This loss is mostly on the coaches

[Kontradiction]

bigger misstep:

Gronk in for this final play on defense
Butler getting zero defensive snaps in the superbowl.

Given the stakes? Butler was the bigger gaffe by far.

 

[Kontradiction]

I hate this defense so, so much. They were garbage all day. They are slow, soft, and as a unit are consistently just stupid as all hell.

Losing on a fluke double lateral is honestly the least of their problems. The Dolphins could have probably scored on a screen pass for 75 yards just as easily against these stiffs.

Keep in mind that the Dolphins were the fourth worst offense in the NFL coming in to this game as well.

 

[captain stone]

Yes, we get it. If they scored the TD they win the game.

So what happens if it was an incomplete pass instead? Then you're stuck with the same 5 point lead only Miami has 56 seconds instead of 16.

That might've been the preferred scenario; then Miami would've played regular offense but at a faster pace, and our defense - who played much better during the 2nd half - wouldn't have Gronk on the field.

I also would've very, Very seriously considered going for the TD on 4th down (an Edelman jet sweep/run-pass option?) and forcing a gimpy Tannyhill to go 60 yards in 20 seconds with no timeouts available.

 

[Hyped]

If I had a gripe...it would be the kill shot call to hit Gordon deep (which got a PI flag) to set up the final series. If we didn't get the PI call, we would have punted that series and probably lost by a game ending FG instead. I'd prefer to run the clock down in that situation....

 

[DarrylS]

This is a fan message board, not a Belichick knob rubbing site. Expecting fans to be silent after a loss like that one is ridiculous.

Not what I implied at all, just a position that I often take after a loss whether it be last Sunday's or any other one, the fans on the edge come out in full force and effect as do the idiots on sports talk radio.. by the end of the week expect the discussion as to whether or not the game has passed BB by, he does not know how to draft and does not know how to team build etc. I happens after every loss...

 

[DarrylS]

Flores has been abysmal this year....horrible coaching and preparation.....one of if not THE worst defenses in the league!

Last week he was declared as some sort of defensive brainiac after beating Minnesota...

 

[PP2]

To me, this was an equal opportunity loss. Did some poor coaching contribute to losing this game? Absolutely. Our defensive game plan was terrible. Tanny had all day to throw except on third downs when the D blitzed on occasion. Tannyhill actually had a better game than Brady did. His line was 3 TD's and 265 yards on half as many throws as Brady had. Why no disguising at the line which was so effective the game before against Cousins? Saving it for the Jets?
Brady missed a wide open (and I do mean wide open) Hogan in the end zone the play before his brain fart at the end of the first half. And losing track of how many time outs the team had is so Mark Sanchez. This is inexcusable.
Ghost picking today to crap the bed.
The non existent run D, particularly during the first half.
The terrible run blocking all game from the Oline.
The dreadful effort on the last play of the game by so many players who all thought "the other guy would get him".
Taking your 10 million dollar a year safety off the field and replacing him a player who is physically clearly banged up because he is tall?

This is a loss on the entire team, not just one facet of the team.

In other words, it's the typical egg we usually lay in Miami for whatever reason (Denver as well). Bruschi said a long time ago that the humidity/heat is definitely a factor, no matter how much you want to get around it. He said that they were forbidden to talk about it.

Despite all that, we did have the lead until the squib kick.

FWIW, Gronk is part of the traditional Hail Mary package. The coaches just didn't make an adjustment in regard to Tannehill or to how banged up Gronk was, they just threw that package in there without thinking, IMO.

So it was that one last coaching brainfart that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

They always learn from their mistakes...they will sharpen their focus and I think this is going to be a good thing finishing off this season....cost them a first round bye but add me to the small group, I would think, that sees this as a positive.

Sometimes you just sorta go through the motions...not saying they don't practice hard every day and don't put the work in...they obviously do that...but sometimes a mistake like this sharpens everybody up a little more, thinking more, extra effort on tackling, extra effort on knowing your angle, knowing where your teammate is, sideline is...etc etc.

NE is great at clock management but there is something to be said in certain scenarios when you are down inside the 5-10ish....finish them man. We are rolling up to the playoffs, establish that attitude. Can't use Devlin or the run all the time but get that ball in the damn endzone (Priority 1)....don't overthink it...

I truly believe we have the talent and I truly believe Bill doesn't put things on tape for a reason. That is obviously true. That Miami game has value going forward, even if we can't get the job done in Pittsburgh.

We are in it....

 

[Kontradiction]

Not what I implied at all, just a position that I often take after a loss whether it be last Sunday's or any other one, the fans on the edge come out in full force and effect as do the idiots on sports talk radio.. by the end of the week expect the discussion as to whether or not the game has passed BB by, he does not know how to draft and does not know how to team build etc. I happens after every loss...

The first and second round misses on the defensive side of the ball since 2014 have been BRUTAL. The only one that you could really say anything remotely positive about is Brown and he's merely mediocre. He'll be gone in the offseason for that reason. IMO, I think it's right to question the draft choices. Yeah, they've found some pieces later on, but the misses early on are killing them and are a direct reason for where that unit finds itself today. Then you also have the maddeningly conservative defensive game plans any time a quarterback is a remote threat to run with the football which will typically give him a clean pocket and a zone defense to find the holes in. One could very well be related to the other (personnel) but if we as fans are not questioning what we see, we aren't fans.

 

[goheels22002]

Can you imagine losing on the last play like that in a playoff game? I guess the Saints know how that feels...

The Seattle Seahawks have an idea how that feels....

 

[goheels22002]

The Pats last drive was brilliant and the clock management was perfect. Should have been enough to ice the game. Only play I hold against the coaching staff was having Gronk in when the Dolphins needed 69 yards. I expected them to go for a 15 yard gain to set up the Hail Mary.

The Patriots should have kicked a field goal at the end the 1st half. Devin McCourty should have been the field for the last play. Oh, and of course it would be nice if somebody had tackled Brandon Bolden after Ryan Tannehill handed him the football.

I'm pi$$ed that they squandered a great game for Gronkowski - 8-for-8 and a terrific catch on a contested pass for the TD in the Red Zone. The Patriots should be rolling into Pittsburgh as AFCE champions ready to crush the Steelers. Instead, they handed them a tape for how to rack up five touchdowns.

Belichick needs to bring in a defensive coordinator with whom he can co-exist to focus on getting the most out of these players.

 

[50-yard-line]

Agree on both counts, though the final play was about 1000x worse than the decision to kick a field goal. I also wanted them to run one more time and go for the TD, with field position as a huge consolation. But I understand the flip side. On the final play, no professional, collegiate, or high school coach should ever use that personnel of just replacing McCourty with Gronk. One of the dumbest play calls ever. They would have been better served with a full on kick/punt return unit than that pathetic grouping.

So they give the ball back to the Dolphins with more time, needing maybe 55 yards for a FG attempt to win...the question is: was the extra time worth the chance, since they would have to get up and spike the ball before the FG attempt?

Either way, after that Gost FG, there is NO WAY they should have lost the game - like 1-in-1000. Hard to second guess that move either way.

 

[BelizePats]

You cannot disagree with any of this. The failures of our early round picks on defense have substantially weakened the foundation of this team.
And if Big Ben is given the same amount of time that Tannyhill was afforded, it will not even be competitive.

 

[Ladypatsfan]

The loss is on that pathetic defense. Forget Gronk are you trying to tell me that not one defensive player could tackle that guy before he got anywhere near Gronk. NOT ONE DAMN TACKLE. THIS DEFENSE SUCKS PERIOD. THEY ARE AWFUL. THEY ARE GOING NO WHERE WITH THIS GROUP. THEY LACK BASIC DEFENSIVE FUNDAMENTALS. NOT ONE TACKLE ON THAT LAST PLAY. IT WAS AWFUL.
BB SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO HAVE A DEFENSE LIKE THAT. IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, BRUSCHI, MCGINEST, LAW, OR HARRISON WOULD HAVE TACKLED THAT GUY. ALL THEY NEEDED WAS ONE TACKLE. NOT ONE PLAYER ON DEFENSE COULD MAKE A TACKLE WHEN IT MATTERED MOST. THE DEFENSE SUCKS.

 

[varjao]

One thing no one mentioned, Miami started at 31 because our kickoff special teams is trash and has been all season and cannot hold guys inside the 20 anymore. I don't know why they still ask Gost to kick for a return instead of going for the touch back. Once you decided to kick the FG instead of going for it (which would have them starting at their 3 yard line), just take your chances with a touchback,

That return could very well be for 50 yards and put them in position to try an easier hail mary. Or it could have been a return for TD. I don't trust our special teams. Basically BB trusting them when there is so much tape showing returners running all over them was another bad judgement call.

 

[varjao]

Man Gronk almost twisted his knee on that play, what a cluster**** of a play, god d%#*!@t

 

[QuantumMechanic]

One thing no one mentioned, Miami started at 31 because our kickoff special teams is trash and has been all season and cannot hold guys inside the 20 anymore. I don't know why they still ask Gost to kick for a return instead of going for the touch back. Once you decided to kick the FG instead of going for it (which would have them starting at their 3 yard line), just take your chances with a touchback,

That return could very well be for 50 yards and put them in position to try an easier hail mary. Or it could have been a return for TD. I don't trust our special teams. Basically BB trusting them when there is so much tape showing returners running all over them was another bad judgement call.

Miami started at the 31 because NE intentionally and sensibly decided on a squib kick to burn time. And it was perfectly done. Miami didn't get much of a return and it burned off 9 of the remaining 16 seconds, leaving Miami with time for only one play. Can't ask for more than that. Much rather have Miami at the 31 with 7 seconds than at the 25 with 16 seconds.

The problem was inexplicably putting Gronk out there in a non-hail mary situation and too much of the defense half-assing it, assuming someone else would tackle the guy, until it was too late.

 

[Ladypatsfan]

THAT FRIGGIN game has put me in a bad mood since Sunday.

 

[JackBauer]

The loss is on that pathetic defense. Forget Gronk are you trying to tell me that not one defensive player could tackle that guy before he got anywhere near Gronk. NOT ONE DAMN TACKLE. THIS DEFENSE SUCKS PERIOD. THEY ARE AWFUL. THEY ARE GOING NO WHERE WITH THIS GROUP. THEY LACK BASIC DEFENSIVE FUNDAMENTALS. NOT ONE TACKLE ON THAT LAST PLAY. IT WAS AWFUL.
BB SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO HAVE A DEFENSE LIKE THAT. IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, BRUSCHI, MCGINEST, LAW, OR HARRISON WOULD HAVE TACKLED THAT GUY. ALL THEY NEEDED WAS ONE TACKLE. NOT ONE PLAYER ON DEFENSE COULD MAKE A TACKLE WHEN IT MATTERED MOST. THE DEFENSE SUCKS.

I can't hear you. Speak up, please.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

One thing no one mentioned, Miami started at 31 because our kickoff special teams is trash and has been all season and cannot hold guys inside the 20 anymore. I don't know why they still ask Gost to kick for a return instead of going for the touch back. Once you decided to kick the FG instead of going for it (which would have them starting at their 3 yard line), just take your chances with a touchback,

That return could very well be for 50 yards and put them in position to try an easier hail mary. Or it could have been a return for TD. I don't trust our special teams. Basically BB trusting them when there is so much tape showing returners running all over them was another bad judgement call.

It was a squib kick to take time off the clock, they did everything text book until that last play debacle.