I was in Denver for the game and the atmosphere didn't disappoint. I was shocked at what Zombies the Tebow fans are...it's awesome (for them) how exciting the past month or so has been, but no need to lose touch with reality. I've been to a few games in Denver, I love the stadium and enjoy their fans for the most part. Only fight I saw was between two Broncos fans, both wearing Tebow Jerseys, funny sight to see.
The first Denver drive was painful to watch. Had a sinking feeling when Tebow ran out of Nink's tackle. That feeling worsened when the Pats went to Faulk on the first two plays of the first drive. I love the guy for what he has done here, but he isn't going to run around, through, by, or away from anyone ever again. I remember reading a comment in a thread here a few weeks ago that at some point down the stretch or in the playoffs he will make a critical play in a big game. No chance. Again, I loved him, but hate seeing him anywhere near the ball. Ridley, Law Firm, and Woodhead need to be the ones getting every single snap at RB. I may be biased towards Ridley because I was also at the Oakland game in which he was great, but I think he needs to see the ball more. Hernandez' catch and run on the first drive was spectacular. I loved seeing Ocho score, it's been a long year for the guy and as far as we all know, he has been a model Patriot.
The rest of the 1st quarter was tough. The defense was terrible and looked flat. No shocker that Slater didn't see the field again after looking childish out there. I was pretty surprised that Denver didn't go for it when Bill declined the holding. Sure Denver had been running all over NE, but they needed 7. It was only a matter of time till Pats got rolling, Broncos fans knew it too. The 3 fumbles happened so fast and took the steam out of the crowd. Mark Anderson has a high motor and he has been fun to watch all season. I hope we see a lot more of him moving around pre snap and lining up in different spots. Losing Carter stinks, but if it causes the coaches to get a little more creative on defense, that would be fine by me.
I don't know what Devin McCourty was thinking when he stopped on the 3rd and 18 play, but that was brutal. He had a good game other than that play, but I wish he would make it through one full game without a WTF moment. Vince came to the sideline without his helmet on at some point during the game and he and Pepper were barking at each other. I actually liked that, I hope that Vince was sick of being part of an embarrassing defensive effort. It was good to see them turn it around. There is enough talent on this D to play better than they do a lot of the time.
I'm no coach, but I feel like scheme wise or position coaching, we can improve a whole lot on defense. That being said, no amount of coaching or scheme changes will fix the safety position. The two times I've seen them in person they are slow, have no understanding of angles, and seem to be mentally challenged in general. Brown had a decent game, but if I were a good QB, I would look in his direction every play. He looks like he lives to give up big plays. I hope Spikes makes it back before the postseason, I think our LB's can be very solid. I thought the D line was good yesterday. Love has been solid all year long and I hope that Deadrick and Brace get rotated in more liberally. I don't expect to see Chung again this year and I don't think he is a huge upgrade anyways. He is better than anyone we have, but that's not saying much. I thought #44 was good yesterday.
The final TD drive in the fourth was icing. I read some people on here posting that they cringe every time Hernandez touches the ball. I cringe at the thought that he doesn't touch it enough. The guy is so elusive, yes he swings the ball around a bit too much, but he is our most dangerous receiver in terms of making people miss. Yesterday he was the best skill player on the field. He is the 3rd WR and the real X factor as far as I'm concerned. I hope we see more of him as well as Ridley and the running game going forward. This team can run, they just need to call run plays more consistently. The loudest reaction from the crowd was on the Dumervil sack, what a hit. Brady popping up as quick as he did was great, he is one tough dude.
Robert Kraft came over to the Pats tailgate before the game, that was cool. What a classy guy. Whenever I am down on this team, I just remember that we have the best owner in professional sports. Being a Pats fan is an easy job, it's important to remember that. Hopefully this post is productive, I read way too many on here that aren't. I've been a lurker for the past 5 years or so and rarely leave the site feeling good about my time spent here. Let's hope we win the next two games and make some serious noise in the playoffs this year. Happy holidays to all and GO PATS!:rocker: