What exactly is the problem? I don't mean "we don't score enough", I mean why is it you think the Pats can't score enough and what is your solution?
EDIT: To put it differently, why is that you think the Pats, a top ten scoring offense of all time, weren't able to put up enough points against the Jets and the Browns? Is it a schematic issue, a personnel issue, or something else, and how would you realistically fix it?
It's both personnel and scheme. The Patriots are 2-4 in the last 6 contests against a Ryan defense, and there's more to that than just personnel, since the Browns are certainly not the Jets. However, it's clear that the scheme is having the impact it is because of the Patriots problems at WR.
2009 v. Jets, first game: Welker is out, Galloway and Edelman are starting. Result is a loss.
2009 v. Jets, second game: Welker is back and has 15 catches. Result is a win
2010 v. Jets, first game: Welker is trying to come back from the ACL, the TEs are still learning the game, and it's essentially Brady-Hernandez/Moss or bust, because the timing is off with Brady and everyone else. A key here would be that Cromartie has been added to the Jets, and is able to limit Moss in the absence of Revis. Result is a loss.
2010 v. Browns: Browns are able to get up on the Patriots early, to force the rookie TE into a big fumble inside the 5, and to limit Brady by flooding the coverages. Result is a loss.
2010 v. Jets, second game: Patriots get up early, take advantage of horrible miscues by the Jets, and it becomes a quicksand game and a blowout. Brady goes 21 for 29, and the result is a win.
2010 v. Jets, third game: Patriots make 2 huge mistakes early (3 if you count the play call on the screen pass), which allows the Jets to weather the early storm and gain confidence. From that point forward, the Jets were able to use their cornerbacks to shut down the Patriots wideouts and allow the rest of the defense to flood the middle zones. Result is a loss.
When the Patriots can get up on the Ryan defenses early, they can rip them apart, because it forces those defenses to try both adapting the defense and becoming a scoring threat in order to win despite their poor offenses, and they don't have the ability to do it. However, if the Patriots can't get those defenses on their heels early, it allows them to use personnel against a mediocre Patriots wideout corps, and that gives the advantage to teams with 2 corners that can cover.
What made the 2007 team so good was that there was nothing defenses could really do to stop the receivers. If you defended Moss and Welker, Stallworth and Gaffney could find ways to kill you. The Giants won by practically ignoring the receivers and focusing on pressuring a hobbled Brady.
In 2009, it was up to Aiken, and in 2010, it was up to Tate until Moss was traded, when it became even easier to defend the outside players with top corners. Neither Aiken nor Tate were able to step up, and Branch is not the answer as the WR1.
