***OFFICIAL NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS SEASON THREAD*** (13-4) - Patriots @ Broncos - Sun 3:05PM EST - Bra

[DeadsetAce]

part of me worries that there's just way too much that's broken behind the scenes in Foxboro. i've heard Wilfork and Bill aren't on the best of terms right now. Brady is clearly pissed as he's even been dropping subtle jabs at the organization, which is COMPLETELY unlike him. reporters are saying there is just a different atmosphere and feel in the locker room after practice. i'm almost waiting for the wheels to fall entirely off this thing. will be interesting to see if they can hold it all together and not implode.

 

[mr marcus]

I'm right behind Brady's frustration. He's the reason I became a fan back in middle school so my loyalty is with him ....never seen a future hall of fame Qb get ******* like this by an organization. Dude took less money to keep weapons around him and they STILL are being cheap. If manning faced these same issues every game would look like the super bowl for him.

I still think Brady performance last season was one of his best cause the team was depleted.

Kraft cares about maximizing profits over fielding a good team. Brady/Belicheck just covered his *** all these years

 

[DeadsetAce]

^ agree 100%, man

 

[nepats617]

interesting. good stuff boys. hopefully the return of browner and even tyms will give us a boost in the arm or ****. take your pick.

 at AD mouthing off to josh. I don't think it'll be a problem from now on. AD doesn't seem to come off as a player whos prima donna or has attitude problems, stuff like that. Hopefully we'll mark it up as a newbie error learning the patriot way. But why is he inactive for two games though? and wouldn't that make KT even more imperative to our passing game since he's arguably the lone patriot who's the deep threat especially with Dobson inactive. It's true what NESN said, the pats are consistent and true to their one game at time mentality and moves on quickly from bad losses or even wins. I think they make the bengals go meow at the end of the game.

 that was lame as hell but yea. IMO biggest concerns for the pats are the play in the trenches. that's what seperates the bad, good and great teams. mauling OL and stout DL are keys to having good/great teams. well yeah, no **** I know. just saying lol. Pats' performance in both of those area are left to be desired and they're not doing squat this yr (super bowl or bust) if it doesn't take a turn for the better.

 

[prez t]

solid article from PFF about Brady's performance so far

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/10/01/analysis-notebook-week-4-3/

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

 
Hopefully we'll mark it up as a newbie error learning the patriot way. But why is he inactive for two games though?

The Patriot Way.

There are few things in the world I hate more than that phrase.

I don't think anyone reported what Dobson actually said so I'll hold back for now from pissing on Josh & Bill. But this **** smells just like some other stuff that we've heard or read about this team. Definitely not a good look for either party.

Cutting off your nose to spite the face...THE PATRIOT WAY.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y'all were asking about Sealver Siliga...he was actually placed on IR (with designation to return) last week. That means he's not eligible to practice for 6 weeks and the earliest he can return to playing in games is 8 weeks.

HELL no to Incognito. Maybe some other year under a different set of circumstances it could work, but everything you've heard about this team thus far leads me to think it would blow up in their faces. The vets still aren't happy about how the Mankins situation was handled and Incognito is probably as big a 180 as it gets compared to how Logan conducted himself here. They'll take it as another disrespectful move by the GM.

 

[DeadsetAce]

solid article from PFF about Brady's performance so far

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/10/01/analysis-notebook-week-4-3/

good article for the most part. the only part i take with a bit of salt is the heavy emphasis on TB12's second INT. the game was essentially over and nothing was working. i'm 99.9% sure 12 knew it was the wrong read, but he went with it out desperation. you get to that point in a blowout and it's almost like, "**** it, let's try anything". clearly a forced throw and i refuse to believe brady misread the defense. i chaulk that one up to desperation.

now his first INT was just absolutely horrible. even if Jules kept running, that ball was not dropping in along the sideline (where Jules was headed). that ball was way too far inside and just lobbed up to the safety. 100% blame on 12 there.

 

[DeadsetAce]

on the young WRs...who is the guy TB12 has the most chemistry and perceived trust in after Edelman/Gronk???? it's KT...so i'm truly confused as to why he's not playing. like seriously. if he's not suited up sunday night, i'm going to lose my ****. he's a guy that IS on the same page as Brady when he's out there most of the time. play the man! and if they're limiting his snaps to avoid a roster bonus or some ********, ****. we'll never know the truth there, but man that stuff was awful to hear from Tommy Kelly.

 

[DeadsetAce]

 
Hopefully we'll mark it up as a newbie error learning the patriot way. But why is he inactive for two games though?

The Patriot Way. There are few things in the world I hate more than that phrase.

I don't think anyone reported what Dobson actually said so I'll hold back for now from pissing on Josh & Bill. But this **** smells just like some other stuff that we've heard or read about this team. Definitely not a good look for either party.

Cutting off your nose to spite the face...THE PATRIOT WAY.

one last rant for the night to piggy back on the the Patriot Way stuff that DSK outlined. is anyone else sick of having to have guys that can contribute in any and all areas? like...what team makes their all pro TE block on XPs?!?! this by the way is what derailed Gronk's career (and our SB hopes) when he broke his arm blocking a ******* XP in a game i'm pretty sure we ran away with. let's focus on this year...Julian Edelman. now i get it, he's a HUGE asset as a punt returner. he's also our best receiver and gets blasted 9 times out 10 that he runs back a punt. now there's two ways to look at this as ****** up, a) Julian Edelman is your best receiver (5'7" slot guy...awesome), or b) why is your only reliable WR getting blasted on punt returns Sunday after Sunday? with regard to Edelman, it's obviously more ****** up that he is the best WR on the team. it's ridiculous. he's a great punt returner and should be running back kicks. but god, get us a true #1 WR. Kenbrell Thompkins...is it possible he's been kept inactive because he doesn't contribute on special teams? i have no idea, but i wouldn't put it past Bill. could be the roster bonus with # of snaps. i really have no idea. either way, it's bat **** crazy that he's not on the field. these are just three off the top of my head that drive me nuts and scream Patriot Way.

/rant. thanks for listening to my *****ing. i could write a book right now on what drives me nuts about this team.

 

[rrickrude]

i thought i had some "patriots way" conspiracies but bruh u took it.
With the 2 players coming off suspensions i can still see it turning around.

 

[str8drop]

Mike Reiss had his weekly chat today and said as far as the Dobson situation he heard from 2 sources that it was less about him mouthing off and more about him struggling to get open during practices so who knows

He also quoted something that Mike Lombardi previously said which I thought was interesting

This might be the biggest issue, Bob, and I'm reminded of something that current Patriots assistant to the coaching staff Michael Lombardi once said during his time working in the media: The Patriots have to be careful of not having a similar situation to what unfolded with Miami with Dan Marino in his latter years. The playbook had become so thick, and once veteran receivers Mark Duper/Mark Clayton weren't around, Marino didn't have anyone else to rely upon because it was so hard for the young guys to pick up. I wonder if that's exactly what we're seeing.

 

[DeadsetAce]

^ good quote. and definitely makes sense a bit. maybe that's what it looks like we're running a dumbed down offense at the moment as well.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 31m31 minutes ago
The locker room was much more lively today than yesterday. Vince Wilfork, Darrelle Revis among players who have said they've moved on.

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 24m24 minutes ago
Revis: "We’re very upbeat. It’s been a short week this week, and we made the corrections and moved #OnToCincinnati."

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 10m10 minutes ago
Revis: "You’ve just got to move on. It was an embarrassment, yes it was, but at the same time, we’ve got to put it in the past."

 

[DeadsetAce]

something isn't right. the team RARELY comes out with statements like this. brace yourselves...bout to get bumpy

 

[mr marcus]

This season is weird

 

[DeadsetAce]

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 25m25 minutes ago
I spoke to Dobson for a couple minutes. He heard about the story, immediately spoke to Belichick about it to express concern.

Jeff Howe ‏@jeffphowe 24m24 minutes ago
Belichick told Dobson he had his back and would release a statesmen to "kill the story, Dobson said.

 

[nooera]

I have to admit, I'm way too emotionally invested in the state of the New England Patriots. These last two weeks have really rustled my jimmies. There's so many thoughts running through my head as it pertains to this team.

1) Everyone and their mother had the Patriots being a championship contender this year. Everyone was excited about acquiring Revis and Browner. Writers said the Patriots FO was doing their due diligence in acquiring these two cornerbacks. Revis was going to be the shutdown guy, and Browner was going to be the physical corner. BB was getting praised for holding off on giving Talib a big contract and signing a better corner to a better deal (Revis) . Now that things haven't looked so great 25% into the season, everyone wants to highlight the negative moves made by the FO in the last decade. I think BB has done a great job putting together a competitive roster year after year. Since 2001, the Patriots have been in five Super Bowls. FIVE. It's frustrating to see how quick people turn heel when things don't go as planned right away.

2) It seems the downfall of the Patriots has been exaggerated/accelerated because folks are eager to finally close the door on the Patriots being a Super Bowl contender; something that has held true for the last decade and a half. When it comes to slandering the Patriots, the thirst is real, and that's something that I can understand. Hopefully Patriots fans are keeping a level head and realizing that the season is still young. I still believe this is a Super Bowl caliber roster . A Super Bowl caliber TEAM ? We'll see .

3) In a place located in the deepest, darkest depths of my soul, I almost feel relieved the Patriots are perceived as buns. It almost takes the pressure off. Expecting your team to go 16-0 every year and win the Super Bowl is some stressful ****. Maybe getting home field throughout isn't the path of least resistance. Maybe they need to sneak into the playoffs and make a run, ala Eli . The NFL is weird .

4) Brady is not buns. His offensive line is buns. He has no receivers who are strong/physical enough to break tackles and get that extra yardage. Brady has looked terrible as of late; but he is still a living legend and is still more than good enough to win a Super Bowl.

This upcoming game is one of the biggest regular season game the Patriots have had in years . I still don''t believe in the Bengals. Maybe it's because I have been conditioned to see the Patriots blow teams out , but I have the Patriots winning 28 to 17 Sunday night.

 

[green rhino123]

i think sports writers can be bitter people
when what happens to the pats or the pats play differently than expected - the writers turn on them because they look like they don't know what they're talking about/writing about


i believe that is in part why the brett favre story turned out the way it did - and i ain't even a fan of his

 

[prez t]

great post NooEra

1. I agree 100% about BBs moves this offseason ; a lot of people are playing monday morning QB based off of 4 games . not to mention Browner hasnt played 1 snap in the reg season , and other than the Chiefs game our defense has been sound . Bill DOES however deserve some slack for the moves hes made once the preseason started , and the offensive moves he has made . letting Tommy Kelly go ? trading Mankins for Tim Wright who can barely get on the field , knowing that Scarneccia is gone ? letting Woodhead go ? there was a stat they put up about offensive players we missed that was shocking -- we couldve gotten keenan allen instead of dobson , and i believe it was vincent jackson instead of some other buns receiver we selected

2. people are very quick to try and say the Patrots run is over , but surprisingly the criticism has been fairly rational and come with a strong defense of Tom Brady . i wouldve assumed it would be centered around Brady being done , but instead its about the O line and BBs moves -- or lack thereof -- with regards to giving Brady pieces

3. also agree here . it feels nice to have the pressure off , and to be in a situation that forces the team to really look at what the issues and problems are . although im a bit worried , part of me is excited to see what the guys are made of and what kind of resiliency they have . i want to see a Patriots team on Sunday against the Bengals play with an anger and fire that I haven't seen since the 45-3 Jets route 3 years ago

4. also agree . Greg Cosell had a great little quote about Brady this year , and how the question of whether or not he is done isnt even valid . he said that without Brady , the Patriots probably have the LEAST talented offense in all of the NFL , and that his play is indicative of him perceiving and expecting constant pressure . obviously any QB who isnt very mobile will have a dip in production and efficiency given those circumstances

 

[DeadsetAce]

yeah NooEra...good stuff. i agree with most of it for sure.

on BB...i feel like heading into this year they definitely tried to add some big pieces and i think it's still too early to write off the Revis signing. we've also yet to see Browner. but offensively, i feel like it's too little and too late. knowing how long receivers take to get acclimated in our system, they really needed to add an offensive threat a 2-3 years ago. and as soon as Hernandez got nailed, something needed to be done. but nothing was done. as much as BB gets credit for keeping this team competitive, i think just as much credit goes to TB12. he covers up a TON of shortcomings on this team, or at least used to be able to. now at 37 years old, he can't. it's understandable and it shows. i mean you look at what Denver did on BOTH sides of the ball for their aging QB and then you look at what we did, and it's like, what the ****? we just have not done enough on the offensive side of the ball to help give Brady a good chance out there.

 

[DeadsetAce]

i know it's Skip and everyone hates Skip, but.....

Nothing new in New England
All signs point to another good year for the Patriots
Originally Published: October 3, 2014
By Skip Bayless | ESPN.com

Go ahead and hate, haters.

Celebrate the downfall of Coach Condescending and Tom Terrific. Please convince yourselves it's finally safe to write off Bill Belichick and Tom Brady just four games into a season.

Let me hear you, Doubting Toms: Brady finally got old! He lost his zip, aim and nerve! Belichick hastened his demise by providing a sorry offensive line and sorrier receivers! Die, dynasty, die!

Now hear me: The New England Patriots will rise like the phoenix from the ashes of Monday night's 41-14 loss in Kansas City and land at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, playing in Super Bowl XLIX. This will begin Sunday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when New England defeats unbeaten Cincinnati 24-21.

Go ahead, laugh.

While you can.

The Patriots, who lead the NFL in Jealousy Generated, soon will shut up skeptics from sea to doubting sea. Here are 12 reasons No. 12 will lead them to yet another 12-4 record ...

Beware the NFL's red herring game

It's doubtful the 1985 Bears would have beaten the Chiefs in that stadium on that night. Twelfth Man Seahawks fans still generate the loudest media hype, but Chiefs fans again set the decibel record for an outdoor stadium, inspiring their team to play (and their coaches to coach) a near-perfect game.

I'll be the first to admit the Patriots looked miss-the-playoffs hapless in every phase -- couldn't run or pass or stop the run or the pass. But it appeared Brady's offense (with rookie starters at center and guard) underestimated how much the record decibels would disrupt execution, and Belichick's defense was caught flat-footed by many of K.C. coach Andy Reid's creative wrinkles. Shame on Belichick.

But bad quickly turned into misleading worse.

Result: hilarious overreaction to yet another of the NFL's addictively astonishing outcomes, such as Tennessee 26, Chiefs 10 in that same stadium on opening afternoon; Carolina 24, Detroit 7; Giants 45, at Washington 14; Atlanta 56, Tampa Bay 14 followed by last Sunday's visiting Tampa Bay 27, Pittsburgh 24.

Wait, with Brady still reasonably healthy, bettors are jumping off New England's bandwagon as if this is a stock-market panic, plunging the spread an insane four points? The Pats, who opened as a three-point favorite, are now a one-point underdog? If I were a betting man ...

Bottoms up

I'm certainly not suggesting Belichick scripted this debacle, but it will serve as the perfect launching pad for a team many predicted would make it to the Super Bowl or at least to the AFC title game for the fourth straight season. I predicted Seattle over New England in the Super Bowl, and I am loving all the preposterous doom-saying reverberating on TV and radio. The Patriots will NOT love it. Advantage: Belichick.

As Brady said Wednesday, his teams have always had the ability to "grind it out" when things look bleak -- to figure it out on the fly, lead the league in instant ingenuity. Brady emphasized that "we have a lot of high-character individuals in the locker room." Do they ever. And now that locker room is embarrassed and angry and hyper-focused and ready to play with what San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich calls "appropriate fear." (The Spurs and Patriots organizations have modeled themselves after each other.)

Beware the Patriots coming off an all-time, big-stage humiliation returning to prime time Sunday night to take on the 3-0 Bengals, who beat them 13-6 in the rain in Cincinnati last season. This team (like Florida State in college football) is so much better than it has played.

Tom Brady/Tom Hardy

Brady reminds me a little of Tom Hardy's Oscar-worthy portrayal of Bob Saginowski in James Gandolfini's final movie, "The Drop." Bob is a nice, polite, easygoing guy ... who will shoot you in the face if he has to. Brady is at his greatest when he plays mad -- when he hits Rob Gronkowski with a touchdown pass and runs all the way to the end zone to helmet-butt him in a jarringly maniacal celebration. We're about to see Angry Brady thanks to Belichick.

I was surprised at how surprised (to the point of outrage) ESPN's Steve Young and Trent Dilfer were after Monday night's game that Belichick yanked Brady after Brady threw the interception returned for a touchdown that made it 41-7 with 10:34 left. Young said Brady should've been allowed to "clean up the mess." Brady didn't exactly sound pleased with the decision, saying, "I do what I'm told."

I would have been surprised if Belichick hadn't taken him out. Imagine the backlash if Brady had gotten hurt in the final 10 minutes of what was looking like the worst blowout ever suffered in the Belichick era.

But if Brady is starting to boil because he was benched ... advantage: Belichick.

Collective amnesia

Young was equally passionate in his defense of Brady before the game, when he criticized the Patriots organization for not giving Brady enough help to "attack the Super Bowl."

Sorry, I have no sympathy for Tom Brady, BECAUSE HE'S TOM BRADY. Last season, the Patriots scored the NFL's third-most points -- while Gronkowski missed nine games, including the 43-22 playoff win over Andrew Luck's Colts. I made the case all season on "First Take" that Brady should be MVP because his go-to receiver was a seventh-round pick who was a college QB, Julian Edelman, who will never invite Randy Moss comparisons.

So Belichick didn't cheat Brady by allocating far more money for positions other than receiver. He paid homage to him. Or maybe, like some Pats fans, he was just spoiled by him. Why wouldn't Belichick believe Brady could repeat last year's feat?

With Gronkowski trying to return from knee, back and elbow surgeries, Belichick did sign Brandon LaFell, who became a Brady favorite during camp. So this offense can begin to click like last season if ...

Brady recommits to strangely underutilized targets

Word is Brady is down on Danny Amendola, who's still capable of filling Wes Welker's jitterbugging shoes. Brady, I'm told, has become less and less impressed with Amendola's football IQ and unwillingness to play with minor injuries. Amendola had two 10-catch games last season. He now has three catches in four games. That must change, and will now.

So must this: Second-year receivers Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins were healthy inactives Monday night. Huh? The Boston Globe reported Dobson has been in coordinator Josh McDaniel's doghouse. Has Thompkins been in Brady's?

Both have some deep speed. Both had their moments last season. If both are now blended back into the passing attack, it will start looking much more explosive. Ditto Shane Vereen, who had a 10-catch game and two eight-catch games last season. So far: two five-catch games.

Brady still has enough weapons, if he's desperate enough to use them. Even Brady can't pull off routinely forcing passes to a double-covered Edelman.

Gronk will start to Gronk

The only good sign Monday night was Gronkowski's late catch and bulldoze for a TD.

Brandon Browner is finally eligible

He's coming off a PED suspension to join the great Darrelle Revis at cornerback in what could turn into a secondary rivaling Seattle's.

Collective amnesia II

Just last season, a Pats defense that lost Vince Wilfork for the last 12 games and Jerod Mayo for the last 10 -- and that did not have Revis or Browner -- managed to get New England to the AFC title game. This defense will get much better than last year's.

Belichick will soon be proved right about trading offensive guard and leader Logan Mankins

In Belichick you must trust. In 2003 the world pretty much ended when he released Lawyer Milloy -- and New England won the Super Bowl. In 2005, Belichick released Ty Law and still won the division. In 2009, he traded Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel ... division champs. In 2010, he traded Randy Moss and finished with the NFL's best record, 14-2.

The offensive line won't keep offending fans

The Pats used an unheard-of five line combinations Monday night. Utter desperation. But watch Belichick find the right fit and watch rookies Bryan Stork and Cameron Fleming start to play like vets. Belichick deemed Mankins disposable because he saw something in these kids.

The East is no beast

Second-year QB EJ Manuel was just demoted in Buffalo. Many Jets fans would like to see second-year QB Geno Smith demoted. It sounded as though Miami coach Joe Philbin at least considered demoting a struggling Ryan Tannehill last week. Advantage: Belichick.

The Pats are 2-2, not 2-12

Under Belichick, they've started 2-2 three times, finishing 14-2 in 2003, 10-6 in 2005 and 12-4 two years ago. They have four of the next five games at home.

So you had better laugh now. Belichick nearly always laughs last, behind closed doors.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Mike Reiss @MikeReiss
Patriots waived WR Kenbrell Thompkins today and promoted LB Ja'Gared Davis from the practice squad.

x 100

 

[mwalker]

 

Promotion of LB Ja'Gared Davis from PS addresses special teams void w/ core player Nate Ebner out, as well as depth at thin spot on D-Mike Reiss

Was it really that serious of a problem or was Kenbrell just bad?

He was actually the other guy opposite Edelman who made plays, I just can't believe he was that bad enough to be waived.

•  

Browner and Tyms will also be inactive Sunday according to Reiss

 

[DeadsetAce]

it makes no ******* sense at all...it's almost like they're looking for ways to sabotage the team so we struggle, brady looks bad, and then they can trade brady and save money by playing Jimmy G. i'm reaching obviously, but that's what it looks like.

Marc Bertrand @Marc_Bertrand
"I have a lot of confidence in him, a lot of trust. He’€™s a great guy. It’€™s fun to be out there with him." - TB12 on Thompkins in July.

 

[mwalker]

it makes no ******* sense at all...it's almost like they're looking for ways to sabotage the team so we struggle, brady looks bad, and then they can trade brady and save money by playing Jimmy G. i'm reaching obviously, but that's what it looks like.

it almost feels like that with what's going on in Foxboro especially with Brady getting the call to sit on the bench, it's little but that doesn't happen with Brady at ALL, I'm just going to take this day to day, hopefully Tyms can be a good asset to us. 

Let's get this win Sunday