Patriots 2023 Season

[celticsclay]

Mac Jones was a good QB for the first half of his rookie year.  Then the Bills game happened and he has gotten considerably worse since.  I know you all think I'm crazy because I attribute that game to the beginning of the end of Mac Jones in NE.  But, I absolutely maintain you cannot tell the world that you have so little faith in your QB's arm that you only throw the ball 3 times in a 4 point game.  Because you aren't just telling the world that, you are telling the QB and his teammates that you don't trust him to throw the ball. You can't have a QB that you don't trust.  Period. And Bill doesn't trust Mac and probably never has, but it was apparent to everyone, including Mac, after that Bills game.

I went and checked and yes, only 3 attempts in the rainy, windy game in Buffalo but the following game @Indy, Mac threw it 45 times.  Why would a coach who had lost confidence in a QB, throw it 45 times?  And even if Mac was pouting that he only got to throw 3 times, wouldn't he get over it with the 45 throws the next game (his average in his rookie season was about 30 attmp/gm)?

I think it is fair to say that Mac does not deal well with adversity and there has been plenty of adversity the last season or so.  At this point, Mac is a basket case.  He is not thinking straight on the field.  He is playing to not lose.  I don't think this is a coaching issue, it is just part of Mac's makeup.  A coach can try to protect the QB from adversity to a point but in the end, if the QB cannot deal with adversity, he is not going to be an NFL QB.

I think that game was a symptom of a problem that was brewing behind the scenes and has only gotten worse since.  I mean I almost equate to Simmons not dunking the ball with 3 minutes left in a playoff game.  That game itself wasn't the end of Simmons in Philly, but that game led to his coach throwing him under the bus to the media and made a private issue public, which did lead to the end of Simmons in Philly.  What should have been a private team issue was made into a public problem and ruined the relationship.  Bill didn't trust Mac's arm and he told the world that his QB can't throw the ball in bad weather (while the opposing QB threw it 30 times).  It was Bill telling the world that created the conflict and worsened the relationship, but the underlying issue is Bill just doesn't trust Mac and he never has. Without trust, you can't win in sports. And I also think that because Mac was a rookie drafted by Bill and they had no one else they could turn to, Bill was sort of stuck with Mac. It is Bill's terrible roster and coaching management that exacerbated the issue, which he has just made worse and worse with subsequent moves. He basically set Mac up to fail and can now blame Mac for his short comings (much like Doc did with Simmons). 

This isn't to say that I think Mac was ever going to be a great QB, I do not, but Mac should be somewhere in the high teen's if you were ranking QB's based on how the beginning of his rookie year went.  That is until his coach destroyed his confidence and made him a shell of the player he once was or could have been.

I’m also just genuinely asking you stop writing this. It is not getting any better by typing it more and it just doesn’t make sense. Let’s move on from it and who the pats can draft

[Moranis]

Nah... that's not it. How come Mac threw the ball 45 times the previous game and 32 times in the following game?

Because they can't run the ball every play against every team.  They did lose both those games though and Mac was a combined 40 of 76 (51.95%) with 2 TD's and 4 INT's with a rating of 56.4. The 12 games before the Bills game Mac was 268 of 381 (70.34%) with 16 TD's and 8 INT's with a rating of 97.1 and the Pats were 8-4.  Mac then had the strong game against the post-Meyer Jags, before losing the last 2 with a 1 to 1 TD to INT ratio though a better (though not as good as early) completion percentage. 

[SparzWizard]

A good day to be a Patriots fan as the Bears just beat the Vikings!

[Moranis]

A good day to be a Patriots fan as the Bears just beat the Vikings!

Yep. Bad loss for the Vikings. Still the 7th seed though. 

[Roy H.]

Why are so many teams playing conservatively?  It seems like fewer and fewer teams like to throw the ball downfield.

This year NFL teams, on average, are averaging 219.7 passing yards per game, the second lowest since 2010.  Total yards per game are the lowest since 2008. 

I mention this partially in defense of Justin Fields.  He's probably going to be on a new team next year, because he hasn't reached his potential.  But, you're taking a guy whose best skills are running, throwing deep, and creating plays, and you're asking him to constantly throw quick, short passes behind the line of scrimmage.  And, Chicago isn't the only team doing this. 

[wdleehi]

Why are so many teams playing conservatively?  It seems like fewer and fewer teams like to throw the ball downfield.

This year NFL teams, on average, are averaging 219.7 passing yards per game, the second lowest since 2010.  Total yards per game are the lowest since 2008. 

I mention this partially in defense of Justin Fields.  He's probably going to be on a new team next year, because he hasn't reached his potential.  But, you're taking a guy whose best skills are running, throwing deep, and creating plays, and you're asking him to constantly throw quick, short passes behind the line of scrimmage.  And, Chicago isn't the only team doing this.

Could be that the leagues defenses are doing more to keep everything in front of them.   More deep shells, less man to man.   

[Donoghus]

Why are so many teams playing conservatively?  It seems like fewer and fewer teams like to throw the ball downfield.

This year NFL teams, on average, are averaging 219.7 passing yards per game, the second lowest since 2010.  Total yards per game are the lowest since 2008. 

I mention this partially in defense of Justin Fields.  He's probably going to be on a new team next year, because he hasn't reached his potential.  But, you're taking a guy whose best skills are running, throwing deep, and creating plays, and you're asking him to constantly throw quick, short passes behind the line of scrimmage.  And, Chicago isn't the only team doing this.

Could be that the leagues defenses are doing more to keep everything in front of them.   More deep shells, less man to man.

I hate to be the "old man, get off my lawn" guy but it seems to me that the general quarterback play right now is in a trough period. 

[Moranis]

Lots of QB injuries don't help. No Rodgers, Burrow, Watson, Cousins, Jones, Tannehill, Jimmy G, Murray (for most of year).  Stafford has been banged up.  Plus there are several rookies and 2nd year guys playing, many of which were not exactly high draft picks.  And 2 of the franchise guys i.e. Lamar and Hurts aren't exactly known as prolific passers or play in heavy pass offenses.  Kelce has been hurt and the Chiefs WR's are bad affecting Mahomes numbers.

Teams that have remained healthy have very strong numbers like Tua, Dak, Goff, Allen (virtually identical to last year), Lawrence is up some, etc.

[SparzWizard]

I'd be devastated if the Chargers somehow lose in Foxboro this Sunday.

Being from LA, I've seen some Charger games the past few years to know they'll find ways to Charger themselves. If they Charger themselves against the Patriots...will be devastating.

[ozgod]

I'd be devastated if the Chargers somehow lose in Foxboro this Sunday.

Being from LA, I've seen some Charger games the past few years to know they'll find ways to Charger themselves. If they Charger themselves against the Patriots...will be devastating.

We'll find a way to Patriot ourselves though 

[SparzWizard]

I'd be devastated if the Chargers somehow lose in Foxboro this Sunday.

Being from LA, I've seen some Charger games the past few years to know they'll find ways to Charger themselves. If they Charger themselves against the Patriots...will be devastating.

We'll find a way to Patriot ourselves though 

It'll just give me more reasons to bag on my buddies who are Chargers fans, whom I pity with their annual meltdowns  But yes, need a Pats loss here and the rest of the season!

[johnnygreen]

It sounds like Bailey Zappe may start this Sunday. I'm sorry, but I will have zero interest in watching the Patriots again this season if that's the case. At least with Mac Jones, there's still a possible future. With Zappe starting, there's a zero percent chance he ever plays again for the Patriots after this season.

[SparzWizard]

It sounds like Bailey Zappe may start this Sunday. I'm sorry, but I will have zero interest in watching the Patriots again this season if that's the case. At least with Mac Jones, there's still a possible future. With Zappe starting, there's a zero percent chance he ever plays again for the Patriots after this season.

It doesn't matter who starts between the two. This team was and is going nowhere as long as Belichick is running the helm.

Give me Grier or Cunningham to start, just for the giggles and see what they're made of

[celticsclay]

It sounds like Bailey Zappe may start this Sunday. I'm sorry, but I will have zero interest in watching the Patriots again this season if that's the case. At least with Mac Jones, there's still a possible future. With Zappe starting, there's a zero percent chance he ever plays again for the Patriots after this season.

It doesn't matter who starts between the two. This team was and is going nowhere as long as Belichick is running the helm.

Give me Grier or Cunningham to start, just for the giggles and see what they're made of

Mac jones does not have a future as a starting qb imo.

[Celtics2021]

It sounds like Bailey Zappe may start this Sunday. I'm sorry, but I will have zero interest in watching the Patriots again this season if that's the case. At least with Mac Jones, there's still a possible future. With Zappe starting, there's a zero percent chance he ever plays again for the Patriots after this season.

It doesn't matter who starts between the two. This team was and is going nowhere as long as Belichick is running the helm.

Give me Grier or Cunningham to start, just for the giggles and see what they're made of

Mac jones does not have a future as a starting qb imo.

You never know when someone bounces back with a second chance elsewhere, but he has no future in New England.  He needs to go somewhere else as a backup for a couple of seasons — he’s broken for now.