NFL's "fake" season 2020

[Tunescribe]

We had Hoyer and Stidham all summer then stumbled ass backwards into Newton at cheap dollars. And all 3 of 'em suck.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. This team is far beyond blaming the pandemic for their woes.

You defy reason. I'd suggest you go find another team to root for but judging by your avatar it appears you already have.

 

[PatsBoy12]

If we lose next week, we're in trouble. Oh well, we have great memories. I can deal with a bad season

We're already in trouble, IMO. A playoff spot would still be possible if our QB play was even slightly better. However, this might just be the real Cam and our receivers aren't going to become that much better than what we see right now. If the D can't stop the run, the season is all but over. This team really does have problems.

 

[farn]

We're already in trouble, IMO. A playoff spot would still be possible if our QB play was even slightly better. However, this might just be the real Cam and our receivers aren't going to become that much better than what we see right now. If the D can't stop the run, the season is all but over. This team really does have problems.

Legit want to know what people here thought this NE team was. I’m finding it difficult to understand the level of desperation around here. Were expectations high for the 2020 Patriots ?

Maybe I’m alone in thinking they were - at BEST - a division winner with a first round loss.

 

[sb1]

Legit want to know what people here thought this NE team was. I’m finding it difficult to understand the level of desperation around here. Were expectations high for the 2020 Patriots ?

Maybe I’m alone in thinking they were - at BEST - a division winner with a first round loss.

That’s exactly where I put them. 9-7 with a shot at a WC or if things went right the East.

After that abomination yesterday and the week before? Might be a challenge to win a half dozen games.

 

[Doctor DDS]

This is why it was, or hell is the reason to tank for Trevor. Nobody will care in the future that the Pats went 2-14 and got Lawerence. That won't even be a thought. Instead, going 5-11 or 6-10 is just more ammo to the they suck and its done. They would be right as a treadmill team goes nowhere. So yes its a crap season, and also provides a major opportunity.

No such thing as a treadmill team as this is not the NBA. "Tanking" whether on purpose or not has never proven to be an effective rebuild strategy. Tennessee was 9-7 several years in a row and are now a serious contender. Chiefs were on that good but not great "treadmill" for years with Alex Smith yet are now Super Bowl champs w/o having to tank. While teams like the Jets, Dolphins Lion are loaded with top picks yet have stunk for years. When will their "tank" pay off? Where are the examples of tanking teams winning it all after a couple years?

 

[moosekill]

They had to clear the books of Brady's dead cap money, along with some other $$'s. They didn't have any cap space at all until after free agency was basically over. This was always going to be a tough year for the Patriots. The hope was to minimize the suckage for a year or two and build back up to contention. Cam falling into their lap, and really looking good for the first three weeks raised those expectations, perhaps unrealistically. Then covid struck and everything came back down to earth. l will always follow the Pats. Unlike some of the people on this thread who like players over the team.

 

[1960Pats]

They had to clear the books of Brady's dead cap money, along with some other $$'s. They didn't have any cap space at all until after free agency was basically over. This was always going to be a tough year for the Patriots. The hope was to minimize the suckage for a year or two and build back up to contention. Cam falling into their lap, and really looking good for the first three weeks raised those expectations, perhaps unrealistically. Then covid struck and everything came back down to earth. l will always follow the Pats. Unlike some of the people on this thread who like players over the team.

Why don't you name some of those people who follow the players over the team? I don't see any. What I see are Pats fans that aren't happy with the level of poor play that we're seeing this year, even though we all knew there'd be a drop off without the GOAT. Many of us didn't expect it to be this bad.

Pats fans were disappointed when Seymour was traded. Many of them were devastated when Drew was traded. Same for Lawyer and Law. But we're all still fans of the team and always will be. Stop talking nonsense.

 

[italian pat patriot]

Last two games remembered me the past...the Real past....still i am a fan of this franchise...i will never root for other teams only because our ex Players are there...never...
I am a fan of the New England Patriots...

Are we now playing bad football ? Of course...

 

[Kontradiction]

They’d be a bit better on defense with Hightower and Chung, but they alone are not enough to get this team over the top. The offense is simply terrible. It’s been bad going back two seasons now. That has nothing to do with the pandemic. The Browns, coached by Kevin Stefanski, are 5-2 right now. Why? They have talent. The Patriots, coached by the GOAT, are 2-4. Why? They don’t. The excuses change from week to week. Last week it was no practice. This week, it’s the pandemic. The proof is in the pudding.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I've opined here previous to this lost and even well before that that this season is a giant *
The eventual SB champion assuming there IS a SB will be the team fortuitous enough not to have sat key players for virus right before pivotal season determining games. That's no way to determine a season.
That said, this year's Patriots squad lacks NFL level talent at every offensive skilled position except 3rd down RB. Poor drafting. The LB corps lost too much talent to FA with the fatal blow being the opt-out.
Not possible to "coach up" (the Patriots game changing advantage) players for situational game advantage with the non pre-season and virus practice interruptions.
Despite the above, this homer still thinks we have a shot to beat the Williams Sunday.

 

[Triumph]

Too bad the WRs and TEs didnt opt out.

 

[BTTA]

It does appear that something has caught up with the Pats, and the pandemic has made it worse because there's less opportunity to coach around it. The core issue isn't the pandemic, but it is making things a bit worse.

The aspect of Belichick's leadership that's always bothered me is the limited range of coaches he can integrate into his coaching staff. The continuity he gets through hiring early career coaches and promoting from within has a flip side which is a lack of innovation. This is a general rule in organizations - the best leadership teams are a mix of internal promotions and outside hires. I wonder if this is part of what's caught up with them, and shows up as both a talent gap and lack of optimizing the talent they do have.

 

[lancerman]

No such thing as a treadmill team as this is not the NBA. "Tanking" whether on purpose or not has never proven to be an effective rebuild strategy. Tennessee was 9-7 several years in a row and are now a serious contender. Chiefs were on that good but not great "treadmill" for years with Alex Smith yet are now Super Bowl champs w/o having to tank. While teams like the Jets, Dolphins Lion are loaded with top picks yet have stunk for years. When will their "tank" pay off? Where are the examples of tanking teams winning it all after a couple years?

49’ers and Cardinals. Both did quick tank/top to bottom rebuild and were back in action within several quick years.. the Browns committee to a rebuild in 2015/2016. They are in the toughest division and are 5-2 with a coach and QB I am not high on.

The Chiefs have been a double digit win team since 2013 aside from one 9-7 year. Then they still needed to hit on Mahomes to get to the top. So they still needed the magic QB. This team is NOT as good as the Chiefs going back to 2013. That was a very good team waiting on a real QB. Likewise the Titans had been 9-7 for 4 straight years. Before that there had a 3 win and a 2 win season. So they basically reloaded in those seasons and got to above average and waited around for the right coach and QB to get them to what we saw in the playoffs last year and are seeing now.

This team is not good and needs a QB. Straight up we can rip the band aid off now or we can middle along for years

 

[Triumph]

Thomas Avocado Brady is winning the Super Bowl this season.

Each week youre seeing his influence on the Bucs whether it be Gronk gradually more involved in the passing game or AB signing up. The Bucs defense now knows that when they make a crucial stop on 3rd down or secure a turnover that their QB can now deliver for them.

 

[lancerman]

It does appear that something has caught up with the Pats, and the pandemic has made it worse because there's less opportunity to coach around it. The core issue isn't the pandemic, but it is making things a bit worse.

The aspect of Belichick's leadership that's always bothered me is the limited range of coaches he can integrate into his coaching staff. The continuity he gets through hiring early career coaches and promoting from within has a flip side which is a lack of innovation. This is a general rule in organizations - the best leadership teams are a mix of internal promotions and outside hires. I wonder if this is part of what's caught up with them, and shows up as both a talent gap and lack of optimizing the talent they do have.

It’s very simple

-we haven’t drafted a WR worth a damn since 2009

-we haven’t drafted a TE worry a damn since 2010.

-we relied on just picking up free agents to fill in holes at these positions but didn’t want to commit money to it. So when we had guys like Cooks and Amendola we ultimately cut bait. This also led to relying on risks like Gordon and Brown.

-for whatever reason our management felt that getting stuck with a declining QB on a contract for one year was the absolute worst thing in world..... so we pissed him off with one year contacts until he had enough and left

- on defense we’ve had more success drafting but our premier cornerstones are far older and more prone to opt out and are not as sharp as before.

-we lack depth on the offensive line and any adversity breaks it.

 

[IllegalContact]

this team would not be better with Brady.......he would have the same issues

this season was always about turning the page and putting the team in a good cap way for the future

the mistake people are making is assuming that this season was somehow going to be a good one for the pats

this team is exactly what the brain trust was envisioning

 

[MoreBellhorn]

I wonder if it would be a fake season of this team was 6-0. I highly doubt it.

 

[BTTA]

It’s very simple

-we haven’t drafted a WR worth a damn since 2009

-we haven’t drafted a TE worry a damn since 2010.

-we relied on just picking up free agents to fill in holes at these positions but didn’t want to commit money to it. So when we had guys like Cooks and Amendola we ultimately cut bait. This also led to relying on risks like Gordon and Brown.

-for whatever reason our management felt that getting stuck with a declining QB on a contract for one year was the absolute worst thing in world..... so we pissed him off with one year contacts until he had enough and left

- on defense we’ve had more success drafting but our premier cornerstones are far older and more prone to opt out and are not as sharp as before.

-we lack depth on the offensive line and any adversity breaks it.

And what I'm speaking to are the management personnel decisions that would lead to such problems.

 

[IllegalContact]

I wonder if it would be a fake season of this team was 6-0. I highly doubt

'fake season' may not be the best term to describe this season, but it was going to suck regardless of CoVid or anything else........the team was moving on from Brady

I agree with moving on from Brady

 

[Doctor DDS]

49’ers and Cardinals. Both did quick tank/top to bottom rebuild and were back in action within several quick years.. the Browns committee to a rebuild in 2015/2016. They are in the toughest division and are 5-2 with a coach and QB I am not high on.

The Chiefs have been a double digit win team since 2013 aside from one 9-7 year. Then they still needed to hit on Mahomes to get to the top. So they still needed the magic QB. This team is NOT as good as the Chiefs going back to 2013. That was a very good team waiting on a real QB. Likewise the Titans had been 9-7 for 4 straight years. Before that there had a 3 win and a 2 win season. So they basically reloaded in those seasons and got to above average and waited around for the right coach and QB to get them to what we saw in the playoffs last year and are seeing now.

This team is not good and needs a QB. Straight up we can rip the band aid off now or we can middle along for years

Teams go up and down every year. These teams are not evidence that tanking worked. The Browns have been rebuilding for 20 years. If the Patriots "tank" they are basically getting one extra pick than a normal year. Let's say it is #5. What player on any of those teams listed picked in the top 5 has made them true championship contenders? No one argues against needing a top QB but Mahomes was mid 1st round pick, LJ was end of first round. Neither of those teams tanked to get better. The Titans picked up a journeyman in Ryan Tannehill and made it to the AFCG and are top of AFC this year. Every team needs to do well drafting and talent acquisition but I have yet to see the evidence that teams need to have a top 5 pick to do that.