In 2002 the 3 game losing streat was actually a 4 game losing streak. Now that's something to root for!
Offenses are great for regular seasons but in the cold bitter reality of the playoffs where almost all teams have at least a decent defense, just an offensive team isn't going to fly, Branch has already proven that without Brady he is trash. BJGE gets his yards only because of people worried about Brady and his spread attack instead of running the ball The Patriots are now like the Phoenix Suns of football, all flash and no substance even with their HOF HC and QB
Agreed. The Pats have a bunch of waiver-wire guys on defense and thats why they lost the past 2 weeks. The Steelers and Giants took a lot away from the the Pats underneath, but they'll adjust. Can we cover their TEs and slot receivers inside the numbers? That was a huge problem in week 5
I don't know if this is the beginning of the end, or a bump along the way. I don't much care, to be honest - I'm only interested in this game, this weekend and if I'm to look a long way out, this season. And right now Brady looks fallible. You're right that the Jets don't have an elite pass rush, but they didn't last time they beat the Patriots either. Or the time before that. This game isn't a slam dunk and every day this week I'm going to terrified of another Jim Leonhard moment, but I do think that the Patriots look more beatable than usual and the one thing that you can guarantee is that the stadium on Sunday is going to have a special atmosphere that is going to play very much in the Jets' favour. The first time that Brady steps up to center to receive the ball, the noise is going to be incredible.
Saying "without Brady..." or "without Manning..." is meaningless in a discussion about a team that isn't missing their star QB. Our offense can beat any defense. The only difference in the playoffs is they need to beat three (or four) in a row. This means that consistency is the key. A balanced team can afford more inconsistency on either side because the other side might be there to carry the team for one game. There is no other practical difference between the playoffs and any other span of regular season games against good teams. This makes it difficult for a one-sided team to win, but far from impossible. Hell, our defense might even have a chance to show some improvement if they can eliminate basic mistakes (e.g. two PI calls in crucial NYG TD drives for 20 and 35 yds) and if our Offense can stop giving the other team short fields (e.g. fumbling at our own 10 yd line, leading to a NYG score). If (hypothetically of course) the Patriots DO win sunday, how does that change your opinion? Are the Patriots still a talentless team? Are the Jets still in a better position, because defense magically counts more in the playoffs? The fact is there isn't a single team in the AFC that looks like it is consistently playing "playoff caliber" football on a weekly basis. The Jets are on the rise, while the Pats are falling. It is certainly possible that this trend will continue, but "trends" leading into the midpoint of the season really don't count for much.
And the last time NE, Pitt and Indy lost on the same day was 1991. The Jets went 8-8 and lost to Houston in the WC round
Read the shit following what you quoted. I'd like to believe that even Sergio Brown and Kyle Arrington are capable of running down the field without demolishing opposing WRs. I'm not asking for coverage... just don't fucking tackle guys 35 yards downfield while the ball is in the air in crucial situations like that.
Yeah the team was playing like complete crap. Fans who know something about football do that. Tell me how being a mindless homer fan is better..
Back to the original OP line of thinking, IF the Pats lose and go 0-3, how will they handle it? When the Jets went 0-3 there was A LOT of inside the locker room trash talking, for example Ton killing the OL, Moore firing back, etc. I know Belicheck has his team on a 24/7/365 lock down as far as players making comments to the press, but if finger pointing starts to take shape in the Pats locker room you know someone will leak something to the press. As Bart would say, "CANT WAIT"
I'm not a fan who boos at games but even if the Jets won 10 SBs in a row and they struggled for a half the stadium would boo them like crazy. That's what fans do in the Northeast.
