Patriots success since 2011 CBA

[borg]

The first decade of this amazing 20 year dynasty had it all. Dominant teams, sustained rivalries, quality football.
I have the 2004 Pats as the best/ most complete team in football in the past 20 years with 2007 being the runner up.
I have the Pats / Indy, Brady/Manning rivalry of that decade as the most compelling rivalry in the NFL this century and I think it belongs right up their with Celtics/Lakers during the Bird /Magic era.
And during this same decade many quality teams challenged NE for extended periods. The 80’s may have been the NFL’s golden era of great teams and quality football but 2001-10 was compelling for sure.

The current decade has been much different. One team rules, challengers go by the wayside within a couple of years, and ineptitude is more likely than quality.
This decline seems to be accelerating. Incompetence, lack of discipline, penalties, turnovers, neophyte coaching, etc have infected football. Garbage teams playing garbage football dominate most Sunday’s with an unbalanced NE team waxing inept opponents with little push back.

Think about NE’s last SB vs LA.
Third year QB Goff relies on pre-snap instructions from his neophyte coach because Goff was deemed incapable of making his own reads at the LOS.
And neophyte McVay never prepared his offense for alternate defensive looks.
Yet this was the best the NFL could offer a solid but unexceptional NE team that just completed its least impressive regular season since 2008. You would think the NFC champion would not have to incorporate hand holding or be able to deploy alternate strategies vs the not so mighty Patriots.
No....the Rams were ill-prepared.

And this decade NFL teams are less prepared because of the 2011 CBA.

The numbers don’t lie.

Since practice limitations were introduced in the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the New England Patriots have played in every AFC Championship game with minimal or no resistance..... a fate accompli.

Superior coaching
Continuity (QB and Coaching)
A system in place since 2000

vs

Teams in constant transition.
Neophyte coaching and QBs operating within the structure of a CBA that minimizes practice opportunities and intensity.

Result:

Simply put, NFL teams are regressing while NE’s battle tested, well oiled machine of continuity and ingenuity plugs along.

How great have NE’s teams been in recent years? Nothing extraordinary IMO, at least when compared to the great NE teams of last decade.....yet it is only getting easier for NE to dominate the ever expanding cast of clunkers.

Less practice has taken its negative toll on every team but NE.
With NE’s system in place, all BB and Brady are doing is shooting ducks in a barrel.
Thanks for the assist CBA.

 

[ALP]

i never connected the two, but very interesting

so less practice time, what other major changes were incorporated by this CBA?

 

[Zarozzor]

2004 vs 2007 team is always a fascinating discussion. I’ve seen Brady say that 2007 was the greatest team to ever play.

 

[SBLIII]

2004 vs 2007 team is always a fascinating discussion. I’ve seen Brady say that 2007 was the greatest team to ever play.

It was. At least for the first 8-10 games.

 

[XLIX]

With all due respect, I just don't see any difference in quality of opponent from the past decade to this one. Both decades have had plenty of poor coaching, poor quarterbacking, etc, etc. I think the worst coach the Patriots have faced in a Super Bowl was far and away Mike Martz.

I think you're memories are sugar coating all the garbage teams playing garbage football during the early 00's.... believe me, there was as much of it then as there is now.

 

[Zarozzor]

People also forget that the 2004 Eagles rested their starters the last two weeks of the season. They would have gone 15-1 just like the Steelers. I still think 2007 is the best team ever, but that 2004 team was so damn good too.

 

[borg]

With all due respect, I just don't see any difference in quality of opponent from the past decade to this one. Both decades have had plenty of poor coaching, poor quarterbacking, etc, etc. I think the worst coach the Patriots have faced in a Super Bowl was far and away Mike Martz.

I think you're memories are sugar coating all the garbage teams playing garbage football during the early 00's.... believe me, there was as much of it then as there is now.

Pre 2011 CBA

Pats in AFC Championship game 5 times from 2001-10..... 50%
Pats missed AFC Championship game in final 3 years of this decade....2008, 2009, 2010

Post 2011 CBA

Pats immediately return to AFC Championship game.
Pats in AFC Championship game 8 consecutive years....100%

Come to your own conclusions.

My take...... Football has never been more unwatchable because of the ineptitude of teams and players who bargained for less practice time.
NE has been the anomaly during this era of less preparation.

Advantage BB every day of the week.

 

[Froob]

And Kraft helped close the deal. Awfully suspicious..

 

[Oswlek]

in final 3 years of this decade....2008, 2009, 2010

Post 2011 CBA

Pats immediately return to AFC

I think you may be on to an extra advantage (though we may quibble about how large it actually is) but you seem to be confusing correlation with causation in the bullet points above.

 

[borg]

I think you may be on to an extra advantage (though we may quibble about how large it actually is) but you seem to be confusing correlation with causation in the bullet points above.

I interpret 2011 as an inflection point proceeded by interrupted repetition.

 

[Oswlek]

I interpret it as a damn solid starting point

You have to show that the CBA was a primary contributor and not Brady's injury or the 2010 Jets being a lot better than the 2011 Broncos. Until taking that step, it's just a data cluster that superficially correlates with your hypothesis.

 

[borg]

I interpret 2011 as an inflection point proceeded by interrupted repetition.

Edited

 

[Hyped]

Pre 2011 CBA

Pats in AFC Championship game 5 times from 2001-10..... 50%
Pats missed AFC Championship game in final 3 years of this decade....2008, 2009, 2010

Post 2011 CBA

Pats immediately return to AFC Championship game.
Pats in AFC Championship game 8 consecutive years....100%

Come to your own conclusions.

My take...... Football has never been more unwatchable because of the ineptitude of teams and players who bargained for less practice time.
NE has been the anomaly during this era of less preparation.

Advantage BB every day of the week.

In '08 Brady was hurt....and we were goddamn close to making the playoffs....I seriously think we would have made the AFC title game if we made it...Cassell was on fire at the end of that season (400+ yards down in Miami!).

In '09 the team was flawed...OK, they sucked.

In '10 the Patriots were the #1 seed. IMO, if Pat Chung didn't call that fake punt just before half time....we host an AFC title game.

 

[XLIX]

Pre 2011 CBA

Pats in AFC Championship game 5 times from 2001-10..... 50%
Pats missed AFC Championship game in final 3 years of this decade....2008, 2009, 2010

Post 2011 CBA

Pats immediately return to AFC Championship game.
Pats in AFC Championship game 8 consecutive years....100%

Come to your own conclusions.

My take...... Football has never been more unwatchable because of the ineptitude of teams and players who bargained for less practice time.
NE has been the anomaly during this era of less preparation.

Advantage BB every day of the week.

Yes I understand the Patriots have had a better decade this one versus the last one. I just don’t see how it has anything to do with the CBA.

 

[Clonamery]

Yes I understand the Patriots have had a better decade this one versus the last one. I just don’t see how it has anything to do with the CBA.

I would add that the League and ownership have done more to the “play of game” as the 2011 CBA. Let’s just say for instance: the constant desire for parity, Article 46 demonstrations by the Commissioner, constant rules changes that create confusion and suspicion rather than fair play and transparency, Thursday night football, etc., ad nauseum.