It took CB Deltha O'Neal a day to talk to the media after the nightmare game against San Diego. He needed to sleep off the memory of getting beaten downfield a few times by the Chargers receivers.
Now the question is will O'Neal have new memories burned into his brain after tonight? Denver comes into Gillette Stadium with the second ranked passing offense in the league. Led by strong-armed QB Jay Cutler, he can connect with receivers Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal or go over the middle to TEs Tony Sheffler and Daniel Graham.
Talking about Graham, he was one of my favorite players when he was a Patriot. Daniel was a load to bring down once he got going. And he was such a good blocker, it was like an additional O-lineman. The man was a beast.
But I've changed my mind about him. In a recent Sporting News, he slams Boston/Patriots fans, saying we're fair weather fans. It's clear he never paid attention to Red Sox or Bruins fans, the most loyal fans I have ever seen.
Graham does have a point about Patriot fans. I do remember back in the day when I was one of a few Patriot fans in high school. Classmates questioned me about why I was a fan of such a bad team and why I didn't put my support behind a front runner. Now everyone and their mother proudly wear the colors of the local football team.
But Graham knows nuthin' about me. He doesn't know how long I suffered and the reward I have now that the Pats are three-time Champions. For making such a generalization about Patriots fans, I hope S Rodney Harrison hits Graham so hard that half of Graham's beard falls off.
Not that leveling Graham should be Harrison's first priority. Rodney and the secondary have a tough task ahead of them. With no pass rush to speak of by the Patriots, the pressure will be squarely on the DBs to contain the Broncos receivers. They will have their work cut out for them.
Under these circumstances, the best defense will be a good offense. QB Matt Cassel and the O-line have the opportunity to put up points against the league's 30th defense.
A few things I'm looking for:
Keep Away - The offense needs to score points, but take it slowly. A ball control attack keeps the ball out of the hands of the Denver offense.
Keep Pounding -Although the Broncos have the worst pass defense, Getting solid production out of the backfield would be more beneficial to Cassel and the offense. Keep sending RBs Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, Heath Evans, and company down Denver's throat.
At Least Distract - New England's anemic pass rush takes on an O-line that has allowed just two sacks. The Pats must also contain the mobile Cutler. If you don't get close, get those hands up to bat a pass down or make Cutler blink.
I have a feeling the scoreboard will be lit up better than Christmas Eve. If that happens, more points will belong to Denver.
Comments
O'Neal must have remebered he used to be Bengal, that's why he played the way he did. But in all reality don't beat yourself up man. It was the week for SD to play good, they sucked terribly yesterday, that's just their thing. You guys on the other hand need a serious backup this dude is not doing it man. I can give you culppepers number if you wanna give it to Bill.