SB Nation User Blog: MaPatsFan

Ask Pats Pulpit

MaPatsFan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:11:29 -0000

Here we are, yet again, with another mid-season matchup between the ultimate rivals, Indianapolis and New England. The 6-2 Patriots roll into The Lube, fresh off a nice win against Miami, to take on the undefeated Colts. This has all the makings of some seriously stupid media attention. Is the returning Tom Brady ready to take on the Horse? Can Peyton Manning, who's playing some of the best football of his career, lead his team to another W, keeping that zero in the loss column?

At any rate, I'm here to talk Patriots football and answer any questions you may have. Your fearless leader is back over at Pats Pulpit doing the same. And we'll have more surprises in store for you this week. You old timers can keep a secret, right?

Fire away.

MPF Sr. has the best seat in the house

MaPatsFan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:46:55 -0000

Dearest friends,

I have been away, off and on, for the past several weeks. My father has been battling congestive heart failure for 3 years and finally decided to rest this past Saturday, November 7th. I had a desperate need to participate in the last part of his life; without friends like JohnHannahRules and Marima, I could not have stayed focused on that mission. They are truly wonderful people.

My father was a Bostonian all his life. Starting out in Jamaica Plain, his family later moved to Somerville, MA. When he married a skinny red head from the sticks of Lexington, MA, they lived in Somerville for a time, moved to their first house in Billerica, MA, and then settled in Woburn, MA where my mother remains today.

He loved baseball more than any other sport. No matter how much he tried to explain the intricacies of the game, I couldn't grab hold and ultimately settled on football. The World Series wins were an immeasurable high point in his life. He didn't sleep for days, listening to every radio broadcast and watching every television special he could. He loved football and was deeply proud of this blog, but the Red Sox would remain his obsession, a "man cave" covered in memorabilia left as testament.

My dad was a frequent "lurker" and, as any dad should be, duly proud. An interview with a sportswriter or player brought a "Well, my son interviewed..." to every conversation he had. I'm happy to have given him those moments.

I will be back in the mix Thursday morning in preparation for our big matchup. Until then, you are in the best of hands.

"Peyton Manning and Bill Belichick are twins from another lifetime,'' Ismail said. "They both have...

MaPatsFan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:30:13 -0000

"Peyton Manning and Bill Belichick are twins from another lifetime,'' Ismail said. "They both have the same mom and dad. [Writer's Note: That would surprise Archie and Olivia Manning, and Jeannette Belichick.] When I read about Belichick's life, it's Peyton to a T. No matter who you put around Peyton with the Colts, the beat goes on. No matter who you put on Belichick's team, the beat goes on. They don't allow anything to interfere with winning.''

Peter King's MMQB

Should Edgerrin James wear a Patriots uniform?

MaPatsFan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:17:16 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Browse more photos »

It's midway through the season and, yet again, the New England Patriots are facing the second half of the season with a depleted backfield. Sammy Morris is listed as doubtful; Fred Taylor recently had ankle surgery and best guesses have him returning by the end of the season, if at all. That leaves Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis: a guy struggling to emerge, a third down specialist, and second year man who earned his stripes last season. With Sammy and Fred, we at least had a chance of establishing a ground threat and making opposing defenses think about our backfield. Without those 2, I don't think our backfield is taken seriously at all.

This brings me to Edge, aka: Edgerrin James. Edge has had an amazing career. His 7 years with the Colts set him firmly as one of the best backs in the NFL. His first 2 years with Arizona were similar, but his star began to fade in his third with the Cardinals. Seattle Seahawks picked him up for 2009 and promptly released him after 7 games. Why?

The Seahawks' decision to sign veteran running back Edgerrin James made sense when Seattle was expecting to immediately contend for an NFC West title.

James apparently became a luxury the team couldn't afford once it struggled to a 2-5 start, particularly with Justin Forsett backing up the promise he showed during the preseason (minus that fumble Sunday).

Seattle's decision makes perfect sense. If they're not going anywhere and will, most likely, not contend for a title, why not give more playing time to other backs who could end up being the future of the franchise? It makes sense for the Seahawks to jettison him, but would it be prudent for NE to pick him up? Here's a few thoughts as to why it makes sense: a) Edge comes cheap, about $1 million cheap, b) we're in desperate need of veteran depth at running back, c) see "b".

I am not jumping for joy at having to pull a 31 year old back to our team in the middle of the season. In fact, I'm hurling over the prospect. But what's a team to do? As recently as this Monday, the Patriots have worked out 3 backs, reports Chris Gasper of the Boston Globe. Not one of these 3 have the career stats Edge has, nor the experience.

Is Edge washed up? Who knows. He's not a long term solution, but could he provide much needed depth for a faltering running game?

Poll

Should the Patriots pick up Edge?

The Dolphins hate the Jets. Maybe they don't have the warm-and-fuzzies for the Patriots either, but...

MaPatsFan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:50:28 -0000

The Dolphins hate the Jets. Maybe they don't have the warm-and-fuzzies for the Patriots either, but if you talk to the Miami players, it's pretty clear that their feelings toward the two teams aren't in the same ballpark.

When I asked Ronnie Brown about the Jets, he said that, "Yeah, I don't really like them too much." With the Patriots, Brown said, "the respect factor is there."

Miami seeking breakthrough

Ask Pats Pulpit

MaPatsFan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:44:20 -0000

Wassup Dolphins faithful? MaPatsFan dropping by from Beantown. A bit of a hammering on the Titans, a romp 'cross the pond at Wembley, and we're back home in good 'ol Foxborough, MA. We're struggling to find our third receiver behind Randy Moss and ex-Fin Wes Welker, but rookie Brandon Tate, recently off the PUP, seems to be coming along nicely. With Fred Taylor out, we're still waiting for a workhorse RB to emerge (Laurence Maroney is doing ok, but certainly not turning heads).

Defensively, we've been lacking a solid pass rusher for a long time, but the secondary is finally starting to shape up; Brandon Meriweather is emerging as a leader and a rotating cast at CB have been holding down the fort. Enough of that. Fire away with any questions you have about my Patriots and I'll try to check back often and answer what you've got. Your fearless leader is doing the same at Pats Pulpit. Thank you for hammering the Jets, btw.

Miami Dolphins coming to town, New England Patriots back to work after bye

MaPatsFan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:35:39 -0000

More photos » by Hans Deryk - AP

about 1 month ago: Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards (5) is sacked by Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor during an NFL football game in Miami, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Hans Deryk)

Browse more photos »

You may ask, "MPF, why dost thou adorn this Patriots blog with an image of Sir Jason Taylor?" Many reasons. a) He NARROWLY became a Patriot, b) he gives Tom Brady and Matt Light fits, c) he's a class act, and d) he's quite the dancer. Seriously, I wrote during the off-season that I thought Jason Taylor belonged in Miami. That's where his family is from, he's an active member of his community, and he deserves to retire where he spent most of his career. This is what Taylor recently had to say:

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- You all saw Jason Taylor racing down the field for a 48-yard touchdown off a fumble recovery today, a pivotal play in an important AFC East game.

Now imagine Taylor doing that in Patriot colors. It almost happened after Taylor was cut by the Redskins during the offseason.

"We talked with them, with the organization, and with Bill (Belichick)," Taylor told the Globe. "My heart was in Miami, my family was in Miami, so it was important for me to try to stay there. But if it didn’t work out in Miami, then I probably would’ve been there."

Belichick has an interesting way of recruiting free agents. I can picture the guy, with a little notebook, writing down the names of players that give him fits. Jason Taylor is one of them. He's a perennial thorn in Matt Light's backside while the offensive lineman works to protect Tom Brady's blindside. When Taylor left the division for the Washington Redskins, Brady and Light were practically jumping for joy:

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.--Tom Brady said he was ecstatic to see pass-rushing defensive end Jason Taylor traded out of the AFC East, from the Miami Dolphins to the Washington Redskins.

"I think [Patriots left tackle Matt] Light and I popped a cold beer when we saw that transaction," the quarterback said here today. "We were the two happiest guys in the NFL.... We were hugging each other."

Now they're cracking a cold one saying, "Oh boy..." But Taylor isn't all we have to worry about. The Dolphins have become league experts at the Wildcat. Other teams have tried it, including New England, but Miami seems to have the personnel to make it happen. It's not a trick. It's not a play. It's an offensive scheme that forces defenses to prepare for it. Why it's so troublesome could be the fact that so many plays can be run out of it. Or, it's essentially putting a "QB" in the backfield who can run his butt off. At any rate, Belichick had this to say:

The thing is, no matter how effective or ineffective the Wildcat is on Sundays, opposing defenses must devote significant time to prepare for its subtleties. The Patriots will need to decide how much take time out of their normal preparation to account for the Wildcat.

"That’s always a tough decision," Belichick said. The Dolphins’ use of the Wildcat "varies from game to game. It’s not always used in the same percentages. The better it’s going, the more you’re going to see it. There’s other times where they make you spend time defending it and don’t use it all that much. The most important thing is that we’re sound on it and we’re prepared for it, so if we get it, we at least know how to play it and the different thing that come out of it."

Remember when Miami unleashed the Wildcat in Week 3 of the 2008 season? I do. I was there and was promptly banned by Marima and JohnHannahRules from attending another game (must've thought I was bad luck). I have since redeemed myself after attending the 2009 MNF season opener against the Bills. At this point, there's an enormous amount of film on it, but the Patriots still have to spend time preparing for it or risk getting caught flat footed.

There's much more to chat about, but that'll come in due time. We have a division rival to prepare for, one that has kindly dispatched the Jets twice. I was a Phins fan for both those games because I think Rex Ryan is a pompous loudmouth who makes excuses when he loses and rubs peoples noses in it when he wins. The definition of classless. At any rate, we have some football to talk about with our friends at The Phinsider. BOOM BABY!!

Sunday games open thread: the Patriots bye week edition

MaPatsFan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:36:59 -0000

Ugghh, no Patriots football. Miami vs. NYJ will be the one to watch for me. A Miami win will drop the Jets to 4-4 while bringing the Phins up to 3-4. That seems ok to me. Go Phins? I need a shower...

MPF is back

MaPatsFan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:26:57 -0000

First, an apology for not contributing and writing as much as you folks deserve. Family issues have taken priority and, to be honest, sapped the creative writing vein that I depend on; I would be less of a son had I not walked away for a bit, however. Many times, I sat down to write, but couldn't muster the brain power to "carry the water" as JohnHannahRules so aptly states.

I'm back and will be ready to blog the daylights out of our upcoming matchup against Miami. The Phinsider crowd are always entertaining, to say the least, and this purports to be a great divisional matchup.

Quick thoughts and stuff

MaPatsFan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:57:02 -0000

Hey gang,

on this typical New England October night, a few thoughts:

Bill Belichick really shouldn't have worn those shorts. Granted, it was a sign of the times but...dayem!!
Brandon Meriweather deserves AFC Defensive Player of the Week. As humble as he tries to be, he's learned a great deal from one of the most feared defensive backs in the game - one Rodney Harrison. Take Rodney's experience and put it in a young tiger's body. Ladies and gentlemen, I give Brandon. BOOM BABY!! Bring on the pain.
Tom Brady doesn't deserve AFC Offensive Player of the Month. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the fact that he got it. But I think it's a bit of a sympathy vote. You know, he's had to pull himself out of a hole to get where he is, so his battle has been that much harder than others.
I'm going to adopt Wes Welker. He told me in a dream that he doesn't want to live where that SMP guy does. He likes it where I live. What? Light's out? Take 2 of the green ones? Ok. Ok. Just don't put that jacket on me again.
Sebastian Vollmer doesn't need to learn english. He just needs to drop defensive linemen on their backsides. Which he seems to be pretty good at.
I feel bad for Joey Galloway. It stinks his career will most likely end on a sour note.
If Julian Edelman doesn't get well soon, I'll adopt him, too. He needs someone to take care of him. I'll make him soup and get his favorite magazine and DVR his favorite TV shows...
Scott Zolak needs to shutup when Bill Belichick is talking during the Belestrator. Where's Mike Lynch?
I hate bye weeks. I might actually start watching rugby.
I want every game, for the rest of the season, to be a flat out stompin' similar to the Titans.
It's time for another Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. Mmm...hops.