A Few Thoughts About the *Pats game, in no particular order

[mjd1001 109]

I feel better about McDermott and the overall 'team managment' than before, but a little worse about the actually strategy implemented by the coordinatos (offense, Special teams)

I feel better about the D-unit, but a tad bit more concerned about Allen.

[Virgil 4,433]

Just now, Happy Gilmore said:

 

He's essentially still a rookie, this was his 15th NFL game, so he's still prone to mistakes.  That said, I have to believe that these mistakes will weigh on him and he'll learn.  This isn't the year we go deep in the playoffs.  I'll still take 10-6 and a wildcard spot.

He’s had a full offseason as a starter with the same offensive scheme.  While still young in his career, it’s the same mistake.  It’s not a coverage reading issue, it’s a bad habit he doesn’t seem to learn from.  
 

I can’t give him the full pass on it 

[Tiffany980 17]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

Talk about an emotional day.  You could see it on the field, on TSW, on social media.  This game felt like a mini-series with plot twists, theme changes, and was just an overall rollercoaster. 
 

To be clear, there is absolutely no way I can cover everything that happened in this game and I’m just going to cover the big things that stood out to me.  
 

1 - Allen - Allen played against a great defense today who has shut down opposing teams so far.  With that, Allen had a really bad game.  This is a game of defense, field position, and points were at a premium.  I don’t care what the completion percentage was or total yardage in this game.  I care about not hurting the team and taking care of the football.   Allen turned the ball over 4 times and was wildly inaccurate to me on deep throws, which he also took too often.   He under threw Zay that could’ve been a touchdown.  He also was off on the shorter passes outside of the scoring drive.   
 

Worst of all, I don’t know what it’s going to take to get him to stop throwing off his back foot into traffic.  Of all teams, not against the Pats man.  Granted, one of them should have been overturned, but he still overall hurt the team more than he helped.  
 

Again, I don’t care if he had more 3 and outs and they punted.  It’s the short field position that gave them a TD and field goal.  You just can’t make these mistakes and it seems to be getting worse.  Also, add in the sack that knocked us back 5 yards with the ensuing missed FG, and it’s another play that hurts us. 
 

2 - Gore - Great game by him today, eclipsing the 100 and breaking 15k yards for his career.  He definitely showed up today, showing great field vision and power.  I would have liked to have seen him utilized more. 
 

3 - Lee Smith - I know you can’t write a guy off based off one game, but 4 penalties in a defensive battle just isn’t okay. Between that and some dropped passes this season, I really hope to see Knox take more of his snaps.  Speaking of Knox, he came up big twice and I look forward to seeing more from him.  
 

4 - “I know if I am going to have any life anymore it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch because that is what living is. The six inches in front of your face.”

 

5 - Overall defense - Another game where the stat box doesn’t tell the whole story.  If I told you we didn’t get a sack on Brady, you might think we got picked apart.  Quite the opposite.  Outside of the deep pass down the sideline to White, where we inexplicably only rushed 3, our defense was amazing.  I mean, absolutely amazing.  These guys never let up and Brady looked pedestrian.  The INT by Hyde was a beautiful play and they made this a game for us. It’s frustrating that we couldn’t reward them with a win, but you have to be inspired by how they played.  
 

6 - The Hit - I’m sorry, but personal fouls need to trump other penalties.  There’s just no way that hit shouldn’t be counteracted by a holding call.   On the stat sheet, the play never happened and it took out Allen.  In real speed, it’s hard to know true targeting. However, Allen was already wrapped up and he still took the shot.  Just add it to the list of reasons to hate those guys

 

7 - Daboll - This is hard for me because I’m not an Xs and Os guy.  It seems like the Pats ran the same defense they ran all season and what they did against us last year.  With that, it seems like we were completely unprepared for them today.  It’s not just getting shut down, it’s the way we were shut down.  We looked confused.  Also, where was McKenzie in this game and all the stretch/sweeps we’ve been running?  Then, we score via hurry up and then abandon it on the next drive.   The trick play was nice, and I don’t blame Yeldon there as it wasn’t an easy catch.  Overall, Daboll needs to be better in this game 

 

8 - Special Teams - Haven’t talked about these guys in a while.  That blocked punt for an INT proved to be the ball game.  That TD was the difference maker in points and probably changes future decisions.  The gunner came in free, which can’t happen.  Hausch’s miss also changed future decisions, even though it should’ve been 5 yards closer.  
 

Again, in a defensive battle like this, you need consistency, not a loss of 10 points. 

 

9 -  What If - There are so many things to talk about here.  Should they have taken the points on the short field goals vs going for it?  I say yes, besides the Allen TD. Allen on the field makes one yard seem like a given.  With Barkley, it’s different.  You never know what’s going to happen next based upon a decision, but in a defensive battle, I think you alway take the points.  We left 6 on the board that was the final difference maker, but then Allen did score.  Who knows. 
 

10 - McD - We lost 16-10 to a great team at home and could have won it on our last drive.  That’s the end result and that’s what you grade off of.  The challenges by McD hurt as we didn’t have any timeouts at the end.  Challenging offensive PI was tough for me and I think he needs to take his chances on more than 50/50 calls.  I get perspective, but neither were clear calls. 
 

While we didn’t win, you have to love how crap we make Brady look in these games.  I know there’s no morale victories and this sucks.  But these aren’t the same losses as the past decade.  If we have a turnover free offense, we win this game to me. 
 

Bonus:

-What happened to Ty on the last offensive play?   He left the edge unguarded 

-Let’s see how the league handles the hit on Allen

-How was that not intentional grounding by Brady?

 

 

Big day guys.  We beat the spread.  We gave up 3 points in the last 3 quarters. We didn’t blow up like in the past after a terrible first quarter.  Allen may be out next week and his continued poor choices have to make you hesitate.  But still 3-1 in a wide open season. 
 

Go Bills!

Allen is the issue... Even with the special team gaffe, it was Allen that cost you the game.

[Fixxxer 437]

1 minute ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

He's essentially still a rookie, this was his 15th NFL game, so he's still prone to mistakes.  That said, I have to believe that these mistakes will weigh on him and he'll learn.  This isn't the year we go deep in the playoffs.  I'll still take 10-6 and a wildcard spot.

 

This, though it's kind of worrisome that he keeps making the same mistake over and over. With the way the game was going, we needed one drive to win the game, just take care of the football.

[matter2003 2,477]

I still cannot understand how nobody notices the punt gunner is completely uncovered and has nobody between him and the punt returner...why didnt they throw the ball out to him?  

 

Maybe Belichick knew Bojorquez is a terrible thrower and he likely wouldn't complete it anyways

[Reed83HOF 4,173]

Zay was terrible and he has no business on this team, at least try to make a play on the ball.

 

Ford sucked at RT again (4 weeks and counting) and we are still going with this dumb rotation. I am not sure he is going to get it either, his feet are like EJ's slow eyes.

 

Morse got blown up twice

 

We need a punter in the worst way. I'll take Moorman right now over him....

[Mark Vader 1,693]

3 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

No.

 

Im saying he had plenty of time on several occasions and held the ball way too long.

 

 

I don't deny, that's why I wish he would have ran the ball whenever the pocket collapsed.

[fansince88 1,610]

54 minutes ago, fergie's ire said:

Well....that was a short life.

 

Did he get canned? He should have been.

[Freddie's Dead 2,438]

The biggest problem I have today is on a day where Zay failed to make a single play, WTF was McKittrick?  No jet sweeps, no passes to McKittrick, but passes to dropsy Zay, where he couldn't even be bothered to play defensive back at all.  We needed McKittrick in the worst way today.  We just didn't have enough playmakers on offense.

[NoSaint 2,189]

3 minutes ago, Virgil said:

He’s had a full offseason as a starter with the same offensive scheme.  While still young in his career, it’s the same mistake.  It’s not a coverage reading issue, it’s a bad habit he doesn’t seem to learn from.  
 

I can’t give him the full pass on it 

 

The back foot throws worry me a lot. It’s entirely too frequent and at this level relearning basics like that can be a challenge. He’s had some work out but in a tight game early you can’t do it. Save it for down 6 with 30 seconds to go, and hope you can pull a rabbit out of the hat that only a few others can. 

[ScottLaw 2,399]

1 minute ago, Freddie's Dead said:

The biggest problem I have today is on a day where Zay failed to make a single play, WTF was McKittrick?  No jet sweeps, no passes to McKittrick, but passes to dropsy Zay, where he couldn't even be bothered to play defensive back at all.  We needed McKittrick in the worst way today.  We just didn't have enough playmakers on offense.

This isn't a surprise.

 

 

[Formerly Allan in MD 795]

1 minute ago, Fixxxer said:

 

it's kind of worrisome that he keeps making the same mistake over and over.

And over and over and over.  That's truly worrisome, especially since he's supposedly had so much coaching and mentoring since he's been here.

[BillsVet 745]

51 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

I think the first few years of Josh's career you have to look at him differently than any other QB. He's going to make mistakes. He had a bad game today for sure. He made numerous mistakes. But stats are worthless when evaluating him. He needs to make plays and win games right now, not have no turnovers or QB ratings. I would have loved to see him in the game in the last four minutes. 

 

How many years do McBeane have before Josh arrives?  Not trying to be smart, but asking the question.  Everything in the NFL is about winning yesterday.  

[Happy Gilmore 2,481]

2 minutes ago, Tiffany980 said:

Allen is the issue... Even with the special team gaffe, it was Allen that cost you the game.

 

Yes, we know...thanks.  Allen will eventually learn; he's the type of player that will take this kind of performance personally.  Josh knows he sucked and the defense played spectacularly and he let the team down; that will weigh on him.  I'm not concerned at this point.

[Coach Tuesday 3,082]

Just now, NoSaint said:

 

The back foot throws worry me a lot. It’s entirely too frequent and at this level relearning basics like that can be a challenge. He’s had some work out but in a tight game early you can’t do it. Save it for down 6 with 30 seconds to go, and hope you can pull a rabbit out of the hat that only a few others can. 

 

It is Quincy Carter/Aaron Brooks-level stupidity.  He’s going to run out of chances if he keeps it up.

[fansince88 1,610]

Yes @Virgil, he did play against a great D. Thst said. I didnt record and would love to know who the targets were on all of those ints. I have to wonder if a taller receiver would have been able to fight more for the ball.

[stony 732]

Nice write-up.

 

I'm actually cool with the first INT.  The other two were bad.  Seemed avoidable.   

[Freddie's Dead 2,438]

1 minute ago, ScottLaw said:

This isn't a surprise.

 

 

 

Which, that Zay sucks or Daboll didn't play McKittrick?

[Kelly the Dog 4,735]

1 minute ago, BillsVet said:

 

How many years do McBeane have before Josh arrives?  Not trying to be smart, but asking the question.  Everything in the NFL is about winning yesterday.  

We were 3-0 and it's uncertain if he came back if we would have been 4-0. That was kind of my point. 

[ScottLaw 2,399]

Just now, Freddie's Dead said:

 

Which, that Zay sucks or Daboll didn't play McKittrick?

That the offense lacks playmakers.... I've been screaming this since McBeane came here and decided to not resign/trade them away and replace them with below average players.

[Virgil 4,433]

4 minutes ago, fansince88 said:

Yes @Virgil, he did play against a great D. Thst said. I didnt record and would love to know who the targets were on all of those ints. I have to wonder if a taller receiver would have been able to fight more for the ball.

2 were deep throws, one was 20 yards down field into triple coverage.  
 

One was to Brown, can’t remember the other.  

4 minutes ago, stony said:

Nice write-up.

 

I'm actually cool with the first INT.  The other two were bad.  Seemed avoidable.   

Like against the Bengals, this one pissed me off the most.  They only had one safety, which is where we throw the pass too.  
 

I just don’t get it 

[NoSaint 2,189]

Just now, Coach Tuesday said:

 

It is Quincy Carter/Aaron Brooks-level stupidity.  He’s going to run out of chances if he keeps it up.

 

Its hand in hand with the long running “accuracy” issues. At its core it’s a polished fundamentals issue. 

 

It reminds me of watching a lot of cam. That guy loves throwing back foot, or falling away. Or across his body across the field. Or.... but when he hits a couple of those and churns some first downs with his feet and otherwise plays decent ball- you see an mvp candidate. When he misses those though, and he’s beat up from running it can get ugly.

 

josh has all the potential in the world but some major red flags that’ll be a challenge to overcome. All you can do is cheer for him.

4 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

That the offense lacks playmakers.... I've been screaming this since McBeane came here and decided to not resign/trade them away and replace them with below average players.

 

A true #1 WR with brown at 2 and beasley 3 would’ve been such a big score if they could’ve found a way to make it happen.

[ScottLaw 2,399]

3 minutes ago, NoSaint said:

 

Its hand in hand with the long running “accuracy” issues. At its core it’s a polished fundamentals issue. 

 

It reminds me of watching a lot of cam. That guy loves throwing back foot, or falling away. Or across his body across the field. Or.... but when he hits a couple of those and churns some first downs with his feet and otherwise plays decent ball- you see an mvp candidate. When he misses those though, and he’s beat up from running it can get ugly.

 

josh has all the potential in the world but some major red flags that’ll be a challenge to overcome. All you can do is cheer for him.

 

A true #1 WR with brown at 2 and beasley 3 would’ve been such a big score if they could’ve found a way to make it happen.

Yep.

 

Perhaps they can swing a trade for AJ Green still.

[Virgil 4,433]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

Yep.

 

Perhaps they can swing a trade for AJ Green still.

I’d rather have Diggs

[corta765 757]

1 hour ago, Kelly the Dog said:

I think the first few years of Josh's career you have to look at him differently than any other QB. He's going to make mistakes. He had a bad game today for sure. He made numerous mistakes. But stats are worthless when evaluating him. He needs to make plays and win games right now, not have no turnovers or QB ratings. I would have loved to see him in the game in the last four minutes. 

 

The first few years are the best chance to load up and go for it when his contract is light . I really want Josh to be the guy but you can’t ignore how bad he was today and the fact his mistakes aren’t going down or away.