Game Recap: Dolphins defeat Patriots, 22-21
by MaPatsFan on Dec 7, 2009 4:50 PM EST
in News/General
45 comments
Let's see... failure to convert in the RedZone...check. Failure to finish (ie: consistently score in the 2nd half)...check. Defensive backfield getting burned by what was to be considered an average passing offense...check. HoF QB throwing critical interceptions...check.
First, credit where credit is due. Miami did a good job of exploiting the mistakes made by this Patriots team and turning them around to their advantage. Behind most of the game, the Dolphins made big plays when they needed to and turned this game around for Miami. However, I am here to focus on the myriad of "fails" plaguing this New England Patriots team.
I normally can't stand columnist Ron Borges. He's cut from the same cloth as Dan Shaughnessy, which is to say they both hammer away at the team they're covering, claiming "the point everyone is missing...", in order to sound like the smartest guy in the room. I normally can't stand Borges, but in this column, I think he's right:
Years ago, Chuck Fairbanks said it best. "It’s not about X’s and O’s. It’s about Jimmys and Joes." For half a decade with the Pats people believed otherwise. In Bill We Trust became the motto, but does anyone honestly believe Bill Belichick forgot how to coach? A guy who has been watching game film since he was 6 now can’t break down film and discover a team’s weaknesses?
Bill Belichick didn't suddenly become stupid. He didn't wake up one morning with an IQ 50 points lower than what it was the day before. No, as Ron Borges claims, it's not about Belichick (at least, not all of it) but about the onfield talent. I haven't brought this up before, but it's been on my mind for the past few weeks or so: there's just not as many playmakers as there used to be. The players are simply not executing. Is the coaching staff showing them what to do? I would assume so; it's relatively the same staff as in previous years with the obvious exceptions of Scott Pioli and Josh McDaniels.
But if coaching were to be blamed, it would be in the Belichick player acquisition strategy. For years, Belichick has been known as a guy at the top of his game in finding "value" players, at piecing together a team with a sprinkle of seasoned vets as well as using later rounds in the draft to shore up the ranks for the future. But has this turned out to be the best approach for this team? Sure, Randy Moss and Wes Welker were brilliant moves, no question. Fred Taylor? The jury's still out as we need to see more playing time from him. But along with the brilliance have been some big whiffs, ones that have cost us dearly. Joey Galloway, Shawn Springs, Greg Lewis, Derrick Burgess, Adalius Thomas... all were relatively big money acquisitions that left this team digging into the young up-and-comers to fill the gaps.
Look in the past, at the years on the banners hanging at Gillette Stadium. You could name scores of big playmakers. Troy Brown, Corey Dillon, Deion Branch, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison...all of them ready to step up when it was needed. Who do we have now? Wes Welker, Sebastian Vollmer (when he's playing), Julian Edelman (when he's playing). Who else?
Ok, enough of that. Let's get back to the debacle known as Patriots @ Dolphins. The whole is usually the sum of its parts. There's rarely one part that is the cause of a catastrophic failure. But, like a car, enough blown gaskets can seriously derail the vehicle.
- 4th and 1 on Miami 6 - We could argue all day about whether or not to go for it on this 4th and 1. I get the whole "play to win vs. play not to lose" argument. But I'm conservative. Unless you're about to lose the game if you don't score a touchdown, go for the field goal. But that's not what I consider to be the biggest gaff of that series. Brady hands the ball to Sammy Morris who encounters, guess what, a stacked Miami line. Why Brady didn't hand it off to Laurence Maroney, who was right behind Morris, is beyond. He had more room and could've a) built up a bigger head of steam or b) had a chance to choose another hole. And how about being creative? Maybe fake handoffs to the backs and slip it to Wes on a reverse? Welker can dodge cruise missiles never mind defensive backs.
- 2nd and 5 on Miami 5 - With a running game that appears to be doing fairly well, what does Brady do? He tosses a floater to the right-hand corner of the endzone, forcing it to a blanketed Randy Moss. Miami's Vontae Davis makes a great play on a guy who has 5 inches on him and comes down with the pick. What does Randy do? He watches. How about, you know, KNOCKING THE BALL AWAY!!! Put in some effort, Randy.
- Chad Henne's 51 yard march - After a failed NE series culminating in a desperate 4th and 11, Chad Henne marched down the field to put Miami kicker Dan Carpenter in range; Carpenter nailed a 41 yarder to go up by 1. As mentioned above, where were the playmakers? Where were the guys coming up with big stops on defense? Henne did a great job of connecting with is receivers, something our defense couldn't prevent and our own offense couldn't do.
- Final Brady interception - This may have aggravated me the most. Chances are it wouldn't have made a difference, but EAT THE BALL!!! Instead, Tom Terrific decides to, I don't know what, and Channing Crowder intercepts. That was not the Tom Brady I've come to "know". That was a desperate, rookie move. I hate to say it, but he looked like Mark Sanchez on that one.
Now that you're all depressed, let me leave you with some good cheer. In 2007, there was this 10-6 team who squeaked into the playoffs as a wildcard, won out in the playoffs by the hair on their chinny chin chin, and defeated an 18-0 juggernaut by 3 points to win the Super Bowl. Well, maybe that didn't cheer you up that much, but think about it this way: if they can do it, why can't we?
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I agree
I thought at the beginning of the season we might go undefeated! As crazy as that may sound now I thought we had some talent. I don’t like Ron Burgess either but his point is valid.
I also really don’t place all the blame of the DBs either. Here is what we are missing at this point in my opinion. Rand Moss won’t admit to this but this is not the player from two years ago or last year and perhaps(as I bite my tongue) we bid him farewell after the season. Or(as people gasp at my comment) we find another Stallworth) who we really miss. Now, Randy Moss still has elite talent there is no question in my mind but do people really think there is 100% effort still there? I have never seen number 12 so frustrated and I believe it is impairing his judgment.
Pass Rusher! Number one priority because we need to give our defensive backfield some help. We need one and not one that in his 30’s either. This season is done! I’m sorry to be the sobering voice but the mental toughness doesn’t seem to be there to win the big one. The draft should be used to pick a corner, pass rusher and a solid, LB size don’t cross the field or I’ll smack your head clear from your shoulders Safety. You know 6’ 1" or something like that 230 pds.
2010 Hopefully will be a year for a healthy O-Line so Lawrence Maroney has one final year. In my opinion he is Faulk’s replacement as a third down back but the question is will he accept that role.
This next comment you will all hate me for. I think we should begin looking for our replacement under center. I know he’s the man and he has brought us three trophies but he will be 33 and I see him playing until 36. Now, I will Brett Favre my thinking if we find ourselves Adrian Peterson but that does not seem to be management’s personality for this offense.
Love to hear how bad my critique is?:)
No, no, Patriots don't need to get rid of Randy Moss
He’s not a problem, it’s how the Patriots use him – without a legitimate 3rd wide receiver to take away the constant double teaming. Randy could be the Stallworth in one or two years – become the third WR himself. I believe the effort from Moss is there, but I also believe his back isn’t the same young back he used to have and the Patriots need to use him better.
Agreed totally about the need for a pass rusher (or two). That would cure a number of ills and give the DBs a chance to mature. How else were Randall Gay and Earthwind Moreland able to start for the Patriots in the 2004 playoffs without being burned like Jonathan Wilhite Monday and Darius Butler yesterday?
Brady is fine. No hate for the comment, but at 33 Brady is still in his prime and doesn’t deserve to be put out to pasture yet. Not even close, in my opinion, with five years even too early to envision replacing him.
I think Belichick would love another Corey Dillon, and another Willie McGinest too while we’re in the cloning department. It certainly would be management’s personality if there was either to be had for the right price. I sure hope the Patriots are saving that money not spent on signing Asante Samuel or Richard Seymour to pay Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins and others. We’ll see though. Vince isn’t holding his breath so I’m not either.
Keep the faith!
Yeah, but he's got bigger lungs.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Dec 7, 2009 6:48 PM EST up reply actions
Moss...
Moss was tossing some good blocks when the ball wasn’t thrown his way, and always seemed to hustle when I could see him on the TV. There was one play in particular that he throw a nice shoulder block that I commented to the wife about. I think the effort is definitely there.
Why can't we?
The guys need to come together as a team and be willing to fight for each other. There is none of that. There is talent and no fight. The offense is looking at the defense which can’t stop anybody. The defense is looking at an offense which falls apart in the second half. The D-line is looking at the secondary that isn’t making plays. The secondary is looking at the D-line which can’t generate pressure.
There is no “I got your six” (also known as “I got your back”) mentality. Helping your buddy if he’s struggling. When Cassel came in everyone tried to step up their play to make him comfortable. Now Tom is back and it’s all on him? The “do your job” mentality has morphed into an “it’s not my fault” mentality. These guys have got to dig alot deeper if they want to be the “plucky little underdog”. They’re a long way from that.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Dec 7, 2009 5:44 PM EST reply actions
There's one more part
What makes the 2009 Pats different from the 2007 Giants? The 2007 Giants could win on the road; the 2009 Pats leave their pluck in the locker room at halftime.
This may be where the loss of veteran leadership really hurts — maybe it was Harrison who kept the secondary in line and made sure they got the front sevens’ backs, and Bruschi, Vrabel, and Seymour who made sure the front seven knew it was their fault if the secondary couldn’t cover a receiver because the QB had an hour-and-a-half to throw.
What veterans have the gravitas to step in and take that role? On the d-line, there’s Wilfork, maybe Green. Among the linebackers, Seau doesn’t get into games anymore, Thomas has been a bust, and Banta-Cain is essentially a second-tier pass rusher — none of the veterans are real leaders on the field. And the secondary? The vets are basically Spring, who doesn’t play, and Bodden, who is only here for this year (though I really hope the Pats re-sign him) and has played on some of the worst teams in NFL history.
And I don’t think it’s limited to the defense, either. Someone on the offense has to step up and tell the guys they have to suck it up and play regardless of how many guys are hurt. So who should it be? Not one of the RBs — none of them are top players. Brady? He absolutely should do it, but he’s disappeared in the second half of pretty much every road game this year. Receivers? Moss has looked like he’s not interested at times in the last two games, Welker couldn’t possibly do more than he’s already doing, and Aiken is better off on special teams. TEs? Not a leader in the bunch. The line? Light and Kaczur have both been hurt and they play like toreadors rather than tackles at times. The only thing I can think of is to get Brady yelling at his teammates when they blow an assignment like he did at Galloway and have Mankins threaten to literally rip guys’ arms and legs off (because he’s just crazy enough to do it). In any case, this team isn’t going anywhere until the players start looking like they give a damn for the whole game.
some of my thoughts..
iunno TBF to moss the endzone int was all on brady…he threw it right in Davi’s kitchen, i really didn’t think there was a way for moss to prevent that. Plus brady should have had lobbed it cuz of moss’s height and jumping abilities. I mean thru this whole season i saw quite a few times moss break up would be int. but the pats gotta stop just using him JUST as the long guy. Seriously…he’s still fast and all but he isn;t the burner he used to be and can be more of a short route guy too. Moss can burn ppl on early and i’m fine with that but later in the game stop sending him long and have him run towards the middle for mid range/shorter catches. Since they are covering double covering welker down the middle it would mean that most of the time ppl would try to cover moss over the top opening the underneath routes…which we’ve seem to forgot. Iunno what this offensive coordinator was thinking asking for the big plays in the 2nd half, seriously if the pats reverse the play calling from the first half to second half…they would not have lost about 3 of their 5 games. Also the pats need to use their TE’s and 4th recievers more…spread the godamn ball. Baker and Watson can catch and watson has made some huge plays this year…We’re seeing the loss of a competent O-coord in McDaniels. look how McDaniels is making the best of the broncos despite having a less talented team and we all noe 08. While O’ Brien seems to be rehashing old plays over and over again.
Also how come no one knows where springs is? the guy was good in the first half of the year. right now ppl rarely throw to bodden’s side and abuse the right side which is butler/whilhite. Whilihite almost single handily screwed us with a 3rd and long pass interference. Henne was rushed form the pocket and over threw his reciever and what does whilhite do? run into the goddamn receiver. Butler meanwhile is liek either he makes a good play or completely messes up coverage which is pretty much what you except from a rookie. I wish we knew what happened to springs since he was damn decent when he played and wouldn;t pull the same shit whilhite or butler did, like biting on all those double moves.
Also the D-line…well we said all we can. TBH i don;t think burgress is as bad as ppl make him out to be since he actually doesn’t play that much except off the bench once in a while and once in a while makes his presence known. Adalius thomas on the other is useless…he’s our starter and can;t do anything anymore The o-line confuses me. They can keep brady up on 5 man rushes but gets beat on 3 man rushes. The last int was more on the o line in my opinion. Since it broke down so quick brady tried to throw it away but the dolphin’s linebacker twisted brady and caused his throw to head to chowder. If u watch the replay brady was aiming for the side lines but the sack cause his release to go to the middle. Also even when brady got his throw off for some reason he always got hit. The stats were liek what? 5 times hurried, hit 4 times, despite 0 sacks. that’s just bad.
agreed about the interception
Brady under threw it, plain and simple. If he lobs it up & over to the corner, Moss would have been the only one who could possibly get it. Instead, he threw a low flat trajectory that Moss had no chance on.
And as to what Moss could do about it – its silly to suggest he should have been able to do anything to prevent the interception. His momentum was carrying him outward to the corner, which is where is route was. Once that ball was thrown that low, Moss really was cut off from the play.
Moss still has the height, strength, leaping and hands to go after a lob ball in the corner. Brady just doesn’t seem to have the ‘touch’ back yet to throw that pass consistently in games.
Well good game all, I said it before and I'll say it again.
I’m glad to get this game out of the way and I’m also glad it went our way. I’ll take a split with you guys any day. It was a stressful one and one your team probably should have won, we just “got lucky” when we needed to. I’m glad to say you all are so classy and I’m glad to be back over here with no games left to play against the Pats.
Oh and great write up MaPatsFan.
Don't question my fandominium.
"the notorious D.I.B."- samdaman
Nicky forever.
by dolphinsinbuffalo on Dec 7, 2009 6:05 PM EST reply actions
Amen to the last comment
I was thinking the same thing after the game. Hey, we in such a bad position and everyone is calling us a “non-elite team” We will surprise many of those he believe that the patriots are a non elite team before February runs around
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. - Mark Twain.
Our big dogs are playing dead.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Dec 7, 2009 6:42 PM EST reply actions
Cue Michael Vick jokes.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Dec 7, 2009 6:43 PM EST up reply actions
Brady missed an entire year of Football.
We can draw comparisons to Manning’s Injury (didn’t miss football), to Palmer’s injury (didn’t miss any either) and even McNabb’s (he’s a scrambler so he has a different skill set…he also was never the healthiest QB). Fact is, none of them missed an entire year of football. Brady did. I’m reading everywhere that Brady’s done and he’s no longer a great QB (not necessarily here, but in articles everywhere) but none are saying, “Wait…he didn’t play for a year and he’s still a top 10 QB in the league?” It’s hard to put all of the blame on Brady. Sure, he threw two picks at the end of the game- why was the game close in the first place?
I agree that the team as a whole is MUCH worse than it has been in the past decade. It’s impossible for a team to be good forever. How come to Colts always seem to manage? They get 1-2 GREAT players every year from the draft and 2-3 role players to play behind them. On average (with my judgment call), they drafted 3 or 4 NFL starting quality players in each draft for the past 5 years. They also drafted 1-2 good depth and special teams players. That’s why they’ve become better than us. They’ve been able to replenish their ranks with young players who push each other to become better. The Patriots? For some reason the players aren’t developing or they just aren’t working out.
Bad teams fail at the draft. See: Browns, Cleveland
Average teams draft a great starter and one or two role players. See: Jaguars, Jacksonville
Good teams draft a great starter and two or three role players. See: Patriots, New England
Great teams draft 2-3 great starters and two or three role players. See: Colts, Indianapolis
The Patriots need a makeover from the top down.
We need to re-think how we’re doing our scouting: Do we really miss Dimitroff and Pioli this much?
We need to rethink how we’re coaching our players: We NEED a quality OC and DC, but we also need quality position coaches as well. We’ve been promoting our position coaches and I don’t think we’ve been replacing them with good enough talent- if at all)
We need to rethink how we utilize the players we have: Any team can stop a passing attack if there’s no running attack to go along with it. Good teams have balance. We don’t.
We need to rethink how we play the market: Why go for the veteran when there is a younger player who is just as good, but can play for longer? Galloway and Springs have been HUGE disappointments and while Freddy played well when he was in, he is not the answer and we brought his injury upon us (We already had the two oldest RBs in the league- why would get someone even older?).
We need to remodel our identity: We’ve become over cocky and it’s shown this year. We attempt to go for the throat and take the life out of opponents when the wiser and more prudent move would be to take what you can and move on. Sure, the 4th and 2 at Indy was questionable, but there have been too many “questionable” play calls that have cost us games. Sure, we’d declare the coaches geniuses if they worked- but they haven’t. And they won’t. Why? Because we’re always going to pass on those downs because we don’t have a running game. The team is living in 2007. Most of us at the Pulpit (preaching the choir) want them to move on. They aren’t. They’re going to ride the passing game as long as they can to the detriment of the entire team.
Let’s get back to the grindstone of Corey Dillon and Antowain Smith.
Let’s get back to the smash mouth defense of Bruschi, McGinest, Harrison and Law.
The Patriots have become a machine that has been fixed with duct tape and spare parts, getting rid of the quality parts and exchanging them for parts that don’t fit and coupons for the future (coupons that don’t always work).
The Patriots are a machine void of emotion and determination that it oozed in the beginning of the century.
Let’s change the whole team.
The change, though, has to start from the top.
Where would you say the top is?
Coaching? Playmakers? Philosophy?
by LegendaryTadpole on Dec 7, 2009 10:29 PM EST up reply actions
in a sense you guys have gotten away from the Parcells philsophy that Pioli brought with him
Build through the draft and spend $$ on players that are worth it.
Current Phinsider Feud Points: 23
T.Lex doesn't want to be fed, he wants to hunt. Can't just suppress sixty five million years of gut instinct.
The top top.
Philosophy-Player Personnel
—Front Office
-
—College Scouting-Offensive Coordinator (take pressure off of Hoodie)
—Coaching
-
--Bo’B isn’t the answer at OC…keep him at QB Coach
-—We need better and younger players at the RB position
-—We need better players at the WR postion
-—We need younger players at the O-Line position
—Defensive Coordinator—LB Coach (Patricia- reassigned from O-Line to LB in 2006…hmmm…)
-
-—We need better players at the OLB position
--DB Coach (Boyer- is he really the best option?)
-—We need more depth at the CB position
-—We need more talent on our D-Line
We’ve had a lot of recent turnover in the scouting department, which is why I believe we brought in Floyd Reese. We only recently have started stockpiling picks. This is the way to go as it allows us freedom to work the 2nd round and get 1st round talent at a discount as well as move up in rounds if we wish. I think this past draft will yield a lot of success. Hoyer shows promise as a future QB and Edelman, Vollmer, Butler, Chung and Ingram have already yielded benefits. Tate, McKenzie and Ohrnberger are still unknowns. This is a great draft. In two years, with two drafts like this one, we’ll be back on top. If we get an Edelman (offensive option), a Vollmer (stud O-Lineman), a Butler (great defensive athlete) and a Chung (huge special teams impact) every draft, we’ll have a great team for years to come.
2nd round players are pretty much just as sure as a 1st round pick with only a small drop off in quality from the end of the 1st round to the start of the 2nd round. Creating a team of late 1st round quality players is great for the future. However, it’s not always the best for now. A couple more drafts and we’ll be back.
Also, we need to stop picking coaches from Phillips Andover. Those smurfs never get anything correct. (Sting!)
by Richard Hill on Dec 7, 2009 11:27 PM EST up reply actions
There shouldn't be strikethroughs...
…I just added dashes for spacing. It failed.
by Richard Hill on Dec 7, 2009 11:28 PM EST up reply actions
I see
I’m not sure all of that can/should be accomplished, but I’m glad you’re not just raving. It’s not like the team can’t be dominant again. Maybe this season will serve as a wake-up call.
by LegendaryTadpole on Dec 8, 2009 12:31 AM EST up reply actions
What parts would you disagree with?
I DO believe that with our current coaching staff that we can’t win. I also believe that in a few years, they’ll be the best in the business. Looking over the positions coaches, as well as the head scouting and personnel positions, most of those people are either first or second year people. Our entire foundation is starting from the ground up already. Every single person needs experience, from the players to the coaches to the directors. That’s why we won’t be contenders this year, or next year. They’ll grow with each other and become successful again. It’ll just take time.
All these new people, though, need guidance. I’m talking about the Floyd Reese’s taking the new directors of personnel and scouting under his wing.
I’m talking about hiring a solid OC and DC so that Belichick doesn’t have to try and teach his staff how to do their jobs, but can instead focus on schemes and other things.
I’m talking about bringing in veterans to pitch in (a la Seau and Moss of 2007 and Fred Taylor of this year, until he got injured) instead of bringing in veterans for depth (a la Seau, Galloway and Springs of this year). When the Veterans pitch in, they lead by example and show the young people how to do their jobs. When they’re just depth players, they can still teach but they aren’t as effective. I know we thought Galloway and Springs could both contribute, but why invest in 1 year deals (Springs wasn’t/isn’t going to be a 3 year player and Galloway IS old) when we could have groomed younger players? What I’m saying, is bring in Veterans who can still produce who are in the last third of their career (still 3-4 years left in the tank)- not their last season. The players who can teach for a year or two while still producing can gradually give way to the younger players and remain as depth for their final year or two. We need continuity and bringing in players heading for the sunset does nothing to help our team in the long run.
I was bored...
…so here are some players to look at in free agency and the draft next year!
WR
Jason Avant (PHI) – Growing into a solid 3rd receiver, or could be a reliable #4 (UFA)
Steve Breaston (ARZ) – GREAT receiver and is a great #3 (RFA)
Lee Evans (BUF) – It’s a dream, but he’d be a GREAT addition. (UFA)
Michael Jenkins (ATL) – He’d be a great #3 (UFA)
Brandon Marshall (DEN) – Another dream, but his childish antics have been tamed by a Belichick offspring. (UFA)
Lance Moore (NOR) – It’ll be almost impossible for NOR to keep all of its weapons. He’d be a great #3 (UFA)
Danario Alexander (MIZZ) – Great threat down field, would be HUGE (college)
Golden Tate (ND) – Would be worth a first rounder (college)
RB
Mike Bell (NOR) – Good Stable back (UFA)
Pierre Thomas (NOR) – Good Stable back (RFA)
Jerious Norwood (ATL) – Good replacement for when Faulk retires (UFA)
LenDale White (TEN) – Complements LoMo (UFA)
C.J. Spiller (CLEM) – Probably won’t be available, but is a monster (college)
Jahvid Best (CALI) – Has potential to be the next Chris Johnson (college)
Jonathan Dwyer (GT) – Another great runner with great size to complement LoMo (clg)
Toby Gerhart (STAN) – Nominated for Heisman, but unnoticed. Best back, IMO (clg)
OLB
Elvis Dumervil (DEN) – Huge stretch as he’d probably be their first resigning (UFA)
Shawne Merriman (SDG) – He’s already been replaced (UFA)
Needs to be drafted as a pass rush specialist if we can’t get the above in the 2nd round
DE
Needs to be drafted 1st round, if it’s worth the price
Derrick Morgan (GT) – Great rusher, great future, top pick, might drop? (clg)
CB
Leigh Bodden (NWE) – We need him back for consistency’s sake (UFA)
Terrence McGee (BUF) – He produces and would be good as the Nickel (UFA)
Studies? What are those? It's football season.
I like Breaston – he has that third receiver breakaway speed, and he’s a very good special teamer. Added value is everything in this league – who picked Aiken as a possible #3? He wouldn’t need a lot of tweaking to fit that Donte Stallworth-type deal. He’s working with a good QB and getting very good production beneath two superior WRs, so presumably he has NFL-receiver-worthy skills and isn’t just a ‘go’ type player.
The other thing to consider is that if the Saints go deep into the off-season, a guy like Lance Moore (post-season performance depending) will be able to write his own cheques. That might price him outside the Pats range and put him into a team who is really trying to turn him from #3/4/5 into #1 (Hah! Lions haven’t overvalued a WR in a while).
The more I think about it, the more I wonder whether LenDale White would be a huge asset (no pun intended). Maroney’s shown real ability in the open field as a running back – between the Red Zones, he’s great. But when the defence gets compressed and he’s seeing a stacked box and/or his O-line is on the back foot, he really struggles. LenDale White, however, blossomed when he was given those short-yardage, hard-grind situations – you don’t get a 15 TD season without being able to get yards-after-contact. They’d make a good NFL pairing, much as White and Reggie Bush made a good college pairing.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Re: WR
Don’t forget about Tate. He never fully recovered from his knee injury before the Pats played him, but he’ll be 100% for the start of next season and all the scouts agreed he had first-round talent before he got hurt. If BB is confident he knows the system, he’ll be the #3 next season. That leaves pass rushing OLB, RB, and DB as our three biggest needs.
I am high on Tate
He was a great guy in college, and I think the Pats did the correct thing by putting him on IR. I have to wonder if they only activated him so that he could participate in more team activities to get a feeling what it will be like next year. I know guys on PUP and IR are severely limited in what they are allowed to do with the team, and I can see BB letting the kid in for a few weeks (did you happen to notice it was a 4 week period that included the bye week, Tenn and TB…. our 3 easiest weeks of the season) when he didn’t have a guy in mind for the roster spot.
I considered Tate in there
But 1) Tate’s still effectively a rookie in 2009;
and 2) Randy Moss is going to retired/depart/whatever in future, so picking up a guy now is no bad thing.
The way I see it, particularly Tate’s inexperience, is that there’s a slot for a 3WR next season, with Tate being next deep threat off the rank. If the free agent 3WR does well, they might eventually take over as a 1WR when Randy leaves/retires/whatever. If not, then Tate’s in the mix too as a potential 1WR (first round talent doesn’t come with the rain).
If 2009 shows anything, WR depth can never be a bad thing, especially if those guys can contribute on special teams, too (as Tate, etc can).
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Dec 8, 2009 10:39 PM EST up reply actions
3WRs don't become 1WRs
If you’re looking for someone to replace Moss when he retires, you’re looking at either Tate or someone the Pats draft in April. If you want a free agent to fill that role, the best case scenario is someone who will end up as our 1WR producing like Moss did last year — great for a 3, subpar for a 1.
I 'unno - that 3WR is doing pretty well in Dallas at the moment... Haha
It’s an either-or thing, and that can’t hurt. Either the 3WR plays exceptionally well and earns himself a 1WR slot (unlikely, but can happen – see Marques Colston) or Tate evolves into that slowly, in time to see the end of the Randy Moss years. At best you turn a vet free agent who hasn’t been amazing elsewhere into a Pro Bowl type guy (Welker-like?) or you get a solid 3WR and groom Tate to replace Moss when Moss goes yonder.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Dec 8, 2009 11:12 PM EST up reply actions
Colston = Tate
Colston was a rookie when he was a 3.
He also was never projected to the a 1WR though
he was a burner with big size whose talent was either never utilised in college or missed completely by scouts or only developed when he hit the big leagues. He was initially going to be a 3WR downfield type, but turned into something better.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
And Tate was a projected first rounder before he hurt his knee
How about giving him a shot to show what he can do before wasting a high draft pick on a receiver we aren’t going to need and who wouldn’t be likely to contribute much for at least a year anyway? Especially when we have much greater needs.
And if you prefer the free agency route, the same applies. There are only two free agent receivers conceivably worth the kind of money you’d need to lure a guy to be the #1 receiver in a couple years — Brandon Marshall and Breaston. Marshall is a head case, and I don’t think Breaston has what it takes to be #1, though he’d be great with Moss and Welker. I’d rather see the Pats spend on someone like Julius Peppers who can help the pass rush, provided he doesn’t want franchise dollars.
Peppers would not be a good investment.
Too much buck for the bang. He also can’t drop into coverage which would be needed in the base 3-4. I like the idea of drafting someone, but I don’t know who is available.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Dec 9, 2009 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
And I quote:
I’d rather see the Pats spend on someone like Julius Peppers who can help the pass rush, provided he doesn’t want franchise dollars.
I understand your caveat,
but by all indications, he does want franchise dollars.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Dec 10, 2009 9:37 AM EST up reply actions
After another year in hapless Carolina...
…he may decide he wants an opportunity to win before he retires. We aren’t going to know until the season is over, but it’s worth looking into then.
Besides, we need an immediate fix for our pass rush, and you don’t usually get that from the draft, not picking in the 20s.
Wow...
You are absolutely right about one thing… The Patriots of 2000 are living in 2007 to the complete detriment of the entire team. It is very apparent this defense cannot hold on to a lead. Of course every team wants to go out and get a big lead, but this team has shown time and time again that no matter the size of the lead, that any above average offense reduce that lead.
The Patriots are a strange team. I remember one of the main arguments for Brady being better than Manning was that during Brady’s run he did “more with less talent” while Manning had all of the star receivers. Now lets look at the reserve of that. Peyton Manning is breaking in two rookie receivers (albeit Garcon isn’t a rookie, but his lack of playing time in the offense before this season makes him just that…) Now we have a Patriots team with an absolutely horrible defense but an offense with nearly all the same returning starters that can’t win on the road, because coaching is becoming one dimensional and very arrogant.
I agree that this team needs to do a better job in drafting.
But from a Colts fan… This team is merely going through a phase. This team can still beat anyone on any day and in nearly perfect fashion. An 11-5 Patriots team is the scariest 11-5 team in the AFC and anyone that sleeps on them, does so at their own peril.
But the change has to come in the philosophy. The Colts are 32nd in the run however our starting running back has as many rushing touchdowns as the leading rusher in the league. We pass the ball as well, but we are balanced in the sense that we don’t make critical gambles that lose the game for us. The Patriots must practice a little humility and realize that the 2007 Patriots are gone! And that the 2009 Patriots need a little more balance, because right now the 2009 Patriots are playing soft, reckless, and unbalanced football.
Look,
I’d love nothing, but to watch Tom Brady get sacked 6 times and intercepted 3 times and get beat from one hash to the next. But the 2009 playoffs from a Colts fan perspective would not be the same without Brady.
So good luck going down the stretch and here is to a hopeful rematch in Indy!
I would put the Colts' receivers...
…a step ahead of Brady’s Super Bowl receivers merely because Reggie Wayne is one of the best receivers in the league. Around him may be inexperience, but he has “take over the game” skill which none of the Pats receivers had. That said, I’ll wait until next year. Brady could still be getting back into the groove (he missed a whole year, has no O-line, etc) from his injury. I agree that Manning better utilizes all of his weapons around him than anyone in the league (except for Brees) and maximizes all of their potentials. The Patriots playcalling is so black and white, for some reason, so Brady isn’t performing.
That shows how great a QB Manning is because he dictates his offense to its success. Brady isn’t doing that now that we don’t have an OC.
The injury
As someone that had the same kind of injury, only more severe I have to agree with this statement. Now granted I have a job, and that is not to rehab and get better, but it took me almost 2 years to feel “normal” again. You would be amazed at the atrophy your leg goes through in just a month of non-use. People that skoff the injury and think that a year is more than enough to get better never had a severe knee ligiment tear.
As my doctor put bluntly to me when I went back in for my 6 month check up “you had a ACL REPLACEMENT, not a repair. They are vastly different” Tom had that as well as the MCL, which had to heal before he could press on with the surgury.
No all that said he will be fine in the long run. I just think for a guy that spends HOURS a day since he was young working on his throwing mechanics and footwork to take a good 4 months off from all of that lead to some rust. Tom is still Tom, but circumstances have definitely lead to a shorter offseason and less time for him to prepare like he normally does.
I'm going to disagree with the OP
On the principle that anything that agrees with Borges is completely and utterly wrong. :-)
Just kidding.
More seriously – I do think they could use an uptick in personnel, mainly they could use another stud young offensive lineman to shore that mess up and they could use a better speed rusher (but couldn’t every team).
But I do strongly disagree that coaching isn’t a large part of the problem and specifically I would point at the offensive play calling. BO’B seems far too enamoured of the 2007 highlight reel, not paying close attention to the box scores which showed that in both 2007 AND 2008 the Patriots were also stud rushing teams. This is virtually the same line that rushed for over 2000 yards last year!
I disagree strongly with the decision to cut our one true fullback (Evans) loose and the lack of consistent integration of the Tight Ends in the offense.
There are eleven guys on offense and we seem to only really use three of them consistently. This has lead to a lot of yards through big plays, but an inability to move the chains and gain the tough yards.
So I would strongly advocate that we get a new Offensive Coordinator unless O’Brian demonstrates that he’s actually learning something from all this in the next 4 weeks.
On defense, I actually don’t think the problems are that huge. As I said, a better speed rusher would help – but I think that many times this defense is getting burned by the offense’s inability to stay on the field in the second half. Coaching wise, I also think they need to be more physical with recievers and stop playing soft coverages unless you are up two scores with less than two minutes. Period.
and where the hell has the screen pass gone?
during the first years of the Bellicheck/Brady era, screen passes to Faulk were like magic bullets that cured every offensive problem.
Now, we never seem to call those. Hell, far too often we don’t even have an RB in the backfield.
hmmm
I am not 100% sure of how to put what I feel, so I am going to muddle through it a bit.
I think the formation calls are correct. They play to the strengths of the teams, and we have good match-ups on the field. We have the right people out on the field all the time, its just what we choose to do with them that is the issue.
3 examples come to mind:
1) The go for it on 4th and 1… I have no issue with the call… its a huge percentage of success type play, and if we convert it puts a dagger into Miami early, and lets them know that we are going to abuse them all day on offense (yes I know if we fail exact opposite is true, but I am an aggressive kick em while they are down type I guess). It wasn’t going for it that was the issue, it wasn’t calling a run play in an obvious run situation… it was the PLAY they called.
BB chose to start the season without a true fullback, and we have discussed that ad nausium. However we quickly realized that Sammy is a heck of a blocker in the running game, and have used him to do it to success before. So then.. why would you line up in the I, with Morris as FB, LoMo as RB and hand it to the guy in front? Why have LoMo in there at all… his function in that play was to be a cheerleader… we effectively played 10 on 11 football, and amazingly we didn’t convert.
2) 3rd and 6 in the 3rd Quarter… and we toss a long ball to moss (or was it Aiken I forget) OR 3rd and 11 in the 4th and we toss a long ball to Welker… I can understand the thought of doing this if you are up by 21… we did it a ton during the 07 season with double digit leads, and it worked out well. Its a HUGE gamble play with a low percentage of success. We would be better off running some out patterns or crossing patterns or a combination of the two. Get to the sticks, and refresh the downs… If you want to try for the huge play, do it on first down, or if a man breaks free (ala welker the other week) check the play and toss the long ball. It seemed to me that the play call on both of those downs was a long toss to a man running a fly or seam route.
Anyway, just 2 examples from last week’s game, but there have been MULTIPLE plays like that all season. Things just feel flat on offense, almost predictable. O’Brien seems to have a playbook with like 15 plays in it.
Exactly
During the timeout before the 4th and 1 I was muttering to myself, “Please don’t chicken out! Please go for it! Please go for it!” So they lineup and I think, “Perfect – Maroney follows Morris off tackle or kicks it around the side …. WHAT THE FRACK????”
And I totally agree – the time for the long-ball dagger on any down is either early in the game – to establish a lead – or late when you already have at least a 10 pt lead (two possession) in order to put the dagger to the heart. If you have less than a two-possession lead, in the second half you should only be doing that on 1st or 2nd down.
Move the freakin’ sticks!
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