Pats Pulpit Reacts: Patriots fans split on lack of trade deadline action

The AFC East was among the busiest divisions in the NFL at this year’s trade deadline, with three of its teams getting involved in the action.

The Miami Dolphins acquired linebacker Bradley Chubb and running back Jeff Wilson; the Buffalo Bills added Nyheim Hines in exchange for fellow running back Zack Moss as well as safety Dean Marlowe; the New York Jets picked up draft capital for linebacker Jacob Martin. Six players with ties to the division changing teams led the league.

Not everyone got in on the fun. The New England Patriots decided not to make any trades ahead of the Tuesday deadline — despite several of their players reportedly drawing interest from other teams.

For one reason or another, however, New England stood pat. Fans are split on whether or not they like the lack of movement: as the latest SB Nation Reacts numbers show, 53 percent of participants expressed disappointment in how Bill Belichick and company handled the trade deadline, with 47 percent feeling good about not trades being made.

The lack of trades may or may not have also had an impact on the general fan confidence surrounding the organization heading into Week 9. Regardless, only 45 percent of Patriots fans feel good about the direction the team is moving into — despite New England returning to .500 with a 22-17 win over the New York Jets last Sunday.

While this is a 22-point increase compared to last week’s poll, Week 9 still marks the fourth time this season that more than half of the fan base does not feel confident in the team. In a league-wide comparison, the 45 percent ranks 19th.

The rest of the AFC East fan bases, meanwhile, are more confident in their respective clubs. 98 percent of Bills fans feel good about the team, as do 97 percent of Dolphins fans. The Jets’ number dropped 10 percent due to the loss to New England, but it still stands at 87 percent.

Needless to say that all three fan bases still hold out hope for a potential jump into the playoffs. However, Patriots fans believe that only two of four clubs in the AFC East will be able to eventually make it into the tournament.

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