Are The Patriots Back?

[RobertWeathers]

We sucked last year but things are looking up this year.

I think we'll make the playoffs but having a rookie QB is historically a limiting factor.

Really appreciated the battles with you guys in 2018 and 2019.

Who knows what the future holds?

[CoMoChief]

They're playing well enough (currently) to be a WC team.

Their defense is playing very well.

Not sold on Mac Jones yet.

[Mennonite]

Estimated time until they are caught cheating again: 1 month

Estimated time until the NFL sweeps it under the rug: I month 5 minutes.



The five minutes in between are going to be awesome though.

[Mile High Mania]

Back meaning where Tom left them.. hell no.

Back to a playoff conversation. Yes, for now. Mac has played well, but I haven't seen enough of their games to say one way or the other really. They've done better than I thought they would.

[Bugeater]

God I ****ing hope not.

[stevegroganfan]

Originally Posted by tredadda

One of the things the Pats do well, primarily because of Bill is they make average defenders look good. It's no surprise that a large number of defensive players look good in NE and bomb outside of that system. It is similar to Andy and offensive players. Because the Pats can do that, they can get away with not paying top dollar for their defense.

Good point. It seems like Belichick prioritizes players with versatility, toughness, and smarts on defense. With the versatile players, he had more options to scheme and try to limit the opposing team's strengths.

[ThyKingdomCome15]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I came in here to see if every post was "**** the cheating patriots and their cheating". I must say that I'm a little disappointed. I thought we were all on the same page on this.

If Brady was still a Patriot then that's exactly what you would have found. Baby face Mac Jones just doesn't boil the blood like Brady did when he was there.

[Red Dawg]

Originally Posted by ThyKingdomCome15

If Brady was still a Patriot then that's exactly what you would have found. Baby face Mac Jones just doesn't boil the blood like Brady did when he was there.

The difference is the media is not gives Jones the total reason they win. Brady got all the sobbing for everything. He is sooo over hyped and has ridden many defenses over the years and still got the lion share of the credit even when he played like shit. Last years GB game is a prime example.

[stevegroganfan]

Originally Posted by tredadda

I wouldn't be concerned about their defense. It is good no doubt as most Belichick defenses are, but Reid abuses those defenses. He has done it with Mahomes and with Smith before Mahomes.

I believe BB is undefeated against Reid in the playoffs having beaten Philly with McNabb, Smith and Mahomes. All fairly close games from what I can remember. In regular season, Reid I believe now has an advantage 4 games to 3.

What is probably most informative is Belichick through the years has gotten a little bit better at defending Mahomes.

When/if the Chiefs-Patriots matchup, it should be a great game.

[BWillie]

They lead the league in point differential, I'd say they are back. This is all the while playing Mac Jones with training wheels for alot of the season. Lately they are letting him throw down the field a little bit more.

Pats in Foxboro would not be fun.

[stevegroganfan]

Originally Posted by Red Dawg

The difference is the media is not gives Jones the total reason they win. Brady got all the sobbing for everything. He is sooo over hyped and has ridden many defenses over the years and still got the lion share of the credit even when he played like shit. Last years GB game is a prime example.

At this point as a Patriots fan, I'd love for Brady to be overrated since the Patriots will probably be playing him if they make the SB. If he isn't the GOAT, then Mac Jones will probably win 3 or 4 Super Bowls before Belichick retires since after all, Patriots have Jones for 4 cost controlled years while Patriots just had Brady for 3 really inexpensive years in terms of salary. And those 3 years just had him as a starter for 2 and Bledsoe's contract was sucking up cap space that could have been used on other players.

Brady was underrated for years and didn't get the recognition that he truly deserved nationally until he showed what he would do with a true #1 receiver.

10 Super Bowl appearances. 7 wins including one relatively recent win without Gronk. In his 3 losses which were all close games, Patriots had key star players injured and either out or playing really hurt. Patriots don't use injuries as an excuse since other teams have them.

As for Green Bay game.

You gotta ask yourself, how Tampa won that game on the road with 31 points when the Packers contained the Bucs running game. 24 rushes for 76 yards.... Green Bay rushed more more yards.

Last years GB is an example of Brady's intelligence as a QB and his extreme focus on WINNING and not being overly focused on stats other than W's.

Having followed Brady for 20+ years, I have made the observation that he is just insanely good at understanding the situation and what is most likely to maximize whatever chances his team has of winning whether it be very small chance or a large chance.

In the Packers game, he intentionally threw up 4 especially risky passes that I am sure he somewhat recognized were in danger of possibly being picked.

2 of them were picked but ended up the equivalent of 2 really good 2nd and 10 and 3rd and 2 punts that really pinned Green Bay back like punts. And at least one of those plays may have avoided a sack. He wasn't bypassing a wide open player to take those shots down the field either.

1 was a pass to a covered Brate that neither Brate nor the defender caught.

Another was a very long pass caught by Chris Godwin eventually leading to points. That Godwin pass could have been picked without it being a surprise. It was a well thrown ball but a 60/40 ball at the end of the day.

So, on those plays which resulted in 2 picks/long punts and one big play, TB actually game out ahead than if Brady had played what some Chief fans (incorrectly or correctly) think of Alex Smith ball.

His 3rd pick on 3rd and 2 was the only pick that was somewhat costly one since it cost the Bucs a chance at around a 48 yard FG attempt and that pick ended up only being equivalent of around a 12 yard punt with no return. So, that pick cost the Bucs 2 points let's estimate since Bucs very good kicker probably makes that kick outdoors on the road in the playoffs a little over 2 out of 3 times but in the scenario in which he misses the FG, Brady's INT is actually better than an incomplete pass/missed FG....

What Brady did in that game by throwing it early when he sensed Green Bay pressure was avoid sacks, lessen the chance for offensive line holding penalties and even strip sacks. All of these things tend to stall drives and sometimes lose Super Bowls. Brady getting stripped sacked vs the Eagles cost the Patriots a chance to tie the game vs the Eagles so he knows darn well how costly sacks/strip sacks can be at times in the playoffs.

He never put the defense in a truly short field at all in the entire Bucs game while Rodgers did on on his 1 INT from what I can remember.

[notorious]

This pile of shit thread can get ****ed.

[Spott]

Imagine having nothing better to do than to go to another team’s message board and taking the time to post a term paper on something nobody gives a shit about.

[Hammock Parties]

Chris Jones would make Mac shit down his leg.

[stevegroganfan]

Originally Posted by Spott

Imagine having nothing better to do than to go to another team’s message board and taking the time to post a term paper on something nobody gives a shit about.

Football discussion is a little more lively with folks on opposing boards. Chiefs fans are the nastiest and most arrogant so I guess that is one of the reasons why I post here more than all other football boards combined. I don't really bother to post much on Patriots boards since the discussions of why the Patriots suck at drafting receivers but are good at drafting/acquiring defensive backs get a little tiresome.

[Deberg_1990]

Chiefs vs Pats AFC Championship would be a doozy