The AFC looks more and more paved for Peyton right now

[PATS16N0]

Flacco is supremely underrated.

 

Winning is winning.

[Gramz]

 

Lot of things going on here, but at the end of the day, I just have zero faith that Manning is going to go anywhere against real football teams in the play offs.

Thankfully, Peyton is not dependent on your faith.

[Surge89]

I never claim that Brady is perfect. I don't hold the 2009 season against him because he was rehabilitating his injury. 2010 was a huge disappointment but it was against a divisional opponent with the best defense in football. 2011 he carried a pathetic defense to the Superbowl. 2012 he went to the AFC Championship without his best play maker and the Patriots struggled in the red zone.

They didn't luck there way past the Ravens in 2011. Winning by a very, very little, does not mean they deserved to lose, just like losing by a very, very little, does not mean the Ravens deserved to win.

Now with Brady settled, how can you even begin to defend the most one and done's in NFL history? If Peyton was even going deep regularly and coming up just short, that would be one thing, but going one and done more times than any other starting QB in history, IMO, makes him the most exposed. It tells me he was made to look fantastic in regular seasons, playing in a garbage expansion division, and stat-compiling against bottom feeders, only to get punched in his little mouth over, and over, and over again once the real football season started.

I'm not trying to pour on the Peyton hate, but if the media wanted to treat him like they do Tony Romo, they easily could.

The new narrative, meant and designed to protect poor, poor Peyton, is that Indianapolis always had horrible teams.

Well, I remember those Indianapolis teams, and they were anything but.

So if the Peyton apologists want to flaunt his stats around, made possible by him being surrounded by elite offensive talent, I don't want to hear the excuse that he had no defense.

If he had the defense, he wouldn't have the offense (salary cap era) and thus wouldn't have the stats, and yet STILL might not have the rings on top of it.

There's a reason Kraft wanted to make sure Brady retired a Patriot, and the Colts owner let Peyton go to start fresh with Luck.

They new they weren't going to get a Championship with him.

Lol ok ill play.

First look at my first post in response to you.

Second please tell me what was so great about those Colts teams? They had amazing defenses? They had amazing special teams? Amazing HOF coaching? Agressive Free Agency? Please do tell Im very interested

So now since you find it necessary to attack Manning for some reason lets flip the foot. That atrocious defense that Brady CARRIED to a superbowl was ranked what in scoring defense? What was your turnover differential? Hmmm im waiting...

How many years has Brady not been given the chance to do a comeback drive because of his own mistakes such a game ending pick in the playoffs no less? Hmm lets see we have alot of recent events dont we?

So we take BB away from the Patriots does Brady do anything with the Patriots? Ah so lets be emphatic on this point since your so quick to focus on Peytons points. With the colts team you take our coach away we go to superbowl on Mannings tail. If you take his receivers away he takes them too playoffs. You take his defence away... oh wait his defences allowed the most Time of Possesion than any other team in the league the past 10 years... guess thats out already. You take his special teams away... oh yea he regularly started at the 20... so again lets see you take BB away from Brady... he might not have a career, you take his D away... the greatest show on turf scores 40... you take his special teams away? Wow man yall might not have a single superbowl. You take his FA away? No Randy Moss? No Wes Welker? Well then hes gonna be in the same shape he is this year huh? Tch Tch

Btw I still respect both and think both are 2 of the greatest to play but you sir are annoying and love to bring up your one sided arguements and ignore all else.

[Sports Central1]

Lol ok ill play.

First look at my first post in response to you.

Second please tell me what was so great about those Colts teams? They had amazing defenses? They had amazing special teams? Amazing HOF coaching? Agressive Free Agency? Please do tell Im very interested

So now since you find it necessary to attack Manning for some reason lets flip the foot. That atrocious defense that Brady CARRIED to a superbowl was ranked what in scoring defense? What was your turnover differential? Hmmm im waiting...

How many years has Brady not been given the chance to do a comeback drive because of his own mistakes such a game ending pick in the playoffs no less? Hmm lets see we have alot of recent events dont we?

So we take BB away from the Patriots does Brady do anything with the Patriots? Ah so lets be emphatic on this point since your so quick to focus on Peytons points. With the colts team you take our coach away we go to superbowl on Mannings tail. If you take his receivers away he takes them too playoffs. You take his defence away... oh wait his defences allowed the most Time of Possesion than any other team in the league the past 10 years... guess thats out already. You take his special teams away... oh yea he regularly started at the 20... so again lets see you take BB away from Brady... he might not have a career, you take his D away... the greatest show on turf scores 40... you take his special teams away? Wow man yall might not have a single superbowl. You take his FA away? No Randy Moss? No Wes Welker? Well then hes gonna be in the same shape he is this year huh? Tch Tch

Btw I still respect both and think both are 2 of the greatest to play but you sir are annoying and love to bring up your one sided arguements and ignore all else.

 

Belichick did nothing as a head coach before Brady.  He coached the Patriots during the 2000 season when Brady wasn't playing and they weren't that good.

 

Tony Dungy was a VERY successful coach of the Bucs and built them up before he went to Indy.  The 2002 Bucs that won the super bowl was mostly Dungy's team and did it with Brad Johnson.

 

Peyton is on a better team this year than Brady is and especially now after all the injuries the Pats have.  If the Broncos and Pats were to meet in the playoffs than for it to be fair the Broncos best WR or offensive weapon wouldn't play and their two best defensive players wouldn't play and then they'd be evenly matched.  Broncos most likely will beat the Patriots this year.  I think it's over for the Pats now that Gronk is gone.  I bet they'll lose in Baltimore too.

[JerodMayo51]

I like Joe Flacco. He is not the GOAT , but the guy just wins. He has 61 wins in six seasons, which I believe is an NFL record. He seems to be able to beat some of the greatest on quite a few occasions, and gets his team far into the playoffs.

It's been an up and down season for Flacco and the Ravens thus far, but if they can get to the playoffs, they are dangerous , and a team no one wants to play. They have trouble winning on the road in the regular season, but are tough on the road in the playoffs. They have a brutal three game schedule left, but considering they blew up their team after the Super Bowl, they are not doing bad.

 

 

They've also just got one of their top targets back from injury in Dennis Pitta.  They are still dangerous!

[amfootball]

When is the last time Brady and the Pats beat a real football team in the playoffs? Texans? Tebow's Broncos? The Chargers back in 08?

Are actually counting the Colts of 03 and 04 as real teams? I thought they were flawed??

[Surge89]

Belichick did nothing as a head coach before Brady.  He coached the Patriots during the 2000 season when Brady wasn't playing and they weren't that good.

 

Tony Dungy was a VERY successful coach of the Bucs and built them up before he went to Indy.  The 2002 Bucs that won the super bowl was mostly Dungy's team and did it with Brad Johnson.

 

Peyton is on a better team this year than Brady is and especially now after all the injuries the Pats have.  If the Broncos and Pats were to meet in the playoffs than for it to be fair the Broncos best WR or offensive weapon wouldn't play and their two best defensive players wouldn't play and then they'd be evenly matched.  Broncos most likely will beat the Patriots this year.  I think it's over for the Pats now that Gronk is gone.  I bet they'll lose in Baltimore too.

BB did nothing in Cleveland? Nothing with New York? really? No he was regarded as a great defensive mind before that and he blossomed into a great head coach in NE don't discredit one of the best coaches in the game. He has been the only coach of his era that has learned how to balance talent to Salary and have depth in the hardest era to do so. Dungy was very fortunate to have great player drafted into a fundmentally flawed scheme that he created. His scheme depends on phenomenal talent. That isn't great coaching that is crap. Dungy while being a great guy and knew how to get players to play for him was not a good X and O's guy and he couldn't micromanage talent on his team to save his own skin.

By the way I agree with you on your last statement but your Pats ally here is descriditing Manning as one of the greatest QB's to ever play and saying Brady has done it all is crap. Flat out crap It isn't like he is saying Brady is the best ever and Manning is the second which who cares, he is discrediting literally everything that Peyton has done which is absurd. Peyton was not as fortunate to get the luxuries Brady had a majority of Brady's career that is a fact. But they are both great players in their circumstances and will be regarded as 2 of the very best QBs to ever play this game. It is just the stuff before that urks me to no end.

[amfootball]

BB did nothing in Cleveland? Nothing with New York? really? No he was regarded as a great defensive mind before that and he blossomed into a great head coach in NE don't discredit one of the best coaches in the game. He has been the only coach of his era that has learned how to balance talent to Salary and have depth in the hardest era to do so. Dungy was very fortunate to have great player drafted into a fundmentally flawed scheme that he created. His scheme depends on phenomenal talent. That isn't great coaching that is crap. Dungy while being a great guy and knew how to get players to play for him was not a good X and O's guy and he couldn't micromanage talent on his team to save his own skin.

By the way I agree with you on your last statement but your Pats ally here is descriditing Manning as one of the greatest QB's to ever play and saying Brady has done it all is crap. Flat out crap It isn't like he is saying Brady is the best ever and Manning is the second which who cares, he is discrediting literally everything that Peyton has done which is absurd. Peyton was not as fortunate to get the luxuries Brady had a majority of Brady's career that is a fact. But they are both great players in their circumstances and will be regarded as 2 of the very best QBs to ever play this game. It is just the stuff before that urks me to no end.

Right now Bill better figure out how to get this team to get off to faster starts. He had no answer for Josh Gordon either as Talib could not handle him alone. The Cleveland game was ugly and it began with the coaching IMO.

[Surge89]

Right now Bill better figure out how to get this team to get off to faster starts. He had no answer for Josh Gordon either as Talib could not handle him alone. The Cleveland game was ugly and it began with the coaching IMO.

So now the Pats fans are saying BB is overrated? He has half a team for crying out loud. No one is left on that team. The fact you all have the depth you have beyond what any other team has in the NFL is phenomenal coaching.

[amfootball]

So now the Pats fans are saying BB is overrated? He has half a team for crying out loud. No one is left on that team. The fact you all have the depth you have beyond what any other team has in the NFL is phenomenal coaching.

I think Bill is a great coach and the best of the FA/cap era but something has been missing this year. This team has sputtered in every game. It's ability to start a game well has waned. If you want to chalk it up to injuries or all the new personnel fine but the O has been back together now for several weeks and the D has been playing with its new guys for most of the season. It is interesting to me that Bill as always scribbling on the sideline. I think he is modifying the game plan as the game goes along as I am not sure if he even knows what will work at the start of the game.

[Surge89]

I think Bill is a great coach and the best of the FA/cap era but something has been missing this year. This team has sputtered in every game. It's ability to start a game well has waned. If you want to chalk it up to injuries or all the new personnel fine but the O has been back together now for several weeks and the D has been playing with its new guys for most of the season. It is interesting to me that Bill as always scribbling on the sideline. I think he is modifying the game plan as the game goes along as I am not sure if he even knows what will work at the start of the game.

Honestly at this point can you blame him? Inexperienced WR on a complex WR offense is a challenge. And changing scheme mid season isn't ideal. His defense is being pieced together as he goes along due to injury so it all just a lets fix it while we use it approach. If this continues next year I think you have a strong valid point, but right now yes I do think he has a whole bunch of valid excuses for what is on the field. And lets not get past some simple facts too. Whats on the field is a play away from beating one of the best teams in the NFC and a team that outsmarted the Best team in the AFC. That is definitely something to be thankful for. RB's gotta stop turning the ball over and the defense has to get a bit more opportunistic but those 2 things correct the Pats can still contend with anyone. Maybe not dominate like you all are used to but definitely contend.

[amfootball]

Honestly at this point can you blame him? Inexperienced WR on a complex WR offense is a challenge. And changing scheme mid season isn't ideal. His defense is being pieced together as he goes along due to injury so it all just a lets fix it while we use it approach. If this continues next year I think you have a strong valid point, but right now yes I do think he has a whole bunch of valid excuses for what is on the field. And lets not get past some simple facts too. Whats on the field is a play away from beating one of the best teams in the NFC and a team that outsmarted the Best team in the AFC. That is definitely something to be thankful for. RB's gotta stop turning the ball over and the defense has to get a bit more opportunistic but those 2 things correct the Pats can still contend with anyone. Maybe not dominate like you all are used to but definitely contend.

I am not sure how much to credit to Bill as he is the GM and this offense had had too many changes all at once. The injuries are what they are but right now Brady has five fourth quarter comebacks which is the most this season and the most of his career in one season. Brady right now is saving Bill. He would be getting roasted if they lost that Browns game and truthfully he should be getting roasted.

[BOTT]

I never claim that Brady is perfect. I don't hold the 2009 season against him because he was rehabilitating his injury. 2010 was a huge disappointment but it was against a divisional opponent with the best defense in football. 2011 he carried a pathetic defense to the Superbowl. 2012 he went to the AFC Championship without his best play maker and the Patriots struggled in the red zone.

 

They didn't luck there way past the Ravens in 2011. Winning by a very, very little, does not mean they deserved to lose, just like losing by a very, very little, does not mean the Ravens deserved to win.

 

Now with Brady settled, how can you even begin to defend the most one and done's in NFL history? If Peyton was even going deep regularly and coming up just short, that would be one thing, but going one and done more times than any other starting QB in history, IMO, makes him the most exposed. It tells me he was made to look fantastic in regular seasons, playing in a garbage expansion division, and stat-compiling against bottom feeders, only to get punched in his little mouth over, and over, and over again once the real football season started.

 

I'm not trying to pour on the Peyton hate, but if the media wanted to treat him like they do Tony Romo, they easily could.

 

The new narrative, meant and designed to protect poor, poor Peyton, is that Indianapolis always had horrible teams.

Well, I remember those Indianapolis teams, and they were anything but.

 

So if the Peyton apologists want to flaunt his stats around, made possible by him being surrounded by elite offensive talent, I don't want to hear the excuse that he had no defense.

If he had the defense, he wouldn't have the offense (salary cap era) and thus wouldn't have the stats, and yet STILL might not have the rings on top of it.

 

There's a reason Kraft wanted to make sure Brady retired a Patriot, and the Colts owner let Peyton go to start fresh with Luck.

They new they weren't going to get a Championship with him.

There is so much hate in that it's hard to take seriously. Plus, I have no interest in writing a long response defending manning. His career is what it is...lots of ups and downs where sometimes the moment got the better of him and sometimes he got some bad luck. It's been detailed on this forum a million times.

[BOTT]

Are actually counting the Colts of 03 and 04 as real teams? I thought they were flawed??

So you have to back a decade to find a real team?

[amfootball]

So you have to back a decade to find a real team?

No the point is the Pats are the real team. They tend to make their opponents look very unreal come post-season.

[Surge89]

I am not sure how much to credit to Bill as he is the GM and this offense had had too many changes all at once. The injuries are what they are but right now Brady has five fourth quarter comebacks which is the most this season and the most of his career in one season. Brady right now is saving Bill. He would be getting roasted if they lost that Browns game and truthfully he should be getting roasted.

No doubt Brady is a vital piece. But saving is a tad strong. If BB doesnt give him adequate recwivers to throw too or a D that can let Brady have 100 yard games Id say its a hand in hand struggle. They are both great and will find a way to get out of the hole.

[amfootball]

No doubt Brady is a vital piece. But saving is a tad strong. If BB doesnt give him adequate recwivers to throw too or a D that can let Brady have 100 yard games Id say its a hand in hand struggle. They are both great and will find a way to get out of the hole.

IMO it has been more Brady then Bill this year. I think even Bill would say that. The team should probably be 7-6 at this point. Coaching can only do so much. Brady covers much.

[Surge89]

IMO it has been more Brady then Bill this year. I think even Bill would say that. The team should probably be 7-6 at this point. Coaching can only do so much. Brady covers much.

I can definetely agree with that.

[BOTT]

No the point is the Pats are the real team. They tend to make their opponents look very unreal come post-season.

It's been a whole since they did that. Most of the guys that helped do that are on tv.

[BOTT]

Flacco is supremely underrated.

 

Winning is winning.

No, he is what we thought he was

[amfootball]

It's been a whole since they did that. Most of the guys that helped do that are on tv.

It has? You use the Texans last year who were 10-1 when they came to Gillette and the Pats hung 40+ on them. Then they meet again in the playoffs and the Pats hang 40 on the again. Then there is the Tebow Broncos. They were riding a 7 game win streak when the Pats came to Denver and trounced them. Then they beat the #1 defense in Pitt with Tebow setting *gasp* passing records and then come into Gillette and the Pats trounce them again. And then going back to 2003/2004. The Colts and Manning come to Gillette with Manning's 49 TDs and put up 14. The following year after Manning secured another League MVP they put up 3. Again, the Pats have a way of making post-season teams seem very unreal. It has been the case for the last 13 years ...

[BOTT]

It has? You use the Texans last year who were 10-1 when they came to Gillette and the Pats hung 40+ on them. Then they meet again in the playoffs and the Pats hang 40 on the again. Then there is the Tebow Broncos. They were riding a 7 game win streak when the Pats came to Denver and trounced them. Then they beat the #1 defense in Pitt with Tebow setting *gasp* passing records and then come into Gillette and the Pats trounce them again. And then going back to 2003/2004. The Colts and Manning come to Gillette with Manning's 49 TDs and put up 14. The following year after Manning secured another League MVP they put up 3. Again, the Pats have a way of making post-season teams seem very unreal. It has been the case for the last 13 years ...

I was talking post season. That texans team started out 11-1 last season and have been going down hill ever since. They damn near lost the South to a very so so Colts team.

Don't try to defend that tebow team again. They beat a steelers team that was totally decimated by injuries. If it wasn't for a boneheaded play by the Bears running back they wouldn't have even been in the playoffs.

And yes, beating the Colts a decade ago was impressive, but that's my point....it was a decade ago.

[amfootball]

I was talking post season. That texans team started out 11-1 last season and have been going down hill ever since. They damn near lost the South to a very so so Colts team.

Don't try to defend that tebow team again. They beat a steelers team that was totally decimated by injuries. If it wasn't for a boneheaded play by the Bears running back they wouldn't have even been in the playoffs.

And yes, beating the Colts a decade ago was impressive, but that's my point....it was a decade ago.

Are you serious? All playoff wins are tough and impressive. Ask Manning who has the most one and done's to teams he should have beat. But my larger point is that even if you want to say the teams were not great, the Pats smoked them - the Texans, the Broncos. And of course they beat the Ravens two years ago who were a better all around team then the Pats. That is what good teams do - they trounce the teams they are better than and beat the tough teams as well.

[BOTT]

Are you serious? All playoff wins are tough and impressive. Ask Manning who has the most one and done's to teams he should have beat. But my larger point is that even if you want to say the teams were not great, the Pats smoked them - the Texans, the Broncos. And of course they beat the Ravens two years ago who were a better all around team then the Pats. That is what good teams do - they trounce the teams they are better than and beat the tough teams as well.

Not all playoff wins are tough and impressive. Sometimes you get a cupcake. I doubt any team is fearing the Colts come playoff time. I give the pats credit for beating the ravens a couple season ago, even though I thought the patriots were outplayed and got lucky in the end.

[amfootball]

Not all playoff wins are tough and impressive. Sometimes you get a cupcake. I doubt any team is fearing the Colts come playoff time. I give the pats credit for beating the ravens a couple season ago, even though I thought the patriots were outplayed and got lucky in the end.

 

You play who you play. Like I said the Pats trounced the cupcakes which is what good teams do.

 

 

I like the Colts this season despite the last few times. They are a young team that plays to their level of competition. I am sure Pagano will remind them that they beat the some of the best teams in the NFL this year when the playoffs begin. I think you can beat KC at home which looks to be the WC match up. And then you would most likely go to Denver unless the sixth seed upsets the 3. I can see you getting in Manning's head again. Irsay will have some choice quotes I am sure for that game. ;)

[BOTT]

You play who you play. Like I said the Pats trounced the cupcakes which is what good teams do.

 

 

I like the Colts this season despite the last few times. They are a young team that plays to their level of competition. I am sure Pagano will remind them that they beat the some of the best teams in the NFL this year when the playoffs begin. I think you can beat KC at home which looks to be the WC match up. And then you would most likely go to Denver unless the sixth seed upsets the 3. I can see you getting in Manning's head again. Irsay will have some choice quotes I am sure for that game. ;)

Anything can happen, and the chiefs are the type of team one could grind out a ugly win against, but as bad as the offense has looked lately, the defense has looked worse.

[Mameluc]

Right now Bill better figure out how to get this team to get off to faster starts. He had no answer for Josh Gordon either as Talib could not handle him alone. The Cleveland game was ugly and it began with the coaching IMO.

the whole league is having issues with Josh Gordon...i still wish we would have taken him but i admid i didnt want to get him on the supplemental draft.

 

but man that dude is a beast.

[amfootball]

the whole league is having issues with Josh Gordon...i still wish we would have taken him but i admid i didnt want to get him on the supplemental draft.

 

but man that dude is a beast.

I wish the Pats traded for him when the Browns were shopping him.

[amfootball]

Anything can happen, and the chiefs are the type of team one could grind out a ugly win against, but as bad as the offense has looked lately, the defense has looked worse.

Ravens looked horrid at the end of last season. I think Colts could do a similar run but not sure yet about the coaching. But who knew Caldwell would morph Flacco into a Montana-like playoff run. Anything truly is possible.

[Mameluc]

I wish the Pats traded for him when the Browns were shopping him.

i know the whole trent richardson trade looks evern worse with that dude being available

[JerodMayo51]

Right now Bill better figure out how to get this team to get off to faster starts. He had no answer for Josh Gordon either as Talib could not handle him alone. The Cleveland game was ugly and it began with the coaching IMO.

 

im not sure there is a CB in the league right now that could handle Gordon alone.. the dude is big, physical and FAST.

[JerodMayo51]

I think Bill is a great coach and the best of the FA/cap era but something has been missing this year. This team has sputtered in every game. It's ability to start a game well has waned. If you want to chalk it up to injuries or all the new personnel fine but the O has been back together now for several weeks and the D has been playing with its new guys for most of the season. It is interesting to me that Bill as always scribbling on the sideline. I think he is modifying the game plan as the game goes along as I am not sure if he even knows what will work at the start of the game.

 

 

The unfortunate part is that we never got to have our "complete" team on the field at any given time this year.

 

At the start of the season, the defense was healthy and it was pretty great, playing at a very high level  The offense on the other hand was missing Gronk, Vereen and Amendola and only had Edelman as a veteran and the rest of the WRs were rookies.

 

By the time Gronk, Vereen and Amendola were back and healthy in the lineup to bolster the offense, the defense had sustained season ending injuries to their 2 best players and team captains, as well as their veteran FA pickup at DT in Kelly.

 

By the time the offense started to get going, the defense became a liability.  Now that Gronk is down and we're on our 3rd string RT, our defense is a liability and our offense is suspect and inconsistent.

 

It will be a miracle if this team can get to the SB this year.

[Snowglobe]

Broncos will prob play the Bengals, Colts or Chiefs. Gut feeling is Chiefs.

[amfootball]

im not sure there is a CB in the league right now that could handle Gordon alone.. the dude is big, physical and FAST.

I agree and too often Talib was alone on him. I like Talib a lot but he is still hampered by that hip and needs help against the beast receivers.

[amfootball]

The unfortunate part is that we never got to have our "complete" team on the field at any given time this year.

 

At the start of the season, the defense was healthy and it was pretty great, playing at a very high level  The offense on the other hand was missing Gronk, Vereen and Amendola and only had Edelman as a veteran and the rest of the WRs were rookies.

 

By the time Gronk, Vereen and Amendola were back and healthy in the lineup to bolster the offense, the defense had sustained season ending injuries to their 2 best players and team captains, as well as their veteran FA pickup at DT in Kelly.

 

By the time the offense started to get going, the defense became a liability.  Now that Gronk is down and we're on our 3rd string RT, our defense is a liability and our offense is suspect and inconsistent.

 

It will be a miracle if this team can get to the SB this year.

I agree it has been a tough year.

[southwest1]

I like Joe Flacco. He is not the GOAT , but the guy just wins. He has 61 wins in six seasons, which I believe is an NFL record. He seems to be able to beat some of the greatest on quite a few occasions, and gets his team far into the playoffs.

It's been an up and down season for Flacco and the Ravens thus far, but if they can get to the playoffs, they are dangerous , and a team no one wants to play. They have trouble winning on the road in the regular season, but are tough on the road in the playoffs. They have a brutal three game schedule left, but considering they blew up their team after the Super Bowl, they are not doing bad.

 

 

They've also just got one of their top targets back from injury in Dennis Pitta.  They are still dangerous!

Exactly Old Crow & JM51. Joe Flacco & the Ravens always manage to be in the thick of things when games really count. I don't consider Joe a great QB, but he always finds a way to be a thorn in the side of his competition & stick around. 

[chad72]

I agree and too often Talib was alone on him. I like Talib a lot but he is still hampered by that hip and needs help against the beast receivers.

 

Talib can deal with size better than with speed. DJax, T.Y.Hilton, Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon, and of course Megatron, those guys will give him more fits.

 

However, guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Demaryius Thomas who play bigger than fast, he can handle better, IMO.

[Shane Bond]

It has? You use the Texans last year who were 10-1 when they came to Gillette and the Pats hung 40+ on them. Then they meet again in the playoffs and the Pats hang 40 on the again. Then there is the Tebow Broncos. They were riding a 7 game win streak when the Pats came to Denver and trounced them. Then they beat the #1 defense in Pitt with Tebow setting *gasp* passing records and then come into Gillette and the Pats trounce them again. And then going back to 2003/2004. The Colts and Manning come to Gillette with Manning's 49 TDs and put up 14. The following year after Manning secured another League MVP they put up 3. Again, the Pats have a way of making post-season teams seem very unreal. It has been the case for the last 13 years ...

And Ravens showed up.

Yawn.

[Shane Bond]

The unfortunate part is that we never got to have our "complete" team on the field at any given time this year.

 

At the start of the season, the defense was healthy and it was pretty great, playing at a very high level  The offense on the other hand was missing Gronk, Vereen and Amendola and only had Edelman as a veteran and the rest of the WRs were rookies.

 

By the time Gronk, Vereen and Amendola were back and healthy in the lineup to bolster the offense, the defense had sustained season ending injuries to their 2 best players and team captains, as well as their veteran FA pickup at DT in Kelly.

 

By the time the offense started to get going, the defense became a liability.  Now that Gronk is down and we're on our 3rd string RT, our defense is a liability and our offense is suspect and inconsistent.

 

It will be a miracle if this team can get to the SB this year.

Are you setting up the stage with excuses for the failures which are to follow?.

Every team has injuries. Deal with it.

[JerodMayo51]

Are you setting up the stage with excuses for the failures which are to follow?.

Every team has injuries. Deal with it.

 

 

I have realistic expectations. I don't expect the the Patriots to win the Super Bowl this year because they've just lost too many of their core guys that pay off big time when its January and everything is on the line... You want those veteran star players who have been through it all before and learned from it, experienced it and know how to prepare and deal with it. Anything is possible though once you're in the playoffs, it just takes that magical string of 3-4 games and you're sitting on cloud 9 as the Champ of the world.

 

I'd say most that think of themselves as a knowledgable football fan knows that you can only sustain so many injuries to key cogs on your team before it starts to become too big a gap in talent to cover up for.  You can sustain a couple injuries to star players, but theres a reason those guys get paid at the top percentage of the league and take up a large percentage of the salary cap.  Its because they're extremely talented and some of the best at their position in the NFL, and in the case of Wilfork and Mayo, exceptional leaders that called the plays, assignments, gaps, etc..  they were like coaches out there, setting everyone up where they needed to be in real time and allowing the defense to be very flexible and react to the offenses personnel packages, formations, motion shifts, etc .  

 

 The Ravens will be a good test as to where this team is at because that team is starting to hit their stride and they have Pitta back in the lineup as well to attack the middle of the field, which should really help open things up and create more opportunities for Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones.  Hopefully Dennard can get healthy in time for that game, because it would allow Arrington to go back to covering the slot receiver as the nickel back which plays into his strengths as a player.  He's a better nickel back than he is a #2 outside CB.  I think if Dennard is healthy, we can just keep McCourty as the single deep safety and Gregory can roam around and contribute in stopping the run, blitzing and other various disguises with the linebackers to try and get in Flacco's head.

 

Jamie Collins matches up well in the passing game from the outside linebacker position athletically, but hes a rookie so mental mistakes can and will happen.  I expect him to be on the field a lot matching up on Pitta, Talib will probably man up on Torrey Smith and they'll have Dennard/Arrington matched up on Jacoby Jones with Devin McCourty playing the deep side of the field more towards Jones because of his speed.  That leaves Logan Ryan on Marlon Brown, which should be a good matchup between some rookies.

 

The one saving grace in losing Mayo is that we're actually pretty deep at linebacker, although a lot of our linebackers are situational type players but we have enough of them to really mix it up and create some decent matchups from the 2nd level of the defense.  The big question is the defensive line with the 2 rookies in the middle of it, matching up against Baltimore's offensive line with Ray Rice in the backfield. If they torch us on the ground with Rice like they did a few years ago in the playoffs, in Gilette Stadium, then we'll be in some trouble.

 

At the end of the day the Patriots have a shot, but their chances of contending against the other top teams like the Broncos, Seahawks, 49ers, Saints, Panthers, Chiefs, etc were significantly hurt when they lost Gronk for the season.  The defense really needs to step it up, but with 5 rookie starters that is going to be a big task for them, especially without their 2 best players and leaders in Mayo and Wilfork.

 

You can keep pretending like that doesn't affect a team if you'd like, but its obvious you're looking to instigate in just about every single post that you make.