Idle thoughts - The "Gronk" edition

[upstater1]

You are doing your math and algebra wrong:

Gilmore + Eric Lee +9 more guys = 11-3 HFA
>>>
Chandler Jones + 15 sack + 10 more guys = 6-8 and " on the rooad to NoWhere"

SYNERGY = the whole is MORE (of LESS in the case of Jones-AZ) than the sum of the parts.

BB judged he was bad for team chem; sayonara baby!!! And me: no issues with him being gone.

Fuzzy wuzzy math.

Do you really believe that this very same team (except replace Gilmore with Chandler) would be 6-8?

Do you believe that really?

 

[upstater1]

HUH?

A team with this many star player injuries winning 11 games so far this season has what????

Lemme guess, not enough binkie "name" free agents signed or something similar?

Spend your cap on middle depth approach continues to show high return on investment for the New England Patriots.

We don't have "middle depth" as you put it.

I wish we did.

Newsflash: Grigsby, Lee, M. Flowers, etc., are not middle depth. They are depleted practice squad guys. This team has brought on flotsam and jetsam to take the place of the injured, but it's not an old Patriots team with a lot of middle class depth Dante S. noted that the team came into the season threadbare at DL and LB.

Miraculously, this team is 11-3. Thank Brady, Belichick, Patricia, Gronk & Deion.

That D that was shredded last night was lacking in middle class depth.

 

[scout]

Your posts are like the Patriots going to the Super Bowl. It's routine and fans have opinions when it doesn't happen. Ah, but life gets in the way sometimes. Hope your's is ok Ken. Thanks for posting.
BTW, what a freakin' awesome shoe lace catch by Gronk.

 

[Gumby]

Fuzzy wuzzy math.

Do you really believe that this very same team (except replace Gilmore with Chandler) would be 6-8?

Do you believe that really?

No, but I don't believe they would be 11-3 either. And I do believe they wouldn't have had the heart to come back from 28-3 or pull out the win in squeelerberg.

 

[PScottman]

We don't have "middle depth" as you put it.

Harmon. Chung. Waddle. Burkhead. Allen. Guy. Amendola. Harris. J. Jones. Develin. Rowe. Just off the top of my head.

Solid depth guys able to hold the fort or that the team could not afford if they were paying Chandler Jones top dollar. 10 for 1.

 

[aluminum seats]

Are we keeping the play book from fully revealed considering Lewis in particular has not been used in the short passing a game a lot?

Judging from the past two Super Bowls the Pats have played, the answer is yes, probably.

The receptions of both Vareen against Seattle and White against Atlanta were 20%+ in the Super Bowl--that one game--than their reception totals for the entire season.

Considering Lewis was on pace for 80+ catches in 2015 and only 20-something this year (with the caveats that they continued to ease him in and there's several capable RBs on the roster this year), it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Lewis' receptions in the Super Bowl (IF the Pats are fortunate enough to make it) will be in the range of 50% of his receptions for the season. So I'd say that's a card they're keeping somewhat close to the vest for now.

 

[patfanken]

We don't have "middle depth" as you put it.

I wish we did.

Newsflash: Grigsby, Lee, M. Flowers, etc., are not middle depth. They are depleted practice squad guys. This team has brought on flotsam and jetsam to take the place of the injured, but it's not an old Patriots team with a lot of middle class depth Dante S. noted that the team came into the season threadbare at DL and LB.

Miraculously, this team is 11-3. Thank Brady, Belichick, Patricia, Gronk & Deion.

That D that was shredded last night was lacking in middle class depth.

"THAT defense" gave up a mere 7 points to a top 2 offense despite playing on the road, with a depleted front 7, a hostile crowd, with the best RB, WR corps, and a top 5 OL and a QB who was on fire. And that 7 points only came about when the Steelers had a 23 yd drive after a pick. So I think "shredded" isn't the correct verb to describe what was happening on the field. "Shredded" is what happened to the Seattle defense, or the Houston defense or even perhaps the Steeler defense who gave up 27 points on just 8 Patriot offensive drives.

Just sayin'

 

[luuked]

I was very high on Gilmore but I was distraught by his performance yesterday. Not so much as he got burned, but by the fact that he needs to fight more. If he showed 1/2 the guts and effort that Butler does, he'd help the team a lot.

Just ignore that Gilmore played pretty physical, helped a lot against the run and ended up with the most tackles of any Pats defender.

What Butler needs to do is take a page out of what the rest of our defense is doing, stop playing for himself & the next offseason and be more of a team player again.

 

[Vatahala]

Great read OP, hope you're back the rest of the season.

I keep wondering how TB12 and the Pats would have handled that last 3o seconds after the 70 yard catch. would they have saved their last timeout and spiked the ball and had 3 downs, 25 seconds and a timeout remaining?

The Pats only called for 2 penalties and Steeler fans are irate, after rewatching the game are there any missed calls that they have a real gripe?

Reiss this morning questioning the workload plans of Gronk vs. the Bills, it would be funny watching the Bills swiveling heads searching for Gronk as Allen and Hollister start.

 

[upstater1]

Just ignore that Gilmore played pretty physical, helped a lot against the run and ended up with the most tackles of any Pats defender.

What Butler needs to do is take a page out of what the rest of our defense is doing, stop playing for himself & the next offseason and be more of a team player again.

You mean when he dove out of the way and Romo called him out?

You mean when he gave a very weak chuck to Bryant over the middle? Compounded by his getting bodied off the ball on the sidelines?

It was a pitiful performance.

 

[upstater1]

No, but I don't believe they would be 11-3 either. And I do believe they wouldn't have had the heart to come back from 28-3 or pull out the win in squeelerberg.

They wouldn't have had the heart because Chandler Jones would have been on the team?

 

[upstater1]

Harmon. Chung. Waddle. Burkhead. Allen. Guy. Amendola. Harris. J. Jones. Develin. Rowe. Just off the top of my head.

Solid depth guys able to hold the fort or that the team could not afford if they were paying Chandler Jones top dollar. 10 for 1.

Jones didn't even play yesterday, Harris is one of the burnt toast guys I'm referring to, Waddle and Harmon do qualify as middle depth, but they are few and far between. As for Chung, he's a starter.

Let me list for you some of the Patriots who would not be on this team in other years: Bademosi, A Butler, M Flowers, Grigsby, Grissom, Jean-Francois, Eric Lee, Reilly.

It's not like I'm even saying anything that some of the coaches haven't said. Dante Scarnecchia said the same thing in particular about the linebacker depth. There is no middle class there; it is practically non-existent. Grigsby and Reilly? Really?

 

[DaBruinz]

Ken - Great takes as always.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that on the Steelers' first TD, where the Refs threw the flag for illegal man downfield, DeCastro was, in fact, illegally downfield.

Also surprised you didn't mention the fact that Bryant was stiff-arming Gilmore the entire way in the end zone and that it should have been OPI.

Eric Rowe was abused all game long. He was the guy who gave up the long play to Smith-Schuster. Re-watching that play, Rowe actually pulls up as he expects Richards to make the play on the sideline and then half-heartedly starts after Smith-Schuster again when it turns out that Richards didn't.

It's so good to have Matthew Slater back on special teams. He really does make a huge difference there. Getting down to make that touch at the 3 yard line and doing it with such finesse was awesome. Even Romo was amazed at how Slater just tapped the ball so it stopped versus sending it flying back the other way..

I'm not sure what has happened to Thuney, but I don't remember him being abused the way he has been in the last 3 games at any point last year. I don't know if it's because he's reverted back to some bad habits in college or what, but if he can't get it fixed, then the Pats will need to do something.

 

[DaBruinz]

9. Yes the Steelers were down AB and RS. The Patriots were down Edelman their best receiver, Hightower their best and most versatile defender, Branch their best interior lineman, Hogan who killed the Steelers last year in the playoffs, Bennett the best second TE in the league, Mitchell a good 3rd outsider receiver, Ebner one of the best special teams players in the league. Take any one of them away and they might not have won the SB last year. At different times they were so clutch. You could easily make MVP cases for two of them in the SB.

10. I know if affects the Patriots draft position but I cannot help but root for JG. Great comeback.

I had totally forgotten about Bennett and Mitchell. But you forgot that the Pats were without Cannon and Brandon King.

Cannon is one of the top 5 RTs in the league when healthy (who'da thunk that).
Brandon King is also a top special teams player. They were without Vincent Valentine as well.

The amount of talent the Patriots currently have on IR or not playing is ridiculous.

 

[DaBruinz]

Fuzzy wuzzy math.

Do you really believe that this very same team (except replace Gilmore with Chandler) would be 6-8?

Do you believe that really?

The problem with your math is that you're ignoring everything they got for Jones. It's a bit more than Gilmore / Jones swap..

 

[upstater1]

The problem with your math is that you're ignoring everything they got for Jones. It's a bit more than Gilmore / Jones swap..

Not ignoring it. It just hasn't been that consequential. So far Thuney is a JAG at OL, plug and play. Mitchell played great in the SB but has had other issues. I would trade them both in a second for 15 sacks.

 

[everlong]

I had totally forgotten about Bennett and Mitchell. But you forgot that the Pats were without Cannon and Brandon King.

Cannon is one of the top 5 RTs in the league when healthy (who'da thunk that).
Brandon King is also a top special teams player. They were without Vincent Valentine as well.

The amount of talent the Patriots currently have on IR or not playing is ridiculous.

I thought of Cannon after the original post. I had missed Valentine and King completely. Waddle and Flemming have exceeded expectations in replacing him.

 

[Danger Zone]

Because 24 is a very young age and layers improve. I can name a dozen Patriots who weren't stars for the Patriots at 24 but became stars later on, guys like McGinest and Faulk, etc.

If you give up 1st rounders so cheaply, you will have a huge talent deficit (which this team already has, by the way).

If I could take Gilmore's salary and spread it to the likes of Cooks and especially Chandler Jones and his 15 sacks!!! I would.

Let's face it, getting rid of Chandler Jones and giving his money to Gilmore was just dumb. And I worship Belichick, but that doesn't mean he didn't make a huge mistake there. I mean, Gilmore + Eric Lee < Chandler Jones + 15 sacks.

How many Super Bowls has Belichick won since trading Jones?

 

[upstater1]

How many Super Bowls has Belichick won since trading Jones?

Relevance?

We won because we traded Jones?

 

[Danger Zone]

Relevance?

We won because we traded Jones?

The answer is 2.

But please, keep telling us how dumb he is.