Pat’s @ Bucs (TNF)

[Seanhawk]

Wow, Bucs need a kicker. Also wondering how the Marsh fans feel about his results after being traded. Dude was JAG with the Hawks, wasted draft pick, and by JAG I am being nice. Dude sucked as a D lineman, undersized, slow for being undersized and below average intelligence in football situations. He is proving it with the Pats, wouldn't be surprised to see him cut in the next week.

There were Marsh fans that weren't his parents?

 

[bigskydoc]

I get it. Nobody wants to see the Pats win, but they were playing an NFC team. Don't we always root for the AFC teams in this situation?

 

[Popeyejones]

FWIW I was just rooting for a good game, and am glad I got a decent one, if not a good one.

A few thoughts:

1) The Pats' ability to scheme a revolving cast of mediocre WRs into looking like pro-bowlers never ceases to amaze me. They were without Gronk again last night (are they now 12-0 over the last few years when Gronk sits?), didn't complete a single pass to a TE, and still dominated in the passing game. I'm starting to think Gronk might just be a product of his system. Kinda funny in that the two most dominate TEs of the 2K10s (Gronk and Graham) very well might just be wildly overrated system products.

2) Cameron Brate had a couple drops but remains really underrated. It's one of the reasons I didn't like the OJ Howard pick, and still don't like it.

3) Doug Martin looked better than I've ever seen him in an NFL uniform, and this is a guy who has rushed for 1,400+ yards twice in his career. Honestly, last night Martin looked like trying to evaluate an RB based on his college tape, in which you have to figure out what he's good at and what he can do when not playing against unathletic and inferior players. Sheesh, man. Who knows if he can keep it up but that was a thing of beauty to watch. The last time I had that much fun watching an RB was during the pre-season of Derrick Henry's rookie year last year (when he actually was playing against inferior competition).

4) Jameis is just an incredibly fun player to watch. He does so many things so, so well and he has a bit of athleticism to his game that he doesn't get credit for. As fun as he is to watch, he's also maddening. Everything with him is a joy but his decision making is still a disaster. With Brett Favre you always knew what the problem was (he just trusted his arm too much), but with Jameis it's impossible to even figure out what he's thinking. I still can't tell if he looks the part so much that he's ultimately fool's gold. It's kinda like Joe Flacco, who throws such a perfect pass from a mechanics standpoint that it takes years to notice how mediocre he is as a QB.

 

[Bobblehead]

FWIW I was just rooting for a good game, and am glad I got a decent one, if not a good one.

A few thoughts:

1) The Pats' ability to scheme a revolving cast of mediocre WRs into looking like pro-bowlers never ceases to amaze me. They were without Gronk again last night (are they now 12-0 over the last few years when Gronk sits?), didn't complete a single pass to a TE, and still dominated in the passing game. I'm starting to think Gronk might just be a product of his system. Kinda funny in that the two most dominate TEs of the 2K10s (Gronk and Graham) very well might just be wildly overrated system products.

2) Cameron Brate had a couple drops but remains really underrated. It's one of the reasons I didn't like the OJ Howard pick, and still don't like it.

3) Doug Martin looked better than I've ever seen him in an NFL uniform, and this is a guy who has rushed for 1,400+ yards twice in his career. Honestly, last night Martin looked like trying to evaluate an RB based on his college tape, in which you have to figure out what he's good at and what he can do when not playing against unathletic and inferior players. Sheesh, man. Who knows if he can keep it up but that was a thing of beauty to watch. The last time I had that much fun watching an RB was during the pre-season of Derrick Henry's rookie year last year (when he actually was playing against inferior competition).

4) Jameis is just an incredibly fun player to watch. He does so many things so, so well and he has a bit of athleticism to his game that he doesn't get credit for. As fun as he is to watch, he's also maddening. Everything with him is a joy but his decision making is still a disaster. With Brett Favre you always knew what the problem was (he just trusted his arm too much), but with Jameis it's impossible to even figure out what he's thinking. I still can't tell if he looks the part so much that he's ultimately fool's gold. It's kinda like Joe Flacco, who throws such a perfect pass from a mechanics standpoint that it takes years to notice how mediocre he is as a QB.

Good take, thank you.

 

[tmobilchawker79]

I find it amazing how the Pats don't get blown out with their inability to control the line of scrimmage. They essentially don't have a pass rush, and they have no name guys protecting Brady. I mean, how are they even competitive? It's very impressive.

 

[adeltaY]

Marcus Cannon is an elite RT, but the rest of them are average or worse. Solder must be playing hurt, he's looked awful. I came across some Patriots fans lamenting their OL is now "Seahawks tier" which is ridiculous. Compare how their line @TB vs ours last year and it isn't even close.

Then again, you can see how constant pressure limited Brady. If he has to play like this consistently like Russ does, even he will start to look worse than his normally GOAT self.

 

[Hawkspur]

I get it. Nobody wants to see the Pats win, but they were playing an NFC team. Don't we always root for the AFC teams in this situation?

Agreed. I'll happily cheer against the Patriots at least 12 games each year but I was pulling for them on Thursday.