Felger tries to prove a point

[SVN]

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1046537

 

[godef]

It's odd that Felger feels he has to point out that the Pats lead the league in 4th quarter scoring, because in fact the Pats biggest scoring quarter has been the 2nd quarter, so the 4th quarter thing is as much incidental as anything else.

 

[SVN]

iam wondering why he doesnt ask these questions to the players and coaches.?He is there everyday as part of the media.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

This is a question posed in the article:

"What’s the difference between that fourth-down situation and the one last month against the Redskins, when the Pats went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Redskins’ 7-yard line in the fourth quarter, leading 45-0?"

The difference is that Gostkowski needed reps in real game situations. He struggle for a good part of last year.

 

[Rawky77]

It does not take a genius to figure out why the Pats lead the league in 4th qtr scoring.
1st by the 4th quarter most of the opposing defenses have been on the field for what, 40 plus mins and 6o plus snaps....their gas tanks are empty and their confidence is shot.
2nd most coaches play not to lose the game so if they have a lead in the 4th they try to sit on it rather then run what got them the lead in the first place..The Pats play to win the game and if possible intimidate future opponents a very different approach which continues even with 2nd stringers in the game....

 

[everlong]

Jets 28-14 then 10 in 4th.
Bolts 31-7 then 7 in 4th. Bolts also added 7.
Bills 31-7 then 7 in 4th.
Bengals 24-10 then 10 in 4th. Bengals also added 3.
Browns 20-3 then 14 in 4th. Browns also added 14.
Cowboys 31-24 then 17 in 4th. Dallas also added 3.
Fins 41-7 then 7 in 4th. Miami also added 21.
Skins 38-0 then 14 in 4th. Skins also added 7.
Indy 10-13 then 14 in 4th to come back from 20-10 down after Indy added 7.
Bills 42-10 then 14 in 4th but 7 on fumble recover for TD.

If you look at the context of the games and the points scored the only game you can really make a case for running it up is the Redskins.

Against the Jets, Bolts, Bengals, Browns, Cowboys and Indy the games were certainly not out of reach.

Against the Bills in both games we really only added a TD offensively with Hobbs added a defensive TD in the other.

Miami out scored us 21-7 in the 4th it's the one game where you can say they really let up.

And that leaves us with the Redskins. I believe Gibbs ran it up on BB his rookie year in Cleveland and I believe this was payback plain and simple. Other than this game the running it up is so over-rated.

Against the Jets in Dec there could be a run up of epic proportions however.

 

[onegameatatime]

Since they lead the leagure in scoring by about 90 going into yesterday's games, it should be no surprise they would lead in some individual quarter.

For an example, let's look at the last game. Pats scored an offensive TD 5 SECONDS into the fourth quarter, and then a defensive TD -- 14 points that had nothing to do with running up in garbage time.

Re his Pittsburgh story, the criticism of Pittsburgh was lengthening the game unncessarily. By going for it on fourth down and langthening drives, I suspect the Pats are shortening the game in terms of plays.

 

[ALP]

It's odd that Felger feels he has to point out that the Pats lead the league in 4th quarter scoring, because in fact the Pats biggest scoring quarter has been the 2nd quarter, so the 4th quarter thing is as much incidental as anything else.

wut an idiot, haha, and i havent even read the article...

but i would bet right now, that the pats also lead the league in scoring in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters....

 

[DarrylS]

Maybe it is a function of conditioning and preparation... see "60 Minute Men"...

 

[bradmahn]

This is a question posed in the article:

"What’s the difference between that fourth-down situation and the one last month against the Redskins, when the Pats went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Redskins’ 7-yard line in the fourth quarter, leading 45-0?"

The difference is that Gostkowski needed reps in real game situations. He struggle for a good part of last year.

That's one reason that popped into my head, but not the only one.

See, here's the problem with trying to take what this team is doing now and compare it to what it (or anyone else) has done in the past: this season is unprecedented. In the entire history of the NFL.

Beyond that, pointing to leads of 27 and leads of 30 last year with a struggling offense is not legitimate evidence to support some sort of philosophical change in Belichick. What's the largest deficit overcome to win a game?

By scoring thirty you are making it a four score game, five for the opponent to take the lead (which they could do with four TDs and a figgie). With a lead of 33 you make it five touchdowns for the opposition to take the lead. When you already have a seven score lead (i.e., the Redskins game at 45-0) adding a field goal does nothing but "pile on" an already seemingly insurmountable lead.

Besides both games ending with a 30 point win, these games are entirely different, as are the situations that Felger is attempting to compare.

 

[spacecrime]

By scoring thirty you are making it a four score game, five for the opponent to take the lead

No, I think if someone were trying to get back from a 30-point deficit, they would be going for 2-point conversions. Therefore it is possible that four TDs will be enough, not five.

 

[bradmahn]

No, I think if someone were trying to get back from a 30-point deficit, they would be going for 2-point conversions. Therefore it is possible that four TDs will be enough, not five.

You are assuming every two point conversion would be successful, I doubt most head coaches would do the same. It's possible, but I don't think coaches would forsake the extra point down by that much.

 

[belichickaholic]

Yeah, he's got eyes.... unfortunately he's got a mouth too.

 

[Water Boy]

I think Felger makes a good point. The Patriots have not always operated this way. In the Past they have gone for field goals instead of TDs on fourth down in blow-out games.

 

[RayClay]

It's odd that Felger feels he has to point out that the Pats lead the league in 4th quarter scoring, because in fact the Pats biggest scoring quarter has been the 2nd quarter, so the 4th quarter thing is as much incidental as anything else.

I've been told Felcher doesn't lie or make up things.

If we lead more in other quarters, he chooses to leave that out and implies we score more in the fourth, isn't that really a lie?

 

[everlong]

I've been told Felcher doesn't lie or make up things.

If we lead more in other quarters, he chooses to leave that out and implies we score more in the fourth, isn't that really a lie?

He's not lying he's trying to drum up controversy same as the Maroney diapers. While neither is a lie he wants to sell papers and up ratings. He hasn't realized that he would have a bigger audience by just telling it down the middle, but he's still not an out right liar with an agenda like Borges.

The reason why I still don't hate Felger as others do is because when Borges was on his show he called him out for saying

AD was the best FA one day then when the Pats signed him he suddenly wasn't.

He asked Borges why he hated BB and Borges said because he couldn't answer simple questions honestly. Felger said it was Borges and the Globe arrogance feeling they were bigger than the story and Borges went OFF. Felger hit a nerve and wouldn't let Borges off the hook.

Borges said BB was a product of the players. Felger said well Pioli and BB picked the players so you have to at least give them credit for that then. To which Borges said no and tried to play the existing players card of Law, Bruschi, etc. To which Felger called him out and said Seymour, Wilfork, Warren, Brady, Mankins...to which Ronnie the fraud still wouldn't back off and give any credit.

I'm not saying I always agree with him. He had on Bettis and Easterbrook and gave them both free passes IMO.

He just wants to play the contrarian too often but he's still not a Borges or Shank.

 

[patsox23]

Felger also seems to be saying that going for it on 4th and 1 is exactly the same as going for it on 4th and 7 and 4th and 3, which I disagree with, but whatever.

 

[onegameatatime]

If you look at the context of the games and the points scored the only game you can really make a case for running it up is the Redskins.

I've been saying this awhile to colleagues that the Redskins game, and in particular the 35 yard pass to Moss, is about the only case where I think there might have been running up. Even then, we do not know what the D looked like -- if they were packing everything in the box expecting the Pats to just run into a clogged line, maybe they were opening it up.

What seems to be getting lost is that the Pats are just so freakin' good, they can go drive after drive and score TDs, and other teams cannot.