It was a terrific game plan amassed by Belichick and his staff on Sunday. Try to win. Try to win, just with Brady, Dillon, Seymour and any other starter on the bench. I guess that the Dolphin game proved that the Pats really do have quality depth, as the 2nd and 3rd stringers nearly defeated the Dophin regulars.
Once he settled in, Matt Cassel had a solid game against a pretty good defense. He will be a starter in this league, just not here. I am convinced though, that Cassel was under direct order to throw the ball away on the final 2 point conversion. The last thing anyone wanted on Sunday was OT. Actually, I was hoping that they'd just go ahead and kick an extra point to make it 28-27.
Speaking of extra points, I sincerely hope Belichick spoke with Saban about the Flutie thing before the game. What an insulting play that was. Here Saban is, trying to win, trying to prove to his team that they CAN win in NE, and Flutie's drop kicking extra points. That's not strategy, it's a gimick and you will never see it again. So with a great loss, the Pats are on to the playoffs and the ideal opponent.
THE PLAYOFFS
Wild card weekend:
Jags @ NE
Pitt @ Cincy
Carolina @ NY
Wash @ TB
Bye weeks:
Indy
Denver
Seattle
Chicago
With my heart as a Pats fan, Here's how I see it...
...in the AFC
Pats over Jags, Pitt over Cincy
Pats @ Denver and Pitt @ Indy
Pats over Denver, Indy over Pitt
Pats@ Indy,
Pats over Indy (after Pitt physically beats the crap out of Indy)
...in the NFC
TB over Wash, NY over Carolina
TB @ Seattle and NY @ Chicago
Seattle and Chicago win
Chicago @ Seattle
Seattle wins only because they are home.
Patriots vs Seattle in Super Bowl XL
The quote of the season came after the game on sunday, when patriots punter Josh Miller was asked to comment on Flutie's extra point. "Just so everybody knows, I'm the back-up drop kicker." That's great stuff.
Look for another post later today with some stats and thoughts on JAX.
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3 comments:
With everything you know about Belichick and his approach to the game, why would you assume that the drop-kick was nothing more than a gimmick? Here's a coach who has never run up the score on any team, even when he obviously could have, (revenge against the Bills last year being an exception) and you think he was out to insult the opposing coach??? If you ask me, that's an insult to Belichick's integrity and sportsmanship.
So you honestly think it is a 'play' put in by Belichick so other teams have something to think about? NO. There was absolutley no need for the drop kick except to let Flutie have a last horah. Belichick never meant it to be an insult to his friend, Saban, but if I was a dolphins fan or a Dolphins PLAYER for that matter, I'd definitely take it as an insult.
The way it's perceived by the Miami and it's true intentions I'm sure were different. It's not like that "snap it to the goal post" trick where eventually it gave the Pats a better position. I heard on the post game that somebody said "Hey, I saw Flutie do this in the CFL" and Belichick said that if an opportunity presented itself, he would let Flutie do it because it's probably his last game. There was no insulting, ill intentions, or "Hey Dungy, did you see that?! Hope you're prepared!"
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