SB Nation - Joey Galloway

Jet Memories countdown: #2 - 2005, Vinny Testeverde, from your couch to our living room.

Niko Houllis — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:37:17 -0000

It was only 18 years after he came into the league FOR the Tampa Bay Bucccaneers. A lot has happened to both Vinny and the Bucs since then. The Bucs won a Superbowl finally, and VInny took the Jets to the brink of one.

But in this case, the Jets were without their starting QB Chad Pennington, and the Bucs were riding the Brian Griese wave since the 2004 season. Griese led the Bucs to a 4-0 record so far, but up 6-0, he threw a pick returned to deep Buccaneer territory where the Jets scored to make a game out of it. No one told Vinny he was just on the couch a few days before! No, literally, the Jets started Vinny Testeverde only days after being on his couch retired in New York.

Matt Bryant kicked 4 FGs, and was within range for another, when Joey Galloway caught a deep ball over the middle however, as time expired. Cadillac was on the sideline, and Brian Griese was a game away from getting knocked out of the Bucs line up for the year.

This was probably the best chance to get a win over the Jets in the modern era. Tampa Bay has only beaten NY Jets once, in 1984. John McKay's last game.

Check out Gary Shelton's St. Pete Times article about the game.

One interesting part of this game I saved on video was the accidental hit by Ronde Barber on a referee, where he tried to chop down to break loose someones hold but grazed an official with the hit on the way down

I think the officials gave Barber the benefit of the doubt with his reputation, or he would have been ejected. It does not matter that it was incidental, ANY contact between an official and player is grounds for an ejection.

Should Ronde have been ejected?

Dont Miss the #1 Jets memory tomorrow night!

A lesson on judging play calls from Bill Belichick...sort of.

Niko Houllis — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:01:07 -0000

Scott Norwood's 47 yard FG attempt in SuperBowl XXV from Tampa,FL

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As anyone who has read BucEm for more than ten minutes this week knows, there has been a lot of heat on OC Greg Olsen for his play calling. Since youve read this far, your an avid Buc'em reader and you know how I feel on the subject for the most part. Since there is a moral to this story, the comment section and FanPost/shots section are too small for this.

It is true, that there is a time and place for a proper play call. Its also true and I'm sure every agrees that any play has any possible chance to succeed at any time, but they have their share of odds to succeed or fail.

If its 3rd and 22 from your own 20 yard line and there is only 30 seconds left in the game and you have no timeouts, running the ball is not only stupid, its giving up. Going into a game situation where you are at the opponents 1 inch line, its first and goal, plenty of time left, and you throw the ball 4 times, is pretty silly too.

Now you don't have to be a football expert to see these examples are extremes to say the least. But the line between extremes and an extreme game plan are a little harder to discern. Jon Grudens 48 passes in the crazy wind in Giants Stadium with a rookie Bruce Gradkowski was crazy by anyones definition. Yet two dropped passes by Michael Clayton and Joey Galloway could have seriously changed the outcome of that game. Would a win though change the outlook on the game plan as being unsound?

So when I say that for the most part, complaining about play calls is usually very inaccurate, Im more than referring to the fact that any play, even a 3rd and 22 run has a chance to succeed, and that even if it does, its still not going to be looked at as a smart call. But where is the line we draw where the outcome DOES determine if a playcall is a 'good' or 'Bad' one?

Probably no one has the right to tell us this info, but with the advent of Madden Football games, your average football fan can now 'judge' their play calling abilities against a computer. Some, like every facet in life, take it to the extreme and think they are capable of doing the real thing better than the real people! ...and some really could!

But to me, the perfect example of a good play call is a successful one and a bad play call is one that fails, is found in a story about one of today's best coaches, and his shining moment in history.

Unfortunately, you will have to jump to read on...

Our story is about Coach Bill Belichick, but not Head Coach Bill Belichick, but head defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, of the New York Football Giants. The Head Coach is Bill Parcells, and Belichick is his prized DC. The year is 1990, and the Giants win the NFC Championship game and must face the powerful Buffalo Bills in the Superbowl.

Now keep in mind, hindsight is perfect 20/20 vision. We know now the Buffalo Bills are 0 for 4 Superbowl contestants, but at this time, Buffalo was considered an almost unstoppable offense. And the Giants would have to face Buffalo without Phil Simms, their starting QB who had been knocked out for the season, giving way to back up Jeff Hostetler.

So Bill Belichik devised his defensive game plan. It had all of the Giants defensive players up in arms. The plan? Allow Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas to get 100 yards rushing. According to Bill's master plan, the Giants defense must set itself up in a way to allow Thomas to get 100 yards of rushing, something any defense prides itself on its ability to PREVENT! Having their trust of course, the G men obliged.

He explained that this would give the Bills a confidence that they could run the ball successfully against the Giants when they needed to, which they did. Everytime Buffalo was in a short yardage situation, they ran the ball, and usually picked up the first down, and fell right into the Giant's DC gameplan.

Because as you know, when you run the ball, you eat up clock time. On the other side of the ball, the Giants were running Otis Anderson. He too gained 100 yards, and between the two, running the ball, kept the powerful Buffalo passing game either on the bench, or held in check as they felt more comfortable running the ball for 5 yards and a first down than passing for it, which would have probably gotten the 1st down and more yards.

While the game plan kept Buffalo's powerful passing game from making a difference in the game, Buffalo's equally powerful running game gave the Bills one last chance to win this game. The Bills moved the ball in the final minutes getting Buffalo Kicker Scott Norwood lined up for his now infamous 47 yard field goal attempt.

It was wide right. The Bills lost.

Bill Belichick's defensive game plan now sits in the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. The defensive game plan, in the Hall of Fame, is considered pure genius. How a great defense like the NY Giants would set up a game plan designed to give up 100 yard rushing attack because he knew it would turn Buffalo's running game into a weapon against itself put not only the game plan in the Hall of Fame, but earned fame for Belichick as well.

But all of it hinged on Scott Norwood missing his 47 yard FG attempt. If Norwood nails his kick, Buffalo wins, and the Giants defensive game plan looks like the stupidest plan in the history of the league! Why would you give up 100 yards on purpose?!?

The moral of the story; Most times, not all, not always, not every time, A good play call is one that works, and when it doesn't work, well, it just wasn't that good of a call.

Game Recap: Dolphins defeat Patriots, 22-21

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

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

5 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?

Recap: The Big Easy...wasn't. Patriots fall to the Saints

MaPatsFan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:15:47 -0000

More photos » by Patrick Semansky - AP

10 days ago: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, left, hugs New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton after their NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 30, 2009, in New Orleans. The Saints defeated the Patriots 38-17 to remain undefeated at 11-0. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

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New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has talked about the respect he has for Bill Belichick. In particular, he mentions the '06 Pro Bowl when the 2 had a chance to spend time "kicking it old skool" on a fishing trip:

"Anytime you get to spend a week and really just try to get someone else’s thoughts and opinions, someone who has been as successful as Bill has been…" Payton said. "For me, as a young coach after my first year, there might just be three or four different scheduling questions or things that you might want to get a better grasp on. He’s a guy that I have a ton of respect for and I really enjoyed the time we had a chance to spend just that week."

Seems like Bill may have giving up a little too much info to the up and coming coach.

Let me get this out of the way: the New Orleans Saints are, more than likely, the best all around team in the NFL right now. They are not great at any one thing. However, and even more damaging to opponents, they are very good at everything. As Belichick is fond of saying, "all three phases of the game". I have no doubt that barring an epic failure during the NFCCG, the Saints will destroy whoever the AFCCG winner is.

I've been thinking about our 2 toughest road games, the Colts and the Saints (both in domes, btw. Coincedence? Hmm...). We were dominating the Colts for 2 quarters (nothing happened in the third quarter) and simply couldn't do anything against an Indy team who got super hot in the fourth quarter. We nearly pulled that game out. Against the Saints, there was no nearly pulling out anything. They put the pedal to the floor and never let up. If not for the fact that it was against my team, it was some darn good football to watch.

I will not take away anything from the talent of that team, but there were some serious "Fails" on the Patriots that need to be talked about:

Offensive Line - Sean Payton decided to give us the run; he knew it wasn't that damaging so he figured let's hand them whatever meager ground game they can muster and watch out for the aerial assault. 3 and 4 man rushes were hammering away at the O line which meant Payton didn't have to put any safeties in the box. Keeping the DB's in the backfield helped to neutralize the passing attack.
Tom Brady - Brady is not back. His accuracy, to put it mildly, sucked. Overthrowing receivers and 2 critical picks are not championship caliber quarterbacking. Tom, I'm your biggest fan but when you're tanking, I gotta read you the riot act. He looked confused at times and out of rhythm with his 2 biggest targets, which leads me to the next topic...
Receivers - Not enough of them. The Saints effectively neutralized Wes Welker (6 for 32) and Randy Moss (3 for 67) while number 3 guy, Sam Aiken amassed the most with 7 for 90. There's not enough guys to make defenses nervous; neutralize the first 2 and it makes Brady jumpy. More weapons.
Defensive Backfield - Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees may claim that youth wasn't the problem, but could you picture Rodney Harrison falling for the pump fakes and misdirection looks Drew Brees threw at our current backfield? They got torched on a number of occasions because they fell for Brees' trickery. The second issue is not realizing something Sean Payton did: the officiating crew was "letting the teams play" and were allowing all kinds of crap on receivers. Consequently, New Orleans' DB's beat the daylights out of our receivers and got away with it. Why didn't we do that? Instead, we played them too soft with too much of a cushion.

Structurally, we have a few glaring issues to resolve:

The absolute gaffs on Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis really put us in a world of hurt. We didn't realize it at the time, but not having more targets for Brady has turned what could've been an F35 aerial assault into a strafing run by a glider. You can't expect Wes Welker and Randy Moss to do it all. Shut those 2 guys down and trouble is a brewin'.
I've been complaining about this since the draft: we DO NOT have an effective pass rush. OLB Adalius Thomas is not the guy. Derrick Burgess, crowned as the guy, is not the guy. Generating consistent pressure on a quarterback is a key element in a strong and effective defense. Pressure a quarterback, ANY quarterback, and they have less time to do what they need to do.

I overestimated the Patriots' ability to win a big road game against an opponent they knew little about and underestimated an undefeated opponent based on their statistics. Sean Payton has said he modeled his team after the championship Patriots teams. Maybe we could learn a thing or 2 by peeking into the history books.

Patriots @ Saints - is it 8:30 yet?

MaPatsFan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:54:02 -0000

More photos » by Gretchen Ertl - AP

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I hate Monday Night Football, I really do. By now, we've usually figured out who's won and lost and, in my case, have already written about it. But noooooooooooooo!! I have to endure yet another 2 days (Sunday and Monday) of hype: Drew Brees this and Drew Brees that, 10-0, Who Dat, Geaux Saints... I need a drink already.

It is safe to say both these teams will make the playoffs. They appear to be on track to win their respective divisions. That is, barring a "Fail" of epic proportions. The real question is, "Have the Saints played quality opponents?" Statistically speaking, a ginormous "No!!" Using SoS, the Saints have the easiest schedule by far (thanks JHR, I love stats sites). Even looking at Football Outsiders' DVOA analysis, a 10-0 record buys you little respect when it's been against weak opponents.

We've had a couple of easy ones thrown our way too (Buccaneers and Titans), but that's about it. While recovering from major knee surgery, Tom Brady has led this team to an astounding 7-3 record given all of the injuries we've had to contend with, not to mention 2 promising receivers (Greg Lewis, Joey Galloway) hitting the bricks. Julian Edelman? You're up. But we keep on keeping on.

Would a Saints win legitimize that franchise's season? Anyone with a brain says yes. It's like beating the Colts or the Vikings. A win against a quality team, not just a flash-in-the-pan, gives you some credibility. The naysayers will have to find some other method to rail against your team 'cause at the end of the day, it's all about W's and L's, right? I mean, isn't that the great equalizer? And let's not forget the ability to win in the playoffs. In the last 10 years:

New England Patriots: 6 playoff appearances, 4 AFCCG titles, 3 Super Bowl wins
New Orleans Saints: 2 playoff appearances, 0 NFCCG titles, 0 Super Bowl wins

No doubt, I am impressed by a 10-0 record. In this day of free agency, fielding a successful team is a difficult thing. But never let it go to your head. If you did it playing quality opponents, hats off. If not, well at least a tip of the old chapeau.

Prospective Seahawks General Managers: Randy Mueller

John Morgan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:13:53 -0000

by Don Wright - AP

Randy Mueller traded Chris Chambers to San Diego for a second round pick. Chambers was recently released by the Chargers.

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I am saving Sunday's tape analysis for the offseason. Just like last offseason and the two that preceded it, I will scout every important player on the Seahawks roster, cite specific plays from the season that exemplified that player's strengths and weaknesses and project their future within the organization.

Yesterday was filled with so much defeat, complete, non-competitive, Brett Favre benched in the second half, defeat, Seahawks fans deserve a respite. Let us escape from our escape through our escape.

The Tim Ruskell-Mike Holmgren dichotomy is media created foolishness. Holmgren wants back in football. A smaller team, a team that needs the recycled hype and distraction, that is mired in failure and needs anyone, anything to steal the headline from griping and finger pointing, will hire Holmgren.

Paul Allen is a progressive and invested owner. That doesn't put him beyond hiring a general manager he is comfortable with. That is why I start this series with a former Seahawk, Randy Mueller.

Randy Mueller

Mueller cut his teeth with Seattle, working his way up from pro personnel assistant, 1983, to player personnel director, 1990, and finally Vice President of Football Operation in 1995. The signing of Holmgren signaled the departure of Mueller. The two worked together on the disastrous 1999 draft before Mueller became the general manager of the New Orleans Saints.

Mueller drafted Joey Galloway, Shawn Springs, Pete Kendall, Phillip Daniels, Walter Jones, Anthony Simmons and Ahman Green for the Seahawks. He was integral in Seattle escaping Rick Mirer. Mueller traded Mirer to Chicago for a first round pick in 1997.

He went on to work for the Saints starting in 2000. There he helped clean up another coach-executed disaster, flipping Ricky Williams to the Miami Dolphins for two first round picks in 2002. In three season with the Saints, Mueller drafted Marc Bulger, Darren Howard, Kevin Houser, Deuce McAllister, Moran Norris, Donte Stallworth, Charles Grant and LeCharles Bentley.

From 2002 to 2005, Mueller worked for ESPN as an analyst. He signed with the Dolphins in 2005, but then-coach Nick Saban was in charge of personnel decisions. Mueller was in charge for the short period between Saban's resignation January 3, 2007 and Bill Parcells appointment December 19, 2007. The 2007 Dolphins finished 1-15 and Mueller was fired December 31, 2007.

His larger record speaks better of him than his recent work. Mueller might best be described as a fixer. He helps teams escape bad situations and has succeeded at turning high round picks into successful players. He traded Chris Chambers for a second round pick, Wes Welker for a second and seventh round pick (when Welker was a return specialist and part time receiver) and, as mentioned, freed the Seahawks from Mirer and the Saints from Williams. Mueller does not have much experience picking quarterbacks. He did find Marc Bulger in the sixth, and acquired Trent Green for a fifth round pick. Before a brain scrambling hit essentially ended his career, Green was a serviceable quarterback in 2007.

If Seattle is looking to blow up the roster and exchange some of its more valuable players for picks, Mueller is the right guy to dismantle and liquidate. He isn't young, but he is connected. He isn't fresh or sexy, but his record is pretty strong. Mueller is a bridge, and I would think, appeals most to fans that think the Seahawks are not close, not rebuilding, but collapsing; years from contention.

Game Preview: Jets @ Patriots

MaPatsFan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:21:50 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

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Division game, folks. As much as we're hurting from the Colts loss, it's time to move on. It is, afterall, a week after. As Belichick would say, "Time to focus on the Jets." And he's right. 3-6 means Bo Diddley. Any given Sunday and all that. Never take any opponent for granted. Historically, we're 49-50-1 against the Jets. However, our fanbase has cause to be confident. Since Kraft purchased the team, we're 20-12 against the Jets; since the 2003 season, the Patriots are 20-1 after a regular season loss; Bill Belichick is 14-8 against the Jets; and since 2001, our New England Patriots dominate the division with a 41-12 record.

As we discussed in Focusing on Jersey: Patriots take on Jets this Sunday, there's a lot of history between these 2 teams and it's not just on the field. Coaching contracts, the fact that it's New York...you name it. We love to get up for these games. But, the most important reason to get up for these games AND to win them is this: it's a divisional game.

Winning your division is the surest way to make the playoffs. Tying the division bites, plain and simple. Do you remember the nail biting we did last season? Yeah, you're left at the mercy of the tie-breaking procedures. And wildcard berths are raft with "Gee, I hope so-and-so wins this Sunday" as well. No, we need to soundly thrash everyone in the AFC East because our nemesis, the Miami Dolphins, are right behind us.

The Jets seemed to have quite the swagger at the beginning of the season. Rex Ryan was talking about not kissing Belichick's rings and how his defense was going to own the division. Nine games later, NY is 3-6, NE is 6-3, and Ryan is crying at team meetings. Hey, I'm not going to pick on the guy for getting emotional with his team; I only point this out to document the contrast in attitude over half a season. Hence why Belichick usually keeps an even keel when he's at the top or the bottom (which doesn't happen too much).

New York faced a VERY different New England in our Week 2 9-16 loss. Tom Brady had significant rust on him and Joey Galloway couldn't hang on to the football for what seemed like 2 certain touchdowns. Remember those? One in the numbers at the front of the end zone and one in the back where he forgot where his feet were. Bleh. At any rate, New England has gotten very good at protecting Tom Brady. LT Sebastian Vollmer has done very well handling the pass rush, but he's also had some creative help in doing so. We'd all like to think rookie "Sea Bass" soundly handled one of the best pass rushers in the league, but that's not the case. Don't feel bad. I think it's a good thing. It means that as a team, we're doing a good job of handling pass pressure from the defense. Remember, blitzing and pass pressure are the hallmarks of a Rex Ryan defense. As Belichick is so good at doing, take away what a team is good at and make them play YOUR game.

The Jets are facing some serious trouble with 2 high profile guys placed on injured reserve: DT Kris Jenkins and RB/JR Leon Washington. The absence of these 2 is like losing Vince Wilfork and possible Laurence Maroney for the season. Not good. Jenkins, like Wilfork, swallows up offensive linemen and is a big reason why the Jets defense is rated 3rd in the league. Interestingly enough, their offense is first in rushing.

I think Belichick and company may do something similar to what was done against Indy. That is, creative pass protection to allow Brady some time. With Julian Edelman AND Sam Aiken questionable, it's anyone's guess who will be the third wideout, but I'd guess Edelman; afterall, he toughed it out for the Colts game. It's also been good to see Randy Moss improving at some crossing patterns instead of simply sprinting vertical; it adds another weapon in the Patriots' arsenal. Why leave all the fun to Wes Welker?

With the Jets' Kris Jenkins out, it may be easier for us to generate and sustain a decent rushing attack - key to a balanced offensive plan. Combine that with Brady's improvements during the season and I think we'll see a VERY different football game today than we saw in Week 2.

Bengals worked out Joey Galloway, Ed Johnson and Mike Doss Tuesday

Kirkendall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:27:58 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

4 months ago: New England Patriots wide receiver Joey Galloway hauls in a pass during NFL football training camp at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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While the signing of Larry Johnson, and to a smaller degree, the release of Ben Utecht, were Tuesday's primary headlines, the Bengals weren't through, just yet. On Tuesday, the Bengals worked out three other players; wide receiver Joey Galloway, safety Mike Doss and defensive lineman Ed Johnson. Johnson was released by the Indianapolis Colts in October because he lacked production. In Joey Galloway's case, he just never caught on with the Patriots. Mike Doss, who played for Cincinnati at the end of last year, was released with Chris Perry, Eric Henderson, Nate Lawrie and Gary Russell in April.

The Bengals invited Galloway, who could be used as a deep threat on a core of wide receivers that are more possession receivers. Unless, of course, you play Jerome Simpson, who has speed. It appears that Ed Johnson is more trouble than he's worth. Johnson was arrested in September of 2008 when Indiana police pulled Johnson over for speeding and found he was in possession of marijuana. Along with lacking production, there's no benefit signing Johnson at this point. Doss was awesome in college. Since then, injuries have really slowed him down and he's, at best, a special teams contributor.

In the end, I'll be surprised if the Bengals offer anyone that visited a contract.

Looking forward: New England Patriots schedule after the bye

MaPatsFan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:31:07 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

about 1 month ago: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) gets away a pass during an NFL football game against Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium, London, Sunday Oct. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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I have a love/hate relationship with bye weeks. On the love side, I actually get a gameday off. Not that I don't love 12 hours of football, chatting it up with the faithful, and recapping the games - I do. But, it's nice to get a gameday free every once in a while. On the hate side, the Patriots news dries up to a dribble and we're left reporting what the players are doing with 4 days off. It also reminds me of the dreaded off-season when you have to read stories about all the Patriots who have worn #47.

At this point, I think it appropriate to run through the upcoming schedule and get a sense of what we have to look forward to.

Problem Games

Dolphins - Sunday's matchup against New Orleans was very telling. It showed a Miami team that would simply not lay down. It was a dogfight to the very end. Personally, I think they're better than their 2-4 record suggests. At least, I think they're capable of causing more TROUBLE than that record suggests. I still don't discount this team, though. They have traditionally been a good matchup for us. They are truly a division rival that seems to know us well.
Colts - What can I say. Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning is the show of the season. It's a great matchup that's full of so much hype that it's almost sickening. Last year was a bit of a let down considering Manning's recovery and Matt Cassel subbing for the convalescing Brady. This year, Manning and the Colts seem to be on fire and with the aid of an easier schedule (based on strength of schedule), it would be a colossal meltdown if Indy isn't playing in January. Interestingly enough, Football Outsiders' DAVE has Indy and NE ranked 1 and 2. I haven't dug into the numbers, but even with our 2 losses, I suspect it's NE's tougher schedule that has us so close.
Jets - I think New York is a bit one dimensional and the numbers seem to suggest that. Using the same Football Outsiders link above, their DAVE is low, indicating a strong defense and a weaker offense. If we can figure out how to handle their blitzing schemes, things should turn out ok. Our loss in Week 2 was with a different team. Wes Welker's back, Brady's looking better every day, and Joey Galloway isn't dropping balls. Bottom line, NE is better, smarter, faster.
Saints - New Orleans may be our toughest challenge this second half of the season. Did you see what they did to Miami? The Fins were up 24-10 heading into the half. End of the 3rd quarter it was Miami, 34-24. And then the Saints scored 22 unanswered points. My thought while watching that game was, "Dang, Miami's defense looks gassed." Drew Brees just connects when he needs to and a third of his yardage came from TE Jeremy Shockey: 4 receptions for 105 yards, a long of 66. That's a chain mover we have to neutralize.
Panthers/Bills/Jaguars/Texans - Other than the 4-3 Texans (who are rather low on the DAVE chart), is anyone worried? We hit the Saints and Dolphins on the road, but these 4 cap off the season. Any given Sunday and all that, but I have a tough time seeing how we blow one of these.

Prediction: I think there's 1 more loss, possibly 2. I say we take the division with a 12-4 record.

On This Day Recap- 10/26/2003- Proof Jon Gruden lost his mind

Niko Houllis — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:41:00 -0000

Ellis Wyms gets in on the Sack Action.

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Things were on the downturn.

The Bucs were losing games they normally win. Not anymore.

In what would be the last year for John Lynch and Warren Sapp, the Bucs shutout the Dallas Cowboys 16-0.

The funny part was...most stars were not on the field. Bucs front office got a chance to look at Jermaine Philips at Safety as Lynch was hurt, Ronde Barber missed practice all week, and Tim Wansley got to start at corner.

Someone may want to pass the offensive coordinators phone number to Jon Gruden when he sees him. The Cowboys starting receivers ON THIS DAY? Joey Galloway and Antonio Bryant.

I kid you not.