Can Patriots Still Be A Playoff Team?

Can Patriots Still Be A Playoff Team?

Well, we got to continue to to practice the crap out of it. Um, we also have to do a better job of protecting said person with the ball, whether that’s the the quarterback, whether that’s the running back or or the receiver. And um, we’re we’re all responsible for for the security of the football. and starts with the person who has it and then and then it, you know, falls on the people that are blocking and um you know, again, we’ll continue to rep it and if we have to put two hands on the football and when we’re going through there, um that’s what we’ll have to do. you know, it’s the only thing I know how to do is to continue to practice it and uh and work it and but then also, you know, maybe it’s not so much the person that you see, it’s the one you don’t see. And there was a few opportunities that that we can show them here in a little bit of that. And yes, the person is responsible for taking care of the football, but again, the other people are also have a have a critical job in ball security. That was Mike Vrabel talking about respect the team, right? That’s what he said day one. Respect the team. I’ll respect you back, man. Got to hold on to the football to respect the team. And it’s more than Stevenson, Antonio Gibson fumbling, Drake May fumbling on that strip sack. You hear him talking about taking care of the football. Look, five turnovers they had on Sunday. They lost 21 to 14. Two of those turnovers in the red zone. At worst, a 2821 victory should have been for the Patriots, especially with one interception on a wideopen receiver in the corner of the end zone. The fumble loss by Roandre Stevenson as he’s about to break the plane, right? So, swing either way, that could be a different outcome. This is a two in one team. Mike Vrael still looks frustrated. Yeah, he looks he looks downtrodden about I don’t want to say dejected because I get some who he is three games into the season. I get some for this. He’ll be frustrated and he’ll let him know he’s not pleased with what he’s I disagree. I He seems very dejected for this topic, the fumbling. And you know what? I think I wish I could have a beer. I wish I was close enough with him where I could get a beer with him off record. I bet you what drives him nuts and why you get that body language and that sort of tone from him is because he played on the defensive end at such a high level. He knows Mike Tomlin told you after the game that the Steelers were going after Raandre Stevenson because he he has issues fumbling the ball and they were punching it out. They were attacking it. Every team does that. It’s it’s the it’s also like defensively offenses do that. They’ll find your corner that’s the weakest link and they’ll attack him all day long. It’s the same thing. And I bet you that’s what’s driving Braves nuts because he probably wants to get rid of this kid. Yeah, he can’t. This team doesn’t have the talent. What are you going to do? I mean, you don’t have depth at running back. You don’t have enough playmakers on offense, period. And then you see Raandre against the Dolphins the last week. He looked really good. He was a true weapon. You don’t have that walking around in your locker room. You don’t have that you can fall back on. If you cut this guy, that’s what’s killing Braves. I think that’s a little like indepth like I’m in shrink or something. But in my mind, he knows this is our weakest link. This guy fumbles the damn ball. He has butter fingers. I want to get rid of him. I can’t because we don’t have the playmakers here. So, I have to put him in timeout and coach him up. That’s what he’s saying. We got to sit him down. We got to All I can do is teach. That’s what that means. He’s frustrated as hell. It’s like having I have kids. All parenting is really is repeating yourself. I tell the kids the same thing every damn day. Pick up your toys. Don’t do that. Make sure you use your manners. Make rinse and repeat. Okay. It drives you nuts, but that’s what it is. I can’t What am I going to do? Cut my son? You can’t do it. That’s what’s That’s why Rabel’s stressed out, bro. I recognize the look and the tone. I’m telling you what I know, bro. He wants to get rid of the guy. He can’t. I’m just picturing you. Follow your son. Hey, meet me in the living room. Bring your Bring your iPad. I cut his ars. Look, give me the playbook. You’re done. Yeah, you’re done, kid. We’re moving in a different direction. Your My daughter’s doing a better job. Your sister’s listening. You’re out. Simple. Boom. Done. I’m sorry. That visual is just absolutely amazing. Dad, but wait. No, get out. But you’re right. I signed I signed a 13-year contract. An 18-year contract. I got 13 years left. I’ll eat the money. Just beat it. Good luck with your next endeavor. What you’re right though with Rabel is that the frustration that he’s feeling because everything you’re saying when he’s like, I can teach it because that’s what coaching is. Yeah. It’s stuff that he’s drilled into them since the beginning of OTAAS. take care of the football. Hold on to the football. Ball security. Most important thing is the football. If we execute on the little things, take care of the little things, the big outcome will come. Don’t worry about winning games, right? We’re about executing on that play, drive to drive, play to play, all that. And then the end result, we’re going to win some games and maybe get into the playoffs. Sure. Like that’s basically what he’s saying to them. And then he sees two soft fumbles from Arandre, a soft fumble from Antonio Gibson, Drake May doing good, good good, okay, bad, too much at the end. Yeah, it’s it’s that this is a team that he knows and he said it from day one. Hopefully what we can do is take advantage of bad football. They were able defensively to do that against the Steelers, but they were the team displaying the bad football on Sunday. And it’s the second time the last three games we’ve seen it. Honestly, the football was bad against the Dolphins, too. If they don’t have that kick return touchdown after the punt return, this is an 0 and3 team. Like, you need that team to be equally as bad across from you. and a shootout with an imploding Dolphins team in Toyotungle Valoa. Like they he knows how close they are to being 0 and3. It’s not even how close they are to being. Are you listening to yourself? You have this team with 11 wins hat. It’s how easy the schedule is. But if they don’t fix this, then where are those wins going to come from? Because that’s where it comes in the coin flip games, a Titans game, maybe even messing around, a Falcons game, a Brown how good that Browns defense is though, I don’t think so. Well, here’s a stretch. Again, every time I said they get 10 to 11 wins and they get to the playoffs, it’s how easy their schedule is. And it got easier with Burrow going down, but they have to help themselves. And what I do like everything that was their issue on Sunday is fixable. It is. Here’s a stretch cuz you mentioned a couple of these teams. Week six through nine, they play Saints, Tennessee, home against the Browns, who you mentioned, and home against the Falcons, or so I guess week uh six through 10. So, like those again, yes, in theory, you should win all those games, but if you’re turning the ball over and and I’m only basing it on what I’ve seen from the Patriots so far, I I can’t give you those wins. And by the way, let’s talk about this week cuz we haven’t even talked about it. This is a must-win game. The Panthers are rebuilding as well. They’re probably at the same place you are. They’re trying to figure out, is Bryce Young the guy? We’re trying to figure out is Drake May the guy, right? They had a couple new weapons here or there. We have a couple new weapons here or there. The defense is trying to figure it out. Our defense is trying Like everything lines up here. But here’s the deal. The Patriots are at home. The Patriots in theory are a better team. On paper, at least they look like a better team to me. This is a game you have to win. If you lose this damn game this week, you can kiss that playoff talk goodbye. As far as I’m concerned, this is a team with three wins at home. Three going back to 2023. Oh my god. 1-8, 2-6, 0 and2 so far this season. Yikes. Exactly. It’s that type of bad with the football. And if you can’t take care of it at home, then yeah, you don’t deserve to make the postseason. I’m going to stick by what I say. I think they can sneak in as a wild card team and they can get they can get 10 to 11 wins, right? But that’s just me wanting to stick with what my take was and fine. I’m going put my heels in the ground. I’m going to take it. It sounds ridiculous and they don’t prove any reason why. And I think again that goes back to the frustration that Mike Greyel’s facing. Look, I I predicted a seven and 10 or eight and N football team. I predicted what I would see. Not so many turnovers, but they kind of look like what I thought they would. I I just I don’t see I don’t see how you get to that. I don’t see how this team makes a postseason. I damn sure don’t see no 10 11 wins with this team. But to your point where we can agree on their issues right now are fixable. I I’ll caution you this though because you’re Mr. keepandre, right? Yeah. Cool. You said, “Put him on the bench. Put him in timeout. Let him figure it out.” Okay. But then in the same breath, you say Antonio Gibson, your next man up. Yeah. I covered this dude. Yeah. Not just here in New England at another stop in DC. He ain’t there because he had a fumbling issue. Yep. We saw him on Sunday fumble the rock. You could go from bad to worse. You could go from Arandre to this guy who fumbles too. Why not play the rookie? Why not? I I get it. And and you’ve gone through it. He didn’t do it. He wasn’t the the bell cow at Ohio State. If you if you make him the bell cow in the NFL, he’ll he’ll get hurt. Well, damn it. I I mean, just run him till the wheels fall off then. Because I’m willing to take a chance on a guy I don’t know enough about, but I’ve seen flashes of, oh, he could be special. than to keep giving it to guys that keep putting it on the turf time in and time out. I think the Patriots have an identity crisis at running back and they got to figure it out. It’s also even how this team operates in the wide receiving room because All right, so his frustration there was being asked about turnovers, right? Fourth and one Steelers territory throws to Deario Douglas right on the sticks maybe just short and what does he do? He goes into Patriots territory instead of falling backwards again. It’s these dumb mistakes. It’s these bad football mistakes. And that’s a guy that’s fourth in snaps on Sunday for wide receivers, right? A guy that’s expected to be a big focal point of this offense, but obviously the snap count is displaying to you and showing you he hasn’t earned his way onto the field. Yeah, it’s multiple layers to it all with this team, too. And I said it before we started the season, they will make the playoffs because the quarterback and Drake May gets a grasp of this offense. And despite the bad turnovers he had, he was dealing towards the end. And he showed resiliency like he did in week two. like he did on Sunday, even the way he was displaying it in certain ways in week one as well, right? He would keep throwing the ball downfield, but he was rushed. But week two and week three, he showed resiliency. That’s what you want, right? Yeah. But I did say they will miss the playoffs because the defense doesn’t hold its uphold its end of the bargain. They did that on Sunday. The defense gives me confidence with this team. But why do you bring in Mike Rabel to win one possession games? Sure. What did they just lose Sunday? A onep possession game. And that’s where you look at the coach and go, “All right, this is why you’re brought in.” It’s hard. This roster is really bad. You’re supposed to start winning these types of games. You make such a great point with Pop Douglas and and sort of situational awareness, right? It also I maybe I’m just on the rookies today. I don’t know. In one breath, I’m telling you, just play Trayvon. Let’s see what we got. Right. You bring up Pop Douglas. I has Kyle Williams got off a bus yet? Two catches, 20 yards. Get him involved. I I’m not saying they’re the end all beall, but you drafted these kids for a reason. You don’t have playmakers. You don’t have the luxury of of like the Eagles of like, “Oh, he’s not playing well. Just go to the next five-star player we have.” You You don’t have that. So, play the kids. Let them learn baptism by fire. They’re not doing that. And I think it’s costing them. But how do you develop them if you don’t play them, George? They are with Kyle Williams because what if I tell you he gets on the field, runs a slant? What? Listen, he gets on the field, runs a slant, gets a catch. Very next play, they have a sluggo route for him. Slant and go up the field. But what can you do when you scheme that for your rookie wide receiver and then he gets a hand right into his shoulder off the line of scrimmage and falls on the ground? It’s a it’s an acclamation and it’s the growing and the maturity that this team needs to endure. The patience we need to have sitting at this desk, the patience of fans needs to have at home. But that’s what it’s going to be with this team. It’s been a lot of bad football the last three years. Like a lot of bad football, a lot of bad personnel, especially on offense. It’s going to take a while for it to catch up. Can I rebuttal? Yeah. Great. You said if he’s trying to do all this and he’s getting jammed at the line. Great. He’s had two targets this year. Yeah. Not finding his way on the field. I’m saying you have to put him on the field to find his way is my point. Yeah. If you’re putting him in there, you see him get jammed, you go get him out of here. He’s not ready. That’s not fair to the kid. Leave him out there. If he gets jammed seven times and I can’t trust him and I can’t throw it to him, that’s one thing. Let him get a feel. I I think my point is I’m not some Kyle Williams guy. I got butchered draft night if you remember cuz I was like, why’d you take him? You had this dude who’s 6’4. You had this. So I I’m not even sitting here trying to defend Kyle Williams. I guess my point is if you look up and down this roster, yes, the playmakers you do have, Raandre, we’re talking about, Antonio Gibson, we’re talking about they have issues. They can’t hold on to the guys. That’s all I’m saying. Let the kids play. That’s all I’m saying. That organically will happen. But in week four, because what you’re asking for with Kyle Williams, you’re saying, “Okay, booty, not going to love this. Stefan Digs, Matt Holland on the field less.” Yeah. Those three receivers give them a better chance of winning than if they start giving snaps to Kyle Williams. So, do you want to win football games or do you want to develop for the future? Right now, they want to win football games. They can’t give up on winning games yet. I agree with that. Later in the season, that may change. Well, we may get there sooner than later. I this schedule, they should beat the Panthers. They’ll lose to the Bills, but when they have Saints, Tennessee, okay, so they can win three of their next four. Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa, I don’t know how that’ll go. I don’t know what Atlanta team will show up. I do know what Cleveland defense will show up. I do know what Tampa Bay offense will show up. I think those will be losses. where I had him be in Cleveland before the season. All right, New York Jets at the Bengals, no Joe Burrow. New York Giants where it could be Jackson Dart and he shouldn’t be starting yet. Those are all winnable. They could go three and 0. And then all of a sudden that’s six more wins on top of that. That’s seven wins heading into their buy. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, two of Valoa, and the Colts. Those are their last four games. Now, do you see how I’m getting to 10 11 wins? You’re telling me cuz I said it’s a must win in my in my mind. Yeah. Sunday, you’re not there. I think it’s a mustwin for this team to sniff any playoffs or have any relevance of nine, 10, 11 wins, whatever the hell you think. You must win Sunday. You disagree with that statement based off what you just told me. They could lose Sunday and you’ll still have this a playoff team as a way if they can get to nine, 10 wins. Yes. Because But again, I had this as a playoff team because of how soft their schedule is, right? And that’s why I think in a way Sunday was such a polarizing game where it was, “What were your expectations for the season?” I’m someone that had him getting into the playoffs. I watch a game play out and I go, “This is a really bad roster.” Yeah, it takes a while. Drake May just started his 15th game. He just turned 23 years old. It’s going to take time. I bring up Kyle Williams because he wasn’t seen as an immediate impact guy, but he can be good down the road. Same thing I think of Trayvon Henderson. I say all of that of if they don’t make the playoffs, I’m not going to be someone that will be pissed off. I’ll be like, “Yeah, that’s skill level of roster that you had. I get it. And then I’m going to look towards the GM though and I’m going to go, is he staying? Right? Because if he stays, then I’m going to be pissed off. Sure. Fair enough. That’s a whole different story.

Will the New England Patriots make it to the playoffs? George Balekji tries to convince Travis Thomas that the Patriots will go all the way, as they analyzed Sundays game against the Steelers and their predictions for the rest of the season.

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