SB Nation User Blog: MaPatsFan

No Surprise, Boston Voted Best Sports City

MaPatsFan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:28:36 -0000

In a blatant act of pure homerism, I simply could not let this one go without acknowledging how sublimely inspired the folks at Sporting News truly are. Following on the heals of yet another playoff berth for our Red Sox, Boston has been named Best Sports City by Sporting News. There's actually a rhyme to their reasoning, taking into account won-lost records, post season appearances, power rankings and fan attendance. Clearly, an inspired group of folks at Sporting News.

In SBNation news, you may have seen new buttons at the bottom of some stories. There's now Facebook and Digg buttons along with Yahoo Buzz! If you like a story, please take the time to "push" it up to these sites by clicking on the buttons. That will get us into the search engines at those sites and create more hits at our little world known as Pats Pulpit.

Boston Red Sox clinch the ALDS!!

MaPatsFan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:31:51 -0000

The Boston Red Sox clinch the ALDS by defeating the Los Angeles Angels 3-2. Head on over to SBNation's Red Sox blog, Over the Monster and send some love.

Al Davis: Randy Moss was stolen by the Patriots

MaPatsFan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:49:47 -0000

I don't like to think of anyone as senile. Really. Heck, I have relatives who are either approaching or ARE the same age as Al Davis. The thought of them wearing Depends and losing their faculties is not appealing to me. However, the difference between Al Davis and my relatives is that they're not loudmouth jerks. It is no surprise to many that Mr. Davis is tangling yet again with the league and/or another NFL team. He's been doing it since he became AFL commissioner in 1966.

In his latest toilet bowl full of invective, Al has accused the New England Patriots of tampering, specifically not having permission to meet and talk with Randy Moss before he was traded to the Patriots:

Now that the Raiders have charged the Patriots with tampering, Oakland is going to have to prove it.

If it can, New England could face league-imposed penalties. If it cannot — and the Patriots always have maintained that Oakland owner Al Davis gave them permission to meet and talk with Randy Moss the Saturday before the trade was completed for the star WR — then the NFL is expected to discipline the Raiders, likely in the form of a fine.

Read that carefully, my friends. If Davis' allegations prove untrue, Oakland will be fined. Goodell is not only cracking down on teams violating NFL rules, he's going after teams who file false accusations:

The NFL takes accusations against other teams, and especially tampering charges, extremely seriously. In fact, after the Spygate incident last year, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo warning teams to treat other teams with respect.

Then, just last June, Goodell followed it up with yet another memo warning that it would investigate charges that teams make against other teams very closely and that it frowned upon any team-to-team criticism. Well, we now have Exhibit A of the type of case that Goodell warned other teams about.

When Moss was traded and turned out to be the most productive WR in 2007 and break an armful of records, Davis must've been fuming. A dude with an ego like that would be beside himself at giving up Moss. But, it gets worse for Al. His ego would be bruised even more with the realization that an opposing team was able to pull out of Moss what he couldn't: leadership and hard work. He failed and failed miserably. He was wrong about Moss, as were many, and is so PO'd he can't let it go. It's just too bad a guy that vindictive has access to a check book and a microphone because he's losing it...fast. There's a few tools missing from that shed, lemme tell you.

Davis is now in a position where he's publicly stated the Patriots tampered with the Randy Moss trade and now Goodell, like a pit bull, has latched onto it. Simply put, prove it, Davis, or shut your pie hole.

Game Review: Patriots defeat 49ers, 30-21

MaPatsFan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:21:17 -0000

In what can only be described as a mediocre showing overall, the New England Patriots were able to pull this one off. I guess a W is a W, but I was hoping to see a number of things fixed after having 2 weeks to do so. That being said, I do believe Cassel looked far better in this game than against Miami. He was scrambling at times (more on that later), but he seemed to be making good receiver choices (if you discount not seeing Moss uncovered in the end zone). At any rate, let's get into it.

Offense

Cassel and Receivers - The bye week seems to have done Matt and the receiver corps some good. The 66 yarder to Moss was a thing of beauty, something you'd see wonderboy throw. Matt and the WRs went 22 for 32 with 2 interceptions throwing up 233 yards in the process - not bad. Matt seems to be making better decisions and picking his receivers well. That one bomb to Moss that turned into an interception was underthrown, but I'll give him that if it's all part of developing a long ball with The Real (Talented) #81. Welker quietly puts up 8 for 73 while Gaffney does 3 for 35 very important grabs.
Running game - Only putting up 144 yards rushing, the running backs were having a tough time with 43 rushing plays and a paltry 3.3 yard average. Maroney was a disappointment with 10 touches and only 26 yards while Sammy Morris managed 16 touches and 63 yards. Kevin Faulk went 7 for 32, but had the only 2 TDs for the running backs. He was "Mr. Big Play" when the Pats needed it. Jordan balanced Morris' precision with steamroller efficiency.
Offensive Line - A better defense would've ground Cassel into the turf. JHR has a better analysis in the postgame thread, but they have got to stop letting LBs and DBs into the backfield. In addition, they're allowing defensed to jam the line and force RBs to work harder. Maroney is bouncing off the line looking for holes; I can't blame that totally on him and gotta spread some of the demerits to the O line.

Defense

Speed Package - According to the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss, the Patriots are sometimes employing a "speed package" which utilizes 1 DL, 4 LBs and 6 DBs. I'll have to keep my eye out for this one.
Third Down Conversions - Holding the 49ers to a 1 for 9 third down conversion efficiency, the defense was able to keep the Patriots' offense on the field for 40 minutes vs. the 49ers 20 minutes. I always harp on this as a difference maker; In my mind, third down efficiency is the mark of a good offense and keeping low, the mark of a good defense.
Defensive Backs - Both Rodney Harrison and Brandon Meriweather managed 1 big interception apiece, but the DBs seemed perplexed by the 49ers WR, Isaac Bruce. Bruce came up with 2 TDs.
Frank Gore - I said in my game preview that the Patriots had to contain Gore and they couldn't manage it, giving him 12 touches for 54 yards. This is a D-line/linebacker issue. They need to jam the line and plug up those holes or guys like Gore with chew them up.

Special Teams

Stephen Gostkowski continues to absolutely spank the ball on kickoffs, putting the ball in the endzone with 3 touchbacks. His 35 and 40 yard field goals were money.
While G-Man is doing great, punter Chris Hanson continues to infuriate me. A 25 yard out-of-bounder and a touchback are just not cool and situations like this. His accuracy needs to improve or Belichick will be exercising more kickers.
Ellis Hobbs continues to show he's one of the most solid and dangerous return men in the game. He may not be a top 5 CB, but let's see Asante Samuel average 28 yards per return with a long of 35. Way to go Ellis.

Post Game Thread: Pats defeat 49ers, 30-21

MaPatsFan — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:26:22 -0000

Game Thread: Patriots @ 49ers

MaPatsFan — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:51:40 -0000

Here you are, gang. Looking for some redemption after the thrashing by the 'Fins.

Game Preview: Patriots @ 49ers

MaPatsFan — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:58:03 -0000

The 2-1 New England Patriots play the first of their 4 west coast games against the 2-2 San Francisco 49ers this Sunday at 4:15. Coming off of what many thought was an early bye week and, in my opinion, proved to be well timed after the 38-13 rout by Miami, Belichick and the boys hope to redeem themselves with a win on the left coast. There are many things they need to do better after Miami tore them up at Gillette, so let's get into it.

Offense

Matt Cassel and the passing game - It is absolutely critical that Cassel develop a better relationship with his receivers, specifically Randy Moss. Cassel has commented Moss is such a smart player that he routinely adjusts during routes in recognition of how he's being covered; Cassel needs to pick up on those adjustments.
Matt Cassel and reads - Matt needs to do a better job of picking the most eligible receiver. At 22 for 35 and 3.4 yards per catch against Miami, throwing efficiency is not there.
Third down efficiency - 4 for 15 against Miami kept the defense on the field too much. Convert...convert...convert.
Neutralize Patrick Willis - He's one of the best young LBs in the league and can be a difference maker. He's big, fast, and smart. If the Patriots can't contain him, the running game will suffer.

Defense

Pressure...pressure...pressure - Mike Vrabel seems to be off to a slow start. In 2007, he was constantly in the backfield of our opponents creating pressure and forcing QBs to make rushed decisions; we need more of that.
RB Frank Gore - A 3 down back averaging 4.9 yards per carry and great hands, he's a major offensive threat for the Patriots. Our front 3 need to jam the line and the OLBs need to watch for options to Gore and minimize his yardage.
49ers like the deep ball - OC Mike Martz likes throwing long. If the Patriots can generate enough of a pass rush, O'Sullivan will be forced to dump the ball to options. In addition, starting CBs Ellis Hobbs and Deltha O'Neal need to jam the receivers more than they have. I don't know why they've been playing soft, but drop the conservative crap, 'cause it ain't working. Nickel packages may help here.
Don't get fooled again - Miami's Wildcat trickery accounted for 4 TDs in 6 attempts. If I was Mike Martz I'd be looking at that. Granted, DC Dan Pees is most likely scheming to prevent that, but fact remains our defense was caught dumbfounded. 4 TDs in 6 attempts - C'mon guys.

As usual, the game thread will be open a few hours before the 4:15 start.

Patriots' Starting Lineup and Injury Report

MaPatsFan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:10:32 -0000

One thing to note about today's injury report is Wes Welker down as "Limited Participation in Practice" with a groin injury. AARRGGHH!! The sky is falling! This is the same injury that kept him out of much of the preseason! Holy crap, we've lost the inside and underneath routes! Relax. He's in the projected starting lineup. Granted, much of this is fiction, but Wes has been a fixture for a long time and I don't see that changing. The little ironman.

CB Lewis Sanders is also on the injury list, but Ellis Hobbs and Deltha O'Neal have those spots locked up as starters. LB Eric Alexander is there as well, but he's mostly on special teams - there's plenty of depth there.

In other news... we were all wondering what Hoodie would do with these back-to-back west coasters. Well, he's wisely staying out west, in my opinion. Why fly back to Boston only to jump on a plane and head back out for San Diego? Maybe they can hook up with Brady after his surgery, projected for October 7th in Los Angeles.

Pats Pulpit Q & A

MaPatsFan — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:52:36 -0000

Editor's Note: I thought last week's cross-posting with Canal Street Chronicles went very well and so I thought we'd do the same thing with the fine folks at Pats Pulpit. I just posted the Niners Nation Q&A over at Pats Pulpit so as they ask questions I encourage you to answer them if you get a chance as we did last week. Just reply to the specific question to keep the thread organized. So for now, fire away at MaPatsFan.

Hey Niners Nation,

this is MaPatsFan, blogger at Pats Pulpit. Instead of doing the usual "5 Questions with..." segments, your fearless leader Fooch suggested we cross-post and directly answer your questions in a FanPost. Great idea, so here we go. Below is a brief summary of where the Pats are so far.

Offense

Brady's down! Brady's down! I think I blogged until about 2am that night when KC's safety, Bernard Pollard, ended Brady's season and threw the team into quarterback turmoil. Brady's been an ironman since 2001, a regular fixture under the center, so it was a bit jarring, to say the least. That being said, Matt Cassel, Brady's 4 year backup, is the starter for the forseeable future. Matt did a good job during his first outing with the Chiefs and handled his first NFL start against the Jets quite well, but our last outing against Miami was a disaster. Cassel had some issues, but I pin that loss on the defense - more on that later.

What we're missing with Cassel is the relationship Brady developed with his receivers, specifically Randy Moss. Matt isn't there yet as evidenced by the routes Moss is running. Randy is more of a vertical, long ball guy and lately, he's been running inside routes which scares the absolute daylights out of me. He's lanky and uncoordinated when turned inside and I can just see him getting smacked by some hungry linebacker or safety. I'd really like to see Moss stay on the seams for higher yardage passes.

As far as the running game is concerned, it was extremely weak during the Dolphins' game with 79 yards total. Miami's defense was reading the offense very well and plugging up holes. Even options to the RBs met with limited success to the tune of only 6 yards from the backfield.

Defense

The Patriots did not have a good day against Miami. Allowing 461 net yards, they were schooled, specifically by the infamous "Wildcat" play. Overall, I've been feeling like the defense is playing too soft and not creating enough pressure on the quarterback. They have traditionally run bend-but-don't-break 3-4, but it's doing a little more than bending. My belief is they're concentrating too much on man-to-man receiver coverage and forgetting about getting in the QB's face. What I'm hoping to see against the Niners is far more blitzing and pressure from our DE's Richard Seymour and Ty Warren as well as our OLB's Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas. Force the QB to make decisions too fast and you can shutdown an offense.

That's enough writing for now. I look forward to your questions and will check back often.

Front Office mastermind - Patriots' Scott Pioli

MaPatsFan — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:54:43 -0000

nytimes.com

If you happen to see Scott Pioli, treat him like a rock star. Shake his hand and buy him a coffee or something. Sure, it's easy to heap tons of praise on guys like Belichick, Brady and Moss; we see them on the field every game and obsessively follow their moves when not on the field. But, who's this Scott Pioli guy? Carrying the dubious title of VP of Player Personnel, he's Belichick's HR department. Think of him as the head of staffing. Here's how it probably played out before this year's draft:

BB: Hey Scott, it's Bill.
SP: Hi Bill. What's up?
BB: We got this draft thing coming up and I had a few thoughts.
SP: No problem, let's hear it.
BB: Well, can you get me some young, fast, talented players on defense? While you're at it, sprinkle in some vets to help mentor the young guys. Sound good? Thanks.

Scott's job, simply put, is to build a team. And he's really good at it. He is recipient of The Sporting News' George Young NFL Executive of the Year award (voted on by NFL executives) following the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He is one of just three NFL executives, along with Bill Polian and Bobby Beathard, to win the award in consecutive years. Pioli is the youngest executive to win the award. Not bad company, I'd say.

Juggling salary caps, injuries, and Belichick's needs, Pioli puts together a package that, simply put, is one of the winningiest in football. But, why am I writing about Pioli. Scrolling through Marima's latest Shots Heard 'Round the Web, it was interesting to hear Jimmy Johnson's comments regarding the Detroit Lions' firing of Matt Millen. In a nutshell, hire the New England Patriots' Scott Pioli and give him as much money as he wants. He'll make up the difference with fewer draft busts. Out of all the guys in the league working the front offices, he picks Pioli. Not that I'm being a homer or anything, but Johnson is a genius on this issue. He's 100% right. Hear that Kraft? When his contract is up, write him a bigger check than everyone else.

Scott, how do you like your coffee? A grande half decaf mocha latte with organic skim milk taken from cows not fed feed laced with growth hormones and madagascar cinnamon to top it off? That's for pussies? Ok, black it is.