Looking for dribbles in the water glass...
I know I am hardly the Chicken Little that others are. I can't and won't defend the Rams game effort, but I won't go out and slash my wrists either.
Belichick will pound on the Team and all good Coaches are wont to do that, and it is all to the good. They were getting too ****y after humilating the World Champs and the NFC opponent some have designated (Lindy's Season Preview), to dethrone them.
There was little to celebrate about the Rams game, but nonetheless I will look hard at the near empty glass to point some dribbles out.
1) Ron Brace is NOT the Disgrace and Disaster some posters have said. He turned in another great game, producing one of the two sacks that the Defensive line delivered. Longshot Daryl Richard got the other. Brace also had several tackles, and seemed like the ONLY big body not blown off the LOS consistently. Run Defense is good; Pass Rush is unexpected and better.
2) Terry Wheatly has continued his resurection with another fine effort, now that he is healthy. He is looking like the CB worthy of being drafted in the second round, as he was. Incidently the three players least likely to succeed from the 2008 and 2009 drafts all turned in good games. Brace and Richard from last year and Wheatly from the year before.
3) The OLB Pass Rush produced at least three pressures; and as I recall two were sacks too, before the three yellow flags were thrown for roughing the passer.
I offer that somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but the pass rush from the OLB positions DID GET to the passer. As Belichick says "...the plays were close, but if the refs say its a penalty, then its a penalty..." I assume technique can be improved to eliminate the flags, but the fact remains the OLB pass rush pressure was there.
4) Five (would be) sacks for the night is a fine body of work. Even better is that the missing sack production from the DL returned. Do you realize that last night the DL produced half the total number accumulated for the entire 2009 season?
