Skins fan chiming in. Personally I think John Clayton is a idiot to say these things. What is your opinion on this article.
Skins #1 Fan
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Success is becoming more challenging for coach Bill Belichick.
He won three Super Bowls preaching the team concept. His players still completely buy into the concept and are positioning themselves for a fourth ring. The Patriots are 7-0 and everyone is jumping onto their bandwagon.
The latest supporters are the oddsmakers. For Sunday's game against the Redskins, the oddsmakers are installing the Patriots as 16½ point favorites. That's right, 16½ points. Thanks to Jason Campbell's development as a quarterback and coach Joe Gibbs' recommitment to being a running team, the 4-2 Redskins are an NFC playoff contender.
To be treated like Temple going against Ohio State is a great motivating tool for Gibbs, a Hall of Fame coach. Making it worse is that most NFL observers outside the Patriots organization are looking past the Redskins game to New England's Week 9 showdown against the Colts, perhaps the most anticipated regular-season game since the start of the millennium.
Each morning, Belichick has to load up a dozen "We're focused on the Redskins" answers for his press conferences. He's having enough trouble getting the world to stop focusing on the individual and offensive records the Patriots could break.
Even though he believes his team is focused on the task at hand, Belichick knows Sunday could be a trap game. The Redskins are good, and they are physical. They may not have the best secondary in football, but they present a lot of headaches for the Patriots coach.
Gibbs can line up for former high first-round picks against the Patriots' talented group of receivers. Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers are first-round corners still in their prime. Fred Smoot is a second-round choice working as the third corner.
Mobile, physical safeties LaRon Landry and Sean Taylor present other problems. Taylor lost a lot of weight and leads the league with five interceptions. Landry has enough range to be a force against the run and help out in coverage.
The big fear for Belichick is how physical the Redskins will be with his receivers. The Patriots' receivers haven't faced a lot of bump-and-run man coverage. And because Brady has been so accurate, New England's receivers have received very few hits in the middle of the field.
As much as Belichick wants to win the game, he doesn't want to come out of it with a banged-up team. Despite what the oddsmakers think, Belichick has to be a little worried about the Skins.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=3078941
Skins #1 Fan
========================================================
Success is becoming more challenging for coach Bill Belichick.
He won three Super Bowls preaching the team concept. His players still completely buy into the concept and are positioning themselves for a fourth ring. The Patriots are 7-0 and everyone is jumping onto their bandwagon.
The latest supporters are the oddsmakers. For Sunday's game against the Redskins, the oddsmakers are installing the Patriots as 16½ point favorites. That's right, 16½ points. Thanks to Jason Campbell's development as a quarterback and coach Joe Gibbs' recommitment to being a running team, the 4-2 Redskins are an NFC playoff contender.
To be treated like Temple going against Ohio State is a great motivating tool for Gibbs, a Hall of Fame coach. Making it worse is that most NFL observers outside the Patriots organization are looking past the Redskins game to New England's Week 9 showdown against the Colts, perhaps the most anticipated regular-season game since the start of the millennium.
Each morning, Belichick has to load up a dozen "We're focused on the Redskins" answers for his press conferences. He's having enough trouble getting the world to stop focusing on the individual and offensive records the Patriots could break.
Even though he believes his team is focused on the task at hand, Belichick knows Sunday could be a trap game. The Redskins are good, and they are physical. They may not have the best secondary in football, but they present a lot of headaches for the Patriots coach.
Gibbs can line up for former high first-round picks against the Patriots' talented group of receivers. Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers are first-round corners still in their prime. Fred Smoot is a second-round choice working as the third corner.
Mobile, physical safeties LaRon Landry and Sean Taylor present other problems. Taylor lost a lot of weight and leads the league with five interceptions. Landry has enough range to be a force against the run and help out in coverage.
The big fear for Belichick is how physical the Redskins will be with his receivers. The Patriots' receivers haven't faced a lot of bump-and-run man coverage. And because Brady has been so accurate, New England's receivers have received very few hits in the middle of the field.
As much as Belichick wants to win the game, he doesn't want to come out of it with a banged-up team. Despite what the oddsmakers think, Belichick has to be a little worried about the Skins.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=3078941
