Simpelton
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2017
- Messages
- 3,881
- Reaction score
- 5,292
Guys, going up against Jacksonville will not be easy. No NFL team is easy, especially not one that's fought its way to the AFC Championship Game.
But let's not pretend we're going up against the 86 bears here. They have a good defense. They can run the ball. Bortles has been playing well. All of that is true of a lot of teams we've more or less walked through over the years.
I think it's appropriate to look to the Jacksonville game with reasonable confidence. We have a battle hardened veteran team with many personnel being veterans of one or more recent Superbowls. Our team is professional, locked in and well led, both on the field and off the field. We have home field advantage. And our opponents are young, enthisiastic, and confident in their skill, but inexperienced and liable to make exploitable mistakes in a big game like this
It's fair to have a healthy respect for your opponent, but some of what I've seen in this forum in the last couple days goes far beyond that. It's like people have never seen Brady and BB pick apart a stubborn defense before. There should be exactly zero Patriots fans looking at the upcoming game with anything other than quiet confidence. We've seen far more dangerous teams and sent them home with their tails between their legs.
It's not overconfidence to simply note the fact that if the Jags do win the game, it will represent a significant upset considering the advantages of venue, temperature, experience and coaching the Patriots enjoy.
It really comes down to the thing BB always says. Do your job and let the game play. Don't underestimate your opponent, but also never, ever panic unnecessarily. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a solid team. We have every advantage we need to beat them. Anything can happen, but if everyone does their job, we probably get to buy some championship regalia in the shops next week.
But let's not pretend we're going up against the 86 bears here. They have a good defense. They can run the ball. Bortles has been playing well. All of that is true of a lot of teams we've more or less walked through over the years.
I think it's appropriate to look to the Jacksonville game with reasonable confidence. We have a battle hardened veteran team with many personnel being veterans of one or more recent Superbowls. Our team is professional, locked in and well led, both on the field and off the field. We have home field advantage. And our opponents are young, enthisiastic, and confident in their skill, but inexperienced and liable to make exploitable mistakes in a big game like this
It's fair to have a healthy respect for your opponent, but some of what I've seen in this forum in the last couple days goes far beyond that. It's like people have never seen Brady and BB pick apart a stubborn defense before. There should be exactly zero Patriots fans looking at the upcoming game with anything other than quiet confidence. We've seen far more dangerous teams and sent them home with their tails between their legs.
It's not overconfidence to simply note the fact that if the Jags do win the game, it will represent a significant upset considering the advantages of venue, temperature, experience and coaching the Patriots enjoy.
It really comes down to the thing BB always says. Do your job and let the game play. Don't underestimate your opponent, but also never, ever panic unnecessarily. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a solid team. We have every advantage we need to beat them. Anything can happen, but if everyone does their job, we probably get to buy some championship regalia in the shops next week.