New England Patriots Thread Mod Warning Post #253

Atlanta 28, New England 3 (third quarter, 8:31 left)

NFL Films captured Brady going up and down the sideline, exhorting his teammates: “Let’s go! Let’s show some fight! Let’s play harder! Harder! Tougher! Everything!”

“It was similar to what I had felt at halftime,” Brady said. “We came out of halftime saying, ‘Look, we’ve had 20 minutes time of possession, we’ve run 45 or 46 plays, we’ve done a good job moving the ball up and down the field, we just have nothing to show for it because of a missed third-and-one, a fumble in their territory, an interception return for a touchdown in their territory, because of poor execution in the red area … We had over 200 yards passing in the first half [actually 184], so it wasn’t like we were in there at halftime saying, ‘Hey, how are we going to move the ball?’

“So we come out for the second half, defense does a great job getting a stop, which was exactly what we needed, we’re down 21-3. And we come out there on offense and throw an incompletion on the first pass of the second half, which was close to being caught but we didn’t come up with it, then a third down to Julian [Edelman], I hit him running across the middle and who knows if we would have gotten the first down, but we didn’t come up with it and it was just more of the same. … So we come off again, and I’m like, ‘Guys, at some point we all gotta just start making the plays.’ [Atlanta] went down the field and scored to put us down 28-3. And at that point, you can say a lot of things, but ultimately it comes down to what we do.”

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said after the game that Atlanta played more man coverage than he expected. That meant the Patriots didn’t have as many easy short throws as usual. Combined with the fact that Atlanta’s run defense throttled the Patriots’ ground game in the first half (14 carries, 35 yards), the Patriots had to fight for things that often were easy in their previous 18 games. On this drive, Brady converted a fourth-and-three from his 46 on a quick out to Danny Amendola for 17, victimizing Falcons corner Brian Poole. James White took a Brady flip five yards for the touchdown that gave New England’s sidelines some hope, even if Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point.

“We just needed to execute one drive, and after that drive we’ll come to the sidelines and we’ll talk about the next drive,” Brady said.

“We had an entire quarter left,” McDaniels said a week ago. “We knew we’d get three possessions at least.”

That was all they’d get.

JaMarcusHustle wrote: »

Daboll is the new OC at Alabama.

If the Patriots place a tag on soon-to-be-free-agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower, the only option I see the team considering is the transition tag. That would be around $11 million on a one-year term, and give the Patriots (who paid Hightower $7.751 million in 2016) the right of first refusal on any offer Hightower receives in free agency. Because the franchise tag is so rich (at anywhere between $14.5 million-$15 million on a one-year deal), a strong case could be made that it actually creates more leverage for Hightower than the team, as he could shut things down in negotiations and position himself for free agency again next year. That’s why I don’t see the team going in that direction, and it’s the seldom-used transition tag or no tag at all."

Thank you Pats Nation. As a player you've given so much support to, I owe you an explanation as to why I'll be moving on in FA... even if it isn't a big deal. This year and this opportunity gave me a ton. I made lifelong friends in a great locker room and became a champion. I'm so thankful that Coach B (the GOAT) took a chance on me and allowed me the opportunity to play a small part in this wonderful year. This has zero to do with money, etc. It's the right move in my heart because I want to get back to being the player I was before. I'm thankful for my role this year, but as a competitor, I'm itching to do what I do best. It was important to say thank you personally. You may not remember me much, but I'll always remember y'all!! #driveforfive #missionaccomplished

Kitsunegari wrote: »

Or perhaps a message to the rest of the league that you'll have to pay a a hefty bill for Jimmy but it could be Belichick not wanting to let him go but with Brady and his insane dedication to keeping his body in shape he may well have at least 2 years left. It'll be hard to resist offers for Jimmy when he's eating cap while Brady will continue to deliver on the field, barring injury.