They’re writing us off again.

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I just hope Brady has another "all time" game in him... He's at home, team is healthy, so there's no excuses... Sunday's no time like the present for a vintage 24-30-275 and 3 td no pick performance...GO PATS...

I am 100% convinced that Brady is capable of doing this. The question is, can his skill players provide him with that opportunity? I have little doubt we are going to see the exact same Brady as last year in the postseason, but the stat line and results may be drastically different. I think the only way he can put up a line like that is if Michel really establishes the running game early. But I’ve just seen so many postseason games where that plan fails, which is why the passing game is so critical. I hope they have the horses and maybe Gronk and Edelman have an extra gear.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Haven’t visually seen any tangible decline in Brady specifically, but there’s no denying our Patriots Dynasty is finally starting to feel like the aged elder lion.

We definitely don’t intimidate like we did in seasons past. Fan bases think we have to be respected for Brady, Belichick, and two decades of dominance, but finally also see the Patriots as old, talent-depleted and at the end of our line.

I can easily see the remaining teams feeling a similar way.

Low draft results and fewer free agency hits have caused this. I’m really concerned, though, with what the heck is going on with McDunce’s offense. They seem totally incapable of actually finding players who can succeed there, whether through the draft or free agency. There were like 25 WRs they tried out last offseason and no could pan out? I was really hoping Josh would be gone, a new guy would come in, and they’d be able to rebuild the TE/WR corps quickly with a new philosophy and less rigorous standards for players. Who is the last guy they drafted who was a mainstay? Gronk in 2010? That is horrible...even for free agents, Amendola is the only multi-year impact guy at WR/TE they could get in the last seven years. Need to rethink this system if there’s no one who can play in it. It certainly may be like when they switched to a 3-4, teams copied them, and targeted players suddenly had more suitors.

The good thing is in the NFL a couple of great drafts can turn things around very quickly. So I wouldn’t say the Patriots are doomed for the next few years, but no question they need to start being more successful in their personnel moves, and quickly.

 

[fnordcircle]

God DAMN them! I'm so sick of them!

 

[TomPatriot]

None of this nonsense matters. The season starts Sunday at 1:05 pm. That’s the Tom Brady - and Patriots team - that matters.

 

[Jackson 2]

It's actually fun listening to/watching almost everyone outside of NE desperately wanting the Patriots to lose Sunday. On Boomer and Gio and Golic and Wingo there are some people twisting themselves into pretzels predicting the Chargers will win outright, not just beat the spread. I actually find it oddly arousing to hear and/or see...

 

[Tony2046]

Plus no Burk who had a nice year in 2017.

God forbid people look at the influencers of why his 4th level stats are off.

I'll concede at 41 years old Tom's twitchy muscle reactions and mental acuity processing have slowed down by .0000023000022 microseconds compared to when he was 33. Are the critics happy now?

Christ.

Do you remember these doozies?

"Athletic processing" "Fluttering passes"

 

[tom444]

What's Cordarrelle Patterson's situation? Is he healthy?

 

[Jackson 2]

What's Cordarrelle Patterson's situation? Is he healthy?

Yes.

 

[tom444]

Yes.

If he is, that's important.

 

[jah]

It's actually fun listening to/watching almost everyone outside of NE desperately wanting the Patriots to lose Sunday. On Boomer and Gio and Golic and Wingo there are some people twisting themselves into pretzels predicting the Chargers will win outright, not just beat the spread. I actually find it oddly arousing to hear and/or see...

I've been putting NFL Network on for 15 minutes in the mornings this week, and every single time, I've noticed literally every "analyst" in the room goes absolutely crazy (as in, nonstop hootin' and hollerin') about the Chargers being destined to win this. I know it's just a scheme to generate buzz, but now I understand why people get so worked up about the media. There was no analysis, just a bunch of "THE TIME HAS COME!!!" ****.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I've been putting NFL Network on for 15 minutes in the mornings this week, and every single time, I've noticed literally every "analyst" in the room goes absolutely crazy (as in, nonstop hootin' and hollerin') about the Chargers being destined to win this. I know it's just a scheme to generate buzz, but now I understand why people get so worked up about the media. There was no analysis, just a bunch of "THE TIME HAS COME!!!" ****.

The Chargers have a great chance to win this game. If the Pats can't run the ball to set up PA, cool the pass rush or stop the run on D they are in for long day.

Why those nitwits can't just say that is beyond me.

 

[203Pat]

Low draft results and fewer free agency hits have caused this. I’m really concerned, though, with what the heck is going on with McDunce’s offense. They seem totally incapable of actually finding players who can succeed there, whether through the draft or free agency. There were like 25 WRs they tried out last offseason and no could pan out? I was really hoping Josh would be gone, a new guy would come in, and they’d be able to rebuild the TE/WR corps quickly with a new philosophy and less rigorous standards for players. Who is the last guy they drafted who was a mainstay? Gronk in 2010? That is horrible...even for free agents, Amendola is the only multi-year impact guy at WR/TE they could get in the last seven years. Need to rethink this system if there’s no one who can play in it. It certainly may be like when they switched to a 3-4, teams copied them, and targeted players suddenly had more suitors.

The good thing is in the NFL a couple of great drafts can turn things around very quickly. So I wouldn’t say the Patriots are doomed for the next few years, but no question they need to start being more successful in their personnel moves, and quickly.

I’m not the biggest McDaniels fan in the world but how is it Josh’s fault that the offensive skill guys are subpar as a whole?

 

[qbno12]

I hope we can win it all this year. I know it's a stretch but I hope they can make it happen. It doesn't matter next year if Brady's numbers really drop. #6 would be sweet.

 

[Brandon Manning]

I hope we can win it all this year. I know it's a stretch but I hope they can make it happen. It doesn't matter next year if Brady's numbers really drop. #6 would be sweet.

If they win # 6, I am officially content forever as a fan. They could go 1-15 next season, and I wouldn't be too too upset. If BB and Brady win a SB with this bunch, it'll be the most impressive one thus far. Realistically, I wouldn't bet on this team winning though. Too many receivers that can't get separation (Hogan & Dorsett), drop passes (Edelman), or are a shell of their former self (Gronk). Michel would need to rush for 200 yards a game. Hogan would need to suddenly turn into Rice.

 

[qbno12]

If they win # 6, I am officially content forever as a fan. They could go 1-15 next season, and I wouldn't be too too upset. If BB and Brady win a SB with this bunch, it'll be the most impressive one thus far. Realistically, I wouldn't bet on this team winning though. Too many receivers that can't get separation (Hogan & Dorsett), drop passes (Edelman), or are a shell of their former self (Gronk). Michel would need to rush for 200 yards a game. Hogan would need to suddenly turn into Rice.

I agree with everything except 1-15 next season

 

[RobertWeathers]

I agree with everything except 1-15 next season

Been there...done that.

It's horrible.

 

[Taco]

I agree with everything except 1-15 next season

It’s funny I thought I was content after we beat the Seahawks and then again after we beat the Falcons. The itch to win never dies.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I’m not the biggest McDaniels fan in the world but how is it Josh’s fault that the offensive skill guys are subpar as a whole?

No one fits into their philosophy anymore. Clearly they need to adapt it or they will continue to have have this major personnel crisis. In the last five years, WRs have been interested in joining this unit to play with Brady. Their only WR/TE that has actually lasted more than a year is Chris Hogan, who is a #3/4 receiver. That has to be historically bad.

 

[Jackson 2]

If they win # 6, I am officially content forever as a fan. They could go 1-15 next season, and I wouldn't be too too upset. If BB and Brady win a SB with this bunch, it'll be the most impressive one thus far. Realistically, I wouldn't bet on this team winning though. Too many receivers that can't get separation (Hogan & Dorsett), drop passes (Edelman), or are a shell of their former self (Gronk). Michel would need to rush for 200 yards a game. Hogan would need to suddenly turn into Rice.

I understand your skepticism which, to a fair degree, I share. But, I think you're overstating some things. Edelman's drop rate isn't significantly different from prior years. I think Dorsett (16 straight catches on 16 straight targets) and Hogan (reportedly has been open multiple times but not thrown to) are better than you seem to believe. While Gronk is clearly not consistently what we're used to, he's had some decent games recently. Anyway, we'll see.

 

[Brandon Manning]

I understand your skepticism which, to a fair degree, I share. But, I think you're overstating some things. Edelman's drop rate isn't significantly different from prior years. I think Dorsett (16 straight catches on 16 straight targets) and Hogan (reportedly has been open multiple times but not thrown to) are better than you seem to believe. While Gronk is clearly not consistently what we're used to, he's had some decent games recently. Anyway, we'll see.

Edleman seems to be dropping more passes than normal. But maybe they weren't as noticeable before because the team was better than this group. Gronk has had some better games recently. But in order to win a SB, he needs to be the old Gronk. We shall see.