SB Nation - Tedy Bruschi

Game Recap: Dolphins defeat Patriots, 22-21

MaPatsFan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:50:26 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

8 days ago: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) sits on the bench in the closing minutes of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. The Dolphins won 22-21. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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Let's see... failure to convert in the RedZone...check. Failure to finish (ie: consistently score in the 2nd half)...check. Defensive backfield getting burned by what was to be considered an average passing offense...check. HoF QB throwing critical interceptions...check.

First, credit where credit is due. Miami did a good job of exploiting the mistakes made by this Patriots team and turning them around to their advantage. Behind most of the game, the Dolphins made big plays when they needed to and turned this game around for Miami. However, I am here to focus on the myriad of "fails" plaguing this New England Patriots team.

I normally can't stand columnist Ron Borges. He's cut from the same cloth as Dan Shaughnessy, which is to say they both hammer away at the team they're covering, claiming "the point everyone is missing...", in order to sound like the smartest guy in the room. I normally can't stand Borges, but in this column, I think he's right:

Years ago, Chuck Fairbanks said it best. "It’s not about X’s and O’s. It’s about Jimmys and Joes." For half a decade with the Pats people believed otherwise. In Bill We Trust became the motto, but does anyone honestly believe Bill Belichick forgot how to coach? A guy who has been watching game film since he was 6 now can’t break down film and discover a team’s weaknesses?

Bill Belichick didn't suddenly become stupid. He didn't wake up one morning with an IQ 50 points lower than what it was the day before. No, as Ron Borges claims, it's not about Belichick (at least, not all of it) but about the onfield talent. I haven't brought this up before, but it's been on my mind for the past few weeks or so: there's just not as many playmakers as there used to be. The players are simply not executing. Is the coaching staff showing them what to do? I would assume so; it's relatively the same staff as in previous years with the obvious exceptions of Scott Pioli and Josh McDaniels.

But if coaching were to be blamed, it would be in the Belichick player acquisition strategy. For years, Belichick has been known as a guy at the top of his game in finding "value" players, at piecing together a team with a sprinkle of seasoned vets as well as using later rounds in the draft to shore up the ranks for the future. But has this turned out to be the best approach for this team? Sure, Randy Moss and Wes Welker were brilliant moves, no question. Fred Taylor? The jury's still out as we need to see more playing time from him. But along with the brilliance have been some big whiffs, ones that have cost us dearly. Joey Galloway, Shawn Springs, Greg Lewis, Derrick Burgess, Adalius Thomas... all were relatively big money acquisitions that left this team digging into the young up-and-comers to fill the gaps.

Look in the past, at the years on the banners hanging at Gillette Stadium. You could name scores of big playmakers. Troy Brown, Corey Dillon, Deion Branch, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison...all of them ready to step up when it was needed. Who do we have now? Wes Welker, Sebastian Vollmer (when he's playing), Julian Edelman (when he's playing). Who else?

Ok, enough of that. Let's get back to the debacle known as Patriots @ Dolphins. The whole is usually the sum of its parts. There's rarely one part that is the cause of a catastrophic failure. But, like a car, enough blown gaskets can seriously derail the vehicle.

4^th and 1 on Miami 6 - We could argue all day about whether or not to go for it on this 4^th and 1. I get the whole "play to win vs. play not to lose" argument. But I'm conservative. Unless you're about to lose the game if you don't score a touchdown, go for the field goal. But that's not what I consider to be the biggest gaff of that series. Brady hands the ball to Sammy Morris who encounters, guess what, a stacked Miami line. Why Brady didn't hand it off to Laurence Maroney, who was right behind Morris, is beyond. He had more room and could've a) built up a bigger head of steam or b) had a chance to choose another hole. And how about being creative? Maybe fake handoffs to the backs and slip it to Wes on a reverse? Welker can dodge cruise missiles never mind defensive backs.
2^nd and 5 on Miami 5 - With a running game that appears to be doing fairly well, what does Brady do? He tosses a floater to the right-hand corner of the endzone, forcing it to a blanketed Randy Moss. Miami's Vontae Davis makes a great play on a guy who has 5 inches on him and comes down with the pick. What does Randy do? He watches. How about, you know, KNOCKING THE BALL AWAY!!! Put in some effort, Randy.
Chad Henne's 51 yard march - After a failed NE series culminating in a desperate 4^th and 11, Chad Henne marched down the field to put Miami kicker Dan Carpenter in range; Carpenter nailed a 41 yarder to go up by 1. As mentioned above, where were the playmakers? Where were the guys coming up with big stops on defense? Henne did a great job of connecting with is receivers, something our defense couldn't prevent and our own offense couldn't do.
Final Brady interception - This may have aggravated me the most. Chances are it wouldn't have made a difference, but EAT THE BALL!!! Instead, Tom Terrific decides to, I don't know what, and Channing Crowder intercepts. That was not the Tom Brady I've come to "know". That was a desperate, rookie move. I hate to say it, but he looked like Mark Sanchez on that one.

Now that you're all depressed, let me leave you with some good cheer. In 2007, there was this 10-6 team who squeaked into the playoffs as a wildcard, won out in the playoffs by the hair on their chinny chin chin, and defeated an 18-0 juggernaut by 3 points to win the Super Bowl. Well, maybe that didn't cheer you up that much, but think about it this way: if they can do it, why can't we?

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:30:18 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

29 days ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall is stopped by Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall during the third quarter of the NFL football game, Nov. 15, 2009 in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Here we are again, with another loss to contend with. This one is worse than the last two, because this one looked like a sure victory when we were marking off W's and L's on the schedule. Of course, if Kyle Orton didn't get hurt, it probably is a W, and the Broncos are still sitting on a 1-game lead over the Chargers. Since that's not the way it played out, we have to do the other thing.

We'll get into the details, from soup to chocolate cake, and make some sense of all this, because that's what we do here. We'll explore what happened, we'll find some things to feel positive about, and we'll have some fun. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. There's a certain interconnectedness to a football game, and its outcome, among all phases of the game, and all 45 active players. I've talked about this many times before, and John Bena called the loss a team effort in his postgame writeup. I would call this a team effort whose final score is mostly attributable to the poor second half play of the offense, and mostly, of Chris Simms.

What I mean by that is this. Over the first 6 games of the season, the Broncos led the league in scoring defense. They were especially strong defensively in the second half of games. That trend has been turned on its head the last 3 weeks. The last two weeks, especially, I believe that the main reason why the defense struggled in the second half was that they were on the field for too many plays, due to the struggles of the offense. Each side of the ball needs to help the other. The Broncos have been getting shut down on offense, and worn down on defense, and it's been difficult to watch.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were going on and on Sunday night about how the Colts led the NFL in scoring defense heading into this week. If you've watched the Colts, they don't even have a particularly good defense, if there is any chance you can run the ball against them. They have allowed so few points because they deliberately shorten the game when they're on offense, and because once they get a lead, the strength of their defense comes to the fore. They rush the passer well with four men, and drop 7 men into cover-2. If you stay out of situations that are favorable to Indianapolis, you can gash their defense.

This is what has been happening to the Broncos as well. Remember - in the first 6 games, the offense did its best work in the second half of games. They possessed the ball, they took their time, and they methodically controlled the games. When the defense was on the field, they were fresh, they substituted frequently, and they made plays to get off the field quickly.

Kyle Orton played great in the first half Sunday, just as he'd played very well in the first half of the Pittsburgh game, (outside the one interception). For all the hollering that went on about his lack of deep throwing, he threw a couple very nice deep balls for TDs to Brandon Marshall, and he just barely missed another to Eddie Royal. That opened the field vertically. He also did a very nice job on a few bootleg throws to Tony Scheffler, and a crossing pattern to Marshall. Those plays stretched the field horizontally.

The Broncos had Washington where they wanted them. Remember, they moved the ball on the possession where Correll Buckhalter fumbled, and they had the 17-play drive at the end of the first half, to take the 3-point lead. The Orton injury changed the entire complexion of the game. Simms simply couldn't complete a pass, and didn't seem to know where to go with the ball, and a lot of good work by Knowshon Moreno was wasted.

Most teams will struggle when they lose their starting QB. That's a function of the fact that there aren't 32 good QBs in the NFL, let alone 64 of them. I came into this game thinking that the Broncos are in good shape with Simms, if they needed to use him. I hope that he shows better if he has to play against San Diego, after a week of first-team reps. I still do tend to think that Simms can play.

You hate to have a game get away from you because your backup QB couldn't cut it. The only thing worse would be if two games got away for that reason. I expect that Josh McDaniels will have Simms ready to go next week, and that the gameplan will play to his strengths, if they need to use him.

You have to be careful not to let one game unduly affect an evaluation of a team. All the time, teams lay eggs in games, and lose (or nearly lose) to teams they should blow out. Look no further than New Orleans on Sunday, who seemingly tried to lose to St. Louis. Not to say that Dallas should have blown out Green Bay, but they shouldn't have gotten dominated like they did, either.

There's a lot of Chicken Little stuff going on here, and the one thing that will stop it is a victory against San Diego next week. Yes, I know that the Chargers are on a winning streak and the Broncos are on a losing streak. Remember when the Broncos had won 6 in a row, and the Ravens had lost 3 in a row? The Broncos can beat San Diego, which we know, because they already have this season. If they win that game, they'll re-take command of the division, with a one-game lead, and a sweeping of the head-to-head matchup.

2. In the big-time matchup of the week, the Colts got a win against the Patriots, and on Monday, Bill Belichick is being blamed by everybody who doesn't like him personally (AKA just about everyone). The fact is, Belichick has never curried favor with the media, and reporters tend to be critical of you every chance they get, if you don't pay them their due deference.

Joe Biden could tell you all about how that works. He never trusted the media after their treatment of the death of his first wife and daughter in 1972, and it always hurt him later, particularly in his two Presidential bids. John McCain and Barack Obama both have very deft touches with the media, and longstanding strategies of providing them a lot of access, and it was no accident that both were the nominees of their parties in 2008. If you're going to be a public figure, there's a clear benefit to cultivating relationships with reporters. The thing is, not everybody has the stomach for it, and Belichick is one of those guys who doesn't. Brett Favre benefits immensely from his relationship-building efforts, to the point of it being sickening most of the time. I heard somewhere recently that Favre spends hours with the TV guys on Saturday afternoons, as long as they want to hang out, and they really can't help but love on him.

Back to the lecture at hand, I would have done exactly the same thing as Belichick in that game situation, in going for it on 4th and 2 from his own 28. Why did he do it? Because he was pretty close to certain that he would lose the game if he punted, that's why.

Let's say you go by the book, and punt. Over all 2,293 punts in the NFL in 2008, the average net change in field position was 39.53 yards. The right call, if you ask Peter King, or others, was to punt, and give Manning the ball at his own 32, with about 2 minutes, and all 3 timeouts left. I say that that is choosing to lose the game in a way that will leave the coach blameless, as far as the idiot media is concerned. Well, he trusted his defense, and he played the percentages; it's not the coach's fault. Except he didn't play the percentages.

First of all, let's get this nonsense about trusting your defense dispensed with. You should always trust your defense. Former defensive players like Tedy Bruschi, Matt Bowen, and old friend Tom Jackson love this line of thinking, but it's utter horse (manure). You should only trust your defense if you think they are likely to make the stop, and win you the game. If you think they aren't, then it's a fool's errand to trust them. You say to them, hey, realistically, you guys probably weren't going to stop Peyton Manning, which really doesn't make you much different from any other team's defense. There is no room for blind machismo, or making a statement, or worrying about hurt feelings; this is about winning football games, nothing more.

I didn't spend a great deal of time on it, but I took a look at every game recap for the Colts since 2005. (I think 4 ½ seasons is a reasonable sample size.) Since then, including the postseason, Manning has had the ball late in the game, trailing, on 19 occasions which I counted. He came through to either tie or take the lead 15 times, which is a 79% success rate. (In 2007, he was 1-for-4, which was pretty aberrant for this sample. Two of those misses were against the strong 2007 Chargers, whom the Colts struggled to pass-protect against.)

Here's the deal. Statistically, you have a 60% chance of picking up 4th and 2, but that probability is almost certainly greater, due to the fact that you have an outstanding offense, and the Colts have an average-at-best defense. If I were Belichick, I would have put my conversion probability at 70% for that play. That same source says that an average team returning a punt, given those field position- and time parameters, scores 53% of the time. We already know Manning succeeds 79% of the time, because he's one of the greatest QBs ever.

You can choose to probably win, or you can choose to probably lose, in one moment. What do you choose?

Belichick chose to probably win, and came up on the side where the probable outcome wasn't the actual outcome. Serious poker players know exactly what I am talking about here. Sometimes, you play the hand correctly, and you go all-in with the best cards, but you lose anyway. It's a fact of life. You accept it, and you don't complain about it, because you know you made the right call, regardless of the outcome. The next time you're faced with the same situation, you do the same thing, again, because it was the right call.

When I got home Monday night, all I saw and heard was TV talking heads second-guessing the decision. Stuart Scott pretty much butchered the stats, but he actually cited our friends at AdvancedNFLStats.com. The shockingly anti-intellectual Steve Young promptly claimed that the stats aren't legitimate (except they are). We got to hear from Tedy Bruschi how he'd feel as a defensive player on the Patriots, as if that's germane to anything at all. Trent Dilfer's blood boils when he hears the "other side" of the argument, AKA the correct side. Blah, blah, blah. (Sorry, brief possession by an ex-wife-like-entity again.)

Just imagine the reaction if Kevin Faulk had made the 2 yards. The stories today would have been about the stones on Belichick, and how he is such a great coach to make a risky call. It would be like Mike Shanahan going for 2 in the Hochuli Game last season. (Shanahan correctly thought that was his best chance to win. He felt he had a better-than-50 percent chance of scoring the conversion, and he knew that he had a 50% chance of winning a coin toss, and about a 98% chance that the Chargers would score in overtime, if he lost the toss.)

I'm no great defender of Belichick, the man, but when he's right, he's right. If it's an average QB, and an average offense, you might punt in that situation, but against Manning, that's always going to be the wrong call on 4th and 2. Once again, Belichick is smarter than the average bear, and smarter than every member of the football MSM.

3. Information From My Eyes - Broncos at Redskins

a. All four deep throws Orton made were good throws. Eddie Royal misjudged the one incompletion, and Brandon Marshall got out-fought by DeAngelo Hall on the second, but both were definitely well-thrown balls.

b. That fake field goal was a debacle, but I don't personally blame Mike Priefer. My goat on that play is Darrell Reid, who was telling Marcus Thomas to cover Mike Sellers, while he decided to contain the left edge of the offense, as the play flowed right. Alphonso Smith caught some initial blame, but I disagree there. He was in deep center field, and flowed with the play, like anybody would coach him to. Who knew Hunter Smith could throw back across the field?

c. Ryan Clady got beat badly once on Sunday. That doesn't happen often at all, obviously. That's the first sack he allowed that I would say was fully on him.

d. From the department of good news, Matt Prater doesn't seem to be having a second-half slump this season.

e. I was very impressed with Knowshon Moreno's vision and quickness on Sunday.

f. I've already made my evaluation of Mitch Berger, so everybody knows where I am at on that one. I saw somewhere where Frank Schwab, some beat reporter, speculated that Mitch Berger's 65-yard punt might save his job. If a kick that went about 42 yards in the air, and rolled 23 on the ground can do that, something absurd is going on.

g. I had a busy workday Monday, which set my schedule back, and is unfortunately going to preclude me from taking the time to do Between The Lines this week.

On watching the game a second time, though, it occurred to me that the bulk of Washington's success in running the ball was on zone-blocked plays. As I think about it, the Broncos haven't faced much of that this season at all; really just Oakland, who does it crappily. That's really something to work on, because the lateral movement seemed to unsettle the Broncos defensive line.

h. D.J. Williams got blocked a lot, and took a lot of bad angles. Again. This is getting to be an annoying habit.

i. Andra Davis continued to be a bright spot. He is a terrific blitzer and has a great sense of timing for delaying his rush. His missed tackle on that Devin Thomas catch and run in the 4th quarter was bad, but he otherwise graded out very well.

j. On a painful second pass watching the game, Chris Simms lacked timing with the receivers, as much as anything. Every throw was a little late. It seems like Orton may be able to play next Sunday, but if it's Simms, I hope a week's worth of reps will help him build some timing.

4. Information From My Eyes - Other Games:

a. I was really curious to see the Buffalo-Tennessee game, and I recorded the Short Cut overnight, and watched the game Monday evening. Why would I care about this game? Well, the two teams played in the Hall of Fame Game, way back when it was still warm in Cleveland, and my girlfriend at the time called at halftime to break up with me.

In that game, the Bills couldn't block Tennessee, and the Titans looked like a Super Bowl team. So, I wanted to watch Sunday's game, because I wanted a good sense of where these two teams are. Tennessee probably isn't going to make the playoffs, after starting 0-6, but they've righted their ship, and they'd be trouble if they did make it. Their defensive line is still nasty, and I continue to be impressed with the job William Hayes is doing in replacing Jevon Kearse.

b. On the other side, the Bills still are below average on their offensive line. Their two highly-drafted rookies, Eric Wood, and Andy Levitre, particularly struggled, as they both had in the preseason game. Levitre even ended up playing some LT, due to an injury, and he really struggled outside. Wood got pushed backwards consistently in the passing game, and he's been generally pretty good as a rookie. The Bills need to shore up their offensive line in the offseason, and I am sure their new head coach will make that a priority, if they hire a competent one.

c. I am ready to make a pronouncement. If Vince Young couldn't run, he'd be the second coming of Trent Dilfer. He really isn't much of a thrower of the ball, and he leaves too much air under his throws. You can get by with him in a run-heavy offense, which is what the Titans really are.

Because he can run, he adds a useful element, and the team is really dangerous on option plays, and QB runs. His running ability can dictate that teams play man-to-man defense, and keep a guy out of coverage to spy him. Really, the Titans are back to being the 10-6ish team they were in 2007. I think they'll ultimately decide to stick with Young for next season, and look to build up the interior of their offensive line, and their back 7 on defense.

d. It seems like forever ago, but I did watch the Chicago-San Francisco game intently last Thursday. I think my first thought that I'd like to share is that the Bears defense played like they had some pride. I think Tommie Harris playing well made a huge difference. He is really the key to their whole scheme. I ripped him, and them, last week, and I told the guy from WCG who took exception that I'd say when they played well on defense. They did.

e. I don't really feel like I should say anything about Jay Cutler, because this column aims to stay away from saying obvious things. I'll just say it must be nice to have so many apologists when you mess up. He's like the second coming of Ronald Reagan with how teflon he is.

(Tangential ST&NO story - Reagan is a member of my fraternity. When he died in June of 2004, I was a senior at CSU, and President of my chapter, and I was asked to go on local television, to talk about Reagan as a fraternity man. Our guys did a fundraiser, and jumped on a trampoline for 54 straight days in the 80s, to break a Guinness record, while Frater Ronnie was POTUS. He sent us a congratulatory letter, so I focused on that with the news chick, Angie Lau. I had nothing but nice things to say, as Ronnie was definitely a good fraternity man.)

f. Peter King is really proud of himself for naming San Francisco's Aubrayo Franklin a midseason All-Pro as a NT. When Franklin got that scoring-area INT early on last Thursday, I kind of groaned, because I knew there was going to be some crowing about it.

I never have felt like Franklin jumped out, so I watched him closely, and my review is mixed. He didn't play a lot of snaps, so I wonder about his conditioning. He did play pretty stout against the run at times, and I felt like he was a good player overall when he was on the field. I could easily name 10-12 interior defensive players who are better, though. I guess it's fun to have a guy who is your guy, though.

g. Is Marc Bulger a veteran QB? I have always thought he was, but his command of clock management seemed really bad on Sunday. The Rams had a pretty good shot to beat the Saints, and Bulger and his receivers blew it. Man, I can't tell you how much I would hate to be associated with that team, in any capacity. It's got to be so disheartening to have no talent, be almost completely uncompetitive, then have a chance to beat an undefeated team, and blow it. Can you imagine what it's like to be a fan of such a team?

h. Reggie Bush had a really big game for the Saints on Sunday, stepping up from his usual "highly-paid-decoy" role. It's interesting to speculate on how the Saints value him. Obviously, they don't think he's a full-time RB, but he's paid like he's Adrian Peterson. I'd be happy to have him as a swing player, between RB and WR, but he's a backup at both positions, and I'd only pay him backup money. We'll soon see what the Saints think, because if I recall correctly, his contract is pretty well back-loaded.

i. Josh Freeman continues to look like he's the real deal for the Buccaneers, and Raheem Morris continues to look like he's gotten his bearings as a Head Coach. Both did a nice job in Sunday's game, despite Miami's comeback victory.

j. Speaking of Miami, I want to address the "Wildcat." The Dolphins are the only team which has had a lot of success with it, and every time they have a game with limited success, somebody speculates that the "trend" has run its course.

The thing is, Miami doesn't treat it like a trend. They treat it as a key part of the way they play offense, which puts their best players on the field together. They are committed to it, and they will continue to run it. They trade the disadvantage of being formationally unlikely to throw for the advantage of having 2-3 players who are good ball-carriers, who might get the ball in the running game. Other teams are finding that the direct-snap game maybe doesn't work for them. For Miami, it will continue to be an important part of their gameplan.

k. Joey Porter has had a pretty sub-par year, and he was a healthy scratch on Sunday. That raised some eyebrows, and Tony Sparano wouldn't comment on it. It actually parallels Adalius Thomas basically being shut down by the Patriots. Both teams are showing that having a big name and a big salary doesn't guarantee playing time, if you aren't producing on the field. Expect both players to be released after the season.

l. Another game I decided to watch on Monday was Jacksonville at the Jets. The Jets miss Kris Jenkins terribly, and their defense is nowhere near as good as it was when he was healthy. They are having to scheme to stop the inside run, and to keep Bart Scott and David Harris clean, and these things used to just happen. I expect New England to blow them out this coming week.

m. I can see why people like Mark Sanchez, but I continue not to be a fan. He's well-coached, and he has excellent fundamentals. I just think he's very limited as a natural thrower of the ball. I consider him to be a poor man's Matt Ryan, which is another way of calling him a middle class man's Chad Pennington.

Sanchez plays in a windy place, which I have noted before, and that's going to always be an issue. Another issue is that the offensive scheme he is playing in is very vertical, and Sanchez is a poster boy for the West Coast Offense. Rex Ryan inherited Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator, but I don't think Schottenheimer and Sanchez are a very good match. I have to wonder if the Jets don't make a change in the offseason, to bring in somebody to make the passing game's design more horizontal. Mike Shanahan could do wonders with Sanchez, although he won't be going to New York.

Really, as I think about it, if Sanchez and Jason Campbell could trade offensive coaching staffs, they'd probably both be much better off. Two owners traded teams once; why couldn't this happen?

n. There was a crazy sequence in the third quarter, where Sanchez threw an interception to Quentin Groves, then Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled at the goal line, and then Braylon Edwards fumbled at the end of a 41-yard catch. It was a whole lot of ugly going on at once, like the perennially sloppy tendencies of the Jaguars were rubbing off on the Jets.

o. Torry Holt was a great player for many years, despite playing for some obscure St. Louis teams. Really, you could make a case that he was a better player than a few Hall of Famers. (How about Art Monk, Steve Largent, and Lynn Swann to name a few?) I would go so far as to say that he was better than any WR the Broncos have had in my lifetime, a little ahead of Rod Smith.

My point in giving Holt credit, is that I have to say that I think he is getting pretty close to the end of the line. He has really struggled to get any separation, in the times I have watched him this season. He had two strong games, against St. Louis (bad defense) and Seattle (garbage time in a 41-0 game), but I haven't been impressed with his recent work.

p. I loved the call by the Jaguars to have Jones-Drew take a knee and run the clock out. His apology to his fantasy owners made me cringe, though. I may be 7-3 in the official MHR league, but fantasy football is at odds with my beliefs about football, and I have a hard time reconciling the two things.

q. I couldn't talk myself into watching the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game. Sorry, I know it was a key game, but a game with zero offensive touchdowns offends my sensibilities. (Just in case you were wondering why I had nothing on this game.) I'm sure it was ugly, and I feel fine, personally, having seen the highlights. When I walk into a smelly restroom, I get out as quick as possible. No need to hang around for half an hour, to have a good idea what happened there.

r. Jake Delhomme had a dangerously solid game on Sunday. It was the type of fool's gold performance that makes the regime think they are okay with him as their QB, and really, Jake has been having those games his whole career. The Panthers are suddenly 4-5, and back in the picture for a Wild Card spot, but I really believe that they need a better QB if they ever want to really compete for a championship.

s. Matt Ryan struggled mightily again on Sunday, and his two interceptions were a lot of the reason the Falcons lost the game. His first INT, in the second quarter, led to a TD which set the Falcons behind 21-10. The one he threw in the 4th quarter was converted 3 plays later into the TD which put the game away for Carolina.

Don't get me wrong; Ryan is mostly a good QB, but he has definite limitations, which I have highlighted in the past. He really struggles to beat tight coverage, and he's seen a lot of it lately.

t. Speaking of Hall of Fame-caliber guys who look washed up, old friend Jason Elam seems to have really lost his fastball. He's now 9 for 14, and he's only 3 for 6 between 30 and 39 yards. I would be surprised if he kicks after this season.

u. I always thought Beanie Wells was soft when he was at Ohio State, and he didn't do a lot early this season to change my mind. Lately, though, he's shown a lot better, and he's a big reason why the Cardinals are 6-3, and squarely in control of the NFC West. I've also been more impressed with the play of RT Levi Brown than ever before. He's been blowing some people off the ball in the running game.

v. The Chargers have been really tough in the scoring area lately. Of course, the Eagles helped them out by not even trying to run the ball down there. You have to make the defense think that they have to defend everything, or else they are at a distinct advantage. Only getting field goals of 18, 25, and 25 yards on visits deep into San Diego territory was the difference in that game. A defense can get shredded, as the Chargers did, and if they toughen up in the scoring area, they make up for it. A lot of Donovan McNabb's 450 yards were low-quality.

w. The Chargers sure are paying Darren Sproles a lot of money not to participate very much on offense. He's a lot like Reggie Bush, in being a highly-paid decoy who is never going to be much more than what he is.

x. Hey, Adam Schefter. From a money guy, "large" means thousand. When you say "two hundred fifty thousand large," that means $250 Million. He said that on Monday Night Countdown (Served by Applebee's... really). People misspeak all the time; I just wanted to make sure he knows what "large" means. This is coming from a helpful place.

y. I have to hand it to the Browns. They played really well on defense Monday night. Their offense is just so terrible, that it's no use. Those defensive players are playing for jobs next year, whether it be in Cleveland under a new regime, or elsewhere. Guys who show some pride and effort on bad teams will have some good film for their agents to shop them with. Guys who pack it in will be out of the league, like so many guys who played defense in Denver last season.

z. I actually like to listen to MNF nowadays, as I finish ST&NO every week. The main reason is that I actually think that both Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden are value-adding to listen to. The guys at Mickey Mouse-land spent so many years looking for a good third man, with such horrible results, and they've finally found a good 3-man booth. I actually don't like Mike Tirico, who is good at basketball, but bad at football play-by-play (much like Joe Buck is great with baseball, and abysmal with football).

5. I know the Bengals have always been willing to take on troubled players, but it's hard to imagine what they are thinking in reportedly bringing in Larry Johnson. As LJ was to be the key RB on the Shallow Thoughts team in the official MHR Fantasy League, I can tell you that his performance has been garbage this season. Some of his bad performance can certainly be attributed to bad offensive line play in Kansas City, but Johnson is clearly lacking quickness to the hole, and the leg drive he had in his prime. I just don't see what value the Bengals are going to get out of him.

I've reached midnight, and unfortunately, I need to call it a night. My company is in the process of being acquired, which has caused me to be much busier than normal at this time of the month, and I have an early morning meeting Tuesday. I hope you enjoy this edition of ST&NO, and have a great week. I'll see you all again next Tuesday, hopefully with time to give you my normal output.

Horse Tracks 11/17/09 - Orton's status questionable for Sunday; Harris ruled out

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:36:44 -0000

DB - Week 11 - Mon: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DPP - Kyle Orton's status for Broncos uncertain for now - Lindsay Jones

INDT - 6-3 is not 3-6! Where’s the love? - Hunter Ansley
"Denver isn’t the only divisional leader sporting the deep scar of a shameful loss; it’s just the only one that everyone loves to hate. It’s the only team that has ESPN sportscasters squirming in their stools with gleeful doubt."

DPP - Denver's lines no longer in control - Mike Klis
Said Mike Nolan, "I think a lot of that is lack of discipline in what we're doing. We did it so well for most of the early part of the season, and we've got to get back to that. It's evident on film and the players all see it. It always seems to be the case when games are tight and guys try to make a play that can make a difference, and those are the times you have to be the most disciplined."

DPP - Ground work focus for next round of foes - Jeff Legwold
"Denver has surrendered more than 170 yards rushing in back-to-back weeks to teams that currently are ranked 17th and 19th running the ball."

DPP - Kiszla: Orton's field hooky not a good move
Wow. I'm not sure if Kiszla is saying what I think he's saying...

DPP - Q&A: Peyton Hillis needs to fight for a spot on Sundays - Jeff Legwold
Legwold does a very good job of explaining why Peyton Hillis hasn't been playing. But then he uses the J.J. Arrington signing as an example of a dangerous preference for veterans that results in salary cap hits when they get injured (no joking). It cost the Broncos $100,000 versus the cap. That's virtually nothing and certainly not notable. Let's also consider that Arrington is only 26 years old. Legwold also knocks McXanders using (for example) a higher pick than necessary for a player they like in the draft. Frankly, I want the front office to choose players they like and think fit the team, not just gather for value's sake...

DPP - Broncos Mailbag: Playoff hopes quick to crumble - Mike Klis
Klis thinks the Broncos match up well versus the Dolts and Colts. Hmm...Klis says almost the exact opposite of Legwold, and that McD "won't reach for players to fill a position of need."

NFLN - Mile high meltdown - Video
Martz and Faulk on the Broncos

DB - Forward Progress - Chris Gentilviso

DPP - Analysis: Experience will help Broncos through this rut - Mike Klis

DPP - Spotlight on Broncos all-purpose player Spencer Larsen - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Broncos eyeing ... The Chargers - Lindsay Jones

DPP - A numbers tale of Broncos turnovers

CBS4 - Elway Thinks The Broncos Are 'In Trouble' - Matthew Buettner

CSG - Broncos focus on AFC West showdown with Chargers - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos' McDaniels doesn't rule Orton out for Chargers - Frank Schwab

AP - Broncos Playing Wait-And-See Game With Orton - Arnie Stapleton

USAT - With Broncos slowing down, Chargers charge back in AFC West

DB - Ask Wesley Woodyard...

Chargers News

SDUT - Surging Bolts hope they don't succumb to hype - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Fashioning that look of success - Nick Canepa

SDUT - This Chargers list rings true - Nick Canepa

SDUT - Monday injury update - Kevin Acee

Y! - Tomlinson delivers after hearing special news - Mike Silver

NCT - Winning brings out chuckles from Turner - Jay Paris

NFL Results

NFL - Baltimore Ravens 16 at Cleveland Browns 0

FH - Ravens Win, Fume at Quinn 'Cheap Shot'

AFC West News

KCS - Chiefs coach Haley finding out it’s not easy making the decisions - Adam Teicher

SFC - Gradkowski might start for Raiders - David White

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Non-QB update - David White

NFL News

PFW - Week 11 matchup tidbits

NFL - Browns' Cribbs injured vs. Ravens, taken to hospital

NFL - Bengals agree to terms with ex-Chiefs RB Johnson

NFL - Seahawks owner Allen diagnosed with lymphoma

NFL - NFL fines Titans owner $250K for reported obscene gesture

NFL - Foot injury likely to sideline Dolphins' Brown vs. Panthers

NFL - Bills fear knee injury to LT Bell could be season-ending

NFL - Cowboys expect Hamlin out 3-4 weeks; Colombo longer

NFL - Gross expected to go on injured reserve after ankle surgery

NFL - Jets, defensive line coach make 'mutual decision' to part ways

NYT - Gruden Extends Contract With ESPN - Judy Battista

NYT - Supreme Court Won't Hear Redskins Name Case

NFL Opinion

NYT - N.F.L. Quick Hits From Week 10: Why Passing Is King - Andy Benoit

NFP - Diner morning news: great week, great games - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Six from Sunday: Believe in the Bengals; Romo, Russell struggle - Pat Kirwan

CBS - Prisco Grades: Week 10

FH - Vikings Put Faith in Adrian Peterson - Thomas George

ESPN - Gut-check time for Lovie - Gene Wojciechowski
Wojo wonders if Lovie Smith should bench Cutler

PFW - Johnson worth the risk for Bengals - Mike Wilkening

NFP - What will Bengals gain with L.J.? - Matt Bowen

NFP - NFL coaches eyeing college jobs - Jack Bechta

NFP - Deadline today for player extensions - Andrew Brandt

NFP - Scout’s notebook: offensive review - Wes Bunting

Beating the Belichick Decision to a Pulp

NFL - Belichick defends decision to go for it on fourth down vs. Colts
So are these guys being honest, or are they overcompensating as former Pats trying to seem objective??...
NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, a safety for Belichick for six years who retired before this season, called it "the worst coaching decision I've ever seen Bill Belichick make."
ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi, who retired this year after 14 seasons as a Patriots linebacker, said, "The decision to go for it would be enough to make my blood boil for weeks. ... I would look at this decision as a lack of confidence in our ability as a defensive unit to come up with a big play to win the game."

NYT - ZEUS Computer Program Supports Belichick’s Fourth-Down Bid - Toni Monkovic

NFP - The Monday Tavern: Belichick prepares for every situation, even this one - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Belichick's move done out of respect for Manning's ability - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Easy to second guess, but Belichick was just playing the percentages - Steve Wyche

Y! - Criticism for Belichick is misguided - Dan Wetzel

PFW - Belichick made no blunder with bold decision - Nolan Nawrocki

SI - Bill Belichick made right decision in Patriots-Colts game - Joe Posnanski

ESPN - Belichick flunked his open-book test - Gene Wojciechowski

FOX - The Day After: The real problem with Belichick's call - John Czarnecki

Poll

If you were Bill Belichick, would you have gone for it on fourth down Sunday night?

Yes

219 votes

No

175 votes

394 votes | Poll has closed

Silly untruths about the 2009 Patriots at the mid-season point

BigBlueShoe — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:12:04 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

about 1 month ago: New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo (51) celebrates a stop as Miami Dolphins center Jake Grove (64) and quarterback Chad Henne look on during the fourth quarter of New England's 27-17 win in an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Browse more photos »

Yesterday, we had the unthruths about the 2009 Colts. Now, we close out with untruths about the 2009 Patriots.

False

Tom Brady will take three years to fully recover from his injury, which means that he won't be "great" for a while now.

True

This year, Brady is completing 65% of his passes for 2364 yards (third best in AFC) and has 16 TDs to 5 INTS (same TD to INT ratio as Peyton Manning). Early this season, Brady did look "out of sync" with his receivers, and the Patriots are lucky they did not lose their first game of the year to the Buffalo Bills. However, Brady has recovered his form and is playing very well. In fact, it is shaping up to be one of his best statistical seasons ever.

Much of the "it will take three years" talk comes from using Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer as an example. Palmer suffered a somewhat equally horrible knee injury to Brady's in 2006, and it is only now that Palmer looks to have returned to form. This example is very misleading and flawed though. Palmer was "ready" to play the next season after his injury, but the Bengals roster in 2007 was not the Patriots roster in 2009. Flaws in the Cincy roster, bad coaching, and poor ownership factored more into the Bengals struggling since their last playoff appearance; not Palmer's injury.

False

The Patriots have lost too many important players to be a contender anymore.

True

Gone are Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, and Richard Seymour. These players were the foundation of three championships. However, new players like Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather have the Patriots allowing only 14.5 ppg (#2 behind the Colts). So, statistically, this is one of the better defense the Patriots have ever had. When you have Tom Brady, and you give him a defense that is only allowing roughly 2 TDs a game, you ARE a contender.

False

The Patriots basically have only two receiving weapons on offense: Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Double those two guys and you should be able to shut down this offense.

True

Um, if things were that easy, the Patriots would be 0-8 now. They aren't. When teams double those two WRs, tight end Benjamin Watson has stepped up and made some big plays. He is on his way to a career year, currently with 19 receptions for 271 yards and 4 TDs.

Like with all great teams, lots of silly, incorrect information gets thrown out there and just accepted as fact (like when people say Peyton Manning "struggles" against 3-4 defenses). When morons spew this kind of lazy garbage, it is up to us bloggers to kick them in the nuts, laugh in their face, and yell "WRONG!"

Know Your Colts History: 9 Signs That Its Rivalry Week

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:34 -0000

1. You've scrounged through the Patriots' roster looking for ways to make zingers off of their names. Some examples:

Nice whiff on that tackle Vice Wil-dork!
Junior Seau, seriously? You've been a senior for a decade.
Tully Banta-Cain? More like Tully Banta-FAIL! You must have learned from A-FAIL-ius Thomas!
Hey BenJarvus Green-Ellis...I don't like you either!

2. For Veteran's Day you wore your favorite patriotic shirt that had no red in the design whatsoever. Blue and white are the only colors on the U.S. flag that matter anyway.

3. You've become allergic to New England clam chowder for some reason this week.

4. You just plopped down extra money on your Thanksgiving flight so you can board Colts 1.

5. This week you adopted a large group of rats and put them in your kitchen to create a realistic stadium experience.

6. Seeing a Brady jersey causes you to yell and kick the nearest tree, unlike the other 51 weeks of the year where you just foam from the mouth.

7. That gray hoodie that you during winter has suddenly disappeared.

8. Whenever you see Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi on television, you tell yourself that they're still on the team, just so you can hate the Patriots even more.

9. Whenever someone asks you "Who's your daddy?" you automatically respond by saying, "Archie Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game! What did your dad ever do?" before realizing that you're not Peyton Manning and the discussion up to that point had absolutely nothing to do with this week's game.

Preview Week Nine: Patriots at Colts

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:00:33 -0000

Now that I own this blog, and all the souls of the people currently reading it (which kind of makes me sound like the Freddy Krueger of sports bloggers), I'll dump on you what I dump on my own readers every Thursday during the NFL season: My game previews.

Welcome to primetime, b*tch!

If you don't get the Freddy Krueger reference, just keep your mouth shut or you will make MaPatsFan and I feel very old.

For this preview, I am required to (ugh!) do it from the POV of a Patriots fan, which basically means I cannot insert snide comments about Bill Belichick's sleep-inducing press conferences, or state that players "suck" just because I don't like them. For me, this takes all the fun out of writing a preview. I mean, what good is a preview if I can't make YET ANOTHER joke about Spygate, the Pats choking in the Super Bowl, and the laugh-rot-comedy-musical-review that is a Bill Belichick's post-game handshakes, which for Belichick seem less about sports congeniality and more akin to getting water boarded in a tank of gasoline.

Someone is NOT enjoying this handshake

Nevertheless, I will saunter forth with this preview, which (both on paper and seemingly in practice) might pit the two best teams in the NFL against each other this Sunday.

While the surprising Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints are getting much of the "WOW!" headlines, the bigger story is the play of the New England Patriots. Gone from last year's defense, which ranked #8 in scoring at 19 points per game, are Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Rodney Harrison. More so than Tom Brady, the foundation of three championships was built on defensive players, who always had a knack for coming up HUGE in big games (don't... think about... that damned Rhodes fumble...). This year, with all those players gone, with Adalius Thomas seemingly declining before our eyes, the Patriots sport the #2 scoring defense in the league, giving up 14 points per game.

They are second only to the Colts, who give up 13 points per game.

Again, Denver and New Orleans are getting the headlines for defense, but the real story (aka, the one more interesting to people who actually know football) is the play of the Pats and Colts defenses. No one expected these two teams to have such outstanding defenses in 2009. With Indy losing longtime head coach Tony Dungy to retirement and letting Ron Meeks go (rather unceremoniously, I might add), the feeling from many was Indy's defense would regress even further from the mess it was last season.

Not so.

The Colts and the Pats continue to prove that excellent pass defense, coupled with smart pressure packages that maximize the risk of the opponent making a mistake, are the best practices to stopping NFL offenses.

So, for me, this game is actually less about the legendary quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady... perhaps you've heard of them) and more about the defenses for the Pats and Colts.

Patriots Defense

For Peyton Manning, players like Vrabel, Brushi, and Harrison used to give him fits. No defense bothered Peyton like the Patriots defenses from 2001-2004. Now, with those players gone, can new faces like Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather provide equal frustration to "Perfect Peyton"? Currently, Peyton is well on his way to winning his fourth NFL MVP, a feat no player has ever done. A "bad" day for Peyton now is "only" throwing for 350 yards, completing 65% of his passes, and no turnovers.

Again, that's "bad."

If the Patriots want to have any hope of winning this game, they must attack and frustrate Peyton. They must confuse, disguise, and rattle him. That is, by no means, an easy feat. In fact, no team has really been able to "rattle" Peyton since, maybe, the 2004 Patriots in the playoffs.

Colts Defense

For the Colts defense, they hired longtime Brady nemesis Larry Coyer as their defensive coordinator. Pats fans remember coyer as the "real" mastermind behind the Denver Broncos defense from 2002-2006. Coyer coached their defense during Denver's playoff win over the Pats in 2005, which saw Tom Brady throw an INT for a TD. From 2002-2004, Coyer was instrumental in keeping the "Holy Trinity" of the AFC intact (Patriots would beat the Colts, Broncos would beat the Patriots, Colts would beat the Broncos).

Now, Coyer is in Indy, and he has their defense playing as well as it has ever played. Dwight Freeney will own an NFL record if he sacks Brady this weekend, which would give him a sack in ten straight NFL games (going back to last year). Though Indy's secondary is beat up, losing longtime Patriots boogeymen Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson for the season, the Colts do sport some impressive safeties with Antoine Bethea and Melvin Bullitt. Colts rookie corner Jerraud Powers is a legit Rookie of the Year candidate, and Jacob Lacey (another rookie) has looked impressive as well. Despite their youth, this group has indeed been tested against passing attack from the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. They have passed with flying colors.

Final Pontification from Resident Blogging A-hole

Like all great Patriots v. Colts games, this one will likely go down to the wire. And while the QBs will likely get all the jeers and glory, it will be the defenses of these two NFL giants that will decide the game. While neither team runs the ball well (numbers-wise), both defense want to opponents' QB to throw more than they want to. The pass defenses for both clubs are their strengths. Look for both to find ways to pressure the QBs and force them into short-field mistakes.

Likely, the team with the fewest mistakes will win.

Armaggedon 2009 (or, the War of 18 and 12) : Just how evenly matched are the Patriots and Colts

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:16:43 -0000

More photos » by AJ Mast - AP

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts linebacker Clint Session runs the ball after intercepting a pass from Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. The Colts won 20-17. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

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For all the hoopla the New Orleans Saints are getting (and rightly so) for their 8-0 start, the reality is that, statistically, the Patriots and the Colts are more impressive. And while it is no en vogue for people like Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris to proclaim "Statistics are for losers," the reality is stats tell us an awful lot about how good a team will likely be moving forward.

Small side note: Anyone else find it both pathetically and ironically funny that Morris, who is 1-7 as a head coach, would proclaim that "statistics are for losers." Speaking of losers, Morris will be lucky if he keeps his job at the end of this season.

The Saints sport the league's best offense, averaging nearly 38 points per game, which is, of course, INSANE! However, their defense is surrendering 21 points per game, ranking them 19th in the league. But while the Saints appear free-wheelin' and high-flyin', the Patriots and Colts seem much more balanced as football teams and, therefore, much more dangerous.

New England sports the #2 scoring defense in football, surrendering 14 points a game. Their offense scores 28 points per game (#3 in the league). Indy trots out the #1 scoring defense, giving up just 13 points per game, and an offense that scores 27 points per game (#6 in the league).

If we Colts fans know anything it's that great offense with mediocre-to-bad defense can only take you so far in this league. Eventually, you will run into a team that will stall your offense. When that happens, your defense must have the talent and the coaching to win the game for your team. For the Pats and Colts, they seem to have the kind of defensive talent to stop opposing teams, which is incredible considering the Pats are without Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, and Richard Seymour this year. Meanwhile, the Colts are without Bob Sanders, Marlin Jackson, Ed Johnson, and Tyjuan Hagler. Yet, they still shut people down.

Again, balance on offense and defense can make a football team dangerous, and this Sunday two very dangerous teams will face off in what hopefully will be a great game.

For more, check out Marima's FanShot.

Is Parity dead in the NFL? Patriots still in an elite club

MaPatsFan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:40:22 -0000

It's funny. Sometimes stories and ideas are abundant. During the season, there's no lack for things to write about. Game wrapups, upcoming matchups, Q&A's with other bloggers. It's a wealth of information right at the fingertips. The long drought that is the off-season is a pain in the butt from a writer's perspective. So isn't a bye week. I'm not complaining, mind you, it gives one a little bit of a break.

As I said above, sometimes ideas are abundant and flow easily. Other times, they're sitting in the back of my mind, waiting for something to push them forward. So is the case with my thoughts on the NFL's parity issues. I've been thinking about this for a few weeks, specifically after 2 Patriot blowouts in a row. Outside of the boys from Foxborough, we have 3 undefeated teams (Colts, Broncos, Saints) and 3 winless teams (Titans, Buccaneers, Rams). Weird.

This idea of parity was pushed forward, as it often is, by our very own Marima's daily links, specifically a story by SI.com's Kerry J. Byrne. I found this to be an excellent piece of writing that asked as many questions as it answered. At the very least, Kerry provided some interesting facts and a few alarming (but good for us) statements:

The fact of the matter in today's NFL is that four teams -- all in the AFC -- have held an iron grip over the NFL for more than a decade. Denver, Indy, New England and Pittsburgh can be counted on year after year -- with the occasional exception here and there -- to stand among the very best teams in the league.

Those four have won 11 of the past 14 AFC titles. They've won six of the past eight Super Bowls and eight of the past 12. Over the past 15 years, the AFC's Big Four have filled 19 of 30 spots in the AFC title game.

Byrne confirms what I think we've all known: these 4 teams consistently run at the top of the heap. While the Colts are having a banner year in 2009, NE owns history right now:

The Patriots, of course, are two years removed from the first 16-0 season in history, they won a record 34 games over two seasons earlier this decade (2003-04), they need one postseason victory to set a record for most in a decade (15) and they've set every win streak in history this decade, regular season (21), postseason (10) and combined (21). Brady, meanwhile, has won a record 78.5 percent of every game he's started (106-29) in his career. Again, all facts that should, on their face, prove that concepts such as "parity" are dead.

What does Byrne offer as reasoning for this disparity in parity? Something we've all known all along: great organizations beget great teams.

Here's one guess why: the NFL, with so many players and so many coaches and so much turnover and so many moving parts, is all about management. And, right now, management has never been more important.

Humans are not equal in talent, whether they're in the front office, on the sidelines or in the huddle, and the notion that a few rules will "level the playing field" is being mocked openly on the field right now.

The highlighted statement is something I've felt all along. If you have a great organization working to get the best talent on the gridiron, you'll be a winner. Lose Scott Pioli? No problem; Nick Cesario has been groomed for years to take on that position. Lose Josh McDaniels? Ok, it's been a little bumpy, but Bill O'Brien seems to be improving. The Patriots have also gone through an amazing amount of turnover on the field. 3 giants on defense retired or were traded (Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Richard Seymour). Tom Brady came back after a year's recovery from ACL/MCL surgery. Julian Edelman and Fred Taylor have sustained major injuries and could be out for a significant portion of the season. Jerod Mayo was knocked out 7 plays into the season and finally returned a few weeks back.

Teams don't sustain changes like that unless they have great ownership, a great front office, and great coaching. The Patriots, like the other 3 mentioned above, have all that and can weather the storm of changes without too much disruption. Hopefully, the league doesn't try to somehow handicap or punish teams who have built these great organizations, but who knows.

I guess the question is should they mess with it to create parity?

Junior's back, but why? New England Patriots sign Junior Seau

MaPatsFan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:22:27 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

2 months ago: New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau smiles during practice at the NFL football team's facility in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 14, 2009. The Patriots signed 40-year-old Seau, who is entering his 20th NFL season. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Browse more photos »

"In eight months, I’ve been working out for a chance to make a choice. The chance, I didn’t have control of. Bill had control of that. But the choice was to be prepared for that chance. So for eight months, I have been training to receive a chance, and to have a choice. And here we are."

This is why Junior Seau is back. In a sport so full of dopes and idiots, thugs and morons, in walks a man of honor who has earned respect in the locker room and on the field. Junior stays ready. He stays ready for the phone call that may come.

"Junior", says Bill.

"Yeah Coach", replies Seau.

"We need you."

"I'm there, coach. Whatever you need."

A man of honor.

I am not delusional. I'm not totally blind with a man crush on Junior Seau. The man's 40 years old. And, in a sport where careers can end before a player cracks his third decade, my eyes are open to the fact that Junior's contributions on the field may not be at the same level as a Jerod Mayo or a Gary Guyton. But he has value to Bill and that's all I need.

In a defense that's horribly thin at linebacker, Seau seems to be filler, a backup role player that might see 15 to 20 snaps on a good day. He knows the system and he's played with many of the best in that system (Tedy Bruschi anyone?). Is he the ILB that will stand arm-in-arm with Jerod and hold down the middle? I don't think so. Could he be the guy who jumps in every now and then for a Mayo/Guyton inside? Probably. More importantly, as he enters his 20th NFL season, Junior's been around.

He has a love for the game and a love for the players in it, specifically the New England Patriots. He's stated many times that this is the only team he'll play with and Belichick is the only coach he'll play for. He'll do anything for Belichick; the two trust each other that much:

"The best thing I do is I lean on Bill Belichick," Seau said. "And the reason I say that is that Bill doesn’t kick around tires and say, ‘I’m just going to go grab a guy that’s 40 years old off the surfboard and say come and join us.’ He has a plan. And his plan is something that we’re going to try and implement, whatever it may be.

Junior is a lot of things. Is he past his prime? Sure, and he knows it. But what he has that this team needs is a fire, a veteran presence at linebacker that we're missing. Maybe Belichick brought him back because he's the spark that this team needs.

One thing I know is that you can’t coach courage. You can’t. You give me an A, B gap, I’m going through there, until I break glass. I will go through the A and B gap until I break glass. And that’s what I do.

Can't coach courage. When so many are whining about their paychecks, Junior is talking about courage.

A man of honor.

How To Beat The New England Patriots

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:09:05 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

2 months ago: Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason celebrates his touchdown with teammate Mark Clayton in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Baltimore, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. Baltimore won 34-3. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Browse more photos »

This week's matchup does not allow the readers to respond with what they said about last week's game against the Cleveland Browns, where many thought all the Baltimore Ravens needed to do was just show up. While that might have ended up true last week, it certainly won't be enough to beat the Patriots in their home crib this Sunday.

However, if the Ravens team that played last week shows up for this week's game and plays the same way, the Ravens can absolutely leave Gillette Stadium with an impressive victory and make a major statement about their legitimate claim as one of the best teams in the NFL so far this year.

(More on "How To Beat The New England Patriots" after the 'Jump')

Both teams are highly rated and thought to be legitimate playoff contenders this year after finishing 11-5 in the 2008 regular season, although the Pats missed out on the post season. Remember, these are the New England Patriots that went 16-0 in the regular season only two years ago. However, this is not the same Patriots squad that is playing now as a lot has transpired in their ranks that have left a dent their armor this year. QB Tom Brady is back after missing nearly all of the 2009 season with a knee injury, although he just doesn't seem to be completely healthy based on his missing targets that he normally was a lock to hit. The Pats traded DT Richard Seymour to Oakland for the Raiders first round draft pick and while that was a great trade for New England, it left a hole in their trenches. Combined with the fact that NT Vince Wilfork may miss Sunday's game puts the Ravens in position to enjoy a huge advantage in the trenches on offense. The LB corps of the Pats has been hit hard with the retirement of Tedy Bruschi and the injury to Jerod Mayo, and without them the front seven's ability to slow down the Ravens rushing attack and put pressure on the QB is greatly diminished.

These issues lead me to believe that the Ravens offense will be able to move the ball and put points on the board against the Patriots defense. But in order to win this game, the key will be whether or not the Ravens defense can limit the New England offense enough to prevent them from scoring more than we do. The Ravens defense is basically the same, if not better than the one that almost upset the Pats in that classic 2007 game during their undefeated regular season (that game is on the NFL Network tonight). The Ravens were horrible that year and still almost pulled off the upset. If we can come close to playing with that same fervor, then we will have a shot to win in New England, where the Pats have the NFL's best home record since the 2000 season, just ahead of the Indianapolis Colts and our Baltimore Ravens.

Don't expect the Patriots running game to have any more success against the Ravens as the rest of the league has had this season, much less for the past 38 games where no one player has rushed for over 100 yards against this defense. Limiting Tom Brady and the Pats passing attack will obviously be the key to this game. Keep Randy Moss out of the end zone and do not let TE Ben Watson get behind our safeties and we should be fine. Wes Welker should play but he is not the TD threat that the other two are. Welker can move the chains though, and is the speed threat across the middle and has great hands. Most likely, I see the Ravens fastest DB, Fabian Washington on Welker and Domonique Foxworth covering Moss, with help from Ed Reed in back of him. Dawan Landry should match up against Watson, unless we are in a nickel, dime or dollar packages with more DB's out there to provide additional coverage. Of course, turnovers could play a huge part in deciding this game, as both teams have been opportunistic on defense in thus category.

I like the Ravens chances and while this is by far our toughest game so far, we came through with a tough road victory earlier this season against the San Diego Chargers, which was predicted by many to be a road loss for the Ravens. At the same time, in New England's toughest game so far, they failed to beat the New York Jets on the road, against the Ravens former defensive coordinator, whose defensive gameplan should be repeated by the Ravens this Sunday. If Baltimore executes like they have so far this season, there is no reason that we can't outmuscle the Patriots and emerge from week four still undefeated and remain atop the AFC North.