It has come to my attention that there are two schools of thought on PP... those who are optimistic (the Kool Aid drinkers) and those who see only despair and darkness (the Hateraders)

I'll begin this thread with an excerpt from Kipling's "If", as it gives some useful context.

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same"

My argument is this: Pats fans should be almost entirely positive. Why? I'll explain

1. It's sport. Yes, we get emotional about sport, but how does being negative about your team make you feel better? If you sink into a pit of despair over every loss, let alone every completion, what does it give you? Nothing. It is far, far healthier to have an optimistic approach and enjoy it for what it is. Yes, I get down when we lose, but I don't try to put that negativity onto others. Nobody likes someone who is constantly down.

2. We are pretty f**king good. We have won 23 of our last 29 games. Yes. There are 32 teams in the NFL. The vast majority of them are WORSE than us. We are currently equal first in the AFC (which includes HALF the entire NFL) and we are leading our division.

Almost every other team would KILL FOR OUR RECORD. We have the best offense in the league (well, there or there abouts) and one of the best turnover differentials. We are playing in the very hardest football league in the world and we are constantly amongst the very best teams. Which brings me to...

3. Man, you people have ridiculous expectations. 32 teams. 1 wins a Superbowl. My maths isn't great but that's roughly a 3% chance. A lot of you are unsatisfied with anything less than a Superbowl (and winning every game 49-0). We are basically the millionaires of the NFL and you're not happy because you only have one Bentley, not too. Spoiled brats, to be honest. Whining, squalling little kids who have no idea what Panthers/Colts/Browns fans go/are going through. Maybe count your blessings before calling for Belichick's head. And that leads me to...

4. Data points, not series. As part of your ridiculous sense of self entitlement, all you can do is whine about individual negative plays. I work in performance. Performance is about a series of data, not a point. You have to realise that points are points - and as Kipling put it, you can't get too up or down about them (like a long completion or even a SINGLE GAME). You measure trends, and 23/29 is a pretty freaking good trends.

Imagine if fans of worse teams were as negative as we are, adjusted for proportionality. Every single post on every single Colts thread would be death threats against Curtis Painter.

Get some perspective. And try the Kool Aid - it tastes a lot better than the Haterade.

QO. Out.

The power of Tebus compels you

 

So, Broncos Jets

 

On paper this is not even close. But somehow, somehow, Sanchize's incompetence - and the ridiculousness of Tim Tebow - wins this damned game

Tebow is the worst quarterback ever. And the best player ever.

I was a doubter... but Tebus gets it done. I think all the crap about religion may have a damned kernel of truth. When eh read that 8 man blitz and stepped Eric Smith to the outside and waltzed in, it was pure Tebus.

Tebus would not be a good Patriots player. But for a sh1tty team like the Broncos, he is easily the difference between 4-12 and 9-7. No doubt. He is pure willpower. He is surprisingly fast, ridiculously strong, and throws the ball like a coked up knuckleballer.

But he's Tebus. AND HE BEAT THE JETS. So... all hail Tebus, saviour of the Broncos. Magnificent work bro.

I know this is a Patriots website, but both myself and Comedic.Sans are Kiwis

 

And tonight, the All Blacks won the world cup in rugby for only the second time, after 24 years of waiting

 

Probably the most nervous I have ever been watching a sporting event.

But we did it... we did it... we did it... we did it

Hard to explain how awesome it feels, but imagine what the 2001 superbowl felt like, then double that

It's just intense. So, the All Blacks win the rugby world cup, and quadruple option is celebrating

Love you all Patspulpiteers! Have a drink or ten on me!!!

There's only one thing I hate about Patspulpit... the whiny gamethreaders who are constantly negative and ridiculous in their hyperbole.

"The sky is falling" when we're only down by 3. "We have to make a stop" when we're up by 14.

I honestly don't know how these people would deal with real sporting adversity. Remember 2008 vs the Steelers when they could have hung 100 on us? Remember the Saints in 2009? Those are "sky is falling" games but even then, not worth some of the despair. What if you were Panthers fans?

Sports have ebbs and flows. You cannot be perfect for 100% of a game. Sometimes the other guys are good. Remember this is the NFL. BB doesn't get to pick his players from Mars - he has the same pool as everybody else.

I'm not saying we can never criticise, but let's hold back our "X is an idiot" "bench X" bullcrap. I remember when half of the PP wanted Nink benched last year. Or Arrington (how many ints now?). Or complained when BJGE only gets a few yards on his first carries.

We have SO much to be thankful for. Perhaps we should be more positive.

We're 5-1. Yes, 5-1, 2nd best equal record in the NFL. We lead the AFC East. We beat the Jets.

Every team gets injuries, we got lucky and got ours early. And we're still 5-1. Despite the injuries. We have a bye to help heal up and then we will have a fresh team ready to rock and roll. We may have Brace and Deaderick back. Haynesworth's back gets more rehab. BJGE can put his feet up. Spikes and Cunningham will get better every week. Our sandwiches get Mayo again

The weather's getting colder, and this team will thrive in the cold - it'll disarm enemy passing attacks but we'll retain ours and our ground and pound. BB knows what he has in this team now

I feel pretty damn good. And if we're down 14-0 in the first quarter vs the Steelers, I'll still feel pretty damn good. Because it's only a teeny, tiny part of the season. And we're better than most

Woe is me - thus say the Patriots fans who believe BB has lost his mojo.

 

How wrong you are - thus spake Quadruple option.

 

To explain my views on the BBD (Bill B Defence), I need to learn you up on two methods of decision-making/problem-solving. One is called incrementalism. You build on what already exists - you slowly evolve. The advantages are that you seldom break anything. The disadvantage is that you seldom make anything particularly amazing. Examples? Russian tank design. The PC.

Another is often called 'rational' (it has other terms but this ain't a policy analysis paper). The idea is that you start from a blank sheet of paper, identify what you want to achieve, and develop options to get there. The risk is that you break something - the benefit is that you can make something amazing. Examples? The iPod. The M1 Abrams. New Coke.

Now, Bill Belichick looked at his defence in the off-season and he said "Incrementalism won't work. Small improvements here and here won't work. I need to start from scratch: what do I want to achieve? How can I achieve it?'

He took his whiteboard and his markers (I always use 3 colours) and he identified what he wanted: a 4-3 transitioning to a 4-2-5 to give him this and that (what he wants specifically I do not know).

Now the problem is this: he is starting from scratch with a new design and new concepts. Prototypes don't work out of the box. Even the P-51 had to get re-engined. However... once "Merlin" Haynesworth is back, and the crappy non-bubble canopy is redesigned, the BBD is going to be bad-ass.

How badass? Well they say the Germans knew the war was lost when Mustangs could escort bombers over Berlin in daylight. And the other teams will know the Superbowl is ours when Alberto gets sack #1

Any Patspulpiters watching their team (I assume the US) in the rugby world cup?

 

Indeed, any rugby fans here (given that football and rugby come from the same initial source)

We had the opening ceremony last night and the first game, which managed to shut down our biggest city - well the inner city. Luckily I was smart enough to finish work at 12pm and then spend my evening at home eating NZ and Tongan food as a celebration (it may have rave reviews, but corned beef baked in coconut cream is disgusting)

 

So if you're watching the Eagles, what's your expectation? Wins? Quarterfinals?

This is what I would do...

 

I would line up with Edelman under center, BJGE directly behind him at say 7 yards, then Vereen or Woodhead as a slot back. I would have double tight ends. I would bring one TE in motion every snap then run godamn triple option down Rex Ryan's fat throat until he realises his 40 million dollar pair of cornerbacks are doing nothing but acting as speed bumps for Herndo/Gronk as leadblockers.

I would love to see how his aggressive defence copes with something like that.

In this thread, you choose ONE player from history and add him to the current Pats lineup.

 

Me?

 

Barry Sanders. I thought long and hard. Barry was the leader in both yards lost and explosive plays. But you know what? I want him. Put Barry in the current Pats, behind our O-line and with TB12 behind center, and give opposing DCs a heart attack. You put 7 in the box and TB12 will audible to a Sanders stretch play every single freaking down and gain 7-15 every play. You pack the box, and you know what? TB12 goes sweet to Wesley Welker.

 

Other ideas?

A lot of people say "look, football / basketball programmes bring X dollars to University X, so the players should be paid".

 

This is ridiculous. The primary purpose of universities remains EDUCATION. And who are the primary sources of income for universities? People paying tuition. And why do they pay tuition? Because of the academic reputation of the university.

who creates the academic reputation of the university? At the top end, the professors etc. However, a huge amount of the research grunt work that creates a university's reputation is done by PhD students and postdocs. Who earn nothing, really.

So before you pay Terrelle Pryor, pay your doctoral candidates.

Let's look at what is likely to happen in the near future:

1. The lockout is going to continue. All off-season training activities, from fitness work through to play installation, are going to be heavily reduced. Because of this, there will be an extraordinary focus on guys who can play from day 1, without a substantial amount of preparation.

2. What positions require the most preparation and study?

In my view: Quarterback: Obviously

ILB: The QB of the defence

C: The QB of the line.

Then you have (in the Belichickian defense)

OLB: Due to the multiplicity of run/pass keys

G: Due to the complexity of protection schemes on the inside.

SS/FS: Similar to ILB, but a little less required.

The positions that require the least prep, in my view, are

RB (obviously)

OT (you're on an island - you don't often pass off guys, pull, or even get to the second level. you get your guy and stop/move him)

CB (with the slot being more complex)

K

P

So, BB stocked up on guys who don't need a huge amount of prep. 2 RBs who may suck at pass protection early, but will be able to pound the rock. An OT who may be raw, but doesn't need to learn a lot of protection schemes. A G who is expected to PUP anyway. A CB who will mainly play outside rather than inside, reducing the learning curve. Let's say we'd selected Cameron Jordan and Brooks Reed. Would they be anywhere close to ready on Day 1? Maybe, just maybe, they'd be useful on 3rd-and-long in a sub-rushing situation. But that's it.

Some interesting decisions

 

DestroyersMarty Marty Schottenheimer by theUFL With the 52nd, and final, selection in the 2011 #UFLDraft the @VADestroyers select Oregon WR Jeff Maehl. cc: @theUFL

2 hours ago

 

theUFL The UFL RT: @darrenrovell: With the 51st pick in @theUFL Draft, Omaha selects BC LB Mark Herzlich. Incredible story. Go get 'em, Mark! #UFLDraft

2 hours ago

 

LocosJimFassel Jim Fassel by theUFL With the final pick of the 9th round the @LasVegasLocos select Auburn RB Mario Fannin. #UFL #UFLDraft

3 hours ago

 

theUFL The UFL The #24 overall pick Oregon LB Spencer Paysinger had 76 Tackles and 3 sacks. Played in 52 games for Oregon. #UFL #UFLDraft

3 hours ago

(Please Note: I love his work as a nice antidote to the other guys who think there are 300 potential first rounders, but his pessimism is still worthy of a thorough skewering)

Ndamukong Suh

Strengths: Powerful, good leg drive, productive, vicious streak.

Weaknesses: Struggles vs. triple teams. Does not have bulletproof skin and probably vulnerable to 9mm fire. Failed to move a train with his pinky finger. Monosyllabic surname does not create sufficient fear.

---

Julius Peppers:

Strengths: Athletic, strong, quick off the edge. Great flexibility. Will get 10+ sacks a year

Weaknesses: Salt is a far superior condiment. Confusing - is it white or black pepper? Dominated at basketball so may watch NBA when he should be watching NFL film. Name reminds me of Everybody Hates Chris, and thus reminds me of Chris Rock wearing that black latex suit one time.

---

Dan Marino

Strengths: Good arm strength. Accurate, good touch, fast release.

Weaknesses: It's spelled marinara, and I hate it. Failed to beat out a Patriot missile in a surface-to-air contest. Has missed at least four passes in college. TD to INT ratio is not 100:1. Sometimes throws off 3-step drop, as if 5-steps is too far - questions on cardiovascular endurance.

---

Lawrence Taylor

Strengths: Sudden, violent, long. Excellent first step. Can swim, bullrush, or rip through tackles.

Weaknesses: My gypsy workmate suggests he may face rape charges in 25 years. Lawrence sounds kind of girly. Has been beaten off the mark by many Olympic sprinters. Has never faced a nuclear powered, red hot robot at left tackle - what if these become standard in the NFL?

---

What are some other evaluations we should look at?

So the last thing I remember was us leading the Jets... then I got hit on the head and have been in a coma since. i just assume that we went on to win, grab the AFC Championship, then win the Superbowl - so it would be pointless for me to check the scores, right? Bettter to focus on the future and TB12's 5th ring, coming up.

 

I cannot wait for the draft! I am praying there is a season next year as well. what would we do without NFL? watch college football?

 

ps in personal news I got my first ever fumble recovery on Saturday. but we lost.

I read something the other day from Martinez, TB12's mechanics coach. In it he said that TB12's deep ball had been poor until the arrival of Moss.

Anyway, I had a look at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0zmA-M0v4c

And you know what - he's right. Quite a few of the bombs were horrifically underthrown and it was only the genius of 07MOSS that avoided them being INTs or worse.

Nowadays, TB12's deep ball (which is rare) is usually pretty bang on. And he seems to overthrow more than underthrow (e.g. Gronk open down the seam.)

If the worst comes, and the Pats don't make the SB - who do you least/most want to win it?

Least:
Steelers: Rapistberger. If they win they've got 3 in less than a decade and our record does not seem as great.

Jets: fuck the Jets. Seriously.

Bears: I have several mates who are Bear fans, and they will be unbearable,

 

Most:
Seahawks: For the LULZ, basically.

Ravens: if they win it they'll have to beat the Steelers and Jets (if we lose.) And that's worth cheering for!

Long ago, when the earth was still young, evil arose. Black, like smoke, it drifted from the ground in a place called New York, and there it entranced the men who dwelt there. Now that tribe was known as the Jets, and under the influence of evil they chose new colours for their standard: sickly white, like the skin of a diseased man, pale and deathly; and green, like bile or some other foul emission of the body.

And the Jets were cruel; many peoples they conquered along the coast of the land, and under the warlord Namath, they grew powerful and rich indeed. And the people groaned under the burdens of the Jets, and many a young maiden was captured, and many a young man murdered.

Now to the north lived another tribe; the Patriots they were known as, and they were a peaceful people. Now their colours were white, but pure white, not the sickly white of the Jets; and blue, for they lived by the sea, and on its waves they sailed much, and from it they pulled many fish; and red, for they were wont to give their blood in the defiance of evil. And the Jets came upon them, and for long it went ill with the Jets.

Now far to the west there was another land, and in that land was a village known as San Mateo. And in that village was born a boy named Brady. Even in youth his skill with sword and shield was unmatched; many a bandit felt the bitter edge of his blade. But there came a great turmoil in that land, and he fled eastwards, stopping only in a place named Michigan for succor. At last he came to the land of the Patriots, and the great shaman Belichick knew that here was a mighty warrior indeed.

Now the captain of the Patriots in those days was a mighty warrior named Bledsoe. But in a battle with the Jets, the cruel warrior Lewis slew Bledsoe; but over the body of his captain stood Brady, and a mountain of dead he piled beneath himself, for he would not retreat. And thus the Jets learned the name of Brady; and in New York, many foul sorcerers considered the news, and plotted great evil.

Years passed, and the Jets were driven back. But then came a new and cruel captain of men to the Jets; Ryan he was known, Black Foot his nickname, for about his neck he wore a chain of the mummified feet of his enemies. And he was a wise and powerful general, and in battle he drove back the very forces of the Patriots, though Brady himself led them.

Defeat chastened the Patriots, and the great shaman Belichick cast the bones, and he selected a warband to accompany Brady to the next battle. Wilfork the Mighty there was, who could cast a warrior aside like a lesser man might smite a fly; and Woodhead the Deft, whose skill with dagger and poison was unmatched; and Ben Jarvus the Paladin, who gave not an inch, no matter how heavy the press; and others besides, whose names I need not repeat. And in the battle that followed there was great slaughter, and Ryan retreated, but lived on.

And now there comes another battle. Rumour has reached my ears that the Jets have assembled the greatest force ever, attracting evil men from across the ocean and from the desolate hinterlands. In less than a week they shall arrive at the homeland of the Patriots, and there shall battle ensue.

It is nothing less than a battle for the future of the world.

Some of you people might like PFF. What they do, simply, is grade individual players over the course of games. Every single player, every single play.

And it's utterly stupid. Pointless. In any human endeavour, what matters is the OUTCOME. Not the INPUT, not the HOW, but the WHAT.

Some of you might have heard of something called Management by Objectives (in NZ public sector, Managing for Outcomes) and some might have heard of a military concept called directive control or Auftragstaktik. Both of them rest on the central concept that what matters is the objective. How you get to the objective is largely irrelevant. Sure, there are manuals of best practice (Principles of War, academic articles etc), but they aren't what counts. What counts is always the end result.

In my mind, a good game is a game you win. If you throw a pass that gets bobbled by two defensive backs and ends up in a receiver's hands for a TD, that's a good pass. If you throw a pass right between the numbers and it's dropped, that's a bad pass. A mixed up handoff that leads to a quarterback scramble for 15 on 1st and 10 is a good play. Mistakes are when objectives aren't reached.

This is why i like passer rating. it measures outcomes. It doesn't get into pointless minutae or make endless subjective judgements about sub inputs (incidentally, PFF grades each play individually as far as I can see - that is there are no modifiers giving different plays different importances. I could be wrong.) It's why I like Football Outsiders. All about the outcome.

When I go for a performance review, my boss doesn't give a fuck whether or not I followed a specific project methodology or a specific risk mitigation mechanism or followed a perfect PESTELOM for the strategic analysis. He wants to know a) was the project on time, under budget, and to quality, b) have the risks been managed, and c) does the strategic analysis give him what he needs to know?

It's the same with quarterback ratings. PFF tries to diss Tommy Brady and I'm not a Pats homer - McCourty ain't ROTY - TB12 was the best player in the league, full stop. he achieved the best outcomes - both individually and collectively. And that's what matters.

Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was fined $10,000 by the NFL for his third-quarter hit on Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne in the season finale.

Wilfork sacked Henne on the play, but was ruled to have made helmet-to-helmet contact, for which he was penalized 15 yards.

Meanwhile, Dolphins defensive lineman Paul Soliai was also fined $10,000 for roughing the passer. His third-quarter hit on Patriots backup Brian Hoyer -- on the play in which Hoyer connected with receiver Brandon Tate for a 42-yard touchdown -- drew the fine.

Yet more ridiculous calls. Brackett gets 35k for destroying a long snapper. Wilfork gets 10k for what was incidental contact - Henne partially ducked, but that's irrelevant. And Soliai gets 10k for a late tackle? Bullshit. I hate the Dolphins but if you're fining every single late hit, then why don't you start fining guys for jumping into pileups after the forward progress has been stopped? What about linebackers who hit receivers just before they get the ball -e arly tackles in short zones are a constant

So, home field advantage is locked up with the #1 seed. We literally have nothing to gain on Sunday (Monday here in Noozeeland) except maybe maintaining momentum. We have a banged up team with plenty recovering from stomach flu and nicks and bruises. Well, Christmas may have come and gone, but here are my wishes for a special late Santa present vs. the Dolphins

Continue reading this post »

[Editor's Note: A great piece by a regular poster! Thanks for the post - Rich]

Let's begin this brief piece of analysis with the following environmental conditions:

1. The weather for the Bears game will be cold, windy, and there may be precipitation

2. The turf will be soft, poorly bedded, and will probably come loose.

In many ways, I believe this plays strongly into the hands of the Patriots.

Why? The Bears defense is based on a Tampa/Cover 2 with four players rushing and seven dropping into coverage. This defense is extremely reliant on the four down linemen being able to move quickly and change directions to bring pressure against the opposing quarterback. Soft ground does not help them - it defuses their speed and athleticism. In fact, soft ground favors the bigger, road-grader/space-filled type lines- which the Bears do not have. As a result, the pass rush pressure on Tom Brady will be reduced.

The Patriots defense, on the other side, is usually based on 3 space fillers across the middle. Such as Vince Wilfork + 2 others, like Ron Brace or Gerard Warren. They will be tough to move, especially considering how poor the Bears offensive line will move. The poor field condition will also make it harder for the Bears to run counters or any sort of misdirection running plays. Now, I have a feeling a play that stretches the field could work because the Patriots' OLBs may lose their footing, but that's about it. Thus, the Bears rushing offense will struggle.

The Bears passing offense, despite all the talk about offensive coordinator Mike Martz having calmed down, is still about vertical routes. The Patriots pass defense is designed to stop vertical attacks. We give up a lot of underneath yards but if you go deep on us, you will get picked (18 INTs). Now, here's where the turf matters. You can guarantee at least a half dozen times when a WR will slip on his route. Our ballhawking secondary will be waiting. As a result, the Bears passing offense will struggle.

The only area where the Bears may get lucky from the conditions is in pass defense. Poor conditions may make it very hard for the smurfs and tight ends to get crisp routes going.

Overall, I favor the Patriots to ground and pound as much as possible, look for screens and dump offs to take advantage of the field conditions (in that defenders won't be able to plant and redirect as easily), and be wary about going over the middle as tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski slipping could easily give Bears MLB Brian Urlacher an interception or two.

The Bears would have a better chance at Gillette where their 4-man line could tee off on TB12 with excellent footing, and where they could use running back Matt Forte and their speedy offense in a range of misdirection plays without worrying about slipping over.

Right now, with no worries about salary cap, who would it be?

At first I thought DeMarcus Ware. Devastating 3-4 OLB. Pass rush up the wahzoo. All that.

 

Then I thought about it a little bit more and changed my mind. Haloti Ngata. A beast. A rolling ball of butcher knives. Vs the Steelers he was pancaking triple teams. I think he once put Ben Roethlisberger into Atlanta. On one bullrush I believe a Spanish toreador actually flew in to wave a red cape.

Just imagine this: Wilfork next to Ngata. They would make EVERYONE better. Players like Ninkovich and Cunningham would suddenly find themselves against single teams at most. TBC might find himself rushing against running backs.

Beastly.

And you know what? If I could get another guy, Big Fat Albert Haynesworth. He's got paid, time to play. Give him the chance at a ring. A line of a motivated Haynesworth, Wilfork, and Ngata? Damn, I could play linebacker behind that.

It'll never happen, but what do you guys think?

Continuing his streak of stupidity in latest MMQB:

 

"

Now for Belichick. Sunday morning's important NFL Matchup show on ESPN revealed an oddity that hadn't been uncovered yet -- Belichick has sneaked cornerback Kyle Arrington onto the line as a down, hand-in-the-dirt defensive end 20 times in the past three weeks. Anything, it seems, to help a mediocre rush get better. As Jaworski and Co. wrote: "He drew up schemes that had never been tried in an NFL game and had his players ignore long-accepted defensive concepts"
Yes of course. Nobody on Patspulpit OR indeed the commentators of the first game it happened uncovered it atall.

Quarterback 1: 236 of 356, 23 TDs, 4 INTs, 105.8 ranking

Quarterback 2: 195 of 323, 22 TDs, 4 INTs, 99.7 ranking

 

Matt Cassel is ridiculously pimp this year. Like, seriously. I always thought of him as decent but definitely not 22 TDs and 4 INTs good.

Glad to see him succeeding though. He gave the Pats a year to remember despite coming cold off the bench. I don't want him to do MUCh better - tommy b still ahs to be regarded as #1 - but let's say 28 TDs and 10 INTs would be nice!

As a fellow inhabitant of the AFC East, I quite like the Bills - sort of the slightly slow, backwards younger brother you can always blame when you break something around the house. But I digress.

One of the things I don't like about the NFL is the "not for long" attitude that hardly ever gives players/coaches/schemes enough time to actually work out. In most sports I follow - rugby, cricket, soccer - players are given plenty of time to prove themselves and the number of "one cap" or "one season" wonders is pretty small.

My view is that instead of constantly recycling players after a overly brief period of evaluation, it's better to stick with them, let them grow within a scheme etc, and only dump them when you're 100% sure they suck.

Anyway, the point is that in Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bills have a quarterback with as high a ceiling as most quarterbacks, who is acclimated to the system, and who they can definitely win with. I can give no higher praise than to say if he were TB12's backup I'd feel pretty confident.

The problem with the Bills isn't the quarterback. They are FULL of flaws. Anyway, they probably won't have the #1 pick, but if they did, they could demand a king's ransom for it - and then rebuild the proper way: from the lines up. Trade that pick to someone (Vikings? Panthers? Redskins? who knows) who is a quarterback away from contention and let them grab Andrew Luck. Then get an OL to give Ryan some more time, maybe some DL as well to shore up that soft as piss defence, and they might just get to 6-10 next year. With another 5-6 years of Fitzpatrick to look forward to.

Let's have a change of pace and come up with the 10 Pats Commandments for 2010... and potentially the future.

I can't think of them all, so hopefully as a community we can put together a good list

 

1. Thou shalt hate the Jets

2. Thou shalt trust in Bill

3. Thou shalt admire TB12's hair, whether cropped, long, or truly Keanu-esque

4. Thou shalt admire snow, rain, great winds and even mighty tempests during games

5. Thou shalt respond to any admiring comments directed at Peyton Manning with "Three superbowls"

Anybody else hoping we pick him up next year? We have a need for a short yardage back and a blocking back for the occasional I-set - he plays fullback and plays it pretty well. From what I've heard (and I've only watched him in 2 games), he has ok hands.

He also has that epic flexibility having played ILB as well. I am sure that this would make him a perfect ST contributor, maybe an up-man on KO returns, personal protector on punts, almost certainly capable of playing the Big 4.

Basically you get 3 players for 1 with this... and I am sure there must be a spot available!

Best of all, he'd probably be around in the 3rd or even 4th.