- Joined
- Oct 16, 2007
- Messages
- 1,819
- Reaction score
- 2,007
Ye Gods! In the wake of two consecutive defeats, the mood here at PatsFans.com is grim indeed. Some of the hyperbolic and inflamed rhetoric leads me to suspect that we have been invaded by escapees from an insane asylum, kind of like the village in the movie King of Hearts (1966). So it is with some trepidation that I continue my (admittedly inconsistent) efforts to share thoughts in matters of importance (large and small) around the NFL in this week's This and That.
1. Okay, okay. I get it. Jeez. Sergio IS the Anti-Christ, more reprehensible than Whitey Bulger, Father Porter and John Lackey combined. And the Sporting Press and denizens of PatsFans.com have been unrelenting in heaping criticism (remarkable in both volume and intensity) on The Worst Pass Defense in the History of the Universe. But I couldn't help but notice four turnovers, inconsistent OL play, penalties and the generally feeble attempts at kick returns (5 punts for - gulp - 17 yards and five kick-offs for 95 yards) on Sunday. So NE played poorly in all three phases of the game and lost a close game to a very good team. No need to jump off the Tobin Bridge. There's lots of room for improvement everywhere. And that's the good news.
2. In the Buffalo game (four turnovers), the Patriots easily score 50 and win going away if they take better care of the ball. Despite the other problems, the Giants game is in all likelihood a solid win without the four turnovers (again). Yes, the difference between 5-3 and 7-1 comes down in large part to turnovers. (Yikes - 7-1? Could this even be possible? Without Brandon Merriweather?) Have we forgotten that this team went 14-2 last year because they took care of the ball better than anyone in NFL history?
3. Where is the real Tom Brady? Decision-making and accuracy are not up to his (ridiculously high) standards. Tom can play better, and he knows it.
4. A lot of you probably don't realize it, but Mark Sanchez is right - the jets do clinch the AFC East with a win against NE Sunday night. This week, Commissioner Blockhead sent a secret letter to all 32 teams reminding them that the jets do in fact win the division title with a victory this week. Not only would the team get championship hats, tee shirts, a parade and trips to Disneyland and the White House, they are also awarded a bye for each of the next eight weeks and the right to select their Super Bowl opponent from any of the other 31 teams (Ed. Note - this was done to allow the Colts to officially remain in Super Bowl contention.) The commissioner, sporting a new paisley dunce cap, noted that the additional bye weeks will provide sufficient time for 14 year old jet QB (Marky) Mark Sanchez to do his homework, go to vampire movies with teenage girls and pal around with Justin Bieber.
5. Speaking of the Colts, what's happening in Indianapolis is nothing short of disgraceful. It's true that in recent years, the team has disrespected the fans and the game by only competing when they felt like it. So I guess it should come as no surprise that they have decided to take the entire 2011 season off. Up in the owners box, Irsay Jr. pounds out incomprehensible gin-soaked tweets, while Vice Chairman (yes, that's his title) NaPolian I plots his revenge against vile members of The Sporting Press who dropped the dime on his dim-witted progeny, general manager NaPolian II and his wildly successful efforts to take a wrecking ball to the entire franchise. Sounds more like something from HBO Entertainment than a football team.
6. Credit where credit is due department - On the other hand, the sorry Dolphins fight like hell and compete every week. They should be respected for that.
7. It's fun to watch Bronco head coach John Fox squirm on the Tim Tebow Hot Seat. Here's a quick summary for those of you who may not have been paying attention:
The problem for Fox, who clearly has no use whatsoever for Tebow, is that Plan C worked better than anticipated. Oops. This presents the future ex-Bronco coach with an interesting dilemma - use Tebow as directed, maybe win a game or three, thereby hanging the Gator Albatross around his own neck for the foreseeable future. Or bury Tebow with the conventional NFL game plan and tank the season the way Fox did in Carolina last year. Good luck with that one, John.
8. Watch the AFC West fall into a quagmire of Mediocrity/Parity. Should all four teams finish 8-8, Commissioner Blockhead will invoke a little known rule declaring the jets the winners of the AFC West if they haven't otherwise qualified for the play-offs..
9. Amazing but little known fact: the Patriots have not cornered the market on poor DB play. No, it's true! Exhibit A is the Steelers' Keystone Cops attempt to defend Joe Flacco's game winning TD pass Sunday night. Exhibit B is pretty much everything the Dream Team did to resuscitate the season of Jay Cutler Monday night. This included old friend Asante Samuel giving up the game winning TD. Why can't we get players like that? The Eagles had the kind of off-season that Patriots fans dream about. So falling out of playoff contention must be a bitter pill to swallow for Eagle fans. And even worse, the price tag on the ineptitude in Philadelphia is astronomical.
10. Meanwhile, out in Green Bay, Charles Woodson talks of a undefeated season just days after defensive players commiserated over yet another spotty performance. This is a very good but not great team. Can they win without Rodgers putting up 30? (Sound familiar?) Anyway, the networks and sponsors have to be drooling at the prospect of a Packer-Patriots Super Bowl, pitting superb QBs against (shall we say) porous defenses. The final GB-NE score would have a decidedly NBA feel to it.
11. Sorry, but I can't handle any more commercials with Clay Matthews acting like a steriod-crazed drunken gorilla. Put Matthews on the all-time overhyped team along with Jerkemy Shockey and Kordell Stewart. And no, you can't go back in time and draft him so, for God's sake, please don't start.
12. Memo to those those criticizing BB for letting his ego and arrogance cloud his judgment: stop talking unless you actually want to sound like that insufferable pipsqueak Masserweenie. (Or worse yet, that crank Shaugnessy who's been stealing paychecks from the Globe for decades by recycling the same mindless drivel over and over and over again). It's a charicature invented by lazy sportswriters with an ax to grind. And with all due respect, it's dumb. People can and do simply make mistakes - it's not necessarily a character flaw. The idea that the hypercompetitive Belichick would put anything ahead of winnnig just doesn't fit.
13. I know some of you think the season (not to mention the entire Belichick/ Brady era) is over, but my guess is that the team will show up for the game Sunday night anyway. Just a hunch. I think I'll turn on the TV to see if they're playing just to be sure.
1. Okay, okay. I get it. Jeez. Sergio IS the Anti-Christ, more reprehensible than Whitey Bulger, Father Porter and John Lackey combined. And the Sporting Press and denizens of PatsFans.com have been unrelenting in heaping criticism (remarkable in both volume and intensity) on The Worst Pass Defense in the History of the Universe. But I couldn't help but notice four turnovers, inconsistent OL play, penalties and the generally feeble attempts at kick returns (5 punts for - gulp - 17 yards and five kick-offs for 95 yards) on Sunday. So NE played poorly in all three phases of the game and lost a close game to a very good team. No need to jump off the Tobin Bridge. There's lots of room for improvement everywhere. And that's the good news.
2. In the Buffalo game (four turnovers), the Patriots easily score 50 and win going away if they take better care of the ball. Despite the other problems, the Giants game is in all likelihood a solid win without the four turnovers (again). Yes, the difference between 5-3 and 7-1 comes down in large part to turnovers. (Yikes - 7-1? Could this even be possible? Without Brandon Merriweather?) Have we forgotten that this team went 14-2 last year because they took care of the ball better than anyone in NFL history?
3. Where is the real Tom Brady? Decision-making and accuracy are not up to his (ridiculously high) standards. Tom can play better, and he knows it.
4. A lot of you probably don't realize it, but Mark Sanchez is right - the jets do clinch the AFC East with a win against NE Sunday night. This week, Commissioner Blockhead sent a secret letter to all 32 teams reminding them that the jets do in fact win the division title with a victory this week. Not only would the team get championship hats, tee shirts, a parade and trips to Disneyland and the White House, they are also awarded a bye for each of the next eight weeks and the right to select their Super Bowl opponent from any of the other 31 teams (Ed. Note - this was done to allow the Colts to officially remain in Super Bowl contention.) The commissioner, sporting a new paisley dunce cap, noted that the additional bye weeks will provide sufficient time for 14 year old jet QB (Marky) Mark Sanchez to do his homework, go to vampire movies with teenage girls and pal around with Justin Bieber.
5. Speaking of the Colts, what's happening in Indianapolis is nothing short of disgraceful. It's true that in recent years, the team has disrespected the fans and the game by only competing when they felt like it. So I guess it should come as no surprise that they have decided to take the entire 2011 season off. Up in the owners box, Irsay Jr. pounds out incomprehensible gin-soaked tweets, while Vice Chairman (yes, that's his title) NaPolian I plots his revenge against vile members of The Sporting Press who dropped the dime on his dim-witted progeny, general manager NaPolian II and his wildly successful efforts to take a wrecking ball to the entire franchise. Sounds more like something from HBO Entertainment than a football team.
6. Credit where credit is due department - On the other hand, the sorry Dolphins fight like hell and compete every week. They should be respected for that.
7. It's fun to watch Bronco head coach John Fox squirm on the Tim Tebow Hot Seat. Here's a quick summary for those of you who may not have been paying attention:
Plan A - Pretend Tebow is not on the team by ignoring him in the hopes that he will give up and just go away.
Plan B - Begrudgingly play Tebow, but saddle him with a game plan designed to put a large and very bright spotlight on his shortcomings as an NFL QB.
Plan C - Tailor game plan to Tebow strengths and watch him have fun running all over the place and scoring touchdowns.
Plan B - Begrudgingly play Tebow, but saddle him with a game plan designed to put a large and very bright spotlight on his shortcomings as an NFL QB.
Plan C - Tailor game plan to Tebow strengths and watch him have fun running all over the place and scoring touchdowns.
The problem for Fox, who clearly has no use whatsoever for Tebow, is that Plan C worked better than anticipated. Oops. This presents the future ex-Bronco coach with an interesting dilemma - use Tebow as directed, maybe win a game or three, thereby hanging the Gator Albatross around his own neck for the foreseeable future. Or bury Tebow with the conventional NFL game plan and tank the season the way Fox did in Carolina last year. Good luck with that one, John.
8. Watch the AFC West fall into a quagmire of Mediocrity/Parity. Should all four teams finish 8-8, Commissioner Blockhead will invoke a little known rule declaring the jets the winners of the AFC West if they haven't otherwise qualified for the play-offs..
9. Amazing but little known fact: the Patriots have not cornered the market on poor DB play. No, it's true! Exhibit A is the Steelers' Keystone Cops attempt to defend Joe Flacco's game winning TD pass Sunday night. Exhibit B is pretty much everything the Dream Team did to resuscitate the season of Jay Cutler Monday night. This included old friend Asante Samuel giving up the game winning TD. Why can't we get players like that? The Eagles had the kind of off-season that Patriots fans dream about. So falling out of playoff contention must be a bitter pill to swallow for Eagle fans. And even worse, the price tag on the ineptitude in Philadelphia is astronomical.
10. Meanwhile, out in Green Bay, Charles Woodson talks of a undefeated season just days after defensive players commiserated over yet another spotty performance. This is a very good but not great team. Can they win without Rodgers putting up 30? (Sound familiar?) Anyway, the networks and sponsors have to be drooling at the prospect of a Packer-Patriots Super Bowl, pitting superb QBs against (shall we say) porous defenses. The final GB-NE score would have a decidedly NBA feel to it.
11. Sorry, but I can't handle any more commercials with Clay Matthews acting like a steriod-crazed drunken gorilla. Put Matthews on the all-time overhyped team along with Jerkemy Shockey and Kordell Stewart. And no, you can't go back in time and draft him so, for God's sake, please don't start.
12. Memo to those those criticizing BB for letting his ego and arrogance cloud his judgment: stop talking unless you actually want to sound like that insufferable pipsqueak Masserweenie. (Or worse yet, that crank Shaugnessy who's been stealing paychecks from the Globe for decades by recycling the same mindless drivel over and over and over again). It's a charicature invented by lazy sportswriters with an ax to grind. And with all due respect, it's dumb. People can and do simply make mistakes - it's not necessarily a character flaw. The idea that the hypercompetitive Belichick would put anything ahead of winnnig just doesn't fit.
13. I know some of you think the season (not to mention the entire Belichick/ Brady era) is over, but my guess is that the team will show up for the game Sunday night anyway. Just a hunch. I think I'll turn on the TV to see if they're playing just to be sure.
Last edited:
