BuffaloBillsForever Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 New England's playoff luster seems to be lacking since they got caught cheating during their superbowl runs? Coincidence? (Stirring the pot)
Nanker Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 On another note, congrats to David Harris for intercepting Marcia's fifth pass of the game. Now we won't have to hear about that annoying streak of hers anymore.
H2o Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) New England's playoff luster seems to be lacking since they got caught cheating during their superbowl runs? Coincidence? (Stirring the pot) Or it could be the fact that they do not have a Bruschi, Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Daniel Graham, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown, and Corey Dillon in their respective primes as well. Do I think the video taping had any effect on the outcome? To a certain degree maybe, but so did the players on the field from the SB winning teams. Edited January 17, 2011 by H2o
sllib olaffub Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 To me, the most consistent constant on the teams that have handled the Patriots over the last three, four years is a fierce Defense that gets after Brady, and especially while not sacrificing too much coverage. That means effective pressure from the D-line, or very creative blitzing. Brady and Co., had just as dominant a year this year as almost any other of their years. Time and again, we've seen it play out, the way to handle that team is to rattle Brady. If we don't assemble a Defensive unit capable of doing just that - and, by the way, that approach would work nicely on the rest of our division, as their QB's aren't capable of handling that kind of pressure, either - then I can't believe we're serious about being contenders. Also, a good point was made in an article on this site - why not hire someone like Mangini to help erect a defense that can handle the Patriots and the Jets? It is only so obvious to me that our Defensive Coordinator was in over his head last year. He wasn't even average. Average won't cut it. Above average won't cut it. We need a real master Defensive Coordinator to go along with good personnel in order to win in this division. Unless Edwards is a genius and we just don't know it, our coaching staff is either not in it to win it, or they are strapped for cash allowances on coaching. Let's hope they get Wannstadt or Mangini, or someone with real know how on the Defensive side to give our team a little brighter future.
eSJayDee Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Now we won't have to hear about that annoying streak of hers anymore. Playoffs don't count in regular season stats/records, so the streak is still active.
Jerry Jabber Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Or it could be the fact that they do not have a Bruschi, Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Daniel Graham, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown, and Corey Dillon in their respective primes as well. Do I think the video taping had any effect on the outcome? To a certain degree maybe, but so did the players on the field from the SB winning teams. And Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weiss. It was obvious that the Pats offensive coordinator had very little answers for Rex Ryan's defense yesterday. (I'm not a Jets fan, but I'm glad they won yesterday!)
PromoTheRobot Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Are you saying that defense beats the Pats rather than a franchise QB? PTR
Jerry Jabber Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Are you saying that defense beats the Pats rather than a franchise QB? PTR Bingo...We have a WINNER!!!!! That's what drove me nuts about Dickie J, he solely focused on the secondary and not the pass rush. The Giants laid out the blueprint on how to stop Brady in the Superbowl, and that's putting constant pressure on him. If the Bills ever want to end the losing streak to the Pats, then they need to not only beef up their defensive front 7, but be able to get multiple players that can generate constant pressure on the opposing QB.
Playoff Bound Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Defense usually wins over offense whether the offense has a franchise QB or not. Bills fans only have to look back at the New York Giants Superbowl wins against the Bills. The Bills offense was high flying, state of the art for its time, with Jim Kelly as the franchise QB in his prime. The Giants defense pretty much shut the Bills offense down. Defense, Defense, Defense. The road to the Superbowl starts with Defense.
sllib olaffub Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 When I reply to various posts, it's easy for opinions on certain topics to make it seem like I believe a bunch of contradictory things - for instance, I might say I think we need a solid Defense, and then say I think we will draft a QB with our 1st, or that you cannot turn down a Franchise calibre QB if you can get him. But, I believe, and I've said it before a few times, that the best way to go about fixing this team is to fix the defense this year, no matter what you have to throw at it, just get the guys you need, so that it is rich in talent and that they'll grow together, mature, for the next four or five years. Then, next year you throw everything at the offense, and after that it's just a matter of maintenance. It does appear that this year's draft class, along with the F.A. market, will furnish the right types of players for us to reload on Defense, and even fix our O-line. It's just a matter of whether or not Gailey and Nix believe there is a college QB who has the tools to be great, and if that is the case, I can't see them passing on the guy (Locker looks to me like the perfect QB for Gailey's preferences - we'll see).
Mr. WEO Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 King wrote about this a few weeks ago. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/12/13/week-14-mmqb/index.html They have a higher winning percnetage and score 25% more points per game since busted for cheating. They were just outcoached yesterday. Rex backed up all the talk.
l< j Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) The OP raises an important point: My own, completely uninformed opinion is that the cheating helped. Ergo, not cheating (too risky for them now were they to get caught cheating in the same way) hurts. The one constant inconsistency among pundits and commentors who sweep the cheating under the rug is that Belicheck* is a genius, as calculating a thinker to ever walk the sidelines. If he is such a genius, why would he waste so much time and energy on something--cheating--that had no impact on their chances for success? Either everything he does puts his team in a better position to succeed, including the cheating, or he wasted a lot of time cheating. Which is it? kj Adding: And, respectfully, to MrWEO's point: I read that piece. King stands out among those who are guilty of what I outlined above (and maybe it is only a big deal to me, but I hold grudges.) But look at their record in the playoffs, where they can't fatten up on crappy teams like ours, where teams are more evenly matched in talent and where coaching chumps like Jauron aren't usually found. In those situations, even a small advantage (cheaters) can turn the tide. And again, absent that advantage, the winning percentage would--did--go down. Edited January 17, 2011 by l< j
Recommended Posts