SEATTLE — Following another inexplicable loss by the Patriots, their third in six games, cornerback Devin McCourty summed it up perfectly.
“As a member of the secondary, we’ve got to play better,” he said. “We have to make more plays to help this team win games and it’s just that simple. That’s the bottom line. We have to make more plays to help this team win.”
Comments
Gee, you mean releasing or trading anyone who is good that requests more than minimum wage, and replacing them with other teams castoffs and late draft picks can't get the job done? Also, how sick is everyone of hearing this group say "we just have to go out and play better"? Dude, you're awful and playing about as well as you can, which just isn't very well. Too bad because Brady and the fans deserve better than this. With a slightly below average secondary instead of the worst one in the history of the NFL, this team would easily be undefeated and the toast of the NFL.
Agree totally. "We just have to play better" isn't the solution, guys. It's the problem.
I love Bill. He's a great coach, maybe the greatest ever. But how many 50 yard passes will it take until he decides to do more blitzing? Any receiver can get loose if he's got 10 seconds to do it, and any quarterback can find him if he's got 10 seconds to look.
Thanks for telling it like it is, Greg. Indeed, it's one of the real mysteries of the BB era how so many good-looking players at the cornerback/safety position end up being so useless.
And given that this is such a long-standing weakness of the team, wasn't it all the more of a poor decision to go to the run-and-punt offense with three minutes left in the game? That struck me as the single biggest game-management blunder yesterday.
While it is hard to deny the premise of this article, the fact of the matter is the if the Pats had won that game, it would have been because of the defense. They continued their propensity to cause turnovers and the contained the run according to plan. Had one of both of the bomb receptions had been incomplete, we'd be having a different conversation. With all that said. The bombe to Simeon Rice was really bad. Can't keep the receiver in front of you in that situation?
Who were the secondary coaches ten years ago when the secondary didn't give up plays???? Tired of watching them give it away...
They need to blitz more. The secondary cant hold coverage long enough. The quarterback needs to be hurried.
Right on Greg....and btw, another great report/article. I am in total agreement... the coaching staff on the D has got to be improved. Remember when we used "coach-up" these middle-of-the-road 2ndary players? Gone with Crennel, it seems. Question: Don;t you think it has been long enough that this D-coaching staff has had to make their mark and develop a winning D? I say we need turnover in the coaching ranks, starting w/ Patricia. How about given Peppers a chance? Move Patricia to the coaching sideline for a while. Doing the same as BB has done by putting Patricia and company in charge of a weak, weak D, is so done. It's fix the D staff or go home, to me....easy decision. Where is Asante when you need him (another great move), NOT !
Good article. Spot on. Patricia must must be moved aside. Horrendous, embarrassing loss.