2021 New England Patriots Thread

[Dove]

The defense was horrible. Poor tackling and no play making. Mac was not good but some of that was on the WR and line. All around bad game but hats off to the Bills, they looked great.

Last season they were playing so well I pegged them as SB Champs. Here we go again. They're really good.

 

[HeGotGame]

That's even worse I think, but probably just as accurate. I use Tannehill because Tannehill is one of those guys who needs to have all the pieces around him, which is where I think Jones falls into as a QB. Six of one, half dozen of the other I suppose.

Tannehill's game is built around his athleticism. Strong arm but not that accurate of a passer.

Mac and Kirk have the same arm strength, are both accurate, will not kill you on turnovers but will not elevate a team.

 

[Palatine]

It's going to take the Pats a while to catch up to the Bills. The Bills are really good and Mac may not be the answer.

 

[boba]

You probably didn't feel like that comment was a stretch to ask for from the Pats' D.

Ayup, the defense did not show up last night and was what I feared and expected. Note that on the Pats first drive, they screwed up on special teams too, starting from inside the 10.

 

[Deepster]

It's going to take the Pats a while to catch up to the Bills. The Bills are really good and Mac may not be the answer.

That’s interesting. A few pages back people had a Brady Vs Belichick Super Bowl matchup penciled in this year.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That’s interesting. A few pages back people had a Brady Vs Belichick Super Bowl matchup penciled in this year.

Seriously? I am a Pats fan, but I didn't expect that. Not once the Chiefs came back to life. I really don't see how the Titans handle the winner of KC-Buffalo, not sure they can handle the Bengals, but they just seem to win.

 

[HeGotGame]

Seriously? I am a Pats fan, but I didn't expect that. Not once the Chiefs came back to life. I really don't see how the Titans handle the winner of KC-Buffalo, not sure they can handle the Bengals, but they just seem to win.

It was October but they already beat both of them this year and they are finally getting healthy again. Much different team with Henry and AJ Brown out there. Both Bills and Chiefs have average to bad run Ds. This is a much better Titans team than the one who went to the the AFC championship two years ago. I think they have a real shot at the SB.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Bumping this as there is no 2022 thread.

Patriots have been a hot mess on offense, but there are some encouraging signs. The two rookie RBs looked solid and Mondre is a stud (hope his ankle is ok). Thornton is getting open, but Mac has no time. Marcus Jones is a really impactful player. This whole draft class is stellar. The offensive tackle situation is a complete disaster. Three are out with injuries and Trent Brown has been terrible.

Uche is player of the week in the AFC. I'm glad they are finally getting him reps. Barmore should be back this week and I think we'll see the defense dominate again.

The last four games are brutal. @Vegas, Cinci, Miami, @Buffalo. I think they can lose all four, and can win 3 (not winning in Buffalo). The Jets and Dolphins also have a rough closing schedule. Miami has: @Buffalo, GB, @NE, Jets. Jets: Lions, Jags, @Seattle, @Miami. That Lions game doesn't look easy anymore, and the Jags are playing better.

Chargers have a much easier path than any AFC East team.

 

[HeGotGame]

Putting aside how cringeworthy it is when 60 year olds try to sound like Dave Portnoy, a quick google search revealed this link, so it's obviously not quite "bananaland."

Mac Jones by the numbers: Patriots rookie quarterback on pace to rewrite record books in Year One

Jones is having one of the best starts for a quarterback in NFL history

www.cbssports.com

I think the empirical evidence bears out that the two most important attributes in a successful NFL quarterback are accuracy and decision-making, and Jones excels at both of those things. The rest is almost entirely the organization, coaching, etc. that he lands in. Jones is well positioned there, too. He could have ended up in an organization like the JETS and all the accuracy and decision-making prowess in the world wouldn't save him. I think people who study the position agree that there is no such thing as a "can't miss NFL quarterback," but Jones has all the variables in the place to have a very good NFL career.

Only QB with a lower QBR than Mac is Baker. Him and Kenny Pickett are the only QB to play over 10 games and have more INTs then TDs. He is a bottom 5 QB in the league. I tried to contextualize his rookie stats last year but most Pats fans were unwilling, or unable (most likely) to understand that they were frankly nothing special and were not a sign of a future franchise QB. Well, maybe now they understand. He stinks.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

Only QB with a lower QBR than Mac is Baker. Him and Kenny Pickett are the only QB to play over 10 games and have more INTs then TDs. He is a bottom 5 QB in the league. I tried to contextualize his rookie stats last year but most Pats fans were unwilling, or unable (most likely) to understand that they were frankly nothing special and were not a sign of a future franchise QB. Well, maybe now they understand. He stinks.

I don't think Mac is the guy either, but the play calling all season has been horrendous. I'm willing to give Mac another year with a new play caller and see if anything changes. Or one "Last Dance" with Brady next year!? lol

 

[Husky25]

I don't think Mac is the guy either, but the play calling all season has been horrendous. I'm willing to give Mac another year with a new play caller and see if anything changes. Or one "Last Dance" with Brady next year!? lol

I think the jury is still out on Mac. He had one of the best play callers in terms of knowing what his QB is capable of and calling the correct play at the right time to what he has now. There is no good reason other than ego (Not a good reason), for either Patricia or Judge to be on the offensive side of the ball, let alone calling plays.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't think Mac is the guy either, but the play calling all season has been horrendous. I'm willing to give Mac another year with a new play caller and see if anything changes. Or one "Last Dance" with Brady next year!? lol

There's quite a bit of evidence to suggest that it isn't really all Mac's fault, nor even just the playcalling. There are just a lot of broken things in the offense. The OL is a disaster, with a 4th string RT picked off another team's practice squad. Pressure rate is very high. The receivers are dropping balls. They are also constantly running routes that are not well spaced, and they don't look back when they need to. After Further Review: Why did the Patriots Passing Offense Struggle vs. the Raiders on Sunday?

Have to revamp the whole thing. New OC. New OTs. New WRs. Then see if he can succeed.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

There's quite a bit of evidence to suggest that it isn't really all Mac's fault, nor even just the playcalling. There are just a lot of broken things in the offense. The OL is a disaster, with a 4th string RT picked off another team's practice squad. Pressure rate is very high. The receivers are dropping balls. They are also constantly running routes that are not well spaced, and they don't look back when they need to. After Further Review: Why did the Patriots Passing Offense Struggle vs. the Raiders on Sunday?

Have to revamp the whole thing. New OC. New OTs. New WRs. Then see if he can succeed.

completely agree!

 

[crazyUCfan23]

I think the jury is still out on Mac. He had one of the best play callers in terms of knowing what his QB is capable of and calling the correct play at the right time to what he has now. There is no good reason other than ego (Not a good reason), for either Patricia or Judge to be on the offensive side of the ball, let alone calling plays.

Patricia/Judge need to get punted to the sun

 

[Husky25]

Patricia/Judge need to get punted to the sun

Interesting that they are not still coaching their prior teams, seeing as those franchises (and fanbases, by extension) are so unconcerned with winning.

 

[HuskyHawk]

completely agree!

Which is not to say that Mac has been good, he's made bad reads, bad throws and hasn't been good. But I think it's just chaos right now.

Said to my wife during the game, the biggest difference with Zappe wasn't that he was better, it's that he just ran the play. Mac is out there like Peyton Manning or Brady making loads of pre-snap adjustments on every play. Guys are in bad spots, the play clock runs down making it easier for the defense to time the snap, he's overdoing it. He doesn't trust the play call and the protection and his pre-snap reads aren't helping. Some of the play calls are lame, but it's not as terrible as people think either. But nobody is on the same page.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

Which is not to say that Mac has been good, he's made bad reads, bad throws and hasn't been good. But I think it's just chaos right now.

Said to my wife during the game, the biggest difference with Zappe wasn't that he was better, it's that he just ran the play. Mac is out there like Peyton Manning or Brady making loads of pre-snap adjustments on every play. Guys are in bad spots, the play clock runs down making it easier for the defense to time the snap, he's overdoing it. He doesn't trust the play call and the protection and his pre-snap reads aren't helping. Some of the play calls are lame, but it's not as terrible as people think either. But nobody is on the same page.

That all makes sense. How would you feel about the return of Brady and Bill O'Brien as OC/playcaller? Not saying that's realistic, just interested in what you think about that hypothetical

 

[HuskyHawk]

That all makes sense. How would you feel about the return of Brady and Bill O'Brien as OC/playcaller? Not saying that's realistic, just interested in what you think about that hypothetical

If Bill and staff think Mac isn't the guy, and I mean, they are convinced he's a career backup, maybe even a + level backup like Nick Foles, then fine, whatever. I think it's wasting time to bring Tom back but ok, for nostalgia sake. They aren't winning anything with 46 year old Tom, no team is. If they think Mac can be a good starting QB, even if not a great one, then no, you don't mess with that. Pats don't pick at #15 often, and aren't spending on Lamar Jackson (nor should they).

I'd let Nick Caley call the plays, starting this week. Should have had that job all year. Not sure another former HC is the answer. The offense isn't cohesive. As for Judge, he was a great special teams coach, and should be again. ST have been awful.

 

[HeGotGame]

Interesting that they are not still coaching their prior teams, seeing as those franchises (and fanbases, by extension) are so unconcerned with winning.

Be smarter. They don't stop watching and caring because they lose. Fact a 2022 thread for Pats started this week is a great example. But great job missing the point and potentially railroading this thread.

 

[Husky25]

Be smarter. They don't stop watching and caring because they lose. Fact a 2022 thread for Pats started this week is a great example. But great job missing the point and potentially railroading this thread.

Sure thing.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Well that was certainly something. I’m not sure what but holy hell how much weird bad and good can occur in a single game.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I’m not sure if this makes it even more painful or not, but with the Dolphins losing, the Patriots control their destiny. The Miami game next week is huge. I’d like to see them play like they did the second half vs Cinci for a whole game.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Which is not to say that Mac has been good, he's made bad reads, bad throws and hasn't been good. But I think it's just chaos right now.

Said to my wife during the game, the biggest difference with Zappe wasn't that he was better, it's that he just ran the play. Mac is out there like Peyton Manning or Brady making loads of pre-snap adjustments on every play. Guys are in bad spots, the play clock runs down making it easier for the defense to time the snap, he's overdoing it. He doesn't trust the play call and the protection and his pre-snap reads aren't helping. Some of the play calls are lame, but it's not as terrible as people think either. But nobody is on the same page.

It’s on nobody but Mac that he can’t throw accurately beyond 15 yards, and anything beyond 30 looks like a dead duck

Just doesn’t have the pro talent. Just about everyone knew it coming out of the draft.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It’s on nobody but Mac that he can’t throw accurately beyond 15 yards, and anything beyond 30 looks like a dead duck

Just doesn’t have the pro talent. Just about everyone knew it coming out of the draft.

He threw a perfect deep ball to Thornton, who dropped it. He‘s quite an accurate deep ball passer, as he was at Bama, the problem is getting him time.

 

[HeGotGame]

He threw a perfect deep ball to Thornton, who dropped it. He‘s quite an accurate deep ball passer, as he was at Bama, the problem is getting him time.

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