Step Back From That Ledge My Friend
So, yesterday sucked. But honestly, I wasn't THAT discouraged. It was an atrociously officiated game, and there were some positives in there. Now, I know they are 1-2 but here are some reasons not to jump off that ledge. As always, follow me @CultOfBelichick
-We got screwed by refs, straight up. The game was horribly officiated both ways, but it seemed like some of the most egregious penalties were against the Patriots. The penalties extended drives that led to scores; stopped drives that appeared to be scores. It was just horrible all around. That kick was no good. I can go on and on. Hopefully, it will not be this bad again, and I think we win this game with normal refs.
-Best offensive player sans Brady is injured. Hernandez is our best player on offense and he is not in there. When you play a solid, top team without your best player, you are likely to struggle. The Patriots offense still looked very good without Hernandez, which was promising for the next couple of weeks. Once they get him back, or give Deion and Winslow another week to acclimate, the offense will be better than it was.
-Offensive line looked good. Brady had aaaaaaaaaaaaaall day back there to throw, which is something not that many people had expected to see this week against a "good" defense in Baltimore. (Quotations around good because eh, they are just average these days.) Vollmer played every snap, which is a HUGE step in the right direction, and Connelly was back after his concussion. The starting line of Solder-Mankins-Wendell-Connolly-Vollmer looks pretty solid, nothing to complain about. And, they will only continue to get better as they get more work with Dante Scarnecchia.
-Deoin Branch is still alive. Looking for some positives from last night? How about the fact that Deion Branch is still alive. Ed Reed tried to kill him(go to the :40 mark), and luckily failed. That hit was crushing, and I bet Deion was wondering why he wasn't still sitting on his couch watching guys get hit, instead of being the recipient of one of the week's biggest hits.
-Revis tore his ACL. Another positive from yesterday, the Jets season is donezo. Bye bye. Can not wait for the circus that is about to ensue when they start losing. Rex blasting the team. Sanchize and Holmes fist fight. Timmy Tebow sneaking in to a starting spot, and winning 4 straight games to end the season. It.Is.Going.To.Be.Awesome. #FireRexWatch
-It's only been three weeks, and there are promising signs. While the team is 1-2, and there have been some tough losses, there are some positive signs so far. The defense is CERTAINLY improving. The offense is starting to get healthy and get in sync. The DBs look a lot better than last year. I know McCourty had a tough day yesterday, but he wasn't THAT bad. He makes one of those two pics, you are looking at a solid day. Overall, I think this team just needs to be more consistent, but you can see the potential they have.
-Youngest team in the BB tenure. Expanding on that last theme, this is the youngest team we have had in a while. On defense, the only guy over 30 is Wilfork, and you are seeing growing pains. Is anybody legitimately worried about missing the playoffs? I am certainly not. The Patriots will still win the AFC East, so all the regular season is about is getting better. And, I think the Patriots have been doing that. They are making strides, but have not been able to put it all together yet. They are building up their mental toughness, and as their communication improves, and they get in sync, I think they still have Super Bowl potential.
-We got screwed by refs, straight up. The game was horribly officiated both ways, but it seemed like some of the most egregious penalties were against the Patriots. The penalties extended drives that led to scores; stopped drives that appeared to be scores. It was just horrible all around. That kick was no good. I can go on and on. Hopefully, it will not be this bad again, and I think we win this game with normal refs.
-Best offensive player sans Brady is injured. Hernandez is our best player on offense and he is not in there. When you play a solid, top team without your best player, you are likely to struggle. The Patriots offense still looked very good without Hernandez, which was promising for the next couple of weeks. Once they get him back, or give Deion and Winslow another week to acclimate, the offense will be better than it was.
-Offensive line looked good. Brady had aaaaaaaaaaaaaall day back there to throw, which is something not that many people had expected to see this week against a "good" defense in Baltimore. (Quotations around good because eh, they are just average these days.) Vollmer played every snap, which is a HUGE step in the right direction, and Connelly was back after his concussion. The starting line of Solder-Mankins-Wendell-Connolly-Vollmer looks pretty solid, nothing to complain about. And, they will only continue to get better as they get more work with Dante Scarnecchia.
-Deoin Branch is still alive. Looking for some positives from last night? How about the fact that Deion Branch is still alive. Ed Reed tried to kill him(go to the :40 mark), and luckily failed. That hit was crushing, and I bet Deion was wondering why he wasn't still sitting on his couch watching guys get hit, instead of being the recipient of one of the week's biggest hits.
-Revis tore his ACL. Another positive from yesterday, the Jets season is donezo. Bye bye. Can not wait for the circus that is about to ensue when they start losing. Rex blasting the team. Sanchize and Holmes fist fight. Timmy Tebow sneaking in to a starting spot, and winning 4 straight games to end the season. It.Is.Going.To.Be.Awesome. #FireRexWatch
-It's only been three weeks, and there are promising signs. While the team is 1-2, and there have been some tough losses, there are some positive signs so far. The defense is CERTAINLY improving. The offense is starting to get healthy and get in sync. The DBs look a lot better than last year. I know McCourty had a tough day yesterday, but he wasn't THAT bad. He makes one of those two pics, you are looking at a solid day. Overall, I think this team just needs to be more consistent, but you can see the potential they have.
-Youngest team in the BB tenure. Expanding on that last theme, this is the youngest team we have had in a while. On defense, the only guy over 30 is Wilfork, and you are seeing growing pains. Is anybody legitimately worried about missing the playoffs? I am certainly not. The Patriots will still win the AFC East, so all the regular season is about is getting better. And, I think the Patriots have been doing that. They are making strides, but have not been able to put it all together yet. They are building up their mental toughness, and as their communication improves, and they get in sync, I think they still have Super Bowl potential.
