The beginning of the end for NE?

[Mr. Cynical]

It is just one game obviously (they got blown out at the Bills last year and won the SB) so anything is possible.

But does anyone have a gut feel that that this will start the decline of the Pats? You can only be so good for so long....at some point it is inevitable.

[ArcticWildMan]

Belichek has an uncanny ability to rally his team in the face of adversity. This is hardly the end of the Pats.

[Mr. Cynical]

I agree....he is brutally good and will most likely get them back on track. This was probably just a "relief" from the undefeated stuff.

Still, they did look pretty awful and that defense was abysmal. I don't think they go 15-1. My gut says 11-5 for some reason.

Edited for dumbass arithmetical error. :D

[DraftBoy]

agreed

[chernobylwraiths]

My gut says 11-4 for some reason.

You do realize that you only have 15 games there, right? :;

[lordofgun]

I wish!

[DaBills]

They had Dillon and Law out today? Not really a fair comparison. Brady is successful with a strong running component in his game. Tight coverage on his WRs today forced extra pressure on him without having Dillon as an outlet IMO.

Remember, they're still down by only 2 scores with 6 to go, so I think they are still a legit threat to repeat the SB.

[mybills]

Like I said, Sox had to win 'cause the Pat's aint gonna! :up: :evil:

[mybills]

Guys who've met my friend Karen at opening day last year...
she put my black bushy wig on and lay down on the floor holding her ankle..said, "who am I?"...I didn't know, so she said, "Ty Law" The thing that made it funny was she had his jersey on and another Pats fan really thought she was hurt and tried to help hr up! :roflmao:

[Mr. Miyagi]

Pittsburgh played today the only way to beat the Pats, the way everyone knew but just couldn't do.

Nail tough defense and power running game.

The tough D needed to not let them get up too quickly. The smash mouth run game controls the clock and tempo, and exploits their weaker run D in the middle. In order to pull this off you'd need a very good OL and a QB who doesn't fluster at pass rushers.

No many teams could do it. But Pittsburgh did it perfectly today, and exposed Tom Brady and his short passing game.

:hail:Cowher

[Michael82]

Pittsburgh played today the only way to beat the Pats, the way everyone knew but just couldn't do.

Nail tough defense and power running game.

The tough D needed to not let them get up too quickly. The smash mouth run game controls the clock and tempo, and exploits their weaker run D in the middle. In order to pull this off you'd need a very good OL and a QB who doesn't fluster at pass rushers.

No many teams could do it. But Pittsburgh did it perfectly today, and exposed Tom Brady and his short passing game.

:hail:Cowher
Let's see if Willis can run all over them in 2 weeks. If he can...we might win. :lol:

[Mr. Miyagi]

I think you must've missed the "very good OL" part.

[Mr. Cynical]

You do realize that you only have 15 games there, right? :;
When did they make it a 16 game season? :;

[Michael82]

I think you must've missed the "very good OL" part.
What's a good OL? :mad: :doh:

:ontome:

[BAM]

Sadly. I don't see them going away for a while. :(

[Tatonka]

they were missing key players and they were playing against a rookie phenom.

[Ickybaluky]

The Pats got beat on both sides of the ball at the line of scrimmage. They fell behind early, turned the ball over and flat out got beat. The Steelers were the better team today. Roethlisberger is no fluke. The Pats had some injuries, but the Steelers were flat-out better, by a wide margin.

The Pats are still a good team. They were not going to go undefeated. They are going to lose more games as well, but still should be a contender down the stretch.

I'm little not about the offense, as they are much improved there this year. They really miss Deion Branch. It is very hard for them to spread teams out, which is how they moved the ball last year, without him. With Dillon out today they couldn't run either, and missing starting RT Tom Ashworth didn't help either.

Defensively, you're completely off-base in saying they struggle up front. I realize people think the problems are with the running game, but it couldn't be further from the truth.

Their problems are in the secondary. The Pats have never been the fastest defensive team, and teams are spreading them out (especially on 3rd down). Today, they couldn't generate a pass rush on Roethlisberger and their secondary couldn't hold coverage. Tyrone Poole missed another game, and Ty Law was injured in the 1st quarter. With both their starting CB out the team was forced to play rookies Randall Gay and Dexter Reid a lot.

The Pats don't have trouble with teams that line up and try to pound the ball on them. They have trouble with teams that spread them out and either run or pass. Those problems are compounded when they fall behind early and turn the ball over frequently, as they did today.

So, you are not seeing the "demise" of the Pats. However, the Pats are not the league's dominant team. They weren't last year, either. They are a very good team that wins a lot of close games. They are a playoff contender that has a shot to win another Super Bowl, but not a better shot than half-a-dozen other teams. The NFL isn't about dominant teams anymore, and hasn't been since shortly after Jimmy Johnson left the Cowboys.

Still, it is hard to be upset as a fan with a 6-1 record. If the Patriots win 11-12 games, then I think they will have had a very good season. As long as they get a chance to defend their championship, once can't complain.