The resiliency on this 2011 team should be praised, and yesterday's game was a prime example of many so-called NFL "experts" basing their opinions on records only...I wonder when some are going to realize a trend that takes place every single year where records do not matter? Especially in divisional games..
The MIA defense was just as tough as I thought they'd be, and N.England played one of the worst overall halves since, well...the MIA game of 2006, when they lost 21-0.
It was great to see such awesome adjustments to a more dink and dunk approach, and that enabled Brady to get the ball out a lot quicker than in the first half.
The protection also improved, the defense stepped up when it mattered, and most importantly---the offense was able to get a much needed first down on 3rd and 5 to close the game out. How important is Welker? My gosh..
McCourty had another up/down day, and he is one of the biggest wildcards (IMO) for how far this team can go. On some plays he downright sucks, on others he looks good. Just not understanding the roller coaster ride that has been DMcC this yr. I thought he looked a lot better at times, and seemed to get his "swag" back a bit. He made a couple of nice breakups and this was promising. I also thought that he got downright burned on 2-3 long balls, just as he's done all yr. If he does not turn back and look for the ball (you know, his "job" as a CB) our playoff foes will continue to pick us apart with longer throws. It will be one extreme or the other with Devin it seems, as least for 2011.
It was great to see 5 sacks, and some good pressure without A.Carter in there. Fletcher continues to look like a speedy playmaker on defense. Wilfork is having likely his best season ever on this team. Mayo continues to add some big plays when needed, that is not to be overlooked.
It was great to see that nice snag by Ochocinco, and although it's just 1 ball, the crowd and fanbase continues to support him...Good stuff. I still have a feeling that he will make a contribution come playoff time. An important catch or two may be a lot more than B.Tate could have ever given us in a big game..something to think about.
Let's hope for the healing of the offensive line, as I would think that Light shouldn't be "too" bad with a couple weeks of rest. I haven't seen any reports here yet about Mankins, but we all know that he's one tough SOB. We need that bye week in many ways.
I'm still thinking that the #1 seed is great and all, but worried that we may end up playing BOTH Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and that was my reasoning for my personal hope for the #2 seed instead. We can obviously avoid BOTH of those 2 tough teams with a #6 seed win at Houston, as sometimes luck and matchups are a bigger part of playoff success than many realize. I hate to think that this team couldn't beat both of the AFCN foes, but it'd be quite an uphill battle for sure.
Let's hope like hell that the potential #6 seed wins at HOU, as we need to get that first initial playoff win out of the way again, as unfortunate and silly as that may sound. I'd hate to even think of the possibility of playing one of PIT/BAL in our first game, and having to worry about the whole "one and done" factor all over again. All of Patriot nation will be backing that 6 seed, even if it's the dreaded Jets. If we can get the 6 as our first matchup, this team has one hell of a chance to go to the Super Bowl this yr. Then, with 2 weeks to prepare, anything can happen...
Enjoy your holidays.
