On offense the Patriots are now basically on Plan E

[Sicilian]

Plan A: Run a two tight-end offense with Gronk and Hernandez as the center pieces. Then you just need Edelman and Amendola to be solid, with hopefully some contributions from one of three rookie WRs.

Plan B: Okay, Hernandez was a scum bag, but we can still run a single TE set once Gronk is healthy. We'll need another WR to step up, but that's still a solid formation to go along with a deep running game.

Plan C: No Gronk... ok, well the rookie WRs are coming along, so we can go four wide and spread the defense out. Dobson, Thompkins outside giving us deep/intermediate routes, Edelman, Amendola as two great slot options. Vereen as the back you can kick out wide in empty sets. This is still pretty good.

Plan D: No Thompkins or Dobson, eh? Well... okay... we play more clock control, ride the running game which has depth, talent, and versatility.

Plan E: So our starting tackles are out, plus one of the reserves? We're kicking our best interior, run blocking lineman outside in desperation? I guess... I mean I guess we can... ******! I'm out of ideas.

Still within a throw of winning a road game against a playoff caliber team, but I think at this point the injuries have handcuffed us in every possible way offensively.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I agree with mot of what you said and nobody outside of NE will cry for us. Also, I don't expect the team to quit either and maybe making up a new offense will make us either totally predictable or less predictable.

I expect the team to be healthy (outside of the IR'd people) for the post season and that might help. the bye week looks slightly more important now (more healing time and not playing on the road -- as much as possible)

 

[IllegalContact]

the plan letter doesn't matter if Brady starts making a habit of 3rd down red zone antics like lying down while trying to make a throw in order to avoid contact.

it was a classic tony eason moment

 

[Kontradiction]

The sad thing is that I think Mankins is the best LT we have. The interior OL continues to get pushed around against both the run and pass. The red zone offense is badly hurting. As I have said in other threads, Dobson and Thompkins are going to have to win some jump balls down there going forward. Hopefully we'll be getting one or both of those guys back this week.

 

[IllegalContact]

The sad thing is that I think Mankins is the best LT we have. The interior OL continues to get pushed around against both the run and pass. The red zone offense is badly hurting. As I have said in other threads, Dobson and Thompkins are going to have to win some jump balls down there going forward. Hopefully we'll be getting one or both of those guys back this week.

I think the team needs to go fast pace the entire game......it's really the only way to mute the opposing DL play

 

[Archeryaddict12]

On offense, we're basically on Plan E

I think the team needs to go fast pace the entire game......it's really the only way to mute the opposing DL play

Agree, no huddle gas to reappear soon.

 

[letekro]

And what plan are we currently operating under on defense? F?

Anyone who craps on this team or Brady, like the ridiculous post above, has no connection with reality. While their lack of execution is frustrating, it is obviously due to the erosion of talent caused by injury. There is simply nobody to blame for that.

With Gronk and Dobson, we win that game by 2 touchdowns.

 

[captain stone]

Still within a throw of winning a road game against a playoff caliber team, but I think at this point the injuries have handcuffed us in every possible way offensively.

And don't forget being handcuffed by the incompetance of Skippy ThanksDad McD,
who hasn't adjusted his Goal-to-Go play-calling one damn bit.

The loss yesterday falls squarely on his weakass shoulders.

 

[RIpats88]

Pats were playing 3 white slot recievers at the same time...dont think ive seen that before

 

[Sicilian]

And what plan are we currently operating under on defense? F?

Oddly enough, the more I look at it the less excuses I'm starting to give the defense. Clearly there are some players out there who are not 100%, but I feel like that's par for the course in week 15 of the NFL season. If you're out there, you're expected to perform.

So really the losses are Wilfork, Kelly, and Mayo, who haven't been available for half a season now. This defense has some deficiencies up front without those three very important players, but the secondary is healthy enough to expect more. I don't expect this defense to get to the point where it's shutting teams out, but the last Miami scoring drive looked almost effortless (at least after the 4th down conversion).

 

[Sicilian]

And don't forget being handcuffed by the incompetance of Skippy ThanksDad McD,
who hasn't adjusted his Goal-to-Go play-calling one damn bit.

The loss yesterday falls squarely on his weakass shoulders.

He doesn't have a ton of options to work with down there. We really have no traditional red zone threat without Gronk or Dobson, and there's only so much gameplanning you can do to get smaller, shiftier guys open when every is jammed in down there. So the alternative is to run the ball, but again without Mankins in the middle that prospect just gets dicier.

I'm sure there were better options (clearly the ones called didn't work as executed), but there's only so much chicken salad you can make with chicken ****.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Pats were playing 3 white slot recievers at the same time...dont think ive seen that before

Revenge of the Smurfs!

 

[mgteich]

We came very close to winning with our three white slot receivers (Collie is not a smurf). Boyce really isn't ready for prime time.

We need to have at least one of Dobson or Thompkins healthy. Then we can effectively run the hurry up.

The other key is to not have any more injuries on the OL. Playing BALT may not be pretty with Mankins and Svitek as our OT's.

 

[manxman2601]

We came very close to winning with our three white slot receivers (Collie is not a smurf). Boyce really isn't ready for prime time.

We need to have at least one of Dobson or Thompkins healthy. Then we can effectively run the hurry up.

The other key is to not have any more injuries on the OL. Playing BALT may not be pretty with Mankins and Svitek as our OT's.

Screens and draws to Vereen please.

 

[Sicilian]

We came very close to winning with our three white slot receivers (Collie is not a smurf). Boyce really isn't ready for prime time.

We need to have at least one of Dobson or Thompkins healthy. Then we can effectively run the hurry up.

The other key is to not have any more injuries on the OL. Playing BALT may not be pretty with Mankins and Svitek as our OT's.

Did something happen to Cannon that I missed?

And as a side thought, assuming Cannon and Svitek are healthy, do you play Svitek or Mankins at LT? I don't think Cannon is an option there, doesn't have the athleticism, but I'm not sure I trust Svitek on the blindside for a full game. But with Mankins there, it leaves us even thinner up the middle.

There's no clean solution to the OL problems at the moment.

 

[PatriotReign]

Oddly enough, the more I look at it the less excuses I'm starting to give the defense. Clearly there are some players out there who are not 100%, but I feel like that's par for the course in week 15 of the NFL season. If you're out there, you're expected to perform.

So really the losses are Wilfork, Kelly, and Mayo, who haven't been available for half a season now. This defense has some deficiencies up front without those three very important players, but the secondary is healthy enough to expect more. I don't expect this defense to get to the point where it's shutting teams out, but the last Miami scoring drive looked almost effortless (at least after the 4th down conversion).

Talib's on a bad hip, Dennard is only a few weeks removed from knee surgery, Arrington's battling a groin injury, Cole just plain sucks, Ryan's a rookie, and Gregory is being exposed at this point.

 

[hwc]

I actually thought the Patriots played about as well as they are capable of playing yesterday. They didn't turn the ball over. Didn't shoot themselves in the foot with a lot of turnovers. Moved the ball OK.

And, the score reflected that. The Pats defense, with the current players, is capable of holding an opponent to about 24 points. And, the Pats offense, with the current players is capable of scoring about 20 points.

We can all complain about coaching or play-calling or whatever, but the reality is that the Pats are playing replacement JAGs on the o line, at TE, at WR, across the Dline, and at LB.

Despite all that, they still had a chance of winning that game yesterday. The final Amendola pass in the corner of the end zone was "that" close to being a game winner..

 

[hwc]

I don't expect this defense to get to the point where it's shutting teams out, but the last Miami scoring drive looked almost effortless (at least after the 4th down conversion).

In fairness, this is a league-wide issue. The Pats are far from the only team that can't make a stop in the 4th quarter, once the other team goes into 2-minute and four-down mode.

It's the nature of the game right now. The rules, the passing game, etc.

 

[Sicilian]

In fairness, this is a league-wide issue. The Pats are far from the only team that can't make a stop in the 4th quarter, once the other team goes into 2-minute and four-down mode.

It's the nature of the game right now. The rules, the passing game, etc.

That's fair. The heat may have also played a factor, as both teams seems less energetic on defense by the fourth quarter. It wasn't sweltering, but just warm enough to take a little bit more out of you. Maybe the hairline difference on the last drive given that Miami is used to it.

 

[Kontradiction]

In fairness, this is a league-wide issue. The Pats are far from the only team that can't make a stop in the 4th quarter, once the other team goes into 2-minute and four-down mode.

It's the nature of the game right now. The rules, the passing game, etc.

Teams with a Super Bowl pedigree make those stops. The Pats were doing exactly that at the beginning of the season.