Clearly, we're all annoyed at the last 2 weeks and rightfully so. The team had a major meltdown that cost a win and potentially the 2 seed and a series of meltdowns that prevented them from beating Pittsburgh. So, 14 games in, what are the positives from this season? I'll get it started but this certainly won't be an exhaustive list:
1) Brady - He's 41 and still playing QB at a high level. May not be GOAT level anymore but he's still very good and certainly capable of leading the team to another SB. It's not fair to him that we basically need him to be perfect and certainly not his fault. Can he be better in some areas? Sure. But on the list of problems with the team, he's not even a footnote.
2) Secondary - They are getting absolutely no help from the front 7 but are still holding their own. Gilmore has probably been the best big $ FA signing of Belichick's tenure (if you count Rodney in that group, then I put Gilmore at #2). The safeties are still out there making plays and have come up with some key INTs. The young corners are showing promise.
3) Gordon - Yesterday's no show aside, he has been an impact WR and has far exceeded any realistic expectations of him when the team traded for him. There is going to be a Josh Gordon playoff moment in January. I am confident of this.
4) RBs - James White has had a great season and seems to be on a pitch count last few weeks. When James White is doing James White things, the Patriots offense is very tough to stop. He looks to be a little banged up, which explains the Burkhead use (even if I don't like it because I love watching White so much). Michel has had a solid first season and I think he, too, is banged up. Just not seeing the same explosion out of him that we saw last year for Georgia. But, for the most part, he's run hard and has been effective when he has decent blocking.
5) Gostkowski - Last week was tough but it's his only XP miss of the season and he's only missed 2 FGs under 50 yards all season. He's been a steady and reliable K once again. Pretty crazy that he's played 3 more seasons for the Patriots than Vinatieri.
6) Patterson - Has already contributed to the team more than I expected and picking up the RB slack was big when both Michel and Burkhead were out. This is another guy who I think is going to make a memorable play in the postseason.
7) Brian Flores - It hasn't been pretty all season but after 14 games, the Patriots ranked 13th in PPG against and are like 10 points away over the course of the season from a top 10 PPG. Take away the dumb lateral play and they're basically there. Given the lack of talent on the front 7, I think it's a noteworthy accomplishment. Patricia is sitting at 18th right now.
1) Brady - He's 41 and still playing QB at a high level. May not be GOAT level anymore but he's still very good and certainly capable of leading the team to another SB. It's not fair to him that we basically need him to be perfect and certainly not his fault. Can he be better in some areas? Sure. But on the list of problems with the team, he's not even a footnote.
2) Secondary - They are getting absolutely no help from the front 7 but are still holding their own. Gilmore has probably been the best big $ FA signing of Belichick's tenure (if you count Rodney in that group, then I put Gilmore at #2). The safeties are still out there making plays and have come up with some key INTs. The young corners are showing promise.
3) Gordon - Yesterday's no show aside, he has been an impact WR and has far exceeded any realistic expectations of him when the team traded for him. There is going to be a Josh Gordon playoff moment in January. I am confident of this.
4) RBs - James White has had a great season and seems to be on a pitch count last few weeks. When James White is doing James White things, the Patriots offense is very tough to stop. He looks to be a little banged up, which explains the Burkhead use (even if I don't like it because I love watching White so much). Michel has had a solid first season and I think he, too, is banged up. Just not seeing the same explosion out of him that we saw last year for Georgia. But, for the most part, he's run hard and has been effective when he has decent blocking.
5) Gostkowski - Last week was tough but it's his only XP miss of the season and he's only missed 2 FGs under 50 yards all season. He's been a steady and reliable K once again. Pretty crazy that he's played 3 more seasons for the Patriots than Vinatieri.
6) Patterson - Has already contributed to the team more than I expected and picking up the RB slack was big when both Michel and Burkhead were out. This is another guy who I think is going to make a memorable play in the postseason.
7) Brian Flores - It hasn't been pretty all season but after 14 games, the Patriots ranked 13th in PPG against and are like 10 points away over the course of the season from a top 10 PPG. Take away the dumb lateral play and they're basically there. Given the lack of talent on the front 7, I think it's a noteworthy accomplishment. Patricia is sitting at 18th right now.