The Game Goat Thread: Wk.6 vs Broncos

SeoulSoxFan

I Want to Hit the World with Rocket Punch
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2006
22,089
A Scud Away from Hell
Everyone gets the goat tag, especially the offense.

The biggest one goes to Izzo with a huge drop that could have led to a FG.

What a frustrating game.
 

Soxy

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2008
6,095
COVID-19

I'm half joking, but they basically went into this game with nothing but remote, virtual prep, and it showed.
 

Seels

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
4,948
NH
Belichick

Lack of challenges, and yet another game that is very different if either of the Williams/Duggar picks are WR.

Izzo is really bad and even worse to watch in person. He shouldn't be on a team. He can't block, is slow, doesn't catch passes anyway, and when he finally does fumbles it.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
This.

I know we can all talk about every other thing, and that's fine. We should dissect this game like normal.

But the fact is, this team hasn't had but, what, just a few practices, Cam was just off the Covid list, they've got a million guys either hurt or on the Covid list. Just a bunch of extraordinary circumstances that all came together in one gigantic pile of suck.

Denver sucks and even with all that, NE should have played better, but still. A really crappy situation all the way around.

But this loss is a crippler for their playoff hopes, no matter who or what the goat is.
 

Captaincoop

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
13,487
Santa Monica, CA
Izzo
Belichick for not challenging that spot and wasting a timeout
COVID-19
Belichick? How does the game go differently if they have that timeout. Give me a break.

Newton - just miserable passing and decision making all day.

Izzo - unforgivable, critical mistake

Harry - another day as a nonentity

The o line was hideous, but can't kill them for missing so many key pieces.
 

Jungleland

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 2, 2009
2,351
Cam
First half defense

But really, no talent at WR or TE is going to ruin two seasons in a row. Can't open up the playbook if throwing is such a losing proposition.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
BTW....is Edelman officially cooked? 6 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards. He got off to a good start this year, but the last three games:

6 tar, 2 rec, 23 yds
6 tar, 3 rec, 35 yds
6 tar, 2 rec, 8 yds

He's the one guy we expect to be able to get open with one-on-one coverage. Of course, maybe he's not getting one-on-one coverage, because the other receivers and TEs aren't a threat.
 

Harry Hooper

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2002
34,368
It's on BB for the lack of talent at WR and TE. Denver could stack the box and not worry about any receivers getting separation.
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
Anything above COVID-19 is a miss.

In terms of actual players, and this is really tough because of the circumstances (down to the third center, third and fourth guards, and fourth tackle if you count Cannon), but the offensive line was flat out not competitive. Again, this isn’t about correcting for expectations, that’s the single biggest problem they had today. Couldn’t run the ball, and couldn’t pass protect remotely well enough to drop back routinely.

Cam looked really rough as well. I’m sure the OL performance didn’t help, but he had several plays where he just held the ball too long. Equally alarmingly to me, he wasn’t making good throws against several house blitzes on the final drive. He has to make that throw to Harry.

The Pats’ front seven got whipped against the run almost the entire game. Denver somehow managed to almost piss the game away by having Lock launch passes all over the place in their final two meaningful offensive possessions; they win comfortably if they play the odds better with their play calling.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,442
BTW....is Edelman officially cooked? 6 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards. He got off to a good start this year, but the last three games:

6 tar, 2 rec, 23 yds
6 tar, 3 rec, 35 yds
6 tar, 2 rec, 8 yds

He's the one guy we expect to be able to get open with one-on-one coverage. Of course, maybe he's not getting one-on-one coverage, because the other receivers and TEs aren't a threat.
Best passer we had today though
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,304
entire o-line, between injuries and covid, having good wrs doesn't help much if there's no time to find them and no threat of a traditional run game
 

Salem's Lot

Andy Moog! Andy God Damn Moog!
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
14,464
Gallows Hill
COVID-19

It’s really difficult to win in this league when you can’t practice for two weeks and the other team can.
 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,291
There is so much amazing young receiving talent around the league. It’s glaring to see the difference.

I do wish he would tuck and run sooner on plays but Cam is sitting back there just dying for anybody to get open and it doesn’t happen. And the lack of TE safety net really hurts, Cam really leanedon Olsen and Izzo is another replacement level talent at best.

Injuries on both lines were glaring today until Denver lost their heads on offense.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
I do wish he would tuck and run sooner on plays but Cam is sitting back there just dying for anybody to get open and it doesn’t happen.
True. But Byrd was 100% open down the left sideline for a TD and Cam underthrew him. Harry was 100% open on the last play and Cam, after the OL picked up the rush really well, completely missed him.

Football is the ultimate team game. All parts need to do their job. Right now, if one part does its job, the others aren't. The OL protects, and nobody gets open. The WRs get open, and the QB has a poor throw. They get open and the QB hits the WR, and the receiver fumbles after making the catch.

That's how you lose games.
 

Silverdude2167

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 9, 2006
4,684
Amstredam
Football is the ultimate team game. All parts need to do their job. Right now, if one part does its job, the others aren't. The OL protects, and nobody gets open. The WRs get open, and the QB has a poor throw. They get open and the QB hits the WR, and the receiver fumbles after making the catch.

That's how you lose games.
This is all correct and this is why practice is so important.

BB's teams have always won because they prepare better and they execute better and that does not come from zoom calls.

So what we just watched was what happens when BB has a team that was not able to prepare and get to where he wants them to be...and well it was not pretty and yet they almost found a way to win the game.
 

Soxy

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2008
6,095
I do wish he would tuck and run sooner on plays but Cam is sitting back there just dying for anybody to get open and it doesn’t happen.
That's always been an issue. Cam can be very slow to say "screw it" and take off running. He's not really an improvisor/scrambler, for better or worse. Some posters made Bledsoe comps in the game thread, and that's not as ridiculous as it may seem at first blush.

Even with all of his athleticism and running ability, Cam can be a statue back there. That's always been a problem.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
5,204
Lynn
There is so much amazing young receiving talent around the league. It’s glaring to see the difference.
I honestly think it’s them being incapable of developing WR’s than anything. If Harry was drafted by Seattle, he would be at least a viable contributor, IMO.

Besides Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell has been the one exception going back to the Branch/Givens days. That bothers me more than the pick of Harry, specifically.
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
I honestly think it’s them being incapable of developing WR’s than anything. If Harry was drafted by Seattle, he would be at least a viable contributor.

Malcolm Mitchell has been the one exception going back to the Branch/Givens days.
So which receivers are going to different teams and flourishing?

Absent a team not utilizing a player correctly or a player getting buried in the depth chart at a deep position for a team, receivers get on the field and catch balls for one or more teams or they don’t. If a guy has the ability, it eventually comes out.
 

MuppetAsteriskTalk

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 19, 2015
5,398
Belichick? How does the game go differently if they have that timeout. Give me a break.
That's just results oriented thinking. Wasting a timeout is worthy of criticism whether or not it bit them at the end of the day. Additionally, not challenging that spot when it was as clear as day 2 yards off was the main problem. Then following up with the wasted timeout just highlighted the mistake even more.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
BTW, it's interesting how different things look from game to game. Before today, I was looking at their schedule and, given how they've played, I was thinking that the following games were probably wins:

vs Den, vs SF, at NYJ, at Hou, vs Ari, at LAC, vs Buf, vs NYJ, which would put them at 10-6. But now, I think most games could be hard. SF could be tough. Suddenly the game at Houston seems like a major challenge. Arizona will give them fits. They might go 0-2 against Buffalo. Heck, given how Denver played today, I wouldn't be shocked if NE lost one of the Jets games at this point.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
I honestly think it’s them being incapable of developing WR’s than anything. If Harry was drafted by Seattle, he would be at least a viable contributor, IMO.

Besides Edelman, Malcolm Mitchell has been the one exception going back to the Branch/Givens days. That bothers me more than the pick of Harry, specifically.
How can we develop great pass catching TE’s but not WR’s? I don’t subscribe to your newsletter on this.
 

dixoncox

New Member
Jun 11, 2019
30
BTW....is Edelman officially cooked? 6 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards. He got off to a good start this year, but the last three games:

6 tar, 2 rec, 23 yds
6 tar, 3 rec, 35 yds
6 tar, 2 rec, 8 yds

He's the one guy we expect to be able to get open with one-on-one coverage. Of course, maybe he's not getting one-on-one coverage, because the other receivers and TEs aren't a threat.
He doesn’t have Brady throwing to him anymore.
 

RorschachsMask

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2011
5,204
Lynn
So which receivers are going to different teams and flourishing?

Absent a team not utilizing a player correctly or a player getting buried in the depth chart at a deep position for a team, receivers get on the field and catch balls for one or more teams or they don’t. If a guy has the ability, it eventually comes out.
Yeah, I agree with what you’re saying, it’s probably more of them not being able to identify the right receivers in the draft. But I do think they struggle to develop them on top of it, bad combination.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,847
No training camp, then 2 weeks without practice? Eh, get 'em next week, the East is wide open.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
That's just results oriented thinking. Wasting a timeout is worthy of criticism whether or not it bit them at the end of the day. Additionally, not challenging that spot when it was as clear as day 2 yards off was the main problem. Then following up with the wasted timeout just highlighted the mistake even more.
I think having to drive the length of the field from the 17 with this offense and offensive line was not really something Bill was relishing on that challenge.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
And no other weapons for defenses to worry about so they can double him all game long.
But DO they? That's my question for anyone who's re-watched the games and seen the all-22. If they are, then yeah that's the answer. If not...it means he's just not doing what he normally does.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,673
Jonathan Jones had one of the best games I can remember watching a DB play.
 

RG33

Certain Class of Poster
SoSH Member
Nov 28, 2005
7,199
CA
Covid19 is the only GOAT here.

They looked like a team that was banged up and hadn’t practiced in two weeks.

Cam was clearly off his game too — really slow with decisions all game, but didn’t have much time with the patchwork O-Line.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,734
Deep inside Muppet Labs
BTW....is Edelman officially cooked? 6 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards. He got off to a good start this year, but the last three games:

6 tar, 2 rec, 23 yds
6 tar, 3 rec, 35 yds
6 tar, 2 rec, 8 yds

He's the one guy we expect to be able to get open with one-on-one coverage. Of course, maybe he's not getting one-on-one coverage, because the other receivers and TEs aren't a threat.
He’s not being made available to the press after the game, so he’s likely injured again.

I said it after the Chiefs Gabe, he’s all done.

Everyone was the goat today but the lack of practice was an obvious factor.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
I feel like today, in some ways, is like the most obvious mulligan the NFL could ever have to offer. You're in a frigging global pandemic. Your QB has been sidelined with Covid. You aren't practicing. You have like 2-3 healthy legit starting linemen. Yeah, you lose the game. Even though it was against a bad opponent, this was basically a "yeah, we kind of figured" sort of game, if you really stop and think about it.

Unless people are under the impression that the Patriots should be able to go two weeks with barely a couple of practices, while the other team practices all the while preparing for you, that you can be missing so many regulars, and should still be able to win the game, simply because...what....because of BB?
 

djbayko

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
25,895
Los Angeles, CA
Belichick? How does the game go differently if they have that timeout. Give me a break.

Newton - just miserable passing and decision making all day.

Izzo - unforgivable, critical mistake

Harry - another day as a nonentity

The o line was hideous, but can't kill them for missing so many key pieces.
The Izzo fumble sucked, but it was punched out. Isn't anyone susceptible to that? Sometimes it's just a good play on the other side of the ball.
 

MuppetAsteriskTalk

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 19, 2015
5,398
The Izzo fumble sucked, but it was punched out. Isn't anyone susceptible to that? Sometimes it's just a good play on the other side of the ball.
Was it? I must have missed a different angle or something because to me (and I thought others in the game thread) it appeared that he just dropped it somehow.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 24, 2002
48,205
I know its the goat thread but the Broncos defense was fantastic today. They seemingly made every big play.

As far as goats, I am going with cumulative injuries, especially on the OL.
 

Steve Dillard

wishes drew noticed him instead of sweet & sour
SoSH Member
Oct 7, 2003
5,932
Week 6 for first catch by one of the two 3rd round tight ends?
 
Apr 24, 2019
1,278
The last two drafts have been LOADED with the exact positions the Patriots most need to re-stock. It was a gift of timing and luck. BB and the scouting department squandered it by not taking guys - we’ll see about Asiasi and Keane, but this team couldn’t use Dawson Knox? - and/or by taking the one top-rated WR who doesn’t fit their style of play - and all of that showed today more starkly than ever. Zero weapons, the rare terrible coaching day, and beaten in the trenches on both sides. Just an awful game all around. EDIT: So, my main GOAT today is Belichick the GM and the staff for being unable to develop young weapons. (Or draft them.)

Bentley played well, that’s pretty much it. Pretty awful display, and while it’s impossible to ignore the COVID of it all, and the importance of practice, this organization runs on “it is what it is.” Good teams win anyway. This isn’t a good team.
 

Euclis20

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2004
8,017
Imaginationland
Pretty sure it wasn’t punched out. The defender hit him up around the neck and Izzo had the ball near his waist.
The defender knocked the ball out, but it wasn't a hard punch, it was just part of the tackle. The fact that Izzo could both see the tackle coming and had time to cover up with both arms and still fumbled is just awful.
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
Why not make Bill the GM the goat every time they lose? Almost by definition they’re going to lose games because they are inferior to their opponent at certain matchups, which can always be tied back to personnel management if you look at the available players across the prior 5-6 drafts and free agency periods.

In other words, it doesn’t tell us anything about THAT specific game, so it’s overly reductive. Conversely, if they WIN a game, does BB the GM get a game ball? I would say no, unless we take the view that BB is always a hero or goat if they win or lose, respectively, since he is ultimately accountable for the team’s performance in all respects. And once we do that, again, what are we actually saying about that particular game?