5 Things I think about the New England Patriots this week March 15th
by Russ Goldman on Mar 15, 2010 9:39 AM EDT
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Hi Everyone,
I wanted to share my latest post below about the Patriots with the Pats Pulpit community. I will be having my own blog as part of the sbnation.com shortly. The blog is about my other sports pasion which is the Fulham Football Club in the EPL.
In the meantime, I am a huge Pats fan as well and love this site. My own blog is fulhampatsfan.blogspot.com. If you like feel free to check it out. Let me know your thoughts about my latest entry.
Regards,
Fulhampatsfan
With free agency in its second week who would the New England Patriots sign? Also, who would be leaving the New England Patriots.These are the five things I think about the New England Patriots this week March 15th.
1. I think Leigh Bodden was the second biggest signing of the off season. I was convinced that the New England Patriots were going to lose their #1 corner. He was in Houston with the Texans having meetings. A funny thing happened and he decided to sign with the Pats. He has stated in interviews that he was interested in coming back before free agency began. Now with him back in the fold, the Pats can concentrate on other needs.
2. I think losing Ben Watson in my opinion is no loss. Ben Watson to me was like "Mike Mamula" was for the Eagles years ago. He was combine hero that had all the intangibles to be an impact player. The combine though to me cannot measure natural football ability. Ben Watson did not have "great hands". With a Tight End you need to have great hands. I think after awhile Tom Brady did not trust him. He had plenty of chances to thrive in this offense. In my opinion he is a huge disappointment.
3. I think Ladainian Tomlinson signing with the Jets believe it or not benefits the New England Patriots. He is not the player he used to be. The Jets would have been better off re-signing Thomas Jones. If they give LT carries that should go to Shonn Greene I think is a mistake. He is not an every day back anymore. He probably thinks he still is. He could become a major issue for that team. Good luck to the Jets.
4. I think signing Kevin Faulk was crucial for the The New England Patriots. As I stated last week having him back in the fold gives Brady stability on third downs. He is your "go to" guy in those crucial situations. I also think he will bring more leadership to the locker room. He will be like Troy Brown in my opinion finish his career with the Pats. He represents everything I love about the Pats. He is a hard worker and very dependable in game changing situations.
5. I think the New England Patriots are on their way to getting their locker room back. With the signing of 5 of their own players there has to be a signal in the locker room that the Pats actually pay their players. These signings should hopefully change the mood in the locker room. Vince Wilfork already has come out and has shown leadership with some comments this week. Since he got his contract maybe now he can flex his muscles and become that " Willie McGinest enforcer" in the locker room. Maybe the Pats of the Championship Days are not dead just yet? This is a step in the right direction.
Those are my 5 things I think about for the week of March 15th.
The views expressed in these FanPosts are not necessarily those of the writers or SBNation.
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Agree with number 5
Personally I think the players were taken aback by what filled the void left by Harrison, Bruschi and Vrabel. By the time certain players realized it was a problem and not an aberration, it was too late to fix.
Wilfork wasn’t ‘the guy’ to take charge because his situation and longevity with the team was too unstable. Now that’s changed and he’s already become a more vocal leader.
Tom Curran pointed his finger at Shawn Springs leading the younger DBs a bit astray, and I remember that Adalius Thomas clip after he was sent home with AD and Springs exchanging pretend apologies with each other in front of the cameras. 2010 will be different.
Keep the faith!
Number 5 is really important for the future of the team. They need to get the locker room morale back. Wilfork might be ready now to take a role in leadership. They need leaders to take them on another run.
Someone needs to put Springs and Thomas in there place.
Welcome to SB Nation.
Good luck on your blog: Cottagers Confidential. When is the launch date?
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Mar 15, 2010 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
SlotMachinePlayer,
Thank you very much. I actually can’t wait until it is ready to launch.
I don’t have a set date , but I am hoping it is going to be soon. The process is moving along and it seems close to going “live”. I certainly will let you and everyone know when it is live.
Thanks again
by Russ Goldman on Mar 15, 2010 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
NOTE: TO ALL
He’s live. Check it out.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Mar 17, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Re: #5
Given this, I want Wilfork to sit on anyone who smiles after a loss.
And frankly, if the report is accurate and Springs was one of those guys, I don’ t understand why he’s still on the team. He was inactive most of the season and a locker room POS? Dump him.
Hopefully there won't BE losses so we don't have to worry about.
Off-season is the season of hope. The time before the harsh light of reality shows our socks don’t match and we forgot our pants.
Dwelling on the euphoria of what could be…, or paint fumes. Might be paint fumes.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Mar 15, 2010 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
If he was, that might explain his spate of benchings mid-season
and if that is accurate, his promotion back into the starting lineup might be an indication he quit being an idiot.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 15, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
i'm worried more about
merriweather…..what the f dude?
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.....159 mph is my top speed..will top that this spring
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
(formerly mathew.40)
As regards number 2
I always wondered whether Ben Watson was the last of the Charlie-Weiss-guys – the kind of players that Charlie Weiss loved drawing up plans for. The guy can catch passes and he can block, so he’s the kind of guy you love to put out on the field for a Weiss-schemed Offense that uses a lot of screens and misdirection. You stack him on the left and have him look like he’s blocking, and then pass to him, or you put him in front of a smaller receiver like Deion Branch and let him pave a lane when Branch catches a screen.
Suddenly, Charlie Weiss ups sticks to Notre Dame, and Watson’s the odd-man out in a scheme that doesn’t suit him. However, he’s a first-round talent on a 6 year, low-money deal, so you keep him, because you’re paying a pretty good player peanuts so you might as well use him. But when he wants a bigger money deal, you don’t bother re-signing the guy, because it’d be a waste. Thoughts?
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
sounds logical
And no question he was a good blocker and Brady always praised him up and down, his athleticism and how smart a player he was. The Patriots wrung their money’s worth from that 6-year contract and it was time to move on.
Keep the faith!
The funny thing is Charlie Weiss never really got the opportunity to use Ben Watson. We saw glimpses of it in the 2004 preseason. Then, Watson got hurt early in the season and was then put on IR.
I see your point, but the offense the Pats ran after he left was the “Charlie Weiss” Offense. You had someone else calling the plays in Josh McDaniels. In 2006 Watson had his chance.He could have been the focus. I just think you had a 6 year sampling and he did have his chances.
To me he just doesn’t have the consistent catching ability to be an elite tight end. It just doesn’t seem natural to him. Watson to me is more of an athlete than a football player. I think he is a good player. He just isn’t a great player.
Don't be fooled by the "Charlie Wiess Offense" though the lack of production is about the offense more then the players
Charlie Wiess used a very creative offense in NE, in part because he’s a great coach, but more due to the fact that he had to.
Even in ’04, the Pats offense was good, but it was run focused. The passing game was full of small, shifty WRs where double screens, fake end arounds, etc., we all available due to the run game, and necessary due to the personnel.
If you look at the film while he was at ND, TEs were used well, but not nearly as much of a focal point in the offenses with Quinn, Clausen and the WRs they’ve had.
In general, TEs are most effective when used in part with a running game. You run the ball well and consistently, your TE can be lethal.
With Dallas Clark as the exception, most premier TEs have a solid running game with them: Gates, Gonzalez, even Davis in SF this year. The more you bring safeties up to the line, and put the TE responsibility on an LB, the more lethal a TE is down the seem or in any part of the passing game.
My husband and I watched the 2003 Week 13 Pats-Colts game last night
and were stuck by some similarities between that game and the most recent Pats-Colts game.
Both games had the Pats starting out strong, with leads at the half (24-10 in ‘03 and 24-14 in ’09) and then having the game come down to the last play. The big difference, of course, is the goal-line stance that was effective in ’03 but having a defense that couldn’t stop the Colts from scoring in ’09.
Take a look at the stats between those two games here: 2003 and 2009. Pretty interesting, especially considering the different personnel and coordinators.
Keep the faith!
Those games are similar.
The differences though are the defenses. The Pats defense in 2003 was more disciplined and could make the big stop when it needed to. That team was great in “situational football”. Unfortunately the 2009 team was not great at “situational football”
On a personal note I can watch that game 100 times and never get bored. It is worth to see the reaction of Manning after that game.
by Russ Goldman on Mar 16, 2010 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions
He did fairly well in 2006, though
600 yards and a handful of TDs in an offence that spread it around to everyone. You can’t blame Watson for not having a 1000 yard season when even the top WR in the team, who isn’t called upon to block, didn’t get 1000 yards.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 16, 2010 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
wasn't 06 more of a running offense?
I remember them running 2 TE, 2 WR, formations quite a bit.
When it comes to tight ends what can I say I am spoiled. Ben Coates and Russ Francis are the gold standards in my mind.
Ben Watson and Daniel Graham both didn’t have the “hands” that Coates and Francis had.
I am not saying Watson was terrible. I am saying he is a good tight end. I think the Pats will find a suitable replacement for him.
Christian Fauria did
and was something of a security blanket for Tom for a year or two, then he disappeared. Don’t remember the specific circumstances but he seemed like he was going to come along right up until he got cut.
Also I think I might know you (not too many fans of both Fulham and the Pats!) :)
When Fauria left NE, there were two first-round draft choices as the other TEs
He was the odd man out, for better or worse.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 17, 2010 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions
defense
the pats need defense wilfork,bodden was a good sign but please green, warren, and the loss of seymor they can’t touch the quaterback let alone put pressure on peyton manning tully banta who?? love him on the kickoff team please trade up and draft the the stud from oklahoma or we will go 9-7 because even if we had dion in the secondary an average qb could pick us apart not to mention the ravens made us eat the foottball with there running game even when the pat could have crowded the line of scrimage joe flacco is a trent dilfer without a ring
Wait...
The same team will somehow be worse for some reason? Don’t sweat it, Hoodie’s scouting OLBs and DEs pretty heavily, if the reports are true. An upgraded pass-rush will make the secondary look a lot better, and an up-sized RE will upgrade the run-stopping ability of the front-7. Have no fear, this is a great draft to have 4 top-two round draft picks in.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 17, 2010 5:58 AM EDT up reply actions
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