While I am down on JoJo, it is important this game does not define who goes and stays with the notable exception of Marcus Cannon. And even with Cannon, I'd like to hear if he was injured and doing his level best just to play (IMHO that is the only explanation for an otherwise performance that was not NFL caliber much less a playoff team. Sure, he wasn't the only one but he is paid at a level that is expected to perform at an NFL level).
Sorry for my repetition on this -- When a team can get to your QB with minimal rushers yet high effectiveness, I can't fault receivers or backs or QB for not being productive. As we all saw, Brady was off on some passes and missing some open targets. But I ask someone to point to any QB who can be under that kind of duress, with 7 and 8 men in coverage, who can produce at a high level and guide the team to 30 or more. I don't care if it was Joe Montana, Brady, Manning, Starr and every other HOF QB combined as one genetically modified prototype uber QB. Your offense is not going anywhere with that sad, frustrating, awful OL play.
Except for the OL this game does not specifically make me down on anyone except coaches. I watched the game again (skipping parts -- thanks DVR), I now think our D should have stonewalled Denver for the whole damn game. Because our prep appeared to be poor/wrong it allowed Denver's some early scores. There was confusion and running around on D before the snap, then there were multiple guys wide open for Denver. The kind of open that it isn't someone being simply beat, it is someone having been practiced to see something else. To me it appeared BB and MP didn't understand what was going on. Like they were watching another game, on the wrong page in the book.
Once we adjusted Denver was stymied except for that one aberration of a long run. I re-watched that second half (I punished myself) with a "this Denver offense sucks". Denver's run game was totally ineffective, quite a lot of Manning's passes were not only ill advised but were INT-able, and most of their completions were hard fought just barely completed. Bottom line: Denver should not have scored 20. Denver displayed an anemic O that appeared to be playing about as good a they can play against the Patriot D. IMHO if not for Patriot's bad coaching (gameplan & prep & in game) this game would have ended up a 7 to 6 or 10 to 9 slug fest. We still may not have won as Denver's D showed it is top tier. Just too bad our D didn't get the prep then adjustments it needed in time to keep Denver's anemic O out of the end zone (Denver never should have seen the end zone - certainly not twice).
For the SB IMHO Denver's in trouble. They better get the game of their season out of their D and hope AZ/Car screw up the gameplan too to allow Denever some quick points. Once AZ/Car see Denver's anemic O take hold, it will be on Denver's D to win this game ((Again after re-watching it I'm shocked they got 20 on us)).
