Could Gronk's Suspension Keep the Pats out of the Superbowl?

[Coastie]

I figure the Steelers end up with home field and the patriots would have to travel in the conference championship game and somehow the bad Steelers show up and lose the divisional round and hand home field back to the pats. 

 

Must be my cynicism coming through but so many years of the patriots seeming to find ponies in huge piles of manure will do that to you.

[Livinginthepast]

The Pats under Brady and BB always find a way to overcome these obstacles. They just plug someone else in and everything hums along as usual. But last night was something to see.  I really think that Miami played their best game in years last night. Their offense clicked and their defense was immense. The Pats could not counter the pass rush and whatever those Fin Dbs were doing messed up the Pats routes. It was a brilliant performance and superb game plan.  The Pats can be beaten, I just wish we could learn from the Fins success.

[dave mcbride]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

He has been in the past, and he could have been vs Miami.

 

I don't like the Steelers chances without Shazier, unless they can figure out some adjustments PDQ.  Their D depends upon his speed IMO

I actually think the Steelers, who have a healthy LeVeon Bell this time around, will win. I just don't see the Pats' D stopping the Steelers offense. 

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

They are pedestrian THIS YEAR because of the absence of Edelman. They've played two games without him now (against TB too) and have looked extremely ordinary. With Gronk in there, Hogan is going to open and/or single-covered on many of these deep throws. Gronkowski's actions cost the team a game. 

 

Edelman has been out for the whole season.  Top 5 offense.

[dave mcbride]

8 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Edelman has been out for the whole season.  Top 5 offense.

That's sort of my point. Brady has two go-to guys at the end of the day: Edelman and Gronk. If he loses one, he can survive because the other one, combined with the other good players, can handle the job. But if he loses both, he's kinda screwed. I was saying that they are pedestrian in the absence of Gronk, and the evidence attests to that. They struggled against TB, a team which has a HORRIBLE pass defense (as in worst-in-the-NFL bad).

Edited December 12, 2017 by dave mcbride

[aristocrat]

after the big ben putting up 506 yards of passing can you imagine what he does against the pats?  steelers will roll them

[starrymessenger]

1 hour ago, dave mcbride said:

I actually think the Steelers, who have a healthy LeVeon Bell this time around, will win. I just don't see the Pats' D stopping the Steelers offense. 

 

This is the right answer. Ben, Antonio, Bell. 

Also, even without Shazier I think Tom maybe in for another rough outing. 

I think his 40 year old body is starting to show some battle fatigue. 

[dave mcbride]

48 minutes ago, starrymessenger said:

 

This is the right answer. Ben, Antonio, Bell. 

Also, even without Shazier I think Tom maybe in for another rough outing. 

I think his 40 year old body is starting to show some battle fatigue. 

The fact that he didn't sneak it last night at the one foot line tells me that perhaps his achilles is more of a problem than he's letting on.

[starrymessenger]

Just now, dave mcbride said:

The fact that he didn't sneak it last night at the one foot line tells me that perhaps his achilles is more of a problem than he's letting on.

 

Could also account for a couple of those throws. 

Just watching him pick himself off the turf a few times he looked tired - and a lot like an older QB. 

We are just on the cusp of when the season becomes most demanding of the players strength and endurance. He's been great again this year but I've got this feeling he just won't have enuf in the tank this time. Obviously a lot depends on how well Dante can get the O-line to protect him. Getting Gronk back will help a lot, but I still think the Pats will fall short of expectations.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

I actually think the Steelers, who have a healthy LeVeon Bell this time around, will win. I just don't see the Pats' D stopping the Steelers offense. 

 

That may be true they won't stop Stillers O.  But I'm concerned about the opposite - Stillers D won't stop Pats.

 

In a just world, where Gronk got suspended for several games....

58 minutes ago, starrymessenger said:

Also, even without Shazier I think Tom maybe in for another rough outing. 

I think his 40 year old body is starting to show some battle fatigue. 

 

Nothing would please me more (rough outing, and battle fatigue)

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

That's sort of my point. Brady has two go-to guys at the end of the day: Edelman and Gronk. If he loses one, he can survive because the other one, combined with the other good players, can handle the job. But if he loses both, he's kinda screwed. I was saying that they are pedestrian in the absence of Gronk, and the evidence attests to that. They struggled against TB, a team which has a HORRIBLE pass defense (as in worst-in-the-NFL bad).

 

Brady through for over 300 yards and completed 30 passes (75%), 19 to Hogan and Amendola.

 

Yeah if they are without both Edelman and Gronk they aren''t as good as they are with them, but you keep saying the evidence shows that they are "pedestrian" without Gronk in particular.  The evidence (the last 7 games including the playoffs last season) shows the opposite.  They went on a tear after he went down in the beginning of December.

[Jay_Fixit]

5 hours ago, teef said:

oh mykidsdad!

Had no idea who started this thread until I saw this. Now I’m content.

[Boatdrinks]

25 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

The fact that he didn't sneak it last night at the one foot line tells me that perhaps his achilles is more of a problem than he's letting on.

Steelers would be wise to take a page out of Dolphins D playbook ( among others over the years). Middle pressure early and often on Brady seems to bring out the worst in him. 

[teef]

21 minutes ago, Jay_Fixit said:

Had no idea who started this thread until I saw this. Now I’m content.

i was tipped off.  i missed him so much.

[dave mcbride]

50 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Brady through for over 300 yards and completed 30 passes (75%), 19 to Hogan and Amendola.

 

Yeah if they are without both Edelman and Gronk they aren''t as good as they are with them, but you keep saying the evidence shows that they are "pedestrian" without Gronk in particular.  The evidence (the last 7 games including the playoffs last season) shows the opposite.  They went on a tear after he went down in the beginning of December.

Edelman was on the field in all of those seven games. Again, that is my point: that they are pedestrian without Gronk in an Edelman-less offense. Edelman was a huge loss for them - bigger than most anticipated. Amendola is a pretty good player, but he's not the safety valve that Edelman is for Brady. Hogan is a different sort of player altogether. 

 

Also, if you think the NE offense was effective against TB in that game, you didn't watch it. They were sluggish all night despite the high completion rate. They scored 19 points against the worst pass defense in the league and would have lost if TB had a competent kicker.  They didn't convert *one* third down last night. That is unbelievable. 

Edited December 12, 2017 by dave mcbride

[BuffaloBillyG]

7 hours ago, JinxedBill1 said:

I've been saying it for years, Gronk really is a game changer.  Without him that offense is pedestrian 

I know right? The way they fell apart and won a Super Bowl without him last year really shows how irreplaceable he is.

[BillsFan130]

Possibly ya. He was missed big time last night. The Pats the last 12 years (or roughly) haven't won a playoff game outside of Foxboro so home field advantage is massive for them. That loss last night of course hurts the odds of home field