Let me start by finishing something here. With the videogate thing now behind us, I found a terrific article written about Belichick by Greg Garber, who covered him for years. It has great insight and brings up some terrific points:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&id=3034890
Looks like the league felt like there was some intent to Wilfork's hit to Losman. Small fine, $12,500 and no suspension. That essentially slaps him on the wrist and tells him not to do it again. To Wilfork's credit, he not only apologized on the field, but also personally called the Bills this week to check on Losman. Wilfork's a class act, and hopefully he won't get labelled as a dirty player.
Stallworth addressed the media this week to assure them he's happy. I was curious about him as it was and now I have my doubts that he really is happy. Let's face it, his contract is cut-able after this season and he's got a total of 4 catches. If he doesn't start being more productive, there is no way the Pats keep him on the payroll for next year. According to Miguel's unofficial Pats Salary page, "For the Patriots to retain Stallworth for the 2008 season, they must pay him an option bonus of $6 million by Feb. 25, 2008. There is a subsequent roster bonus of $2 million due on March 1, a second roster bonus of $1.6 million based on playing time, a base salary of $1 million and a $400,000 workout bonus. That totals an exorbitant $11 million for 2008." I think maybe we shouldn't get used to seeing him around unless he wants to renegotiate to stay here.
Monday Night Football.
This one has been billed Moss vs. Johnson. WHY?
Anyway, the Pats will be at Cincy on Monday night. The Bengals should be a dangerous team because they are really up against it. At 1-2, they are in danger of falling a full three games behind Pittsburgh in their division this week. It's almost a must win for Cincy and a team with it's back up against the wall is a dangerous team.
That being said, Cincy also has some injuries to deal with. Their best O lineman, LT Willie Anderson has not practiced this week and neither has TJ Who'syourmamma. In addition, starting RB Rudy Johnson is OUT.
What I see is a weak Cincinnati offensive line that will be dominated by the Pats front 7. Cincy will have no threat of a run game so the Pats will/should be able to generate a steady pass rush without sending too many guys. In the secondary expect soft, deep zones with the intention of making Palmer be patient and throw underneath for 5, 8, 12 yards at a time. The key will be just that, don't give up the big play.
On offense, I think the Pats should be able to do whatever they want. Cincy is 27th against the run (176 ypg) and 27th against the pass (258 ypg). It's just a matter of how the Pats want to score this week. I would expect the Pats to stay balanced, 50% run, 50% pass until they get the big lead then you'll see them run the ball to burn the clock.
It's hard not to pick the Pats for 38 points, so:
Pats 38
Bengals 16.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Bills re-cap, Observations, Stats, Top Ten
I cannot for the life of me figure out why Belichick didn't kick that field goal in the fourth quarter, instead electing to run on 4th and 7 and turn the ball over on downs. Would have made one blogger look pretty smart had he just kicked the ball. I can live with a 38-7 win and relegating myself to have to start picking the Pats to score 38 points. Other than that, the Pats put on another show this weekend. Yes, they came out flat and it was nerve racking for one Bills drive (backup QB and all) in the first quarter. But the Pats did what great teams do, win when they aren't focused for the entire 60 minutes.
Of course, it helped that Wilfork esentially knocked Losman out of the game on Buffalo's first series. It was the most controversial play of the game. Losman thought it was a deliberate cheap shot. Wilfork swears he would never intentionally do something like that. To me, the video evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of Losman's argument. Wilfork was on his way down and just before he hit the ground, he throws his elbow out toward Losman, striking his left knee. Hard to argue with the video evidence. I'm quite sure Wilfork will be fined and with Goodell's record so far it wouldn't surprise me if he was even suspended for a game or two.
Getting on to the good news or maybe great news, the Pats have just been better than anyone could have imagined so far this year. I don't EVER remember them having the #1 offense and defense in the league. In addition, they are outscoring opponents 114-35, the biggest margin in the NFL by FAR. Their avg points scored per game is higher than the total points they've given up! They've only punted 4 times. The offense averages 441 yds/game and the defense is only giving up 207 per game. Brady's QB rating of 141.8 is twenty points higher than anyone in the league. His ten TD passes also leads the NFL. One wonders about Cincinnati in the upcoming Monday nighter: if the Browns put 51 points on the board against them what will the Pats put up? (38 again?)
Tom's Top Ten Teams:
1- Pats
The plethora of evidence is documented above.
2- Colts
They haven't been pretty, but they're winning and very dangerous.
3- Steelers
Winning almost as decisively as te Pats, though they've played no one that can play run defense.
4- Packers
Brett's playing like he's 28 and the D is equally impressive.
5- Cowboys
I'm still not sold on Defense and I think Romo will eventually be exposed as a streaky QB.
6- Texans
Can't fault them too much for losing a close one to Indy without having Andre Johnson.
7- Tampa Bay
My surprise team at the beginning of the season has even surprised me, I thought they'd start 0-4!
8- Titans
I know, this is probably too high for them but I love Vince Young's leadership. He's a winner and the
team believes it can win because of him.
9- Broncos
Still a scary team and a threat to win the AFC.
10- Chargers
Sooner or later they'll put it together?
Of course, it helped that Wilfork esentially knocked Losman out of the game on Buffalo's first series. It was the most controversial play of the game. Losman thought it was a deliberate cheap shot. Wilfork swears he would never intentionally do something like that. To me, the video evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of Losman's argument. Wilfork was on his way down and just before he hit the ground, he throws his elbow out toward Losman, striking his left knee. Hard to argue with the video evidence. I'm quite sure Wilfork will be fined and with Goodell's record so far it wouldn't surprise me if he was even suspended for a game or two.
Getting on to the good news or maybe great news, the Pats have just been better than anyone could have imagined so far this year. I don't EVER remember them having the #1 offense and defense in the league. In addition, they are outscoring opponents 114-35, the biggest margin in the NFL by FAR. Their avg points scored per game is higher than the total points they've given up! They've only punted 4 times. The offense averages 441 yds/game and the defense is only giving up 207 per game. Brady's QB rating of 141.8 is twenty points higher than anyone in the league. His ten TD passes also leads the NFL. One wonders about Cincinnati in the upcoming Monday nighter: if the Browns put 51 points on the board against them what will the Pats put up? (38 again?)
Tom's Top Ten Teams:
1- Pats
The plethora of evidence is documented above.
2- Colts
They haven't been pretty, but they're winning and very dangerous.
3- Steelers
Winning almost as decisively as te Pats, though they've played no one that can play run defense.
4- Packers
Brett's playing like he's 28 and the D is equally impressive.
5- Cowboys
I'm still not sold on Defense and I think Romo will eventually be exposed as a streaky QB.
6- Texans
Can't fault them too much for losing a close one to Indy without having Andre Johnson.
7- Tampa Bay
My surprise team at the beginning of the season has even surprised me, I thought they'd start 0-4!
8- Titans
I know, this is probably too high for them but I love Vince Young's leadership. He's a winner and the
team believes it can win because of him.
9- Broncos
Still a scary team and a threat to win the AFC.
10- Chargers
Sooner or later they'll put it together?
Friday, September 21, 2007
As If You Didn't Know
This week will be one of the easiest weeks all year to pick the Patriots. As if you didn't know, I'm going with the Pats this week. But at least let me throw some reasons out there for you.
First, Offense.
Second, Defense.
The Bills Offense is 32nd in passing, 17th in rushing and 31st overall.
The Pats Offense is 4th in passing, 8th in rushing and 2nd overall.
The Bills Defense against the pass is 27th, the run 30th and 31st overall.
The Pats Defense against the pass is 5th, the run 1st and 1st overall.
Game over.
The Patriots Keys to Victory:
1- avoid a let down
2- block Schobel, he's the only playmaker on Buffalo's D.
3- don't let Buffalo hang around, they'll gain confidence as the game goes on if they're hanging around in the second half.
A victory on Sunday will give the Pats a near insurmountable lead of 3 games over the Bills and either the Jets or Dolphins who play each other this week. Three weeks in, 2 divisional opponents will be virtually illiminated from contention.
The easy pick here is:
Pats 41
Bills 7
JP Losman throws a bomb to Roscoe Parrish who beats Asante for the lone Bills TD and Matt Cassell (I hope) plays the entire 4th quarter.
Videogate:
It appears that videogate is finally over. The Pats gave the league it's cheating materials and the league burned them. Hopefully I won't have to write about it anymore. I did find a great article by SI's Peter King regarding videogate.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/09/19/mob.mentality0924/index.html
Although my respect for King has diminished since I found out some "stuff" about him and the Colts, this is a good article with good sources.
Tell your friends you heard it here!
First, Offense.
Second, Defense.
The Bills Offense is 32nd in passing, 17th in rushing and 31st overall.
The Pats Offense is 4th in passing, 8th in rushing and 2nd overall.
The Bills Defense against the pass is 27th, the run 30th and 31st overall.
The Pats Defense against the pass is 5th, the run 1st and 1st overall.
Game over.
The Patriots Keys to Victory:
1- avoid a let down
2- block Schobel, he's the only playmaker on Buffalo's D.
3- don't let Buffalo hang around, they'll gain confidence as the game goes on if they're hanging around in the second half.
A victory on Sunday will give the Pats a near insurmountable lead of 3 games over the Bills and either the Jets or Dolphins who play each other this week. Three weeks in, 2 divisional opponents will be virtually illiminated from contention.
The easy pick here is:
Pats 41
Bills 7
JP Losman throws a bomb to Roscoe Parrish who beats Asante for the lone Bills TD and Matt Cassell (I hope) plays the entire 4th quarter.
Videogate:
It appears that videogate is finally over. The Pats gave the league it's cheating materials and the league burned them. Hopefully I won't have to write about it anymore. I did find a great article by SI's Peter King regarding videogate.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/peter_king/09/19/mob.mentality0924/index.html
Although my respect for King has diminished since I found out some "stuff" about him and the Colts, this is a good article with good sources.
Tell your friends you heard it here!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A New Segment
I usually have a problem with the various rankings of NFL teams whether it be from ESPN, SI, Yahoo or USA Today. So I have decided to start doing my own top ten rankings once a week. If I had to come up with all 32 teams it would probably come out something like this:
1a Pats
1b Colts
32 the rest in a tie.
Let's face it, at this point in the season there are only two true contenders, but I said I'd do a top ten so here goes.
TOM'S TOP TEN TEAMS
1 - Patriots Looking like world champs, but I won't go so far as to say that they'll go undefeated
2 - Colts They'll stay here for as long as that young defense holds up
3 - Steelers Their opponents were not impressive, but they are a complete team that can win with O and with D.
4 - Chargers They are just aweful right now, but I wouldn't want to play them come January when they've adjusted to the new coaches.
5 - Texans I like their point differential better than the other undefeated teams in the league
6 - Broncos Bad wins against bad teams, but wins are wins.
7 - Packers For now Favre looks young. They are playing good Defense, giving up only 26 points this season, 2 fewer than the Pats.
8 - Cowboys Bad wins against bad teams but have given up 55 points
9 - Lions This might be the last week on the list for the Lions. Wins against Oakland shouldn't count.
10 - 49ers I would have put the Cardinals here because I think the Cards are better, but how can I when SF just beat them?
One quick note here. Don't get suckered into taking Green Bay this week. The Pack are at home getting 7 points from San Diego. Take the Chargers, the AFC is that much better than the NFC.
1a Pats
1b Colts
32 the rest in a tie.
Let's face it, at this point in the season there are only two true contenders, but I said I'd do a top ten so here goes.
TOM'S TOP TEN TEAMS
1 - Patriots Looking like world champs, but I won't go so far as to say that they'll go undefeated
2 - Colts They'll stay here for as long as that young defense holds up
3 - Steelers Their opponents were not impressive, but they are a complete team that can win with O and with D.
4 - Chargers They are just aweful right now, but I wouldn't want to play them come January when they've adjusted to the new coaches.
5 - Texans I like their point differential better than the other undefeated teams in the league
6 - Broncos Bad wins against bad teams, but wins are wins.
7 - Packers For now Favre looks young. They are playing good Defense, giving up only 26 points this season, 2 fewer than the Pats.
8 - Cowboys Bad wins against bad teams but have given up 55 points
9 - Lions This might be the last week on the list for the Lions. Wins against Oakland shouldn't count.
10 - 49ers I would have put the Cardinals here because I think the Cards are better, but how can I when SF just beat them?
One quick note here. Don't get suckered into taking Green Bay this week. The Pack are at home getting 7 points from San Diego. Take the Chargers, the AFC is that much better than the NFC.
Dominating the Chargers.
The Patriots showed the world the caliber of team they are on Sunday night when they dismantled the San Diego Chargers. Where do you begin with the suprelatives? The O-line was fantastic, Brady was very good (he's competing a whopping 80% of his passes), the running game was very good, the receivers were awesome. The D-line was dominating, the linebackers won the game, and the secondary was good especially in run support. The Pats coaches were playing chess and San Diego's coaches were playing checkers. That was the bigest mismatch of the night. The first drive of the game the Pats were in 4 and 5 WR sets. The Bolts stayed in a base 3-4 defense and never substituted extra DB's. HELLO? Even I know it's a mismatch to cover Moss and Welker with a line backer.
Speaking of line backers, how FAST is Adalius Thomas!?!!?
Moss watch:
Randy had 8 catches for 105 yds and 2 TD's. That brings his total to 17 catches, 288 yds and 3 TDs. He is on pace to break LEAGUE RECORD's in catches with 136, yds with 2300 and TD's with 24. Of course that's getting a little caried away, but you get the point. Sooner or later someone's going to try to cover him and that's when he'll have a huge impact. Did you see the first TD on Sunday, the one to Watson all by himself? Watch the replay. Moss was the outside receiver on that side and he ran an "in" route along the goal line. The CB, LB and Safety all followed Moss accross the middle while Watson slipped into the right side of end zone for the TD. IMPACT.
Short Bus:
It would be nice if the special teams were better. Gostkowski missed again and was inconstent with his kickoffs. I also saw a few missed tackles on kickoff coverage. Then there was the Hobbs fumble. There seems to be a lot of room for improvement on special teams. Personallly I'd rather not see Hobbs return kicks, secondary depth is a concern as it is.
Speaking of secondary, anyone seen Asante Samuel?
The Pats seem poised to be undefeated going into Indy on November 4th. Circle your calendars, it should be two 8-0 teams and it could be for homefield throughout the playoffs. What do you think, Pats 100 Colts 77?
Speaking of line backers, how FAST is Adalius Thomas!?!!?
Moss watch:
Randy had 8 catches for 105 yds and 2 TD's. That brings his total to 17 catches, 288 yds and 3 TDs. He is on pace to break LEAGUE RECORD's in catches with 136, yds with 2300 and TD's with 24. Of course that's getting a little caried away, but you get the point. Sooner or later someone's going to try to cover him and that's when he'll have a huge impact. Did you see the first TD on Sunday, the one to Watson all by himself? Watch the replay. Moss was the outside receiver on that side and he ran an "in" route along the goal line. The CB, LB and Safety all followed Moss accross the middle while Watson slipped into the right side of end zone for the TD. IMPACT.
Short Bus:
It would be nice if the special teams were better. Gostkowski missed again and was inconstent with his kickoffs. I also saw a few missed tackles on kickoff coverage. Then there was the Hobbs fumble. There seems to be a lot of room for improvement on special teams. Personallly I'd rather not see Hobbs return kicks, secondary depth is a concern as it is.
Speaking of secondary, anyone seen Asante Samuel?
The Pats seem poised to be undefeated going into Indy on November 4th. Circle your calendars, it should be two 8-0 teams and it could be for homefield throughout the playoffs. What do you think, Pats 100 Colts 77?
Saturday, September 15, 2007
And the Winner is....
There is a LOT to consider this week in order to pick a winner in the Chargers at New England game. I hope to be as accurate as I was last week, but as long as the Pats win I don't care. I'd love to see them beat the snot out of Mighty Mouth, I mean Tomlinson. He's still running his mouth, but he gets away with it in the media because he giggles when he says the Pats aren't trying if they're not cheating. That's bulletin board material for sure.
The Motivation.
For the Charger's it's revenge. Mighty Mouth was furious when the Pats were dancing on the field after beating the Bolts in the playoffs last year. While he seems to have backed down from his postgame comments, don't think he won't lead the charge to dance on the Pats emblem should he win on Sunday.
For the Pats it has to be to prove to the sportsworld that they can win without cheating. But I think that motivation could go either way. Think about it. If you've been a Pats player for the last 4-5 years and suddenly people are saying that your superbowls aren't legit after the thousands of hours in the weight room and hundreds of hours on the practice field and the film room and all the times you played hurt and couldn't get out of bed on Monday morning. Now you're labeled a cheater and told your championships are tarnished because of your coaches actions. Who are you going to be mad at? I don't think it's too much of a stretch for these players to be pissed at Belichick and tune him out. Then the cheating would have backfired on Belichick. I don't think that will happen here, not with this team. I really think they'll feed off the mantra of trying to prove they can win without cheating. I'm just not convinced that will be enough this week.
The Concern.
The concern I have this week is speed. Speed kills. The Pats D is BIG, but it is not fast. The Bears had success against Tomlinson last week because of their team speed on D, they could catch him. I'm not sure the Pats can. LT has run for an average of 135 yds and 2 TDs in his previous 3 games against the Pats.
Speed is also a concern in pass protection. The Jets D looks like the Slowski's compared with the Chargers D. Their pass rushers will get to Brady a lot faster than the Jets D could and they'll be relentless. They live by rushing the passer.
The Pats will win if...
...Adalius Thomas can stop Antonio Gates. I think he is the logical choice to match up and cover Gates because of his size and speed.
...The Pats can set the edge and keep LT from getting outside. This task will fall mostly on Vrabel and Colvin. On run plays, they've got to get up field and set the edge, making LT have to cut his runs inside where the Warrens and Bruschis and Thomas's of the world can tackle him. If LT consistently gets outside it will be a LONG night for the Pats
...The wide receivers are on the same page as Brady. SD will blitz and Brady will make the right read and find the open guy, he always does. But the wideout has to make the right read too. If the WR goes left and he's supposed to go right, then they're looking at turnovers, or at the very least, incompletions and punts.
What I See
I see a motivated Pats team that's going to be fired up for it's home opener on national TV. I see the Pats O slowing up the Bolts D by using a lot of draws and screens and employing a power running game. Once they've slowed the pass rush, they'll execute on a couple of deep passes that will be the difference in the game.
The Pats D hasn't primarily concerened itself with shutting down LT in the past. I think they realize that he's going to get his yards. The key will be keeping him out of the end zone - running or passing. The focus will be to confuse Rivers and contain Gates.
I see the Chargers speed keeping them in this one for most of the game with the Pats pulling away in the 4th quarter.
Patriots 30
Chargers 20
The Motivation.
For the Charger's it's revenge. Mighty Mouth was furious when the Pats were dancing on the field after beating the Bolts in the playoffs last year. While he seems to have backed down from his postgame comments, don't think he won't lead the charge to dance on the Pats emblem should he win on Sunday.
For the Pats it has to be to prove to the sportsworld that they can win without cheating. But I think that motivation could go either way. Think about it. If you've been a Pats player for the last 4-5 years and suddenly people are saying that your superbowls aren't legit after the thousands of hours in the weight room and hundreds of hours on the practice field and the film room and all the times you played hurt and couldn't get out of bed on Monday morning. Now you're labeled a cheater and told your championships are tarnished because of your coaches actions. Who are you going to be mad at? I don't think it's too much of a stretch for these players to be pissed at Belichick and tune him out. Then the cheating would have backfired on Belichick. I don't think that will happen here, not with this team. I really think they'll feed off the mantra of trying to prove they can win without cheating. I'm just not convinced that will be enough this week.
The Concern.
The concern I have this week is speed. Speed kills. The Pats D is BIG, but it is not fast. The Bears had success against Tomlinson last week because of their team speed on D, they could catch him. I'm not sure the Pats can. LT has run for an average of 135 yds and 2 TDs in his previous 3 games against the Pats.
Speed is also a concern in pass protection. The Jets D looks like the Slowski's compared with the Chargers D. Their pass rushers will get to Brady a lot faster than the Jets D could and they'll be relentless. They live by rushing the passer.
The Pats will win if...
...Adalius Thomas can stop Antonio Gates. I think he is the logical choice to match up and cover Gates because of his size and speed.
...The Pats can set the edge and keep LT from getting outside. This task will fall mostly on Vrabel and Colvin. On run plays, they've got to get up field and set the edge, making LT have to cut his runs inside where the Warrens and Bruschis and Thomas's of the world can tackle him. If LT consistently gets outside it will be a LONG night for the Pats
...The wide receivers are on the same page as Brady. SD will blitz and Brady will make the right read and find the open guy, he always does. But the wideout has to make the right read too. If the WR goes left and he's supposed to go right, then they're looking at turnovers, or at the very least, incompletions and punts.
What I See
I see a motivated Pats team that's going to be fired up for it's home opener on national TV. I see the Pats O slowing up the Bolts D by using a lot of draws and screens and employing a power running game. Once they've slowed the pass rush, they'll execute on a couple of deep passes that will be the difference in the game.
The Pats D hasn't primarily concerened itself with shutting down LT in the past. I think they realize that he's going to get his yards. The key will be keeping him out of the end zone - running or passing. The focus will be to confuse Rivers and contain Gates.
I see the Chargers speed keeping them in this one for most of the game with the Pats pulling away in the 4th quarter.
Patriots 30
Chargers 20
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Punishment
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down his punishment for the Patriots involvement in videogate: 500K fine to Belichick, 250K fine to the Pats and the loss of their first round draft pick. Now, if you want to punish the Patriots franchise, this is a good move. Losing the #1 pick might effect the Pats for the next 10-12 years. Losing a #1 is like losing a guy that was a first round pick, such as Seymour, Warren, Wolfork, Mankins, Maroney or Watson. That's a long term punishment for the franchise. It will probably still be effecting the Pats long after Belichick has gone. The Commish should have penalized Belichick. Suspend him a game or two or four for all I care. That would have been torture for Belichick - and the franchise could keep their next franchise player - next year's first round pick.
There are a lot of looney's out there calling for the loss of the pick and a suspension. Some even called for the Pats First round pick to be given to the Jets! Give me a break. I agree that the fines don't make a dent in their perspective wallets, but the fines in conjunction with the pick are plenty of punishment. Don't be thinking that giving up their #1 is not enough just because they were wise enough to trade for the 49er's first round pick next year.
Then there is the conspiracy theory.
The theory exists that Belichick wanted to get caught. He wanted to make sure that his players didn't believe the hype about them. He wanted to insure that they'd continue to work hard even though many have anointed them superbowl champs. Why else would he be so blatently obvious about filming the Jets signals? Why else would he be so obvious against Manjuvenille, who must know that it's something Bill does/did in the past. Now the players have to prove they're for real by going out and winning a "clean" superbowl. It's not my theory, but take it for what it's worth.
There are a lot of looney's out there calling for the loss of the pick and a suspension. Some even called for the Pats First round pick to be given to the Jets! Give me a break. I agree that the fines don't make a dent in their perspective wallets, but the fines in conjunction with the pick are plenty of punishment. Don't be thinking that giving up their #1 is not enough just because they were wise enough to trade for the 49er's first round pick next year.
Then there is the conspiracy theory.
The theory exists that Belichick wanted to get caught. He wanted to make sure that his players didn't believe the hype about them. He wanted to insure that they'd continue to work hard even though many have anointed them superbowl champs. Why else would he be so blatently obvious about filming the Jets signals? Why else would he be so obvious against Manjuvenille, who must know that it's something Bill does/did in the past. Now the players have to prove they're for real by going out and winning a "clean" superbowl. It's not my theory, but take it for what it's worth.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Raiders East
Just Win Baby.
That was the mantra of the Oakland/LA Raiders of the 70's and 80's. Lie, cheat and steal, but just win. Take steroids (Lyle Alzado et al) but just win. Pay off the officials (see Sugar Bear Hamilton's phantom roughing the passer call in the 1976 playoffs) but just win baby.
Don't ask whether or not the Patriot's image will be tarnished. It's gone beyond tarnished to rusted with holes in it. Let's just examine this year alone. Golden boy Brady always speaks of his strong family values, but has a baby out of wedlock. Harrison, the leader of the team on and off the field, a born again Christian, uses banned substances to "get back on the field". And now blatent cheating during a game with the use of video cameras.
For those of you that have been on another planet, I'll explain. One of the Pats video assistants was on the Jets sideline video taping the Jets defensive coaches signaling plays to the huddle. It is absolutely illegal to video anything on the field at any portion of the game. Manjuvenille, probably accutely aware that Belichick does this, tipped off NFL security in the first quarter and they seized the camera and film. It is this film that commissioner Goodell viewed to determine that the Patriots are guilty.
Touchdown.org supplied visual evidence today with this picture:
That was the mantra of the Oakland/LA Raiders of the 70's and 80's. Lie, cheat and steal, but just win. Take steroids (Lyle Alzado et al) but just win. Pay off the officials (see Sugar Bear Hamilton's phantom roughing the passer call in the 1976 playoffs) but just win baby.
Don't ask whether or not the Patriot's image will be tarnished. It's gone beyond tarnished to rusted with holes in it. Let's just examine this year alone. Golden boy Brady always speaks of his strong family values, but has a baby out of wedlock. Harrison, the leader of the team on and off the field, a born again Christian, uses banned substances to "get back on the field". And now blatent cheating during a game with the use of video cameras.
For those of you that have been on another planet, I'll explain. One of the Pats video assistants was on the Jets sideline video taping the Jets defensive coaches signaling plays to the huddle. It is absolutely illegal to video anything on the field at any portion of the game. Manjuvenille, probably accutely aware that Belichick does this, tipped off NFL security in the first quarter and they seized the camera and film. It is this film that commissioner Goodell viewed to determine that the Patriots are guilty.
Touchdown.org supplied visual evidence today with this picture:
How blatently obvious is THAT?!?!?! How STUPID?!?!?
I think it's indefensible, but Belichick's statement included a line about how he presented his, "interpretation of the rule" to the commissioner. As far as I know Johnny Cochrane is dead and the glove fits, Bill.
Innocent or guilty, this videogate has been hard to swallow as a fan. The problem with being a fan is that "fan" is short for fanatic. It's hard not to be fanatical about your team, hard not to be emotional about them. How many times when your team has won a game have you said, "WE won the game." Right or wrong, you attach yourself to them, you identify yourself with them. That's why it makes us feel ashamed when the Pats get caught trying to "just win baby". The only experience I have had in my life that made me feel like this is when the Priests were getting busted with little boys. (I'M NOT IMPLYING THAT IT IS AS BAD OR DEMEANING THE VICTIMS HERE!) However there are a lot of similarities for me.
I'm catholic.
I was an alter boy.
I grew up around the church.
I identify myself with my church.
I had absolute respect for all the priests I knew, they could do no wrong.
I'm a New Englander.
I played peewee football.
I grew up playing sports.
I identify myself with my favorite team.
I had absolute repsect for all the players and coaches, they could do no wrong.
In both cases I don't know that I can ever look at them the same way. In the back of my mind I'll always have doubts about them. They ARE tainted.
I got offended today because a Dolphin fan kept calling out to me, "CHEATERS......CHEATERS......CHEATERS...." I felt ashamed. Then I thought, WHY? I didn't cheat. I didn't take HGH. As far as I know I didn't have a child out of wedlock. What does it have to do with me? Nothing. This incident gives us a chance to seperate ourselves from our sports heros and that's probably a good thing.
So now, knowing that what they do is NOT a reflection on you, you must ask yourself if you can still morally accept this team and support them no matter what. As for me, I was hurt, but this is just a football team, not my life.
So I say, "Just Win Baby!"
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Off to a Good Start
The Pats looked sharp and only had a couple of blunders on their way to dismantling the Jets. There were a couple of mistakes made and timeouts wasted because plays were not given to Brady in a timely manner, but that is to be expected in week one. All in all it was a great day in Patriots Nation.
First let's look at what went right:
The Randy Moss I told you about in training camp has officially arrived in the regular season. I was shocked to find out that his 183 yds is the most in one game in his career.
The O-line was FANTASTIC protecting Brady. If he gets that kind of time all year the Pats will go undefeated.
The D was stout against the run and did a pretty good job on the Pass rush.
Besides his drop, Welker showed his value.
Sammy Morris looked good running the ball and on special teams.
Dumb play by Hobbs to carry the kickoff out from 8 yds deep but it all worked out for him.
Was there any bad to speak of in this game?
Chad Pennington had his way with the Pats secondary, going 16 of 21 for 167 and 2 TD's. Thats 10 yds/completion and a whopping 76% completions. The Pats better improve that before the likes of Palmer and Manning come calling.
Some of the guys I watched the game with commented on something we saw last year that was evident again today. It weemed like the O-line didn't block well for Maroney, but when Morris got carries there were gaping holes. The same seemed true to us last season with Dillon getting holes. Regardless, Maroney was thoroughly unimpressive and I hope it ws a matter of the Jets gameplainning to stop him. He was not explosive, decisive nor impactful. I wonder if he's still a little hurt. Not much else was wrong with the Pats game today.
Let's not get carried away, it's one game and like I mentioned in my season preview, the Jets aren't that good. It was a good start, something to build on, something for the Bolts to think about for next Sunday.
One last tangent if I may.
Look, I'm the biggest opponent of Pennington when he's playing against us, but I've got to give the guy credit. He makes very accurate passes to make up for his lack of arm strength. He plays with heart and determination and today he even played hurt. The Jets fans are a bunch of Jackasses for cheering when Pennington got hurt and struggled to get to the sidelines under his own power. Then they cheered even louder when Kellen Clemens, his backup, took the field. That was absolutely classless of the Jets fans. Nobody wants to win more than Pennington and that's what he gets for it. Was it Pennington's fault the Pats put 38 on the board against Manjuvenille? Typical New Yorkers.
First let's look at what went right:
The Randy Moss I told you about in training camp has officially arrived in the regular season. I was shocked to find out that his 183 yds is the most in one game in his career.
The O-line was FANTASTIC protecting Brady. If he gets that kind of time all year the Pats will go undefeated.
The D was stout against the run and did a pretty good job on the Pass rush.
Besides his drop, Welker showed his value.
Sammy Morris looked good running the ball and on special teams.
Dumb play by Hobbs to carry the kickoff out from 8 yds deep but it all worked out for him.
Was there any bad to speak of in this game?
Chad Pennington had his way with the Pats secondary, going 16 of 21 for 167 and 2 TD's. Thats 10 yds/completion and a whopping 76% completions. The Pats better improve that before the likes of Palmer and Manning come calling.
Some of the guys I watched the game with commented on something we saw last year that was evident again today. It weemed like the O-line didn't block well for Maroney, but when Morris got carries there were gaping holes. The same seemed true to us last season with Dillon getting holes. Regardless, Maroney was thoroughly unimpressive and I hope it ws a matter of the Jets gameplainning to stop him. He was not explosive, decisive nor impactful. I wonder if he's still a little hurt. Not much else was wrong with the Pats game today.
Let's not get carried away, it's one game and like I mentioned in my season preview, the Jets aren't that good. It was a good start, something to build on, something for the Bolts to think about for next Sunday.
One last tangent if I may.
Look, I'm the biggest opponent of Pennington when he's playing against us, but I've got to give the guy credit. He makes very accurate passes to make up for his lack of arm strength. He plays with heart and determination and today he even played hurt. The Jets fans are a bunch of Jackasses for cheering when Pennington got hurt and struggled to get to the sidelines under his own power. Then they cheered even louder when Kellen Clemens, his backup, took the field. That was absolutely classless of the Jets fans. Nobody wants to win more than Pennington and that's what he gets for it. Was it Pennington's fault the Pats put 38 on the board against Manjuvenille? Typical New Yorkers.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
The Jet Set
Am I the only one tired of hearing about the games played between Belichick and his nemesis Manjuvenille leading up to this game? Enough already. The game can't get here quick enough as far as I'm concerned. No more speculation, no more what ifs, no more cut Pats arriving in NY for meetings, no more 'will they shake hands after the game?'. Just take the field and play football.
When the Jets had success against the Pats it was the November game when the Jets D walked around the line of scrimmage at random positions and the Pats didn't know who was doing what. To combat that in the playoff game, the Pats rushed to the line of scrimmage, snapped the ball quick and just plowed over the Jets on their way to an easy victory. It'd be hard to imagine Manjuvenille will try that tactic again.
Here's what I think will happen on Sunday:
The one thing that the Pats haven't done on O against Manjuvenille is the no huddle, 4wr spread sets. The one you saw against Minnesota last season. Undoubtably the Jets will be trying to stop the run because the Pats ran all day against them in the playoff win. Therefore, the Pats surprise the league by unleashing all the new toys on O. Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass, Draw, Pass, TD!
Defensively, the key to the game is stopping Coles and Cotchery. It is yet to be seen how healthy Thomas Jones is and I think the Jets will have trouble running the ball. Coles and Cotchery will get their catches, but the Pats DB's have to tackle them for little to no gain once they make the catch. Do you remember the damge they did after the catch last year? I do and I'm sure the Pats do.
I expect the Jets to take a step back this season becasue they played over their heads last year. This game should be a pretty easy one for the Pats.
PATRIOTS 31
JETS 13
When the Jets had success against the Pats it was the November game when the Jets D walked around the line of scrimmage at random positions and the Pats didn't know who was doing what. To combat that in the playoff game, the Pats rushed to the line of scrimmage, snapped the ball quick and just plowed over the Jets on their way to an easy victory. It'd be hard to imagine Manjuvenille will try that tactic again.
Here's what I think will happen on Sunday:
The one thing that the Pats haven't done on O against Manjuvenille is the no huddle, 4wr spread sets. The one you saw against Minnesota last season. Undoubtably the Jets will be trying to stop the run because the Pats ran all day against them in the playoff win. Therefore, the Pats surprise the league by unleashing all the new toys on O. Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass, Draw, Pass, TD!
Defensively, the key to the game is stopping Coles and Cotchery. It is yet to be seen how healthy Thomas Jones is and I think the Jets will have trouble running the ball. Coles and Cotchery will get their catches, but the Pats DB's have to tackle them for little to no gain once they make the catch. Do you remember the damge they did after the catch last year? I do and I'm sure the Pats do.
I expect the Jets to take a step back this season becasue they played over their heads last year. This game should be a pretty easy one for the Pats.
PATRIOTS 31
JETS 13
Monday, September 03, 2007
Here Goes Nothing
Welcome to this year's version of futility, when I make my predictions for the upcoming NFL season. Just to refresh your memories, last year I had the Pats going 13-3, beating the Broncos to get to the superbowl to beat the Drew Bledsoe led Cowboys. My sleeper team was the Arizona Cardinals. I had Indy losing in the first round of the playoffs for lack of a running game. I was pretty close, huh?
This year will be different though. (Sure it will.) I've done extensive research on rosters and strength of schedule and factored in the teams with new head coaches. Low and behold, just like I thought last year, I think the Patriots will win the superbowl. I think that this year, you think the same thing.
Without further babbling, here are the 2007 Predictions.
AFC EAST
Pats 14-2 I really think it's more like 15-1, but I wouldn't want to be accused of being a homer.
Jets 8-8 Manjuvenille got them to play over their heads last year, they come back to earth in '07
Miami 7-9 Trent Green eventually catches on and while old, the D is still very good.
Bills 6-10 I really wanted to pick them as sleepers. I think Losman's going to boarder on great this season, but they have no defense.
AFC NORTH
Ravens 10-6 Overhyped team with a great D and an over-the-hill, has been QB.
Steelers 9-7 Too much talent to have another crappy year. Heath Miller's break out season.
Bengals 8-8 A lot of O and a little D. The players will get tired of losing and tune out coach Lewis.
Browns 3-13 They have a lot of young talent, but can't overcome a mediocre D and a bad Offensive line.
AFC SOUTH
Colts 12-4 I was leaning toward 11-5, but their division sucks and they get 6 wins there alone.
Titans 6-10 No wide receivers and no Defense. I feel bad for Vince Young this season.
Jags 6-10 Del Rio is on the hot seat will be a lame duck by midseason. Oh and David Garrard.
Texans 6-10 They will improve some this year, but they're not ready to win - yet!
AFC WEST
Broncos 11-5 Restocked and Reloaded. Maybe the best Defense in the NFL this year.
Chargers 10-6 A slow start hurts them while they adjust to an entirely new offense and an entirely new defense. They'll be a hot team come playoff time.
Chiefs 4-12 That's great, but who are the Chefs?
Raiders 3-13 A good defense, but a putrid offense.
AFC PLAYOFFS
wild card - Broncos over Steelers and Chargers over Ravens
divisional - Pats over Chargers and Colts over Broncos
championship - Pats over Colts
NFC EAST
Eagles 11-5 McNabb is back and has something to prove.
Redskins 10-6 ONE of my sleeper picks in the NFC.
Dallas 9-7 Too much scheme change to overcome and I'm not sold on Romo.
Giants 6-10 No secondary and a lame duck coach.
NFC NORTH
Bears 11-5 They win this division by default.
Lions 7-9 An awesome offense will win some games, but they badly need some D.
Pack 6-10 Favre should have retired 2 years ago, too many young players around him.
Vikings 4-12 Two words, Tavaris Jackson.
NFC SOUTH
Saints 12-4 Reggie Bush becomes the best back in the league.
Tampa Bay 10-6 My SECOND surprise team in the NFC.
Carolina 8-8 Delhomme isn't that good, no 2nd receiver, the John Fox show is getting old.
Atlanta 4-12 Slightly better on D, but they can't win with Harrington. Maybe they'll have a better record if TB cuts Simms and they anoint him their starter over Harrington. I will be cheering for them because I feel for new caoch Bobby Petrino.
NFC WEST
Seattle 10-6 Not great, but the best team in the west.
Rams 9-7 The 'experts' favorite pick to win this division. I'm no expert.
49er's 7-9 The experts favorite for a sleeper team. Next year.
Cardinals 6-10 I won't pick them as a sleeper again. Larry Fiztgerald becomes a GREAT.
NFC PLAYOFFS
wildcard - Eagles over TB and Seattle over Washington
divisional - Saints over Seattle and Eagles over Bears
championship - Saints over Eagles
SUPERBOWL XLII
The Patriots over The Saints.
The Pats find a way to stop Reggie Bush on one or two series and win the highest scoring superbowl ever, 48-44. (I picked the same two teams as everyone else, so I had to come up with a different score, right?)
Last year's prediction Post was the one that generated the most response. Bring it on!
This year will be different though. (Sure it will.) I've done extensive research on rosters and strength of schedule and factored in the teams with new head coaches. Low and behold, just like I thought last year, I think the Patriots will win the superbowl. I think that this year, you think the same thing.
Without further babbling, here are the 2007 Predictions.
AFC EAST
Pats 14-2 I really think it's more like 15-1, but I wouldn't want to be accused of being a homer.
Jets 8-8 Manjuvenille got them to play over their heads last year, they come back to earth in '07
Miami 7-9 Trent Green eventually catches on and while old, the D is still very good.
Bills 6-10 I really wanted to pick them as sleepers. I think Losman's going to boarder on great this season, but they have no defense.
AFC NORTH
Ravens 10-6 Overhyped team with a great D and an over-the-hill, has been QB.
Steelers 9-7 Too much talent to have another crappy year. Heath Miller's break out season.
Bengals 8-8 A lot of O and a little D. The players will get tired of losing and tune out coach Lewis.
Browns 3-13 They have a lot of young talent, but can't overcome a mediocre D and a bad Offensive line.
AFC SOUTH
Colts 12-4 I was leaning toward 11-5, but their division sucks and they get 6 wins there alone.
Titans 6-10 No wide receivers and no Defense. I feel bad for Vince Young this season.
Jags 6-10 Del Rio is on the hot seat will be a lame duck by midseason. Oh and David Garrard.
Texans 6-10 They will improve some this year, but they're not ready to win - yet!
AFC WEST
Broncos 11-5 Restocked and Reloaded. Maybe the best Defense in the NFL this year.
Chargers 10-6 A slow start hurts them while they adjust to an entirely new offense and an entirely new defense. They'll be a hot team come playoff time.
Chiefs 4-12 That's great, but who are the Chefs?
Raiders 3-13 A good defense, but a putrid offense.
AFC PLAYOFFS
wild card - Broncos over Steelers and Chargers over Ravens
divisional - Pats over Chargers and Colts over Broncos
championship - Pats over Colts
NFC EAST
Eagles 11-5 McNabb is back and has something to prove.
Redskins 10-6 ONE of my sleeper picks in the NFC.
Dallas 9-7 Too much scheme change to overcome and I'm not sold on Romo.
Giants 6-10 No secondary and a lame duck coach.
NFC NORTH
Bears 11-5 They win this division by default.
Lions 7-9 An awesome offense will win some games, but they badly need some D.
Pack 6-10 Favre should have retired 2 years ago, too many young players around him.
Vikings 4-12 Two words, Tavaris Jackson.
NFC SOUTH
Saints 12-4 Reggie Bush becomes the best back in the league.
Tampa Bay 10-6 My SECOND surprise team in the NFC.
Carolina 8-8 Delhomme isn't that good, no 2nd receiver, the John Fox show is getting old.
Atlanta 4-12 Slightly better on D, but they can't win with Harrington. Maybe they'll have a better record if TB cuts Simms and they anoint him their starter over Harrington. I will be cheering for them because I feel for new caoch Bobby Petrino.
NFC WEST
Seattle 10-6 Not great, but the best team in the west.
Rams 9-7 The 'experts' favorite pick to win this division. I'm no expert.
49er's 7-9 The experts favorite for a sleeper team. Next year.
Cardinals 6-10 I won't pick them as a sleeper again. Larry Fiztgerald becomes a GREAT.
NFC PLAYOFFS
wildcard - Eagles over TB and Seattle over Washington
divisional - Saints over Seattle and Eagles over Bears
championship - Saints over Eagles
SUPERBOWL XLII
The Patriots over The Saints.
The Pats find a way to stop Reggie Bush on one or two series and win the highest scoring superbowl ever, 48-44. (I picked the same two teams as everyone else, so I had to come up with a different score, right?)
Last year's prediction Post was the one that generated the most response. Bring it on!
Here Comes the Roster, et al
The roster has been trimmed to 55 guys. Though NFL teams are supposed to be at 53, the Pats can temporarily hold 55 because Rodney will not count until after week 4 and they still have a time to 'activate' Asante. I think the only real surprise with the roster moves is that they indeed kept 6 wide receivers - for now. It also appears that Tory James will only be around for another day or two until Asante is activated. David Thomas was removed from the P.U.P. list (it says here that he's the BEST tight end on the team) but it remains to be seen how healthy he is and how many games he might still miss. The Pats have also cut Reche Caldwell.
Oh, and there is the little matter of Richard Seymour being placed on P.U.P. He will not be eligible to play until the 7th game of the season - IF he's healthy by then. I'm not even sure what's wrong with him (Maybe he pulled a muscle trying to carry his money around). Fortunately, (or maybe intentionally) the Pats have lots of depth in Jarvis Green and with the emergence of LaKevin Smith, who held his own this preseason. We probably won't even notice Seymour's absence. I know I won't.
The players that were cut and cleared waivers that have been signed to the practice squad are Bam Childress, CJ Jones, Corey Mays, Clint Oldenburg and Santonio Thomas. Players that were cut and claimed by other teams include Garrett Mills by Minnesota and Justin Rogers by Dallas.
And now Rodney...
Let me just say that you should NOT be surprised that he was using HGH. I'm fairly certain that they've all used it to some degree. Human beings are not just born that big and fast. HGH cannot be tested for and that's why the feds are starting to go after the places that sell the stuff. Rodney happened to purchase his from the latest company to be busted. So he was forced to admit that he bought it and used it. I can't say I blame him. He was at the end of his career, had suffered 2 seasons of injury and desperately wanted to get back on the field. At least that's his story and I believe him.
It is interesting to speculate just when the Pats found out that Rodney was going to be suspended. I think it's obvious that they knew going into last Thursday's game because Meriweather played the entire game at Safety after playing 95% of his practice reps at corner in training camp. It also makes me wonder if they 'caved' in to Asante when they got word of Harrison's suspension. Why else would they suddenly agree to remove the franchise tag for next season and bring him in when they did? If they knew they were going to cave, why wouldn't they have done it early in camp so he'd be ready for week 1? As I posted previously I was upset with the Pats for giving in, but maybe they didn't have a choice when given the news of Rodney's suspension.
I'm looking to post my predictions for the 2007 season later today!
Oh, and there is the little matter of Richard Seymour being placed on P.U.P. He will not be eligible to play until the 7th game of the season - IF he's healthy by then. I'm not even sure what's wrong with him (Maybe he pulled a muscle trying to carry his money around). Fortunately, (or maybe intentionally) the Pats have lots of depth in Jarvis Green and with the emergence of LaKevin Smith, who held his own this preseason. We probably won't even notice Seymour's absence. I know I won't.
The players that were cut and cleared waivers that have been signed to the practice squad are Bam Childress, CJ Jones, Corey Mays, Clint Oldenburg and Santonio Thomas. Players that were cut and claimed by other teams include Garrett Mills by Minnesota and Justin Rogers by Dallas.
And now Rodney...
Let me just say that you should NOT be surprised that he was using HGH. I'm fairly certain that they've all used it to some degree. Human beings are not just born that big and fast. HGH cannot be tested for and that's why the feds are starting to go after the places that sell the stuff. Rodney happened to purchase his from the latest company to be busted. So he was forced to admit that he bought it and used it. I can't say I blame him. He was at the end of his career, had suffered 2 seasons of injury and desperately wanted to get back on the field. At least that's his story and I believe him.
It is interesting to speculate just when the Pats found out that Rodney was going to be suspended. I think it's obvious that they knew going into last Thursday's game because Meriweather played the entire game at Safety after playing 95% of his practice reps at corner in training camp. It also makes me wonder if they 'caved' in to Asante when they got word of Harrison's suspension. Why else would they suddenly agree to remove the franchise tag for next season and bring him in when they did? If they knew they were going to cave, why wouldn't they have done it early in camp so he'd be ready for week 1? As I posted previously I was upset with the Pats for giving in, but maybe they didn't have a choice when given the news of Rodney's suspension.
I'm looking to post my predictions for the 2007 season later today!
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