Solid Pats/Cards breakdown by The Ringer's (Grantland alum) Robert Mays

[BradyFTW!]

https://theringer.com/nfl-week-1-recap-new-england-patriots-b874688f0f3f#.xoqaobq6p

Money quote:

By now, Sunday was the sort of night we should suspect — the Patriots finding the smallest weaknesses (the presence of Williams at cornerback, first-year starter D.J. Humphries at right tackle, and backup Earl Watford at right guard) and exploiting them in every way possible. New England went on the road against what might be the most talented roster in the league and thoroughly outplayed it. As Belichick has constantly reminded everyone, a stacked roster can only take you so far. The way it’s deployed will always matter most, and as it’s been so often, Belichick and his staff squeezed all it could from Patriots on the field.​

 

[Mack Herron]

Thanks! My fav:

If there were any remaining questions about whether the Patriots are unkillable, Sunday night’s 23–21 win over the Cardinals provided an answer. It amounted to proof that Bill Belichick is destined to walk the earth for all of eternity, sucking the life from his victims and bringing doom to the NFL.

Can I get an Amen?

 

[IllegalContact]

 

[reflexblue]

Thanks! My fav:
Can I get an Amen?

If i was lolfin, jests, or jills fan i would just give up on watching football untill BB retires. And the same goes for most of the rest of the league.

 

[AtomicDawg]

That Ringer website is pretty good. Not quite Grantland level as of yet but it's getting there. Certainly a better Bill Simmons product than that wack ass HBO show.

 

[ViperGTS]

Problem is he says the Cards probably have the best roster in the NFL.

Ummmm..how about the team that beat them with backups in crucial offensive skill positions?

 

[BradyFTW!]

That Ringer website is pretty good. Not quite Grantland level as of yet but it's getting there. Certainly a better Bill Simmons product than that wack ass HBO show.

Agreed. They lost a lot of their best talent in the transition, but Simmons has a great eye for that so I think the new people will grow into it. The site is pretty good but not on Grantland's level, IMO, while the Ringer podcast network is great. Better than Grantland's was.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Problem is he says the Cards probably have the best roster in the NFL.

Ummmm..how about the team that beat them with backups in crucial offensive skill positions?

He said they might have the best roster in the NFL, not that they probably do. Big difference.

Not that this weird, arbitrary line matters much to the point he was making: that Belichick's coaching makes this team greater than the sum of its parts, and that's why they beat a team that was fielding a more talented roster last night. Do you disagree with that?

Frankly, I think refusing to acknowledge that the Cardinals were fielding superior talent last night just diminishes how great of a job the coaching staff did. Belichick took our offensive B team (down 5 starters) and won the game anyway. Even once the Pats get healthy, the Cardinals will still be right in the conversation with us as having what 'might be the best roster in the NFL'.