2014 New England Patriots Thread

Thanks.

Quarter back rating of 99.3... I don't think Brady was the problem.

Listen I love Brady but he truly isn't an accurate passer and while he's definitely one of the best QBs in football he hasn't played a clean playoff game in ages. It's just the reality and to pretend otherwise is just being blind.

Brady just set the NFL record for playoff TD passes. He holds countless other records. He is in his 4th straight AFC Championship at the age of 37. The timing of this anti-Brady sentiment is.......odd.

He just led the team to victory in a game where the defense couldn't stop the run or the pass, the run game was non existent, and the o-line was banged up. He threw for nearly 400 yards and ran a touchdown in himself. This is such an odd time to complain about Brady not playing well in the playoffs in the recent past. He was incredible tonight. If not for his very ill-timed interception at the end of the first half, I'd say this was his greatest performance in a big time game.

The Brady comments came at half time, when people said they were wrong I just defended why I made them. It's not that I hate him, am unhappy with what he's done or what he does for the most part and he played a great second half. He's just not the flawless post season clutch guy people make him out to be. Or if he is, then his flaws are the rest of the game when he screws up so regularly. The pick wasn't his only poor throw (see 3rd down ball to a wide open 80) that stalled drive 1. See back to back sacks to take the team out of FG range, etc. Brady played a great second half, aided by trickery from McDaniels(genius) and great plays by his receivers. I hope at some point this week, people talk about Amendola's game. He was great. Brady's pass to LaFell was the best ball by far I've seen him throw in years. He can barely make that throw anymore but he did so at the perfect time. And his poise is off the charts. Brady is an all time great no doubt, am not trying to argue otherwise. The problem is that pick he threw us becoming the norm in playoff situations. When's the Brady f--- up going to happen, was never a thought before and now it's almost inevitable.

The defense got gashed, but I blame the coaching for the most part. Why were they playing zone that much early? No A gap pressure... All the things that made them dominate at tines they didn't do early and they couldn't stop the run...

I'm on record as hating on the guy, but McDaniels found the magic touch and called a great game for the most part.

Right but his point was Belicheck was taking a timeout anyway.

The Bills are hiring Rex. Just when we thought we were rid of him...

I don't think they had predetermined that they were going to take a timeout there. If I remember correctly, it was a somewhat last-minute timeout that was called only after they saw the offensive formation. I also thought that it was also pretty clear based on the TV replays that it was a forward pass and not a fumble.

This is a pretty big straw man. No one here has ever claimed that he's perfect, and he's gotten plenty of heat in the press about being a main cause of some of their recent playoff failures.

You're right that his accuracy was pretty mediocre in the first half (a few low throws to Gronk, that overturned Amendola catch on the first drive, a few other throws to LaFell/Edelman), and his accuracy in general sometimes comes and goes, especially on throws to the sideline or after he gets hit a few times. But no QB always places the ball exactly where he wants to all the time, and Brady is still more accurate than the vast majority of NFL QBs. You're holding him to an impossible standard if you think he should play flawlessly all the time.

No, this isn't 2007-2011 Brady anymore-- his ability to throw deep (never a real strength-- Moss' elite ability to adjust to the ball covered for him somewhat) has continued to decline (the only success they have with deep balls is up the seam, which is an easier/shorter throw), and he's not as accurate as he was when he was perfectly leading Welker with every throw and racking up the YAC. But just because he has declined somewhat from his peak (when he was playing the position as well as any QB in NFL history) doesn't mean he's a chronic f--- up, either. He's still one of the better QBs in the league and more than good enough to win the title. His ability to read defenses and put the offense in a position to succeed is something we take for granted far too often, and his ability to make the right pre-snap read has covered for the continued mediocrity of his interior offensive line.

Oh, and here are some other great Brady throws in recent memory:
www.nfl.com/videos/new-england-patriots/0ap3000000443405/Brady-finds-Gronkowski-for-a-27-yard-touchdown
www.nfl.com/videos/new-england-patriots/0ap3000000436964/Brady-throws-a-15-yard-touchdown-pass-to-LaFell
www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap2000000261988/WK-6-Can-t-Miss-Play-Thompkins-game-winning-TD-reception

He's most certainly good enough to win a title he's just very limited with down the field passes but the bigger issue is he's made a lot of poor decisions that he hadn't made in the past. His down the field issues I'm sure have to
do with his diminutive receivers but he can't make dumb throws like that interception at the end of the half like he had so often recently in the playoffs.

Apparently only perfection is enough?  You can criticize anyone if you look hard enough.

I'd concentrate on what you have, not on what you don't have, because you're not getting anything better, likely not ever.