First off thanks to everyone who's checked out the I Won't Forget You Brady video. It was quite cool to see it on the front page of Cold Hard Football Facts, which I've been pimping on here as the best football site on the web for a while now. And I stick by this even though CHFF has an article this morning proclaiming the Pats in a statistical free fall.

First I think CHFF is rushing to judgement just a bit. Sure the statistics look bad through two and three-quarter games without Brady. Show me any back up quarterback that could step in and keep a team in the same statistical range as the 2007 Patriots were. Just about every stat they quote can be directly correlated to the absence on #12, and with a sampling of not even three full games.

As for their argument that the Pats have had two, going on three, bad drafts - it's kind of hard for a rookie to break into a lineup when there are Pro Bowlers top to bottom. Sure, missing on Chad Jackson hurt, and the jury is still out on Laurence Maroney, though he did have a dominating post season in 2007.

Continue reading "Thursday Links and other fun..."

After an agonizingly long bye week the Pats return to action in the first of four games out west this season, this one against the 49ers. San Francisco has been somewhat surprising early on, putting up over 30 points (something our Pats have yet to do) in their first two games before putting up only 17 in a loss to New Orleans last week. And I say "only 17" with a kick-in- the-nads reminder that the Pats are only averaging 16 points game.

Personally this is as about as hard of a test as I’m ready for at this point of the season. The blowout loss to the Phins has left Patriots Nation with shaken confidence, and the 49ers provide the perfect middle-of-the-road team for the Pats to get back on track against.

With the bye week coming so early there’s been too much time to analyze too little game action. The Pats need to put the Dolphin debacle behind them and remind the rest of the NFL that they are still a solid team no matter who’s playing QB.

Continue reading "5 Keys: Patriots vs. 49ers"

My Hot Reads on what was an excellent come-from-behind win for the Matt Cassel-led Patriots:

The pass defense didn’t look so good in the first half, but buttoned up in the second. This will be an area to keep an eye on. They were inconsistent but made the plays that they needed to make.

Deltha O’Neil looks like he's still figuring it out.

Meriweather showed up on both sides of the plus/minuses -  an excellent interception but also a 3rd down pass interference penalty that kept the 49ers offense on the field.

Cassel’s TD to Moss was a glimpse of 2007. We miss you, Tom.

For all the talk about Jerod Mayo, (who has been great so far), Gary Guyton is an undrafted rookie free agent getting a lot of time on the field. Wait for Mike Reiss’ breakdown this week of defensive snaps played – Guyton was out there a lot, he has great speed and obviously coverage skills. The Patriots got two rookie ILBs this year, something they’ve badly needed for a while now.

Continue reading "Hot Reads On New England Patriots 30-21 Victory Over San Francisco 49ers"

Patriots Nation can breathe a sigh of relief; the Pats aren’t that horrid after all. It wasn’t the poetry of 2007 (except for Cassel’s bomb to Moss) but New England dominated the line of scrimmage, came through with some timely interceptions and improved to 3-1.

 

Through the first quarter of the season, the 2008 Patriots are reminiscent of the Belichick teams that came before the 2007 offensive juggernaut. Put simply, they are a good fundamental football team and they don’t beat themselves. Led by the offensive and defensive lines, the foundation of the team, the Pats controlled the ball for two-thirds of the game and kept the potent 49er offense off the field.

 

Matt Cassel has been great at not trying to do too much. Maybe he doesn’t see the field like Tom Brady, but that’s okay. So far he’s only thrown the ball when he sees an open man, and if he doesn’t he’s not going try to force things. That leads to turnovers. And turnovers lose football games.

Continue reading "Patriots Get Back on Track, Win at San Francisco"

The endings to the 2006 and 2007 seasons were eerily similar and painful for the New England Patriots. For two consecutive years they watched a late lead evaporate as their Manning-led opponents put together 4th quarter drives that carved the Patriots Defense for game clinching touchdowns.

 

Whether it was Joseph Addai running it in or Plaxico Burress catching it, the Pats could not get a stop when they needed it most.

 

The Patriots defense, once the foundation on which the Dynasty of the Millennium was built, had gotten too old and too slow to keep up with opposing offenses.

 

Teams with athletic tight ends and dynamic slot receivers picked on the Patriots linebacking crew, forcing former Pro Bowler Tedy Bruschi and the ageless but still aging Junior Seau into pass coverage at any chance they got.

Continue reading "Undrafted Rookie Gary Guyton Bringing Youth and Speed to the Patriots Defense"

I know, you're thinking I made that title up as a joke but it's not. It's straight from the words of an NFL coach to the venerable Peter King. From King's MMQB Tuesday Edition:

...another coach told me, they've got to loosen up the defense more by finding Reggie Wayne downfield. "The same way Cassel hit Randy Moss Sunday [in San Francisco] is the way Peyton's got to go,'' the coach said.

I still think it's way too early to count the Colts out of anything but I just don't understand why they've stunk so badly the first four games of the season. I can't say I'm not enjoying it, but I find it kind of stunning...

Continue reading "Peyton Manning Needs to be More Like Matt Cassel"

Tom Brady underwent surgery on Monday to repair his ACL. Estimates for recovery time are 6-8 months which would put him anywhere from April to June when he's able to get back into action. If a season ending injury had to happen to Brady it happened at the best possible time. Not only because it should allow him to return for 2009 but it also minimizes fan depression for 2008. Imagine if the injury had happened in 2007's regular season finale. At least Matt Cassel now has a full season to develop and improve and won't be immediately thrown into a playoff game.

Continue reading "Brady Undergoes Surgery in LA, Let the Healing Begin!"

In January of 2006 I managed to get a single ticket to the New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers AFC Divisional Playoff game in San Diego and it was the greatest game I've ever attended.

The Chargers were 14-2 and according to just about everyone, especially San Deigo fans and mediots, headed to the Super Bowl.

The Patriots on the other hand weren't much of a threat. They lacked any major receiving threats, Corey Dillon was on his last legs, the defense was missing Rodney Harrison, and current non-starting 49er Tully Banta-Cain was a starting at Outside Linebacker.

All signs pointed to a Charger win, if not a blow out. But that's not what unfolded before me in my seat fourteen rows behind the Patriots bench.

New England managed to keep it close, got a key forced fumble from Troy Brown, and a dagger-in-the-back bomb to Reche Caldwell that set up the go ahead field goal.

Continue reading "It's Now or Never for the San Diego Chargers"

The only thing getting me through this lack of sleep today is the fact that I'll be heading down to San Diego with the sister to watch this weekend's Pats game. This is the third year in a row that Mary and I have gone to a Patriots game and I really enjoy the tradition. I enjoy the leadup to the game almost as much as the game itself. It's one of the reasons I enjoy football so much - hanging out with family and friends, tailing gating, cooking big meals when the games are on national tv (which one hasn't been yet in 2008). So, despite my one month old baby keeping me and my wife up for most of last night I'm still pretty pumped to see some football this weekend.

Couple links to pass along:

Interesting note from Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post - One of the many things I respect about Bill Belichick as a coach is that when someone finds a way to attack his defense, the following week, the same plan won’t work as well.  The 49ers tried to use a 3/1 formation to create seams, and the Pats did a very good job of handling the plan. 

Continue reading "Limping to the Finish Line on a Friday"

It’s finally here, a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship that looked a whole lot different back in April when the schedule first came out. Both teams lost stars to ACL injuries and both teams have lost to last year’s one-win Dolphins. Neither is exactly a Super Bowl favorite at the moment but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a great game between two teams that really don’t like each other. Yours truly will be there to witness the carnage.

It’s now or never for the Chargers. If they can’t beat the hated Patriots without Tom Brady, when they badly need a win, at home, in front of a national audience, they’re never going to beat them. Everyone knows the recent history between these two teams. And while the players have already been downplaying the rivalry, we all know that whenever the Patriots and Chargers lock horns it’s a contentious physical battle to the finish.

Continue reading "5 Keyz: Patriots vs. Chargers"

I've been scouring the internet all day for a quality preview of this weekends big game against the Chargers and this one at SI.com is by far the best. Not just because he picks the Pats of course.

Continue reading "Great SI Breakdown of Pats-Chargers"

I didn't want to admit it before this weekend but I knew that the Chargers needed a win much more badly than the Patriots did. Throw in the added motivation of the Pats ending San Diego's season the past two years and I knew deep down there was a strong chance it wasn't going to be pretty.

The Pats sit at 3-2 which is a whole lot better than they looked on the field last night. I drink the Bill Belichick Kool Aid as readily as anyone but now even I have to admit this team has concerns that run far deeper than just Matt Cassel keeping Tom Brady's spot warm.

My notes on what was still a fun day in So Cal...

There was an excellent contingent of Pats fans that congregated together in the parking lot. This is one of the best parts of attending an away game, getting to meet fellow fans from all parts of the country. We went 2-1 in bean bag toss.

Continue reading "Patriots - Chargers: Notes on a Shellacking"

Well after last night's loss by the Giants I have to say I'm a little relieved. Though the Pats are a middle of the pack team right now, it's nice not to have them plastered all over the television constantly when they lose a game. I feel for Cowboys fans right now, that was us last year. Constantly being talked about, negative energy everywhere. I don't miss that.

Anyway, few things to pass along today....

From Mike Reiss' mailbag - he pointed out that Deltha O'Neal was benched in favor of Terrence Wheatley for a couple series after being burnt a couple times. I didn't notice this at the game so it might be something to keep any eye on.

Reiss also thinks that we could see Shawn Crable for the first time against the Broncos. The Pats didn't not lay a finger on Philip Rivers last weekend and that is something that cannot continue.

Continue reading "Pats Tuesday Tidbits"

My Patriots spidey sense has begun to tingle over past few days in regards to Laurence Maroney after a collection of curious reports have surfaced regarding the oft-injured running back.

It hasn't been a smooth ride for Maroney since the Patriots selected him in the first round of 2006. There was even a box of diapers spotted in his locker at one point in 2007, rumored to be a prank by some of the other players to let him know it was time for LoMo, aka Kool Aid, to grow up.

Maroney has always been the affable sort, appearing as the Patriots representative in various events and commercials. He's never shied away from the camera like he shied away from contact.

It appeared he had turned a corner late in 2007 when he began to run with authority, leading NFL Films cameras to even pick up Patriots owner Robert Kraft mention "he's finally running hard".

Continue reading "What Exactly are Laurence Maroney's "Issues"?"

First off I have to say that I'm really not a fan of Monday Night Football, and not just because I find Tony Kornheiser to be the most annoying person on sports TV. I've never gotten what the hype about it is. Who likes watching football on Monday night? You're probably exhausted from work, on the east coast you're not staying up to watch the whole thing, and on the west coast you're bombing home from work just catch the kickoff. You have no time to pregame, and at least in my case, having to deal with a crying baby and a wife who wants to watch How I Met Your Mother. Plus there's nothing to look forward to on Sunday. I might actually have to watch Buffalo-San Diego. Anyway, as you can tell, I'm just not a fan of MNF.

Some final Patriots thoughts before the weekend:

Looks like Sammy Morris will be carrying the load again this week. Really wish the Pats were at full strength at running back for this one, that really could be the difference given how bad Denver is against the run. But as Donald Rumsfeld once said "you don't go to war with the army you want, you go to war with the army you have" or something like that. Hopefully Sammy is able to go off. But this puts a little more pressure on Matty Cassel.

Continue reading "Fryday Patriots Thoughts, Links and Ramblings..."

Well it was yet another demento weekend in the demento NFL of 2008. The playoff picture is beginning to take shape. Each Monday from here on out I'll try to take a look at where the Pats sit and what they need to do to get into the tournament.

What we learned this weekend: Buffalo, Tennesee and Pittsburgh are the new iron of the AFC. Where the Pats sit right now will be largely determined by tonight's result. If the Pats win they remain within striking distance of the AFC East, and remain a solid AFC contender. A loss to the Broncos would put the Pats in the jumbled bunch of average AFC teams at the moment as well as propel Denver to solid lead in their division.

One thing is for sure, after this weekend's action a win for the Patriots tonight would be HUGE. Who'd have thunk that Indy, San Diego and Jacksonville would all be at or below .500? None of those teams have suffered an injury loss to the extent that the Pats have, so if the Pats get to 4-2 it would be a testament to Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization.

Continue reading "Monday No Fun Day"

For all those out there that were calling for Matt Cassel's head on a platter, hopefully last night's performance bought him at least another week or two before you give him the axe for Daunte Culpepper.

Was Cassel perfect? Definitely not.

He took six sacks (though there appeared to be miscues by the line and missed assignments by the running backs on more than a couple of them), was knocked down eleven times and still looked indecisive at times in the pocket.

But you can't argue with the numbers. 

3 touchdowns. 0 interceptions. Passer rating of 136.3 ( which ranks in the top ten all time in Patriots history).

Most importantly, the Patriots are now 4-2.

Oh, and last night's win was the most impressive so far in the NFL of 2008.

Continue reading "Matt Cassel: How You Like Me Now, Patriots Fans?"

The holidays came early for the Patriots on Monday night as the Denver Broncos handed them a gift wrapped victory by way of five turnovers and eight penalties. It also didn’t hurt that Denver’s top players on offense and defense both got hurt.

The scoreboard said 41-7, which might hearken back to the blowout days of 2007, but anyone who watched this game knows if Jay Cutler had not smacked his finger on the first play of the game this one could’ve been a lot different.

But let’s not think about that. The football gods smiled on the Patriots last night giving them just about every break they could need in a game that they badly needed to win.

It’s was reminiscent of an old-school Pats win and by old-school I mean before the days of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and the complete annihilation of the other team. No, this game followed the time-honored Belichickian Patriots tradition of allowing the other team to make mistake after mistake while never doing anything to hurt themselves. They played solid fundamental football, had zero turnovers, and won the game in the trenches.

Continue reading "Hey, the Pats Don't Suck After All!"

March 21st, 2006 was a sad day for the Patriots Dynasty.

Adam Vinatieri, he of two Super Bowl-winning kicks and countless other clutch Field Goals, including what some call the greatest kick in NFL history in the Snow Bowl against the Oakland Raiders, signed with New England's hated rivals the Indianapolis Colts, leaving Patriots fans dazed in a sea of confusion.

How could the Patriots let such a vital member of the team leave, not to mention to the Patriots' direct competition for AFC supremacy?

Sure, the Pats had seen other key contributors to their team depart, but this was a kicker. How much money could it possibly take to keep him in the Silver and Blue? And wouldn't he be worth every penny of it? 

Vinatieri was one of the only kickers in the league to be celebrated by the fans and media as a real football player. He was already a New England legend. He had endorsement deals all over the Boston area and he was, in many ways, as much the face of the organization as Tom Brady.

Continue reading "The Story of Adam and Steve: Patriots Gostkowski Should Be a Pro Bowler"

A win is a win and that's all you need to know about the NFL in 2008.

For years we've heard Bill Belichick preach this mantra, that it's the National Football League and on any given Sunday any team can beat any team. Though I don't think any of us Patriots fans ever really believed it when we had Brady under center. But that was then and this is 2008.

In this year's demento season anyone can actually beat anyone (unless you're the Bengals or Lions), and though the Pats have beaten up on some of the bottom feeders, the fact remains they are 5-2 and tied for the lead in the AFC East.

Sunday's game against the Rams was a tight battle, the kind that Tom Brady always used to pull out at the end.

Well, yesterday Matt Cassel took a page out of Brady's book and sealed his first ever fourth quarter comeback with a pinpoint pass to Kevin Faulk with just under three minutes left. Dare I say it was a Brady-esque performance by Cassel (minus the two picks of course, though they weren't really his fault: Wes Welker: fall down, Randy Moss: off his hands).

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Raise your hand if you thought the Pats would be 5-2 after seeing Tom Brady go down in Week One. Anyone else think five wins would maybe be the total for the season? 

I mean realistically, with the way things have gone in the NFL this year, the Pats very well could’ve gone 5-2 WITH Brady. So if you’re a Patriots fan and you’re still complaining about something it’s time to find a new team to root for.

What did we learn from the Rams game? Matt Cassel looks like he’s improving; between the game winning TD toss to Kevin Faulk and the shoulda-been-a-TD drop by Randy Moss we saw some Brady-esque accuracy out of the Cassel this week. I don’t think anyone can argue now that this guy is, at the very least, a solid NFL backup, and could get a shot to start somewhere else in 2009 if the Pats don’t resign him.

Continue reading "Pats Back On Top of the AFC East and All is Right With the World…"

What a difference a year makes. In 2007 the Colts and Pats were both undefeated, headed into the most hyped NFL game in history that wasn’t a Super Bowl.  Now in 2008, the Colts are below .500 and though the Pats are 5-2 they’re without some of their most key players. Despite the new look and records of both teams, this should still be a fantastic football game in an electric atmosphere and will be the biggest test in young Matt Cassel’s career.

I’m not going to sugar coat it, my Pats fan bretheren; the Colts should win this one. They need it more, they’re (supposedly) getting Bob Sanders and Joseph Addai back and they’re facing a severely depleted Patriots team that has struggled with giving up the big pass play. The Colts season is basically on the line this weekend so it’s hard to bet against Peyton Manning under these circumstances, even for a die hard Pats fan such as myself.

Continue reading "5 Keys: Patriots vs. Colts"

Some last things to pass along before the weekend hits and I disappear into a fog of naps, shopping, cooking and of course the highlight, football watching. There will probably be some diaper changing and bottle feeding in there as well, along with a dash of tummy time. Such is the life of a Patriots Fan/Dad.

This will be the first significant gathering for a Pats game this season as it's first weekend game I have actually been home for.  The new plasma screen should be a brilliant addition. Now I'm still just debating what to cook - Jambalaya or Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Hopefully Lil' TD fits into his Patriots onesie that his Grandma Nan got him, he needs to start showing support, he's almost 2 months old.

So on to some links from around the interwebs. I have found in my web travels today that there's a about a 66% rate of the Colts being picked to win, which I actually find kind of low. Here's ESPN's Intel Report about the game. Surprisingly the EA Madden simulation has the Pats winning.

Continue reading "Friday's Final Thoughts Before Patriots - Colts Rivalry Renewal"