Let's recap on some of this weeks posts that relate to our game at 4PM!
Where has Tully Banta-Cain gone? Greg Knopping states that Jermaine Cunningham has emerged as a solid player on defense and has eroded away from of Banta-Cain's snaps. What's the deal?
A review of the 2009 NFL Draft. Ethan Hammerman does a great job of reviewing the 2009 draftees and their current impact on the team. How will these young players continue to contribute?
Zoltan Mesko is playing well. There's a large difference between last year's punter in Chris Hanson and this year's Zoltan Mesko. Will he continue to make a difference?
A rank of the Patriots defensive starters. Ethan Hammerman looks at some numbers to come up with rankings to determine the best defensive players on the Patriots.
The Patriots secondary is nicked up. James Sanders, Jarrad Page, Kyle Arrington and Terrence Wheatley are dinged up and Darius Butler and Brandon Meriweather aren't playing to expectations. What do the Patriots have to do in order to solidify their secondary? Direct quote from the article:
I'm surprised that the Patriots didn't try and find a way to get safety Sergio Brown on 53 man roster, perhaps by displacing running back Thomas Clayton. The Patriots need some depth in the secondary, but maybe they're seeing if they can survive a week of injuries without having to move players on the roster.
And here's some recent news (thanks to AtomicDawg for the link):
Patriots sign S Sergio Brown (#38) off their practice squad. Release RB Thomas Clayton.
Just saying.
Here are some match-ups to watch. The Chargers have an injured receiving core- how will the Patriots take advantage of this? Also, a note on how important special teams will be in this game.
Here's what should be the Patriots game plan. Mike Dussault lists 5 objectives the Patriots need to complete in order to beat the Chargers. One point: Rough up Antonio Gates. Great read for game time.
How could the Patriots play defense? The Chargers will be starting their #3 and #4 receivers and their #1 tight end is injured. The Chargers should focus on running the ball, so here's a defensive alignment that the Patriots could use to take advantage of the Chargers.
Bonus Quote: Mike Ditka on ESPN: "The AFC Championship goes through New England." Boomer is the only "analyst" to pick the Chargers.