Garbanza
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2004
- Messages
- 2,199
- Reaction score
- 1
Although I wanted the Pats to face the Jaguars instead of the Steelers, this upcoming game is no slam dunk. Some recent events have me scared.
1) KARMA - Lets not fool ouselves into thinking that the Pats REALLY wanted to win the game yesterday. If that were so - the starters would not have been pulled by the start of the second quarter, Cassel would not have been the number two QB, Flutie would never have dropped kick in lieu of "automatic Adam" and Branch would not have come in for one play in the fourth in order to get his 1,000 yards (he did - but was negated by a penalty - he remains at 997). Now, this sort of thing could bite the Pats in the arse. The whole "be careful of what you ask for." Are you telling me that the Jags will not find yesterdays performance a sign of disrespect? It was. Absolutely, it was. Jags will be pissed off. DelRio will use this "disrespect" as motivation. No one knows this tactic better than the Pats and its fans. Add to that, that the Jags (a 12 win team) are 7.5 dogs and well, there you have it. All the motivation a team needs.
2) JAGUARS QB - Who is the Jags QB? The rusty, but veteran starter Byron, or the mobile Gerard? Do you go with the hot hand or will DelRio be loyal? Pats must game plan for two different QB's. A heavy load indeed.
3) THE BRUSCHI FACTOR - This is especially true if Gerard starts. Defensive run lane dicipline is paramount. Bruschi - the defensive capatin and signal caller - is the epitome of dicipline and leadership. If he starts and plays, the run can be stopped. However, if he can't go....the Pats play Beisel. Beisel who has all the dicipline of a toddler at Toy-R-Us. Beisel who over-pursues and ends up out of position all the time. Vrabel is terrific, but he's not Bruschi. Bruschi is the leader of that defense. No Bruschi could be a scarey proposition.
1) KARMA - Lets not fool ouselves into thinking that the Pats REALLY wanted to win the game yesterday. If that were so - the starters would not have been pulled by the start of the second quarter, Cassel would not have been the number two QB, Flutie would never have dropped kick in lieu of "automatic Adam" and Branch would not have come in for one play in the fourth in order to get his 1,000 yards (he did - but was negated by a penalty - he remains at 997). Now, this sort of thing could bite the Pats in the arse. The whole "be careful of what you ask for." Are you telling me that the Jags will not find yesterdays performance a sign of disrespect? It was. Absolutely, it was. Jags will be pissed off. DelRio will use this "disrespect" as motivation. No one knows this tactic better than the Pats and its fans. Add to that, that the Jags (a 12 win team) are 7.5 dogs and well, there you have it. All the motivation a team needs.
2) JAGUARS QB - Who is the Jags QB? The rusty, but veteran starter Byron, or the mobile Gerard? Do you go with the hot hand or will DelRio be loyal? Pats must game plan for two different QB's. A heavy load indeed.
3) THE BRUSCHI FACTOR - This is especially true if Gerard starts. Defensive run lane dicipline is paramount. Bruschi - the defensive capatin and signal caller - is the epitome of dicipline and leadership. If he starts and plays, the run can be stopped. However, if he can't go....the Pats play Beisel. Beisel who has all the dicipline of a toddler at Toy-R-Us. Beisel who over-pursues and ends up out of position all the time. Vrabel is terrific, but he's not Bruschi. Bruschi is the leader of that defense. No Bruschi could be a scarey proposition.
