Convince me that the 2020 Pats are good...

[Orlando Buffalo]

6 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

To me, the biggest question will be whether they still have the Refs in their pocket. If so, that's usually good for about 2 additional wins right there.

Honestly last year the glow from the refs faded down the stretch I think, I watched a bunch of the Titans playoff game and I saw several times where in the past they get the phantom call where the Pat's* did not.

[snafu]

They’re a 7-9 or 8-8 or at best a 9-7 team with that offense.

Their defense, alone, may have won them three or four games last year and they may be still really good. 

I’d love to see us beat them three times this season.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

My reasons why the Pats can still have a playoff season.

 

1.  Bill is the best coach in NFL history. He almost never makes a bad tactical decision in a game.  He plays solid situational football and lets the other coach screw up. Cases in point, the Seahawks and Falcons coaches giving away Super Bowls they had in the bag with horrible coaching decisions.

 

2.  They will still field a great defense despite their free agency loses.

 

3.  Their special teams were a terror last year and will steal a game or two this year as well. How many punts did they block last year?  

 

4.  They get to play the Jets and Dolphins twice.

 

5.  Bill is a master at industrial espionage.  Sure it’s cheating, but it gives the Pats a competitive edge and I suspect it has been a real part of their success. I heard Bill talking about the edicts of Sun Tzu in the Art of War during an interview last year.  Sun Tzu says the most valuable thing in warfare is timely and accurate intelligence on your enemy.  Bill has taken that to heart.

 

6.  Brady really wasn’t that good last year.  I think Bill will make Stidham a game manager and focus on the running game.  Those two things will mitigate the loss of Brady. 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Inigo Montoya

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I don't know. They literally have no one on offense. Probably the slowest offense in the NFL. I think they're going to be bad.

[BuffaloRebound]

This was a good year to land a QB in free agency, yet Belichik is rolling the dice with Stidham and Hoyer.  Either he’s tanking or he has more confidence in his QB’s than Dalton, Winston, Newton, etc.  He won 11 games with Matt Cassell and rolled the dice on Brady when he was an unknown afterthought.  Maybe they’ll stink but Belichik has more than earned the benefit of the doubt.  It’s not laziness to think they could win division.  

[BeastMaster]

I think Belicheck will be able to beat the bad to average teams just due to his coaching.

 

Don't think he can make up the difference though against above average good teams with his current roster.

[Real McClappy]

I see them as a .500 team. That said, they went 11-5 with friggin Matt Cassel and that D is still a top 5 unit today.

 

We'll see if the system QB thing is real very soon here between the Pats and Bucs

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Statistically they were the best defense in the league last year at 14+ ppg allowed and used much of their 2020 Draft capital on defense, and on offense they invested in Tight End to make easy throws over the middle of the field for Stidham.

 

So in the end, are the Patriots trying to win in a much different fashion that the Bills brass has chosen over the past 20 years? No, they’re not. Lead with defense, keep scores as low as possible, make the game as easy and short as it can be for a limited offense take advantage of a key mistake here or there by the opposing team.

 

We act like Allen is a huge hurdle for other teams in this division to overcome. He imploded at home when faced the Patriots last year to the tune of 3 interceptions. 
 

Plus, Bills FO and Fans love buzzwords. The Patriots have continuity in Ownership, HC and OC. 
 

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

1 minute ago, Real McNasty said:

I see them as a .500 team. That said, they went 11-5 with friggin Matt Cassel and that D is still a top 5 unit today.

 

We'll see if the system QB thing is real very soon here between the Pats and Bucs

They went 11-5 with a 16-0 roster. Think about that for a second. 

[LABILLBACKER]

The league will determine whether or not the Patriots are good. It's not up to Beli or Stidham or anything else. All the countless times the refs (on orders) have aided the outcome may finally dry up if they deem the organization no longer marketable. I'm sorry but as good as Brady and Belichick were, they received assistance like no tomorrow. Not to mention all the internal cheating. 

Edited May 6, 2020 by LABILLBACKER

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Just now, LABILLBACKER said:

The league will determine whether or not the Patriots are good. It's not up to Beli or Stidham or anything else. All the countless times the refs (on orders) have aided the outcome may finally dry up if they deem the organization no longer marketable. 

Please. You can't really believe that.

[aristocrat]

their wr corps is not great. edelman is another year older, harry had an awful year, lee could be good.  they are gonna run that ball a lot i think. 

[ROONDOGG55]

For me, I'd compare the 2021 Patriots to the 2000 Ravens team. No, I'm not saying their defense is that good, but I am saying their philosophy will be the same. Below are five reasons why I think we will see a very competitive Patriots for 2021.

1. Their defense is really good, and that will not change this year. The Pats do a great job with drafting talent at LB & DL so their losses may be again with the younger players like Chase Winovich being a featured player this year.  
2. They have three quality RBs that will take the pressure off of the pass game. Yes Tom didn't have that much luck, but he was also outside of his current realm as an aging QB with diminishing skills. Tom clearly wanted to electrify like he did in the past, but couldn't do that with the weapons he had last season. If Tom would have checked down more often and opted for more running plays then I think he would have had some more success in the passing game with less attempts.
3. Their o-line is well above average and WHEN HEALTHY can put up a fight in both the pass and run game. Whoever is back their leading the way will have plenty of time to run a west coast type offense with plenty of play action. If Stidham wins the competition then we will see some option plays due to his mobility.
4. Their special teams can win them games, and that will continue into 2021. What separates the Patriots with other teams on special teams is that they have a very deep roster with physical players that can win with both speed and strength. Even their long snapper can lay a mean hit on coverages.
5. The QB play will be mediocre like it has been for the past 2 seasons. Tom had some terrible games the past two years and I feel we won't see a decline in what he provided if the Patriots roll out a conservative west coast styled offense with their new QB. Even with Tom looking absolutely terrible against us, the Patriots won because of their defense and special teams. Not a lot of QBs can play any worse than how Tom played against us last season. The new QB will have a much tighter leash so I'd except a ton of run plays against us next season and maybe 15 passes max.

Because of the reasons listed above I believe the Patriots are still an extreme threat and we cannot take them lightly. They didn't beat anyone last season with their QB play; it was all their defense and special teams which will continue to shine in 2021.

 

But.....I still think we have what it takes to knock them off their throne this year. Our team has added in areas that will benefit us against the Patriots strengths.

 

Adding D-Line strength and depth will allow us to control the run game without missing a beat. We have arguably the best LB tandem in Edmunds and Milano that can only get better. Adding Klein to the mix will help out run defense even more as he specializes in stopping the run and shooting the gap. The Patriots don't want to throw against us so winning in the trenches is a must if we want to take the Patriots out in 2021.

 

Our offense has added a clear-cut #1 WR that will alleviate the pressures on both Cole and Smoke. This will clear those intermediate and short routes from having the overtop help along with Gilmore shadowing Diggs everywhere he goes. This will essentially leave Smoke and Cole covered by either an inexperienced slot or DB with a slower LB trying to make a move on them in space. adding Moss to the equation will add a younger faster version of what Gore did to them last year. Gore had a very good game against the Pats running north and south.

 

I think that the Patriots will have a winning record next season - 9-7 or 10-6. but the BILLS will make them look silly next year, and win the division - 11-5 to 13-3.

 

GO BILLS!

[NewEra]

They’re waaaaaaay better than the 2017 Bills that made the playoffs. 

[LABILLBACKER]

18 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Please. You can't really believe that.

If I didn't believe it I wouldn't have typed it. Yes B&B are goats, witches whatever you want to call them. But you can't ignore or deny the thousands of times over the last 20 years the calls they've received. To pretend these calls didn't exist is just naive.

[_Underscore_]

Great discussion.  Here's why I don't think they'll drop off a cliff despite eroding talent:

1.)    They do not turn the ball over

2.)    They do not commit penalties

 

I looked at this briefly, (more knowledgeable posters can check), but every year, the Cheats finish top tier in both those categories.  These are team characteristics that reflects coaching and organizational stability.  Despite decades of turnover, this has been constant for N.E. under the hoodie and I don’t expect to change in the upcoming year.

 

I think a team with average talent who does these two things consistently wins at least 6 games a year – games against dumpster fires are a lock.  Add a top-10 defense, and you’re in enough games to pull out 2 to 4 more (depending on how the ball bounces).  Subsequently, I see the Cheats being an 8 – 10 win team this year.

 

The real question is whether the Bills can eliminate the unforced errors (drops, fumbles, penalties, and bone-headed plays) that cost them the division and the WC game last year.  The Bills have a great coach and are stock full of ascending young talent.  If they can (and I think they will), the division should be a lock.

 

Great thread.

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

Brady really didn’t have a lot to work with on the offensive side of the ball last year and put up good numbers. Tampa has some amazing weapons for Brady to use. I’m expecting 4,000 34td  8int type season from Brady. 
 

With Brady gone I feel like we should have a very good chance to sweep them this year. All those big time 3rd down throws and pressure TD’s in the red zone are gone. Stidham is not going to come right in and perform like Brady or even close. That offense is going to struggle to score points throughout the season.

 

I feel like their depth at almost every position is thin. If they have a few key injuries they will be tanking the season. 
 

I think they might be fighting the Dolphins for last place in the division this year.

[Kirby Jackson]

28 minutes ago, Real McNasty said:

I see them as a .500 team. That said, they went 11-5 with friggin Matt Cassel and that D is still a top 5 unit today.

 

We'll see if the system QB thing is real very soon here between the Pats and Bucs

They were also were undefeated the year before Cassel played. I’d argue that team had WAY more talent than this team.

[Mark Vader]

Nobody knows how to operate a video camera like Bill Bellichick.

 

Nobody knows how to pay off the officials like Robert Kraft.

 

They are still "good". Even without cry baby.

[ngbills]

2008