Official Patriots vs. Dolphins Post Game

[TonyTucker]

Since the defense loves giving up late TDs to put the Pats in a position where they need a TD themselves, I suggest with 5 minutes or less, to just let the other team score and give Brady the ball back, and let him win it, since the D can't be bothered to even hold the other team to a FG.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

So they lost by about the closest margin possible on the road to what will be a playoff team, likely a 10-6 one and we must wonder whether they have much of a chance in the playoffs. Therefore:
The Broncos lost at home by 10 to a .500 team so I wonder if they even have a chance in the playoffs.
The Bengals are losing by 10 to a bad Steelers team and were almost blown out.
The Colts lost by 14 and 29 to the last 2 teams they played with winning records within the last month, and by 30 to the lowly Rams.
Miami lost to in Foxboro and we suck.
No one else can even win a division so the have no chance in the playoffs.

I guess either the AFC won't have a representative in the SB this year or we are overreacting to a close loss on the road to a good team.

While I understand a loss like this will make a whole bunch of fans act/think impulsively, a post like yours is that needed counterbalance. Bottom line, even with the injuries and the growing pains, the Patriots are competitive every game they play. And if they can get just modestly warm -- ideally hot/solidified -- I have to believe most of these simply competitive games become slanted in favor of the Patriots (at least many of them).

As for getting hot (as others suggested), I think the odds of it happening are not bad though I'm not overly optimistic. Looking a bit more at the 4 areas and the prognosis for "warm to hot":

Run D
Has been very very concerning, however, this is two weeks in a row that it has performed well. It certainly hasn't been getting pushed around so easily. So if it performs well against the Ravens, no prediction needed. This area has already warmed up.

Pass D:
At one time a clear strength of the team, not the case as of right now. Popular belief says injuries caused it to lose its higher level effectiveness. If it is injuries and the key players are definitely on the mend? I like the chances of it getting warm. But if the lesser play has been just as much about OC's figuring out this group's weaknesses? I don't see much of a clear path to it soon getting warm/hot.
I do not see anything to suggest the pass rush will get warm/hot. I think this is an area that it is what it is.

Rush O:
A mystery. I think we have the horses and blend of skillsets for this group to get warm/hot (despite some upheaval on the OL), for it to be a more effective part of the offense. I thought yesterday's game had some room, only at certain parts, for letting the run game do some damage. But I don't think it will get hot because I suspect JM isn't predisposed to rely on it that way (??). Prognosis for this group to get hot? Hmmmm, probably more likely they'll stay the same, relatively productive (IMHO).

Pass O:
I like the chances of this area getting hot based on good health is returning. I like this group's mix of skillsets added to the QB'ing of Tom Brady. It makes me feel good about the chances this group will get warm/hot. The OL is the one area that may throw the wet blanket on it warming up. IMHO the OL needs to find a better level of consistency. Playing good sometimes just is not good enough when you want a hot/potent passing game.

 

[condon84]

Waking up to read that the Bengals lost makes this loss much for bearable for me now, dunno if anybody else feels this way.

Yep. If the Chargers can somehow make the playoffs as the #6 seed, I think they'll have a good chance of knocking the Broncos out in Denver if Denver does end up with the #1 seed. We just gotta win our last two games to secure that #2 spot.

 

[Kontradiction]

Brady didn't choke. Brady to minitron was one of the few bright spots of the afternoon. I don't even think Amendola choked. I think it was a good defensive play on a perfect pass.

The out of bounds kick off was the real choke.

I really hate when the Patriots try to get a little too cute. Just kick the ball out of the freaking endzone.

And that 3rd and and 2 near the goal line after a big Blount run, not using Blount to finish it was a play call I didn't like at all. That was also trying to be cute.

Our offensive line is so overrated. Brady makes them 5 times better than they are.

I don't think they're overrated. People have been bagging on them all season long, and for good reason. They perform anywhere from mediocre to absolutely terrible. That's a unit that very badly needs to be retooled. The worst thing to watch was Mankins outplay Solder yesterday and for the C and RG positions to continue to be a weakness.

 

[upstater1]

I don't think they're overrated. People have been bagging on them all season long, and for good reason. They perform anywhere from mediocre to absolutely terrible. That's a unit that very badly needs to be retooled. The worst thing to watch was Mankins outplay Solder yesterday and for the C and RG positions to continue to be a weakness.

You could tell Brady was letting the ball fly early. I'm amazed they completed as many passes as they did. That was a product of Miami's absolutely horrific DBackfield. Things will get tougher unless Dante comes up with some magic.

The Patriots' margin for error is incredibly thin.

Sad to see one of Brady's better years wasted. He has been magnificent this year. 99% of the other QBs in the league would have turtled by now.

 

[Jackson 2]

Since the defense loves giving up late TDs to put the Pats in a position where they need a TD themselves, I suggest with 5 minutes or less, to just let the other team score and give Brady the ball back, and let him win it, since the D can't be bothered to even hold the other team to a FG.

That exact thought actually crossed my mind late in the fourth quarter yesterday. Thank you for at least somewhat relieving me of the possibilty that I've lost my ******* mind...

 

[Patriot Missile]

The hardest part of watching some of these losses is the what if this player was playing? This team has been through some injury plaqued seasons but this is bordering on ridiculous. Just about every key player is gone or seen lost time. (Knock on every piece of wood in the world for Brady) Sometimes I find myself daydreaming what this team would be like with everyone was healthy. The revamped defense that basically carried this team for a good part of the first half. The #1 offense in the NFL for the 5 games when Gronkowski returned. Then I stop and the old injuries are part of game saying brings me back to earth. It just sucks and as fans we just have to suck it up.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

You could tell Brady was letting the ball fly early. I'm amazed they completed as many passes as they did. That was a product of Miami's absolutely horrific DBackfield. Things will get tougher unless Dante comes up with some magic.

The Patriots' margin for error is incredibly thin.

Sad to see one of Brady's better years wasted. He has been magnificent this year. 99% of the other QBs in the league would have turtled by now.

I have a great deal of respect for Brady and how he carries himself, but we don't need to disparage the rest of the QBs in the league on his account. I think the number of QBs who'd be out there battling week in and out is far greater than the number that'd be turting.

 

[upstater1]

I have a great deal of respect for Brady and how he carries himself, but we don't need to disparage the rest of the QBs in the league on his account. I think the number of QBs who'd be out there battling week in and out is far greater than the number that'd be turting.

Can't disagree more. It's not a matter of battling. It's a matter of performing. When you have no time to throw, and no open guys, there are few out there who could give it a go under those conditions.

Name them.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Three thoughts:

1) Given all the injuries, the loss of Hernandez and Welker, the last minute theatrics of the past month and the inconsistent play in the Secondary/on the O-line, I think that 12-4 or 11-5, another Division Title and at least one Home Playoff Game will be about the most we should reasonably have expected of this season; in fact, it might be BB's greatest effort yet as HC, not to mention the brilliance of TB. All bets are off once the Playoffs begin and I can still see these guys in the SB and hoisting the Lombardi; the problem is that I could also see them one and done in January.

2) As BB has said about 10 gezillion times, games like yesterday's come down to who can make a play or two at the end of the game. On that last drive Amendola, who had an otherwise fine day, had a chance to make at least one and maybe two plays that would have changed the outcome; unfortunately, on the second the Defender (some guy who joined the team on Tuesday) made the play and he didn't.

3) Enough with blaming the refs. They are part of the game. They give gifts and they make mistakes. In the long run, it evens out over the years.

Footnote: Gostkowski has been a rock all season. But, yesterdays game might have ended as a Tie or a Pat's W but for his missed FG and his OB KO. Like the refs, kicking is an at times random part of the game, but that was unfortunate.

 

[Tunescribe]

Kind of a ridiculous claim, given the crap Welker has gotten around here, and the relatively unanimous defense of Amendola due to his injury. Amendola should have had the catch. He blew it. It happens. It's not as if he was the only receiver to drop passes he shouldn't have,

The pass was high and he was in the process of catching it -- bringing it down to his body for full possession with both hands on it -- when the defender knocked it out of his possession. He did not "blow it" or "drop" that pass. It simply was a good play by Thomas. Not even your sweet binky Welker would've come down with that ball.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Kind of a ridiculous claim, given the crap Welker has gotten around here, and the relatively unanimous defense of Amendola due to his injury. Amendola should have had the catch. He blew it. It happens.


It's not as if he was the only receiver to drop passes he shouldn't have, and it's not as if only the receivers made mistakes. We can acknowledge Amendola's failure on that play without that meaning we all think he's Satan's son walking the Earth.

Exactly. In one instance he outright dropped the ball. In the other, the new guy, Thomas (I had to look up his name), made a play and Amendola didn't.

Does that mean Amendola sucks? Nope. It just means he dropped a pass and then had a chance to make a play and didn't.

 

[makoute]

That o line....it needs some work and soon. Tom is not comfortable in that pocket.

The Oline is what it is at this point, can't expect much more from them, they have been like this all year, it ain't gonna change in mid December.

 

[juny]

The pass was high and he was in the process of catching it -- bringing it down to his body for full possession with both hands on it -- when the defender knocked it out of his possession. He did not "blow it" or "drop" that pass. It simply was a good play by Thomas. Not even your sweet binky Welker would've come down with that ball.

Your picture makes me wish that Amendola pulled off a Tyree.

 

[Tunescribe]

Your picture makes me wish that Amendola pulled off a Tyree.

Or that Rodney pulled off a Thomas.

 

[50-yard-line]

On that last drive Amendola, who had an otherwise fine day, had a chance to make at least one and maybe two plays that would have changed the outcome; unfortunately, on the second the Defender (some guy who joined the team on Tuesday) made the play and he didn't.

The last play was to Collie, not Amendola.

 

[Kontradiction]

The last play was to Collie, not Amendola.

It should have been to Amendola. He broke open out of his slant and had a clear path to the end zone. Unfortunately, the pass blocking didn't hold up and Brady couldn't get to that point in his progression.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

It should have been to Amendola. He broke open out of his slant and had a clear path to the end zone. Unfortunately, the pass blocking didn't hold up and Brady couldn't get to that point in his progression.

i saw that in the replay and i knew it would have been a TD if brady had more time...frustrating

 

[makoute]

Since the defense loves giving up late TDs to put the Pats in a position where they need a TD themselves, I suggest with 5 minutes or less, to just let the other team score and give Brady the ball back, and let him win it, since the D can't be bothered to even hold the other team to a FG.

That is happening a lot lately.

 

[upstater1]

It should have been to Amendola. He broke open out of his slant and had a clear path to the end zone. Unfortunately, the pass blocking didn't hold up and Brady couldn't get to that point in his progression.

A minute ago, I just rewatched the play to see if my initial impression (which was the same as yours) held up. But the guy on Amendola had inside position and would have broken up the play or tackled him before the end zone. Amendola appeared to be open in retrospect because the Dolphin pulled up after Brady threw it to Collie, but had Brady thrown it to Amendola, I believe he would have broken it up.

The key play in the sequence was the throw to Hooman. He was isolated, one guy, and Hooman had beaten him. The throw was perfect too. That was the TD right there.