I'd rather wait until I re-watch the game, but that won't happen until tomorrow morning. For now, I just want to say a few things before the Red Sox eliminate the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:
There were two things that QB Matt Cassel did that I really liked. 1. He threw the ball away. That throw-away was during a first half drive that reached the red zone. Instead of forcing a pass into coverage or holding on too long and taking a sack, he avoided a negative play. It kept the team in position to come away with some points, a K Stephen Gostowski field goal. 2. Matt tucked the ball and ran. Though he only gained five yards on four carries on the day, developing the feel of when to abandon the play and get as many yards as possible will be valuable in the long run. It may be the first step towards gaining that sixth sense known as pocket presence.
The secondary had a very good day. Sure they gave up three touchdowns, but they came away with three interceptions. The best of the day goes to S Brandon Merriweather. Funny to think that the guy who dropped about four last year leads the team with two. I guess once you get the taste of one, you want more.
Maybe I haven't been paying attention so far, but I finally saw ILB Jerod Mayo make a solo tackle for a minimal gain. It was a first half run to the defensive left and Mayo was one-on-one with the ball carrier. The play maybe netted one yard. Being second on the team in tackles is nice, but what kind of tackles are these? Are they assists? Is he making them downfield? Are these tackles from behind? Big numbers are nice, but I'm more interested in meaningful tackles. I want drive-ending tackles like the third down stop by LB Tedy Bruschi on RB Frank Gore. I expect Mayo to come up with more of these meaningful tackles.
To continue the conversation, ILB Gary Guyton had a great solo tackle as well. He took on a blocker with his inside shoulder before bringing down the ball carrier. He first caught my attention with a 10-tackle performance in the final preseason game. I hate saying this so early, but he's been a real find as a rookie free agent.
RB Laurence Maroney's shoulder better be really hurt because I'm very disappointed that he ran out of bounds instead of going for the first down through 49ers LB Patrick Willis. RB Sammy Morris got the first down a play later, but the absence of toughness from Maroney on that play sticks out from my mind. If Maroney continues to shy away from contact, he will lose his starting position. Head coach Bill Belichick won't tolerate players who lack toughness. Think back to the preseason finale when free agent CB Fernando Bryant was bulldozed by New York Giants TE Darcy Johnson for several yards before crossing the goal line. Even though Bryant started throughout the preseason and looked like the favorite to start, his unwillingness to sacrifice his body to tackle Johnson cost him his job, according to reports. I don't know if Maroney is in danger in the coaches' eyes, but he needs to pick up his play.
