A Few Thoughts on Yesterday

[aluminum seats]

--Down 14-3? No problem. That was about a perfect a half of football on the offensive side that I can remember. 9-2, not bad.

--Didn’t keep track of the number of times the Pats used play action, but it seems like more than we’ve seen in past weeks. And it's just so effective, particularly when BJGE is running well. I like the fact that O’Brien seems to be adapting to what he sees in the game and adjusting accordingly. Seemed like not long ago the Pats would come out strong & then falter, now the reverse is increasingly true, and that’s good.

--Detroit was winning the LOS in the early going, but the Pats’ O-line asserted itself as the game progressed, also good. Suh’s a hell of a player, though. I’m glad Brady stopped getting pummeled, and I’m glad he’s got extra rest (sure he is, too).

--God, I HATE the “actor in the booth” thing. I don’t even blame the announcers or the actor for how horrible/awkward it is. Just make it stop. And does ANYONE want to see a movie more because the actor in it is screwing up your enjoyment of a football game? Anyone?

--Didn’t think Chung did much last week, and sure enough, didn’t start this week. Ebbs & flows of a young D.

--Seems like there’s nothing to add about Brady, but jeez the guy is good. He overthrew Branch on one play & I was genuinely bewildered. “What was that? An incompletion? How strange.”

--McCourty….you either don’t hear his name because they’re not throwing to his side, or you do hear it because he’s making a pick. Throw to his side at your peril, teams. Maybe this guy needs a nickname.

--Sorry, but Tate simply CAN NOT drop passes like that. There are plenty of fast guys in the world. The ball was in his hands, a dog could have caught it.

--If there was a downside, had to be special teams. I wonder if teams have to adjust to the fact the kickoffs are so much shorter than they’re used to. I dunno. Also, the Pats’ returns were nothing—Detroit kept doing the same thing (kicking to the corner), seems like the Pats should have tried something.

--People ask if this is a “championship defense.” It’s the wrong way to think of it. It’s a young, improving defense, which has shown some great flashes (Baltimore, Pittsburgh.) Can this defense beat the Jets next Monday? Of course. And if they do, the Pats are looking great for a bye. Can the Pats beat whoever comes into town in the playoffs w/two weeks to prepare? Of course (I’m hoping for Jacksonville.) And so it goes. Can the Pats win a Super Bowl with this defense? Absolutely.

--OT, how frustrating is it to watch/root for another team besides the Pats? It’s the stupidity of the play more than anything else. I’m watching the Bengals play the Jets, and at the end of the 1st half the Bengals get a first down at the Jets’ 10 w/a minute to play. And they call a timeout. WHY? Then after they run a play, they so quickly run the next play I thought it was one of the NFL replays w/the time between plays taken out. It was like Carson Palmer was determined to give the Jets time to score (they missed the FG). When the Jets’ punt in the 2nd half hit the guy in the head, I turned the TV off. So, thanks Pats.

 

[jmt57]

Nice breakdown, not much of anything I can add to that.

I agree, the 'actor in the booth to pimp my movie' thing was painful. I noticed in an ad today the movie was by CBS Films, so unfortunately we may not have seen the last of that on games broadcast by CBS.

 

[WhiZa]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel more comfortable being down at half time rather then up?

 

[Bella*chick]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel more comfortable being down at half time rather then up?

When we start making some plays, yeah.

I guess that one Browns game really spooked me, though.

 

[Deus Irae]

--OT, how frustrating is it to watch/root for another team besides the Pats? It’s the stupidity of the play more than anything else. I’m watching the Bengals play the Jets, and at the end of the 1st half the Bengals get a first down at the Jets’ 10 w/a minute to play. And they call a timeout. WHY? Then after they run a play, they so quickly run the next play I thought it was one of the NFL replays w/the time between plays taken out. It was like Carson Palmer was determined to give the Jets time to score (they missed the FG). When the Jets’ punt in the 2nd half hit the guy in the head, I turned the TV off. So, thanks Pats.

+1. Coaching is a huge edge for the Patriots.

 

[BestQB]

Nickname: The Court Marshall

 

[BlueThunder]

Lame


Patriot players don't need nicknames....it's a TEAM defense and Offense


Young guys have to learn how to play, not read glowing reviews and see nicknames....



Just Win....

 

[TruthSeeker]

--Didn’t keep track of the number of times the Pats used play action, but it seems like more than we’ve seen in past weeks. And it's just so effective, particularly when BJGE is running well. I like the fact that O’Brien seems to be adapting to what he sees in the game and adjusting accordingly. Seemed like not long ago the Pats would come out strong & then falter, now the reverse is increasingly true, and that’s good.

Thank goodness. I've been thinking this (and occasionally saying it) for years now.

--McCourty….you either don’t hear his name because they’re not throwing to his side, or you do hear it because he’s making a pick. Throw to his side at your peril, teams. Maybe this guy needs a nickname.

DeOssie (sp?) kept saying on the post game show that "McCourty's a rookie". As if the number of years or months he's played in the NFL means anything compared to his performance on the field.

Give me a break. McCourty is currently playing at the level of a top corner in the league.

--If there was a downside, had to be special teams. I wonder if teams have to adjust to the fact the kickoffs are so much shorter than they’re used to. I dunno. Also, the Pats’ returns were nothing—Detroit kept doing the same thing (kicking to the corner), seems like the Pats should have tried something.

There was a downside and it was the pass rush. Pathetic. Perhaps if we ever got pressure on the QB during the first 50 minutes of the game we wouldn't be giving up all these completions. I was glad to see that the DL seemed to be fresher than Detroit's OL at the end of the game and made a few plays - but maybe that's more because of Detroit's desperation at the time.

--OT, how frustrating is it to watch/root for another team besides the Pats? It’s the stupidity of the play more than anything else. I’m watching the Bengals play the Jets, and at the end of the 1st half the Bengals get a first down at the Jets’ 10 w/a minute to play. And they call a timeout. WHY? Then after they run a play, they so quickly run the next play I thought it was one of the NFL replays w/the time between plays taken out. It was like Carson Palmer was determined to give the Jets time to score (they missed the FG). When the Jets’ punt in the 2nd half hit the guy in the head, I turned the TV off. So, thanks Pats.

Yes, indeed it is.

But it was terrible to watch the Patriots tackle a player with 2 seconds left in the half knowing that the play started with 9 ticks on the clock and that if they delay the tackle, they don't give up 3 points. Of course, the Lions receiver could have gone down on his own, but very few actually would. Force the receiver to make a really heads up play instead of handing them the field goal opportunity. Just stupid situational football; the Patriot players should know better. And Mayo should have told them this in the huddle before the play.

 

[aluminum seats]

Lame


Patriot players don't need nicknames....it's a TEAM defense and Offense


Young guys have to learn how to play, not read glowing reviews and see nicknames....



Just Win....

Yeah, of course, just having some fun.

 

[aluminum seats]

But it was terrible to watch the Patriots tackle a player with 2 seconds left in the half knowing that the play started with 9 ticks on the clock and that if they delay the tackle, they don't give up 3 points. Of course, the Lions receiver could have gone down on his own, but very few actually would. Force the receiver to make a really heads up play instead of handing them the field goal opportunity. Just stupid situational football; the Patriot players should know better. And Mayo should have told them this in the huddle before the play.

But that's sort of tricky, isn't it? "Delaying" a tackle for 2 seconds? How do you do that exactly? Seems like that might be a recipie for a TD.

 

[Little Bill]

--OT, how frustrating is it to watch/root for another team besides the Pats? It’s the stupidity of the play more than anything else. I’m watching the Bengals play the Jets, and at the end of the 1st half the Bengals get a first down at the Jets’ 10 w/a minute to play. And they call a timeout. WHY? Then after they run a play, they so quickly run the next play I thought it was one of the NFL replays w/the time between plays taken out. It was like Carson Palmer was determined to give the Jets time to score (they missed the FG). When the Jets’ punt in the 2nd half hit the guy in the head, I turned the TV off. So, thanks Pats.

I saw this too. It was extremely annoying

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

The clock mamagement by teams this year has been unusually atrocious. It's as if teams had studied film of Herm Edwards and emulated his cluelessness.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

they never explained why they added 2 seconds back on the clock. i also noticed the clock running before the half was kinda funky. the guy running the clock was trying to save a second here and a second there.