Patriots 2011 Regular Season

[Smokeeye123]

Pats should let BJGE walk next year and sign one of the plentiful elite WRs available in free agency. Dwyane Bowe...Vincent Jackson...Stevie Johnson...If we managed to keep Welker, had a healthy Gronk, Hernandez, and Brady we'd be the best offense of all time...

[PosImpos]

Pats offense is explosive.  49 straight points.

Still, can't pull that crap in the playoffs.  One more first quarter like that and the Pats' season is over.

[Jon]

Perhaps instead of getting a bye in the first round, the NFL will simply allow the Pats to have a bye for the first quarter of each game...

[Redz]

This giving the other team the ball first, falling behind and not going with the uptempo offense right away has put the Pats in a hole for like the 5th consecutive week.

good point

[GronkSpike]

Pats should let BJGE walk next year and sign one of the plentiful elite WRs available in free agency. Dwyane Bowe...Vincent Jackson...Stevie Johnson...If we managed to keep Welker, had a healthy Gronk, Hernandez, and Brady we'd be the best offense of all time...

The Pats do not need more receivers, they just need to resign Welker. Ochocinco still has two more years in his contract, and I have a feeling that he will breakthrough in the playoffs. Think about it, how can other teams prepare for him, if they don't have anything to study? And how can they account for Gronk, Aaaron, Wes and Ocho/Deion all at the same time? Ocho -> Secret playoff weapon.

Regarding the backs, I don't like when BJGE runs, unless it's a 3 yds to go or less situation. Anymore than that I feel like it's a wasted play. Kevin Faulk should retire and they should make him a RBs coach. Groom Ridley to be the main back, and have Woody in there for some touches now and then, and for screen plays. Also let Vereen hang around.

[Chris]

This giving the other team the ball first, falling behind and not going with the uptempo offense right away has put the Pats in a hole for like the 5th consecutive week.

good point

On the other hand, it has given them the chance to really turn the game around by scoring before and after halftime.  

[Greenbean]

Pats should let BJGE walk next year and sign one of the plentiful elite WRs available in free agency. Dwyane Bowe...Vincent Jackson...Stevie Johnson...If we managed to keep Welker, had a healthy Gronk, Hernandez, and Brady we'd be the best offense of all time...

The Pats do not need more receivers, they just need to resign Welker. Ochocinco still has two more years in his contract, and I have a feeling that he will breakthrough in the playoffs. Think about it, how can other teams prepare for him, if they don't have anything to study? And how can they account for Gronk, Aaaron, Wes and Ocho/Deion all at the same time? Ocho -> Secret playoff weapon.

Regarding the backs, I don't like when BJGE runs, unless it's a 3 yds to go or less situation. Anymore than that I feel like it's a wasted play. Kevin Faulk should retire and they should make him a RBs coach. Groom Ridley to be the main back, and have Woody in there for some touches now and then, and for screen plays. Also let Vereen hang around.

I though I was alone on my hyperpositive outlook on Ocho in the playoffs...glad Im not...TP!

Seriously though, physically, the guy looks awesome...he cant be that dumb of a football player otherwise he would have been cut a long time ago...before the other WR's who were cut with a much lower salary.

[Greenbean]

One observation for the Pats defense the last 7 games...

A remarkable ability to correct mistakes as the game goes on. Bill is on his game making adjustments.

I havent seen that quality in a Pat's team since pre 07...yeah before the 16-0 season.

[Neurotic Guy]

One observation for the Pats defense the last 7 games...

A remarkable ability to correct mistakes as the game goes on. Bill is on his game making adjustments.

I havent seen that quality in a Pat's team since pre 07...yeah before the 16-0 season.

I think there were 2 sacks I think on successive possessions that put the Bills in 3rd and long situations and turned the game around.  Mark Anderson was very big in quarter 2.

[Cman]

Pats should let BJGE walk next year and sign one of the plentiful elite WRs available in free agency. Dwyane Bowe...Vincent Jackson...Stevie Johnson...If we managed to keep Welker, had a healthy Gronk, Hernandez, and Brady we'd be the best offense of all time...

The Pats do not need more receivers, they just need to resign Welker. Ochocinco still has two more years in his contract, and I have a feeling that he will breakthrough in the playoffs. Think about it, how can other teams prepare for him, if they don't have anything to study? And how can they account for Gronk, Aaaron, Wes and Ocho/Deion all at the same time? Ocho -> Secret playoff weapon.

Regarding the backs, I don't like when BJGE runs, unless it's a 3 yds to go or less situation. Anymore than that I feel like it's a wasted play. Kevin Faulk should retire and they should make him a RBs coach. Groom Ridley to be the main back, and have Woody in there for some touches now and then, and for screen plays. Also let Vereen hang around.

As a side note, Ridley has come on really well, hasn't he? Not bad for a pick that most experts derided.

[Neurotic Guy]

Raiders blow their season over the last month.  Broncos with an ugly back-in to the division championship. 

Pats get Raiders 2nd round pick which now looks pretty good!

[Cman]

Raiders blow their season over the last month.  Broncos with an ugly back-in to the division championship. 

Pats get Raiders 2nd round pick which now looks pretty good!

Nice.
Who do the Pats face after the bye, is it the team with the lowest remaining seed, or is it the winner of the 4th-5th seed or 3rd-6th seed?

[Cman]

Raiders blow their season over the last month.  Broncos with an ugly back-in to the division championship. 

Pats get Raiders 2nd round pick which now looks pretty good!

Nice.
Who do the Pats face after the bye, is it the team with the lowest remaining seed, or is it the winner of the 4th-5th seed or 3rd-6th seed?

Ah, it's the former.
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4713885/setting-the-afc-playoff-picture

[Neurotic Guy]

Raiders blow their season over the last month.  Broncos with an ugly back-in to the division championship. 

Pats get Raiders 2nd round pick which now looks pretty good!

Nice.
Who do the Pats face after the bye, is it the team with the lowest remaining seed, or is it the winner of the 4th-5th seed or 3rd-6th seed?

Ah, it's the former.
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4713885/setting-the-afc-playoff-picture

Link didn't work.  Do they re-seed based on record after round 1?  If so, they'll avoid Pitt if they beat Denver. If seeding status remains, they get Pitt in the EC semis (assuming the Steelers beat a hapless looking Broncos team).

[Cman]

Per Mike Reiss:

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The AFC playoff picture is set and it looks like this:

1. New England
2. Baltimore
3. Houston
4. Denver
5. Pittsburgh
6. Cincinnati

So the wild-card round matchups have Cincinnati visiting Houston and Pittsburgh traveling to Denver.

The Patriots will face the lowest remaining seed in the divisional playoff round.

The best-case scenario, from this view, is for the Patriots to avoid having to face Pittsburgh and then Baltimore.

At initial glance, the feeling here is that the Bengals -- of all the possible No. 6 seeds -- have one of the best chances of going into Houston and beating the Texans. If they do that, it would mean the Patriots avoid Pittsburgh/Baltimore back-to-back scenario.

Do you agree with that line of thinking?

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4713885/setting-the-afc-playoff-picture