RaisedFromTheDead wrote:All teams lose key players, Martin. Pats lost 3/4 of the team last year and went 11-5.There's only one way to win: Have more points than the opponent.
Prufrock wrote:Agreed. But what I'm saying is, by resting the starters the last 3 to 4 games of the year we should re-load our starters for the start of the playoffs. Everyone will be back and ready to go. By the way, Brady looked old in the game last night. Missed a lot of throws down the field and did not have any intensity. I think the Pats (if they make the playoffs) are "one and done".Martin
Badmike wrote:I disagree. The missed FG with 5:20 left is just the kind of momentum changer a team like the Pats could use. Hell, I've seen Tony Romo throw three TDs in five minutes, you can't say Brady wouldn't have a chance.Like the 4th down decision awhile back, I think instead the decision speaks volumes about what Bellicheat thinks about his defense...that continuing to score wouldn't help, since the Saints would just shred them again for another long TD. If you have faith in your D you put your offense back out on the field and hope you can get the ball back quickly. I don't think the Pats have that mindset any longer. And you aren't going far in the playoffs with a defense you don't trust. Peyton and the Colts will destroy the Pats if they meet in the playoffs....I don't think the Pats will be able to beat any offense that can put points on the board quickly, as the Colts have proven they can do.As awful as the Cowboys have looked this season, I am heartened by the fact this is the best defense I've seen the Boys play in many years. That will keep them in games they have no business winning.Mike B.
FormCritic wrote:Odds on a big comeback in a few minutes against the Saints?Odds on an injury to a starter in those wasted efforts?One of the reasons people don't like Bellichek is that he refuses to play foolish Rah Rah Football. Instead, he has a cold stare focus on the odds and the angles. He was already thinking about the next game.Bellichek's decision against the Colts was based on pure math...like a calculated move in poker. It was the right call. It just didn't work that time.That's why the Patriots are also known for cold, calculated personnel moves. They have refused to pander to the ego of any one player. (It is also a measure of the long-term stupidity of a team like the Seahawks, that they would pay for a player like Deon Branch. Imagine my chagrin when the Seahawks paid huge money this off season for a receiver that the Bengals no longer wanted. Sigh - New coach, same old stupid.)Three Super Bowl wins...and almost a fourth. Say Bellichek is wrong.
Badmike wrote:By that logic every team should pull their players if they are down in the last two minutes....I mean, their chances of winning and tieing are small...why risk an injury?
Badmike wrote:...it has to do with the fact your trust in your defense is zero, and in that case you're screwed anyway)...
FormCritic wrote:Exactly. That's what they should do in the situation that Patriots had last night. Smart play.
FormCritic wrote:Exactly. Bingo. Shazam. You've said it exactly right.It was a smart call that didn't work out.
RaisedFromTheDead wrote:Here's a question for ya: Since Tony Dungheap left, the Colts haven't missed a stride. Seems to me it wasn't HIM that made the Colts such a good team, even though he seems to get a huge amount of the credit.
Kingofpain89 wrote: Kinda like Barry Switzer in Dallas. He could have sat on the sideline with his thumb up his butt the entire season and the Cowboys still would have won the '95 Super Bowl. .
Prufrock wrote:Was it last year that the Colts beat the Texans in a game where they were down 17 points with less than 4 minutes to play. Kind of blows up that theory. Martin
Badmike wrote: If the Pats don't come out gangbusters vs the Dolphins next week, everyone will point straight to this game's give up for the reason.
Avurax wrote:Well, the Survival League would have ended after Week 6 just like last year had we not played with 2 strikes. The extra strike pushed the league through week 13. Congrats to Lucyjoyce who didn't even need her mulligan.
ashmire13 wrote:Calling out Plaags Legacy...I haven't checked, did the No Hopers kick your ass again..?
