...For a Sunday morning column...long enough I hope to get you through to 4pm.
1. I am far more productive these days, since I rarely listen to anything any of the talking heads are saying about the Pats. Its not that they are being SO negative, patronizing, or snide, but because they have NOTHING new to say. Lets break it down.
a. "They Pats are going to win it all, but on the other hand, here are the reasons the ....fill in the name here (Colts, Packers, Jags, or Cowboys) can beat them."
b."Jacksonville can beat the Pats because they are better suited to play in bad weather than the Pats, because they can run the ball and stop the run."
c. "The Colts can beat the Pats because they can match the Pats offense, and their stop the Pats with their "awsome" defense."
d. "The Pats are flawed because they can't stop the run very well, they don't run the ball very well, and aren't suited to play in the cold weather."
e. "The Chargers are getting it together just at the right time, and are getting on a roll. Don't forget at the start of the season it was thought that SD had the most talented roster in the NFL."
There you have it. You can now be a productive memeber of your family until 4pm. There is no need to watch the prepame shows, since that is all you are going to hear about the Pats
2. File the following under things we just wished we could hear if the morning pregame shows were all cursed with the "Liar, Liar" hex.
a. "The Cowboys can beat the Pats because we have to over hype Romo, so we can rape and pillage him when the inevidable collapse occurs. Also TO gives us so many great story lines, Wade Phillips is the anti-Bellichick....and Gerry Jones is the most influential owner in the league, so we have to talk about the Cowboys all the time."
b. "The Packers can beat the Pats because we can't get Farve's dick out of our mouth, and what a great story line beating the Pats would make."
c. "Oh yeah, since we still have to maintain a smidgen of objectivity, 9 out of 10 of us will STILL predict the Pats will run the table, even though we will spend the next 3 weeks postulating how they can be beaten using flawed logic and incorrect information."
3. I keep hearing how the Colts are STILL the main threat to us and I'm starting to get tired about hearing how they are more suited to play a cold weather outside game than the Pats are. Here are the reasons why I think the Colts are no longer the team I fear the most.
a. The Pats did a very good job pass protecting for Brady when the Colts had the advantages of a loud home field advantage, perfect conditions, and a healthy Dwight Freeney. They will have NO CHANCE to get to Brady on a slower track, OUR homefield advantage, and NO Dwight Freeney.
In fact, for those reasons, I guarantee you that the Pats will get TWICE the sacks/hits/hurries on Manning than the Colts get on Brady. While I don't doubt they will get a sack or two, that's just the nature of the game; Brady will STILL spend MOST of the game sitting comfortably in the pocket picking and choosing his receivers.
b. I'm not sure why, but while OUR running game isn't much to write home about, the Colts running game isn't exactly tearing up the league either recently. In fact the entire Colt offense isn't exactly tearing up the league. They have had just as many unimpressive victories as the Pats recently. How can you be impressed with a team who has the freakin RAIDERS
in the red zone, with time running out, driving for the game tying TD.
4. Jacksonville DOES pose an interesting threat given their strengths. However in the game's most important match up isn't even close. That is Bellichick vs Del Rio. In a playoff game, especially one that they have 2 weeks to prepare, Del Rio doesn't stand a chance.
The Pats defense is good enough to stop the running game of the Jags, and the Jax secondary has been lit up by a lot of lesser NFL offenses. The Jags DO have a very good team, and could very well end up in the AFCCG if they don't play the Pats til then, but they JUST DON'T match up against the Pats, especially at Gillette.
5. The Pro Bowl designation HAS TO BE the most OVER RATED accolade the league has. Last year the Pats had only one guy named to the Probowl, and that was a guy who had his WORST year as a Pat (I still don't count Light's last years mercy appearence as a true appointment, though I'm glad he got picked this year.)
Despite the Pats getting 8 guys picked, it really has NO correllation on how good a team you are. Concider the Ravens. IIRC, at the start of the year, 14 out of 22 of their position players had been Pro Bowlers. How'd that work out for them. I think SD had about 11 go last year.
The only guy I think who got screwed was Fred Taylor, and he'll probably make the trip before its all said and done. Speaking of the Jags, they took the Pats place as the best team with the FEWEST players selected- ZERO
That being said, I AM happy for the Wilfolk, and the 3 OLmen got selected. They do a lot of unselfish work, and they do it well. Good for them. My only other Pro Bowl comments are, Welker was NOT snubbed, and what is the over/under that Tom Brady is playing at Pebble Beach instead in Hawaii with his bretheren?
6. My ideal scenerio for tommorow is as follows. Brady throws 5 TD passes by the middle of the 3rd quarter, and the record breaker is caught by Troy Brown. That would be a GREAT Christmas present to the fans of the Patriots.
7. The best debate topic question I've seen lately is the one that asks, if you can only keep one long term, who do you sign, Wilfolk or Samuel? I'm leaning toward Wilfolk, but I think I could get talked out of it with the right arguement. Needless to say, I would suspect that THIS will be the biggest topic on the board for the last 2 weeks of Feburary.
Well that's it for now. For those of you who have the good fortune to go to the game, have fun and stay warm. For the rest of you, enjoy the scrimmage, and have a VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.
Idle thoughts...
Linear Mode
