What would you define as a successful upcoming season?

[Captain Cliche]

Less sloppy play.
Win or lose, I was always proudest of how tightly they played the game and let the other team self destruct.
Teams felt the pressure of having to play a tight game if they wanted any chance of winning.

Recent Pats teams have been very undisciplined, which is uncharacteristic of a BB team. Especially on offense. You knew it was only a matter of time before the interception, fumble, holding penalty, or offsides would occur. They just couldn't finish a drive w/o stepping on their ****s.
To me this said BB was slipping and I'm not so surprised or disappointed he was let go.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

Next year is a complete restart. New coaches, general manager, empowered ownership and rookie QB is a lot to process in a given year. No need to repeat what others have said about the record not being important and finishing strong. My key performance indicators are personnel development and establishing a disciplined team as measured by dumb penalties. Maye is most obvious in the talent category, dumb penalties is a good measure of the coaching staff and mental state of the team.

 

[jboston19]

Maye makes it hard to keep him on the bench.

Offensive line is at least a notch or two above serviceable.

Rookie WRs and DD show promise.

Defense continues dominance from last year.

Team doesn’t make stupid mistakes. Mayo and staff show competence and reassure us RK made the right call, as painful as it was to some.

Ryland (or whoever the K is) solidifies the position.

Either a Super Bowl win or beat the Jets twice and go winless otherwise and get the top pick in the draft next year. Jk on that one.

 

[Real fan 02]

5-12?

Seriously, 9-8 with Maye having 4 starts on his belt with electrifying sprinkles of awesomeness late in the season. Defense showing signs of domination.

I believe maye can become the day 1 starting QB.. Brissett is a great bridge QB, to learn from and mentor. But maye is the future if this team.

 

[Real fan 02]

A successful season would be knowing Maye could be the next franchise QB.

Also:

- Mayo proving he's worthy of being a HC.
- Pats finally land an elite outside WR via the draft.
- Gonzalez showing he could be an elite CB.
- Barmore building off of last season.
- The OL is fixed.
- They finally beat Tua.
- Rham has a bounce back year.

Agreed with all. Although gonzo showed enough in 4 games that he was on his way. Heading into week 4 last season he was ranked # 3 in the league in CBs.. he absolutely was playing all pro levels prior to his injury as a rookie. Between the moving parts on the O linear season and injury they couldn't block worth anything so the back suffered.. anything rham got was on his own. It's absolutely mind blowing we haven't beaten Tua yet..

 

[DarrylS]

Success this year will entail not looking as stupid offensively as we have in the past couple of years. I expect some awkward moments the first 4 or 5 games, but as the season progresses we look like a well coached team that can on "any given Sunday" win games.
To minimize those cringeworthy moments that we have all watched and said WTF???

 

[Huckleberry1]

Like porn, I can’t define it exactly but I’ll know it when I see it.

This is exactly where I’m at. I was thinking about how to answer this, and I knew it wasn’t going to about wins losses, but more about how they play, especially against the best teams.

Belichick was asked when he knew he had a championship caliber team the year they beat Seattle in the SB, his response was that it was the second half of the K.C. blowout, when they knew they had no chance of winning, but played their asses off every snap. He said something similar about the Rams loss in 01’. They didn’t win either game, but they played like it was on the line on every down. That’s the kind of fight I want to see out of them, then keep the ones who show it, and let the ones who don’t go, and replace them with players who will.

 

[Triumph]

Roll into Jacksonville and roll out with the W vs Mac Jones.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Do NOT want to see
Quirky, bad HC decisions that cost games. Or wimpy run out the clock decisions within 2 minuted of end of 1st half.
Really bad panic QB decisions by Maye when he finally plays akin to Jones like picks in RZ with nobody around the defender

Need to see
D play with heart and vigor. Galaxy Quest "Never give up! Never surrender!"
OL coalesce & play as a unit after 1st qtr of season
Several rooks play well demonstrating that front office indeed has a clue about talent

 

[Huckleberry1]

Do NOT want to see
Quirky, bad HC decisions that cost games. Or wimpy run out the clock decisions within 2 minuted of end of 1st half.
Really bad panic QB decisions by Maye when he finally plays akin to Jones like picks in RZ with nobody around the defender

Need to see
D play with heart and vigor. Galaxy Quest "Never give up! Never surrender!"
OL coalesce & play as a unit after 1st qtr of season
Several rooks play well demonstrating that front office indeed has a clue about talent

We are never going to see clock management like Belichick again, he’s the all time master of it, and I can’t count the times coaches opposing them completely blew it.

 

[PatsFan2]

Drake Maye Starting from Day 1 TC or taking over in week 6.

 

[Real fan 02]

Less sloppy play.
Win or lose, I was always proudest of how tightly they played the game and let the other team self destruct.
Teams felt the pressure of having to play a tight game if they wanted any chance of winning.

Recent Pats teams have been very undisciplined, which is uncharacteristic of a BB team. Especially on offense. You knew it was only a matter of time before the interception, fumble, holding penalty, or offsides would occur. They just couldn't finish a drive w/o stepping on their ****s.
To me this said BB was slipping and I'm not so surprised or disappointed he was let go.

Spot on. The last 2 seasons we were an awful offensive team.. to move the ball over the 50 was an accomplishment. The defense was put in terrible situations and still held teams to FGs..

I believe Bill knew what was up.. is why understand why some say Bill got screwed. I wish my employer gave me a severance package with generational wealth. Just saying... if the offense can be middling 14th, 15th ranked.. I believe we can be a contender this season.

 

[Real fan 02]

We are never going to see clock management like Belichick again, he’s the all time master of it, and I can’t count the times coaches opposing them completely blew it.

Absolutely agree.. if you discount the last 2 seasons..

 

[turkeyneck]

Would be nice if they reverse the trend in recent seasons of getting worse instead of better as the season goes on. Also being more competitive against good teams. That would be progress.

I'm mainly concerned with eliminating the stupid play that crept into the Pats two seasons ago and overflowed last year.

It would be great if they could scare someone in the division but that's realistically another year away.

Let's see players play with effort, smarts, and get better as the season goes on.