Why This Game Still Hasn't Convinced Me of the Pats' Potential
by Middlesex on Jan 15, 2012 3:11 AM EST
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PrintMmmhmmm.
The loss of RG Chris Kuper really showed. The leader of that OLine had in Week 15 squared off witht he leader of the Pats DLine, and Wilfork tested the Broncos' depth at that position. Congrats!
Congrats to Rob Ninkovich, he tested their depth at RT.
Congrats to the Pats secondary; they covered what few weapons Tebow has.
The Broncos depth at Safety got tested. No Dawkins, Carter getting banged up multiple times.. it wasn't pretty for them especially without an effecive MLB. Congrats, Pats!
PFT's reported rumors about DE Dumervil and the possibility of an undisclosed knee-injury may not have been far off of the mark. Solder didn't have much to worry about.
Congrats to the Pats! They got away with losing the time of possession battle and the turnover battle. Speaking of which...
Why this team isn't the team of recent playoff-memory;
They lost the time of possession battle and the turnover battle and still won the game.
Their run-game looks stronger, forcing defenses to be honest.
They have better discipline.
All but Vollmer have come back healthy and ready at just the right time. First time the top-4 LBs have been healthy all season.
They have depth at the OLine.
Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are far better in all facets of their game relative to last year, and weren't around for the 2009 season.
Most of all; they played a full 60 minutes. The Pats started the game for the first time since Week 3 at Buffalo and reminded everyone about that 1st quarter magic we talked about at the very beginning of the season.
Something for the Pats to look forward to next week;
No apparent injuries in this game.
An extra-day to rest while the Ravens and Texans duke it out tomorrow in what should be a physical slugfest.
Both the Ravens and Texans are flawed teams like the Broncos.
The stink of playoff-disappointment is gone.
What the Pats need to really worry about;
Next week, of course.
The New York Giants or the Green Bay Packers. Giants more than Packers.
The views expressed in these FanPosts are not necessarily those of the writers or SBNation.
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orlando Franklin, who was in the majority of the game, is very very good.
There interior line is still good though.
And yeah Tebow doesn’t have many weapons…. they do have the best running game in the league though.
everything else though, I agree.
I’ll take 11 players with heart on the field over 11 guys with just talent. Talent is fleeting, it goes away over time. Heart is what drives you to be better. To push yourself beyond what you think your capabilities are. To show us that when you strive, all things are possible.- SMP
But you have to admit
The Pats team did what its supposed to do against a team with poor safeties, and all those things you listed. Besides of course:
orlando Franklin, who was in the majority of the game, is very very good.
There interior line is still good though.
I’ll take 11 players with heart on the field over 11 guys with just talent. Talent is fleeting, it goes away over time. Heart is what drives you to be better. To push yourself beyond what you think your capabilities are. To show us that when you strive, all things are possible.- SMP
We lost the turnover battle?
I thought it was evened out with the Pats having an INT and lost fumble, and Denver having two lost fumbles… either way, I get what you’re saying as we didn’t let those turnovers haunt us.
Jack’sAxe made a good point, this team did what it was supposed to do against this Broncos team, so while the win may be an uncertain gauge on exactly how good the team is, we know they are most certainly within the realm of a top echelon team all around, even defensively (I think we’re going to see a tougher defense this postseason than we had in the regular season).
Shawn Johnson... she's a nice lady
Yah you right about the turnover battle.
It is what it is
Sounds like a lot of excuses other teams make about a loss
Listen, our team beat another playoff caliber team, injuries or no. A playoff team that beat another playoff team just last week. Maybe their weapons aren’t as good as ours but you know what, we are the number one seed. I expect our team to have more weapons than every opponent we face in the AFC. You can be negative and pessimistic about how good the win was all you like but you will never get me to that point. That was a team win from what looked like a very focused team. The defense was extremely disciplined and aggressive and the offense was efficient. What more can you ask for? Oh and if you look back on the season the Pats almost never won the TOP battle, the offense isn’t a grind it out type.
The Broncos were a terrible team.
Fortunately we will be playing the Ravens who have a poor offense to
We seem to getting a little overconfident after blowing out an 8-8 team...
Despite not playing well today, the Ravens are still the worst matchup for the Pats. They can pressure Brady with 4, play consistent man-to-man, and their offense with Ray Rice and big receivers can consistently move the chains on the Pats.
I think the Ravens can hold the Pats to under 25. The question is whether the Pats can do the same to Ravens.
I still feel confident in the Pats, but I think the Ravens have the edge, and it’s going to be ugly. At the very least, I hope the Pats are competitive, unlike the last playoff game…
Any given Sunday.
I just think they aren’t very talented in the pass-game, especially on the road.
It is what it is
good game planning by the coaching staff esp on offense
and playing with the same intensity as last night will win them the game
Tedy Bruschi- "How do we feel about a playoff victory?"
Team- "Aww Yeah!!!"
by freeland1787 on Jan 15, 2012 11:32 PM EST up reply actions
You also never know which Flacco will show up.
He has been phenominally inconsistent all year.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
Belichick is looking for a new name for his boat: VI Rings sounds pretty good.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 16, 2012 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
Lost a lot of respect for him
Inadvertently asking for more respect from the media. Who cares what your role is? Do it, and do it well, and let the pieces fall as they may. Because of the stars that have been running the show as the mainstays of that defense for a decade (Lewis and Reed), the Ravens may never have a marquee QB until they’re long gone anyway.
It just seems an odd move to question the press you’re individually getting. Many QBs would kill for a chance to start for a perennial contender. Win the big game, and then you might get the recognition you think you deserve.
Can I Scream?
You know, I've never heard Brady, or even Tebow asking for press.
In fact, the press likes to keep turning their backs on Brady, and then he gets their attention by tossing a record 5 TD’s in a half, or throwing for 5000 yards.
He doesn’t even say, “Look at me!”, when he does it. It’s just that when he’s doing that, it’s hard to look away.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
Belichick is looking for a new name for his boat: VI Rings sounds pretty good.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 16, 2012 3:36 PM EST up reply actions
The best comparative might be of all people. Trent Dilfer.
After ‘winning’ the starters job (because Tony Banks was just awful), Dilfer fully embraced his role as just-don’t-screw-the-pooch caretaker on that team back in 2000. Yes, he was always easy for the press to talk to, but he didn’t flinch from being labeled a ‘game manager’ and let that monstrous defense take all the credit. He rode that role to a SB victory and seems pretty comfortable having played that role.
For all his sometimes off-base ‘analysis’ (which may be more symptomatic of his role as a sports talking head) I don’t recall him ever begging for ‘more respect’ as a player during that time.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
He deflects attention, if anything
He gives all the credit to his teammates and takes none of the credit himself. If the media tries to provoke him with a “but you made a perfect throw!” Brady would retort “Gronkowski went up there and made a great play.”
He has this odd perception in some circles as being arrogant or self-centered. I have seen none of that during his entire career.
Can I Scream?
I agree about the overconvidence
On the same token, I don’t see a ton to favor opinions towards the ravens. There a tough physical team. But there quarterback is fair weather, and beyond Bolden I am not scared much of their receivers. If you keep Ray Rice average then their whole offense becomes bellow average. After that were in pretty good shape.
Agreed.
If you keep Ray Rice average
I actually thought the Texans did an excellent job of containing him. They just didn’t have the offensive output to put the points on the board in return. Baltimore’s offense was stymied almost all game as a result of that.
Of course, Houton’s defense has been impressive all year. Hopefully our defense shows up with the same effort as they did against the Broncos.
Can I Scream?
I though Houston actually out-played Baltimore on both lines of scrimmage
but unfortunately for them, they committed the cardinal sin of critical turnovers.
You just can’t make those expensive mistakes in the NFL.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Time of possession meant nothing
Denver kept running it even when they were behind, and the Pats kept scoring in around 3 minutes. As a quick-scoring pass-happy team, they can afford to lose this stat every week. The key is that they need to make sure that Brady at least gets enough opportunities to get scores.
by Aluminum Penguin on Jan 17, 2012 4:32 AM EST reply actions
With this kind of offense
A moderately low TOP could mean the Pats are doing well. Obviously, too low means they’re getting too many 3-and-outs, but 25-35 sounds good.
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