Way too many people are saying the Pats are done. Be careful. I wouldn't count on them being bad all year.
They got beat like Brazil last night, that's all I know. A nice way to conclude an otherwise miserable weekend of football.
Yeah the Raider game was alarming in itself, they could barely score one TD and three FG's at home against a team they should have been able to name the score against.
Ive watched all four of their games and they have looked bad in all 4. The offense is bad, the defense is mediocre, its not like 2012 when they started 3-3 and lost close games to Arizona, Seattle and the Bills. They lost by 2 possesions in Miami, beat a Vikings team in turmoil, allowed the Raiders to drive right down the field at home as they nearly tied the game, and then of course got blown out last season. In the past the Patriots always had their offense to lean on, (last year they didnt but the AFC was so horrendous that they won 12 games because they didnt suck unlike the rest of the teams). This right now is the lowest the Patriots have been since before the Super Bowl's. As you all recall in 2012 the Patriots were 3-3, the Jets almost delivered the knockout blow but of course Hill dropped the pass, a team NEEDS to deliver the knockout blow right now and send this Patriots team down before they gain any confidence. I believe the Bengals will beat them this Sunday, then it will be up to the Bills/Jets to beat em.
Another example is 2011, when the Jets and Pats were both 5-3. They failed to beat the Patriots and the Patriots won every game the rest of the year. 2012 they failed and the Pats only lost one game the rest of the year. Its imperative that the Bungles beat the Patriots Sunday, they will fold up like any other team if these losses continue, on the other hand if they beat the Bungles then they will gain confidence which will help them (but they still have a very difficult schedule in the 2nd half unlike the other seasons where they had a cakewalk).
They'll win this week against Cincy and all this will be forgotten. Everytime people think the Pats are losing a step they come back with a solid game.
I don't think so. Cincinnati is coming off a bye week and that defense is gonna be coming for Brady. Dalton just can't fuck it up for Cincinnati
They aren't done because they have Bill and Brady. But this is as weak as we've seen them in a while. If the Bengals roll through NE then I think New England might be able to dust off the cover for the panic button. AFC East is real weak though, big helping hand for the Pats.
I heartily enjoyed the Patriots debacle. Then found this out: Current OL coach for the Patriots? None other than Dave DeGuglielmo. Yeah, that dumb fuck ran the OL when Sparano was the OC. No fucking wonder this offense is a total mess. I couldn't stop laughing. I really couldn't. Good luck, Tommy boy. You'd have to get used to getting hit and eating turf all season long. If you don't get injured, that is!
I'd be very cautious about saying the Pats are done, but they have been uncharacteristically bad thus far. I have to say that some of their roster moves over the past couple years have been extremely questionable. Trading away Logan Mankins and now the line looks terrible, lacking quality receivers for the second straight year... And Brady definitely hasn't looked like himself lately and I really wonder if his arm has diminished. We can only hope they are truly on the decline, but I'm not counting on it yet.
Right now there are so many issues that it's difficult to pinpoint the one spot where the Patriots really need to turn it around. For starters, they're losing the battles in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They can't run block, they can't pass block... that means that receivers have to get open quickly, and Edelman seems to be the only one capable of doing that. Brady's been sacked, hit, or otherwise pressured 55 times already this season. So pressure is coming too quickly for routes to develop, and Brady's immobility is more of a factor than ever. It's not just that, though... even when he's not pressured, Brady is struggling. He had a clean pocket on at least one of the two INTs on Monday night, and has missed on a lot of throws. Nate Solder looks as bad as I've seen a LT look in New England. He never even laid a hand on Tamba Hali on the strip sack Monday night. The defensive line has been almost equally as bad, getting pushed around by both the Dolphins in week one and the Chiefs on Monday night. They aren't holding the edge - Chandler Jones has looked good as a pass rusher, but teams are quickly figuring out that you can run it right at him and he's not big or strong enough to get off blocks most of the time. Their linebackers are doing a poor job in coverage. They're not tackling well. The secondary looks extremely inconsistent. I don't know how much of it all has to do with overall scheme or play-calling, but in two of the four games they've played, the defense has not looked good at all. I don't know where it all goes from here. I'll tell you honestly and candidly though, the last time I recall being this unsure about the Patriots was all the way back in the 2002 season, the one after the first Super Bowl when they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs on a tie-breaker. They've hit some rough patches before but I've always been confident they would come out of it. This year I'm not as certain of that. Part of it has been how Brady looks, and part of it has been the nature of the problems they're having. If these are indeed the first signs that their run is coming to an end... well, it was a good one. I'm 42 so I've been a fan since the late 70s when I was a kid. I can't really complain about a string of around 13 years where they've been at or near the top of the heap. All good things must end. Maybe this is it, maybe it isn't quite yet. Still a lot of football left to play...
GoPats Great post. I don't think Pats are coming out of this decline to be honest. They can still win the division and make the play offs but that's it. I don't think we will see Pats being competitive for a few years.
Yeah, very unclear as to the future here... the division overall is pretty iffy, and they could end up with a record that's better than they really are. I have no aspirations for what they do in the postseason this year. 2014 will be a case where just making it to the playoffs will be an achievement for them.
How do we know? They haven't even tried to establish the run so far this year. They're averaging around 20 rushes a game, and 36 of them came in the rout of Minny.
This game against Cinci is a pretty big make or break game for the Pats. If they get dominated again, I could see the slide continuing.
Fair point. They haven't committed to running the ball. Hard to do that when you're playing catch-up (Chiefs, Dolphins games).
Nah they lose sunday and all they did was lose a tough road game and a game against a very good Cinci team on a short week. And at 2-3 they are still in okay shape. The two weeks after that though, @ Buffalo and home against the Jets. Those will be the crucial make or break games. I still don't think they are done like everyone else jumping on their premature grave but if they don't come up with 2 big division wins there, regardless of how they look against Cincy, I will start to think they may be done.
