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Not playing the Patriots blame game.

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So hopefully by the end of the day today we’ll be able pin the exact one thing that was responsible for the Patriots loss. 

Was it Welker’s benching? Was it Patchung!’s bobbled fake punt? Are the wide receivers simply unable to get open? And where was Aaron Hernandez? Do Woodhead AND Law Firm now need to be replaced? Tom Brady’s lost three straight playoff games, let’s get rid of him! And so on…

Trying to find the one or two ingredients responsible for a loss is like trying to find one or two ingredients in meatloaf. Yes you can see some of the obvious ones, but others you can’t, and ultimately it’s the special combination of ingredients that are responsible for the result, each contributing in their own small special way.

The Patriots did not execute like champions and they deserved to lose. There’s no one positional fix or upgrade that is going to solve all the problems we did or didn’t see against the Jets.

The off-season will begin with a good hard look at the Patriots personnel and coaching staff based on the entire season. Some big picture concerns based on not just what we saw yesterday:

  1. pass defense – biggest weakness of the 2010 Patriots.
  2. pass protection – break downs in the last three playoffs losses.
  3. pass rush – loss of Mike Wright/Myron Pryor didn’t help.

Bruschi breaks down the Patriots loss to Jets

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Bruschi breaks down the Patriots loss to Jets

Great read from Tedy, he obviously knows what it takes to win in the playoffs and what the Pats were lacking yesterday. The Jets had a plan and they executed it, and the insight Tedy provides here is interesting.

My reactionary thought is that another explosive running back, a big, tough runner might be just the thing this team team needs on offense to overcome what the Jets did yesterday. 

While much of it can attributed to the Pats being flat, we can also expect to see the same defensive game plan from opponent next season. Building a team to defeat that defensive scheme (sans the fake injuries) begins shortly. 

But I think we’ve seen enough playoff letdowns to know that some kind of evolution on offense is needed again. Seems like forever since we won a playoff game doesn’t it?

Focusing on the Patriots big picture

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As this loss slowly sinks in it’s pretty clear what happened. Sanchez played mistake-free, accurate football, the Jets veteran D was all over Brady, and the Pats came out and stayed flat. We all knew exactly what the Jets needed to do to win, and they did it. You have to respect that. 

It was pretty obvious that despite only losing two games in 2010 the Patriots were vulnerable if you didn’t beat yourself and executed. How many of the fourteen wins were just the other teams beating themselves? San Diego, Indianapolis, Miami both times are just a few that come immediately to mind.

That’s the hallmark of a well-coached team. They don’t beat themselves. They play hard for sixty minutes, and usually the other team won’t even do that.

But today the Jets played harder and were better than the Patriots, and take a 52-51-1 all-time series lead.

It’s surprising that a team that rose to the occasion in so many big regular season games failed to show up when it was all on the line. They played tight, the Jets vets did not.

If you asked me before the season in my heart of hearts what would I have predicted? That the young defense would struggle early but peak as the playoffs got here. No chance in hell they’d go 14-2 with that schedule, but alas they exceeded all our expectations and grabbed the first overall seed.

What I questioned then, a question that was answered today, was if this defense was really primed and battle tested to get the critical stops and plays that are required to win in the playoffs. Interceptions and sacks are great in the regular season, but they’re critical in the post season. Today the young Pats proved they aren’t quite there yet.

While the offense was one of the top five of the last decade it sputtered when it counted most. So while it was disappointing to see the Jets shut it down, also realize that it was more about not executing than it is needing entirely new personnel. Perhaps a new weapon at RB to replace Sammie Morris/Fred Taylor, or even some shuffling in the offense are probably the only significant spots to be addressed.

We also can’t forget about getting the desperately needed Leigh Bodden and Ty Warren back. This sucks right now, but really the fact is that we’ll be right back in the thick of it next season. 

So I don’t really feel suicidal right now. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a deeply disappointing loss. But the Jets are built Super Bowl or bust, and this year they got us with it. They will be a far different team than the Patriots when the two meet again in September (assuming there’s football). 

I probably won’t turn on ESPN until sometime in mid-March, but we’ll slowly shift our focus to the draft and what the Pats might look to do with all their picks. 

My over reactionary draft needs would probably be:

  1. DE
  2. OLB
  3. RB
  4. OT/OG
  5. S

Should be an interesting off season. So long to the 2010 Pats, you gave us four great months, followed by what’s looking like six months of agony.

That’s all folks…

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Welp, it was a disappointing end to a spectacular season. The Jets absolutely outplayed the Pats and were clearly the veteran team that was ready to play.

Had the Pats not exceeded expectations a divisional round exit is probably about what could’ve been expected for this young team. So we can’t help but feel confident about their direction, especially with another bevy of draft picks.

The Jets executed the perfect game plan agains the Pats. They didn’t turn the ball over and they didn’t take stupid penalties. The Patriots on the other hand did both. 

So we’ll take some time to digest this one. And then it’s on to the draft. And yes, my playoff beard has already been shaved off.

2010 Pats, thanks for the regular season memories. Now, Go Green Bay!