Patriots 2018 Season

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Josh Gordon stepping away from the Patriots to "focus on his mental health."

I now feel sure that I ought to do the same, for the same reason.

What an awful season.

Only in New England, where people are so spoiled now that heading towards an 11-5 season is an "awful" season. 

Sheesh....

Let's hope Gordon is able to get the help he needs.

It's by no means assured that they will, in fact, finish 11-5. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them lose at least one of their final two games, with they way they've been playing.

And it's not just about the record; it's also about how they've arrived at that record. They've had some really bad losses, and in several of their wins either the offense or defense played quite badly.

Like PhoSita, I admit to being a spoiled fan, but the Pats have set a high bar, and there wasn't much (if any) reason to think they'd struggle as much as they have this season. Early on, sure, with Edelman suspended and the fact that New England usually starts slow, but back-to-back losses in December and not really having an identity this late in the season is bad.

[PhoSita]

Yeah, I feel that we can't laud the Patriots for being so great when things are going well, then when things fall apart and the team looks uncharacteristically undisciplined and lacking in talent in all three main areas, say "Well, they're better than a lot of the bad teams in the league, why are you complaining?"

I can be grateful for the memories of the last 15 years while also being annoyed / disappointed that they're no fun to watch in the present, when I expected them to be pretty good if not great.

[PhoSita]

Part of me was holding out hope since there are 0 teams who look unbeatable this year. So is this the end of Brady also? Old quarterbacks need explosive weapons. Its almost a guarantee that Bill isn't going to use draft capital on a dominant safety valve for Brady.

I have a feeling Brady is going to try to keep playing so long as his body lets him and the team's struggles can't be attributed primarily to any drop-off in his level of play.

So I think we've got at least one more season of Brady. 

At the same time, I kind of expect them to keep trying to roll things over and maintain this creaking, leaking ship until Brady retires.  So this season might be representative of what we should expect for the next season or two.

If that's the plan, I say go all-in -- do whatever it takes to load up the offense as much as possible.  Protect Brady at all costs and get him some better passing options.  Even if it means taking away from the defense.

If they're going to be a just-okay also-ran, let them at least be fun.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Part of me was holding out hope since there are 0 teams who look unbeatable this year. So is this the end of Brady also? Old quarterbacks need explosive weapons. Its almost a guarantee that Bill isn't going to use draft capital on a dominant safety valve for Brady.

I have a feeling Brady is going to try to keep playing so long as his body lets him and the team's struggles can't be attributed primarily to any drop-off in his level of play.

So I think we've got at least one more season of Brady. 

At the same time, I kind of expect them to keep trying to roll things over and maintain this creaking, leaking ship until Brady retires.  So this season might be representative of what we should expect for the next season or two.

If that's the plan, I say go all-in -- do whatever it takes to load up the offense as much as possible.  Protect Brady at all costs and get him some better passing options.  Even if it means taking away from the defense.

If they're going to be a just-okay also-ran, let them at least be fun.

I agree. It would be fun to at least see the Pats with a legit high-powered offense scoring 30+ every game. Right now it's like watching a bunch of former professional athletes playing a pickup game 10 years after they retired.

[Roy H.]

Part of me was holding out hope since there are 0 teams who look unbeatable this year. So is this the end of Brady also? Old quarterbacks need explosive weapons. Its almost a guarantee that Bill isn't going to use draft capital on a dominant safety valve for Brady.

I have a feeling Brady is going to try to keep playing so long as his body lets him and the team's struggles can't be attributed primarily to any drop-off in his level of play.

So I think we've got at least one more season of Brady. 

At the same time, I kind of expect them to keep trying to roll things over and maintain this creaking, leaking ship until Brady retires.  So this season might be representative of what we should expect for the next season or two.

If that's the plan, I say go all-in -- do whatever it takes to load up the offense as much as possible.  Protect Brady at all costs and get him some better passing options.  Even if it means taking away from the defense.

If they're going to be a just-okay also-ran, let them at least be fun.

That's why it never made sense to deal Cooks.

If you're going to go all-in with Brady, then you've got to build for the present.  It makes less sense to build for the future when you're going to be left with an old team and no franchise QB.

[PhoSita]

That's why it never made sense to deal Cooks.

If you're going to go all-in with Brady, then you've got to build for the present.  It makes less sense to build for the future when you're going to be left with an old team and no franchise QB.

Yeah, I think that was another example of one of Bill's arrogance with regard to believing he can always find somebody else off the scrap heap, free agency, or at the end of the draft to replace a talented skill player.

Nevermind that the Pats haven't drafted a WR or TE that became a regular part of the passing game in 5+ years.

[nickagneta]

Wow...so Patriot Nation is ready to jump off the "In Belichick and Brady We Trust" train straight into complaining about how unexciting this team is, how Belichick views roster construction, how 11 wins is a bad season and how it's time to give up on a season that isn't complete yet.

Did the Superbowls against St Louis and Atlanta tach us nothing? We can win any game, no matter how much prognosticators say we won't and no matter how much the game looks out of reach. That's what those SBs taught us. I'm going to wait to call this team dead until it actually is dead.

[celticsclay]

Wow...so Patriot Nation is ready to jump off the "In Belichick and Brady We Trust" train straight into complaining about how unexciting this team is, how Belichick views roster construction, how 11 wins is a bad season and how it's time to give up on a season that isn't complete yet.

Did the Superbowls against St Louis and Atlanta tach us nothing? We can win any game, no matter how much prognosticators say we won't and no matter how much the game looks out of reach. That's what those SBs taught us. I'm going to wait to call this team dead until it actually is dead.

I am not into complaining about belichick or brady at all. I also think we could still win the super bowl. That being said there are individual moves I haven't liked over the years, and some of them I have been proven right on. I didn't like the Cooks deal at the time given our window and brady's age and how hard it has been to find consistent production at wr throughout Brady's career. The deal looks even worse now.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Wow...so Patriot Nation is ready to jump off the "In Belichick and Brady We Trust" train straight into complaining about how unexciting this team is, how Belichick views roster construction, how 11 wins is a bad season and how it's time to give up on a season that isn't complete yet.

Did the Superbowls against St Louis and Atlanta tach us nothing? We can win any game, no matter how much prognosticators say we won't and no matter how much the game looks out of reach. That's what those SBs taught us. I'm going to wait to call this team dead until it actually is dead.

For me, it's not so much about jumping off the Brady/Belichick train as it is simply recognizing that the Pats have been far from their best this season (quite a bit below general expectations), some key decisions seem wrong in hindsight (trading Cooks, getting rid of Jones and Collins, not beefing up the D), and that the current iteration is kinda painful to watch. Sure, things can change, but they just lost their best deep threat, the O-line is (as usual) kinda bad, there's no real pass rush (again, as usual), and McDaniels seems to not want to call any plays besides runs up the middle and short passes.

[Neurotic Guy]

What is a little disconcerting is that this year has turned out to be a year without a dominant team heading into the final stretch.  If BB had loaded up this year, the AFC would be for the taking.  Even as mediocre as the Pats have looked lately, it is not inconceivable that the Pats can get a 2 seed and be in another AFC Championship game.   

[Neurotic Guy]

Pats looking terrible while up 15 on the Bills.  Never seen Brady look worse.  Running game is great today, but O-line cannot pass block. Brady has been bad AND he's had no time to throw.

[Neurotic Guy]

Philly edges Houston and Pats somehow end up in driver's seat for a bye.  Wow.  Still even have a shot at the 1-seed if KC loses in Seattle.

[jambr380]

Philly edges Houston and Pats somehow end up in driver's seat for a bye.  Wow.  Still even have a shot at the 1-seed if KC loses in Seattle.

Last week was ridiculous with the pre-snap penalties and that obviously threw everybody off their game, but the Miami game should be considered a 'win.' Yes, I know they didn't technically win, but they played the end of the game (until the very last play) just as every other team would - preparing for and assuming a win. There is a reason people are calling it a miracle - that just never ever happens in the NFL.

My point being, even though the Pats haven't looked pristine, they are essentially 11-4, and nobody would really fault them for losing on the road to a desperate Steelers team by one possession (and several realistic chances to tie). They may not be favorites to win the Super Bowl, but they have as good of a chance as any other team.

Unbelievably, after all this drama, the Pats [deservedly] are in line for a bye, then a home game against a faltering team that they've already beaten. The season may not have played out as people may have hoped, but it's a pretty great position in which to be.

Note, this could all drastically change with a loss to the Jets next weekend...eek, don't let that happen! 

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Philly edges Houston and Pats somehow end up in driver's seat for a bye.  Wow.  Still even have a shot at the 1-seed if KC loses in Seattle.

Last week was ridiculous with the pre-snap penalties and that obviously threw everybody off their game, but the Miami game should be considered a 'win.' Yes, I know they didn't technically win, but they played the end of the game (until the very last play) just as every other team would - preparing for and assuming a win. There is a reason people are calling it a miracle - that just never ever happens in the NFL.

My point being, even though the Pats haven't looked pristine, they are essentially 11-4, and nobody would really fault them for losing on the road to a desperate Steelers team by one possession (and several realistic chances to tie). They may not be favorites to win the Super Bowl, but they have as good of a chance as any other team.

Unbelievably, after all this drama, the Pats [deservedly] are in line for a bye, then a home game against a faltering team that they've already beaten. The season may not have played out as people may have hoped, but it's a pretty great position in which to be.

Note, this could all drastically change with a loss to the Jets next weekend...eek, don't let that happen! 

Well, that and the fact that "miracle" and "Miami" are alliterative. 

[Phantom255x]

So at the end of the day, the Dolphins and Steelers both receive karma as the Miami Miracle ultimately doesn't mean much (they got eliminated today, and we still keep the 2 seed thanks to PHI), and the Steelers beat us last week but lost today and thanks to BAL's win last night are OUT of the playoff picture right now

With that said though, I tend to agree with @neurotic...

Pats looking terrible while up 15 on the Bills.  Never seen Brady look worse.  Running game is great today, but O-line cannot pass block. Brady has been bad AND he's had no time to throw.

The O-Line actually hasn't been terrible, it's just you have to remember, Buffalo's defense is actually one of the best in the league (even Top-5), it's just their offense is terrible and that obviously showed today as well. Our O-Line is pretty mobile during a play and tends to give TB12 time. Brady on the other hand just looks sluggish. The offense as a whole has looked uncharacteristically bad as Edelman is dropping passes/getting flagged, Gronk is a shell of himself, and of course the turnovers. 1 bad INT from Brady, another INT courtesy of Gronk, and then a Burkhead fumble.

Philly edges Houston and Pats somehow end up in driver's seat for a bye.  Wow.  Still even have a shot at the 1-seed if KC loses in Seattle.

But with that said though, it's impressive how a 10-5 season so far with a 2 seed in our hand and some sluggish play is what we call a "down year" here 

Goes to show how impressive this team has been since the turn of the century!