This week's Dr Z comment on the pats

[TruthSeeker]

i dont know much about dr z but i think he does have some exp watching football since 70's or something as far as i have read ..at least more than prisco

Talk about damning with faint praise

 

[CaffeineMan]

Among the national columnists, I like Dr. Z. He's not always right, but he pays attention to detail (like line play) and will point out things I don't always notice. He's pretty consistent in what he likes and doesn't like and he usually explains what's behind what he says, so you know where he's coming from. He's not a front-runner like a lot of national columnists, fawning over the latest hot thing. He's got a great historical perspective. Some people are annoyed by his bad joke/wine/wife schtick, but I find it pretty harmless. He doesn't use it to fill large amounts of space in his normal columns (unlike Peter King's long list of non-football stuff). And how many other columnists out there actually chart games?

One might disagree with his opinions, but I don't think it's fair to lump him in with the "entertainment-only" crowd (Banks), or the "look at me, I'm an insider" crowd (Pasquarelli), or the "I grind the biggest axe in the Lower 48" crowd (Borges and other local examples).

So, he said the Pats were tired. They sure looked flat to me, and others. So, he guessed the reason was physical and suggested Belichick used the wrong approach in practice. Seems like Belichick thought the flatness would be emotional and tried to use physical and intellectual intensity to counter it. Who can say for certain which approach was right? I don't think the Pats being down for a game against a lousy team after a tough game against a good team is a big deal anyway, but Dr. Z's statements about cause are not unreasonable.

 

[carolinatony]

Didn't Z predict the Fish to the SB this year!
Come on; the playoff's would have been one thing but the SB??
Think about it;your a writer...you have to write somthing.
Just wondering if he ever played any sports of any kind to draw on for his writing...

 

[CaffeineMan]

Didn't Z predict the Fish to the SB this year!
Just wondering if he ever played any sports of any kind to draw on for his writing...

His bio is on his archive page:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/dr_z/archive/index.html

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

Didn't Z predict the Fish to the SB this year!
Come on; the playoff's would have been one thing but the SB??
Think about it;your a writer...you have to write somthing.
Just wondering if he ever played any sports of any kind to draw on for his writing...

Guess what? Z did play years of football at the amateur level. But so what? There have been plenty of fine writers who never walked on a field but to interview an athlete. Where do you, and half of the posters here, get the idea that a very widely recognized professional writer with decades of experience simply jots down anything he can to fill the space? Z has a great perspective (read:humble) on the roll of the journalist AND his limited ability to always possess the correct insight. So the guy picked Miami for the SB, did you accurately name the two SB teams? Have you ever noticed how hard that is do? Have you noticed how few repeat teams there are in the SB lately other than the Pats?

Exactly what qualifies you as a reader of the Patriot's mind? A few dozen posts on a website open to anyone with a computer? Z at least has better grammar skils than you do.

Lighten up and try to enjoy something other than your own reflection.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

From my vast experience, when I see a sports writer come out with crap like this at this time of the season, it means one thing to me. He's tired.

As in, out of fresh perspectives. Out of fresh ideas. Out of fresh league/team contacts. Out of original thought processes.

Out of luck.

It's a long season for these guys - on every team. You ordinarily can't have 16 regular season games, plus however may (possible) playoff games at the highest possible level week in and week out. That is just not possible.

The talent level shows around this time of the year, as those teams with more talent find ways to complete plays and win on a more consistent basis, in large part because of their talent. Coaching is, of course, important, and enters into the dynamic, but in the end analysis it's the players themselves who have to go out and play the game.

This team had just finished, the previous week, one of it's biggest games of the season against one of the very best teams in the league. Here, the following week, they face one of the league's true weak sisters, and the outcome is entirely predictable.

Apparently, Dr. Z's "vast experience" isn't quite as vast as he deems it.

 

[RayClay]

From my vast experience, when I see a sports writer come out with crap like this at this time of the season, it means one thing to me. He's tired.

As in, out of fresh perspectives. Out of fresh ideas. Out of fresh league/team contacts. Out of original thought processes.

Out of luck.

It's a long season for these guys - on every team. You ordinarily can't have 16 regular season games, plus however may (possible) playoff games at the highest possible level week in and week out. That is just not possible.

The talent level shows around this time of the year, as those teams with more talent find ways to complete plays and win on a more consistent basis, in large part because of their talent. Coaching is, of course, important, and enters into the dynamic, but in the end analysis it's the players themselves who have to go out and play the game.

This team had just finished, the previous week, one of it's biggest games of the season against one of the very best teams in the league. Here, the following week, they face one of the league's true weak sisters, and the outcome is entirely predictable.

Apparently, Dr. Z's "vast experience" isn't quite as vast as he deems it.

I agree with you. Last year we were thin. Injured, tired, beat up.

The guys that fumble are offensive and We have reserves that have hardly played at RB, WR and TE.

Flat, maybe. With 5 RBs 4 new young receivers and three healthy TEs being tired is not the right excuse.

A little research might have made him rethink his conclusion.

But he was probably too tired.

 

[brdmaverick]

Screw that old grouchy SOB. Isn't every team tired this time of the season? I think this was a predictable letdown game after a HUGE win against the Bears. Why do all the talking heads need to read more into it?

right, I'd rather be tired and winning games than to be tired and be the New York Giants

 

[njpatsfan]

The only "tired" thing here is "Dr. Z". Same old shtick. He's been mailing it in for years now. He's long been a poor prognosticator - now his articles aren't even entertaining any more.

Tired teams don't march down the field twice at the end of the half running the no huddle. Tired teams don't stop the run, give up on plays, hand tackle, and give up the long ball. None of which anyone with eyeballs and at least 5 grams of cerebral tissue can say the Patriots did on Sunday.

In contrast, I give credit to the Lions - Kitna and his Oline played a career game - at least until threading the needle stopped working for him in the 4th quarter.

R

 

[Fogbuster]

One more point: It's always a problem when a very good team plays a very bad team--a problem, that is, for the good team. Thus, we have "trap games." Usually, the Patriots find a way to push these into the win column, and if you look around the league, you'll find that many other good teams don't do as well--the Indianapolis-Tennessee game is a perfect example.

Trap game, indeed. You win a trench war against the number one rated team in the league, then you go up against a team rated down at the bottom -- who's not going to have a mental lapse ??!! One would need a ton and a half of mental self-discipline to avoid a letdown.

I think Brady's effort in the 4th quarter was pure gold. Put that in a bottle and give it to every member of the team. Hopefully, though, it won't have to come down to last-minute heroics. Not *every* game, at least.

 

[Fogbuster]

One more point: It's always a problem when a very good team plays a very bad team--a problem, that is, for the good team. Thus, we have "trap games." Usually, the Patriots find a way to push these into the win column, and if you look around the league, you'll find that many other good teams don't do as well--the Indianapolis-Tennessee game is a perfect example.

Trap game, indeed. You win a trench war against the number one rated team in the league, then you go up against a team rated down at the bottom -- who's not going to have a mental lapse ??!! One would need a ton and a half of mental self-discipline to avoid a letdown.

I think Brady's effort in the 4th quarter was pure gold. Put that in a bottle and give it to every member of the team. Hopefully, though, it won't have to come down to last-minute heroics. Not *every* game, at least.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Guess what? Z did play years of football at the amateur level. But so what? There have been plenty of fine writers who never walked on a field but to interview an athlete. Where do you, and half of the posters here, get the idea that a very widely recognized professional writer with decades of experience simply jots down anything he can to fill the space? Z has a great perspective (read:humble) on the roll of the journalist AND his limited ability to always possess the correct insight. So the guy picked Miami for the SB, did you accurately name the two SB teams? Have you ever noticed how hard that is do? Have you noticed how few repeat teams there are in the SB lately other than the Pats?

Exactly what qualifies you as a reader of the Patriot's mind? A few dozen posts on a website open to anyone with a computer? Z at least has better grammar skils than you do.

Lighten up and try to enjoy something other than your own reflection.

Well put. And guess what? He's probably forgotten he wrote this... it is an impression, and though it pisses us off, it's not like any of us were too gung-ho about having to beat Detroit in a come-from-behind fourth quarter victory. It does not inspire confidence.

The notion of "playing the game = expertise" is absurd, of course. Some players are smart and "students of the game," and also know the game from the inside out. Others have not got a clue about what their team mates do (or for that matter, the psychology of other players, although mindset is a slippery subject for any observer to analyze.)

But some observers of the game "get" what is happening on every play, and express it quite a bit better than their jock counterparts. To put it simply, would you rather talk about the game with Dr. Z or Michael Irvin?

Good post, BBB

PFnV

 

[minvardar]

After a great hard fought and emotional win over Chicago I knew this game could be trouble. I do believe they were tired and drained after that game. Hard to get emotionally ready for Detroit after that. The thing that everyone should be looking at is the 4th quarter. Patriots took it up a few notches and both Brady and the defense turned it on. Honestly, it wasn't a fun game to watch, but in the end it was a win.

What seemed really farfetched even 2 weeks ago could still happen, the team could possibly get a bye. They will have to win out obviously but it could happen. Even if they don't get the bye they should be able to rest key players against Tennessee.