snaps vs Buffalo in 2014 in a loss and then won 3 playoff games to win the SB.
B - Brady then played in 93% of the snaps vs Miami in 2015 in a loss and was pulled when he almost had his knee taken out, struggled to beat KC at home and lost to Denver in the AFCCG.
I like option A

So you think the success of the post season is entirely dependent upon how many snaps Tom Brady plays in week 17 but it only applies to 2 out of 15 seasons? Yeah ok.

 

[Ring 6]

But that happens all the time. There's no 1:1 relationship with having a week off.

I don't think there is a 1:1 relationship but the risk of it happening is there. And if you turn week 17 into a preseason week that would seem to increase the chance.

 

[Ring 6]

I would definitely like Home Field Advantage throughout. It may happen later in the day regardless of how we play. We should go in with Brady Blount Edelman on all cylinders and kick ass until we have it secure. Allow the defense to manhandle Miami. Use Gostkowski and keep him sharp. It will work out to our favour if we use the skills that made us No. 1 in the league this year. The improvments noticeable as the weeks progressed, tell us that this Patriots team has the "right stuff". Rest them up afterwards. Never let up until Miami gives up.

The idea of having to win something and going out and doing it is a good way to start The post season.

 

[Deus Irae]

I don't think there is a 1:1 relationship but the risk of it happening is there. And if you turn week 17 into a preseason week that would seem to increase the chance.

2010

 

[Schmo]

Considering Blount had one of his best games against Miami, I think there's a conveniently good excuse to gameplan without using Dion and Tom a lot.

 

[Ring 6]

2010

Exactly

 

[Deus Irae]

Exactly

2010 is the opposite of your claim

 

[oldrover]

OT: My neck hurts.

 

[Ring 6]

2010 is the opposite of your claim

No it isn't. They rested players didn't the stretch and came out and played poorly.

But regardless, one example isn't proof or disproof of "more likely".

 

[Deus Irae]

No it isn't. They rested players didn't the stretch and came out and played poorly.

But regardless, one example isn't proof or disproof of "more likely".

???

They came out dominating, not flat. Then Brady (who'd played in the season's final game) brainlocked on a screen pass and Crumpler dropped an easy TD.

 

[Ring 6]

???

They came out dominating, not flat. Then Brady (who'd played in the season's final game) brainlocked on a screen pass and Crumpler dropped an easy TD.

They lost to a team they beat 45-3 about 6 weeks earlier.
Dominating? They had 3 points when they got the call with 4:04 left in the THIRD QUARTER
they had 3 3 and outs in 6 first half drives.