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- Nov 14, 2006
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Here we go:
1.) I never got the Blount hate on this board during the early part of the season. He was a decent kick returner (almost always got past the 20 yard mark whenever he took it out of the end zone) and a good role player. But I would never had expected a type of performance out of him that we got yesterday. He was the Gronk of RBs yesterday dragging three and four defenders with him as he picked up 2, 3, or even 4-6 yards after initial contact even if he is gang tackled (or non-tackled).
2.) I know there seems to be a group that thinks Dobson is a bust already (which is weird considering he had the best rookie year for a WR in the Brady era), but the Pats desperately need him back on the field. Once he went out, the Bills were able to T on Edelman and limited the Pats to a lot of screens and short passes and not much else. Dobson is a legitimate outside/deep threat that teams have to account for. He isn't an elite WR or even a great one, but good enough that he stops a lot of the defensive packages where they flood the center of the field.
3.) You gotta love the moxie of this team. Most teams would have folded after losing guys like Wilfork, Mayo, Kelly, and Vollmer. This team rose to the occasion. One guy goes down, the next guy steps up. He might not be close to the guy he replaced, but he steps up enough that he doesn't become a huge liability.
4.) As amazing as 12-4 is with all the injuries, this team is a few bad calls and plays and a torrential rainstorm away from being potentially as good as 14-2 or 15-1 or 16-0 (yeah, I know they wouldn't go 16-0, but just stating a point). Their biggest margin of loss this year was 7 points and they were in a position in every game to win or tie the game within the final minute of the game. I know you can flip it and say several other games could easily been losses if not for a bad call or play against the other team.
5.) I have a hard time really judging yesterday's game. The rain really made it a slop fest. It shows that the Pats are probably the only team in the playoffs that can win in multiple ways and it gives me great confidence that the Pats can win even without relying on Brady, but otherwise I think it is tough to take too much out of that game. Don't really have a concern about the fumbling unless we get major rain storms in January which is unlikely.
6.) There isn't a team I fear in the AFC right now. The Chargers backed into the playoffs winning a game which the league admits was on a missed field goal that should have drawn a penalty against the Chargers and allowed the Chiefs to re-kick. The Bengals would have lost yesterday to a team with even an average offense since Dalton was in playoff form turning over the ball. I don't fear Indy in Foxboro in January (maybe in Indy). Denver is still a flawed team and they are relying far too much on Peyton and we all know that is a recipe for disaster in the playoffs.
7.) Overall, I have hated the NFL this year. I feel more than any year, the refs have gotten too involved in outcomes of games in a really bad way (and I am not just talking the Patriots' games). Major injuries hit too many star players (and not just the Patriots). As much as I have been impressed and enjoyed with the Patriots and their abilities to overcome adversity, the overall game of football took a big hit in my eyes. Hopefully, the playoffs will redeem the season.
1.) I never got the Blount hate on this board during the early part of the season. He was a decent kick returner (almost always got past the 20 yard mark whenever he took it out of the end zone) and a good role player. But I would never had expected a type of performance out of him that we got yesterday. He was the Gronk of RBs yesterday dragging three and four defenders with him as he picked up 2, 3, or even 4-6 yards after initial contact even if he is gang tackled (or non-tackled).
2.) I know there seems to be a group that thinks Dobson is a bust already (which is weird considering he had the best rookie year for a WR in the Brady era), but the Pats desperately need him back on the field. Once he went out, the Bills were able to T on Edelman and limited the Pats to a lot of screens and short passes and not much else. Dobson is a legitimate outside/deep threat that teams have to account for. He isn't an elite WR or even a great one, but good enough that he stops a lot of the defensive packages where they flood the center of the field.
3.) You gotta love the moxie of this team. Most teams would have folded after losing guys like Wilfork, Mayo, Kelly, and Vollmer. This team rose to the occasion. One guy goes down, the next guy steps up. He might not be close to the guy he replaced, but he steps up enough that he doesn't become a huge liability.
4.) As amazing as 12-4 is with all the injuries, this team is a few bad calls and plays and a torrential rainstorm away from being potentially as good as 14-2 or 15-1 or 16-0 (yeah, I know they wouldn't go 16-0, but just stating a point). Their biggest margin of loss this year was 7 points and they were in a position in every game to win or tie the game within the final minute of the game. I know you can flip it and say several other games could easily been losses if not for a bad call or play against the other team.
5.) I have a hard time really judging yesterday's game. The rain really made it a slop fest. It shows that the Pats are probably the only team in the playoffs that can win in multiple ways and it gives me great confidence that the Pats can win even without relying on Brady, but otherwise I think it is tough to take too much out of that game. Don't really have a concern about the fumbling unless we get major rain storms in January which is unlikely.
6.) There isn't a team I fear in the AFC right now. The Chargers backed into the playoffs winning a game which the league admits was on a missed field goal that should have drawn a penalty against the Chargers and allowed the Chiefs to re-kick. The Bengals would have lost yesterday to a team with even an average offense since Dalton was in playoff form turning over the ball. I don't fear Indy in Foxboro in January (maybe in Indy). Denver is still a flawed team and they are relying far too much on Peyton and we all know that is a recipe for disaster in the playoffs.
7.) Overall, I have hated the NFL this year. I feel more than any year, the refs have gotten too involved in outcomes of games in a really bad way (and I am not just talking the Patriots' games). Major injuries hit too many star players (and not just the Patriots). As much as I have been impressed and enjoyed with the Patriots and their abilities to overcome adversity, the overall game of football took a big hit in my eyes. Hopefully, the playoffs will redeem the season.
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