idle thoughts - iiiinnntttterrressssstinnnng...but

[patfanken]

sweet.

This is going to be a short one folks. There isn't a lot to cover that isn't going to be over done over the next 2 weeks. Lets look at the Bills game and go over a few playoff points and then call it a day. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

1. I'm starting to feel like an echo, but over the last 3 weeks the Pats have had runs of 34-7, 27-0, and now 49-0. I know the starts are UGLY, but what happens after HAS to be considered more telling than the poor starts. Today we saw 3 full quarters of shut out football at a point where 3 full quarters of shut out football was needed

2. I know all the "chicken littles on this board and in the media will immediately want to minimize those 3 extraordinary runs or the 3/4 shut out. To them the first quarter was really ALL that mattered, and shows the Pats are ultimately fatally flawed. "One and done" "There is no hope" "Pittsburgh and Baltimore are sooooo much better than we are." "I know its true, because Felger says so."

BTW- if you don't repeat the fascist message according to Borges and Mazzarotti, etc over and over then you will be labelled a yahoo homer, a BB buttboy, or just someone who doesn't "understand" football.

The fact is that the 3 best football teams in the league have 3 most suspect defenses. We get it.....more importantly we understand why, and some of us even see some hope for some marginal improvement. You don't have to bang us in the head with stuff we already know.

3 Good Omen - The perfect symmetry -

a. In 2003 the Pats opened the season with a 30-0 loss in Buffalo. They just so happened to end that season with a 30-0 win against the same team. The Alpha and Omega, perfect symmetry. Coincidentally the Pats went on to win the Superbowl that year.

b. In 2011 the Pats in Buffalo blew a 21 point lead, with Tom Brady throwing 4 picks. They just so happened to end this year by OVERCOMING at 21 point lead, and intercepting the Bills FOUR times. Once again ….Perfect Symmetry.

You can't make this stuff up, folks.....And don't tell me it doesn't mean anything . My numerologist, just yesterday, told me...... Oh who am I kidding. I just thought you'd find this little factoid interesting.

4.Perhaps the most interesting thing that happened in the game was the move to put McCourty back playing the cover 3 deep Safety. Trying to figure out what it all means. Here's what I came up with. But its JMHO.

a. The Pats are going into playoff mode. That means putting your best players in positions where they can make plays. BB had a full year of watching safeties NOT getting there to help any of the CBs on deep sideline routes. Since McCourty wasn't setting the world on fire with his man coverage on the corner, why not use his speed, ball skills and tackling ability in the middle of the field where most of the action was happening. Someone who might actually get to the sideline. Worth a shot. with Chung coming back..


Hard to tell how it worked out. I thought even in he first 3 drives the coverage was fairly tight. It was just the passing that was superb. Fitzpatrick was on fire in the first quarter. He through some very accurate passes into some pretty tight coverage. I thought McCourty started off looking uncomfortable back there, but picked it up as the game went on. Unfortunately we'd need to see the coaches tape to see how he actually did.

I don't think it will mean some kind of permanent change, but rather something that we'll see again and add some flexibility to certain coverages. I also won't be unhappy to see Edelman playing in sub packages. You can't help but be impressed with the way he throws his body around and I think his defensive instincts are better than Troy's

5. I thought Chung's return started giving us an indication of how much we missed him. Imagine how much better the defense would be if we someday had TWO professional grade safeties on the field at the same time. It was important to get him a bunch of snaps at game speed before the playoffs . That helped. Welcome back Patrick.

6. It was also important to get Spikes and Fletcher more snaps as well. They need them badly. BTW- note to Matt Patricia. Fletcher on Spiller, one on one.....bad idea!

7. Kudos to Chan Gailey for benching Stevie Johnson for being an idiot. You know I think he's a hell of a WR and I think he tries to play hard, but he has a lot of growing up to do and this last straw is going to cost him a lot of money in the FA market. Maybe even enough to make him affordable to us. Again his were errors of maturity, not heart.

8. On the other hand, how would you like to be a Jet fan, watched your team commit $50MM to a long term deal for player who was the 59th most productive receiver in the league, make him a captain, watch him throw teammates and coaches under the bus all season, and then when the entire season was on the line,.......walk out on your team.. Pittsburgh much be laughing every Sunday for swindling the Jets out of a 5th round pick for Santonio Holmes

9. Not for nothn', but.....if it wasn't the last game of the season, 2 of those first 3 drives would have ended up without being TD's. No way the Bills try a fake punt or go for it on 4th down if the game meant anything to them. BTW – kudos to them for doing it. You have to respect Gailey and his team. They will be a tough out next season. They have a lot of good players coming back from injury.

10. I've said on many occasions that under the current rules you can't stop a perfect pass. Fitzpatrick threw a number of them in the first 3 drives. Over the rest of the game he reverted to the mean, and the results showed.

11. I thing the ref had to call that long PI on Moldin that led to the first TD. But it was totally UNNECESSARY. Moldin had recovered and was in great position to pick the ball. I don't think he needed to make that much contact with the receiver. It seemed he panicked almost. Like he felt had to grab at him or it was a TD. When he sees the film on Monday, he's going to be pissed at the opportunity he missed. He also is gong to get his butt handed to him by th coaches. Ironic it was about the worst pass Fitzpatrick threw the entire first quarter

OK so it wasn't very short....sue me. Enjoy the bye week waiting for the sky to fall.

 

[mosi]

I have to admit, when the Pats fell behind 21-0, I thought of 2003 and the two buffalo games. Pretty cool that it went they way it did.

I think what worries Pat fans is that nobody has any idea of what is going to happen in the playoffs. They could get blown out or they could win 48-21. Crazy.

 

[Ring 6]

I have to admit, when the Pats fell behind 21-0, I thought of 2003 and the two buffalo games. Pretty cool that it went they way it did.

I think what worries Pat fans is that nobody has any idea of what is going to happen in the playoffs. They could get blown out or they could win 48-21. Crazy.

What reason is there to believe they could possibly get blown out?

 

[PatriotFan77]

What reason is there to believe they could possibly get blown out?

Probably the fact that they've lost 3 games this season by a combined total of 15 points.



Oh wait

 

[patchick]

Pittsburgh much be laughing every Sunday for swindling the Jets out of a 5th round pick for Santonio Holmes

Ah, the incredible bargain the Jets got! Or so it was said at the time. Want a little giggle? With the Jets' 5th rounder, the Steelers picked up Bryant McFadden (in trade) and WR Antonio Brown.

Santonio Holmes, 2011: 51 receptions, 654 yards
Antonio Brown, 2011: 63 receptions, 1018 yards

 

[Ring 6]

Ah, the incredible bargain the Jets got! Or so it was said at the time. Want a little giggle? With the Jets' 5th rounder, the Steelers picked up Bryant McFadden (in trade) and WR Antonio Brown.

Santonio Holmes, 2011: 51 receptions, 654 yards
Antonio Brown, 2011: 63 receptions, 1018 yards

Sure, but they didnt get to pay those guys 50,000,000. Jets got a better tax write off. They win.

 

[patchick]

Sure, but they didnt get to pay those guys 50,000,000. Jets got a better tax write off. They win.

Good point! Plus don't forget the intangibles -- Holmes is a captain, after all.

 

[lamafist]

What reason is there to believe they could possibly get blown out?

Because they'll be playing other good teams, and because sh** happens in football.

 

[The_Riddler]

"The Pats are going into playoff mode. That means putting your best players in positions where they can make plays. BB had a full year of watching safeties NOT getting there to help any of the CBs on deep sideline routes. Since McCourty wasn't setting the world on fire with his man coverage on the corner, why not use his speed, ball skills and tackling ability in the middle of the field where most of the action was happening. Someone who might actually get to the sideline. Worth a shot. with Chung coming back..
"

Speed, ball skills and tackling ability are one thing, but to be quite honest and frank here, I believe BB put him back there so that his damn head is facing towards the incoming football, instead of the opponents face mask. Keeping the play in front of Devon might actually help Devon and making a play on the ball by being able to SEE the ball, something he clearly couldn't do on the corner with his back to the football.

I like the move and I like the fact the BB is constantly thinking out of the box and that he had the wherewithall to try this. At this point why not? What could it hurt? This might actually work.

 

[Ring 6]

Because they'll be playing other good teams, and because sh** happens in football.

In other words they might get blown out because anything can happen?
They have the best record in the conference, and didn't come close to being blown out in any games all season. There is no reason to expect them to be blown out.

 

[E1Downey]

Awesome stuff Ken! I always look forward to these and am looking forward to being able to read 3 more "idle thoughts" threads!

 

[mosi]

What reason is there to believe they could possibly get blown out?

It was more a figure of speech but honestly, if they play like they did in the first half of the Miami or Pitt game or the first quarter of this game, they could be in trouble.

With that said, this team has heart, and you have to appreciate that.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Could make comments on most of this, but I'll add a couple. And I liked what you had to say, so it's in addition to.

9. Not for nothn', but.....if it wasn't the last game of the season, 2 of those first 3 drives would have ended up without being TD's. No way the Bills try a fake punt or go for it on 4th down if the game meant anything to them. BTW – kudos to them for doing it. You have to respect Gailey and his team. They will be a tough out next season. They have a lot of good players coming back from injury.

I was (emphatically_ telling my wife the the same thing. the Bills had nothing to hold back. the entire playbook and set of trivk plays was wide open and it looked like it was going to be a long day for Patriot nation.

10. I've said on many occasions that under the current rules you can't stop a perfect pass. Fitzpatrick threw a number of them in the first 3 drives. Over the rest of the game he reverted to the mean, and the results showed.

I wish I could watch the game, but it looked like we got a couple hits on him early in Q2 and it really had an effect. Then we kept getting enouhg pressure to make sure he never got comfortable again.

11. I thing the ref had to call that long PI on Moldin that led to the first TD. But it was totally UNNECESSARY. Moldin had recovered and was in great position to pick the ball. I don't think he needed to make that much contact with the receiver. It seemed he panicked almost. Like he felt had to grab at him or it was a TD. When he sees the film on Monday, he's going to be pissed at the opportunity he missed. He also is gong to get his butt handed to him by th coaches. Ironic it was about the worst pass Fitzpatrick threw the entire first quarter

I thought early in the contact he extended his arms a bit (not that it pushed the receiver off), and the refs had to make that call. Darn shame as he was in the perfect position.

 

[Gwedd]

I wish I could watch the game, but it looked like we got a couple hits on him early in Q2 and it really had an effect. Then we kept getting enouhg pressure to make sure he never got comfortable again.

I thought early in the contact he extended his arms a bit (not that it pushed the receiver off), and the refs had to make that call. Darn shame as he was in the perfect position.

That's what I saw, regarding both comments.

The Patriots kept getting little hits on Fitzgerald, sort of a death by a thousand paper cuts, but it was making him antsy and he started to anticipate getting hit, trying to get rid of the ball early on several of his throws. Still, he's a gamer and with their IR players returning next year, I think they'll give us a lot more trouble than either the Jets or Miami.

And the ref HAD to make that call, the PI/Contact was just too noticeable to NOT call it. Moore, however, seemed to do much better later and still got two picks.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

7. Kudos to Chan Gailey for benching Stevie Johnson for being an idiot. You know I think he's a hell of a WR and I think he tries to play hard, but he has a lot of growing up to do and this last straw is going to cost him a lot of money in the FA market. Maybe even enough to make him affordable to us. Again his were errors of maturity, not heart.

The former fact argues against the latter possibility.

 

[rivers983]

That's what I saw, regarding both comments.

The Patriots kept getting little hits on Fitzgerald, sort of a death by a thousand paper cuts, but it was making him antsy and he started to anticipate getting hit, trying to get rid of the ball early on several of his throws. Still, he's a gamer and with their IR players returning next year, I think they'll give us a lot more trouble than either the Jets or Miami.

And the ref HAD to make that call, the PI/Contact was just too noticeable to NOT call it. Molden, however, seemed to do much better later and still got two picks.

Antwaun Molden is now Sterling Moore?

 

[Gwedd]

Antwaun Molden is now Sterling Moore?

Sigh....... that's what I get for typing while talking. I edited my post to reflect Moore, and noted the correction in the "reason for editing box".

Thanks for catching that.

 

[TBradyOwnsYou]

I believe it was 31-0 in 03

But you touch on a very, very under appreciated fact.
Look at the Bills' scoring drives.
They need a huge PI call, they need a converted fake punt, and they need to convert a 4th and 4.
If I recall correctly, they hadn't converted a 3rd down until late in the 2nd, or possibly the 3rd.
Those 3 plays above change and we could be looking at keeping them under 10 pts.

 

[The Scrizz]

So was at the game today, my first in a while, thanks Sully! McCourty was very tentative at safety. Understandable because it was his first game back there. He was getting very late breaks on the ball, even with the play in front of him.

The pats corners were playing way off early on. And then 2 things happened that have gotten very little attention. (or maybe I didn't read it because I haven't been near a computer for most of the day.

1. Stevie Johnson got benched after his customary stupid selfish 'celebration'. You know it's going to get you 15 yards guaranteed, why do it? Safe to say that he's played his last game as a Bill? Damn shame he's so stupid because his skill set seems to make him the perfect Branch replacement.

2. Julius Edelman was inserted on D and actually came up and started jamming receivers at the line. As far as I'm concerned he came in and changed the momentum on D.

Other notes: If a WR runs past you deep with Fitzpatrick at QB just turn around and wait for the under-thrown pass to fall into your lap. How hard is it for these guys to turn around? Fitzy is a rag-armed biatch and constantly under-throws anything over 30 yards. Turn the F around!!!

Also the communication in the backfield was definitely lacking at times. Again, not surprising given 2 safeties who were either in their fist game or out for quite awhile along with Edelman playing D again for the 1st time is weeks and Moore having very little reps.

However, there was two times where it looked like the Bills had an uncovered receiver to Fitz' right where they had 3 wide and both times he inexplicably threw it to his left. One they lucked out and got a hands to the face on Molden on the other side of the field. But Brady would have eaten that miscommunication alive. He would have quick snapped and destroyed them.

Even with McCourty playing tentatively you could see the confidence of the corners growing as they realized they had 2 safeties who could at least run behind them. Moore started jumping routes and Arrington had an almost pick.

I was talking up Fletcher before the game and he then proceeded to suck donkey balls. My bad. However I was also calling for Edelman to be back in the slot on D which may be influencing my point #2. He does play with an energy though, as does Spikes, that the team was lacking.

Why don't we just start games in the no-huddle instead of using it to jump-start the offense after they start out slow. I don't remember too many teams stopping them way they go no-huddle.

And stop with the stretch plays and tosses wide. Do you know why they don't work? Because it's ALWAYS a run. Maybe they're setting teams up for the playoffs, but the reason the stretch worked so well in Indy was that Peyton would play action out of it.

Sergio Brown was a great on special teams where he belongs. And Ighedibo didn't play enough to get hurt so good for him.

Ridley is good but had one play where he hesitated near the goal-line and I had a Lawrence Maroney flashback. Politte had a couple of nice blocks near the goal line. It was weird seeing a fullback playing fullback.

It seemed like Cannon got a lot more reps at OT than Solder but I guess we'll have to wait for the snaps were player to see if I am remembering correctly.

A lot of the D seemed like Bill tinkering.

I hope at least one of my thoughts were as good as Ken's always are.

 

[Gwedd]

Good post, Scrizz, and thanks for that! Those of us who can't get to the games depend upon these observations to fill in the details and the cracks that the TV crews cannot or will not cover.

I appreciate it very much. :rocker: