Pneumonic

Fellas, I posted relevant stats (ie all pro selections) that counters the argument that the Pats drafts haven't been all that well in the BB era. Clearly they have drafted well ..... enough to have more all pro selections this last decade than any other team in the league. If you wish to debate who is responsible for adding such players that is a different topic. Yet, with all of the player turnover the last few years, the Pats were 1 play away from winning this past SB. Something must be going right with the players being added!

The value part is only important to draftniks who rate players and fill out mock drafts based on their ratings. So, basically useless ratings. I mean, it's not like a team is awarded a Lombardi for having the best value players in the league. What's important about the draft is how teams filled their needs with players who are good enough to make them holes turn into strengths.

Last decade. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/22/browns-worst-in-the-nfl-at-finding-all-pros-in-the-draft/ Drafting is about projecting future production so we always have to take a time will tell approach but, both Jones and Hightower, are tailormade prospects for the Pats defense. That they were very highly rated players on many experts draft board and ended up available for simple trade ups for the Pats, is most fortunate from the Pats perspective.

The Pats have won 10+ game each season for the last decade ..... they are ALWAYS in win now mode!!!!!!!!!!

Huh? The Pats have drafted the most pro bowlers of any team in the league. And don't forget that the Pats traded picks for another couple pro bowlers - Welker and Moss. As for Jones and Hightower, if one goes by Mike Mayock's grading system (probably top one around) .... the Pats drafted Mayock's top ranked DE (Jones), his 9th ranked player overall, and Mayock's 2nd ranked ILB (Hightower), his 15th ranked player overall. For comparison sake, Mayock had Gilmore ranked 8th overall.

Wow, what a great idea. I'm surprised the rest of the other NFL minds haven't thought about this in the past decade that Brady has been tearing the league up.

Yet the #2 and # 3 defenses in the league are at home while two of the lesser ranked defenses, and higher powered offense, are playing in the SB.

You're asking to list questionable losses for a team that barely loses. That's a tough job. But here's one for ya. This years Pats loss to the Giants. Two questionable PI calls to end the game. The last one especially on a ball that was clearly uncatchable.

If recent SB history is any indication, the last 2 SB winning teams (Packers and Saints) had teams built around great offenses and complimentary defenses.

Is you last name Mulder or Scully

The replay clearly showed Evans was stripped of the ball before he got his 2nd foot down. The replay guys upstairs had access to the same views everyone else saw and determined their was no need to buzz down and make them go under the hood.

Critics of the Pats have made excuses for their winning ways for over a decade now. Yet they keep on winning. Must be an incredibly well co-ordinated conspiracy plan in place by the league and its refs in order to pull this off At some point you'd think those critics would just accept the fact that the Pats are an excellent team.

What we learned is that the teams with the 2nd (SF) and 3rd (Ravens) best scoring defenses heading into the playoffs lost to the teams with the 3rd (Pats) and 9th (Gints) best scoring offenses heading into the playoffs.

Belichick was going to hire mcdaniels whether the Pats played Denver or not. What, if any info he might have brought to the table was immaterial to that decision. I think you overvalue Tebow's concern to Belichick. It's not like we are talking having to defend Peyton Manning here. Most anyone of us in here could have devised a gameplan to stop Tebow; stop him from running and make him beat you by passing the ball. Pretty simplistic stuff.

What would have been new and unique was Belichick guiding his QB to an unheard of, record setting 9 or 10 passing TD game ............ not a game where his QB punts the ball again.

If Belichick wanted to be a dick and draw attention to himself and/or the team why bother with a punt when all he had to do was instruct his OC to call pass play after pass play in order for Brady to break the record for passing TD's in a playoff game? Heck, at the rate the Pats were going, Brady could probably have easily hit 9 passing TD's in this game. Now that would have been the ultimate exploitation don't you think? Not some punt practice exercise .......

If Belichick wanted info on Tebow from Mcdaniels all he had to do was call him on the phone and ask him for it. He didn't have to hire him to get it. Mcdaniels was hired because the Pats need a OC for next year and Belichick determined that Mcdaniels was the best guy for the job. So he got him before another team did!

You don't know much about how Belichick operates do you? He's all about practicing situational football and he'll prepare his team for every and any situation possible ..... and there is nothing like situational practice in an actually football game. No amount of simulated practice can prepare you as does an actual game. I wouldn't be surprised to learn Belichick sprung this on his team to see how prepared they were to handle it ... just so that he could ream them out if they faltered since he wasn't going to be able chastise them for much anything else they did wrong from that game.

Sounds more like your hatred for the Pats is clouding your objectivity.

What's laughable is your obvious jealousy towards the Pats.

Branch may not be the player he once was but not only can he still make a defense pay but he and Brady are always on the same page. As for Gaffney ..... even when he was Brady's 2nd receiving option he never could crack 40 catches in a season. In comparison, Branch, as Brady's 4th receiving option behind Welker, Gronk and Hernandez, still caught over 50 balls for more than 700 yds and 5 TD's this season.

You critics don't get it do you? Belichick is who he is, the greatest HC of all time, because he is all abut situational football. He expects of his players to be in tune with all possible situations no matter the time of game nor the score on the board. No doubt he also wishes for his players to expect the same in reverse. BB used Brady to punt because he was able to practice a possible outcome situation that might happen in the future. That's why the Pats under Belichik have been a dynasty and have been winning crazy numbers of football games the last decade, much to the chagrin of opposing fans and players who, often, take the opportunity to chastise the Pats for being arrogant and disrespectful in the process.

Surely no one actually believes Belichick hired McDaniels in order to get info on Tebow? If so, wow man, just wow! Belichick hired McDaniels because he needs an OC for next season because his current OC is leaving after the season is over with.

Ravens D is going to have to get turnovers in order to have a chance of beating the Pats. And, then only if Flacco doesn't choke away. I keep hearing people referring to the '09 Pats/Ravens game where the Ravens D dominated the Pats O and expecting a similar outcome. What those same people aren't (seemingly) aware of is that Welker, Gronkowski, Hernandez and Branch didn't play for the Pats in that game.

I see two teams with elite passing QB's still in the playoffs and two teams with elite defenses still in the playoffs. Not sure much of a conclusion can be drawn from this either way.