The Patriots no longer instill fear around the league

[tombonneau]

Fix the red zone offense and most of the problems will go away.

7-3=4

Sometimes it really is that simple.

 

[Sivy]

I agree with this point of view. people forget all the times teams lost to the Patriots and players declared that the best team did not win.

It happened over and over again. Heck, Joey Porter talked trash 10x before he was right once. How can you credit him for that? A broken clock is right twice a day.

Remember Zach Piller? I could go on and on and on.

When Scream first came out, my buddy guessed that every single person in was the killer durring the movie, and when it was over, he told everyone that he figured it out before the end.

 

[italia44]

Reality does not fit your perception.

Pats opponents have converted a grand total of seven 3rd down attempts this year. No other defense in the NFL has allowed fewer 3rd down attempts.

Overall the Pats opponents have converted 7 out of 21 times. That 33% 3rd down percentage ranks 9th best in the NFL.

Yes there was a collective groan when Leon Washington scooted for 13 yards on that 3rd-and-12. But let's not overstate the situation; one play can happen to anybody.

If you want to see what it's like for a defense to consistently give up opportunities to get off the field on third down, replay the Colts-Dolphins game from last night. The Pats had serious issues with their 3rd down defense last year, but that simply has not been the case so far in 2009.

finally,a voice of reason............You don't want to hear this,but the pats were just as likely to have a 21-3 or 17-3 halftime lead against the jets*.Poor execution,penalties and bad timing hurt us.Do you really think Ryan's* blitzburg defense would have succeeded,if they were down 14 or more in the 2nd half?..........................D'ont think so.

After watching Miami/Indy,last nite,and Dallas,NY and myriad other teams...........My conclusion:
DEFENSES SUCK........New Orleans,Minn, and Your New England Patriots,will begin to roll as the season goes on..............The Jets* are a serious threat,however,I believe they will be exposed because they simply will not be able to score enough against good offenses,as the season goes on.``

The patriots can and will do this...........they just need to get off to a better start in the first half of games............I'll go as far as to say that,if the pats have a 10+ lead at halftime in any game for the rest of the year.......they will not lose.....playoffs and SB,included.

 

[crypto]

Re: OP. Revival doesn't start with Brady. It starts with the defensive scheme, i.e., with taking the huge amount of potential the defense has and putting on a show the likes of which we haven't seen since 03-04, when time and time again they'd swagger off the field with two or four picks and a sour Peyton pout in their wake.

Of course we aren't as good as 03-04, but I'll be damned if the coaching staff can't come up with something better than what Pees is pissing out right now. If the defense continues to gel, we'll statistically have one of the top ten defenses in the league. But if the coaches' balls drop then we will be a terror.

However.

While there is a certain "Give us our shot at the old bastards" mentality wafting around the league, I strongly doubt that any team will come into Gillette Stadium this year without a sense of fear. The Pats remain a ruthless team on a number of fronts.

 

[Patjew]

When Scream first came out, my buddy guessed that every single person in was the killer durring the movie, and when it was over, he told everyone that he figured it out before the end.

I don't know what you're talking about, but that's funny.

Separate issue. From http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/belichick-part-ii-the-loyalty-test/:
"Another telling story is that, at one point, maybe this year, maybe a previous year, some Patriots player mentioned “swagger”–that he thought the team was playing with good swagger, or should have more swagger, or something. Belichick reportedly heard this and said, “You can take your swagger and you can shove it up your —.”

All the athlete chatter these days about swagger, of course, is so comical, because “swagger” is such a cliche, it lacks all definition, and as such it captures no important, teachable part of football, or even an insignificant part of football. It is valueless. My thought on reading this story is that Belichick is on the lookout every moment of every day for valueless stuff circulating around his team, because he knows that if a player starts to fill his head with valueless stuff instead of, say, what it takes to move his feet into position to block the outside linebacker on a screen pass left, then that player’s performance will suffer."

 

[BradysBunch12]

I hate to say it, but the Pats never instilled fear. Even in the championship years, any decent team thought, "This team has no stars, they win ugly and by less than 10 points usually. The media hated us because we won all the time and couldn't understand why or how we did.

Then in 2005 they saw weaknesses and capitalized. In 2007, the first half might have scared the league, but then the Ravens and Eagles figured us out and the league followed.

Yes, we were a dynasty, but we were never feared...we were just looked at as a team with a great coach and clutch qb.

 

[PatriotWarrior]

I hate to say it, but the Pats never instilled fear. Even in the championship years, any decent team thought, "This team has no stars, they win ugly and by less than 10 points usually. The media hated us because we won all the time and couldn't understand why or how we did.

Then in 2005 they saw weaknesses and capitalized. In 2007, the first half might have scared the league, but then the Ravens and Eagles figured us out and the league followed.

Yes, we were a dynasty, but we were never feared...we were just looked at as a team with a great coach and clutch qb.

I think Manning and the Colts feared us. I mean look at how they changed the rules to put more emphasis on the DB's not allowing to touch WR's after 5yards. The rule was made just to give the colts a big advantage with their style of play.

In 2005 was a bit of a transition. Losing two coordinators in Weis and Crennell. You can say that in 2006 we had a more solid year, and installed fear in the colts at halftime in the afccg. I mean if i remember then alot of the patriot players were sick and polian turned the temperature the temperature up. In 2007 I think some people were pissed off at how BB got Randy Moss for a 4th. The Patriots adjusted to the way the rule was called and thought Moss would be able to draw alot of PI penalties on their opponent's defense. Then Spygate happens. Why do I get the feeling that the colts and polian played a big part in trying to expose BB as a cheater in what was really a overblown thing. We know he isn't a cheater. I have no doubt that Polian was behind the spygate scandal as he has influence with the officiating in the league. It just seemed like they wanted to torment, harrass BB as much as possible to distract the team from doing good. As much as other teams ignorant fans like to call out BB as a cheater, they will always look the other way when you bring up all the tacky things the Colts have done(polian changing the rules to their advantage, playing fake crowd noise in the RCA dome, etc). To me what they have done is alot worse than spygate. It just seems like there has been less emphasis on the DB rule since the Pats got Moss. Just like the Pats get no emphasis on last week's game when it comes to late hits on the QB, roughing the passer.

 

[LaserLee83]

You'll be lucky to go 6-10. Quote me.

 

[patsfan-1982]

You'll be lucky to go 6-10. Quote me.

maybe we are in a rebuilding year and maybe they only win 6 games but still 2 of dose wins will come VS the bills

i know the pats are not at the same level of the bills and that amazing dynasty they had of looseing 4 SB in a row

ill take 3 SB wins and one rebuilding year over 4 SB looses and 20 years of rebuilding

ill take not what we was over never was all day every day

 

[Jackson 2]

You'll be lucky to go 6-10. Quote me.

Umm...why would anyone do that?

 

[in 12 we trust]

all they need to do is, as Parcell would say, "get in the tournament" worry about making the playoffs. Having the league "fear" us didn't win them a Super Bowl in 07.

 

[nflfan123]

Is it the Pats or there fans who no longer instill fear?

It's gotta be a bit humbling to be a pats fan - when did they last see a Super Bowl and when they did, what happened?

Ouch.

 

[klinefan]

If I said any of this I'd be a "troll".

Winning inspires fear...unpredictable swarming defenses inspire fear.

Patsriots inspire snoozing.

 

[TomPatriot]

Fix the red zone offense and most of the problems will go away.

7-3=4

Sometimes it really is that simple.

This really IS true. They were inside the 17 three times in the first half against the Jets. If they scored two touchdowns (passes to Edelman and Moss), it's 17-3 at halftime.

 

[crypto]

You'll be lucky to go 6-10. Quote me.

Okay, gimme a sec.

EDIT: Done.

 

[captain stone]

Who comprises the "They" who are "laughing at us?"

Other teams' players and coaches? I don't think so. If you're saying that other players and coaches are "laughing" at the Patriots, then tell us who and then tell us that you'd walk up to big Vincent or Tommy or Adalius or Randy or BB and say it to their faces without a 20 yard head start running in the opposite direction.

Tubby Wrecks & Kerry Rhodes, for starters;

Fat Tony Sparano & Joey Porter;

NaPolian & Dungheap;

Phil Rivers & Merrimoid;

Malcolm Tomlin & Hines Ward;

Jeff Fisher & Bobby Wade;

Michael Strahan & Justin Tuck;

the Mannings.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

Tubby Wrecks & Kerry Rhodes, for starters;

Fat Tony Sparano & Joey Porter;

NaPolian & Dungheap;

Phil Rivers & Merrimoid;

Malcolm Tomlin & Hines Ward;

Jeff Fisher & Bobby Wade;

Michael Strahan & Justin Tuck;

the Mannings.

So everyone who we all dont give two sh**'s about......

 

[THE SLAMMER]

Sorry, I disagree with the entire article

The Patriots may not strick fear into every team playing in New England today.

But when this team gets rolling,that will change

 

[tombonneau]

Sorry, I disagree with the entire article

The Patriots may not strick fear into every team playing in New England today.

But when this team gets rolling,that will change

My gut is that the team struggles Sep/Oct, but come January, NE will be the wild card team "no one wants to play."

 

[crypto]

My gut is that the team struggles Sep/Oct, but come January, NE will be the wild card team "no one wants to play."

No, they will be the 12/13-win division champ team no one wants to play.