Hell hath no fury like Patriots Nation scorned, and Ed T. is the latest unfortunately soul to find that out. Ed dared to question anything the Patriots have done, and in this week's mailbag he's paying the price. The following represents what happens when the virtues of the Patriots are called into question.

This is in response to Ed T.'s letter-Hey ED T.... It's a Super Bowl (SB) not an SP.Good riddance to Ty (I gotta eat) Law. I am gonna miss Joe & call me crazy but I wouldn't be surprised to see Tedy back this season. He's on the PUP so he can come back after week 6. As far as not getting the right staff. NOBODY can take the place of Bruschi. But when they need to fill holes they've done it. Get a notepad cause I'm gonna give you a history lesson. Bryan Cox & Ted Johnson (run stoppers). Katzenmoyer & Chris Slade Linebackers you probably don't know. Ben Coates, Christian Fauria, Daniel Graham & Ben Watson some productive TEs. Bruschi D-line turned outside linebacker turned inside LB. Troy Brown, WR/DB. Ted Washington brought in to stop the run until they found Vince (Wilfork in case ya didn't know). Rodney Harrison to replace Lawyer Malloy (because lord knows we can't live without Lawyer)...And Corey Dillon brought in to replace Mr. Smith. Oh, and don't forget the D-line full of first round draft pics. If you still think "we have to staff better" than let me know and I'll tell you how we should have kept Drew Bledsoe and gotten rid of that 7th round bum Tom Brady ... Staff better my %$. Go back to Indianapolis or New York, San Francisco or LA or whatever poor sports town you hale from.Dave Cruz*

I sincerely hope you don't call yourself a Pats fan because if you do you're the kind of person everyone is complaining about not making enough noise in the stadium just another band wagon fan who, when the Pats are winning, is the first to say what a great team we have but they lose one game in week two and all of the sudden we don't have the coaching staff to compete. Well how about this one just about everyone on the staff has been there for a long time and knows the schemes Mr. Bill likes to use so why bring someone in who doesn't completely understand the system? In my opinion that would be even more detrimental than under staffing, and as far as last weeks game goes, it comes down to the T.E.A.M. not executing and communicating, I think that the coaching staff had the team well prepared and had a good game plan but I don't care how good a coaching staff you have if the team doesn't execute than the game plan and preparation doesn't mean squat! As far as Mr. Bill and Pioli not doing their jobs, you need to open your eyes and have some respect for a coaching staff that has taken it's team to the SB three out of the last four years in a time when parity is supposed to run rampant in the league, but yet the Pats have remained a dominant force in the league. Who cares if the Pats don't win the SB this year, I mean don't get me wrong I would love to see them do it again but I think all the so called Pats fans out there need to wake up and appreciate what our team has already done for us, and for all those "Pats fans" that don't believe our team has the ability to do it again, go jump on someone else's band wagon, cause a true fan will always believe in their team!!!! i.e. Red Sox fans!!!!
Bryan

This post is in response to Ed T. And I'd like to note that I am interrupting my Ask PFW reading to post this, which is unheard of for me. Ed T. - Andruzzi, Law, and Bruschi are gone as you noted. They were adequately replaced. If I remember correctly we drafted an O-lineman in the 1st and 3rd rounds of the 2005 draft. Mankins is starting while Kaczur has seen significant playing time. We also brought in Starks, Scott, and Hobbs in addition to getting Poole back from injury. None are of Law's caliber, but how much would that have cost? My guess is so much that we wouldn't have been able to replace the other losses. Beisel and Brown were brought in at ILB. Both have played well so far. Not quite Bruschi-like, but they're new. Bruschi never played this well at first. Also, what are you doing on this site? You're obviously not a fan. Are you an analyst or a fan of another team sneaking in? I was annoyed enough by the fans that are already doubting the team, then I saw your post and had to say something. We lost to a playoff caliber team by 17 points. Our QB, RB, WRs, O-line, special teams, etc. had bad days. When more than half your team has a bad day, you will lose, especially when your up against a team of CAR caliber. We might have to change it to "In Bill Some Of Us Trust". And I stand firmly by this post regardless of the next game's outcome!
Andy C.

A brief response to Ed T., who blames BB and S. Pioli for not properly staffing the Pats: the play-calling is there. Tom Brady usually threw to the proper receiver, just missed his mark or had the ball dropped. It's also very difficult to call an unexpected play for 3rd and 15, which the Patriots seemed to perpetually deal with vs. the Panthers. The only re-staffing they need to follow through on is with their new players, who are still figuring out the nuances of the offense (OL) and defense (LBs). They're 1-1. If they get out of this brutal six-game stretch at .500, they still have a solid shot to make some noise in January. Thanks, and keep it up, PFW.
Chris W.

I would like to respond to the comments posted from Ed T. He states that BB and Pioli have done a poor job staffing the team and that created the loss to Carolina. He cited the loss of Law, Andruzzi, and Bruschi. Apparently he does not remember that Law did not play for over 1/2 the season last year, including the playoffs. BB and Pioli picked up players such as Randall "Blue" Gay from nowhere and made him a starter. The secondary performed well last season, and with Harrison, Wilson, Samuel, Poole, Gay, etc returning should be fine. When the team lost Joe Andruzzi they drafted Logan Mankins with a 1st round pick, and again he seems to perform well so far. As a rookie he is still learning the system, but he should continue to improve. Bruschi was an unforeseen medical issue, and up until July was in question if he could play or not. Johnson retired suddenly due to medical issues, again unforeseen. The team signed Brown and Biesel as insurance, and both are still learning the system but have played well. Romeo is gone to Cleveland, and Mangini has been promoted. The D performed pretty well against Oakland, and against Carolina. Which of these players do you not respect, and how did BB/Pioli not respond to the issues? Should we have signed 1 F/A for 1/2 the salary cap? Get with the Pats program. The only potential staffing issue he can question is the loss of Charlie, but it will take time to truly evaluate that issue. Remember, defense jells before offense, and the O-line takes the most time to settle down and establish blocking and blitz pick up. The fact is the Pats played a lousy game against Carolina, and as much as I love this team they deserved the loss. I realize if this is posted it will be after Pittsburgh, and perhaps that game will change my views, but probably not as I expect this team to improve week by week into the playoffs. Have a little faith, after all 3 SB wins in 4 years give an indication that BB and Pioli know more about this team and winning that you do Ed.Paul G.

In the last PFW article, Ed T. (who sounds like a PATS fan) really crossed the line in terms of STUPIDITY. Firstly, the loss to the Panthers is only our second game of the season for crying out aloud. Secondly, it's not good to lose, but the Panthers had a bigger "motivation" coming into the game (and we all know why, cough SUPERBOWL cough). So Mr. Ed, like your mother would say, if you got nothing good to say, then don't say anything at all. Your TRUE PATS fan from Australia.
Jan Yaakoob

Why is it that every time the Patriots loose (and granted it has not been very often over the last 2+ years, Patriot fans are ready to hang everyone that caused problems. The OLine for not blocking, Brady for making a bad throw, Coach for not throwing the red flag, penalties...come on...one bad day at the office is all that is...Bottom line, the Patriots are 35-5 over the last 40 games. It will be better on Sunday....
David Deacon

Let me be the first to take on Ed T. You say that staffing is the issue and the one to blame for the loss @ Carolina and you blame B.B. and Pioli for this. Well I say regardless of who the coordinators are they ultimately implement BB's scheme. Remember before B.B. was a head coach he was referred to as a defensive genius and still is that hasn't changed as far as the offense goes well … the playbook went nowhere!! You say losing Law somehow hinders the team may I remind you that after I think week 7 or 8 depending on the bye I don't remember but after game 7 he didn't play the team went on to win the super bowl without him he was a jerk making millions and complaining about having to eat. As far as I'm concerned we didn't lose an asset we lost an ass (Good luck Jets watch the foot). And yes we miss Tedy (My prayers are with ya bro) and yes nobody can replace his magic but, no 1 man makes a team it takes 53. I believe and I'm sure the rest of Patriots Nation does too that we lost @ Carolina due to very bad play and lack of discipline and it didn't matter if Weis or Crennel was there (here's an interesting fact for you during their entire Patriots careers Charlie nor Romeo ever caught a pass rushed for 1 yard or made 1 tackle huh??? interesting) I don't think that the play calling was much of an issue I mean we muffed many a good play@ Carolina and defensively we were solid but with mistakes. Rest assured Ed the mistake WILL BE Ironed out and the plays WILL BE made and history WILL BE re-written. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 3 STRAIGHT! GO PATSJeff T.

This Patriot fan would like to strangle that idiot Ed T. If i am not mistaken, it is only the beginning of the season. How does he know who is going to the Super Bowl? He has not even given them a chance to prove what they did on the off-season. We are kidding our selves if we think that they are going to win EVERY game they play. Super Tom and company are only human. They are allowed to have bad days too! I sure hope he does not consider himself a Pats fan because he is a disgrace to every real fan of this incredible team!!!!!
Nicole H.

Right on Ed T.! I've been waiting for someone with enough guts to say what you did in your comments to PFW: (Scott Pioli and Coach Belichick failed to staff this team to compete for the SB this year. The responsibility starts and stops with them.) You have incredible insight when it comes to NFL personnel moves. You should write a book. Some other topics you could expound on. 1) Why did the Celtics of the 50's and 60's, after winning 11 championships in 13 seasons, fail to repeat the following year? Who was responsible for that downfall of that organization? 2) The NY Islanders failing to win a 5th consecutive Stanley Cup – someone has to take the fall for that debacle. 3) Lance Armstrong failing to answer the bell for an 8th consecutive Tour De France victory. That one lies squarely on the shoulders of Lance and his support team. And lets not limit this to sports alone! Why was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after serving 3 consecutive terms, unwilling to gut it up and lead us for another 4 years? Perhaps you could start your own line of publications … 'Books for Dummies – By Dummies'.
Jim D. Sarasota FL

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