Pats Pulpit: FanPosts

Sebastian Vollmer Best Injury Fill In so far on the O-line

2009-11-20T19:49:56Z

In my opinion I think Sebastian Vollmer has done a good job protecting Brady. He came in on minutes notice and is starting to get noticed more in the games we have played. I think Vollmers standout game was when we played the colts last week. He did a great job holding off of his defender. Sebastian Vollmer was a wonderful person coming off the bench to protect Brady. His 6'8 frame will be feared in a while.

Poll

Is Tom Brady Better Than Peyton Manning?

Series History: Patriots vs. Jets

2009-11-19T21:19:30Z

A few Pats-Jets Nuggets of Note, courtesy of the New England Patriots Media Department:

May all of the holes appear this big to Laurence Maroney on Sunday.

The Patriots, who fell to the Jets at the Meadowlands, 16-9, on Sept. 20, have not been swept in a season series with a divisional opponent since 2000.

New England owns a 41-12 (.774) record in regular season AFC East games since the beginning of the 2001 season, compiling the best intra-division record of any team in the NFL over the last eight seasons.

Since the beginning of the 2003 season, the Patriots are 20-1 (.952) in games following a regular-season loss, including a 2-0 record in such games this season. Over the last five-plus seasons (2003-09), the Patriots have only lost back-to-back games on one occasion (Nov.5 and Nov. 12, 2006).

STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF
The Patriots have traditionally stepped things up a notch as the calendar has flipped to November. Since 2001, New England has done a remarkable job of finishing the season strong, compiling a 71-18 (.798) record after Nov. 1, including playoff games. Additionally, since 2001, the Patriots are 52-10 (.839) in games played after Thanksgiving Day and are 23-4 (.852) in games played after Christmas.

SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots and Jets will meet for the second time in 2009, with the Patriots looking to avenge the 16-9 loss in Week 2 at the Meadowlands. It will be the 101st meeting since the series between the AFC East rivals began in 1960. The Jets are leading the all-time series with a 50-49-1 advantage. The teams split the season series last season with the Patriots beating the Jets, 19-10, at the Meadowlands and the Jets beating the Patriots, 34-31, in overtime at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots have won 11 of their last 14 games against the Jets (including one playoff game). The Patriots have swept the season series with the Jets in four of the last six seasons. New England is 20-12 against the Jets since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. New England's 49 victories over the Jets (including two playoff wins) are the second most over any single opponent, trailing only Buffalo with 59 all-time wins.

Tully Banta-Cain will hopefully be back to his quarterback-sacking ways soon.

SERIES BREAKDOWN
NEW YORK 50, New England 49, 1 Tie
(Including New England 2, New York 0 in Playoffs)

Home Record, 25-24-1 (incl. 1-0 in playoffs)
- Record in Foxborough, 21-18
- Gillette Stadium, 5-3
- Foxboro Stadium, 16-15
- Record in Boston, 4-5-1
- Record in Birmingham, Alabama, 0-1

Away Record, 24-26 (incl. 1-0 in playoffs)
- Giants Stadium, 17-10 (incl. 1-0 playoffs)
- Shea Stadium, 5-14
- Polo Grounds, 2-2

Seasonal Sweeps, Jets 14 (most recent '00), Patriots 13 ('07)

Bill Belichick vs. N.Y. Jets, 14-8 (13-7 with New England)

DIVISIONAL DOMINANCE
The New England Patriots own a 41-12 (.774) record in regular season AFC East games since the beginning of the 2001 season, compiling the best intra-division record of any team in the NFL over the last eight seasons.

RECENT PATRIOTS-JETS GAMES
The Patriots and Jets have played 18 times since 2001, with New England holding a 13-5 advantage in those games. Since 2003, the Patriots are 11-3 against the Jets and have allowed New York to score more than 17 points in a game just two times over that span.

PASSING PERFORMANCES
Tom Brady owns a 12-3 record against the Jets as a starting quarterback including regular-season and playoff games. Brady's 12 overall victories over the Jets are his second highest total over a single opponent, trailing only his 14 wins over the Buffalo Bills.

The Jets Will Have To Pressure Tom Brady To Come Close To Winning.

2009-11-19T21:00:38Z

I think if the Jets want to have a good game this Sunday against us they will have to pressure Tom Brady and play double coverage on Randy Moss. If not we will have a repeat of 2007 against the Jets. Look for Brady to throw towards Baker a lot. When the Brady to Moss doesn'twork Wes will always be catching passes. The offensive line is also improving every week with Sebastian Vollmer. Thats what my predictions are.

Stop Hatin On me Please!

2009-11-18T19:49:13Z

I dont know why All of you guys are insulting me. I am just trying to state my opinion. i know i shouldn't have guessed about the game between the colts and i wont do do that anymore. but i admit some of the things i have said weren't that accurate.

so i wont insult all of you if you don't insult me. Sorry! im new to blogs not that its the latest thing.

Wednesday Re-focus: I Hate the Jets

2009-11-18T17:33:17Z

These two original AFL franchises will meet for the 101st time this week, with the Jest holding a 50-49 advantage; there has been one tie. The Patriots have played the Jets more than any other team in their thirty-nine year history. Over that time, emotions around the game have rolled up and down from indifference when either team was irrelevant, to something like sympathy as the formerly moribund Patriots found their way to the 2001 Super Bowl and offered hope that the AFC East might find its way back to the elite. For myself, however, any hint of fellow-feeling was erased by a 2007 trip to the Meadowlands for opening day. So let me set this on the table:

I hate the Jets. I hate the team. I disdain their fanbase. I will make no bones about it. This is nothing like the "hate" I have for the Colts. The Colts you can respect. The Steelers, you can respect. The Jets are beneath contempt. They are the worst of New York, the dregs of the tri-state area and a blight on the face of the AFC. In Rex Ryan they have found their apotheosis: a loud-mouthed ass who yaks when he wins, whines when he loses, and generally shows his ample hind-parts every time he goes out in public. Their fans have no relationship with reality, no sense of propriety and zero class. If this starts a full-fledged flame way, fine. I don't care. Don't blame MaPatsFan, who knows better than me.

I can compartmentalize, though. I have much respect for Kris Jenkins (injured). Leon Washington is a threat (injured). They have a very serious offensive line, led by Alan Faneca, Jason Ferguson and Nick Mangold (who deserves more credit as a top-shelf center). But the stink that surrounds this franchise is not the fault of the fens which surround it, but rather the barely animate homunculi which drag themselves from the mire to gibber in brainless orgy at the direction of a scabby inebriate whose single lesson in spelling fails to take hold in the webby, vacant brain-pans of those idiots bound by habit alone to drool on this "franchise" in their borrowed stadium.

So no. I don't like the Jets very much.

Week 11 Power Rankings

2009-11-18T17:13:51Z

Peter King at SI ranks them 3rd (+3): Bill Belichick won't sleep for the next five days, or maybe five weeks. No time for the coach or the 53 men on the roster to wallow, with the Jets, Saints, Dolphins and Panthers coming up.

Cold Hard Football Facts ranks them 4th (nc): Last week: 35-34 loss at Indianapolis. The Defensive Hogs are New England's Achilles' heel, both on the field and in the stat sheet. They are an un-Patriotic 25th on our index, 21st in yards per rush allowed, 23rd in Negative Pass Plays forced adn 21st in third-down defense.

Vic Carucci at NFL.com at NFL.com ranks them 4th (+1): It will be interesting to see how quickly the Patriots can put aside the devastation of what happened vs. the Colts and focus on getting some redemption vs. the Jets.

What If Sports ranks them 5th (-1)

National Football Post ranks them 5th (-1): The “call” by Belichick will be questioned all season long—until the Pats meet the Colts again in January.

The Sporting News ranks them 5th (+1): They will not be the AFC's No. 1 seed, but maybe they will see the Colts again in the playoffs.

ProFootball Weekly ranks them 5th (-1): Timeout fiasco even worse than going for it on fourth.

CBS Sports ranks them 5th (-1): They are still in control of the AFC East, but don't lose this week against the Jets. Then it's another story.

WEEI ranks them 5th (nc): The Patriots can take a lot of positives out of the loss to the Colts. For the most part, they dominated the game. The offense has struggled in the red zone all year and it came back to bite them against Indianapolis. If they can solve their red zone troubles and learn from the mistakes they’ve made, the Patriots can be the best team in the AFC, which they proved by their performance against Indy.

USA Today ranks them 5th (nc): Colts' 35 points were the most they allowed all season.

ESPN ranks them 5th (+1): The AFC road to the Super Bowl is going through Indianapolis, thanks to Bill Belichick's fourth-down decision.

Fox Sports ranks them 5th (+2): The true shame of the Bill Belichick controversy is that his much-discussed fourth-down call gone bad has distracted us from noticing how much of the game the Patriots dominated at Indy. Pity the defense that held Peyton Manning to just 14 points in the first three quarters before giving up a trio of fourth-quarters TDs. The new-look Pats D still ranks third in fewest points allowed and has forced two or more turnovers in five straight games — something they only did four times in all of 2008.

Don Banks at SI ranks them 5th (-1): Just for symbolism sake, I wanted to drop the fourth-ranked Patriots back two spots after their heart-breaker at Indianapolis. (Get it, fourth-and-2?) But I just couldn't talk myself into going for it. I couldn't rationalize bumping the Steelers ahead of New England. Pittsburgh lost at home to the No. 5 Bengals. The Patriots lost on the road to the No. 2 Colts. That's a win of sorts for New England.

Yahoo! Sports ranks them 6th (+1): Does this hairless thug who threw down an NFL Films cameraman while escorting Bill Belichick to the locker room think we live in a repressive Third World country ruled by a ruthless dictator – or does he just think the NFL is its own, sovereign nation? *

AVERAGE RANK: 4.79 (+.14)

* File this in the not-what-it-appears department. According to Ian Rapoport, the contact was inadvertant, as the cameraman ran out of cable and was yanked backwards just as Belichick and security were running off the field.

My apologies on this being late- Thank you

2009-11-18T13:42:00Z

I wanted to post this Tuesday morning, but a slight knee injury has pre-occupied me even more so than the Colts thrilling win over the Patriots. And no, I did not injure the knee jumping up from my coach and screaming when Reggie Wayne caught Peyton Manning's game-winning TD.

I would just like to say thank you to the Patriots fans here for being such great fans. I have been on the other end of a game like the one Sunday Night, and most of those loses were to your Patriots. Yet, I highly doubt I acted with the same maturity and class many of you guys did. While such words are rarely used to describe Pats fans, I think this site bucks the trend. You guys have a damn fine football team to root for, and that team has some damn fine fans backing them up.

I hope you enjoyed MaPatsFan and I switching side in the week leading up to the game. In all likelihood, our two teams will meet again in the playoffs. It seems only fitting for the best rivalry in all of sports.

Thank you Pats fans. Now, go beat the crap out of the Jets, please.

The Latest Wave of Patriot-hating and Where it Comes From

2009-11-18T04:26:34Z

The endless criticism and the piling on Bill Belichick has received about the 4th and 2 call has now reached a fever pitch. From coast to coast, pundits, fans, former players, former coaches and others have fallen all over themselves to attack the choice to go for it instead of punting. But the intensity and the sheer number of stories, column space, bandwidth, and on-air time devoted to this play call--one play call among the thousands made in the NFL this weekend--is not just limited to criticism of the call or of Belichick. Rather, it taps into, springs out of, and reflects a much deeper, longstanding hatred of the Patriots and their leader.

We've seen similar crescendos of Patriot-bashing like this three times in recent years. In 2007, the first wave was touched off by "Spygate," which dominated--I mean absolutely DOMINATED--the sports world for the week after the story broke, and never fully died down the rest of the season. Just as it was starting to fade came the utterly baseless John Tomase story (writtten and, incredibly, published without a shred of evidence to support it and later completely discredited and retracted) on the eve of Super Bowl 42 about New England's alleged videotaping of a Rams Super Bowl walkthrough practice in 2002. That story coupled with the Patriots' stunning loss to the Giants ushered in round two of the "pile on the Patriots" as people gloated while mocking the Pats, and bashing the team yet again. And now, after the fateful call and the reversal of fortune that happened Sunday, there is once more an undertone to the howls and rants being directed at Belichick and the Patriots this week. Welcome to the third wave of Patriot-hating---fast becoming the NFL world's favorite pastime.

Each of these three waves has been intensified by a fierce, deep-seated hatred--I don't think that's too strong a word--for the Patriots and Belichick. You can't get upset by things or people for which you have no feelings. And if the Patriots were your generic, run-of-the-mill NFL team, the kind that has a fan base but that never causes fans of other teams to foam at the mouth with rabid hatred, each of these waves would have been much smaller, much less intense, and would have petered out on the shore of the football world and washed back out to sea in the same newscycle. (Seriously, is there anyone out there who sits up at late at night cursing and thinking up new ways to hate the Jaguars? or the Lions? or the Seahawks? Of course not, why would you?).

But the Patriots are different and these great volleys of animosity coming their way now (as during "spygate" and the Super Bowl loss) are visceral and emotional, the products of a well-stoked, long-held agressive hatred of the Flying Elvii and the one in the hoodie. The intensity and the sheer amount of the hating, coming fromso many angles, leads me to wonder why the Patriots and their coach inspire such vitriol. To put the question most simply, why do so many people hate the Patriots?

There are good friends of mine--people who are rational and smart and sophisticated, people who hold down demanding professional positions, have homes and marriages and children, people who are delightful, charming companions and trusted friends--who get almost literally twisted up with rage if I mention the Pats or Belichick. These are people who aren't violent or dangerous, who are kind and decent, who probably don't have mean things to say about too many people. But when I talk about the Patriots suddenly the anger rises and and they become transformed.

So, again, I ask why do people hate Belichick and the Patriots? I'm a historian, not a psychologist, so I have no special training or insight to answer this question but I'll take a stab at it and offer a few possible reasons and invite readers to do the same. Here goes:

Envy of their won-lost record and championships When the Pats upset the Rams in Super Bowl 36, they were the cute underdogs, not the bully on the block. But then they came back and won another title and then another and then went 16-0. Even when they lost Tom Brady and half their starting defense, they still went 11-5. It's almost unthinkable that this team could ever pull the occasional 4-12 record like most teams. Somewhere along the line, the Patriots went from underdog to top dog and then stayed at or near the top. And that's not an appealing quality when fans of most teams see their hometown favorites rise and fall and settle near the vast middle of the NFL. The fact that the Patriots just win and win and win makes them hard to love (for most) and easy to hate.

But the Colts always go 12-4 and have for years and who hates them? There's no better, more intense rivalry than Patriots-Colts but I don't think we Patriots fans hate the Colts (the Jets, maybe, but not the Colts). Who does? Now, it could be that because the Colts have that whole Eagle Scout/Sunday school picnic image going for them,or because they've only played in one Super Bowl and won only a single title (in Indy), they seem less threatening than the Patriots. Still, the Patriots' record and titles alone can't entirely explain the Patriot hatred or there would be such a thing as Colts hatred, too. So, perhaps it comes down to:

Resentment of their secrecy and methods Now we're getting closer. The Patriots are notorious for witholding information and for shrouding their entire operation in secrecy. Getting inside that wall, I'm told, is nearly impossible and the Patriots never, ever, ever air their dirty laundry in public. There are no leaks in this organization and what happens in Foxboro seems to stay in Foxboro. Beyond that, the Pats seem not to care what people think of them. Their public image is not a favorable one and it must drive haters to distraction that the Pats don't seem to care that people don't like them, that public hostility and hatred bounces off this team. Call them the Teflon Patriots--no criticism sticks to them. They probably feed off of that and turn it to their advantage. "Never complain or explain," could be the the organization's motto, and they've won games and championships without opening up their locker room or their organization to outsiders, keeping all they do veiled under a thick blanket of secrecy and mystery.

Again, most teams try not to reveal much but the Patriots go to extraordinary lengths to withold even the most basic information. The sense that they're keeping something to themselves, that they're so stingy with something as straightforward as who's calling the plays, probably strikes many as proof that the Pats are up to no good. Secrecy added to pre-existing suspicion adds up to conspiracy in the eyes of many. The Patriots feed this with their hyper-closed method of operating, never caring that their stony silence is being misconstrued or that it feeds the hatred many have. If it does't help them win games--and popularity with fans or the sports media never does--the Patriots don't care, and a team that operates with such little regard for public opinion is bound to be the object of scorn and hatred of those who would like to think their (low) opinion would have an effect on the Patriots.

But it's hard to sustain an intense hatred for an large organization or for an ever-changing roster of players. To grow and flourish and sustain itself, a great wave of hatred needs a single, fixed, constant target. And if that single target is both wildly successful and maddeningly secretive, misunderstood and not the least concerned with correcting those misunderstandings, and completely dismissive of public opinion, all the better. Further, if that single target also regularly flouts conventional wisdom in a game as driven by conventional behavior as football, then this target becomes almost the holy grail--or, if you prefer a different metaphor, a perfect storm--of rage and animosity. And so, the third reason for the intensity of Patriot-hating:

Bill Belichick's utterly unconventional methods and actions, coupled with his other-worldly success and secrecy, and the way it leaves many more conventional people deeply threatened I think this is the real key, because each of the three waves of Patriot-hatred are personally tied to Belichick. "Spygate" was about his coaching practices and although he apologized, took full responsibility, and paid a staggering fine, many believed that he wasn't "contrite" enough, that he didn't apologize sincerely, or that he was thumbing his nose at the conventional NFL establishment which has long tolerated stealing signs and snap counts but seemingly draws the line at high-tech taping--blue-collar crime is acceptable but not white-collar crime, as several have noted. The Super Bowl loss was also tied to Belichick and the loss was nearly overshadowed by the media furor over his leaving the field with a second left on the clock (after he congratulated the Giants coach), an act which was again deemed an affront to all that was good and decent and, once more, was deeply unconventional by NFL standards. And Sunday night, the current wave of hatred was kicked off with his statistically probable yet convention-defying decision to go for it on 4th and 2. In each instance Belichick did things his way, dared to defy the conventional wisdom of how coaches should coach or conduct themselves. Add to this the other things that make Belichick so clearly a breed apart from the vast majority of people who have had the title of NFL coach: he doesn't look like the stereotypical tough-guy coach, he went to college at Wesleyan where he majored in economics, and he never played pro football. And yet here he is, a deeply unconventional man long at the pinnacle of his profession, one dominated by people who are ruled by convention, who always do things by the book, who would never even think about, say, going for it on 4th down deep in their own territory. The fact that Belichick is so successful despite challenging nearly every bit of conventional behavior or wisdom--the fact that he dares to be so different and cares not at all what anyone else thinks of him--is a thing that could only threaten and anger those whose lives depend on following the conventions and caring only about what others think of them.

So this latest wave of Patriot hatred grows from at least three related sources, all of them united by the man in the middle of the storm and embedded in each of the causes. This is the latest outbreak of the intense Patriot-hating that we've seen before. It will ebb, but then it will rise again at some point in the future, whenever the Patriots win another big game, or another championship, or whenever Bill Belichick defies conventional wisdom in the arch-conventional NFL. Patriot-hating has been with us for awhile and it isn't going away anytime soon. All we can try to do, as fans, is to understand the sources from which it springs and learn to shrug it off--just like the guy in the hoodie does.

Even the best minds need Support: BB over his head

2009-11-17T19:51:26Z

After Sunday Night's loss I think it's become pretty clear that BB is trying to do too much on the field by himself.

After Romeo and Charlie left, he's hired people that are smart coaches but who do not have the experience with him to challenge him or really provide an equal level of expertise to offer in a situation.

I was thinking of two things, one I like a lot more then the other but:

BB needs to hire experienced coaches to at OC and DC - or at least one of those positions. At this point perhaps you can even offer the Assistant HC position with BB eyeing a GM/President role in a couple years ala the Bill Walsh and George Seiffert era of San Francisco.

The problem as I see it now is that BB has been out coached too often and the 2nd half adjustments just aren't as exceptional as they have been in the past. Granted other teams have picked up on Patriot tendancies, but there is no way you should be losing a game like that on Sunday night, or the Superbowl, or the AFC Championship game in '06. There are just too many big games, and little games, where coaching has become the difference on a negative side.

I don't think you can get Weiss or Crennel to comeback, that's too much pride for either of them to swallow - but a few options that would intrigue me:

Al Groh as DC. He's just about kicked off campus @ UVM, is part of the Parcells/BB tree and has enough experience to take some pressure off BB and provide good counsel.

Offensively, tougher to find but in a similar vain though I can't think of anyone to help, if Groh is the DC, then I'd like a young mind who could step in as HC in 2-4 yrs eventuallly. Would have been great for them to counter the bronco's offer to McDaniels with this in mind.

The ultimate questions though is if BB realizes this is an issue, and can put his ego aside enough to bring in help

Chum is in the water...

2009-11-17T19:00:23Z

Chum is in the water. The sea runs red with blood. The sharks sense the vulnerability. They have waited for this moment for what seems like forever. At last, there is an opportune time to strike. The opportunity is almost too perfect. The opportunity is too good to pass up.

It must feel good to vent and to crucify. To insist that there must be accountability. That hubris was at play. That the decision projects condescension. That it smacks of a superiority complex.

It is revenge for every perceived slight throughout the years. Screw us? No screw you! You are not infallible. We are just as intelligent as you. You are not the be all end all. You made a blunder and you are going to pay. And pay big time.

Why all the vitriol? Is it the clichéd answers that get under their skin? Covering monotonous press conference after press conference. Not being granted access to practice. Is it the secrecy behind every injury as if the information were some highly classified CIA document? Is it the one word answers? The evasive answers?

The sharks are the usual suspects: Borges, Shaughnessy, Callahan, and Massarotti. I am sure there are others, but, quite honestly, I stopped reading and listening too. In their defense, they have a point – conventional wisdom says you kick it out of there and hope your defense makes a play. Didn’t happen in the AFC championship game in 2006. Didn’t happen in the 2007 Super Bowl. Doesn’t matter. Stats be damned. The argument continues that the defense is younger and better and improving. The punt is what Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Holmgren, Wade Phillips, and a million other coaches would have done.

Fortunately for us, we don’t have other coaches running our team. I used to call Belichick the GENIUS, when writing about him. In conversation, I would pretend to bow or genuflect as a comical sign of respect when his name was mentioned. I have a Belichick for President T-shirt that I still wear with pride even though it is two sizes too small.

Prior to this game, I had taken to calling him Billy Balls. It just seemed to fit his evolution. He makes decisions that you as a fan want made. Challenges the right calls with his red flag tucked in his sock, uses timeouts appropriately even if he has to run out onto the field, makes defensive adjustments series to series, sits guys that don’t produce, etc, etc. We rarely look at someone in this day and age and think, this guy does it better than I could. Do Americans think that of their President? Or Governor? School Principal? CEO of your company? Most of the time it seems these folks, on the surface, are ill suited to handle the responsibilities of their job. Whether that is reality is a separate issue, but it is perception and it pervades our society. I am sure you can relate, for instance, to a decision at your workplace that you completely disagreed with. Or maybe questioned a politician’s motivation on a particular viewpoint. It is what we do, it is all we do.

Now I am not a total sycophant. Based on the outcome, I wish he had punted. I also wish he had signed Deion Branch, Asante Samuel and hopefully soon, Vince Wilfork. I know the man makes mistakes. Clearly, he has some character traits and flaws that are not desirable. We all do and some of his seem to really rub people the wrong way.

Since 2000, I have never, not once, thought that I could do a better job of talent evaluation and coaching than Billy Balls. In fact, I think just the opposite. When he does something outside the norm, like trade Richard Seymour, I barely question it. I don’t try to rationalize it or justify it. I just accept it.

Some people call this phenomenon “In Bill We Trust.” You can call it whatever you want. Homerism. Arrogant Patriot fan. Naïve.

Whatever you call me and those like me, just know we have lived through the Pete Carroll, Dick McPherson, Rod Rust, Ron Meyer, and Ron Erhardts of the world to know better when we have the real thing. I wouldn’t trade Billy Balls for anyone and that includes the aforementioned list or John Wooden, Vince Lombardi or Paul Brown. While you are at it, go ahead and throw in Tony Massarotti. And Dan Shaughnessy. And Ron Borges. And Gerry Callahan too.

Question

2009-11-17T00:03:29Z

Hey guys, I'm a Dolphins fan, so you probably all HATE me, but the Colts-Pats game brought up a question.

I know you guys hate the Colts, and your division but who do you guys HATE the most?

Is it us, the Jets, the Colts, the Bills, or someone else?

Also, which FANS do you hate the most? Is there really a differennce for you, because for us we hate the Jets and their fans, but do you hate one team and hate another team's fans more?

Thanks guys, and GO DOLPHINS!!!

Poll

Who, as a Pats fan, do you hate the most?

Worst loss Since Super Bowl

2009-11-16T22:56:22Z

In my opinion this is the patriots worst loss since the superbowl. they were playing good football. the colts did to but i dont understand how we let them come back to beat us. Sebastian vollmer did an excellent job holding off the d-line.

We were playing like it was nothing to us and they come back to beat us that pisses me the hell off. but i gurantee you we will beat them in the playoffs if they can get past their first game in the playoffs.

Things not involving bellicheck + 4th down!

2009-11-16T19:34:26Z

Okay i think every one killed this topic from the end of the game to this morning. I'm sitting here bored in class so now lets about about the 58 other minutes of the game everyone has forgotten.

Offense:

Brady: it's official he's back. We now show we can pick apart good def. not just mediocre ones. Everything seemed to point to brady being back from the injury and slow start to pick up where he left off b4 08.

Moss: the guy is a beast. everyone talks about how he's diminishing as he get older, well...those ppl can eat it.Even if he isn't as fast as he used to be, his hands and ability to catch in traffic makes him a huge threat even if he gets older. Next week he gets rematch with revis, which will be interesting.

Welker: Welker being Welker. No need to point to how he's been doing cuz he's simply mr. consistent

Faulk: great running by faulk and barely missed a big catch. I'll be sad if he simply becomes a 3rd down back again after morris/taylor returns. right now he seems like the best RB we got.

Maroney: iunno what to say about maroney. He's simply up and down. At times he looked great and looking like about to break out. But the rare endzone fumble costed us big. it seems like he either gives us good yrd or gets stuffed for a loss/no gain.

Vollmer: Freeney will be happy to not see vollmer again for a while. He might take Light's job. But on the other side Kaczur got man handled by mathis. When light comes back i think there might be some shifts in our O-line

Defense: I'm not gonna point out too much individuals on def stood out too much. i will say the def played greta in the beginning. a lot fo their scoring came on insanely good catches despite our coverage. However the problem was either we stop them on the first drive or we let them drive down field for a td. if we limited one of the drives to a fg only, the game would have ended in our favor. It seems this defense is either very good or very porous. Every game they seem to have one quarter where there is a lapse in def. With at said, for the first few innigns we got pressure on Manning which was good. also we shut down clark for the game. our pick ups of burgess and bodden played well and showed y we got them. I'm hoping warren and TBC will be back soon tho so the defense can run on full capacity. Ona side note, i'nm wonder what happened to shawn springs. i would've liked him to cover reggie wayne over the younger more inexperienced guys.

you thoughts guys?

Oh ya: The loss doesn't really account for as much as some people made it out to be. We can still get a first round bye depending on Bengals and Broncos. Bengals looks good but they have the vikings so there's hope there. While Bronco's def and offense have in lacking recently so if we keep winning we can get a heads up. the 2nd seed is still very much up in the air. the division can be over if we beat the jets and miami agian in the coming weeks. The loss to the colts was tough but it wasn't devastating in terms of the future.

Steal this Thread! Week - 11

2009-11-16T16:59:55Z

Yet another thread to be stolen.

From MaPatsFan: I don't mind thread stealing as it gives people a chance to get a little "goofy". However, I DO like the idea of a separate thread.

This thread (named in dubious honor [or honour for Comedic.Sans] of a book titled Steal This Book) is a thread that was designed to be stolen. Random thoughts, check. Inane observations, perfectly fine. Multiple segues, the more the merrier. Goofy pictures, haiku, whatever. If the thread gets unwieldy, I'll create a new sandbox for us to play in. Feel free to jump in, the water's fine.

A couple restrictions, however. To keep this from becoming a war, we need to steer clear of politics, and religion.

On that note, and in looking forward to this weekend's game. I leave you this:

On to the Jets.

Belichick Made the Right Call

2009-11-16T08:21:51Z

[Editor's Note: I thought this was an excellent read by Professor Todd. While some may not agree with his assessment of Belichick's 4th and 2, he at least presents a very cogent analysis of the game and why our head coach went in that direction]

I know, I know. Everybody on NBC and on NFL network (except Deion Sanders) couldn't believe that Bill Belichick
went for it on 4th and 2 at the 30 but come on....does anyone really think the Patriots (or anybody else in the NFL) would have stopped Manning if they had punted the ball in that situation? He had just moved 70 yards against our defense in what seemed like 25 seconds. What exactly would have prevented a replay of that?

The most effective defense against Manning is to keep the ball out of his hands. That's what gaining a first down on the pass to Faulk would have done, enabling the Pats to take three knees and THEN punt. If I remember right, the Colts had one timeout left which they would have used to stop the clock after first down. But the Pats would have ended up giving Manning the ball with about 30 seconds left and no timeouts left and about 70 yards to go. In that situation, our chances would have been much better.

Let's reexamine the call. The Patriots offense is one of the best around and they moved the ball at will against the NFL's top-ranked defense last night and scored 34 points. They just needed two yards to get a new set of downs and Belichick--justifiably--believed his offense could get those two yards. Maybe you can question the play call itself--Welker looked open slightly deeper down the field, or maybe you run the ball on 3rd and 2 to set up another run or Brady sneak on 4th and inches--but the logic behind going for it there is still good. It's not just that the New England offense is really good and can get two yards but that the effect of a first down there is to keep the ball away from Manning. With a better spot--did they ever show a measurement or the exact placement of the ball?--they would have gotten it, run out the clock, and won the game. Belichick went for it on 4th and short against Atlanta in week 3 at our own 24 (or something) and later explained his decision by saying simply: "I thought we could gain a yard." Last night it was two yards but the logic and the thinking was the same--and, again, it was the best (maybe the ONLY) possible defense against Manning in that situation.

Give the Colts credit for playing until the very end and for making the plays they had to make. Manning is absolutely phenomenal. But the Colts benefited from two questionable calls that greatly aided their comeback: a phantom pass interference call against Butler defending Austin Collie that resulted in a 31 yard gain and set up the Addai touchdown that cut the margin to 34-28; and the spot and the call on Faulk's catch on the 4th and 2.

But those officiating calls weren't where the Patriots lost the game, any more than they supposedly lost it because of Belichick's decision to go for it. Instead, New England lost last night because, while dominating the 3rd quarter and possessing the ball for over 11 minutes, they failed to score on either of two deep drives into the red zone. On the first, Brady was intercepted in the end zone by Bethea after a nice drive. Then, after an even better drive, Maroney fumbled inside the 5 and the Colts recovered in the end zone for a touch back. A field goal on either one of those drives would have put us ahead 27-14 athe the time; 34-14 after the Brady to Moss TD early in the 4th (after Welker's great return), and 37-21 after the Gostkowski field goal at around 4 minutes. That's a three score game and would have required the Colts to score two TDs and two 2-point conversions just to tie. Needless to say, a touchdown on either of those drives would have given the Pats leads of 31-14 on that score, 38-14 after the Brady to Moss TD, and 41-21 after the field goal with 4 minutes left. Game over. But these season-long red zone miscues--while only holding down our victory margin in previous games--killed us tonight. By not closing out the Colts in the 3rd and early 4th quarter, the Patriots gave them just enough space and time to come back.

The loss is extremely disappointing. New England had possibly the best team in the league on the ropes and beaten. On the road. A win would have given us a 3 game lead in the division and moved us right into great position to claim home field advantage for the playoffs in the event of a tiebreaker with the Colts.

But there is much to be pleased about with this game. The Patriots pushed around possibly the best team in the league for most of the game. They moved the ball at will and scored 34 points and the defense came up with two picks and some big stops during the first 56 minutes of the game. Special teams played great. There is a lot about to be happy about despite the loss (although that's all that Patriot nation can really feel right now). And let's not forget that Indianapolis--for whatever reasons--turns into pumpkins at playoff time (especially if San Diego is their opponent). The Colts might lose before the Patriots would have to face them in Indy in the playoffs. But even if the Colts win and there's a playoff rematch at Lucas Oil Stadium, New England knows that it came in here and pushed the Colts back on the heels and (coulda, shoulda, woulda) beatem them. In fact, the Pats did everything except win the game--but, of course, that's the only thing that counts. I doubt they will have any fears of facing Indianapolis here again in January if it comes to that. All the pressure would be on the Colts and I'd like the Pats chances in that game.

Besides how well they played for most of the game last night, there's another silver lining about yesterday's results. The Jets lost again and are now in free fall, coming into Foxboro next week. As a result, even with the loss tonight New England is still two games up in the division. The Patriots already have a score to settle with the Jets already, and now need to exorcise the demons from the Indianapolis game as well. A win next week and we're 7-3 and lead the division by at least two games (if Miami wins) or three games (if Miami loses). Sure, the Saints are great but I don't think Brees is quite as good as Manning, nor do I think the Saints D is as good as the Colts defense. I like our chances in the Monday night game in New Orleans. And then it's a tough road game in Miami and then on to the final four-pack of games against very beatable foes and a chance to wrap up the season with a nice medium sized winning streak.

You do what you have to do to win games and, although in an ideal world we would have so far ahead that it wouldn't have come down to this, Belichick's call last night was exactly the right one. It's not so much a matter of not trusting your defense, it's a matter of trusting your offense to pick up two yards and run out the clock. I still say keeping the ball out of Manning's hands entirely is better than kicking it two him with 2 minutes, one timeout, and 70 yards to go. The game was lost by the failure to score in the 3rd quarter; not by the decision to go for it on 4th down.

Now, let's go run up the score on the Jets. In the meantime, we should probably all just ignore the torrent of second-guessing and criticism from the national sports media that is sure to come in the days ahead.

Monday Morning Rants.

2009-11-16T11:25:25Z

Not a big deal. The Pats lost by 1 point on the road to an undefeated Indy team. Yeah, they choked at the end, but it's a work in progress to be clicking by the end of the regular season. The rest of the schedule is a cake walk compared to the other top AFC teams.

I see the rookie phenom Sanchez is playing himself out of the league. What does Big Mouth have to say about that? Ratgini is doing terribly in Cleveland. What were the Browns thinking when they hired that low-life?

Brady is on pace to throw about 34 TDs. Considering he has picked up the pace after a slow start, flirting with 40 is not out of the question.

Wonder how Richie Rich is liking being 2-7 in Oakland? He probably doesn't care; the money's the same, win or lose.

Speaking of money grubbing, our old friend Peon Branch has 22 catches in 7 games. He has averaged 38 catches and 10 games a year for Seattle so far. Bet they wish they had that #1 back they gave for the greedy little cretin.

Is JaMarcus Russell the worst #1 overall pick in draft history? Who is worse, him or Vince Young?

The Hill's Week 11 Power Rankings

2009-11-16T05:39:58Z

Well, as we can see, there wasn't much change in the rankings this past week. The Panthers rose 4 places and the Bears dropped 4 and they're the biggest movers. The Bengals flip flopped with the Colts with their win over the Steelers, despite the Colts close win over the Patriots. However, they are within 1 point of each other so they're pretty much interchangeable. The Chargers have finally broken into the top 10 with the Falcons falling out.

This IS a Pats blog, so I'll throw in some Pats Facts.

1) We are 1-3 away. That's not good, especially because it looks like we'll be playing on the road in the playoffs.

2) The Pats only play 2 teams in the top 16 and only 1 in the top 10. Fortunately, one is against #12 Jacksonville at home. Unfortunately, the other is against #1 NOS at the Dome. I believe that the Pats can win out and, if they do, I can see them pressing the Bengals for the other 1st round bye.

3) We have advantage in every game, but the Saints one. We NEED to win that game in order to finish in the top 3 final rankings.

Rank	Team	QA Score	Change from Last Week
1	New Orleans Saints	154.89	0
2	Cincinnati Bengals	143.47	1
3	Indianapolis Colts	142.22	-1
4	Minnesota Vikings	128.57	0
5	Denver Broncos	103.48	0
6	New England Patriots	98.81	0
7	Dallas Cowboys	92.81	0
8	Pittsburgh Steelers	92.26	0
9	Arizona Cardinals	91.70	1
10	San Diego Chargers	90.59	2
11	Atlanta Falcons	73.60	-2
12	Jacksonville Jaguars	71.27	-1
13	New York Giants	68.71	1
14	Philadelphia Eagles	67.04	-1
15	Baltimore Ravens	66.50	0
16	Green Bay Packers	66.49	3
17	New York Jets	63.40	1
18	Carolina Panthers	60.07	4
19	Miami Dolphins	58.96	-3
20	Houston Texans	58.60	0
21	Chicago Bears	52.73	-4
22	San Francisco 49ers	49.84	-1
23	Seattle Seahawks	32.08	0
24	Washington Redskins	29.86	3
25	Tennessee Titans	25.97	1
26	Buffalo Bills	20.52	-2
27	Kansas City Chiefs	19.09	-2
28	Oakland Raiders	7.87	0
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0.10	0
30	Cleveland Browns	(3.88)	0
31	St. Louis Rams	(5.46)	1
32	Detroit Lions	(7.34)	-1

I think everything is shaping up well.

Should I add a "Good Loss" and a "Bad Win" factor to the points system? Right now, it's 10 bonus points for a good win (against a top 16 team) and -5 points for a bad loss (Bottom 10 team). Should I add 5 points for a loss of 5 or fewer against a top 10 team and subtract 2.5 points for a win of 5 or fewer against a bottom 16 team?

Refs steal game, where's Uncle Ray when you need a fix?

2009-11-16T04:58:12Z

I need to go to the eyedoctors on this one. Did his foot not come down on the north side of the 1st down marker or was it my imagination. I am still waiting for NBC to show the measurement. And I thought it was great that they moved the clock back so it would not be able to be re-examined by the refs. I used to get sick of this crap in the 70's and 80's when football was fixed like th eOakland Raider Julius Adams call. Can't score ask the refs for a hometown play.

Peytom Manning is still a pooosey. Eat me. I will probably see Obama's birth certificate and college record before I see the fricken replay and measurement the network decided we didn't need to see.

By the way, nice call Bell a chick. I would have punted but what do I know about football. I have only been watching it for some 50 years. I am still fricken pissed.

The Defense of the Colts Doesnt matter.

2009-11-13T20:43:05Z

If they are playing horrible teams that offense sucks, i think they would have good defense. if you dont please dont fuckin comment on my blogs. so yall are actually giving them credit when they are our rivals. wow. if you dont agree because its my opinion.

They almost lost to the texans who are actually a good team. im not saying that everybody on the teams they play suck. their coach isn't that good.

Tony Dungy helps me see the light.

2009-11-13T18:06:42Z

On Black Sunday (Super Bowl XLII for non-Patriot fans), people were quick to point at Tom Brady for losing the game. The argument goes that he didn't score enough points. The Pats lowest scoring game that year came vs the Jets in week 15, where they only put up 20 points to the Jets 10. Much was made of the prolific offense that was scoring at will, but 2007 had it's close games. There was a 4 point win over the Colts in week 9, a 3 point win over the Eagles in week 12, another 3 pointer over the Ravens a week later, and a final 3 point game over the Giants (yeah, those Giants) in week 17. In those games, the defense had to step up for the win, and they did.

Intelligent people that watch Patriots football know something about Bill Belichick. Every game is crafted toward that particular opponent. He tries to take away your #1 strengths and make you beat him with #2 and #3. Some teams step up and do that. Judging by the winning record alot of teams can't. In the games where we face a strong offense, defensive play is critical. In 2007, it was the turning point in several games.

In the Super Bowl, the Giants did the same thing; they tried to take out Brady. Their defensive line was the true MVP. If not for the ability of Welker (tied the Super Bowl record of 11 catches) to get open, there would have been no offense at all. Belichick who is a master at counter-strategy countered nothing. On fourth down, he opted to go for it rather than let Gostkowski try for the field goal. You know, the one that would have made it 17-17 at the end of regular play, or at least forced them to try for a two-point conversion. It was not Bill's best game.

Finally, though, Brady marches down the field for the touchdown, that takes us to 14-10 and all is right with the world. Now the defense who has been bothering Manning all night needs to hold. Yet, they didn't hold. There was the pass that Eli gift-wrapped for Asante, but he bobbled instead of getting the game ending pick. That's OK, it's just one play. There's the final touchdown catch where injured Hobbs was left on an island with Plaxico; virtually everyone else was blitzing. He over-read the inside move, but there was no help, so I don't fault him as much for that. Then there is the sticky helmet catch. Aside from alot of holding (that usually doesn't get called), I was wondering why Harrison wasn't covering Tyree better. How did he let him get so open? Then Tony Dungy openned my eyes.

Tony Dungy breaks down David Tyree's helmet catch:

In reviewing the spectacular Super Bowl XLII catch by the New York Giants' David Tyree against the New England Patriots, Dungy pinpointed a subtle mistake made by defensive back Asante Samuel. "That's something out of character for Asante," he said. Point made.

What was the subtle mistake? He was the one-on-one cover guy for David Tyree on a deep (off-camera) route. In Dungy's breakdown, the whole field is shown. Asante was on him as tightly as he could be; Tyree was going nowhere. When Asante saw Manning struggle in the grasp, he left Tyree and ran toward Manning. Harrison was playing on the opposite side of the field, saw Tyree come in for a closer route, and ran to him. Missed him by THAT MUCH, to quote Don Adams. So instead of hanging the helmet catch on Harrison, it firmly goes on the shoulders of Asante Samuel, who coincidentally ceased to be a Patriot the next season. Leaving your receiver when the quarterback has the ball isn't a subtle mistake to me, but Dungy's a pretty soft-spoken man.

The loss doesn't hurt any less, but I feel better about Rodney knowing he wasn't the guy who flubbed the play, but was rather the guy who almost saved it. Thank you Tony Dungy for that insight.

Now let the haters rant.