5 Thoughts After 7 Weeks

[patchick]

1. "The Jets have thrown away their season by sticking with the pathetic Chad Pennington." "Vince Young is the league's next superstar and the Texans were idiots to pass him by."
Pennington QB rating: 88.6 (115/170, 1211 YD, 9 TD, 7 INT)
Young QB rating: 68.0 (73/114, 703 YD, 3 TD, 6 INT)

Discuss.


2. Given contract status and long-term potential, swapping out Chad Jackson for either Gaffney or Washington looks like an obvious move. But if you were Bill Belichick, what the heck would you do with Troy Brown?


3. Last season's Superbowl champions knew they'd lose their high-profile starting CB to free agency and planned to plug in their relatively unknown young backup. Uh-oh, that backup signed with New Orleans to the tune of 4 years, $15.6 million! Bet you can see where I'm headed with this...

After just 7 games Randall Gay has 4 PD, 2 INT and 1 FF -- pretty impressive playmaking for a 3rd cornerback. He will attract plenty of interest in the offseason.


4. I'm still trying to get my head around the magnitude of the transformation of this passing offense. 2 Patriots WRs ranked in the top 5 in the league in receptions, with a 3rd coming in at #30. Last season, the Pats' leading receiver was ranked...#30.


5. Remember all the grousing in the past that the 3-time Superbowl winners were just "the luckiest team in football"? Supposedly the Patriots didn't deserve the title "dynasty" because their games were so close, some whisker-thin calls went their way, they didn't dominate anybody. After watching a half-season of total dominance, I almost understand that perspective now. (Not agree, mind you, just understand.)

The 2003 Patriots scored 348 points and gave up 238 for a differential of +110. After 7 games, the 2007 Patriots have scored 279 points and given up 120 for a differential of +159. That projects to a season of 638/274/+364.

Ironically, despite the camera fiasco, if the Patriots manage to win it all this year this will be the season nobody can asterisk.

 

[jcdavey]

1. "The Jets have thrown away their season by sticking with the pathetic Chad Pennington." "Vince Young is the league's next superstar and the Texans were idiots to pass him by."
Pennington QB rating: 88.6 (115/170, 1211 YD, 9 TD, 7 INT)
Young QB rating: 68.0 (73/114, 703 YD, 3 TD, 6 INT)

Discuss.


2. Given contract status and long-term potential, swapping out Chad Jackson for either Gaffney or Washington looks like an obvious move. But if you were Bill Belichick, what the heck would you do with Troy Brown?


3. Last season's Superbowl champions knew they'd lose their high-profile starting CB to free agency and planned to plug in their relatively unknown young backup. Uh-oh, that backup signed with New Orleans to the tune of 4 years, $15.6 million! Bet you can see where I'm headed with this...

After just 7 games Randall Gay has 4 PD, 2 INT and 1 FF -- pretty impressive playmaking for a 3rd cornerback. He will attract plenty of interest in the offseason.


4. I'm still trying to get my head around the magnitude of the transformation of this passing offense. 2 Patriots WRs ranked in the top 5 in the league in receptions, with a 3rd coming in at #30. Last season, the Pats' leading receiver was ranked...#30.


5. Remember all the grousing in the past that the 3-time Superbowl winners were just "the luckiest team in football"? Supposedly the Patriots didn't deserve the title "dynasty" because their games were so close, some whisker-thin calls went their way, they didn't dominate anybody. After watching a half-season of total dominance, I almost understand that perspective now. (Not agree, mind you, just understand.)

The 2003 Patriots scored 348 points and gave up 238 for a differential of +110. After 7 games, the 2007 Patriots have scored 279 points and given up 120 for a differential of +159. That projects to a season of 638/274/+364.

Ironically, despite the camera fiasco, if the Patriots manage to win it all this year this will be the season nobody can asterisk.

nobody in NE, everyone else will

you know it

 

[Absurdly Metro]

I'll give it a try...

1. Would you agree that statistics often don't tell the whole story? My sense is that VY engenders confidence in his coaches, teammates, and fans that he will get the "W"(however ugly). Do you think Chad has that same "IT" that seems to separates the winners from the losers? Living in OK I have Sunday Ticket so I can follow the Pats. After the game Sunday I flipped over to the end of Jets/Bengals hoping to see Mangina lose. Chad didn't disappoint. My point is I was expecting the killer interception even before it happened and took a great measure of glee in the fact that all was indeed right with the universe. Admittedly I don't watch a great deal of VY's games but when I remeber back to that USC/TX nat'l champ game I remember having that same feeling of anticipation with VY that I had yesterday with Chad. Difference was I was expecting VY to win.

2. Make Troy a wide receivers coach?

3. BB understands value on this team. They've been grooming Blue from the beginning. I'd be astonished if they let him walk.

4. Simply amazing isn't it?

5. I'm with you here. What we're seeing now is most impressive but I remember being very impressed with back-to-back 17-2 seasons both ending with championships. If I remember correctly that was some kind of NFL record too wasn't it?

 

[Nordy]

Yesterday was the Titans best offensive performance of the year...led by Kerry Collins.

 

[captain stone]

1) Though I'm not a Vince Young fan, I think you have to consider things such as rushing yards, yards/play, 3rd-down %, etc. to see a more complete picture. The Jests' season is over; it's time to see what Kellen Clemens can do.

2) Let's see who's still healthy by Week 12. I hope everyone is, but just in case...I wouldn't mind seeing Troy on the field, in uniform, for the final time, when SB 42 ends with a victory for the NEP.

5) Projected #s, based on production in September and October, rarely hold up in November and December. The weather turns colder, the conditions are less hospitable, and yards - and points - are harder to come by. It is imperative that our defense re-learn the art of tackling by then, and that Adalius masters his gap responsibilities. I am not counting on our offense sustaining this 35+ points/game pace all year; our defense will have to perform like it has in the past.

 

[Metaphors]

1. "The Jets have thrown away their season by sticking with the pathetic Chad Pennington." "Vince Young is the league's next superstar and the Texans were idiots to pass him by."
Pennington QB rating: 88.6 (115/170, 1211 YD, 9 TD, 7 INT)
Young QB rating: 68.0 (73/114, 703 YD, 3 TD, 6 INT)

Discuss.

a) The Jets' players no longer have faith that Pennington can lead them to where they want to go. I'm not sold on VY, but the Titans' players are still fully behind him. Check back in 3-4 years and you should have a fairly good reading on VY's ceiling.

b) If you are going to be a ball control QB, you just can't throw interceptions. Period. Pennington's interceptions have been gut punches. VY gets excused for now due to his legs and play-making ability, but that won't last for long.

c) The Jets absolutely suck and the QB always bears an unfair burden for that. The Titans are overachieving and the QB always gets an unfair amount of credit for that.

d) QB rating is heavily slanted towards high completion percentage...which is right in Pennington's wheelhouse. Pennington can go 6-6 on a drive which results in a punt. Great rating. Effective? Not so much. VY can struggle but if the Titans can keep it close, he has the skills and mental makeup to win the game late.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Troy Brown is shadow roster at this point I think.

I was pissed that the Titans took Vince Young. I hate them, but I am tired of that division being a one team division.

The thing that impresses me about our offense is that it shows how Belichick really will adapt to any style to win. Can you imagine how many head coaches would re-double their effort to be the #1 defense every time Napolian tightens the noose on the rulebook? Belichick will beat other teams any way he can. He adapts, he isn't stuck in a comfort zone.

They will sign Gay if they can but you know how that goes around here...value versus ego.

 

[patchick]

Thanks for all the thoughts. On Vince Young, I only turned to his numbers after watching the Titans-Bucs game last week and being struck by him, and not in a good way. He seemed to make an incredible number of mental errors, from dumb interceptions to tackling himself by running full speed into one of his own blockers (Young just didn't notice him standing there). Yes, he's still very green and could have a great future. But in another thread a poster dismissed Trent Edwards as "just a game manager." A guy who can manage a game as a rookie impresses me more than a charismatic athlete who can't manage a game at all in his 2nd year. (By the way, VY ranks 2nd in rushing among QBs. #1 is David Garrard, who also sports a 105 passer rating and strangely little media respect.)

On Randall Gay, I could have offered another analogy: 2006, when the Patriots found the market was frighteningly rich for both Branch and Givens. I really, really don't like the idea of having to fill 2 of the top 3 CB spots in this market. The names Tory James and Duane Starks are reminders of just how hard that is to do.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Did you really have to mention Starks?