Pre Game Thread - Pats @ Bills

[gitgronked82]

This team cant line up and run 3 consecutive plays without a false start from brown or bourne/smith not lining up correctly or patricia or rhamondre fumbling around on 3rd and short. And you want them to pull trick plays.? like that will fix this offense ?

Yes absolutely, that’s even more reason. If you struggle to consistently string together good offense, then it makes more sense to hit it big on a trick play than to try to get a scoring drive by stringing together a bunch of short plays (and burying yourself with a negative play)…

 

[PScottman]

Yes absolutely, that’s even more reason. If you struggle to consistently string together good offense, then it makes more sense to hit it big on a trick play than to try to get a scoring drive by stringing together a bunch of short plays (and burying yourself with a negative play)…

I hate myself in having to agree with the "no trick plays" approach, but I do. Trick plays in the NFL work when an offense is able to execute its basic offense consistently because the trick play is a variation of a alignment/look a team has seen before causing a defense to align/react in a predictable way to then exploit by doing the unpredictable thing.

This Patriots offense cannot even consistently execute the fundamentals well right now. As has been stated, the over/under on positive plays in a row per series is what...2? How many simple procedure penalties and we want ADDITIONAL complexity put into the mix??? Throwing in trick plays, where executing has to be excellent both in "setting up" as well as actually performing it, is most successful when those fundamentals can be counted on to be there first.

I see trick plays only resulting in significant negative outcomes (INTs, fumbles, strips sacks, huge yard losses, etc) for the Pats because the "trick" is more likely to impact the Patriots (to whom data from this entire year shows a fundamental inability and lack of confidence to execute ANY offensive play with precision) than the Bills.

 

[MAC10]

LOL if anyone thinks the Pats have a shot today

 

[State]

LOL if anyone thinks the Pats have a shot today

Let me envision this. The big screens at the Bills stadium will show a live feed of Damar Hamlin watching the game. He gives a thumb’s up. And the whole place—and the nation— goes crazy.

Only Belichick as full-on Evil Emperor of Stars Wars fame can make the Patriots win this one. But that’s going to be slim to none.

I feel like it’s Red Sox in the 1967 World Series but they’re facing Bob Gibson for game seven.

1967 World Series - St. Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3) | Baseball-Reference.com

1967 World Series - St. Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3) series statistics and schedule on Baseball-Reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[TomPatriot]

This team cant line up and run 3 consecutive plays without a false start from brown or bourne/smith not lining up correctly or patricia or rhamondre fumbling around on 3rd and short. And you want them to pull trick plays.? like that will fix this offense ?

You have truly summed up the problem with the offense. I’ve never coached in the NFL but I’d rather run 20-30 plays really, really well as part of a game plan that compliments my players than ”run plays that will fool the defense.” The Pats now do too much of the latter.

 

[1960Pats]

This is a pre game thread, let's get back on topic of the game please.

He was responding to a topic (negativity of fans) that someone else brought up. Maybe you should have warned that poster instead.

 

[ashley]

 

[ashley]

He was responding to a topic (negativity of fans) that someone else brought up. Maybe you should have warned that poster instead.

I was just responding to the last post I saw, it wasn't necessarily addressed directly at him, but wanted to get everyone back on track. Thanks for pointing ut out though.

 

[Uptown]

 

[RobertWeathers]

Looking forward to the acknowledgement of the 1st responders who saved Hamiln's life at the beginning of the game.

Great to see him doing well.

I hope we pull off the upset send everyone home pissed off.

May the collection of Bills Mafia neanderthals celebrate another day.

 

[PScottman]

LOL if anyone thinks the Pats have a shot today

A case study - if you want an easy illustration of the difference between trolling and pointing out deficiencies and challenges for the Patriots as a fan - the "LOL" in the post notated - demonstrates taking pleasure in putting down both the team and its fans.

Do I think the Patriots are sitting on tremendous odds to win today? No I don't. The defense and special teams has to take over this game AND have a few couple flukey things happen like a tip-pass pick 6 or a bad snap fumble for the Bills. Most fans realize that, but at the same time retain their actual fandom of the team and their fellow fans.

This will be labeled as "get off my lawn"ism from the old man, I know. This is twitter-culture in a nutshell - self-worth not by one's own actions, but instead the denigration of others. I am noticed because I point out how badly everyone else sucks at life.

Even if the Pats do lose by 30 today this is a team that crafted a damn solid defense when many stated it too, like the offense, could not get past the loss of JC Jackson and "couldn't stop the run" due to the re-signing of Godchaux by not drafting a NT or could never stop the short pass of any opposing offense without picking a LB with the pick "wasted" on Strange.

Does the team have challenges - uhhhh, yeah...they wouldn't be fighting for their lives to get into the playoffs if they didn't, but they are still better than all the other teams that don't have ANY shot at the playoffs despite the offensive and coaching challenges. We're not collectively seeing a 2-15 record where we knew from game one that no aspect of the team from offense to defense to special teams was competitive against any other NFL team and it was going to be that way for YEARS to come (many here have seen those type teams before).

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

This game will likely be over by halftime. Perhaps even before the second quarter. Here's to hoping for a miracle though.

 

[Nikolai]

Pats 234 (39 TDs and all XPs missed)
Buffs 4 (yes, 2 safeties)

Broken tables reconstituting and jumping on drunken fans
Adults smacking each other with bildos rather than throwing them on the field
BDubs renames themselves to Foxboro Wild Wings or "FoxDubs"
Dogs and cats living together
Even the lake effect snow is going to look over at Buffalo and be like "nah, **** that, I'll stay here on the lake"

Going to be a fun day

 

[Ross12]

Haven’t felt such an “us against the world” atmosphere since prior Super Bowl runs, but Belichick is pretty familiar with that. Maybe he can tap into it.

 

[upstater1]

Bills are going to throw short to the RBs Singletary & Cook, screens to McKenzie over and over and over, because in the last 3 games that's what they did and the Patriots are yet to stop it.

 

[PatsFan2]

Haven’t felt such an “us against the world” atmosphere since prior Super Bowl runs, but Belichick is pretty familiar with that. Maybe he can tap into it.

Not with a anemic Offense and Short handed Defense. But a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.

 

[PScottman]

“us against the world”

World? It's us against not just the global sentiment of the entire human race but Death itself!

This game is the epitome of the triumph of man over nature! It is about how the advancement of technology has expanded our ability to cheat the Grim Reaper! It's about coming together! Anyone that roots for the Patriots is pro-death man! How can we be pro-death!?





(sorry, just had to throw my own hyperbolic statement out there)

 

[PatsFan2]

Bills are going to throw short to the RBs Singletary & Cook, screens to McKenzie over and over and over, because in the last 3 games that's what they did and the Patriots are yet to stop it.

I remember the Bills were always in 2nd and short after those plays... Advantage Allen and Bills Offense. Not much any Defense can do.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This game will likely be over by halftime. Perhaps even before the second quarter. Here's to hoping for a miracle though.

Could be the opposite. Bills come out too amped and we capitalize.

2nd 1/2 Bills get their **** together and we fold under the onslaught

 

[PScottman]

Bills are going to throw short to the RBs Singletary & Cook, screens to McKenzie over and over and over, because in the last 3 games that's what they did and the Patriots are yet to stop it.

The alternative is worse though frankly. If the Pats move up their coverages and go more press man the Bills can both go over the top to great matchups like Diggs or whoever Bryant is on, plus likely lose whoever spies Allen (like they've done with Wilson. MacMillan and Duggar in past games) and have him literally run wild.

That's BIG play heaven versus death by a thousand cuts.

That said...maybe play more safeties, more light LBs (Peppers, Wilson, MacMillan) and let them run?? I dunno none of the options are "better" frankly.