- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
- Messages
- 22,930
- Reaction score
- 1,878
A few points:
(1) Game time stripped away all the hype and showed that Antonio Gates was not so exceptional, Philip Rivers may not be as good as Drew Brees, and Sean Merriman was not the second coming of Michael Strahan. Only Tomlinson lived up to the hype, but not even he could stop destiny.
(2) Even though the Chargers had superior field position for much of the game, our D proved itself time and again able to stop them. (I wonder if their superior field position helped us in that it meant our D was never on the field too long.) Bruschi was something of an unsung hero of the game. He had 6 tackles, 5 assists, and 1 pass deflection. And Hawkins, Warren, and Hobbs had at least 6 tackles each. I think those are pretty impressive numbers against such a powerful team as the Chargers. We made them work hard for their yards.
(3) When the game was on the line, the Pats were more focused, determined, and powerful. Not only did Brady find his precision, our O line did an incredible job protecting him. (I think we focused on getting our O line to protect Brady more than on getting it to open holes. We never planned to run much.)
(4) Brady. I know some people think he had an off day, but he said that this was the hardest game he ever played in terms of moving the ball. Brady's troubles were a credit to the Chargers D, but in the end McDaniels, Brady, and the receivers figured out how to win. Caldwell's adjusted beautifully in the fourth to catch the key pass that brought us deep into Chargers territory.
(5) We played great situational football. The direct snap to Faulk for 2 points is something the Pats worked on all week, and it paid off.
(6) Troy Brown instantly changing roles from WR to CB and forcing a fumble is one of the biggest plays in the last 6 years. That showed the benefit of his versatility, and was also a great example of situational football. Brown set a record for appearances in a Pats playoff game. He's been in 19 of them!
(7) Ghost's 50 yard FG, the longest in Patriots' playoff history, showed how focused and well prepared the team was. If the Chargers had Ghost to kick their final FG attempt, the game would have been tied. And, credit to Cassel, who was holding for Ghost for only the fourth time.
(8) Matt Light completely redeemed himself, showing speed, technique, and power in protecting Brady.
(9) With few exceptions, our tackling was first class, especially when you consider that LT's speed forced a few especially difficult tackles.
(10) The coaching was brilliant. I always admire BB for not being afraid to win by 3 points. When he chose to make the score 14-13, instead of going for 2 points, and when later on he chose to punt from the Chargers 40 rather than try a fourth down play, he showed his deep understanding of the game. He seems to always make the right decision.
(11) The Offensive play calling was brilliant. The Chargers had a superb D, so the Pats came out and tried different approaches in each half, while in the early quarters using Dillon to tire out the Chargers. We're only the third team this year to put up more points than the Chargers in the fourth Q.
I think every single Pats player deserves tremendous kudos for their focus and discipline. I don't think we had any dumb penalties, except maybe against Mankins, and the Pats never let their emotions affect their play. This team played with the same kind of focus, intensity, and discipline that the 2001 team played!
(1) Game time stripped away all the hype and showed that Antonio Gates was not so exceptional, Philip Rivers may not be as good as Drew Brees, and Sean Merriman was not the second coming of Michael Strahan. Only Tomlinson lived up to the hype, but not even he could stop destiny.
(2) Even though the Chargers had superior field position for much of the game, our D proved itself time and again able to stop them. (I wonder if their superior field position helped us in that it meant our D was never on the field too long.) Bruschi was something of an unsung hero of the game. He had 6 tackles, 5 assists, and 1 pass deflection. And Hawkins, Warren, and Hobbs had at least 6 tackles each. I think those are pretty impressive numbers against such a powerful team as the Chargers. We made them work hard for their yards.
(3) When the game was on the line, the Pats were more focused, determined, and powerful. Not only did Brady find his precision, our O line did an incredible job protecting him. (I think we focused on getting our O line to protect Brady more than on getting it to open holes. We never planned to run much.)
(4) Brady. I know some people think he had an off day, but he said that this was the hardest game he ever played in terms of moving the ball. Brady's troubles were a credit to the Chargers D, but in the end McDaniels, Brady, and the receivers figured out how to win. Caldwell's adjusted beautifully in the fourth to catch the key pass that brought us deep into Chargers territory.
(5) We played great situational football. The direct snap to Faulk for 2 points is something the Pats worked on all week, and it paid off.
(6) Troy Brown instantly changing roles from WR to CB and forcing a fumble is one of the biggest plays in the last 6 years. That showed the benefit of his versatility, and was also a great example of situational football. Brown set a record for appearances in a Pats playoff game. He's been in 19 of them!
(7) Ghost's 50 yard FG, the longest in Patriots' playoff history, showed how focused and well prepared the team was. If the Chargers had Ghost to kick their final FG attempt, the game would have been tied. And, credit to Cassel, who was holding for Ghost for only the fourth time.
(8) Matt Light completely redeemed himself, showing speed, technique, and power in protecting Brady.
(9) With few exceptions, our tackling was first class, especially when you consider that LT's speed forced a few especially difficult tackles.
(10) The coaching was brilliant. I always admire BB for not being afraid to win by 3 points. When he chose to make the score 14-13, instead of going for 2 points, and when later on he chose to punt from the Chargers 40 rather than try a fourth down play, he showed his deep understanding of the game. He seems to always make the right decision.
(11) The Offensive play calling was brilliant. The Chargers had a superb D, so the Pats came out and tried different approaches in each half, while in the early quarters using Dillon to tire out the Chargers. We're only the third team this year to put up more points than the Chargers in the fourth Q.
I think every single Pats player deserves tremendous kudos for their focus and discipline. I don't think we had any dumb penalties, except maybe against Mankins, and the Pats never let their emotions affect their play. This team played with the same kind of focus, intensity, and discipline that the 2001 team played!