The Good and The Bad As We Enter The Playoffs

 With the Patriots off this week, we have plenty of time to go over the team heading into their playoff game next weekend. We don't know who they'll be playing yet but that's fine. For now lets take a look at the state of the Patriots and see what's good and what's not so good.

Good: The passing game has really taken off as the season went on. Brandon LaFell may not be a superstar but he's a valuable receiver for this team. Unlike in year's past where Brady had fewer options this offense makes up what it lacks in talent for versatility. At any time Julien Edelman, Rob Gronkowski or Brandon LaFell could be the featured target. This gives the Patriots more of the versatility they had in their Superbowl years rather then their one sided attacks that haven't done so well in the playoffs. This is great and all but it depends big time on....

Bad: Unpredictable Oline. This unit improved through out the season, however to end the season they were less then impressive. This could be due to a line that simply needs a rest, going through a bump in the road so to be speak. Or this could be the undoing of this team. Yes, the defense of the past few years have not been impressive. But in every game they have lost one thing has been the same: Tom Brady getting pummeled. If this unit shows up and keeps Brady up right and the running game strong this team will not lose in the playoffs. If they don't, they will once again be manhandled physically as we've seen all too much the past few years. It's time the Patriots change this, and this team has the chance to do it.

Good: Stronger Defense. Its been awhile, but the Patriots finally have a defense they can turn to in tough situations. Brandon Browner and his flag happy self scares me as much as the next guy. But when this unit is on, it's on. It's great to see the draft picks from the past few years being some of the biggest drivers behind the unit's success. Having Chandler Jones back is huge because hopefully he can help pump up a pass rush that's been flat for the last month of the season. Speaking of...

Bad: Late season pass rush. Chandler Jones and High tower missing time did little to help this unit. Having them back should obviously be a boost. But if this unit remains flat..We're going to watch a result similar to Green Bay where the secondary didn't play bad but the pass rush was non existent. IF this unit along with the secondary is on however, this team could straight steam roll opponents.

Well folks, playoff time is finally here and I'm just as excited as the next guy. I've been horrible at updating my blog all season (I've have some other obligations this year unfortunately) however I will do my best to keep everyone posted through the playoffs.

The Jets wont go quietly

Look, I hate the Jets as much as the next Patriots fan. But too many times I've seen an inferior Jets team give the Pats trouble. Remember the 2007 "revenge" game against the Jets? Not quiet the beat down folks thought it would be.

I fully expect the Patriots to defeat the Jets, but I'd be surprised if the Jets and Rex Ryan who knows this will probably be the last time facing this team, will go quietly.

Injury Update: Dominique Easley on IR

Its been reported that the Patriots have placed Dominique Easley on Injury Reserve.

Its pretty dissapointing news for the rookie. Not only was his impact minimal, although that is common with rookies. More concerning is that Easley had injury problems in college and to see him start out on IR is pretty discouraging. One can only hope this doesn't turn into another potential injury riddled first rounder

2014 AFC East Division Champions

To think we started this season with a beat down in Miami, followed a few weeks later by an embarrassing loss on MNF to the Chiefs.

The job is far from done, but the Patriots have conquered the East yet again and it couldn't have been clinched against a better opponent this season. The once promising 2014 campaign  has ended in soul searching mode yet again for the directionless organization that is the Miami Dolphins.

Tuesday Patriots Updates

Well its been a quite Tuesday so here's the main news of the day:
Brandon Browner and Brian Tyms are finally ready to get on the field this week. It's obviously interesting for a number of reasons.

• Can Tyms build off his solid preseason and help solidify the passing attack?
• How much better will the defense be with Brandon Browner? I can't wait to find out.

By the way, it's good to hear Tom Brady straight deny the reports that he wants out of New England.Kind of ridiculous this started when the team was 0-2. I said going into the game our Patriots have been written off and they hadn't even played an October game. While the Patriots have yet to prove their problems are solved they've proven they still have the fire that's driven this team to do great things. While I'm not expect big things, if Tyms could become a reliable target for Brady this offense will really be confusing for defenses to stop. 

As good has Revis has been, I can only imagine how much better the defense would be with an effective Browner on the opposite side. 

Exciting times are ahead my fellow Patriot fans...

5 Reasons The New England Patriots Will Improve

1. The Defense

The Patriots pass defense has lived up to the hype (that's saying something given the team's struggles) Chandler Jones is having an amazing year, if his injury isn't too serious he should stay on pace for his best year yet. Darelle Revis hasn't been perfect, but hes been damn good for the defense and is the obvious reason the secondary seems to have taken the next step. If the run defense can be as solid as they were Sunday this will be the best defense the team has had in years.

2. Wide Outs

I'm going to include the Tight Ends in this as well. Brandon LaFell may not be popular amongst Pats fans thus far but he's defiantly improving as the season goes on. If he can have a good year that gives Brady a threat he didn't have last year. Julien Edelman has replaced Wes Welker as the safety valve. If Aaron Dobson could just get it going what a boost that would be to the offense. As for the tight ends Rob Gronkowski is getting better every week and Tim Wright is showing potential. 

3. The Running Game

Steven Ridley and Shane Vereen have proven to be play makers for this offense. Last year Vereen really established himself as a dual threat. This season Ridley has shown he's running with a purpose. Although the Patriots have had good running games under Tom Brady, they haven't been able to depend on the running game since Corey Dillon. If the Oline does its job this running game can be a problem for anyone.

4. Offensive Line

Yes, the O line. As up and down as they've been (I realize I'm being nice saying that) they have shown signs of improvement and Sunday was obviously the best performance yet by far. They'll still go through their growing pains but if this line can continue to develop and stay healthy this offense can be lethal come playoff time.

5. Tom Brady

Hopefully now the over reaction crowd can disappear for awhile. It should be obvious to anyone with an IQ above 1 that this team has more issues then Brady. While he may not be the same guy he was in 2007 Sunday night proved he can still get it done. Once the offense is truly clicking he'll be as difficult to stop as any QB in the league

Patriots-Bengals..Pregame thoughts

Well its been a week from hell for a Pats fan so this game couldn't come soon enough. It's time to see what our boys are made of. I can't promise a win, but I can't see a Belichick-Brady led team not puting forth their best effort today. The Patriots have not played one game in October yet but have already been left for dead. If Rodney Harrison was still playing he'd be fuming at the mouth over all this bullentin board material.

I'll be updating the page/blog with injury news so stay tuned..