Guys, can we really do it? What needs to change?

[celticboy04]

who is more at fault? coaching or the players?

Greetings,
I think both are going to have to sit down and evaluate what they are BOTH doing wrong. Players are going to have to concentrate harder and execute much better. Coaches are going to have to sit down make adjustments and evaluate what is working and what is not working. Hopefully everyone is on board with trying to make this thing work. I still have faith in this team, proved in the Indy game that they are capable of having with the AFC big boys, they just have to close out games and regain the killer instinct.

Shalom,
Celticboy04

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Greetings,
I think both are going to have to sit down and evaluate what they are BOTH doing wrong. Players are going to have to concentrate harder and execute much better. Coaches are going to have to sit down make adjustments and evaluate what is working and what is not working. Hopefully everyone is on board with trying to make this thing work. I still have faith in this team, proved in the Indy game that they are capable of having with the AFC big boys, they just have to close out games and regain the killer instinct.

Shalom,
Celticboy04

this is true. but the chicken or the egg. is it the players or coaching. sure everything needs improvment.

 

[alamo]

Sorry to be so negative, but it is what it is.

Nice attempt to add credence to your opinion -- not facts -- by wrapping it inside a faux-Belichickian aura.

 

[celticboy04]

this is true. but the chicken or the egg. is it the players or coaching. sure everything needs improvment.

Greetings,

Ok, I will go for coaching, not much can be done about the current talent on this team.
Shalom,
Celticboy04

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

this is true. but the chicken or the egg. is it the players or coaching. sure everything needs improvment.

Both. This team got it's start with good coaching helping good players get started in 2001. The coaches need to help some of these younger players figure things out better, but the veterans need to slap a few players up side the head. Ty Warren did a nice job of that calling out Adalius - hopefully he's not the only one feisty in the locker room.

 

[SVN]

wonder what you were saying in 2001??

i think that team won its last 6 regular season games.

 

[JFK]

Yes.

On Offense:
A #3 WR needs to emerge - probably Edelman (which means he and Brady should be spending extra time together).
.

Edelman can never be a better wideout than AIken. He is a mini-welker and will thrive in the slot. I just don't think he is built for it.
If Aiken can't do it, we have to hope Tate becomes a good #3 for us even though Moss is gettin up there.

 

[JFK]

But yea. Our LBs need to make plays. I dont know if its because of the DLine but our LBs don't make plays at all except B-Cain.
We need to improve at DE and OLB. Our offense would fix itself. We proved we are better than we show against the Panthers.

 

[Disco Volante]

Im trying to be very optomistic here and believe me its been very hard. The only thing that keeps my hopes up is the fact that all of our loses, except for the Saints game, were all winable. This team can be a SB team if the offense plays all 4 QUARTERS!. Ill explain the loses as I see it

Jets game. This one was on Brady being rusty. He had an open Edleman for a sure score but over threw him. We were in this game. Lost by 7

Broncos game. Again, Brady missed an open Welker which would have sealed this game. Lost by 3

Colts game. We clearly dominated this game for all 3 qtrs. 4 &2 could have gone either way. Not here to bring back the past. Lost by 1

Saints game. No explanation. Just wasnt prepared. Ill give them a mulligan.

Dolphins game. We let the phins hang with us too long. Could have ended this game in the 2nd qtr. Lost by 1

Colts and the Chargers are the best teams in the AFC. I know we can beat the Colts, especially how we played them earlier. The Chargers...well we all know what happened in 2006. I think this team is better than the 2006 team. Not saying the same will happen, but I still have some faith in this team and know that when the playoffs arrive, Brady is a different person. It seems to me that his level of play is taking to a higher level. After all this ranting, I sure hope I am right

Exactly how I feel.

Hell, had Brady not thrown that horrible INT in the Saints game we had a chance to be up 14-3 and who knows what could of happened from there.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Unfortunately I'm starting to think we just simply don't have enough this season. I can justify a loss or two, but five losses so far reminds me of the classic "you are what you are." The original poster is insane if he expects any team to convert on 4 out of 5 third downs, or for us to suddenly average four sacks per game.

I think the only way we go far this year is to take some chances and hope for the best. All out blitzes, trust in our third WR and tight ends, and a few trick plays. Sorry, but that's my analysis. Head to head against good teams on the road, I don't see us winning when both teams play as well as reasonably expected.

Oh, and intercept the damn ball. Our secondary probably averages three drops per game.

 

[SVN]

i dont think we have it this yr either but sometimes teams need that defining moment or a clutch hard fought win which can help the confidence.
Other than ability the whole team from coaches onwards to the players lacks confidence in playcalling,schemes, execution etc. Sadly after 13 games they are still searching for that elusive defining victory which tells when what they are and can do.Ironically the most thrilling win was the first game but it was too early to build momentum on .

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Edelman can never be a better wideout than AIken. He is a mini-welker and will thrive in the slot. I just don't think he is built for it.
If Aiken can't do it, we have to hope Tate becomes a good #3 for us even though Moss is gettin up there.

Per the NEP Roster: Julian Edelman 6' 198

At his Pro-Day he was weighed in at 5' 10 3/8" 195 (NFL Draft Scout)

Let's see how he might compare to some recent Pat's Wide Receivers (source Patriots.com past rosters):

Troy Brown 5'10" 196
Deion Branch 5'9" 193
Bethel Johnson 5'11" 200
David Patten 5'10" 190
Jabar Gaffney 6'1" 200

What about some of the other Wide Receivers in the NFL (source NFL.com):

Davone Bess 5'10" 190 (Mia)
Steve Breaston 6' 189 (AZ)
Isaac Bruce 6' 188 (SF)
Nate Burleson 6' 198 (Sea)
Greg Camarillo 6'1" 190 (Mia)
Laveranues Coles 5'11" 200 (Cin)
Austin Collie 6' 200 (Ind)
Donald Driver 6' 194 (GB)
Lee Evans 5'10" 197 (Buf)
Anthony Gonzalez 6' 193 (Ind)
Brian Hartline 6'1" 186 (Mia)
Percy Harvin 5'11" 184 (Min)
Santonio Holmes 5'11" 192 (Pit)
Torry Holt 6' 200 (Jax)
T.J. Houshmandzadeh 6'2" 203 (Sea)
DeSean Jackson 5'10" 175 (Phi)
Greg Jennings 5'11" 198 (GB)
Mario Manningham 5'11" 183 (NYG)
Derrick Mason 5'10" 195 (Bal)
Santana Moss 5'10" 200 (Was)
Chad Ochocinco 6'1" 192 (Cin)
Eddie Royal 5'10" 180 (Den)
Steve Smith 5'10" 195 (NYG)
Steve Smith 5'9" 185 (Car)
Amani Toomer 6'3" 203 (KC)
Reggie Wayne 6' 198 (Ind)

He might do.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I really can't believe the negativity at the tail end of this season. The only game we were blown out was the Saints game and they're NFC. We were handing it to the Colts but lost BECAUSE we did not play a full 60 minutes and coaching collapses.

I think we have the talent to beat anyone in the AFC and the Saints are a tough matchup but we just had a communication meltdown. I do think we could hang with them if we went head to head again.

 

[wilfork is beastin']

I really can't believe the negativity at the tail end of this season. The only game we were blown out was the Saints game and they're NFC. We were handing it to the Colts but lost BECAUSE we did not play a full 60 minutes and coaching collapses.

I think we have the talent to beat anyone in the AFC and the Saints are a tough matchup but we just had a communication meltdown. I do think we could hang with them if we went head to head again.

People act like the Saints debacle was the defining game of the season. Some people like to focus on performances like that and say the team can't stop offenses, I like to focus on games like the Falcons and Ravens where the defense came through and shut down 2 high scoring teams despite our early offensive struggles. Unlike last year I actually have faith in this defense to get a stop.

 

[fgssand]

i think that team won its last 6 regular season games.

Yes, they did and were also 8-5 at this point of the season.

Nobody knows what is going to happen from this point forward - the whole deal is to get into the "tournament" and you take your chances.

Let's just get there and see what happens.

Health could return to the team with brady, moss, wilfork & warren all providing a boost, the young secondary mixed with veteran presence could click in and perform at a high level - who knows.

All I do know is fighting for a division title with a chance to get into the playoffs is something that was extremely rare a decade ago.......it still amazes me how spoiled some Patriot fans have become.

 

[Mack Herron]

The difference between winning and losing is extremely thin. When you lose, all the flaws are magnified, and when you win, they are unimportant. We know they have enough talent to win. Hopefully they find the faith.

 

[bigcountry75]

It will come down to can this team peak at the right time.....If I remember correctly the team from the NFC that went to the super bowl last season came into Gillette and got there ass whooped at the end of the season but got there stuff together and ran through the playoffs.....I keep hearing people saying we just don't have it this season blah blah blah.....The only thing we don't have is mental toughness.....Pats teams of the past would work with what they have and pull out the close games.....Being that we have been in pretty much every game except the saints game we have the talent to win it all......The players just need to dig deep and find what made them so good at FINISHING games in the past and get back to that......I believe they can win it all even with all of the issues people have listed as they have proven to overcome those issues and be in every game this season....

 

[oldskool138]

Shalom,
Celticboy04

A Jewish-Irishman?

 

[satz]

Redzone

26 th in offence
27 th in defence

 

[dhamz]

Yes, they did and were also 8-5 at this point of the season.

There is no comparison between this team and the 2001 team. They were 8-5 after 13 games but had won 7 of their last 9 after a 1-3 start and were 8-3 in games started by Tom Brady. The 2001 team was surging in December. This team is struggling.

The 2006 team is a better comparison if you want to look at a Pats team that looked lost in December and then turned it around. They were embarassed in Miami on December 10th (21-0) and several weeks later had complete control of the AFC title game 30 minutes from the Super Bowl before falling apart.

I would be surprised if this team turns it around and becomes a serious Super Bowl contender with Brady's injuries and the issues on offense recently looming as large as the issues on defense but I'd have said the same thing in 2006 after the Miami game.