Patriots Schedule Gives Nightmares of 0-8
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Posted Under: 2000 Patriots Season
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There is no truth to the rumour that Bill Parcells concocted this year’s schedule and put all the tough Patriot games right at the start.
But it’s something to think about. Wouldn’t that be typical Tuna? Screw over his old buddy in his new job? Make it impossible for Bill Belichick to get off to any kind of a good start thanks to a ridiculous first eight games?
The schedules of all NFL teams were released earlier this week. Immediately, Joe Patriot Fan took one look at the first eight weeks and headed for his nearst watering hole. At the same time, Joe Belichick Hater did much the same thing, but for reasons opposite to the first Joe. Chances are the two men aren’t sitting at the same bar.
It’s the first half that has everyone in Patriot Nation buzzing with consternation. Home games against Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Indianapolis and the Jets. Road games against the Jets, Indianapolis, Miami and Denver. All these games are losable. What no one has delved into yet is how winnable they are.
So, being this the negative city that Rick Pitino says it is, everyone assumes that the Patriots will head into the bye week (at the exact halfway point for the second straight year) on the schnide. The Patriots have taken their already pathetic offense and torn it down. The defense will sparkle in 2000, but that’s to be expected when Belichick is the head man.
The draft is next Saturday. So, given the chance that yours truly might change his mind in a week or so, if nothing changes drastically over the next 14 days, here is a possible synopsis on how the Patriots will fare this season. This is based upon two things: Belichick improving the defense so much that the opponents average under 20 points per game, and nobody of supreme impact comes to the fore on offense any more than they should have last year. In other words, the offense won’t be any better, but they won’t be markedly worse.
That preseason game last year? Throw it out. It was preseason. Tampa Bay is a team that has no quarterback who can take them to the Super Bowl. Mel Kiper scolded Indianapolis a few years back for not taking Trent Dilfer in the first round; now, Dilfer is gone and Shawn King is the man behind center. He’s exciting, but he’s not a Super Bowl quarterback. Pats win, 6-3.
This game, in ABC’s mindset, will make up for all the lousy games they had last year. Belichick comes back to the Meadowlands to face off against Al Groh. Pats hold Jets to two field goals. But it’s Monday night. Drew Bledsoe throws three picks, Adam Vinatieri shanks game-tying FG at the gun. Jets win, 6-3.
You figure out the Viking brain trust. Randall Cunningham gets them 15 wins in 1998. Then they dump him for Jeff George. Now they dump George for Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper may indeed come out “un-daunted”. But will he be able to hit Randy Moss and gang? Belichick finds the answer and shuts Culpepper down. Pats win, 12-6.
Miami heat. And this ain’t hoop or hip. It’s “dang it, why can’t we come here in December?” It’s interesting that the Patriots usually found an answer for Dan Marino, but Damon Huard is a total mystery. Tight game, but Fish prevail in heat, 17-3.
Look for the Broncos to be realigned into the AFC East next year. This is the sixth straight year these two teams have met in the regular season. Terrell Davis will be back, and the ghosts of 1968 aren’t ready to be exorcised yet. Broncos win, 24-6.
The Colts will have memories of last year’s game fresh in their memories. But since the game is at Foxborough, the defense will rise up and score the first touchdown of the year for the team. The offense will still be stuffed in a hail of 2-3 yard runs and six quarterback sacks per game, but the defensive TD proves decisive. Pats win, 13-10.
This is the one schedule break the poor Pats get. Having the Jets done with on October 15 will help the stretch drive greatly. At home, the Pats turn the tables and Belichick shuts the Jets down completely. Pats win (oh, heck, let’s say Bledsoe finally gets his first TD pass of the season, probably to Mike Bartrum or Rod Rutledge), 16-0.
The Colts are torqued off. Peyton Manning unleashes a fury on the Pats. He breaks Bledsoe’s record for attempts in a game with 76 passes, and completes 28 of them. Four of them are long touchdown bombs to Marvin Harrison with Ty Law playing zone coverage. Colts win, 34-14 (both touchdowns in fourth quarter against scrubs).
The Patriots are now 4-4 after the “brutal” first half. No 0-8 like some folks think. All this with great defense and zilch for offense. Feel better now? Of the first eight Patriot opponents, only Indianapolis and perhaps Minnesota provide a potentially lethal offense. But Belichick defenses Indy very well and the Vikings’ quarterback situation has that team unsettled.
This game again goes down to the final minute. Pats have the ball late in the fourth quarter, tied at 10. Now it’s down to six seconds, and Vinatieri has a 33-yarder to win it for the Pats. This time he nails the sucker and the Fox goes nuts. Pats win, 13-10.
The Patriot offense finally breaks out. Disgusted that they only scored 19 points against this sorry bunch last year, the offensive line decides that today is the day they will actually hit someone. Cleveland manages only a field goal and wishes they had taken Peter Warrick. Pats win, 44-3.
Uggggg-leeeee. This is to 2000 what the Philadelphia game was to be to 1999. This game won’t get Belichick fired. The Bengals are bad. Horrible. They won’t have Corey Dillon. They won’t have anyone you’ll know. Read up on them before you watch the carnage. Pats win, 63-7.
Just four days later, we head for the Silverdome. The pregame show might feature how Derrick Fletcher or Ed Ellis cook their turkeys (remember Chris Spielman and his deep fat fry method?). In the game, the Patriots are thankful that there is no Barry Sanders to make them look like turkeys. For the first time since a last-second loss at Dallas in 1984, the Pats play on Thanksgiving, and the turkeys are the Lions, still minus Sanders. Pats win, 16-10.
The Chiefs have a revenge factor. Last time they came up to New England, the Patriots beat them into an early submission. But the Patriots have a more recent revenge factor: a doink shot that ruined the perfect start last year. Still, it’s Monday night, so it’s close. Pats win, 17-14.
Which Bear team will show up? The great defensive team of 1985? The good defensive team of 1994? Or the sad sacks of 1997? At Chicago, in December, the Patriots need to bring plenty of blankies and heaters. A tight defensive battle could go either way. Pats eke it out, 19-17.
It could be that the Patriots, now sitting at 10-4 and riding a six-game winning streak, will be locked in a playoff battle with someone in the division, maybe Indianapolis or today’s opponent. If the Pats need a win to clinch a playoff berth/division title, this game’s a loss. It’s a big loss if Buffalo is the team they’re chasing. Sorry, folks, but that’s just the way things are. Bills win, 34-10.
The Bills or Colts just clinched the division at 12-4. The best the Pats can do is 11-5 with a win today at home against the Frozen Fish. The weather cooperates, Mark Henderson tosses the coin, and the Pats win anyway without the aid of the snowplow. Pats win, 21-3.
So, there you have it. 11-5. Perfectly doable. Perfectly impossible as well.
The first half could indeed go 0-8. Injuries would probably be the biggest factor, but the Patriot opponents might play better than the improved Patriot defense is projected to handle them.
Tampa Bay did ring up 45 last year in preseason. If the Patriots can contain Mike Alstott, they’ve got a great chance. Culpepper is at best unproven, but could torch the Patriot secondary with Moss and Cris Carter. Any win against the Jets or Colts is far from a given.
A sure sign of trouble is how the Patriots do in their jaunt through Ohio. Both games should be easy wins, and the Patriots need to win both easily. Cleveland has the top pick in the draft and is expected to take either LaVar Arrington or Courtney Brown, and not Warrick. Without the breakaway receiver many think Tim Couch badly needs, the Browns’ opponents may only need to key on their offense vs. defense matchups instead of vice versa.
It is also a credit to the Patriots and their new head coach that a last place team gets two Monday night appearances. The first Jet game is a no-brainer, but the Chief game will perhaps go a long way in determining the playoff worthiness of either team. It could turn out to be one of the most intense and critical non-Jet games of the year.
11-5. As of right now, that’s how we see it. Let the draft begin.
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