Who will be the *one* key to a SB push?

[tombonneau]

Hoodie beat me to it.

A clever answer, and Romo's play will help the Pat's chances for one week, but after that ...

 

[Deus Irae]

If Wilhite were to magically hit the all-pro level, that would change everything. The #2 corner would go from a weakness to a strength, and we'd all be very, very happy.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

I'd have to say either colvin or vrabel...........one of them has to step up and play their best......if there is no pass rush, then the play of the secondary is relatively inconsequential

 

[JoeSixPat]

If you could choose one player who could power the team to a SB push by turning his game up to All-Pro level (with everyone else pretty much playing at the level they are currently at), who would it be?

Personally, I think that that player is Brandon Meriweather.

If he can start making big plays in the secondary and helping the entire unit out with an All Pro performance, I think that goes a long way to making this defense SB caliber.

Alternately, I think a sneaky pick would be Jarvis Green, as if he suddenly turned it on and the Pats had a legit DL to consistently pressure the passer, that would be huge; however, I think this scenario is far less likely.

I don't think anyone needs to be playing at an all-pro level. Everyone simply needs to do their job and do it well - particularly on defense.

I'd guess that's Belichick's mantra too - telling all the backups that they don't need to feel pressured to play at an all-pro level. Just have faith in the coaches, accept your assignments and execute.

 

[Dagg]

A clever answer, and Romo's play will help the Pat's chances for one week, but after that ...

Umm without romo this weekend there is no SB push...

 

[bakes781]

I think it's obvious...

Matt Cassel

While his progress thus far has been outstanding, it will need to further improve to another level in the playoffs.

 

[tombonneau]

Umm without romo this weekend there is no SB push...

Right. I get it. It's clever, out-of-the-box thinking and I appreciate it. But it's not a long-term, ongoing answer for a potential SB push. Of course, if you are one of those one-game-at-a-time fans who refuses to "look ahead" as if it could possibly impact the team's performance, well, then I can't help you.

 

[Absurdly Metro]

Tony Romo.

Okay, he is not on the Patriots but if he can step up big time and beat the Ravens it would go a long way to helping the Patriots win the SB.

Ha-ha. I agree! Go Romo!!

I can't believe I'm rooting for Wade Phillips and TO! ​

 

[wdkantro2]

I'm not sure you can pinpoint one player....but the key will be for the defense to be able to get off the field on 3rd down at a much better clip than they are now. The offense will be fine. If one player can step up to make that happen more often, that's the key. It could be a pass rusher, or a member of the secondary.
That said, I will pick a dark horse...Lewis Sanders. While he isn't the tackler that James is, I think Lewis has done a better job being a coverage safety (hasn't taken those terrible angles that lead to big plays that James always takes) so that Meriweather is free to do whatever the team needs him to do. While James is a sure tackler, I think with him in the game, the other safety always needs to be cautious about doing too much because Sanders gets out of position more than he should. I feel like if Lewis can emerge and continue to free up Meriweather, the secondary will be a lot stronger.
After all, we're talking about a career CB here, so he should be good in coverage....a la Eugene Wilson 2003.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Tony Romo.

Okay, he is not on the Patriots but if he can step up big time and beat the Ravens it would go a long way to helping the Patriots win the SB.

Exactly. We're goin' nowhere without Mr Romo playing well on Saturday.

On our team, the only candidates are defensive, because our O is good enough to reach the SB. Colvin is a good choice because of the loss of AD. Wilhite gives us some confidence - he looked quick out there the other day.

 

[RoughingthePasser]

Defense.
We'll start to show more pass rush as the season continues. I think we'll see Mayo and Merriweather do some blitzing.
We really need some TO's and INT's and some shut-down work from our secondary.
the one area would be the secondary.

 

[PatsFan2]

Is this suppose to be a joke? alright I'll play along TE Dave Thomas.:attention:

 

[JSn]

Imagine if our D improves as the year wears on instead of declining. That's what I'm hoping to see. I'm also hoping to see six more Pats games this season.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I'm a bit worried about the end of our DL, obviously I would love to have Warren healthy. If he's not, the key will be his replacement not being exploited in the run game. When you look at the pass defense, there's just too many potential weaknesses there from the DB's to the lack of a pass rush that it's too hard to pinpoint 1 position which is key. Our pass D is going to remain a weakness, but we need to stop the run the way we were before Warren got hurt or we are going to get torched. That's what will matter most in the playoffs, defense and namely RUN defense.

 

[BradyBranch39]

It's hard to pick a guy because I think we're winning out anyways. So, yea... GO ROMO AND CO.!

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Ernie Adams Special Teams remarks are more to the point. I'd argue an improvement from the coverage units would do more for the Patriots' postseason prospects than any one defender or offensive player achieving an All-Pro performance.

 

[woolster22]

Ernie Adams Special Teams remarks are more to the point. I'd argue an improvement from the coverage units would do more for the Patriots' postseason prospects than any one defender or offensive player achieving an All-Pro performance.

The only way that is true is if we somehow managed to pin teams inside their own 5 each time...even still...they'll probably drive the field on our ghost of a pass d. Seriously, me you and nine strangers could probably do a better job

 

[jmt57]

Why does it have to be one player?

Seems to me in the past a key to the Pats success was one player this week, another the following week, a third the next week, etc. Expecting one player to carry the team through the playoffs to the Super Bowl a large part of the reason why Dallas has not won a playoff game in years and why Dan Snyder has no Lombardi's, while teams like the Ravens and Bucs and Giants - and Pats - have won championships this decade.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

A clever answer, and Romo's play will help the Pat's chances for one week, but after that ...

There is no after that........ A Raven loss is the one of the only things outside of this team's control.

We can always win out and start another streak.

Besides, I'd rather pin my hopes on Dallas, then Seattle or KC.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

The only way that is true is if we somehow managed to pin teams inside their own 5 each time...even still...they'll probably drive the field on our ghost of a pass d. Seriously, me you and nine strangers could probably do a better job

Harumph. I'd settle for holding teams inside the 25 on KR, they've struggled much to much in recent games.

The D has actually played pretty decently considering they've had to combat teams playing with some pretty decent field position. I looked at the drive charts for the last four games, Seattle was upside down, but Oakland, Pittsburgh, and the Jesters followed a standard pattern scoring at a much higher percentage when they had a shorter field. If Special Teams can step it up and reduce the number of drive starts past the 30 by half, the D will be much more competitive.