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Today in Patriots History
November 7, 2010:
Peyton Hillis runs for 184 yards, 2 TD
Eric Mangini outcoaches Bill Belichick
Browns shock Patriots, 34-14
November 7, 2010:
Peyton Hillis runs for 184 yards, 2 TD
Eric Mangini outcoaches Bill Belichick
Browns shock Patriots, 34-14
THE PEYTON HILLIS GAME
Exhibit One of why one should never assume any game on an NFL schedule is an automatic win.
Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 1:02
Week 9, Game 8 at Cleveland Browns Stadium
Cleveland Browns 34, New England Patriots 14
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Eric Mangini
QBs: Tom Brady, Colt McCoy
Odds: New England 4-point road favorite
TV: CBS. Bill Macatee, Rich Gannon
Sunny, cold, 43º, wind 13 mph, humidity 43%, wind chill 36º
Referee: Clete Blakeman; Paid Attendance: 66,292; Time: 2:51
Patriots drop to 6-2, Browns improve to 3-5
This game started badly, and never got better. Cleveland ran the opening kickoff back to the 37, then gained 39 yards on their first two plays from scrimmage: a 21-yard pass by rookie Colt McCoy (who began the season third on the depth chart), and an 18-yard run by Peyton Hillis, who in his pevious two seasons had rushed for a total of 397 yards.
The Patriots held the Browns to a field goal, but Sammy Morris muffed the ensuing kickoff. Two plays later Hillis punched it into the end zone, and Cleveland led 10-0 before Tom Brady and the offense had taken a single snap.
Hillis finished with 184 yards rushing and two touchdowns (including an exclamation point 35-yard TD in the fourth quarter), plus 36 yards on three receptions. McCoy rarely missed his targets, going 14-19 while also scoring on a 16-yard run that put Cleveland up 24-7 in the third quarter. New England turned the ball over three times, and converted only three of their 11 third downs. The Pats only points came on two short passes from Brady to Aaron Hernandez.
Prior to the game, CB Terrance Wheatley was released, LG Logan Mankins was activated after ending his summer-long holdout, and LB Tyron McKenzie asked for his release, so he could return to Tampaa to care for his mother.
Patriots to Release Wheatley, Activate Mankins
Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe reported on Saturday that the Patriots are going to release defensive back Terrance Wheatley in order to make room for Logan Mankins on the active roster.
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Patriots LB McKenzie Asks For Release
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reported on Saturday that linebacker Tyrone McKenzie has asked for his release.
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Pre-Game Thoughts: Don't Sleep on the Browns
Sundays match-up between the Patriots & the Browns may not be a headliner around the NFL during the weekend but, don’t sleep on the Browns. While the Browns do not have the most talented roster, they are very aggressive and it is easy to get lulled in to a false sense of security. However, I do...
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In Cleveland’s last seven wins, they threw for an average of just 91.4 yards. So how do they win? By forcing turnovers, playing good defense, and running the ball. Peyton Hillis has played exceptional this year, and with Mike Bell as well as James Davis in the mix, they have the talent to pound the rock. Taking away the running game and forcing the Browns to throw, would be a big advantage for the Patriots.
Patriots Inactives / PreGame Notes
The Patriots inactives, along with a large amount of notes from this morning's Twitter Reports which include some things you may not have known.
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The Patriots released today's inactives, and as expected Patrick Chung is obvioulsy out, as are Fred Taylor, and Jarrad Page - who have both missed the last several games.
The other inactives are OL Rich Ohrnberger, OL Mark LeVoir, WR Taylor Price, OL Ryan Wendell and NT Kyle Love. Wendell had been the backup behind Dan Connolly and had seen some action periodically, but with Logan Mankins back he's been bumped down the depth chart.
It's interesting to note that wide receiver Deion Branch is active for this week. Branch has been battling a hamstring injury this week and some had thought that he may not be able to go, but it appears he'll be part of today's game.
A Complete Patriot Brown-Out In Cleveland
As for Belichick, he once again leaves Cleveland with his tail between his legs.
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Nothing at all worked for the Patriots. From the very beginning and a botched kickoff return to a game-sealing 35-yard touchdown run by a bowling ball running back when the defense needed a three-and-out, the Patriots were beaten in every way possible by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns shamed the Patriots, 34-14, and saying shamed is putting it lightly. Mangini got perhaps his most satisfying win as an NFL head coach, but the bottom line is that the Browns played like the up and coming team they are right now, while the Patriots got caught in the proverbial trap game syndrome and played completely inept and flat all game long.
The Patriots now have a new Peyton to worry about, though thank goodness for the Patriots they don't see the Browns very often. Peyton Hillis, the third year fire hydrant running back out of Arkansas, is sending a message to the rest of the league that he is going to be one of the premier backs in the league. His first carry was an 18-yard dandy on the second play of the game, where he burst through a hole in the middle and did a nice hurdle over James Sanders for some extra yards. Hillis finished with 184 yards rushing and 220 yards from scrimmage, and dominated the Patriots a lot like Ray Rice of Baltimore did in the January playoff loss. Hillis is listed at six-foot-two and 250 pounds, and demonstrated how hard he was to bring down all game long.
Colt McCoy, the rookie quarterback from Texas who had to wait until the third round to be drafted, played well in his third consecutive start since taking over for injured veterans Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. McCoy, who replaced Vince Young at Texas and forged his own great career in Austin, hit on 14 of 19 passes for 174 yards and scored himself on a nice 15-yard scramble. He showed a great deal of confidence all game long, and showed a great deal of pocket presence.
But perhaps the real story of the game is what the Patriots didn't do on offense. Tom Brady was uncharacteristically awful all game long, showing a lack of intensity and inaccuracy you normally don't see. It permeated itself to the rest of the team, as Brady had misfire after misfire. The Browns defense did play well for most of the game, but Brady at times misfired on passes he normally completes in his sleep.
His receivers didn't help much either. Rob Gronkowski had the worst game of his young career, with three drops. Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker also suffered inopportune drops. It really wasn't about what the Browns were and weren't doing, though it was clear that the Browns wanted to win the game a lot more than the Patriots did.
In the End, The Browns Wanted This One More
Sunday's loss to the Browns may end up being a
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The Browns went at them from the first snap and kept up that intensity for the entire contest, leaving most Patriots fans shocked and filled with lingering doubts while wondering what kind of football team we're going to see heading into the second half of this season.
Most fans wouldn’t exactly call Cleveland, “the better team”, but they played like they certainly didn’t plan on just rolling over and letting Brady have his way with them. Having had two weeks to prepare, head coach Eric Mangini told the media after the game that the plan was to not give Brady much to make his pre-snap reads from, and to try and confuse him as much as possible.
It worked. Brady seemed off balance for much of the game and the Patriots couldn’t get much going and had trouble trying to sustain the majority of the their drives. They finished a dismal 3-of-11 on third down, and Brady said after the game that there’s no specific area they can target to work on, other than just trying to execute better.
Meanwhile on the other side of the ball, we saw Browns rookie QB Colt McCoy play with the same fire and intensity that fans here in New England saw from Brady back in 2001. His touchdown run late in the third quarter that put the Browns up 24-7 saw the rookie fire up his team with his sheer determination, and it gave Cleveland the spark they needed to close this one out.
McCoy was very Brady-esque – and he sends New England home at 6-2 and searching for an identity as the Patriots now face the daunting task of facing Pittsburgh next weekend. While it’s just one loss, they went from being the best team in the NFL to wondering just how good they really are. Losses like this generally tend to be a problem because other teams will likely use this game as a blueprint of how to cause problems for Belichick’s team for the rest of the year.
Browns Serve a Slice of Humble Pie
Despite the final score on Sunday, New England was still the better team. The loss doesn't change that.
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It's understandable for Patriots fans to start worrying after the Patriots just got trounced by the Browns, 34-14. However, despite the final score, New England was still the better team. The loss doesn't change that.
Coming into the game they held the league's best record and had knocked off some of the toughest competition in the NFL - the Ravens, Vikings, Chargers, Dolphins. Getting upset by the Browns doesn't change their standing as one of the top teams in the NFL. If anything, it brings the team back down to earth and sharpens their focus. It's never good to lose a game, but a lot of good can come from this loss.
The Patriots aren't the only team that's been upset by the Browns. Something mentioned all week leading up to the game was how the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints were absolutely dominated by them two weeks ago, 30-17. Drew Brees threw 4 interceptions in that game as the Saints looked nothing like the squad that brought home the Lombardi trophy last year.
Similarly, the Patriots looked nothing like themselves in this game. The Pats have been getting their wins by being the more disciplined football team and eliminating mistakes. Yet with two fumbles in the game - including one that came about on a miscommunication on a kick return - New England looked sloppy.
Belichick's Post Game Comments
It was quite an uncomfortable press conference for Bill Belichick after the game, and as expected there wasn't much said by the coach. Here's a look at what he had to say to the media after this one.
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On Kicker Stephen Gostkowksi
“His leg tightened up during the game, obviously he wasn’t able to finish and kick, so we’ll have to see. But he wasn’t able to finish the game.”
Three days later the Patriots placed Gostkowski on IR, and signed K Shayne Graham.
What We Learned From The Patriots Loss Against The Browns
The Patriots suffered a tough loss to the Browns in Cleveland 34-14 on Sunday. New England was beaten in every phase of the game, and I don't think there are many positives to take away from this game if you are a Patriots fan.
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The Browns defense also did a nice job against the Patriots offense and they certainly made plays when they needed to. They forced a Rob Gronkowski fumble near the endzone at the very end of the first half, and that play completely changed the momentum. But, the real story was the play of this unit in passing situations. Tom Brady had a very hard time finding open receivers. One thing Mangini mentioned after the game is that defensively they did their best to show Brady as little as possible before the snap, making it tough for him to make his pre-snap reads. It worked out well, and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan deserves a lot of credit in making Brady's day rough by his standards.
For the Patriots I have a hard time mentioning anything positive. On defense, Hillis was able to run in between the tackles at will. It looked like the defenders were there to make the tackle, but Hillis seemed to always find a way to get more yardage. In the passing game, The Patriots made McCoy look like Brady. McCoy seemed to always be able to find the open receiver, and when they did catch it, the Browns receivers actually held on to the ball.
This loss was as bad of a defeat that I have seen since last year against the Saints. The Patriots were hardly competitive in the second half.
The Patriots would respond with a decisive 39-26 victory over the Steelers at Heinz Field on Sunday night a week later, and finish the regular seaon with eight consecutive wins and a 14-2 record. Then they would unfortunately lay another egg at the worst possible time, in a 28-21 loss in the divisional round to the Jets.
Pre-Game Press Release
Pats-Browns Rosters & Depth Charts
Patriots-Browns Injury Reports
Patriots Dept Post-Game Notes
Box Score; First Half and Full Game Summaries; Team & Individual Stats; Drive Charts, and Full Play-by-Play:
New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns - November 7th, 2010 | Pro-Football-Reference.com
New England Patriots 14 at Cleveland Browns 34 on November 7th, 2010 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
November 7, 2010 - New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns Box Score and Game Statistics
The most complete, accurate and reliable reference source for November 7, 2010 - New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns boxscore and game statistics.
profootballarchives.com
Patriots Starting Offense:
19 WR Brandon Tate
82 TE Alge Crumpler
72 LT Matt Light
70 LG Logan Mankins
67 C Dan Koppen
61 RG Stephen Neal
76 RT Sebastian Vollmer
87 TE Rob Gronkowski
83 WR Wes Welker
12 QB Tom Brady
42 RB Benjarvus Green-Ellis
Patriots Starting Defense:
75 LDE Vince Wilfork
91 NT Myron Pryor
99 RDE Mike Wright
50 LOLB Rob Ninkovich
51 LILB Jerod Mayo
55 RILB Brandon Spikes
96 ROLB Jermaine Cunningham
32 LCB Devin McCourty
31 SS Brandon Meriweather
36 FS James Sanders
27 RCB Kyle Arrington
Patriots Special Teams:
3 K Stephen Gostkowski
14 P Zoltán Meskó
47 LS Jake Ingram
19 KR Brandon Tate
34 PR Sammy Morris
83 PR Wes Welker
