You are correct in your thinking. We ALL expected this great 2nd year leap from Mac. But remember he got hit with a number of things that might have held him back.
After being cocooned for a year under Josh, I imagine it was an abrupt change in the coaching staff with so many coaches he had never worked with. Only Troy, Billy Yates and Nick Calley had been here before. Mac had NEVER worked with Bill and only peripherally with Troy and Calley. Now Matt Joe and Bill were is primary coaches. Very different when in your only year in the offense you had just one voice in your ear.
To my mind the whole "simplification" of the offense was a non-factor. I think that was just all about changing a language that had evolved into something very complex over 20 years of changes and additions. Semantics are critical to the game of football. The ability of being able to tell a LOT of information in the fewest amount of words can make or break game. Miscommunication is the biggest excuse for mistakes.
So the Pats. in the off season worked very hard to make it easier for everyone to be able to talk football to each other. But any changes, even ones that make things easier long term, take time to be absorbed by everyone who had been doing it differently before.
These and the fact that they had only 2 take aways over those first 3 games hurt their chances. Of course on our side there were 5 picks and 4 fumbles that hurt our chances of winning . Mac, I believe was trying to do too much and he made 4 really bad throw on those picks.. IIRC one was a deflected ball off of a receiver into the hands of the DB. btw- I can remember a few FIVE pick games by TB over the years. They happen. All that matters is can they learn from those mistakes and get better. Mac didn't have that chance after the Ravens game.
Anyhow. as I wrote in my other thread the 8 TO's as well as the 6 4th down stops, AND playing against to of the worst defenses in the game CAN make a QB's job a lot easier. I hope they don't play Mac until he is fully healthy (maybe next week, maybe after the bye. They have the luxury of having a seemingly capable back up.
and they have destroyed Denver every other time they met in the playoffs. 4 picks is the most he ever threw in a game.
