The Official NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS OFFSEASON Thread

[DeadsetAce]

awesome to finally win a game where brady is off his game. hats off to our defense today...gave up yards, but made the key stops when we needed them. helluva effort on that side of the ball.


we're headed to indy fellas

 

[Lì Qí]

All we do is win win win no matter what haha

 

[DeadsetAce]

what are you guys thinking of doing for the game? anyone watching it out? or y'all probably heading to SB parties?

 

[misterp0315]

Well...if any NTers are coming to Indianapolis, we can meet up. I live here.

Can't believe you bastards are coming here.

- Colts Fan

 

[rolaholic]

Originally Posted by DeadsetAce

what are you guys thinking of doing for the game? anyone watching it out? or y'all probably heading to SB parties?

There's gonna be 3 big "official" Superbowl parties being held in the 3 major cities up here so I'll probably hit up the one in Montreal with my buddies but not before I fight to the bone trying to snag 2 tickets to the game. I'll most likely fail though 

 

[DeadsetAce]

bob kraft is definitely hammered

rolly i keep forgetting you live up by montreal

misterP i have a friend trying to convince me to go to indy...but i dont think im dropping 2G to sit in the upper level

 

[DeadsetAce]

had about 24 hours to take this one in, along with the giants win, and get some perspective from a lot of fans/analysts...

first off, the pats and giants played pretty much the same team in the ravens/niners. they both faced two big time defenses, two ground games, and two QBs who can keep their team in it but have trouble with the killshot. both the pats and giants BARELY escaped. both teams relied on a couple "gifts" or lucky bounces to win their games. VERY SIMILAR. but, good teams and championship teams get those breaks. you need them to get this far in the playoffs. not taking anything away from either squad.

as far as positives that we can take away, the defense's performance down the stretch was solid. ravens had the ball in our end 3 times on their last 3 possession and didnt get a point. they got some decent pressure on flacco. started the game brilliantly as well. all of this with the offense having an off day. of course, it was joe flacco. it'll be a lot tougher versus the giants. the other huge positive, or glass half full view, is that tom brady probably has never been as motivated to win a game. redemption, on a couple levels. 2007, week 9 this year, and this ravens game we just played. he needs to perform and he knows it. field goals won't beat the giants. that's a lot of motivation, in addition to the fact that he knows his career isn't going to last forever. when he started, it was superbowl after superbowl. but i think since 2007 and his knee injury, he know how hard it is to get to this game. not that he took it for granted, but he probably understands and appreciates how tough it really is. i expect him to be on a mission.

looking to the big game, my early feeling tells me it's going to come down to a couple things:
1) defense: can the rush get to eli? if not...get ready for a track meet. he honestly could go for 5 or 6 TDs against our secondary if they don't get to him.
2) our offensive line versus their front seven. they killed us last time in 2007. KILLED us. no clue what happened because the best offensive line went to garbage during that game. it was last area i expected to fail in.

 

[nooera]

Good post DSA

As for me im confident that our D will show up like they did yesterday and Brady will return to regular form and NE wins fairly easy . I agree that Brady's on a mission and I just dont see BB letting this one slip away. We'll see though

Yah their defensive front is a problem but i think our O-line got this.

As for what im doing Im most likely going to lock myself in my house with some

No alcohol though I want to keep my head clear for this one

Its awesome that this team made it this far . But the The trophy is ours for the taking and anything less will be devastating

 

[nooera]

Also hopefully Gronks ankle is straight. Surely he'll play but let's hope it's at 100%

 

[DeadsetAce]

^ yeah i'm with you on the whole it's amazing we've made it this far part. really didn't expect it mid season when it looked like we can't win the close ones. but the team is finding ways to win and making plays when needed. as much as people are blaming lee evans for "dropping" that ball, sterling moore made a helluva play to knock it loose. heads up football.

 

[nooera]

Yerp wasn't looking too good for us with our D but I think they showed they're legit yesterday and im glad theres no Rodgers/Brees. Only way it could have worked out better is if Houston beat Baltimore and SF beat NY but !*$$ it we have a clear path to this trophy and it will be sweet as hell to cement this Kraft BB TB legacy as GOAT and put all this SpyGate and Brady choking in the playoffs garbage talk to rest.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Updated: January 27, 2012, 5:56 PM ET

[h2]Dad: Rob Gronkowski will play[/h2]

Mark Schwarz reports from Foxborough, Mass., where Rob Gronkowski missed practice due to a high ankle sprain.Tags: NFL, Mark Schwarz, high ankle sprain

The father of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said his son has a high ankle sprain, an injury that typically takes some time to heal completely.

With 10 days until the Super Bowl against the New York Giants, the Patriots held Gronkowski out of practice Thursday and Friday. He was also listed, along with 12 other Patriots, as questionable for the Super Bowl.

Gronkowski's father, Gordy Gronkowski, told WIVB-TV in western New York that his son had the high ankle sprain but also said that his son would be ready to go for the game.

Gronkowski injured the ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's AFC Championship Game win over the Baltimore Ravens. He limped off the field but returned to the game about five minutes later. He said after the game that his ankle was "good."

The tight end has been spotted in a walking boot in recent days.

"I'm not going to try to forecast what it will be 10 days from now," coach Bill Belichick said Thursday. "We'll just take it day by day."

Thursday was the first practice for the Patriots as they prepare for the Super Bowl, and Gronkowski is a big part of their offense. He had 90 catches for 1,327 yards, and his 17 touchdown receptions is an NFL single-season record for a tight end.

When asked Thursday whether he thought his favorite target would be able to play in the Super Bowl, quarterback Tom Brady wasn't making any predictions.

"I have no idea. I'm not sure. I think everyone deals with bumps and bruises this time of year," Brady said. "It's the Super Bowl and we're all trying to get out there and be healthy. It's tough to miss this game. You put all the work in over the course of the entire year to have the opportunity to play in this game, everyone is going to do everything they can to be out there."

Friday was the first practice in full pads. Thursday's was held in light shoulder pads and sweatpants.

Patriots listed as having limited participation in practice and being questionable were: Deion Branch (knee), Marcus Cannon (ankle), Patrick Chung (knee), Dane Fletcher (thumb), James Ihedigbo (shoulder), Kyle Love (ankle), Logan Mankins (knee), Rob Ninkovich (hip), Brandon Spikes (knee), Sebastian Vollmer (back/foot), Wes Welker (knee) and Tracy White (abdomen).

Information from ESPNBoston.com's Mike Rodak and Mike Reiss, and The Associated Press was used in this report.




why's his dad talking? keep your pie-hole shut, old man

 

[DeadsetAce]

let's go!!!! time to do work and finish this season out strong

 

[DeadsetAce]

that one is going to burn for a bit. we had it, and we blew it, like last time. we literally dropped that win into the garbage. i know, it's not fair to blame wes or any of the receivers for the drops...but in crunch time that was difference. their receivers made plays and ours didn't. in reality there's a whole number of the things to pin that loss on, but none of it matters. we lost. on one hand i can't believe we made it that far, but on the other, it was the easiest road to number 4 that we could have asked for. you have to chalk it up as another fail.

i feel for wes, he had an amazing year, but people will just remember the drop and him with his head on the turf cursing himself. people won't remember the fumbles we didn't recover, the dumb penalties that gave the giants points, etc etc. they'll remember that drop by wes. the pass wasn't perfect by any means, but it wasn't awful by any means either. it's a catch he's made regularly. it hit him square in the middle of BOTH hands. it sucks, definitely feel for him.

the defense came along way this year. but they didn't come far enough. it wasn't a championship defense. it wasn't a defense that could just shut down scoring drives. we had our biggest budding star regress, but we saw dudes like arrington, moore, and spikes take steps forward. we need some more pieces, both veteran and young, but im hopeful we can get improve next year.

brady had a helluva year, but his decision making at times has been terrible. the INT deep against baltimore and the INT yesterday were just stupid stupid throws. yesterday especially...he had an EASY 15-20 yard run if he just tucked it and ran toward and up the sideline. it was all pretty uncharacteristic of him, but oh well. maybe it's the pressure of knowing you need to score high 20s to win. who knows. but it needs to change. all that said, without him, we're no where near the superbowl. i just hope this burns and gets him fired up. let it burn for a while, man.

congrats to the giants and their fans. they deserved it.



but moving on...offseason priorities:

1) wes welker...sign him or tag him, don't really care. but keep him.
2) keep aaron hernandez from getting arrested
3) put a god damn muzzle on gisele
4) draft defense, defense, defense, and OL
5) get ocho on the same page. it's a shame he couldn't do more for this team. hopefully he puts in MAJOR work with tom this offseason

 

[rolaholic]

Originally Posted by DeadsetAce

that one is going to burn for a bit. we had it, and we blew it, like last time. we literally dropped that win into the garbage. i know, it's not fair to blame wes or any of the receivers for the drops...but in crunch time that was difference. their receivers made plays and ours didn't. in reality there's a whole number of the things to pin that loss on, but none of it matters. we lost. on one hand i can't believe we made it that far, but on the other, it was the easiest road to number 4 that we could have asked for. you have to chalk it up as another fail.

i feel for wes, he had an amazing year, but people will just remember the drop and him with his head on the turf cursing himself. people won't remember the fumbles we didn't recover, the dumb penalties that gave the giants points, etc etc. they'll remember that drop by wes. the pass wasn't perfect by any means, but it wasn't awful by any means either. it's a catch he's made regularly. it hit him square in the middle of BOTH hands. it sucks, definitely feel for him.

the defense came along way this year. but they didn't come far enough. it wasn't a championship defense. it wasn't a defense that could just shut down scoring drives. we had our biggest budding star regress, but we saw dudes like arrington, moore, and spikes take steps forward. we need some more pieces, both veteran and young, but im hopeful we can get improve next year.

brady had a helluva year, but his decision making at times has been terrible. the INT deep against baltimore and the INT yesterday were just stupid stupid throws. yesterday especially...he had an EASY 15-20 yard run if he just tucked it and ran toward and up the sideline. it was all pretty uncharacteristic of him, but oh well. maybe it's the pressure of knowing you need to score high 20s to win. who knows. but it needs to change. all that said, without him, we're no where near the superbowl. i just hope this burns and gets him fired up. let it burn for a while, man.

congrats to the giants and their fans. they deserved it.



but moving on...offseason priorities:

1) wes welker...sign him or tag him, don't really care. but keep him.
2) keep aaron hernandez from getting arrested
3) put a god damn muzzle on gisele
4) draft defense, defense, defense, and OL
5) get ocho on the same page. it's a shame he couldn't do more for this team. hopefully he puts in MAJOR work with tom this offseason

Can't repeat this enough and you pretty much summed up everything on my mind,well said. This'll sting for a while 

 

[trynafeelmink]

Honestly as far as the draft goes NE has been picking up defensive players and they havent really panned out. I think this secondary needs at least two veteran starters or a great pass rusher

As far as Wes goes yes he's an absolutely good player, but if we have to break the bank for him i say let him go and spend that money on more defense. With Gronk & Hernandez i truly believe that Wes role can be replaced by a player for cheaper

This is our Draft picks coming up this year

Updated: February 5th, 2012

1st Round (Pick 27) (via New Orleans)
1st Round (Pick 31)
2nd Round (Pick 4 (via Oakland)
2nd Round (Pick 63)
3rd Round (Pick 94)
4th Round (TBD)

Two first rounders, 2 second rounders a third and a fourth... the pats have to get something done

 

[nooera]

Nice re-cap Ace . On point with everything you said.

Let's regroup and get ready for next year. Honestly, I only see the Pats Defense getting better.

 

[nooera]

And I too still have faith in Ochocinco. He carried himself excellent this year by all accounts. Its not a matter of conditioning or discipline. SO hopefully he hits them books hard and comes back nxt year with the playbook photographically instilled in his mind

 

[DeadsetAce]

yeah as far as the defense and draft picks, they have been taking defensive players...but like you said, they've been missing on those picks. they need to start hitting on those picks. and that all starts with forgetting about this whole value crap they use. use those high picks and take a stud...stop trading down and getting "value" picks.

 

[bjm5295]

somewhat disagree on defense, we need to upgrade, but i think it needs to be OLDER. whats the avg. age of our D? like 25?

we need a vet or two in the LB core and the secondary. the D line is fine to me, if carter comes back alright.

tag welker. or sign him. just make sure he isnt wearing an 83 somewhere else.

make brady trust ocho stinko. i cant help but think a little more action his way would have brought out way more production.

 

[jbug88]

I think we need to re-tool our entire secondary.
and we need a "skinny" D-linemen.
We need a speed pass rusher...kind of like, oh I don't know, the Giants...
those guys up front for the Giants have won them 2 Super Bowls against our team.
Anderson seemed to disappear too much and Carter got hurt.

-J-

 

[DeadsetAce]

yeah we still need an elite level pass rusher. even carter wasn't consistent enough when he was out there. anderson is and should be a backup. shaun ellis a complete waste of space. DE, OLB, CB, S...we need it all

 

[runningfishy]

Here's my take on this team and I've posted it before in the Super Bowl forum.

The Patriots need work on 2 things. They need to establish a 'deep' threat and find a receiver w/ length. Either get Chad Ocho involved by re-doing the offense, or bring in a Randy Moss type player. W/o length on the deep end, they'll struggle when something like this happens. To say the least, they could push a bit more and mirror what the Saints have been doing, w/o neglecting their two Tight End Stars.

On the Defensive end, I agree w/ what's been said about bringing in a LB or DB. Though Sterling Moore looks decent, and he's just a rookie, the secondary is exposed because of the front. If you give Brady, Rodgers or Brees THAT MUCH TIME, no DB in the world is going to keep up w/ a deep threat. Therefore, they need the pass rush and some secondary improvement. When you have edlemen playing LB, that's a sign of how hurt your defense has become.

On the positives though. The 2 tight ends are very promising and are very young and athletic. Ben Jarvis has emerged as a dependable back. Maybe sign Matt Forte + Deshawn Jackson? LOLZ

Can Hoyer throw?!

 

[dat exclusive cat]

Law Firm is a year removed of being a 1000 yd rusher. I dont know of another rb who ran for a 1000yds and didnt fumble. With that being said in games like this we need to run the ball effectively. I believe maroney had 36 yds rushing last time we met the giants? We have to bring law firm back.

We were right there in getting some big takeaways. they fumbled 3 times and we shot ourselves in the foot on the first fumble. Mayo on the Cruz td was also a big play. I know our d has been shakey all year but we buckled down in the playoffs and with a young d they will feed off of that. Does anyone else besides myself think ras-i will actually be pretty good? I dont want us to draft a cb nor pursue one to heavily in the off season. Hopefully mccourty goes back to his rookie year play.

We def need a big play receiver to go down the field. ESP if josh mcdaniels is our offensive coordinator. Vincent jackson, D. Bowe probably wouldnt happen but im cool with Colston, Meachum or Brandon Llyod.
I will admit i dont want alot of College FB so i dont know whose out there who we can realistically get but we def need a pass rush. I think we should address that FIRST.

This one will sting for awhile thats true. What hurts even more is to see guys on our team deflated(minus partyboy gronk) and just know that we are at the end of our sb contending era.

 

[runningfishy]

^^ Most teams and players consider it a run, not the Patriots though. That's the difference that many people don't understand.

Is our backup 'decent'?! Moyer? LOL