Pats-Texans 5 Up and 5 Down

[The Gr8est]

I debated starting this thread since I can come up with more than 5 up and not many individuals down; but I'm sure others saw things that I didn't.

I'll limit myself to five in each case in any event.

Up

1) Shane Vereen - As alluded to post-game by Brady, losing Gronk and Woody early caused the Pats to revamp their game plan. Three TDs by Vereen along with tough running and also basically being a WR, Shane Vereen goes to the head of the class. He even had a nice block picking up a blitzer on one play that I saw.

2) Stevan Ridley - Combined with Vereen for a dynamic 1-2 punch. Ridley had his big boy pants on and had some outstanding runs. I am very enthused about his future in NE. He is looking llike the Pats' best RB since Curtis Martin.

3) Rob Ninkovich - His game alone would have been enough to be a top 5 guy, but considering how bad his injury looked in week 17 to come back and excel like he did was incredible. Still underrated, he had the pick and at least one outstanding hustle plays.

4) Devin McCourty - Set the tone with the outstanding hustle play running down the KR and saving a TD on the opening play. The secondary continues to play so much better with him at safety.

5) Tom Brady - Almost forgot about him, but he had some outstanding "dagger to the heart" throws, like the deep ones to Welker and Vereen.

Down

1) - The referreeing crew. That was a horrendous display of reffing. It was so bad that you had to wonder if it was intentional. On a couple of occasions I remember think that the let a Pats player continue to suffer abuse and potential ball stripping attempts, long after his progress was stopped, yet they were light speed quick with a whistle on Foster saving them a turnover. game should not have been as close as it was.

2) - Daniel Fells - Yeah, I know he was inactive, but WTF? Gronk is still hurting and you aren't valuable enough to even be active?

3) - Special teams coverage - Can't single any one player out, but the returns were "hold your breath" time.

4) - Deion Branch - Gr8 game dude! Did you play? Showering after this effort is a waste of water.

5) Steve Gregory and Brandon Spikes - For the stupid personal fouls.

As I mentioned, I really didn't see many players deserving of thumbs down. Lots of contributions.

Just as another positive to note Ghost was perfect on his kicks, and ball security was very good today; no fumbles. That bodes well going forward. Pats are hard to beat when they don't turn it over.

 

[DaBruinz]

The call on Gregory was BS and there was no personal foul call on Spikes. .Do you mean the BS call on Lloyd?

I rewatched the kick-off returns in slo-mo. There was holding and/or illegal blocks in the back on each of the long ones by the Texans. That being said, Cole and Bolden looked to be the weak links on all the coverages..

 

[upstater1]

I debated starting this thread since I can come up with more than 5 up and not many individuals down; but I'm sure others saw things that I didn't.

I'll limit myself to five in each case in any event.

Up

1) Shane Vereen - As alluded to post-game by Brady, losing Gronk and Woody early caused the Pats to revamp their game plan. Three TDs by Vereen along with tough running and also basically being a WR, Shane Vereen goes to the head of the class. He even had a nice block picking up a blitzer on one play that I saw.

2) Stevan Ridley - Combined with Vereen for a dynamic 1-2 punch. Ridley had his big boy pants on and had some outstanding runs. I am very enthused about his future in NE. He is looking llike the Pats' best RB since Curtis Martin.

3) Rob Ninkovich - His game alone would have been enough to be a top 5 guy, but considering how bad his injury looked in week 17 to come back and excel like he did was incredible. Still underrated, he had the pick and at least one outstanding hustle plays.

4) Devin McCourty - Set the tone with the outstanding hustle play running down the KR and saving a TD on the opening play. The secondary continues to play so much better with him at safety.

5) Tom Brady - Almost forgot about him, but he had some outstanding "dagger to the heart" throws, like the deep ones to Welker and Vereen.

Down

1) - The referreeing crew. That was a horrendous display of reffing. It was so bad that you had to wonder if it was intentional. On a couple of occasions I remember think that the let a Pats player continue to suffer abuse and potential ball stripping attempts, long after his progress was stopped, yet they were light speed quick with a whistle on Foster saving them a turnover. game should not have been as close as it was.

2) - Daniel Fells - Yeah, I know he was inactive, but WTF? Gronk is still hurting and you aren't valuable enough to even be active?

3) - Special teams coverage - Can't single any one player out, but the returns were "hold your breath" time.

4) - Deion Branch - Gr8 game dude! Did you play? Showering after this effort is a waste of water.

5) Steve Gregory and Brandon Spikes - For the stupid personal fouls.

As I mentioned, I really didn't see many players deserving of thumbs down. Lots of contributions.

Just as another positive to note Ghost was perfect on his kicks, and ball security was very good today; no fumbles. That bodes well going forward. Pats are hard to beat when they don't turn it over.

You need to rework your DOWNS. Branch barely played, what do you want him to do? Run onto the field? You can't blame Patriot players for being aggressive.

 

[JackBauer]

I thought Talib and Dennard played pretty well, and they're both apparently healthy from what I saw.

 

[Deus Irae]

Gregory was a down for several blown plays

Chung was a down for his play on the onsides kick

The KR defense was the biggest down of the game, so pick your player(s) from there






You could also argue Lloyd as being down, given the PF call and the blown opportunity on the deep ball from Brady when he screwed up the route.

 

[TyronePoole]

The call on Gregory was BS and there was no personal foul call on Spikes. .Do you mean the BS call on Lloyd?

I rewatched the kick-off returns in slo-mo. There was holding and/or illegal blocks in the back on each of the long ones by the Texans. That being said, Cole and Bolden looked to be the weak links on all the coverages..

How was the call on Gregory BS? that was like the definition of a helmet to helmet hit on a defenseless receiver.

The only thing that was BS about it was that they didn't give one to Welker earlier in the game.

The lack of holding calls especially on Jones and one ridiculously blatant one on Wilfork were terrible.

 

[andrewgarrr]

Fells was probably inactive because they figured Gronk could go all game... Wtf

 

[wistahpatsfan]

Forgot one big up: The ability of McDaniels and the coaches to change up on the fly after losing Gronk and Woody...not to mention great play-calling and identifying the weak spots on the HOU Defense. Great job Dante on the O-line again.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Reffing and ST:

1. Lloyd was just throwing the ball back at the ref to set it. The zebra wasn't looking and got offended by his own stupidity, then called a foul. HELLO, heads up!!

2. Mesko's punt, I see no earthly reason why there was not a running into the kicker penalty there, definitely should have been.

3. The phantom 'stopped progress' call when the Texan player coughed up the football. That was a flat out fumble pinstriped guys.

4. Other than a few questionable spots, the game was pretty much a blur as the Pats still stomped the Texans despite the calls.

5. McCourty catching the KR from behind on the kickoff was HUGE btw! Kudos for effort. Reminds me of Watson chasing down a Bronco, but with better results. Giving up 3 pts instead of 7 is HUGE to start off the game!

6. Gostkowski's kickoffs seemed off. He's usually much better at forcing touchbacks. Was it the wind or was he not at full strength?

 

[cmasspatsfan]

How was the call on Gregory BS? that was like the definition of a helmet to helmet hit on a defenseless receiver.

The only thing that was BS about it was that they didn't give one to Welker earlier in the game.

The lack of holding calls especially on Jones and one ridiculously blatant one on Wilfork were terrible.

They let a lot of holding go and they let a lot of jostling between reciever and defender go. They were inconsistent in their calls.

 

[Luke Skywelker]

Up - Ninkovich, guy is a gamer/true Pat



Down
Lloyd - decent numbers at game end, but still looked off too many times early s far as being in sync with Brady. He continues to make me nervous going forward. Way too much disconnect there at this stage in the season.

Kick Return Coverage - waaaaay down and has been brutal, starting with late in the SF game. The defense doesn't seem to react well to the short field either, seeming to give up points automatically. Casey dropped a ball in his hands after the first runback that would have been a TD, so hard to give the D too much credit there. The run backs today were nothing fancy, just a sprint up the gutt through huge holes. Let's hope BB gets that squared away for Baltimore/Jacoby Jones because Flacco is another guy you don't want giving a short field too.

 

[Triumph]

1) Mesko had a great day. A 64 yard punt, 2 inside the 20 and a 58 yard average on 5 punts.

2) Welker broke another record. Most receptions in the post season Welker quietly goes about business of setting records - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy

3) OL- Brady had some pressure, but they did a great job giving him time and run blocking.

4) Hernadez really stepped up with Gronk out. He looks like he is back.

5) Hightower. What a pick this guy was. Playmaker.

 

[The Gr8est]

Forgot one big up: The ability of McDaniels and the coaches to change up on the fly after losing Gronk and Woody...not to mention great play-calling and identifying the weak spots on the HOU Defense. Great job Dante on the O-line again.

This is an excellent observation about the coaching staff; well done!

Watching a replay now and I don't know how I could leave Wes out of the top 5. What an awesome play on the deep catch down the sidelines.

I'll admit that I had to reach on the downs, so some of the downs wouldn't normally be downs.

DI is probably right that most of the downs could come from the kick coverage team.

 

[DaBruinz]

How was the call on Gregory BS? that was like the definition of a helmet to helmet hit on a defenseless receiver.

The only thing that was BS about it was that they didn't give one to Welker earlier in the game.

The lack of holding calls especially on Jones and one ridiculously blatant one on Wilfork were terrible.

Because it wasn't Helmet to Helmet at all. Replay showed that Gregory's arms hit first and then his right shoulder hit the receiver in the chest. That was the sound you heard..

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Reffing and ST:

1. Lloyd was just throwing the ball back at the ref to set it. The zebra wasn't looking and got offended by his own stupidity, then called a foul. HELLO, heads up!!

2. Mesko's punt, I see no earthly reason why there was not a running into the kicker penalty there, definitely should have been.

3. The phantom 'stopped progress' call when the Texan player coughed up the football. That was a flat out fumble pinstriped guys.

4. Other than a few questionable spots, the game was pretty much a blur as the Pats still stomped the Texans despite the calls.

5. McCourty catching the KR from behind on the kickoff was HUGE btw! Kudos for effort. Reminds me of Watson chasing down a Bronco, but with better results. Giving up 3 pts instead of 7 is HUGE to start off the game!

6. Gostkowski's kickoffs seemed off. He's usually much better at forcing touchbacks. Was it the wind or was he not at full strength?

Thought the same thing about the BL call. Maybe BL was pissed at the incompletion and shouted something as he threw the ball -- and it made seem worse? But I believe you are correct, the ref was not ready, and got stunned by the ball hitting him, threw a flag. SERIOUSLY unworthy of 15 yards. By chance was he the same ref who called the forward progress stopped-no fumble?

One other one I'm curious about. Wasn't AH called for interference? With the ball not in the air and the contact happening before the 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage line, is it illegal to contact your defender? Is the five yards something afforded only the defender?

 

[Fencer]

Kubiak:

And, boy, they made some great plays. The catch the kid made, I think it was [Stevan] Ridley, on the deep ball. Wow, what a play. I’ve been doing this a long time, it was tremendous.

He mixed up Ridley & Vereen, obviously -- but Vereen sure impressed him.

Texans Postgame Quotes - 1/13/2013