Disagree. I think it's just dawning on opposing defenses that, without Randy Moss, this Patriots offense isn't all that hard to defend anymore, and obviously their defense isn't up to Belichick's usual level. This team can no longer score with the Colts or go toe to toe in a defensive slugfest with the Steelers. On the field, they look to me like a ten win team at best. Of course, they won enough games early that they've got a good shot to win more than ten, especially since it's really unthinkable for a Belichick coached team to have a true late season collapse. You mentioned the Colts and Steelers as games they should lose. I'd point to that next matchup against the Lions as one they could definetely lose as well. The Lions have a lot to prove, they're going to get hot, and I don't think the Patriots can cover Calvin Johnson. They'll get lit up for a lot of points, and I just don't see how they can score too many of their own with that offense. Then it's the Jets, and then they've still got the Packers in week fifteen.
Every game is tough in the NFL that's why it's the NFL. Recently there has been a dominant team or two but this year it just doesn't exist. Every team has their issues and it's going to come down to who can play an entire game without allowing their weaknesses to cost them the game. We have already seen that this team has the ability to play their best when the game is on the line and with this defense the game will always be close.
I would agree with you, but we did them a real favor by nocking out Stafford last week. If he was healthy I think the lions would give the pats a run for their money, but I can't see them winning with a third string qb.
He's not. He said IF we lose to the Pats or Steelers, it would be easier to stomach if we are 9-2. This is pretty much a fact.
So halfway through the season and we "need" to do things now? 8 more games is an eternity, to me the Pats were setup to fail this year. Rightfully so, their defense is young and is learning on the fly. After 8 games maybe teams have the right tape now to burn their defense with. Welker has been a ghost since Moss left, and Branch was a unknown, but not anymore. The Colts are very banged up, but Peyton will still pick that D apart. The Steelers IMO will dominate them on both sides of the ball. I'm not really concerned about that Pats. I'm more concerned about our team playing a complete game. Once we do that there is no end in sight.
I highly doubt cleveland is a trap game. Rex will be facing off aginst the coach he repalced and his brother in the same week. This should be a good one. Cleveland is coming off wins against the Saints and Pats, os no one is about to over look them. Hopefully our offense looks alot more like the team that moved the ball at the end of the Lions game and a lot less like the guys with the Dropsies and the false start machine of the previous couple of games. We need to keep winning and fin tuning our 3rd down defense and over all offensive play. Its great that we have not been firing on all cylinders and keep wining, but thats not going to work in January. we need to keep improving.
Lead the league in f'ing wins. Still holds true. That's what we need to do so we get the playoff games at home for once in our lifetimes. That's how you win it all. Sure, you can get picked off at home in the playoffs, but you have a much better chance at home and that's all there is to it. Especially with our defense and our running game.....in the cold. So the OP is dead on IMO.
What is with this 3rd down talk still?? Green Bay was 2-14 and Detroit was 5-15. The 3rd down issue has been fixed already time to focus on another "problem" you see.
All I know is last year when we sat at 4-6, someone posted a topic saying we have to get to 7-6 and it happened.
Schotty should have called better offensive plays so the defense wouldn't have needed to even force 29 3rd downs. Imagine if they had only had to force 25 3rd downs? teams probably would have only converted 4 or 5. Schotty fucking sucks.
If schotty ran a better offense during intersquad scrimages, Coleman would be more prepaired during games. Done and Done.
Yes you can have the Green bay game, no one did shit that night, but the Lions game? Really? Stafford was 5 -14 on third. Good for 246 yards and 2 TD's againstt our Defense. Untill he got hurt the game was looking dismal for us despite shutting down thier running game. I guess watching Nate burlson run free and make huge third down receptions was just fine for you. We still are too weak on 3 and medium and long. This is down and distance that Rex loves, yet we gave up at least two that I remember while watching the game. 5-15 evething is great! ... um ok, except a couple were sityuations were we should have made it off the field easily and didn't. you keep bringing up stats to make an argument but stats alone do not tell the whole story, or are you havppy with teams coverting 2 or 3 3rd and longs agaisnt us every game?
I don't think anyone is saying the Jets defense has been as dominant as they can be BUT: 1) holding GB (One of the best passing offenses in the league) to 2 for 14 on t third down is simply fantastic. 2) holding Detrioit to 5 for 14 on third down (with Stafford in the game) in detroit is at least "solid" and certainly better than average for a typical NFL defense. Remeber, Detriot was averaging 38 points a game at home before they played the Jets. Thus, the past two weeks, our third down defense ranged somewhere from "good to great" statistically.
The worst we can do is split the head-to-head with NE, that would take it to division record where we're 3-0. So even with a loss there, if we beat Buffalo and Miami we at the very worst go to AFC games where we have one loss and they have two, losing to them would give us two. At the moment we're in the driver's seat even if we did lose at Foxboro. Of course there's a half a season to go so anything can happen, it's too early to worry about anything except this week's game.
