Brady Clearly Better Than Manning Under Pressure
Posted on February 8, 2010
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What’s the difference between Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and New England Patriots QB Tom Brady?
When the game is played on the world’s biggest stage (ie: the Super Bowl), Brady has clearly been the better player.
We all know that Brady has always been cool under pressure, since unlike what fans saw from Manning tonight, Brady has never thrown a critical and game changing interception that was returned for a touchdown during any of New England’s four Super Bowl appearances.
As a matter of fact, looking back at each appearance, Brady has clearly outplayed him:
Super Bowl XXXVI:
Brady finished 16-of-27 for 145 yards and 0 INT’s with a TD and a QB Rating of 86.2.
Super Bowl XXXVIII:
Brady finished 32-of-48 for 354 yards, 3 TD’s with a QB Rating of 100.5 and 1 INT.
Super Bowl XXXIX:
Brady finished 23-of-33 for 236 yards, 2 TD’s with a QB Rating of 110.2 and no INT’s
Super Bowl XLII:
Brady finished 29-of-48 for 266 yards, 1 TD with a QB Rating of 82.5 and 0 INT’s.
Meanwhile the numbers haven’t been quite as good for Manning.
Super Bowl XLI:
Manning finished 25-of-38 for 247 yards, with 1 TD and a QB Rating of 81.8 with 1 INT.
In tonight’s Super Bowl:
Manning finished 31-of-45 for 333 yards with 1 TD and a QB Rating of 88.5 and that critical INT for a touchdown.
So twice on the world’s biggest stage Manning has turned it over each time, and while he escaped against a bad Chicago Bears team in 2006, he wasn’t so lucky tonight.
Meanwhile Brady’s been four times and thrown just one pick.
All in all, Manning drops to 9-9 in the postseason with one title, while Brady is 14-4 with 3 rings.
Needless to say the edge should go to Brady in the QB of the decade debate. They can keep the inflated stats, but when Manning’s career finally comes to an end I’m sure he’d rather have some rings on his fingers, an honor that Brady has already accomplished.
Belichick Will Take The Reigns
Posted on February 5, 2010
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The term “In Bill We Trust” just took on a whole new meaning.
The team announced on Friday that the Patriots will not have a defensive coordinator in 2010, with head coach Bill Belichick instead working more closely with the defense next season.
“Titles are fine, nothing wrong with them,” Belichick said, “but the most important thing is each person’s role, that we do everything we can to help the players succeed – everyone collectively getting the job done.”
This began after defensive coordinator Dean Pees announced that he was not returning to New England after his contract was due to expire following the end of this past season, leaving them with a vacancy at that spot. Instead Belichick will work with Corwin Brown, the former Patriots safety who was recently brought in for his experience both as a player and a coach in Belichick’s systems.
Some may say Belichick has too much power. Instead fans should just be pleased that he’s back doing what got him the job to begin with, and that was for his defensive prowess. Now we’ll have to see what free agency brings and what happens with some key positions on that side of the football.
One would have to believe that Belichick has already been pretty hands on in the past with the players on that side of the ball. Hopefully with guys like Adalius Thomas leaving the locker room he’ll begin bringing in some of the types of players that made him so successful in the past. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the coming weeks once free agency begins.
Needless to say the offseason is certainly off to an interesting start.
Galloway Says He & Patriots Weren’t ‘a Good Fit’
Posted on January 23, 2010
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Christopher Price of WEEI.com pointed out that on Friday former Patriots wide receiver Joey Galloway appeared on the Scott Van Pelt show and discussed the issues surrounding his eventual departure from New England.
According to Galloway he simply said that despite all the talk that he and quarterback Tom Brady “couldn’t get on the same page”, that actually wasn’t the case. In the end the veteran receiver said that he and the Patriots just weren’t “a good fit”.
“It just wasn’t a good fit,” Galloway said. “I had a different idea of what I was going there to do. I thought that I was going there to be the third receiver. I thought I was going there to help them stretch the field to go vertical, and once I got there, that just wasn’t the case. The third receiver in New England doesn’t a large role in much of the offense, and that’s in practice, that’s on game day.”
Galloway signed a one-year deal with the team back on March 14, 2009 and was inactive during weeks 4, 5, and 6 before eventually being released on October 20th and finished with just seven catches with the Patriots.
Wondering About Patriots Free Agents? Wait Til February.
Posted on January 22, 2010
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If fans are waiting for any news regarding potential Patriots free agency, it looks like you’ll have to wait until February to see what’s going to happen.
Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald reported on Friday that head coach Bill Belichick has apparently put the team’s plans on hold until at least February while they sort through how they’re going to handle the future of quite a few of their players.
According to the report the Patriots head coach has told at least two of his players who are without contracts for 2010, that he will address their status in early February.
The team currently has nine unrestricted free agents:
NT Vince Wilfork
TE Benjamin Watson
CB Leigh Bodden
DE Jarvis Green
RB Kevin Faulk
G Stephen Neal
LB Gary Guyton
LB Pierre Woods
DE Derrick Burgess
And two restricted free agents:
K Stephen Gostkowski
G Logan Mankins
Both Mankins and Gostkowski, who were also named to the Pro Bowl, are expected to be restricted free agents in the event 2010 ends up to be an uncapped year.
We’ve heard from several players who have made it clear they’d like to return (Faulk and Green). Wilfork, has also said he wants to stay, but he’s a clear candidate for the franchise tag – which he’s already said he won’t be happy with in the event the team can’t reach a new deal with him and forces him to play under that designation.
For Bodden, it appears that winning isn’t going to take priority over money, with the defensive back telling Mike Reiss of ESPN that he’s looking for market value.
“There are two sides of the spectrum — football and business,” Bodden said. “For me, the taste of playoffs and winning, that’s something that will be a priority [in any decision]. But if presented something financially that you can’t pass up, that is also a consideration. We aren’t going to play this game forever, and you have to look out for your best interests on the financial side.”
With the coaches reportedly on a 10-day vacation that ends at the beginning of next week, it’s unlikely that we’ll hear anything more before then. However, with so may players having their futures up in the air, along with quite a few players seeing their final year of their contract coming up (including quarterback Tom Brady) it’s sure to be an interesting offseason.
LB Gary Guyton Appearing in Danvers Saturday
Posted on January 22, 2010
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Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald reported on Friday that Patriots linebacker Gary Guyton will be making an appearance on Saturday, and will reportedly be at Carter’s Diamonds and Fine Jewelry in Danvers tomorrow.
He will reportedly be signing autographs from 2-4 p.m. before a 20-minute Q&A session to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem.
Future of G Stephen Neal In Doubt
Posted on January 10, 2010
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The Boston Globe reported Sunday afternoon that it appears that New England Patriots offensive lineman Stephen Neal may have played his last game for the Patriots
According to the report Neal, who was in the final year of his contract, told the newspaper he had his doubts about his body after what has been a tough season for the veteran.
“I’m not sure,” Neal said when asked if he’d come back next season. “I’m not sure how my body is going to feel. I’m not sure if I’ll keep playing, keep getting in them car accidents each week. We’ll have to find out, talk to the family, see what options are available.”
Patriots First Half Offensive Performance Bad, But Not the Worst Ever
Posted on January 10, 2010
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The Patriots offense obviously struggled on Sunday, with the team finishing with a mere 61 total yards offensively in the first half and going into the locker room down 24-7 at halftime.
For those wondering if that was their lowest output ever in the first two quarters of play, Mike Reiss of ESPN pointed out via Twitter that Sunday’s performance wasn’t the worst, but it’s been quite a long time since they’ve played that poorly.
They had 26 yards in the 1st half vs. Miami (Oct. 6, 2002), 29 in 1st half vs. the New York Giants (Oct. 12, 2003), and 51 at Buffalo (Sept. 7, 2003).
Thanks to Mike for getting us that information.
Welker Leaves Game With Knee Injury
Posted on January 3, 2010
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Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker left Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans with an apparent injury to his left knee.
Welker was injured after a making a reception early in the first quarter on a play which didn’t involve much contact, but he appeared to jam it into the turf after turning up field. The bad news for fans is that the veteran receiver was seen on the sidelines in tears and with his face in a towel, which has to make you believe that the severity of this injury may be bad enough where it could potentially keep him out of the postseason. He’s since been carted off from the sideline into the locker room.
For now he’s been replaced by rookie Julian Edelman.
Patriots Lacking Killer Instinct
Posted on December 7, 2009
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One of the things being discussed this Monday morning is the fact that this Patriots team doesn’t seem to have the fire or killer instinct that fans in New England are accustomed to seeing.
Good teams close out their opponents in the 4th Quarter. Good teams put their foot on the throats of their opponents and know how to finish. This team right now doesn’t seem to be able to do that, and it’s definitely a problem.
Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston discusses that very topic this morning, pointing out that even quarterback Tom Brady has struggled during their five road losses and they’ll need to fight harder in their final four games if they hope to compete in the postseason.
One interesting stat from Sunday’s game was the fact that Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne had a lot of success on 3rd down against the Patriots, which was frustrating to watch. He was 11-of-15 for 161 yards along with 2 touchdown passes, and after yesterday’s performance he has the Dolphins feeling pretty confident, and even has them saying that we’re witnessing the “fall of an empire” here in New England.
I would have to believe that we’re seeing a team that right now is definitely at a crossroads, and after seeing the reaction by Brady and Wes Welker after Sunday’s game it looks like we may need to see more veteran leadership with the younger players. These final four games are going to be critical, with the Panthers, Bills, Jaguars, and Texans left on the schedule. Two of those games (Bills & Texans) are on the road – which as we know has been a cause for concern since the team is 0-5 when playing in front of opposing crowds this year.
Should they make the playoffs the odds are pretty good that they’ll have to find a way to win on the road, which is what championship teams generally do very well. So far we haven’t seen this team be able to do that yet, and we’ll have to see in the coming weeks if this team is ready to take the next step – or if they’ll be content with watching someone else play in February.
Welker told reporters when asked if Sunday’s loss was one of the more frustrating ones this season that, “None of them are good, but to have the opportunities we had and not finish is pretty disappointing.”
“We’ve always been a team that has been able to overcome situations, and we haven’t been able to do that. A lot of us need to look in the mirror.”
Hopefully each of them spend this week doing just that.
Brady Showing No Ill-Effects from Injured Finger
Posted on December 6, 2009
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Brady may be suffering from an injured finger on his throwing hand, but so far it doesn’t seem to be affecting him.
Through one half of play Brady he’s missed just one pass so far against the Dolphins down in Miami. He’s completed 13-of-14 for 196 yards including a 58 yard bomb that was thrown perfectly to Randy Moss for a touchdown.
Unfortunately the Patriots defense hasn’t been quite as stellar. They’ve allowed 10 unanswered points by the Dolphins after taking a 14-0 lead, and New England now leads by just four points at the half.
More to come…