I understand people are grieving and whatever, but he's played half a season. Maybe his fate isn't quite sealed.Harry is a poor man’s Cordarelle Patterson. What a disappointment.
I understand people are grieving and whatever, but he's played half a season. Maybe his fate isn't quite sealed.Harry is a poor man’s Cordarelle Patterson. What a disappointment.
Totally. 100%. I am bummed but not remotely upset. This was, by their standards, a bad year. 12-4, winning the division. Not too awful for a bad year.This may be the least gut punch of all the playoff losses.
QFT. I am far less confident that it is the end now, though, I think Brady is back next year.If that was the end, what a ride it's been
Well put. This just wasn’t a Super Bowl team. It was overdue to happen. Given the run we’ve had over the last two freaking DECADES, we have little to complain about.This may be the least gut punch of all the playoff losses.
Swap Brooks (not his fault Chung got hurt ) with Brady and I agree with this list. Brady was fine tonight. He moved the team only to be undone by drops, penalties, and dumb play calls.1. The offense. This was just a disastrous performace by the offense. There is nothing good that can be said about this performance. But some offensive players and deserve to be singled out for special attention.
2. Julian Edelman. At the decisive point in the game where one decent drive would have won it, he is open for a first down and drops the ball.
3. Shaq Mason. The most successful offensive play of the second half was the play where Brady kept a play alive by scrambling behind the line until he spotted Watson deep downfield and hit him for a huge 38 yard gain. Which was called back because Shaq Mason was illegally downfield.
4. Sony "Softer than Charmin" Michel. This guy is a system runner. He gets (most of) the yards that is blocked for him and basically nothing more. And I doubt there are many runners in the league who get caught behind the line of scrimmage more often. On Tennessee's decisive goal line stand in the first half, with the Pats 1st and goal from the 1, they ran Michel for a 1 yard loss, Burkhead for a 1 yard gain, and then Michel for a 2 yard loss before kicking the FG. Should have been 3 runs to Burkhead, or even some kind of outside thing to White if they were going to run in.
5. Josh McDaniels. This man chose, on a key 3rd-and-short, to give the ball to fucking Elandon Roberts, a fucking linebacker. Also, why does McDaniels hate the end around to N'Keal Harry? Their offense is shit, and they ran this play 5 times in the last 3 weeks, for 0, 9, 10, 12, and 18 yards. They ran it only once today, picking up 7. I get that you aren;t winning games by running those kind of trick plays, but if it is one of the few things that works consistently, why not try it a couple more times?
6. Tom Brady. I hate to say it, but in the past he has been able to step up a little bit, even when the offense is bad. Not this year. 6-15 in the second half, for about 60 yards and including a pick 6.
7. Bill Belichick. I hate to say this, too, but Mike Vrabel made an absolute fool of him. He, too, should maybe think about hanging them up, if this is the best he can do. He stood by and watched Vrabel run nearly 2 minutes off of the clock before punting from midfield - 2 minutes the Patriots badly needed, as it turned out. And then his futzing around with the punt return team in the final moments ended whatever chance that Pats might have had to drive for a FG.
The only positive sign in this whole game was the defense. Despite not being matched up well to go against Henry in personnel terms, and despite giving up a ton of yards to him, they allowed only 14 points all game and basically pitched a second half shutout, coming up with some big plays along the way. They were not absolutely perfect, allowing Tennessee to gain first downs and run clock in its final drive, but altogether they played well enough to win this even with a subpar offensive performance. Too bad the offense and the coaching weren't just subpar but disastrous.
1. The offense looked good early, then crapped the bed. Had three legit chances to pick up first downs (or touchdowns). Failed on all three. The Roberts run (egads), the failed TD after 1st and goal from the one, and then the Edelman drop.1. The offense. This was just a disastrous performace by the offense. There is nothing good that can be said about this performance. But some offensive players and deserve to be singled out for special attention.
2. Julian Edelman. At the decisive point in the game where one decent drive would have won it, he is open for a first down and drops the ball.
3. Shaq Mason. The most successful offensive play of the second half was the play where Brady kept a play alive by scrambling behind the line until he spotted Watson deep downfield and hit him for a huge 38 yard gain. Which was called back because Shaq Mason was illegally downfield.
4. Sony "Softer than Charmin" Michel. This guy is a system runner. He gets (most of) the yards that is blocked for him and basically nothing more. And I doubt there are many runners in the league who get caught behind the line of scrimmage more often. On Tennessee's decisive goal line stand in the first half, with the Pats 1st and goal from the 1, they ran Michel for a 1 yard loss, Burkhead for a 1 yard gain, and then Michel for a 2 yard loss before kicking the FG. Should have been 3 runs to Burkhead, or even some kind of outside thing to White if they were going to run in.
5. Josh McDaniels. This man chose, on a key 3rd-and-short, to give the ball to fucking Elandon Roberts, a fucking linebacker. Also, why does McDaniels hate the end around to N'Keal Harry? Their offense is shit, and they ran this play 5 times in the last 3 weeks, for 0, 9, 10, 12, and 18 yards. They ran it only once today, picking up 7. I get that you aren;t winning games by running those kind of trick plays, but if it is one of the few things that works consistently, why not try it a couple more times?
6. Tom Brady. I hate to say it, but in the past he has been able to step up a little bit, even when the offense is bad. Not this year. 6-15 in the second half, for about 60 yards and including a pick 6.
7. Bill Belichick. I hate to say this, too, but Mike Vrabel made an absolute fool of him. He, too, should maybe think about hanging them up, if this is the best he can do. He stood by and watched Vrabel run nearly 2 minutes off of the clock before punting from midfield - 2 minutes the Patriots badly needed, as it turned out. And then his futzing around with the punt return team in the final moments ended whatever chance that Pats might have had to drive for a FG.
The only positive sign in this whole game was the defense. Despite not being matched up well to go against Henry in personnel terms, and despite giving up a ton of yards to him, they allowed only 14 points all game and basically pitched a second half shutout, coming up with some big plays along the way. They were not absolutely perfect, allowing Tennessee to gain first downs and run clock in its final drive, but altogether they played well enough to win this even with a subpar offensive performance. Too bad the offense and the coaching weren't just subpar but disastrous.
I still blame Welker. I can blame Edelman for this loss too.You people are crazy. Edelman? The guy scored the only TD. Lots of worse things happened than that one drop. There were a couple of stupid penalties that could be nominated.
This is a franchise that has won a lot of games with the likes of Ben Jarvis Green Ellis at RB. He’s a first round pick from an SEC school. He’s gotta do more than get replacement level yards when big holes are there. I like Sony, but this was not a great year for him.Because any time he has a halfway decent hole he gets you 4 to 8 yards? The OL fucked him all year, as did the lack of talent at WR/TE which allowed opposing defenses to stack the box.
This year. I hope he has a great offseason and shows up ready to play next year.I understand people are grieving and whatever, but he's played half a season. Maybe his fate isn't quite sealed.
Edelman belongs on a list before Brady tonight. But he probably wasn’t the main culprit, though that drop was brutal.Edelman as a GOAT? If there’s ten of them he makes the list, I guess. The Welker drop comparison is a joke.
He definitely wasn’t great but I’m inclined to cut him some slack because this year’s run blocking wasn’t the caliber of 2018’s for a multitude of reasons. I think he has a good shot of bouncing back next season if the supporting cast around him can be bolstered and have better health.This is a franchise that has won a lot of games with the likes of Ben Jarvis Green Ellis at RB. He’s a first round pick from an SEC school. He’s gotta do more than get replacement level yards when big holes are there. I like Sony, but this was not a great year for him.
Why? Obviously Welker’s happened in the Super Bowl but I’d say Edelman actually had the easier catch.Edelman as a GOAT? If there’s ten of them he makes the list, I guess. The Welker drop comparison is a joke.
I think he's going to make some pretty strong demands about the offensive weapons around him. There is a reason he was AB's biggest advocate.This game proved to me that Brady MUST be back to NE next year.
There's no one else available that can take his place given the dollars, years, and what's left in the tank.
Brady took what the defense gave him and threw some lasers tonight. He played fine. I mean his stats look worse because of some the drops.If Edelman makes that catch then Vrabel running time off the clock comes back to bite him. That is going to be way overplayed but had literally nothing to do with them losing.
Goats would have to be McCourty for bad tackling In key spots, edelman for the drop and McDaniels for some real bad play calls in key areas. Also, Brady did not play that well, as most of his yardage was dump offs or screens as he mostly had plenty of time and still was late, behind, or low on too many throws.
This was also how I felt. They gave everything they had tonight—-it just wasn’t very much, or very good.I can't get mad-watching the Pats offense tonight I was mostly reflwctive of what was, old age, injuries, and lack of talent caught up with the offense.
Exactly. If he takes a pay cut, he’ll want money spent in ways that help the team, especially the offense, while he’s still here that may cripple the franchise down the road.I think he's going to make some pretty strong demands about the offensive weapons around him. There is a reason he was AB's biggest advocate.
Give him a couple more real weapons and I think he'll be back
They ran out a second string center for the entire year, a second string LT for half the year, a LB playing FB for 14 weeks, and had a massive downgrade at TE. What the hell did you expect Michel to do this year running behind that line?This is a franchise that has won a lot of games with the likes of Ben Jarvis Green Ellis at RB. He’s a first round pick from an SEC school. He’s gotta do more than get replacement level yards when big holes are there. I like Sony, but this was not a great year for him.
So Pre-game if someone said to you that the defense would hold the Titans to 13 points.....you say no? The defense had really nothing to do with this loss...I can't give the D a pass after a) letting the Titans go 2-for-2 in the red zone, b) letting Henry et al run for 200 yards, c) letting the Titans score in the two-minute drill before halftime in what wound up being the game-winning points, d) generally failing to get off the field and putting the O in bad field position pretty much all day, especially at the end (with the exception of the Harmon pick).
The O was the bigger culprit, especially in the second half. But the D could have won this game with a great performance today, and it wasn't up to the task.
Not sure how they do that given their cap situation. It’s not like they have a ton of draft capital that will help them acquire top rookie talent either.I think he's going to make some pretty strong demands about the offensive weapons around him. There is a reason he was AB's biggest advocate.
Give him a couple more real weapons and I think he'll be back
Again, that isn’t how it works. I mean all the defense had to do was get off the field on 3 and 8 and they let a guy run a 10 yard pattern without covering him. Defense in total wasn’t the issue but that 3rd down play was sad.So Pre-game if someone said to you that the defense would hold the Titans to 13 points.....you say no? The defense had really nothing to do with this loss...
Not great, and that precisely what we got. I said I like Sony, but there are a lot of RBs who could’ve given the Pats his level of production this season, and it wouldn’t have necessitated using a first to do so. He’s a good back when everything is working well.They ran out a second string center for the entire year, a second string LT for half the year, a LB playing FB for 14 weeks, and had a massive downgrade at TE. What the hell did you expect Michel to do this year running behind that line?
It would have been tied if it was only 13 points.So Pre-game if someone said to you that the defense would hold the Titans to 13 points.....you say no? The defense had really nothing to do with this loss...
The field position falls on Bailey as much as the defense.It would have been tied if it was only 13 points.
The Titans really only had 8-9 drives in this game, and they were able to at least flip field position on almost all of them. 14 points is hardly bad but it's not nearly as impressive as it looks on the face of it.
Fair, he was terrible tonight.The field position falls on Bailey as much as the defense.
First half defense was abysmal but they did what they needed to do in the second half. Titans did nothing on three straight possession and turned it over. Field position tilting the Titans way had more to do with the punters - Bailey being outrageously terrible and Kern being the Pro Bowl punter that he is.I can't give the D a pass after a) letting the Titans go 2-for-2 in the red zone, b) letting Henry et al run for 200 yards, c) letting the Titans score in the two-minute drill before halftime in what wound up being the game-winning points, d) generally failing to get off the field and putting the O in bad field position pretty much all day, especially at the end (with the exception of the Harmon pick).
The O was the bigger culprit, especially in the second half. But the D could have won this game with a great performance today, and it wasn't up to the task.
This receiving corps is so unbelievably awful, I’m inclined to think that some of what looked like poor throws were them running bad routes. Because they’re awful.I'm kind of surprised that people here think Brady deserves zero blame. Several of his passes were under thrown or behind the receiver. The guy is the greatest ever, and he looked better tonight than he has the past couple of weeks, but he didn't look great tonight either.
I am surprised at this take. I mean Brady wasn’t great but that was as much on his receivers as it was him. I mean one of his best plays got called back on a correct but inconsequential illegal man downfield penalty.I'm kind of surprised that people here think Brady deserves zero blame. Several of his passes were under thrown or behind the receiver. The guy is the greatest ever, and he looked better tonight than he has the past couple of weeks, but he didn't look great tonight either.
These will get missed but absolutely rightMcCourty. Missed two huge tackles back to back.
He was dominant down the stretch and in the playoffs last year with a competent OL. The notion that a JAG back would give you the same production is absurd.Not great, and that precisely what we got. I said I like Sony, but there are a lot of RBs who could’ve given the Pats his level of production this season, and it wouldn’t have necessitated using a first to do so. He’s a good back when everything is working well.
They stole a SB last year on the downslope. Time to re-evaluate.
Stole my ass.
sorry but last years team doesn’t make the top 10 Pats teams of the Bb/Tb era. They caught fire during the playoffs but the run really should have been over after the Philly SB loss.
Again, I say, my ass. They pistol whipped the Chargers, rolled into Arrowhead and marched up and down the field on them, and then completely neutered the Rams offense. Talking about “should’ve”s is ridiculous too. This board has turned into a sea of slimy Kellermans and it’s ridiculous.
The 2018 team had a better point differential than the 2003 or 2001 teams.
You said:And? The 2001 team also stole a championship. And the 2003 team played the whole year with a horseshoe lodged up their asses. Not saying they were not good teams, but like last years team sometimes you get a little lucky. And in 2007 they got unlucky. It happens.
It’s not even a guaranteed loss. They probably play for the FG and you’re down 17-13 with a chance for a TD to win.It's a shame, but the Edelman drop was a killer.
I don't understand the decision to punt. Go for it. If you can't get 4 yards there, then you lose. Fine. Punting it away there was just no way they were going to keep TN from using up the rest of the clock.
while nothing you said here is wrong, I'm wondering if the correct play is to Tank for Lawrence (Brady would have to leave, of course)My position going into the offseason is that there's tons of reason for optimism. Brady and Belichick clearly still have their fastballs. The defense is good, and could be great. And if enough of the injurees return to productivity, our OL and talent level across the board could suddenly see many holes plugged. There are reasons for pessimism too, the cap situation and McDaniels / Scarnecchia situation chief among them, but we're a good draft from being right back in this thing.
The last time tanking was the right play, it was in 2011 for the rights to draft Andrew Luck in 2012. And/or Cam Newton the year before. Prior to that it was probably Mike Vick in 2001. The first overall pick rarely goes on to become an elite QB. Meanwhile, Miami this year built momentum by trading away for value, but also clearly outperforming (lowered) expectations and trying to build a culture of winning in spite of the trades. They're now going to be a hot destination, so to speak, because of the promise they showed while running out an obviously sub-par roster.while nothing you said here is wrong, I'm wondering if the correct play is to Tank for Lawrence (Brady would have to leave, of course)
Brooks gave up the 2 biggest plays of the game. Ugh.Chung’s ankle.