Are the Pats the worst team in the NFL?
- Thread starter ShaneTrot
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The Colts were never supposed to snap the ball. They were trying to catch the Pats off guard and unprepared, which is pretty silly against the BB-led Patriots. When I coached high school football, there was a team who would run that on occasion, called the Swinging Gate. Can be very confusing for a defense who has not seen that on tape before. Of course the Colts fucked it up royally. They couldn’t even line up correctly, as the entire offensive line lined up 2 yards behind the LOS.
One of the very few good things the Pat MacAfee show ever had was him breaking this play down.
Basic answer is they were supposed to snap if the Patriots had 12 men (as signaled by the "QB" getting under center), the "Center" who was a gunner got hurt so they went to the backup, who read the playbook where it said... "get on the ball, if the guy comes under you snap the ball to him". The Head coach when he called it, pulled aside the "QB" and said "since we're taking a delay of game anyway, if they don't have 12, go ahead and try a hard count.
So basically the HC changed the play, nobody told the C so he snapped it.... of course amusingly, they also didn't get 5 on the line so it was illegal formation anyway
That was one of the more hilarious plays by a Patriots opponent, probably #2 after the butt fumble. Still shocked that the result wasn't a strip-sack/fumble, which would have been an easy TD for Bolden. Didn't matter as the Pats scored a TD on the ensuing possession anyway. As noted, they were never supposed to snap the ball.
The Colts penalty for illegal formation was declined.
The idea is that once the punt return team sees that the "punt" was a fake, the return team may try to quickly sub in a couple of players. And the quick substitution could lead to mistakes with a 12th man on the defense.
Had zero chance of actually working out that way against that Patriots team. Or probably against any NFL team, to be fair.
It was a fake punt. They lined up to punt then started running off the field like it was a quick change, but the offense never actually came on, and ST all stopped right before the sideline. Patriots just shifted ST into defense never considered the swap, so it was DOA.
Awful stuff. Yet, still better than Miami's average of 11.3. Look at the last 2 weeks only, Pats are averaging 8.0, Miami 7.5.
Defensively, Pats have allowed 21.8 per game, 27 per game in the last 2 weeks. Not great, but better than Miami, who has allowed 25.8, 27.5 over the last 2 weeks.
No argument about how bad the Pats are, but Miami seems to be just as bad.
If the Pats lose and the Jags win, the Pats are #1 in the waivers list going into week 6 and have the inside track for the #1 pick.
EDIT: Pats lose, Jags win. Pats have the theoretical #1 pick, five weeks in.
EDIT: Pats lose, Jags win. Pats have the theoretical #1 pick, five weeks in.
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The answer to the thread question is yes.
To think people in this thread said they’d beat Miami. JFC. They wouldn’t beat the 1992 Pats.
To think people in this thread said they’d beat Miami. JFC. They wouldn’t beat the 1992 Pats.
If they aren't the worst, the delta between that team and this Pats squad is tiny. They stink and they suck. Nobody could win with this roster. They are objectively terrible.
Worst or not, they’re the most boring team in the NFL. Which jersey does a kid get? I see a number of kids around New England wearing Mahomes jerseys and it makes me sad. It wouldn’t be as bad if they were terrible but at least had a couple of dynamic playmakers so if you squint you could see a playoff team next season. Short of the NFL moving to a fantasy redraft model, there is nothing to get excited about with this team.
I’m not sure there’s a more boring team in professional sports. They are completely unwatchable from a pure entertainment standpoint. That would change the moment Maye starts though.
The panic here (and on our sister station, WEEI) if/when Maye struggles will be something.
Its hard to see how anyone expected anything other than this start but its clear some people think this team should have a winning record.
What happens if Maye looks like a rookie QB with fewer reps in college than some of the other rookies? The sky will fall... again.
Is this the complaining thread? I know it’s not productive, but I’d trade the sweetness of any or all of last year’s wins in order to have Daniels or maybe even Williams. .
I don’t really get this. People know this team sucks and will suck regardless of who is at QB. Some people want to see the shiny toy because it would be more interesting than watching a guy who can’t complete any passes.
I agree with this post.
I am just stating what is - this team looked under gunned going in to the season and yet people are still really angry/let down.
What happens if Maye comes in and struggles? How long until we get Mac comparisons?
It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never have loved at all…
The people who are going to shit on a rookie QB when he struggles aren’t really serious anyways so I’ll gladly discount those kinds of opinions when they come.
I’m someone who wants to see Maye in there knowing full well what the downside risk might be. The Mac stuff falls flat with me because he just didn’t have the same physical profile as Maye. I think he largely failed due to his own physical limitations and then his weak mental makeup finished the job.
Ultimately, I think Maye needs to see the field this year. My world won’t end if he doesn’t because Celtics start soon and Sox offseason soon after. But I remain curious about what Maye might show. And if you give him a competent line and Travis Hunter next year, we might have something.
I'm down to see what Maye has too. I am also prepared for him to look rough for a while. The team around him is pretty thin but maybe he can defy expectations.
That said I am comfortable that some fans will judge him early. Its human nature.
In terms of record I'm pretty sure most expected something like this, I think they've looked more putrid on offense than even the pessimistic expectations though. If Maye struggles, you leave him in, give him three years and see where it goes. They gave three years to a guy with zero NFL tools. If Drake Maye is broken by criticism after a rough rookie season, he would have never been a guy anyway.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse, one of their best defensive players gets arrested.
View: https://twitter.com/rayvilleda/status/1843267204600807557?s=46&t=LD_aDlhitMEHPm3P89hKVA
View: https://twitter.com/rayvilleda/status/1843267204600807557?s=46&t=LD_aDlhitMEHPm3P89hKVA
This. Look at Sam Darnold. He's a guy who some might say was broken by an early bad situation. But as this year has shown, he's been who he's always been--an up and down guy who can be competitive with a good cast around him, but still occasionally sloppy with the ball, just as he was in college. Maye had a shaky cast around him in his last year at UNC and it did not stop him from being productive and leading his team to a winning record. Is it possible he could do the same at this level? It may be time to find out.
The results will likely be disappointing at first, but they almost always are with a rookie QB. But if he is "a guy", he will show flashes and get better with each game.
I had this thought while watching the Packers-Rams game. Jordan Love is the QB of one of my fantasy teams, so I pay special attention to him. The Packers have been praised for letting him sit for so long, which is believed to be part of how he's played so well and under control since he's become their starter. But for all their patience with him, he's still capable of spectacularly reckless plays (one even ended their season last year) so all that time on that bench did little to change the player he's always been. It's past time we find out what type of player Drake Maye is going to be.
There were more than a few folks in the game thread who think this team is 3-2 if better coached. They exist and they are likely representative of a some subset of fans.
The rebuild doesn't begin until Maye takes the field. We suffered through last season and earned the #3 pick, but no good can be expected while all that value is holding a clipboard.
MRR: The ship be sinking.
Reporter: How far can it sink?
MRR: Sky's the limit.
It's time for Maye.
MRR: The ship be sinking.
Reporter: How far can it sink?
MRR: Sky's the limit.
It's time for Maye.
no thanks. I was fine dumping him. It was absolute dumb process that Kraft did with a successor in waiting. Half ass process.
Should we just shut down all Patriots threads until next off season? Of course people are commenting and pissed about what a bad, poorly coached team this is, as it unfolds in real time. I think there’s legit argument against playing Maye, but I’m at the point of thinking it’s time to get a glimpse of they have with him, and it would at least represent something productive coming out of this season, rather than a 2-3 win slog with a QB who will likely be gone the day after the season ends.
No. There's no way one off-season could fix the weakening talent pool.
This team is fundamentally better off being 1-4 then if they had gotten lucky and won a few.
At least Kraft got his team back. I'm sure that's the only thing he really cares about. He didn't want to share credit for all the winning, so he is welcome to take all the credit for this absolute fucking shitshow.
Reiss's takeaways. No rose-colored glasses here.
How much closer are the Patriots to starting rookie QB Drake Maye? The Patriots' passing game was mostly stuck in neutral until showing life on their final drive. Coach Jerod Mayo had noted last week that it was "unsustainable" to keep playing offense the way they have and expect to win. After reviewing the film, he'll have to decide if Maye would make a significant difference. Up to this point, the Patriots' lack of consistent pass protection had been the primary reason for offensive struggles. That seemed to improve against the Dolphins, putting more of the spotlight on some of Jacoby Brissett's struggles.
Describe the game in two words: Rock bottom. The defense hung in the game until being worn down late, but New England displayed a mostly punchless offense and was penalized 12 times for 104 yards. This feels like a Patriots team from the early 1990s, when they played uninspiring offensive football and were annual favorites for the first overall pick.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Clock management. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and Brissett were shaky once again at the end of the second quarter, similar to a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. The Patriots had the ball at their own 5-yard line with 1:43 remaining and Rhamondre Stevenson had run 8 yards on first down. But instead of working down the clock, or forcing the Dolphins to use their timeouts, the Patriots then threw two straight incompletions. It might have led to a Dolphins field goal before halftime if not for a poor snap. -- Mike Reiss
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41593254/nfl-week-5-2024-questions-takeaways-lessons-stats-recap-every-game#miane
How much closer are the Patriots to starting rookie QB Drake Maye? The Patriots' passing game was mostly stuck in neutral until showing life on their final drive. Coach Jerod Mayo had noted last week that it was "unsustainable" to keep playing offense the way they have and expect to win. After reviewing the film, he'll have to decide if Maye would make a significant difference. Up to this point, the Patriots' lack of consistent pass protection had been the primary reason for offensive struggles. That seemed to improve against the Dolphins, putting more of the spotlight on some of Jacoby Brissett's struggles.
Describe the game in two words: Rock bottom. The defense hung in the game until being worn down late, but New England displayed a mostly punchless offense and was penalized 12 times for 104 yards. This feels like a Patriots team from the early 1990s, when they played uninspiring offensive football and were annual favorites for the first overall pick.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Clock management. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and Brissett were shaky once again at the end of the second quarter, similar to a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. The Patriots had the ball at their own 5-yard line with 1:43 remaining and Rhamondre Stevenson had run 8 yards on first down. But instead of working down the clock, or forcing the Dolphins to use their timeouts, the Patriots then threw two straight incompletions. It might have led to a Dolphins field goal before halftime if not for a poor snap. -- Mike Reiss
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41593254/nfl-week-5-2024-questions-takeaways-lessons-stats-recap-every-game#miane
Uh... why is he blaming the clock decisions on the QB and OC? That's a head coach call.
I mean I have a guess which is.... Mayo is RK's chosen, Brissett isn't gonna be here long and AVP is the likeliest scapegoat. Reiss wants to keep good with Mayo for future access.
Well, the underlined comment in the Reiss snippet sure isn't favorable to Mayo
I mean, the team is bad... but he focuses on offense, then directly blames the OC and QB for a major error (that is obviously on the HC). The trick in these things isn't to pretend the things everyone sees are bad aren't bad.... it's to hint that they are someone else's fault. (the Doc Rivers special).
It should be a HC call certainly. I'm wondering if this is a hint that Mayo has abrogated that responsibility to AVP?
When I read the comment again, it seems to me that clock management is being intertwined with the plays calls in that situation. And, that would be an OC/QB issue. Mayo isn't calling offensive plays.
I think if Reiss had said "situational awareness" instead of clock management, it wouldn't be as confusing
Mayo started with this in his first interview by saying they weren’t going to get every hiring decision right. He was already laying the groundwork.
Whether Mayo or AVP or the combo is to blame, it is crazy how little they ran the ball compared with how effectively both Stevenson and Gibson ran the ball. This includes regular game situations and situations where you don;t want to give the ball back (or at least want to make the other team burn timeouts). They just kept striving for a balanced attack even when the running game was averaging more than double the yards per play of the passing game.
Not attempting to run the ball on either first or 2nd down when they were on the Miami 12 near the end of the game was inexcusable. What I am hoping is that Maye shows enough the rest of the season that they can find a better offensive coordinator.
No one will ever be able to convince me they did all they could to find the best HC and OC possible in this past off-season. AVP not only doesn't have much experience as a play caller, he comes from a system that's very basic (to be generous) and puts a shit ton on either the QB or the RBs in order for it to work at a high level. This no motion, no eye candy offense that Mike McCarthy runs kinda sucks in 2024, and I really, really hope their idea of developing Drake Maye doesn't hinge on molding him into an AVP type QB. If the kid is more comfortable in shotgun, have him in shotgun. If he loves some specific North Carolina concepts, put those in. That's how QB development has worked in the modern NFL and I really hope that's the path they take with Maye.
I think Dak Prescott is one of the last remaining pocket QBs who wins pre-snap, challenges tight windows over the middle of the field, and has full control over the line of scrimmage, and even while being the perfect archetype for that offense, to me he's kneecapped by it. Nevermind a rookie. But we'll see.