@erikthredd said:
Antonio Gibson out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Tough hit, hate to see it happen but that's the cost of doing business in the NFL sometimes.
They can find a replacement for him, if Stephenson can stop fumbling I'd be happy to see him as our big back and turn Henderson into a James White type guy which is really valuable
They can probably find any other RB to come in and run the ball in whatever direction the play dictates but protecting the ball consistently while also being able to pass block at a decent rate is a lot easier said than done. Most of the unsigned RBs are there for a reason and would likely come with their own set of flaws. Or may not even be close to being as game-day ready as Henderson has been, which is still a work in progress.
Even White really didn’t hit his pass protecting stride until he was in year 3. For Kevin Faulk it was around the same time as well and he dealt with his own fumbling issues himself.
I think we’re going to see that Mike Vrabel’s way of handling stuff like this (turnovers/mental errors,) will be much different than Belichick’s You’re dead to me approach whenever someone makes a costly error or somehow just managed to p!ss Bill off.
BB would banish a guy to the Hole while Vrabel just throws him back out there with a chance to redeem himself, just look at that 4th & 1 play from their own 15 early against Pittsburgh.
There really wasn’t statistical percentage that made any sense going for it on 4th down there yet he gave Stevenson his first carry after his earlier fumble and he gained like 10ish yards and a new set of downs. (Drake finished off that drive with an end zone pick soon after but it was Rhamondre’s big run that extended that possession.)
I expect that’s probably going to be Mike’s M.O. going forward but they do need another body at RB to replace Gibson too though. Terrell Jennings is still on their practice squad and will likely be their next call-up.
@erikthredd said:
Antonio Gibson out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Tough hit, hate to see it happen but that's the cost of doing business in the NFL sometimes.
They can find a replacement for him, if Stephenson can stop fumbling I'd be happy to see him as our big back and turn Henderson into a James White type guy which is really valuable
They can probably find any other RB to come in and run the ball in whatever direction the play dictates but protecting the ball consistently while also being able to pass block at a decent rate is a lot easier said than done. Most of the unsigned RBs are there for a reason and would likely come with their own set of flaws. Or may not even be close to being as game-day ready as Henderson has been, which is still a work in progress.
Even White really didn’t hit his pass protecting stride until he was in year 3. For Kevin Faulk it was around the same time as well and he dealt with his own fumbling issues himself.
I think we’re going to see that Mike Vrabel’s way of handling stuff like this (turnovers/mental errors,) will be much different than Belichick’s You’re dead to me approach whenever someone makes a costly error or somehow just managed to p!ss Bill off.
BB would banish a guy to the Hole while Vrabel just throws him back out there with a chance to redeem himself, just look at that 4th & 1 play from their own 15 early against Pittsburgh.
There really wasn’t statistical percentage that made any sense going for it on 4th down there yet he gave Stevenson his first carry after his earlier fumble and he gained like 10ish yards and a new set of downs. (Drake finished off that drive with an end zone pick soon after but it was Rhamondre’s big run that extended that possession.)
I expect that’s probably going to be Mike’s M.O. going forward but they do need another body at RB to replace Gibson too though. Terrell Jennings is still on their practice squad and will likely be their next call-up.
Agreed and hopefully your correct, BB would cancel a guy out if he got mad at him.
I'm still angry at BB for sitting Butler in the Super Bowl even though his replacement was getting torched.
Camp Hoodie worked until it didn't
I also couldn’t see Vrabel ripping into a player publicly like that Cardinals HC did in Galaxy’s comment from earlier today.
Mike’s coaching style seems to be working well so hopefully the team’s trajectory stays on course. The optimism surrounding the Pats has been a breath of fresh air around here.
I don’t track Drake Maye rookie card pricing but I’m guessing that his stuff is probably on fire right now.
@bgr said:
But Pats fans said nothing during his reign so you can't now. Isn't that the man rule here?
BS I been complaining about Hoodie for years, mostly since the loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl
Only rule is there are no rules, the good thing is most of us Pars fans here are reasonable
From the outside looking in Belichick was idolized in New England until he wasn't, and then it was... "he's terrible." "it was all Brady". I admit I don't pay enough attention to Pats commentary on the forums to know who has been the voice of reason all along. I've heard tales that reasonable people exist in the world but that they are even more elusive than the rarest of Pokemon. I enjoy poking fun at the irrationality of Patriots fans in general but this isn't a comment that I meant to be directed at you or anyone specifically. I was using it as a low-hanging poke in the ribs.
@bgr said:
But Pats fans said nothing during his reign so you can't now. Isn't that the man rule here?
BS I been complaining about Hoodie for years, mostly since the loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl
Only rule is there are no rules, the good thing is most of us Pars fans here are reasonable
From the outside looking in Belichick was idolized in New England until he wasn't, and then it was... "he's terrible." "it was all Brady". I admit I don't pay enough attention to Pats commentary on the forums to know who has been the voice of reason all along. I've heard tales that reasonable people exist in the world but that they are even more elusive than the rarest of Pokemon. I enjoy poking fun at the irrationality of Patriots fans in general but this isn't a comment that I meant to be directed at you or anyone specifically. I was using it as a low-hanging poke in the ribs.
Har
Har
Har
Oh believe me I'm. well aware of the fanbase and I can't disagree what your saying but like any fan base there are "Some" that call. it the way it is good or bad, obviously we were very lucky that BB and Brady had such a great run.
I have personally argued with many Pats fans ( Outside of PSA Sports talk ) that Brady would have had more of a chance at his multiple rings without BB than BB would if he never had Brady
My complaints on BB have always been consistent on his de valuing of players, his terrible drafting of skill position players like WR's and his stubbornness with his god complex, one of my biggest complaints is he kept starters in for way too long in blowout wins, Gronk fractured his arm on a meaningless extra point or FG attempt in the playoffs and missed the Super Bowl because of it
I've said many times that I think we have left some potential Super bowl appearances off the table because of BB and his GM style
Another thing I never bought into was that "Patriot Way" nonsense, Bob Kraft was a product of Tom Brady's success and that allowed BB and his military style running of the Patriots to work for so long, the whole thing was a joke especially since Kraft was getting handies behind the scenes at Spas, I'm not persecuting him for that because I've been to them myself a bunch of times but the difference is I don't play the high integrity and moral game like he did.
It never starts as as crazy as it ends up right. His shtick was adorable until the winning stopped. But I think Belichick also started to believe the BS and then it got weirder. If you just got rid of the head coaching position entirely, teams would continue to operate effectively.
Look at a guy like Dan Campbell. Same mentality. People love him now, but they'll turn on him. These guys who live by their odd convictions are just pretending. It's so arbitrary and that's a sign of a simple mind and a simple man.
You can see him getting better each week and learning from his previous mistakes.
The one play that stood out to me the most yesterday was a 3rd & long pass he completed to Mack Hollins where he stepped up in the pocket to avoid the pass rush, sort of veered to the right a bit and while leaning with just his right foot on the ground, hit Mack for like a 17 yard play for a new set of downs. Just a month ago, that same play would have ended with Maye stepping up into a sack, It’s going to be fun to actually see how far his development goes.
With Tennessee next up on the schedule, it’s going to be interesting to see if the team gets all amped up that day knowing that it’ll be sort of a revenge game for Vrabel, similar to how they rallied around Diggs versus Buffalo.
I’ll be happy to just see them keep stacking up more wins. Their next two opponents have rookies stating at QB.
If the Ravens and/or Saints keep losing over the next couple of weeks, I’d definitely be calling to see if Derrick Henry or Alvin Kamara are available. They’re both over 30 with some decent money still owed but either RB would help plug a huge hole in their offense.
There are 10 times as many posts here when the Pats suck as there are when they and their QB are playing really well! 😂
Just wanted to say congrats…. as of now Maye is a legit MVP candidate.
I can’t speak for anyone else here but while I may love everything about what this team has done over their first 8 games of the season, I’m certainly not the type to blow smoke up their ass in regards to possibly making the playoffs or winning individual awards on week 9.
Sunday’s win over Cleveland pushed their win total to 5 straight, now follow it up with another home win versus Atlanta this week. Win that, great, now follow that up with a win against a much tougher opponent in TB the following week.
The schedule has been historically easy and their proving that they’re now capable of beating up on the bottom of the league. Just keep continuing that trend. We’ll find out soon enough if they’re capable of beating a division rival twice in a row. How about beating actually good teams in b2b weeks?
Again, absolutely love where they’re heading but there’s still some apprehension, at least for me, on how good they really are.
I'm excited about the wins but more importantly how well Drake Maye has elevated his game in year 2 but as Erik said they do have a soft schedule which really is something to consider
The win against Buffalo was huge but Buffalo has shown after that game that they are capable of not being great.
If they had a win against Detroit or KC then my hopes would be a little more but there is a lot of football to go, I like where we are at and hope we continue to play well, I'm happy and cautiously optimistic we are a playoff team at this point
This current run that they’re on has been eerily similar to 2021 when a rookie Mac Jones won 7 in a row with Josh McDaniels calling his plays. The team spent an NFL record amount of money in free agency heading into the season (like 2025) and we’re seeing the same divisional schedule again (AFCS/NFCS/AFCE plus they caught the AFCN in what looks like a down year for CINC&BALT.)
They pretty much beat up on all of the bad teams, had a memorable win in Buffalo and contended for the division up into the final weeks where they ultimately made the playoffs and got smoked by the Bills.
While I do have more confidence in this year’s team, especially with the level of play that Drake’s been at, there’s still a lot of games left on their schedule with plenty of chances for something to go wrong.
Hammys never heal quickly especially for guys running a lot. They can wrap it and drug him up but theyre generally season long with a high chance of re-injuring if you come back quick
Christian Gonzalez suffered a hamstring injury back in the first week of training camp (June/July) and it seemed like Vrabel & the medical staff erred on the side of caution all summer before finally deeming him ready to play in Week 4 of the season.
I haven’t seen any updates on how significant Boutte’s is but it’s shame that it happened when it did, he’s been getting a lot of praise here lately for how well he’s played so far, and deservedly so. If he’s out long term then I’d expect Kyle Williams &/or Efton Chism finally getting more snaps.
Luckily, Gonzalez commented after the game that he cleared protocol and is good to go.
Comments
I also couldn’t see Vrabel ripping into a player publicly like that Cardinals HC did in Galaxy’s comment from earlier today.
Mike’s coaching style seems to be working well so hopefully the team’s trajectory stays on course. The optimism surrounding the Pats has been a breath of fresh air around here.
I don’t track Drake Maye rookie card pricing but I’m guessing that his stuff is probably on fire right now.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I remember BB canceling Jonas Gray after he ran for over 200 yards in a game because he was late to practice.
i always wondered what may have been.
this thing with Stevenson is just over and over and over and over though.
I guess run him into the ground this year and save on henderson (who has a history of being fragile) and then draft someone else next year.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Yes he ruined that kids career amongst a lot of other young players, there was a reason nobody wanted to go to New England after Brady left
But Pats fans said nothing during his reign so you can't now. Isn't that the man rule here?
BS I been complaining about Hoodie for years, mostly since the loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl
Only rule is there are no rules, the good thing is most of us Pars fans here are reasonable
From the outside looking in Belichick was idolized in New England until he wasn't, and then it was... "he's terrible." "it was all Brady". I admit I don't pay enough attention to Pats commentary on the forums to know who has been the voice of reason all along. I've heard tales that reasonable people exist in the world but that they are even more elusive than the rarest of Pokemon. I enjoy poking fun at the irrationality of Patriots fans in general but this isn't a comment that I meant to be directed at you or anyone specifically. I was using it as a low-hanging poke in the ribs.
Har
Har
Har
Oh believe me I'm. well aware of the fanbase and I can't disagree what your saying but like any fan base there are "Some" that call. it the way it is good or bad, obviously we were very lucky that BB and Brady had such a great run.
I have personally argued with many Pats fans ( Outside of PSA Sports talk ) that Brady would have had more of a chance at his multiple rings without BB than BB would if he never had Brady
My complaints on BB have always been consistent on his de valuing of players, his terrible drafting of skill position players like WR's and his stubbornness with his god complex, one of my biggest complaints is he kept starters in for way too long in blowout wins, Gronk fractured his arm on a meaningless extra point or FG attempt in the playoffs and missed the Super Bowl because of it
I've said many times that I think we have left some potential Super bowl appearances off the table because of BB and his GM style
Another thing I never bought into was that "Patriot Way" nonsense, Bob Kraft was a product of Tom Brady's success and that allowed BB and his military style running of the Patriots to work for so long, the whole thing was a joke especially since Kraft was getting handies behind the scenes at Spas, I'm not persecuting him for that because I've been to them myself a bunch of times but the difference is I don't play the high integrity and moral game like he did.
It never starts as as crazy as it ends up right. His shtick was adorable until the winning stopped. But I think Belichick also started to believe the BS and then it got weirder. If you just got rid of the head coaching position entirely, teams would continue to operate effectively.
that eagles SB loss is what soured me on BB. inexcusable.
the mans hubris lost that game. he punished a whole team/fan base for butlers extracurriculars
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Exactly, it was a dirtbag move and I don't care what his reasoning was.
That was High School type nonsense, if he was that mad at the guy he should have fined him or cut him after the Super Bowl
Look at a guy like Dan Campbell. Same mentality. People love him now, but they'll turn on him. These guys who live by their odd convictions are just pretending. It's so arbitrary and that's a sign of a simple mind and a simple man.
Bill Belichick's Girlfriend Accused Of 'Inappropriate' Pregame Behavior https://share.google/RE6BxTo3nzgXd5oB2
Speaking of Hoodie, his girlfriend is making more headlines than him lol
That phantom Diggs P.I. call was brutal.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Another good road win but man was the officiating absolutely horrible in that game.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Tough to win back to back on the road, it was the Aints but still solid game again from Maye
I'll take it
my goodness, Maye is the real deal.
do we have Josh Allen ¨light?¨
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
You can see him getting better each week and learning from his previous mistakes.
The one play that stood out to me the most yesterday was a 3rd & long pass he completed to Mack Hollins where he stepped up in the pocket to avoid the pass rush, sort of veered to the right a bit and while leaning with just his right foot on the ground, hit Mack for like a 17 yard play for a new set of downs. Just a month ago, that same play would have ended with Maye stepping up into a sack, It’s going to be fun to actually see how far his development goes.
With Tennessee next up on the schedule, it’s going to be interesting to see if the team gets all amped up that day knowing that it’ll be sort of a revenge game for Vrabel, similar to how they rallied around Diggs versus Buffalo.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Very happy with Maye, he has definitely progressed in year 2
Mac Jones looks pretty solid in SF but still happier with Maye
Guys, can you believe we now sit in first place in the AFC East again??? when did that last happen, 2019?
Drake is progressing very nicely. Patriots are finally fun to watch again.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Until. the Bills fix their D, get a competent WR and fire McDermott we have a pretty good chance at reclaiming dominance in the AFC East again
I’ll be happy to just see them keep stacking up more wins. Their next two opponents have rookies stating at QB.
If the Ravens and/or Saints keep losing over the next couple of weeks, I’d definitely be calling to see if Derrick Henry or Alvin Kamara are available. They’re both over 30 with some decent money still owed but either RB would help plug a huge hole in their offense.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
There are 10 times as many posts here when the Pats suck as there are when they and their QB are playing really well! 😂
Just wanted to say congrats…. as of now Maye is a legit MVP candidate.
I can’t speak for anyone else here but while I may love everything about what this team has done over their first 8 games of the season, I’m certainly not the type to blow smoke up their ass in regards to possibly making the playoffs or winning individual awards on week 9.
Sunday’s win over Cleveland pushed their win total to 5 straight, now follow it up with another home win versus Atlanta this week. Win that, great, now follow that up with a win against a much tougher opponent in TB the following week.
The schedule has been historically easy and their proving that they’re now capable of beating up on the bottom of the league. Just keep continuing that trend. We’ll find out soon enough if they’re capable of beating a division rival twice in a row. How about beating actually good teams in b2b weeks?
Again, absolutely love where they’re heading but there’s still some apprehension, at least for me, on how good they really are.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I'm excited about the wins but more importantly how well Drake Maye has elevated his game in year 2 but as Erik said they do have a soft schedule which really is something to consider
The win against Buffalo was huge but Buffalo has shown after that game that they are capable of not being great.
If they had a win against Detroit or KC then my hopes would be a little more but there is a lot of football to go, I like where we are at and hope we continue to play well, I'm happy and cautiously optimistic we are a playoff team at this point
This current run that they’re on has been eerily similar to 2021 when a rookie Mac Jones won 7 in a row with Josh McDaniels calling his plays. The team spent an NFL record amount of money in free agency heading into the season (like 2025) and we’re seeing the same divisional schedule again (AFCS/NFCS/AFCE plus they caught the AFCN in what looks like a down year for CINC&BALT.)
They pretty much beat up on all of the bad teams, had a memorable win in Buffalo and contended for the division up into the final weeks where they ultimately made the playoffs and got smoked by the Bills.
While I do have more confidence in this year’s team, especially with the level of play that Drake’s been at, there’s still a lot of games left on their schedule with plenty of chances for something to go wrong.
Just keep doing what they’re doing, it’s working.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
That was definitely a tale of two halves for Drake Maye. Ugly win but I’ll take it.
Hopefully Boutte’s hamstring and Gonzalez getting concussed aren’t long term injuries.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Hammys never heal quickly especially for guys running a lot. They can wrap it and drug him up but theyre generally season long with a high chance of re-injuring if you come back quick
Fire AJ Preller
Christian Gonzalez suffered a hamstring injury back in the first week of training camp (June/July) and it seemed like Vrabel & the medical staff erred on the side of caution all summer before finally deeming him ready to play in Week 4 of the season.
I haven’t seen any updates on how significant Boutte’s is but it’s shame that it happened when it did, he’s been getting a lot of praise here lately for how well he’s played so far, and deservedly so. If he’s out long term then I’d expect Kyle Williams &/or Efton Chism finally getting more snaps.
Luckily, Gonzalez commented after the game that he cleared protocol and is good to go.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486