Jared

He has been forgettable. Had some issues with speed rushers, but the the inconsistency and injuries we've had at the OT position this season, "forgettable" is almost an upgrade. There is a reason we had to poach someone else's PS tackle in the first place.

Because them coming to any other conclusion would be an admission that Ross committed a felony under both Florida and Federal criminal law, as well as tarnish the "INTEGRITY!!!!!!111" brand that the league is trying to maintain, while they also cozy up with sportsbetting interests.

The defense on that play was... confusing. Somehow the only defender was a LB in a short zone having to pick up a crosser with zero help behind him. Basically any WR with decent speed would have had the same result. I can't say for certain it was a blown coverage elsewhere, but if it wasn't, it was a catastrophically bad/unlucky defensive choice, given what the offense chose to run.

Are you pretending that baseball umpires haven't been a thing for well over a century?

I'm mostly just annoyed with how reasonable you're being. I was expecting backlash.

I get what you mean, but how can you know whether the QB is any good if the coaching staff or supporting cast is any good? Trey Lance aside, since he isn't playing, of the Jets/Jags/Bears/Pats, which coaching staff do you trust to develop a rookie QB? Hypothetically, if Mac and Trevor (or Zach) switched teams, which do you think would be more successful? It is admittedly weird for me as a Pats fan to be intentionally underselling one of my team's players, but rookies don't look good unless they are in good situations. Mac got a team with maybe no solid stud #1 WR, but a bunch of serviceable #2s, two solid TEs, a good OL, and a good crop of RBs. He is on a team with a solid defense. On top of that he has an all time great at HC with a very good Xs and Os OC (Josh's HC bonafides notwithstanding). All he was asked to do was not **** it. That is a very different situation that Trevor or Zach.

I am in super agreement that OL is massively impacted by coaching. THAT BEING SAID, the Pats OL didn't look nearly as good the first few weeks of this season when they had Herron and Durant at RT, waiting for Trent Brown to get healthy. Once they moved Onwenu from LG back to RT (which is where they played him last year) and replaced Onwenu with Karras at LG (Karras isn't amazing, but he is an experienced interior lineman with starter experience), the OL looked significantly better. OL is tough. One weak spot can absolutely make the entire unit look terrible. But also good coaching and good schemes can make an average unit look exceptional. It is absolutely a place that teams should invest, but honestly outside of spending money on good coaching, I don't know that I would overpay for top of the first round tackles.

I mean the premise of this thread isn't crazy. The Patriots have definitely decided to not "throw the rookie to the wolves" so to speak. They are taking a methodical approach to bringing Jones along. The question I think should be more "Why haven't teams like the Jets/Jags/Bears taken a similar route?"

I don't know how many younger millennials / older Gen-Z's you hang out with regularly, but apparently higher waists and wider jeans are back "in" again.

I agree with the above posters who said it will likely be a close game. Other than the fumbles against the Dolphins, I think the Patriots showed everyone what they want to do on offense. Run a lot, accurate short/medium passes, with the occasional deep in sort of play action pass. Jones definitely showed some rookie jitters, but he is playing within what the coaches asked of him. A couple mistakes either way by any of the rookies, or inopportune fumbles/injuries, will swing this game. I think it is unlikely that either team wins by 10+.

Mangini and Josh McDaniels had the same problems when they went to be HCs for the first time. Smart football guys who tried to emulate Bill too much, not realizing that Bill has worked for decades to be able to be the guy he is. They just came in as my way or the highway little dictators, and both got burned for it. Both are great coaches, but were in over their heads in their first attempts at being HC.

Pats are not disguising their cover zero at all. 4 DBs were playing 8 yards off the 4 wide receivers, everyone else lined up within a yard of the LOS. Jets can't stop the rush, and Sam can't get the throw off.

Seriously, the Pats had people all over the offense going down fast at the start of the season. Their healthiest positions right now are QB and RB. Only 2 of the original OL starters are healthy, literally every TE on the roster at the start of the season is out this week. Many teams carry no FBs, while the Pats put two of them on IR. Dorsett and Gordon are both out, our #1 pick WR is still on IR, Edelman is still nursing a rib injury. Once you factor in the injuries, this is probably the weakest offensive cast Brady has been a part of ever in his career. Now that could all change in 3-4 weeks once the WRs get healthy, assuming nothing else happens to anyone else.

Hey stupid question, since I've never been a fan of a team that had another team in the same city/region: How closely do Jets fans follow Giants news? Do you actively pay attention, root for (or against) them, or do you just happen to have the information because the local sports page covers both?

Both of those guys were cheap signings, and the Pats moved on when it was clear they weren't working out. Dozens of FA signings each season for various teams don't work out. No big deal. Unlike missing on a first round pick or a mega trade, the only opportunity cost for FA signings is cap space.