SB Nation - Stephen Gostkowski

Matching up against the Bills - the Patriots take on another divisional opponent

MaPatsFan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:04:03 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

3 months ago: New England Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson (84) is congratulated by teammate Stephen Neal after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Monday, Sept. 14, 2009, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots beat the Bills 25-24. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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I love this picture of TE Benjamin Watson. In the pre-season, it was widely rumored that he was in the fight of his life for a job. Nicknamed "Stone Hands" and the potential victim of a team relegating TE's to blocking duties, it didn't look good for Mr. Watson. Then, things changed in our throwback opener against the Bills on Monday Night Football.

Full of controversy about "The Brady Rule", we were behind with a little over 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Tom Brady found TE Benjamin Watson who, in that moment, got rid of his "Stone Hands" monicker. The Bills fans in front of me at the game got very quiet. As we kicked off the Buffalo, Patriots fans were hoping for a miracle. And we got one. Leodis McKelvin, pulling down a Stephen Gostkowski boot into the end zone, decided to run the ball out instead of taking a knee for a touchback. As our special teams had practiced time and time again, McKelvin was stood up and the ball stripped from him in Bills territory. The Bills fans around me were now holding their heads. They knew that giving the Patriots the ball that close was not good. They were right. Brady hit Watson for another fantastic catch to win the game 25-24. What an opener for our Patriots and a disappointment for Buffalo. We've been on the other end of one of those this season (Indy anyone), so we're familiar with the feeling.

This has gone by fast, hasn't it? Suddenly we're 3 regular season games away from the end of the season and our Patriots, like last year, are in a race for the division crown. Unlike last year, we have a 1 game lead over the ever dangerous Miami Dolphins. If we win out, we're most certainly in the playoffs. If we don't, our destiny is not in our hands and we're at the mercy of a Dolphins opponent.

That's why this game is so important. That's why we need to take this one to the bank. That's why we can't lose focus. Playing on the road has been tough for us and this one just happens to be at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of a division rival. Have I mentioned this game is important? All division games are, but a win keeps us ahead of the rivals from FL.

The Buffalo Bills have seen some transition this season. With the firing of Head Coach Dick Jauron, the team has made it clear they want change. And while Trent Edwards nurses an injury, backup Ryan Fitzpatrick has garnered a respectable 4-4 up to this point with the most recent beating of Matt Cassel's Chiefs in a close 16-10 matchup. The brutal ground game of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson is something for Hoodie to keep track of. Lookout.

For me, the keys to winning this game lie not with shutting down Fitzpatrick. He's not burning up the field with his aerial assault; I feel like our somewhat struggling defensive backfield will do ok against him. No, the key to winning this game is run defense. Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson are, individually, workhorse backs that can carry a running game which is something we've never had. But put them together and they can make up for the lack of an aerial assault to the tune of 216 yards between them against Kansas City. What? Yeah, 216 yards. Can you say 4-3? I knew you could.

Looking at the stats, we're about middle of the road in run defense, so this worries me. Buffalo is middle of the road for run offense, but the Lynch/Jackson duo worries me. I'm sure that's where Buffalo will attempt to gash our defense. Once we've been lulled into worrying about that, There's always Terrell Owens. For all the crap we heap on Owens, the locker room cancer, etc... he's a threat every time he suits up.

On the other side of the ball, Buffalo is 5th in passing defense while New England is 2nd in both total offense and passing offense. This is where the battle might take place. Or one may think. We're 14th in rushing offense, but Buffalo is dead last in rushing defense. Laurence Maroney seems to be having some success of late. He's finally learned to put his shoulder down and slice through those thin holes. He's also learned the difference between patience and dancing, waiting for blocks to develop. This is where I think the Patriots will concentrate.

It's no secret the Patriots are an aerial team. But with a suspect Buffalo run defense and a very strong pair of Bills running backs, I think both teams will keep to the ground more often than not. Either way, we need this one.

Bills Fantasy Friday: Week 15 Start 'Em/Sit 'Em

Kurupt — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:00:25 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

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By now, pretty much every fantasy league should be in their playoffs. If not, what kind of league are you in?! For those of you lucky (or savvy) enough to still be fighting for your league's championship, congratulations.

The Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots this Sunday in a matchup with decent fantasy implications - even for the Bills. Buffalo looks to finally knock the Patriots off, while Tom Brady and company are looking to better their playoff and division title chances with a road victory. Besides Brady, who might be worth a start in this do-or-die fantasy week? Let's find out.

Quarterbacks
Tom Brady - I think it's pretty obvious that if you own Brady, you start him. Despite having a "down" year from what many may have expected, he still has over 3800 yards and 23 touchdown passes thus far. And in case you forgot, he's owned the Bills throughout his career (240 yards per game, 2.1 touchdowns per game, 102.6 QB rating, 14-1 record). Start him with confidence, especially in this must win for the Patriots. Verdict: Start 'Em

Ryan Fitzpatrick - The typical Ryan Fitzpatrick games have returned as he's thrown for 184 yards the past two games....combined. Don't expect those numbers to improve greatly this week, even against a very susceptible Patriots' pass defense that's giving up 211 yards per game and has allowed 22 touchdown passes on the season. They've allowed over 300 yards passing in four of their last five road games. The opportunities will be there, but with Fitzpatrick as the quarterback, those will likely be wasted opportunities like so many other chances the Bills have had. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Running Backs
Laurence Maroney - Maroney has seen a bit of a rebirth this season, as he's been able to remain healthy and on the field for the entirety thus far. SInce taking over as the main rusher in the Patriots attack, he's put up 555 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns in 8 games. Those are solid numbers for a flex back, especially one who was mostly forgotten on draft day. With the Bills run defense still atrocious, Maroney will definitely have his chances to put up a monster game. Expect a short yardage touchdown and 75-100 yards at the very least. Verdict: Start 'Em

Sammy Morris - The former Bills has returned to the field recently after battling a knee injury. He's averaged roughly 7 touches per game in this three games since returning, but hasn't really had much of an impact. With Bill Belichick, you never know if Morris will assume the majority of the touches, but at this point, it's hard to believe he'll be anything more than a secondary option in the Patriots ground game. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Fred Jackson - Jackson continues to start and get the higher percentage of the rushes. I think that will continue. Jackson has been very successful against the Patriots recently putting up 276 total rushing and receiving yards and a touchdown in the past two match-ups between the teams. With Marshawn Lynch starting to come on, don't expect Jackson to get the type of work needed to reaches those numbers again, but he could be in line for a pretty solid fantasy day. I expect him to be a big factor in the passing game and he seems to be the goal line back at this point. I'd take a chance and go with him as a flex this week. Verdict: Start 'Em as a flex only

Marshawn Lynch - Lynch is starting to run a lot better recently, picking up 144 yards on 18 rushes over the past two games. With an offensive line that is beginning to run block a little better, Lynch is starting to benefit. However, he's still only averaged 8 rushes per game over his last six games. Don't expect a big game out of him, but he could have a solid game all around. He's not worth starting in fantasy though. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Wide Receivers
Wes Welker - Welker has been fantasy gold this year, in normal formats and especially in PPR leagues. He leads the league in receptions with a whopping 105 thus far, and his currently second in the NFL with 1,158 yards. Taking out the season finale last year where nobody could throw the ball in the wind, Welker has 34 receptions for 347 yards in four games against the Bills since joining the Patriots. Amazingly, he hasn't found the endzone. Don't worry about that though. Welker will be his usual self catching a ton of passes and moving the chains. Start him with a ton of confidence. Verdict: Start 'Em

Randy Moss - A lot has been said about Moss the past week, and whether or not he quit against the Panthers. I don't believe he did, but then again, I didn't see a whole lot of that game. One thing I do know, Moss, Brady and Belichick will be hellbent on getting this guy going again. I fully expect them to go to Moss early and often. He's dominated the Bills during his Patriots career. Again taking out the Wind Bowl game, Moss has 32 receptions for 437 yards and 6 touchdowns in four games. I fully expect Moss to have a big game this week, especially if Reggie Corner is involved at all. He'll get his. Verdict: Start 'Em

Terrell Owens - Owens scored last week, but again had a down game. He's put up good numbers against teams that reside in Florida this season, but has struggled in pretty much every other game. In the first match-up, Owens had just 2 receptions and was effectively taken out of the game. The Patriots will try to do that again and it's hard to believe they won't succeed. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Lee Evans - If ever there is a team to definitely bench Evans against, it's the Patriots. He's struggled mightily against them during his career and those struggles should continue. Evans has been a non-factor for much of the season. God bless you if you are actually contemplating starting him this week, or ever again! Verdict: Sit 'Em

Tight Ends
Benjamin Watson - (Who goes by Benjamin?) Watson pretty much destroyed the Bills in the 4th quarter of the first match-up and ending up scoring the two touchdowns to give the Patriots the lead for good. He's been a bit player in the Patriots passing attack since that night, which is a surprise to no one. Stick with whatever has gotten you to this point. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Shawn Nelson - No way. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Kickers
Stephen Gostkowski - Gostkowski is 5th in the NFL with 106 points and 6th with 23 field goals made. He's one of the few kickers that you should keep in your lineup each week. Verdict: Start 'Em

Rian Lindell - Surprisingly enough, Lindell is actually tied with Gostkowski with those 23 field goals made. Still, you really can't rely on him to get his chances from week to week. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Defense/Special Teams
New England D/ST - With Fitzpatrick and the cringe-inducing Bills offense as the opponent, there will be ample opportunities to pick up sacks and pick off some errant throws. They've been a solid fantasy unit this season, so you shouldn't really be concerned that they haven't done it this year. As is usually the case with fantasy defenses, you can pick up good chunks of points week to week based on matchups. I think this is one of those weeks. Verdict: Start 'Em

Buffalo D/ST - The pass defense has been opportunistic this season, but it's still hard to imagine them shutting down the Patriots this week. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Sleepers
None - If you're still playing in your league at this point, you really aren't looking for any sleepers to get you some cheap points. Plus, I don't think there's any in this game as it is.

*******

Let's just hope the Bills put up a fight and keep the game within striking distance. The Patriots will likely be coming in hungry and ready to smack the Bills around. I just hope the Bills are ready to smack back! Good luck in your fantasy playoffs this week, and Go Buffalo!

Patriots in the RedZone, sponsored by ComCast

MaPatsFan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:43:55 -0000

Talk 4th and 2 all you want. In our matchup against the Colts, we went 3 for 6 in the RedZone. RedZone efficiency doesn't always determine success on the field (Randy Moss's 63 yard TD pass), but it IS a good indication of how well a team does when the game gets "compressed" inside the 20. And, in the case of this past Sunday, it was certainly one of the contributing factors to our loss. In for 6 vs. a Stephen Gostkowski field goal and game over.

Despite its troubles in the RedZone, New England is at 45% for the year. Not bad, but it would be good to see some improvement.

Game Recap: Colts defeat Patriots, 35-34

MaPatsFan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:07:57 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

about 1 month ago: New England Patriots NFL football head coach Bill Belichick speaks at a news conference in Foxborough, Mass. Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, in the aftermath of Sunday's 35-34 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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I am stunned, but not surprised. I am stunned because as our biggest rival in the AFC, a win would've meant a lot: a chance to go 2-4 against Indy, a better face-to-face record for potential home field advantage (if tie breakers come into play), seeding... you name it. Most of all, I simply wanted to beat Indy. And for a large portion of the game, New England had the upper hand.

I am not surprised because the Colts are that good. When the Patriots get up on a team with as wide a margin as they had, it's usually lights out. Rivals simply can't recover and usually get stymied in all three phases of the game. Not so with the Colts, especially Peyton Manning. I remember thinking to myself that Manning just wasn't clicking with his receivers Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie. If he DID begin clicking, it would create problems.

For most of the first half, Tom Brady appeared to be firing on all cylinders and doing an excellent job of finding the weak spots in the Indy defense. As I discussed in my game preview, picking on the young, inexperienced Indy secondary was one of the keys to success and Brady did a good job of that. With the half coming to a close, Brady had managed 24 points and our defense held Peyton Manning and crew to 14, an admirable task. I remember thinking, "This is cool. We seem to have control of the game, but it ain't over until it's over." Boy, was I right.

The third quarter remained scoreless which was ok in my book; maintaining a 10 point lead against Indy for 15 minutes is a VERY good thing. Then, as if to guarantee the win, Wes Welker broke loose for a 69 yard punt return to the Indy 7 yard line. A 2 yard pass to Kevin Faulk was followed by a beautiful leaping grab by Randy Moss for a 5 yard TD. Brady put the ball where the 6-4 Moss could catch it and no one else. 31-14 - a 3 score lead with 14:23 left in the 4^th quarter. As if in response, the Indy offense drove down the field with 5 plays in 2:04 minutes to reduce the lead to 10. I remember thinking, "Uh oh." The Patriots, working off of a Jonathan Wilhite interception, marched back down the field, only to settle for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal; 34-21.

Some call it momentum, but I call it pacing. NE seems to have a methodical, calculated approach to pacing a game - much like our head coach is perceived to be. After teams are lulled into this pacing, we switch it up. The Colts' hurry up offense is a major weapon in their arsenal and one that appears to win games on a regular basis. It's built for sprinting down the field and sets a frenetic pace that defenses have a hard time adjusting to. The result is a defense that can't work in substitutions, causing them to get gassed, especially the large defensive linemen.

In yet another sprint, the Colts scored on a 6 play, 1:49 minute drive; 34-28. A really big, "UH OH!!" NE would get the ball on their 20 after a McAfee touchback and before the drive even started, Brady burned timeout #2. Kevin Faulk went up the middle for no gain. Timeout #3. Then, Brady went to his old standby, Wes Welker, for an 8 yarder up the middle, putting us at third down and 2. Another pass to Welker was broken up by Powers, leaving us with fourth and 2. Decision time.

We've discussed the odds ad nauseam on this site. From a statistical perspective, going for it was the right thing to do. And Belichick trusted his offense to convert. Knee the ball 3 times, punt away, and Manning has almost no time to score. That was Bill's calculated risk. There's more. Belichick won't say this, but his defense was exhausted and he probably felt the offenses' chances of converting that fourth and 2 were better than the defense's chances of sustaining another Peyton Manning drive, even if a Chris Hanson punt would've planted Indy at their 30 or so. After all, the Indy offense had just demonstrated how they can score with a pair of 2 minute sprints. Hindsight is 20/20 and we now know Belichick's calculated risk more than likely lost the game. We all know what happened next. Handing the ball to a Manning lead offense on your own 29 is most likely suicide. And it was.

1 single play, player, or coaching decision does not win or lose a game; I have never subscribed to that theory because it ignores the hundreds of plays and decisions that lead up to it. But there are some that are certainly memorable.

To correct a misconception, the Laurence Maroney fumble would not have been the difference maker in the game. Horrid to see, but Indy did nothing with that gift, punted away to Welker for a 69 yard return, and a 5 yard TD pass to Moss followed. The most a LoMo TD could've accomplished was to keep 2 minutes on the clock.
The 31 yard PI against Darius Butler with 3:03 left in the fourth was questionable, but Austin Collie made a veteran play by recognizing he didn't have the ball and slowing down, allowing Butler to collide with him and giving the refs the impression Butler impeded his progress.
A questionable timeout to start NE's last drive. We may never know what the reasoning was, but Brady felt he needed it.
Not converting with 4:17 left in the fourth, forcing a field goal. RedZone efficiency (or lack thereof) strikes again.

There are a number of positives from last night:

The rust appears to have worn off. Brady and his receivers are connecting well and didn't seem to make any mental errors like we saw in the beginning of the season.
Sebastian Vollmer is a beast. Any rookie who can take on Dwight Freeney and be relatively successful is ok in my book. He's made a case for a starting position at left tackle while Matt Light should be moved to right tackle and Nick Kaczur benched; Colts DE Robert Mathis abused Kaczur, allowing too much pressure on Brady.
The return of Julian Edelman was good to see. The more receivers we have, the more opponents have to worry about. Spreading the field is a good thing.
This game was so close, it came down to a yard. If we can do that against Indy, just think what we can accomplish against the rest of the NFL.

That's all I can stomach for now. I'd like to send a shoutout to the Stampede Blue crowd for a fun week of cross blogging leading up to this matchup. We had many well mannered and thoughtful exchanges which is what it's all about for me.

Game Preview: Patriots @ Colts

MaPatsFan — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:00:31 -0000

by Stephan Savoia - AP

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Here we are. Week 10 and it's the Colts. This is a critical game, but not because we want to beat up on one of our biggest rivals. Unless both teams implode in the second half of the season, it's a forgone conclusion that they'll win their respective divisions. What's the first thing looked at when determining home field advantage in a playoff scenario? Head to head record. If seeding works out and we happen to face Indy in January, we want them in Foxboro. Take Peyton Manning out of his dome and put him in the snow, that's what I way.

But there's still the emotional part of beating Indy. We're 2-1 in the post season against Peyton and the boys, but we're 1-4 overall in our last 5 matchups. As a fan, me no likey. At about 11pm ET, I really want to see this face:

That's Fivehead's sad, pouty face. That's the face I want to see. But it's going to take a lot to get there. We're in their house and nothing gets a crowd of Indy fans going more than the Patriots playing their team in THEIR house. At least everyone will be warm and dry; it helps to have a roof 8 games a year.

If you're a believer in Football Outsiders' DVOA analysis, the Patriots are simply a better team overall. There's a lot that goes into DVOA and if you're a stats geek you should read the explanation, but in general, the Patriots are more efficient. Breaking it down a bit, overall the Pats are ranked 1 overall, 1 on offense, and 8 on defense. The Colts are 3 overall, 5 on offense, and 6 on defense. Statistics are fun, but they can't predict much of anything come game time. Even if Indy has struggled to beat what could be considered mediocre teams, they've found a way to win. However, the Patriots are better than every team they've faced.

Keys to winning against the Colts in the Lube? To be very Belichick-ian, "Score more points than the other team."

RedZone Efficiency - It's not a stretch to say that our first ranked offense, based on DVOA, will be able to drive down the field against the Colts' sixth ranked defense. The issue is 3 vs. 6. I only want Stephen Gostkowski kicking extra points...and lots of them.
Indy's inexperienced DB - There's a lot of young talent in the Colts' defensive backfield. They're doing pretty good for what they're contending with, but I think Tom Brady and crew should be picking on them mercilessly. Wes Welker is practically unstoppable underneath, but that's low yardage, chain moving stuff. We need to get Randy Moss matched up against a younger, weaker DB. Bob Sanders is out, but Melvin Bullitt is no slouch. More stuff against the young CB's is the key.
Keep Manning off the field - I always hate this simplistic answer to the "How do we stop them" question, but it's true. He's their on-field offensive coordinator and is one of the best in the league at adjusting to defenses. He's especially good at pacing a game they way HE wants it paced. Take him out of the picture and Indy will have a long day.
Smart defensive play - As stated above, Manning can adjust to a defensive look very quickly. Setup too early and Manning will audible another play. Setup too late and you could be caught flatfooted. If the Patriots can a) have a generic enough defensive plan and/or b) give Manning looks and adjust on the fly, they'll do well.
Takeaway Manning's safety valve - Many will say Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon are Manning's most dangerous weapons. Like Moss, they are the deep ball threats. But, what if we eliminated Peyton's checkdown, his "third receiver"? Brandon McGowan has been given the job of covering Dallas Clark, the most prolific TE in the league to date. Calling him a pure TE and statistically matching him up in that category is a little ridiculous (more a TE/WR), but my point is remove that safety valve and Manning has nowhere to go. That is, as long as Wayne and Garcon aren't roaming the field at will.
Benjamin Watson - Watson is very well known to the Colts, but the Patriots have been using him sparingly, almost as a sneak attack. Defenses seem to forget about him and pretty soon, they get burned. Indy knows enough to blanket Welker and Moss, but they'll simply run out of personnel when we spread the field. Maybe not as prolific as Clark, Watson can be just as dangerous.
Ground game - We need Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk to step up their game a bit. Indy is ranked 14th against the run so we should have some success their. I would also like to see Morris and Faulk used successfully as passing options. Like I mentioned above, Indy knows to take away Welker and Moss; Brady needs choices if we're to be successful.

That's it for now. What are your thoughts? What are your keys to success? Have at it.

Bengals Banter: Head coach Marvin Lewis has Coors Light commercial potential. He just needs that moment.

Kirkendall — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:44:36 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis watches from the sidelines in the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won 17-7. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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Three things happened. One, we posted a lengthy midseason review on Wednesday that we wanted to keep in your peripheral vision so that more readers will see and comment on it. Two. I got two brand spanking new video games within the past week. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Dragon Age: Origins. Three. I was off work yesterday, which meant a whole lot of #2 (go ahead with your Peter Griffin laugh). All things considered, we have a lot to get through today.

Bengals players nominated. On Wednesday, player of the weeks were announced by the NFL. In the AFC Dallas Clark won on Offense, Tyrone Carter on Defense and Stephen Gostkowski on Special Teams. The Bengals did receive two nominations this week. Cedric Benson on offense and Johnathan Joseph on defense.

If we're forced to look at the Wild Card. Even if the Bengals lose to the Steelers, there's an interesting dynamic here that could reverberate for the rest of the season. The Houston Texans (5-4), Baltimore Ravens (4-4), San Diego Chargers (5-3) and New York Jets (4-4) would be fighting either the Bengals or Steelers for two wild card spots. The Bengals already lost to Houston, swept the Ravens and have the Chargers and Jets on tap.

While some call it an easier schedule, it doesn't make it any less critical. In fact, I feel I'd rather the Bengals have a tougher schedule. This team seems like the team that raises the ante when challenged. What we saw against Cleveland earlier this year scares me.

Time to start thinking about a contract extension for Johnathan Joseph. I felt very strongly naming Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall as the team's Defensive Player(s) of the Midseason. Not only are they on one of two teams with "two players with at least four interceptions", they "are tied for second for most interceptions in the AFC behind Buffalo's Jairus Byrd, who has seven." Leon Hall has the third most tackles among cornerbacks and one could argue that their coverages have enabled pass rushers the additional time needed to get to the quarterback.

Johnathan Joseph will enter the final year of his five-year contract in 2010 and it's time to start thinking about an extension. I know what you're thinking. It's a bit soon. I disagree. Once the season is over and if the Bengals and Joseph go through an entire offseason without conversation, then Joseph will feel insulted. With players as young as Joseph, whose biggest contracts usually come after their rookie deals (save for the first five picks of any NFL draft and elite superstars), the Bengals should reach out to Joseph soon and, at least, get the dialogue rolling. Once his contract is up and he declares free agency, there's probably a very small chance the Bengals sign him back. If he does sign an extension, this offseason will be when he does it. And considering how slow the Bengals are to get things like this done, it's time to start thinking about that now.

We let one get away. There really isn't an award for something we meant to mention yesterday at our cyber-cafe awards ceremony. I suppose we could call it "Coach of the Midseason" and nominate all of the coaches, like Paul Alexander or Mike Zimmer (or god forbid, Bob Bratkowski). What we really wanted to honor is how Marvin Lewis has turned this team around a second time. In 2003, Marvin Lewis took a 2-14 team and made them 8-8. In 2008, Marvin Lewis took a 4-11-1 team, turned them into a team that's 6-2 and preparing to battle the Pittsburgh Steelers for the lead in the division. How does one award that type of turn around from a head coach twice? I'm sure you could nominate all of our coaches for something, but Marvin Lewis should get the bulk of the credit for this team's complete reversal of holy crapiness to holy crap, they're good.

Should we talk about another contract extension? Lewis' contract expires after 2010.

Quote of the Day:

"That's why they brought me here - get the ball in my hand on third down and pass-protect for the quarterback," Leonard said. "Of the two, protect the quarterback is my No. 1 job."

Lewis really, really, really defends Jerome Simpson. One of the more interesting notes from yesterday comes from head coach Marvin Lewis' defense of Jerome Simpson.

“Jerome is doing everything he can to try to prove that he can get out there and make productive plays for us,” Lewis said. “He hasn’t lost an ounce of his athleticism and so forth but he has a lot to learn in coming to the NFL.

“He’s working diligently. Hell, he’s got his own coach. Which is great. He’s getting personal tutoring on every single play, every single day. Just trying to get where we can be confident that the quarterbacks can be confident in him understanding everything. He’s working hard at it. But some guys come here and they have a little better knowledge of how coverages unfold and things work. And Jerome’s working extremely hard at it. The other part of it, shoot, I don’t know if there’s a guy at any position that has the skill level of Jerome.”

OK, OK, coach. Anyone else see Joe Reedy during the ~~Coors Light commercial~~ press conference? I don't think anyone has disputed this kid's talent. But the truth of the matter is that he's probably going to be the team's fourth receiver. He needs to get on the field sooner or later. And if he's still not capable of being on the field as the fourth receiver, then you have to do something to utilize that roster spot. The deeper the Bengals get into the season as playoff contenders, the greater the possibility is that they'll need that roster spot on the field.

Bengals, no longer a finesse team, will beat the crap out of you. I've always wondered how Football Outsiders obtain their analysis. I don't mean the people. They're brilliant. I mean, do they watch game tape? A recorded broadcast? Or do they have access to All-22 -- an angle that shows all 22 players throughout the play. Can you imagine if we had access to that?! The analysis would be ridiculous. That's all we'd do -- once we tire of Modern Warfare 2 and Dragon Age... of course.

"Hello."
"Yea, bossman?"
"What is it, Josh."
"Yea, got the tape from last week's game. Going to take off work to check it out."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I know!! I actually got the tape."
"Josh."
"Well, it was a sloppy win. But a win is a win, right?"
"Josh."
"I really want to watch the pass coverages and how offenses react. I need one of those video tape dial thingys that slows and rewinds the plays."
(sigh) "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Actually, can we make it two days."

With that said, Football Outsiders wrote a piece on the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line.

It's typical to think of teams with great passing games and previously ineffective power blocking as "finesse", but any opponent harboring that assumption about the current Bengals is making a very big mistake. This is as much a power team as any AFC North bully could be, with its stacked lines and inside running, and the schematic variations tell the story of a line with great confidence and continuity. If the Bengals capitalize on their hot start down the stretch, the line will be a major factor -- with or without Andre Smith.

More, more, more.

All Bengals fans should read this Bob Labriola piece on Steelers.com, briefly explaining that the history between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati is a lot richer than you might think.

I was a part of The League panelists on Wednesday talking about Larry Johnson. I wrote that if Johnson wants to get back into the league, he should follow Cedric Benson's lead.

Laveranues Coles isn't very open with the media. “Uh, I don’t really speak (to the media),” Coles said. “I’m just chillin’.”

James Walker's biggest disappointment in the Bengals on his Midseason Report is that Andre Smith hasn't played yet. That's it? That's it.

Chick Ludwig thinks of ways to bring Maurice Purify to the 53-man roster, no matter what.

Steelers vs. Bengals: AFC North Game of the Year

Congradulations for Bengals fans, who donated "9,234 pounds of non-perishable and canned goods, 1,604 pounds greater than in 2008. In addition, Bengals fans gave $11,061 in cash donations to help feed the hungry in our community, a $3,041 increase over 2008."

Remember when we remarked that Ed Reed missed a lot of tackles last week against the Bengals? We weren't the only ones that noticed.

Steve Wyche handed out some love for the Bengals in his mid-season review. Cedric Benson was named as the Comeback Player and Andrew Whitworth was "Most critical to teammates' success".

Picture of the day. A reader sent this picture (a bit blurry) of a man wearing an Odell Thurman jersey... in France! And here we thought Steelers fans traveled well.

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Hidden Inches

JohnHannahRules — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:59:25 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski had four field goals in the win over Miami on Sunday. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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"The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second."

-- Coach Tony D'Amato, "Any Given Sunday"

The inches we need are everywhere sound bite

Every week, there are plays that waste inches and plays that scoop them up. Over the course of the game, thousands of variables collide and the outcome of the game could turn on any one of them. A holding call, an offside penalty. A broken shoelace, an angle of pursuit just a little too acute. A pass an inch too slow.

Watching the game, we see these moments go by. Sometimes you know they're big; often they fade into the background of a great win or a heartbreaking defeat.

Without question, the most prodigal of inches are penalties -- particularly mental errors that threaten to swing momentum. When your team commits a gaffe like that, the hero of the moment can be the teammate who grabs those yards back with a great individual effort. The hero of the moment may not make the cover story, but his colleagues will know the game turned on his timely work.

Despite some great individual performances by marquee players, this week's moment belongs to Stephen Gostkowski.

In the second quarter with the Patriots leading 10-3, the Dolphins uncorked their "pistol." On second and 8 from their own 22, rookie Pat White entered the game for the first time at quarterback. From a shortened shotgun set, White took the snap and raced in option formation around left end. Tully Banta-Cain, suddenly confronted with a defensive conundrum he hadn't faced since his college days, shot up field. White cut under and rambled for 33 yards.

Immediately, Patriot heads began to spin. Miami Offensive Coordinator Dan Henning, like a cagey old boxer, mixed combinations to thoroughly bamboozle New England's defense. Four plays later, White optioned right with a pitch to Ricky Williams who hit the gain line with a full head of steam and barreled into the endzone. The drive covered 80 yards in just under three minutes, and everyone with a rooting interest in the Patriots -- including the players themselves -- was experiencing a very acute and unpleasant attack of deja vu.

As Belichik huddled his defenders and began some intense sideline chalk-talk, Brady and the offense took the field with what suddenly looked like a very ordinary attack: shotgun passing and runs up the gut. In eight plays, marred by an offense pass interference call, the Pats ground down to the Dolphins 20. Gostkowski calmly drilled a field goal and the moment had arrived.

Last week in New Jersey, Ohio State product Ted Ginn, Jr. returned two kickoffs for touchdowns on runs totaling over 200 yards. Each return was a showcase of raw speed and athletic ability. The scores were the difference in the game -- which Miami won although the Jets statistically dominated. Already on Sunday he had a 37 yard return to his credit (stopped short by Gostkowski in a tackle that could itself have been the subject of this piece).

Now, with New England's defense still reeling on the sidelines and the momentum of the game very much in the balance, New England again needed to put the ball in Ginn's hands and risk the outcome. It was a brittle moment.

As the rest of the world watched, Gostkowski booted the kickoff out of the endzone for a touchback. Fan and player alike sighed with relief and began to shift attention to defense. But there was a flag on the play.

In a miscue in a line of miscues including Watson's drive-killing interference penalty, Bodden's drive-enabling defensive interference penalty and the general fugue that seemed to grip the defense, James Sanders had left too soon in pursuit. This infraction on the kickoff required a re-kick from New England's 25 yard line. Ginn and his blockers would have 75 yards to operate in, against a New England kickoff team that had been an adventure against even average return-men.

The coverage unit lined up again. Folks in the stadium tried to counter the sinking feeling in their bellies by leaning forward in their seats. Seventy yards away, Ginn wiped his hands and licked his chops: the holes were going to be there -- they had been before and they would be now. Everyone knew it. And they were probably right.

But Ginn never got his chance. Gostkowski struck through the ball and bloodlessly boomed a monster kick over ninety yards in the air and out of the back of the opposite end zone for a touchback. At a moment in the game when momentum was waiting to be grabbed, Gostkowski muckled on to it with one kick and handed it to his team.

Randy Moss would go on to have a monster day, with 6 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown, climbing a couple of different all-time ladders in the process. But he was the first man on the sidelines to greet Gostkowski as the kicker jogged off the field. Everyone in silver and blue knew who the man of the moment was.

The defense responded by forcing a punt and the Patriots stole back the possession they had given away on an interception at the start of the game. With one second left in the half, Gostkowski came on again for a field goal and made sure that Momentum spent halftime in the home locker room.

When the story of the game gets told over the next few days, you likely won't see this play in many highlight shows. But it was the corner around which this Patriots' victory turned.

Potent Quotables - Patriots Week -- Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and Brian Dawkins

John Bena — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:22:26 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) dives into the endzone over the top of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman (41) for a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Courtesy of the Broncos P.R. Staff

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On changing his approach now that the Broncos have won four games

"We never played up the underdog role, anyways. We are just preparing the same way we have prepared for every game this year from the preseason through the first four and are going to continue to prepare that way this week. Nothing is really going to change. (We will) just get really into the opponent and talk about how we have to play to win."

On if his plan changes since New England prepares in a similar manner

"The number one thing is just trying to understand how they try to play to win. We may try to go about winning the same way, but I do not think we have the same team. We are not the same team they are. They are not the same team we are. We don't play the same defense they do. We do run the same offense in some way, shape or form. There are some things that we obviously are going to know about them, and we they know about us. I think that is the difference. The fact that we are going to have to execute extremely well against a very good football team in every phase, that is the number one thing. I know they are going to prepare hard. They are going to be very well prepared. Hopefully, we are going to be the same, and then ultimately, it will come down to whose players play better on Sunday with the information that we have given them all week long. It will be a great challenge for us. We are looking forward to it. It is a great football team coming in here on Sunday."

On handling the success of a 4-0 start

"You have got to handle adversity when you face that, and you handle prosperity the same way. You have got to deal with it and move on. The biggest game is the next one, and that is how we are approaching this. This is our fifth game of the year and we feel... We are happy to be 4-0 but are certainly far from satisfied."

On WR Brandon Marshall scoring the game-winning touchdown against Dallas

"I think it was rewarding for him because he has worked hard. He has done a lot of things here that people don't talk about. He practiced his butt off and to go out there and make a play like that in a big game for us early in the season to help determine the outcome, I think kind of everybody got emotional and energized by the entire play. It was exciting for me to have a guy like that that I know has plugged away and gone through some things himself to come back and make a great play. That is what he did. He made a great play. Once he had the ball in his hands, we had a lot of help, but it was a lot of Brandon Marshall. To make a play like that in this league against a lot of great defenders, it says a lot about him. I think our team really responded to it and embraced the whole fact that it was him that made the play."

On Marshall's struggles with the Broncos before the season

"He was always a part of our team. He certainly is a big part of our team now. That hasn't changed, and we are looking forward to him making more plays like that."

On if New England QB Tom Brady's success is a result of his ability or the Patriots' offensive system

"I think it is definitely a result-his work ethic is incredible. His understanding of the defense that he is playing against each week is incredible. He knows personnel because he has been getting versed in that over and over throughout his career in New England. He knows (CB) André Goodman's strengths and weaknesses. He knows (CB) Champ (Bailey). He knows (S) Brian (Dawkins). He knows (S) Renaldo (Hill). He knows (ILB) D.J. (Williams). His preparation matches his ability on the field. That is a unique combination to find in a quarterback who works extremely hard on Sunday night-I say that in all seriousness. Whenever they finish their game Sunday, I guarantee you he was watching game of us Sunday night, not taking 24 hours to enjoy the Baltimore win but getting ready for Denver and watching DVDs. He has seen every game we have played three times already. He can go out there and actually do things with that information because he has got great talent. He is one of a kind. It will be a great challenge for us this week. Hopefully, we can rise up to the occasion."

On his relationship with Brady

"Personally, we have a great relationship, still do and hopefully always will. Any time you have a good relationship with somebody like that, I think you miss that relationship. It is just like leaving a really good friend or leaving home from your parents or whatever it is, but we keep in contact. I don't think there will be much contact this week until Sunday. That will always be the same, I think. I will always have a great deal of respect for him."

On the difficulty of being the most prepared team against the Patriots on Sunday

"It will always be difficult when you are facing any coach in this league. I know how well prepared they are going to be. I think all we can concern ourselves with is can we get our team as prepared as we possibly can in the next five days. That is really what matters I don't know if we could figure out who is more prepared and all the rest of it. I hope you are going to see two well-prepared football games out there on Sunday. The preparation and the execution that you see from that on Sunday will determine the outcome of the game. I hope that both teams are going to be really well prepared. I know they will be, and I know we are going to work extremely hard to be the same."

On preparing for the Patriots

"They are a great football team. They have got a great defense (and are) very physical, big up front. (They) rebuilt there secondary here in the last few years. They have got a lot of key additions there. They do a lot of different things. They force you to stay up pretty late at night to figure out how to attack them because there are not a lot of weaknesses. Offensively, (they have) a ton of Pro Bowl players and Pro Bowl-caliber players: Brady, (New England WR Randy) Moss, (New England WR Wes) Welker. They play four backs. All the backs are very capable of running, catching, blocking, doing everything you want them to do. (New England TE Benjamin) Watson has made a bunch of big plays already. They have got three Pro Bowl offensive line guys. Their kicker (Stephen Gostkowski) has been to the Pro Bowl. It is a great football team with a great staff. In terms of stress or excitement, I just think you are excited because it is a great challenge."

On how much sleep he is getting this week

"I don't know how much sleep I get anyway, but this week certainly won't be any different."

On if Brady is playing as well as he did before his injury last season

"He is playing very well. He is playing very well and has got a lot of different guys (to throw to). They are doing some different things. (New England Quarterbacks Coach) Billy O'Brien, who is now, I think, calling the offense there, has branched a little bit and is doing some different things and using their guys in different ways. Tom looks real comfortable making a lot of big plays. Certainly, whenever you have a high-powered passing game like they do, people try to do all kinds of different things to take it away. (Brady) sees everything under the sun each week, and they try to disrupt him and Moss, Welker and Watson and those guys. He handles it very well and gets the ball to the people who need it."

On if he would be an NFL head coach without his experience as a defensive personnel assistant

"I do not know that. I am not sure, but that was very valuable to me, extremely valuable. I got to see how-the evaluation process in this league is extremely important. You evaluate everything you do. You evaluate yourself, your game plan, your opponent, players' strengths and weaknesses in the draft and free agency. I got to see that and then spend time with Bill (Belichick) and (former New England Defensive Coordinator) Romeo (Crennel) and (former New England Defensive Coordinator and Cleveland Head Coach) Eric (Mangini) and (former New England Linebackers Coach and Cleveland Defensive Coordinator) Rob Ryan on the defensive side and learn the game that way and really see it through a defensive perspective. Then, to come over on the offensive side and work under (former New England Offensive Coordinator and Notre Dame Head Coach) Charlie Weiss and get to coach Tom in the offense. My whole background, all the things that (Belichick) allowed me to do I think, was invaluable to me in my experience. Hopefully, that is helping me every day that I am here."

On his personnel position with the Patriots

"I was with (former Patriots and Kansas City General Manager) Scott (Pioli) working in the pro personnel department doing different things with the waiver wire. I was a grunt. I wasn't making much money back then."

On the Broncos' throwback uniforms that will be worn against New England on Sunday

"I am not upset that I am not wearing the vertical socks. I think it is a neat thing for the league to wear the throwback uniforms. You might feel a little funny for half of pregame warm-ups, but I think that it is a great thing for this league. Our guys are kind of excited about it. We have all seen the uniforms. We know what we are wearing. I am trying to get (Assistant to the Head Coach) Mark (Thewes) to change what I am wearing on the sideline, but it is not really working."

On RB Knowshon Moreno's ability to recover from setbacks against Dallas

"The fourth-down stop didn't have a whole lot to do with Knowshon. We didn't really get much push there, but he is a tough kid. He is going to handle whatever adversity he goes through. He popped right up from the fumble and ran off the sideline and ran back in there when we got the ball the next time and ran hard and did a lot of good things to help us win the game. (He is) a very tough-minded kid. We have great confidence that he will handle any adversity that he faces and play well."

On the result of New England's changes on defense

"They are big. They have always been big, but they have got (LB) Adalius (Thomas) and (LB) Pierre (Woods) really spent a lot of time at the line of scrimmage along with the four big defensive linemen. They have got six guys that weigh 270 pounds or more standing up there on every snap, for the most part, and a great player behind the line of scrimmage, whether it is (LB Jerod) Mayo or (LB Gary) Guyton. Both of them are really good inside linebackers that make a lot of tackles and plays. They are aggressive. They are playing man-coverage a little bit more than maybe I remembered from the past, but they have got good corners. (S Brandon) Meriweather may be the one of the best safeties that we are going to see this entire year. This guy is really instinctive and aggressive. They have got a lot of very good players that play very well together and make very few mistakes. They are very disciplined. They force you to be patient. If you are not, you will make a mistake and they will capitalize on it, which they have already done this year."

QB KYLE ORTON

On RB Knowshon Moreno's touchdown reception against Dallas

"He has got good hands. I certainly thought that he was going to get a little bit more separation from No. 93 (Dallas LB Anthony Spencer). No. 93 played it really well and just kind of kept on riding with him. I thought there was going to be a bit more separation. It was a tight throw. Knowshon made a great catch."

On if the game changes if RB Correll Buckhalter cannot play due to injury

"I don't think so. We would love to have Correll. He has played great for us. He has been very productive. It is one of our deeper on offense, and we have got a lot of guys ready to go."

On if Moreno is ready to have the majority of the Broncos' carries

"No question."

On if the game against New England is more meaningful than other games to Head Coach Josh McDaniels

"He takes every game so seriously and expects us to do the same. There is really no difference in our preparation. He expects us to be the most prepared team on the field every Sunday. There is no difference this week."

On New England's 4-3 defense

"(It is) a little bit different scheme. (They have) different personnel than years past but are just as affective and just as good. They have a lot of talent on the field. They are a very smart defense. They are a very prepared defense, and they do a great job in the back half route reading and disguising and all that stuff. We will have to play one of our best games and certainly, be prepared.

On if New England's defense is less creative than when it was a 3-4

"No, I don't think so. They have got a game plan for each team they play, and they execute it pretty well."

On if he has mastered McDaniels' offense

"No, I certainly haven't mastered it. I am working extremely hard week to week to improve and not being happy with the last week. There is always a handful of plays that we come out and say, ‘Man, I wish we would have done this,' or ‘I wish I would have done that.' I certainly have a lot of room to improve along with everybody else on the team."

On if it will take three years to master McDaniels' offense

"I will let you know when I get there. I hope it is sooner than that."

On the significance of WR Brandon Marshall's contributions

"It is great. You can see what type of player he is. He is certainly a special player that can make types of plays that probably other people can't on the field. He has worked extremely hard the last couple weeks. His attitude has been great. I know all the players are happy for him and to see him producing like he is now. Hopefully, it will just get better with time."

On how Marshall affects a defense

"They certainly have to know where he is at every play. He is the type of guy that might get double-coverage. He is the type of guy that if they were going to single-coverage him, they have got to be worried about that. Any time they have got to prepare for an individual player, it makes it that much tougher on a defense."

On the emotional reaction to Marshall's game-winning touchdown against Dallas

"I think it was (emotional) for everybody on the field. It was a hard-fought game. Everybody had been battling for the whole 60 minutes. To finally go ahead like that with such a great individual effort was awesome to see."

On if he has played with any other receivers who could have made Marshall's game-winning play

"It was just such a great play. We have got a lot of good receivers on our team, but he made five or six guys miss on the way to the end zone, so it was quite the play."

On his rapport with WR Eddie Royal

"I think Eddie and I have probably the best rapport with all of our receivers. We have worked extremely hard, and Eddie is one of those guys that stays after practice every day to run routes and make sure he is doing everything that I want him to do. He has worked hard. We would love to get him the ball more. Maybe this will be the week."

On if he expects Royal to have a breakout game soon

"I think at some point he is going to break out and have a big game. We try to throw the ball to the open guy, and hopefully, it is Eddie this week and we can get him the ball."

On if Royal is getting extra attention from opposing defenses this season

"They have certainly been aware of him inside and out. They have done a great job of making sure they know where he is at and relating to him and trying to take him away, but Eddie is the type of guy that can beat double-coverage. He can beat single-coverage. Whatever they do, he should have an answer for him."

On if he senses Royal is frustrated

"He is a competitor. He wants to get the ball. He wants to help the team win. I don't feel any individual frustration. I just feel like he wants to catch the balls and make plays to help the team win, and that is the type of competitor he is."

On forcing the ball to Royal

"I try not to force anything. If a guy is covered or my read takes me somewhere else, that is where I try to go."

On if he will wear a glove on his throwing hand against New England on Sunday

"I hope it will be done this week. I have said that now the last few weeks, but it has kind of been close. I am not going to sit there and try to play through something when I have worn (the glove) and been halfway successful wearing it. I am not in any big rush to get out of it by any means."

On if inclement weather could determine whether or not he will wear a glove on his throwing hand

"We will see when it comes. I don't know."

On the Broncos' yellow-and brown, vertically striped socks that will be worn against New England on Sunday

"I have seen them. I think all of our guys have seen them. That will be a fun thing to do, but I don't think it will be an issue one way or the other."

On if the Broncos have prepared for the possibility of snow during the New England game on Sunday

"We have had a few practices early on in the year with a lot of rain and some nasty weather. I have played in it numerous times. I don't mind playing in bad-weather games. We will play in anything that comes."

S BRIAN DAWKINS

On if New England QB Tom Brady is playing differently than he did before his injury last season

"I don't see it. I see a guy that is very confident stepping up into the pocket when need be and delivering the ball downfield to his weapons. So far, what all of the experts are saying, I don't see that."

On what makes Brady a great quarterback

"(His strengths are,) first of all, his ability to read defenses before the snap to get the offensive line in the right protections, his ability to manipulate, if you will, the coverage with his eyes and his shoulders and then from there, he is a very, very accurate quarterback. (He is) very precise. His precision is up with the best, if not the best, in the league. It is important for us to be where we need to be at tight coverage to be able to get the receivers down as soon as they get the ball."

On if Brady can read defenses better than most quarterbacks

"Probably most, yes. Obviously, he has been doing this for a while. He has been having success at the highest level as far as going to the Super Bowl and winning it. His ability to recognize things is up there with the best of them, and that allows the offense to flow."

On how to bother Brady

"I don't know if you can bother him. Our approach every week is the same, no matter the quarterback. It is to disguise as much as possible, get pressure on the quarterback and hopefully force him to throw some errant passes if that can happen, so that won't change this week."

On if he is surprised opposing quarterbacks have challenged CB Champ Bailey

"I don't know. Week to week, I guess different people have different courage to challenge him. If that is the case, we welcome that. Champ welcomes that. His potential to make plays only goes up when you challenge him. I know I will welcome that challenge for him, and when he needs me to be over top to help him out, I will be there for him."

On what makes Bailey a great cornerback

"Champ is so smooth in his movements. He does a technique that if you look-when coaches teach technique, they will probably put up Champ's technique as what not to do, the way he plays his coverage with his hips open and really doesn't get into a back pedal too much. Not too many corners can do that and have success the way he has had it. When I got here, (I noticed) the smoothness of his movements, his playmaking potential-once the ball touches his hands it is pretty much a catch, and you saw that last catch he had- and then his confidence. He is very, very smart. That is another thing that I noticed right away in our conversations when I first got here. His understanding of offenses and how they are going to attack us is up there with the best of them."

On the meaning of situational football

"What that means to me is just being prepared for the situations that are going to come, whether it be the third-and-short, fourth down. Whatever they like to do, just understanding the situation to not be surprised and being ready for them to be able to stand up to the task of what teams like to do in those situations. That is very important, especially in this game because we are pretty much hearing the same things in meetings. They are going to be up for situational football, and hopefully, we will be where we need to be in those situations so that we will come out on top of them."

On if it is as difficult to handle success as it is to handle adversity

"I think the thing that you have to do with success is you have to remain humble. You have to realize that you only got that success by hard work, by attention to detail, by playing sometimes with a chip on your shoulder. When those elements go away, then you are not that same person anymore, so you have to remain in that position of humbleness to be able to go out and produce that product of success on the football field. That is one thing that as a defense and as a team that we are going to make sure that that humble state of mind stays there, that hunger stays there. You can be humble but stay hungry. There is such thing as that. That is one thing that we are going to make sure that we are staying on top of. On top of all that, we are playing the Patriots this week. How can you have any type of a letdown when you are playing the Patriots? That would be mind blowing for me."

On if New England WR Randy Moss is the best wide receiver he has played against

"He is one of the best. I wouldn't absolutely say the best because each receiver brings different things to the table. Randy, he is a downfield threat absolutely. (New England) Wes (Welker) in the slot, he works that slot like no other. When you are talking about the best, he is one of the best absolutely, but you have to look out for different things from him than you would Wes, than you would (Buffalo WR Terrell Owens) or (former Indianapolis WR) Marvin (Harrison) when he was in his heyday. All of these guys bring different things to the table. The thing that we just have to do is recognize where he is, what he likes to do and not allow that long stride to get going."

On the Patriots running the ball more than in the past

"You can see that. I think that if you allow them to just sit and throw the ball all day, why wouldn't you do it? Why wouldn't you put 40 points on the board if a team is going to let you dink and dunk or give them big plays. You don't have to run the ball, but if the opportunity presents itself to run the ball, they are going to do that, also. It is going to be a 60-minute game. We know that. We know it is going to be a tough, grind-out game. It is going to be whose will kind of prevails at the end, to tell you the truth. It is going to be a huge test for us."

On the Broncos throwback uniforms

"It is what it is, whether you like them or not. It is what it is. We are going to go out and hopefully put a great product on the field. That is what we are shooting for, anyway. It matters not what the uniform we wear. I know it is a kidding question, but for us, there is too much wrapped up in this game to be wrapped up in the ugliness or the beauty of a jersey

Game Prep: Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots, Part 2

MaPatsFan — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:52:56 -0000

In Part 1, we talked about the Patriots' previous matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Luckily, an Adam Vinatieri field goal with 20 seconds left sealed the victory at 31 to 28. This time around, we don't have Adam V, but someone just as good: Stephen Gostkowski.

But this isn't about G Man, it's about the Falcons' 2009 opponents to date. The Falcons are tied with the Saints for NFC South dominance at 2-0. As we take on Atlanta, New Orleans looks to drop Buffalo to 1-2. This is a big weekend for both Atlanta and NO. If the Bills OR the Patriots get hot, someone's dropping to second.

Matt Ryan is no longer the highly paid rookie from BC; he made his bones with an 11-5 season last year. His 2009 ain't looking that bad either. With 5 touchdowns to his credit already, he's lead Atlanta to a 2-0 season start. Contrast that with a somewhat shaky start by Brady (2 touchdowns and barely 1-1) and you get the picture. The young buck is looking to prove himself in Foxboro.

Sep 13 MIA 7 @ ATL 19

We have Ryan and crew to thank for a decisive win against division rival the Miami Dolphins. A key stat in this matchup was turnovers; 3 Miami flubs turned into 9 points for the Falcons. Negative plays that could've been positive for Miami are the worst kind.

The Falcons were doing everything in their power to lose this game, including an unsettled Ryan as well as 3 missed kicks (an extra point and 2 field goals). Luckily, they caught some breaks with turnovers, as mentioned above. In particular, an interception by LB Mike Peterson that later turned into a Ryan-to-Tony Gonzalez TD. Props for making lemonade out of lemons. In the end, Miami lost this game and the Falcons played good enough to take home a W.

Sep 20 CAR 20 @ ATL 28

Matt didn't throw a lot: 21/27 and 220 yards, but that was enough for 3 touchdowns. Efficient. In fact, 3/4 in the red zone. Tony Gonzalez continues to impress with catches when they need them. It seems Ryan and Gonzalez have some mojo or their sticking pins in voodoo dolls - who knows. Whatever the case may be, they are a legitimate threat.

Kickers never get any love. But Falcons' booter Michael Koenen managed 4 kickoffs for touchbacks. Talk about pinning down a return game. And with Michael Turner pounding the rock at 28 for 105 and 1 TD, their rushing attack was nothing to sneeze at.

Lookout New England. Atlanta's coming to town and they want this.

Game Recap: Jets defeat Patriots, 16-9

MaPatsFan — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:01:43 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

3 months ago: New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss (81) loses control of the ball after it was knocked away by New York Jets safety Kerry Rhodes (25) as Jim Leonhard (36) pursues during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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It was 9-3 Patriots going into the second half and, on the surface, we essentially had control of the game. The problem? All nine points were off of Stephen Gostkowski's foot which meant our red zone efficiency was crap. And looking at the numbers, that is proven: 0/3.

I remember thinking that if the Jets clean their game up, we'll be in trouble. While we were ahead, it was a dogfight on defense; pressure was the name of the game for this matchup and NY figured out how to get around our pass protection while providing enough protection for Mark Sanchez. Or, our defense simply ran out of gas. Either way, some defensive re-tooling is necessary.

As we've discussed all week, the feeling was Rex Ryan would bring the house and amp up the pass pressure. I think today was evidence of that. Tom Brady was rushed repeatedly. There were times in the first half when Brady's pass protection looked very good, with Laurence Maroney providing a lot of extra protection. That all ended in the second half. The Jets' defense started getting to him. No sacks, but a lot of hurries. And it showed. Brady was overthrowing a lot of balls. But the reception woes weren't necessarily all on Brady; some of the misses were blown routes and/or a lack of communication between Brady and his receivers.

The rushing attack wasn't stellar, but it seemed to provide enough diversity to keep NY on their toes, at least for the first half. El Mo looked good and Fred Taylor seemed to have a couple of good runs that could've broken away. The rushing yardage wasn't stellar, but it was enough to keep things unbalanced. Unfortunately, Brady was never able to hit his screens effectively. Running backs, including Kevin Faulk, were taken out of the game from a reception standpoint.

As hard as it is, let's take a look at the numbers:

Red Zone efficiency - Patriots: 0/3, Jets: 1/3. If ya can't punch it in for six, it's gonna be a long day and that's exactly what we got today.
Passing - 23/47, 216 yards. You can't go under 50% with low yardage like that and expect to mount a crushing aerial attack. This is so un-Brady. And a QB rating of 53.1. Ouch.
Penalties - 11 for 89 yards vs. the Jets 8 for 55. The Patriots' 11 included 3 (2 back-to-back) delay game penalties.
Special Teams - Jets' Leon Washington had four kickoff returns for an average of 31 yards and a long of 43 while our average, split between Maroney and Julian Edelman, hovered at 20 yards. Stephen Gostkowski, usually able to boot it into the endzone for a touchback repeatedly, had only two for four.

Were there any bright spots in this game?

Julian Edelman stepped in nicely for the ailing Wes Welker to the tune of 8 for 98 and a long of 29.
DE's Ty Warren and Mike Wright each had a sack on Mark Sanchez.
Vince Wilfork and Mike Wright were each credited with a forced fumble.
Most of the thing wrong with this game, from the Patriots perspective, are fixable.

I hate to say it, but this one's on Tom Brady. There was pressure, but a lot of bad passes. That's not good for a team that depends on their aerial attack.

SB Nation - Stephen Gostkowski

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