Peter King on the NEP and Matt Cassel

[ctpatsfan77]

He was on the Michael Kay show yesterday, and had a few interesting comments to make:

• When Kay asked him who the top four teams in the league were, he obviously said TEN and NYG were the first two. He punted on the issue of who #3 and #4 were.
• He then said it wouldn't surprise him at all if the Pats were in the top four when the playoffs came.
• He further said that, in his mind, the story of the season has been not just TFB's injury, but the fact that Cassel has led this team to a 5-2 record.
• Earlier in the conversation, he mentioned the fact that the Cowboys' backup situation--Brad Johnson (3 yr/$7.5M) and Brooks Bollinger (yeah, that Brooks Bollinger)--is an absolute disaster, and that a lot of analysts don't expect Johnson to finish the DAL-NYG game.
• His final thought: who on earth would have thought that the Chargers might be hurt more by the loss of Merriman than the Patriots would by the loss of Brady?

 

[maverick4]

Peter King is still a world class moron, nothing more than a gossip QUEEN

 

[BelichickFan]

[*]His final thought: who on earth would have thought that the Chargers might be hurt more by the loss of Merriman than the Patriots would by the loss of Brady?

He lost me on that one. Cassel has done fine, he looks like an average NFL starting QB - especially as he gets a little more experience in the pocket. But when it comes to needing the big throw to win the big game, losing Brady may be the single biggest loss to injury in the history of the league.

 

[ScottieC]

Peter King is still a world class moron, nothing more than a gossip QUEEN

He's not that bad. At least he's a HUGE Red Sox fan and season ticket holder.

 

[maverick4]

Who cares that he likes the Sox, he is one of the dumbest writers out there, and I will never forgive him for his constant garbage and guilty-before-evidence attitude during the video witch hunt.

 

[Rob0729]

I agree with King about the Chargers. It is shocking how bad that defense is which is basically the same unit that they had last year minus Merriman. Studs like Jamal Williams, Shaun Phillips, Luis Castillio, and Antonio Cromartie have gone to be mediocre to average with one player lost. They can't stop anyone from scoring. Did teams really gear that much of their offense gameplans to deal with Merriman?

The Chargers are going to be in a quandry in a couple of years. It was assumed that the Chargers were not going to resign Merriman. But they may have to if he means so much for their defense.

 

[Clonamery]

I agree with King about the Chargers. It is shocking how bad that defense is which is basically the same unit that they had last year minus Merriman. Studs like Jamal Williams, Shaun Phillips, Luis Castillio, and Antonio Cromartie have gone to be mediocre to average with one player lost. They can't stop anyone from scoring. Did teams really gear that much of their offense gameplans to deal with Merriman?

The Chargers are going to be in a quandry in a couple of years. It was assumed that the Chargers were not going to resign Merriman. But they may have to if he means so much for their defense.

I wouldn't have said anything until I'd seen the defense perform under the new D-Coordinator but, hey, I don't write for a major sports media outlet......

 

[Deus Irae]

I wouldn't have said anything until I'd seen the defense perform under the new D-Coordinator but, hey, I don't write for a major sports media outlet......

Evaluating while using the same coordinator as last year makes a better comparison.

 

[Rob0729]

I wouldn't have said anything until I'd seen the defense perform under the new D-Coordinator but, hey, I don't write for a major sports media outlet......

Ted Cottrell sucks. No doubt. But he still sucked last year when he was running the Chargers' defense. I don't know if his ousting is going to make a major difference, but it should certainly help.

 

[billdog3484]

I think his comment on Merriman is accurate. you look at the chargers D with and without him and its night and day. even going back to last year, when they were using him less in blitzing situations they sucked. then they became more aggressive and used him to blitz. all of a sudden their d was great.

i dont think his loss is as big as TB's but we are 5-2. maybe we'd be 6-1 or 7-0 with him, but we are not 3-5 like SD

 

[Rob0729]

I think his comment on Merriman is accurate. you look at the chargers D with and without him and its night and day. even going back to last year, when they were using him less in blitzing situations they sucked. then they became more aggressive and used him to blitz. all of a sudden their d was great.

i dont think his loss is as big as TB's but we are 5-2. maybe we'd be 6-1 or 7-0 with him, but we are not 3-5 like SD

Brady is clearly the bigger loss in my eyes, but the difference is that the Pats have Belichick and the Chargers have Norv Turner. Belichick and his staff will find a way to win with the loss of Brady. Turner and his staff are clueless on how to deal with the loss of Merriman.

 

[JSn]

Brady is clearly the bigger loss in my eyes, but the difference is that the Pats have Belichick and the Chargers have Norv Turner. Belichick and his staff will find a way to win with the loss of Brady. Turner and his staff are clueless on how to deal with the loss of Merriman.

I would hazard to say a dark corner of Bill's mind is reveling in this challenge of winning without the TFB, Harrison, Maroney, et al and it shows that he gets his players prepared for anything. It's not just talk. And after last week I bet even the reserve-reserve safeties (Slater, Ventrone) are boning up.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Brady is clearly the bigger loss in my eyes, but the difference is that the Pats have Belichick and the Chargers have Norv Turner. Belichick and his staff will find a way to win with the loss of Brady. Turner and his staff are clueless on how to deal with the loss of Merriman.

Bingo. Belioli has spent 8 years building a culture based on team and system and accountability. AJ spent several drafts building a culture based on talent and egos and entitlement, which is also why Norv Turner came to be standing on their sideline...

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Bingo. Belioli has spent 8 years building a culture based on team and system accountability. AJ spent several drafts building a culture based on talent and egos and entitlement, which is also why Norv Turner came to be standing on their sideline...

BTW--I cannot thank AJ enough for having the gumption to wait until after all the prime head coach candidates had signed with new teams before canning Schottenheimer.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

BTW--I cannot thank AJ enough for having the gumption to wait until after all the prime head coach candidates had signed with new teams before canning Schottenheimer.

How else is a premier talent assembler supposed to land a guy who will acknowledge that talent and graciously do what you tell him to with it because he's so damn grateful for that unexpected last bite at the coaching apple...

Another example would be the situation that unfolded in Big D...

In both cases the GM in question was not looking for someone to build a culture, but rather someone to stay out of it's ever so talented way...

 

[patchick]

How else is a premier talent assembler supposed to land a guy who will acknowledge that talent and graciously do what you tell him to with it because he's so damn grateful for that unexpected last bite at the coaching apple...

Another example would be the situation that unfolded in Big D...

In both cases the GM in question was not looking for someone to build a culture, but rather someone to stay out of it's ever so talented way...

Good comparison...two huge, glaring examples of how an entire organization, top to bottom, wins championships. It seems that after a couple of seasons of hearing how he had put together "the most talented team in the league," AJ believed he had earned a Superbowl title and that all a coach had to do was not f it up. One of the most obviously terrible personnel moves in recent NFL history -- and every fan in America new it from the moment Norv's name was announced.

 

[Mark Morse]

I find it very interesting that San Diego got so "jacked and pumped" for the game against the Patriots that they blew their wad on that game and have been a huge disappointment since. Friends who went to the game couldn't believe how the Chargers fans felt about beating the Pats in such a meaningless early season game. They were saying things like "this makes our season after suffering two defeats in the playoffs to the Patriots".

 

[N.Eman]

well we got a taste of what it means to loose a top dog player like Harrison, in the Rams game. Good thing we overcame it and of course the master at adversity Coach B.B. Hope it carries on to this sunday against the Dolts

 

[unoriginal]

Friends who went to the game couldn't believe how the Chargers fans felt about beating the Pats in such a meaningless early season game. They were saying things like "this makes our season after suffering two defeats in the playoffs to the Patriots".

Idiot teams encourage the idiot fans.

 

[capetide]

He's not that bad. At least he's a HUGE Red Sox fan and season ticket holder.

I believe that you are thinking of Stephen King, the novelist, not Peter King, the columnist.