The Patriots Report: Week 12

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About 5 minutes into this game I started writing a rough draft of this weeks report. The words 'awful secondary' and 'brutal defense' appeared about 60 times. The start of the game was so bad for the Patriots that Cabrock Jones (our excellent Saints analyst) texted me the following: "The Patriots should sign Helen Keller and Stephen Hawking to play defensive back". Admittedly I laughed, it was pretty funny. At the end of the game I was laughing for a completely different reason. No disrespect to Luka (who has done an admirable job covering the Philadelphia Heat..err Eagles) but I think this was the last nail in the coffin of what used to be their season. They still are not out of it, but at this point the amount of things that they need to go right for them is too much to overcome. I will allow Luka to write about this because its not my place, but I will say that I genuinely am sad that the Eagles are basically done. On the other hand, how about them Patriots?

They are still in position to seize home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. They showed that they have a top-notch offense that only the Saints and Packers can compete with. Most importantly perhaps, they showed that their defense is not completely useless. After the first 5 minutes they shut down Philly completely (don't let that useless touchdown at the end of the game fool you). This is now 3 straight weeks that their defense has looked slightly above average. At this point its a big elephant in the room for me. On one hand I want to praise their defense for finally showing up; on the other hand I am afraid that it is just a result of playing bad teams. It only gets easier from here, their remaining games are: Colts, Skins, Broncos, Dolphins, Bills. It is not inconceivable for this team to roll to a 13-3 record and with Houston calling upon Jake Delhomme that #1 seed is all but theirs. Of course the Patriots will not be thinking about that, coach Belichick will not allow them to. For all of the supposed mistakes he has made this year (at least the ones I've called him out on in earlier reports) and in the past few drafts you have to hand it to him. The coaching job he has done this year should finally be given some praise, but unless it translates into the playoffs it wont matter. Again, I wont bore you with stats but I will mention some players that really stood out for me. Firstly Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are incredible, they could both make the case of being top-10 tight-ends in the league. Deion Branch has an incredible understanding with Brady that is really fin to watch. The way they improvised a route and turned it into a big gain with Brady flushed out of the pocket was a thing of beauty. Wes Welker continued to show why he is one of the best slot-receivers in recent memory, and BJGE even showed up. The only thing New England's offence is missing is a deep threat (Chad please wake up). Defensively, Rob Ninkovich has actually morphed himself into a decent line-backer, if New England can get 2 more guys to improve on defense before the playoffs we can go back to talking Superbowl.

Quick sidetrack (warning: 49ers content to come). As you know Cabrock discouraged me from covering my favorite team as a result of their long odds to make the playoffs at the start of the year. Right now they will clinch a playoff berth by Thursday if the Sea hawks cooperate and lose to the Eagles. I have been a San Francisco fan ever since I became a fan of football and for them to finally have a good team is amazing. Despite getting their ass kicked by the Ravens (the 3rd down defense in the 4th quarter was a disgrace) I still have high hopes for this team. They are a throwback, early 2000's team that plays defense and runs the ball well. Can they win the Superbowl? My mind says no, my heart wants it to be yes, stranger things have happened after all. From now on I may or may not include some mini-49ers rants with these reports, it will make up for the Eagles demise (I hope). Until next week, cheers.

Editors note: Due to Exam season looming the amount of work on this site will be greatly lessened for a short period of time. However, we are coming all out for the NBA season and will make up for our absence. Should be a lot of fun, I can't wait (for exams to be over that is). Aldo, we officially have a Twitter account, follow us @MilenniumSandE

The Patriots Report: Week 10

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Do not let the score fool you, this Jets-Patriots game was a lot closer then the final result indicates.  The Jets dropped 3 potential picks, choked on a 20-yard field goal in their opening drive, and somehow muffed a punt that allowed New England to put points on the board.  Mark Sanchez also left Tom Brady too much time at the end of the first half allowing Brady and the Patriots to score a much needed touchdown.  Coach Ryan was so mad at this decision that he called what Sanchez did "the stupidest play of all time" I think he needs to settle down a bit on that one.  Up to this point, I did not write a single thing the Patriots did well, the Jets basically handed them the game with all of the mistakes I just mentioned.  I am not trying to take anything away from New England, they seized control of the AFC East (they have basically a 2-game lead because they swept the Jets) and showed flashes of what made them so great in the past.  What I am trying to do is caution people that this win means nothing in the grand scheme of things, the Patriots are average at best right now and are no where near contender status.  One thing that may or may not benefit them is their schedule.  They have by far the easiest schedule of anyone in their last seven games and could easily polish off the season at 13-3.

The Patriots Report: Week 9

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I was debating when to write this, I figured doing it in about two days when the NFL picture has settled from this week would be a good time.  Then I saw the highlights and some sport casters screaming out 'shades of David Tyree!' on Ballard's catch that brought the Giants to the Patriots 30, and I couldn't take it any more.  Firstly, full credit to the Giants, they came into Foxborough and abused the Patriots offensive line and had complete control of the game for the most part.  Eli made the throws he had to as well, and overall Belichick got completely outclassed by Coughlin...again.  Now that that is out of the way it is time for people to throw some water on themselves.  The Tyree catch is one of the luckiest plays not just in NFL history, but in sports history. Bringing it up on a moderately difficult catch does not do it justice.  Second of all, to say that the Giants actually beat the Patriots is not enough without mentioning that the Patriots beat themselves just as much.  I will break down exactly how they managed this in a little bit.  Before I get to that however, I feel that as the designated 'Patriots writer' this season I should post the following police report that came out a short while after the game.

MISSING


Name: Chad 'Ochocinco'
Responds to: Chad, Mr. Ochocinco, Number 85, or any variation of saying eighty-five
Last seen: Reporting to Patriots training camp
He usually can be found dropping open passes and looking sad on the sidelines of National Football League games.  The New England Patriots have asked the Boston Police department to look into allegations that Ochocinco is an impostor, because they can't believe that a former all-pro could be this terrible. Any information would be appreciated, if found please contact the Patriots immediately.


Reports that the Patriots secondary also ran away with Ochocinco have not yet been confirmed.

The Patriots Report: Week 4

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This past week I heard many people saying that Oakland was going to beat the Patriots outright and that New England would be exposed.  Whatever.

Tom Brady shook off one of the worst games of his career and had a relatively quiet game throwing for two touchdowns and more importantly, having no turnovers.  The Patriots have played three out of their first four games away from Foxborough and are sitting at a record of 3-1, I think most coaches in the NFL would love to be in their position right now.  The Buffalo Bills loss coupled with (at the time of this writing) the Jets losing to the Ravens, means that New England will be atop their division once again (tied with the Bills).  With seven home games left, it's hard to see this team finishing with less than 10 wins overall.  Wes Welker once again dominated proceedings, did you know he already has 40 catches this year?  This game he had 9 of them to go with 158 yards, considering that only 16 passes were completed by Brady, this is huge!  He was responsible for more than half of the Patriots offence (by air), I feel safe in saying that if Welker gets injured and has to sit out more than 2 games that this team would be in some serious trouble.  Chad Ochocinco continues his relatively quiet season; today he had 2 catches (although he was targeted only 2 times) for 26 yards.  Cabrock speculated in his last article that this could be a result of him not understanding New England's offence yet. if this is the case then Chad has 13 weeks to figure it out if he wants to contribute to this team.  In the playoffs (assuming the Patriots make it) New England can not rely only on Welker as a primary wide receiver if they want to contend.

Defensively, the Patriots finally held a team to under 20 points, this is a good sign after being torched by Buffalo last week.  Vince Wilfork had another pick (his only 2 career interceptions have come this year) and continued to be a beast on the defensive line, continually drawing double teams.  Patrick Chung also came up with an interception and showed that he is a valuable player to this team (he missed the game against Buffalo).  For some reason, (and I do not know enough about the technical aspects of football to explain this) Safeties seem to be really important to defenses (more so than other positions) and teams that had great safeties tend to have great defenses (Ed Reed, Bob Sanders, Troy Polamalu, Lawyer Miloy etc.).  This is an open invitation to Cabrock Jones to try and explain this in writing, it is something I've been wondering for a long time, so Cabrock: Why do defenses in the NFL rely so much on safeties?  and why do defenses under-perform when starting safeties are out?  Anyways, today it was business as usual for the Patriots who now host the New York Jets next week.  If the Ravens keep kicking their ass this game could put the Jets in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, should make for a very good game.  Two quick notes:  Tom Brady passed his idol Joe Montana (while playing where he grew up no less) on the all time Touchdowns list.  Just another achievement to put on the hall of fame plaque reserved for him.  Second thing, Brady cut his hair, Think what you will about this; my guess is that Belichick told him he's tired of his pretty-boy shit and that he wants him to take this season seriously.  The only true contenders that have emerged so far are all in the NFC (Saints, Lions, Packers).  Belichick senses that the AFC is weak and that this could be the Patriots year.  Stay tuned.

NFL Week 4

Tweet This past Sunday I was at the Bills – Patriots game, so I was not able to watch the Saints game. The game in Buffalo was absolutely amazing, but since the Patriots are Daki’s team, I’m going to allow him to cover the game and retell the story of how Tom Brady got embarrassed by Chan Gailey’s Bills.

Like I said, I missed the Saints game so I won’t be able to report on New Orleans this week. I’ve scavenged NFL.com for the highlights, but I don’t feel that makes my opinion on the game any more relevant than anyone else’s. So instead, I will list the 5 things I’m most looking forward to for this coming week of football.

Jerseys – While I was in Buffalo, they kept showing highlights of games that were playing around the league. I noticed that a few teams wore their classic jerseys and didn’t think much of it. However, at halftime, the broadcasters spent a solid 5 minutes discussing which teams have the best classic jerseys and why the league should allow teams to wear their classics whenever they feel like it. One broadcaster was particularly in love with the Saints throwback, which in my opinion looked absolutely disgusting. I’m excited to see which teams will rock their throwbacks this week and for the remainder of the NFL season. It’s always fun to get a glimpse at some of the awful uniforms these NFL teams used to wear (Except the powder blue chargers. They really should just make that their permanent jersey for home and away games.)

Eli “Haters gonna hate” Manning – One thing that boggles my mind in sports is how some players manage to get undervalued and blamed, no matter what they do. Eli Manning is a prime example of a player that has done literally everything asked of him, and still gets hated on for no real reason. When he was drafted first overall, people thought that was a waste of a pick. When he lead his team to a Superbowl and beat the undefeated Patriots, people said any QB could have done it with his defense. Some people like to pretend they know something about football and bring up points like, “He’s crap! Last year he led the league in picks.” If you watched any of the Giants games, you’ll know that half of those picks were tipped balls and passes that receivers swatted to the defensive backs. Well last week, Manning absolutely torched the Eagles defense with 4 TDs, no INTs, and almost 300 yards. I’m excited to see how he’s going to respond this week against Arizona, and if this will finally be the year that Eli gets the respect he deserves.

Darren McFadden vs New England’s Defense – McFadden and Felix Jones split the carries in the Arkansas Razorbacks backfield. They were drafted the same year, Darren going to Oakland and Felix going to Dallas…who really won? Through the first 3 weeks of the season, Darren McFadden is the leading rusher in the NFL while Felix Jones is average at best for the struggling Cowboys. No one has been able to stop McFadden this season and it doesn’t look like this week will be any different. The Patriots will be visiting the Raiders this week and their run D has looked shaky at best. Fred Jackson took a serious toll on the Pat’s D last week and I doubt they will have an answer for Oakland’s rushing attack this week. Why don’t they just stack the box and negate the rush attack? Well, Jason Campbell has been blessed with a random rookie receiver, Denarius Moore. For a fifth round pick-up, this kid can BALL! Looks like another tough week for New England, and another big week for Darren McFadden.

Showdown of the week: Jets vs Ravens – Both teams are 2-1, but in my head, they both have something to prove. I’m not really sure why, but it seems like both teams are just not playing to their full potential and they really need to get back to what they do best: talking shit and backing it up. This is definitely the most enticing match-up of Week 4 and is sure to be a good defensive showing. Even though the defenses have been dismal this season, you know this game is gonna be packed with huge hits and at least a couple scuffles. Joe Flacco, like Eli Manning, is another player that doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Last week he had a huge game with almost 400 yards and 3 TDs, and compared to Jets QB Mark Sanchez, he looks like a field general. The difference in the game will be the Ravens offence, which can actually play consistently and will manage to outscore the Jets in a close, defensively dominated game. If I had to guess a score I’d say Ravens win 21-17.

Why is Chad breaking my heart?! – Chad Ochocinco has been my favourite player for years and is the reason I got into football. No matter what you say, the man loves the game and simply wants to win. However, since he’s become a Patriot, he hasn’t really been playing like it. Week 3 at Buffalo, he was given the chance he’s been waiting for and earned the role of starting WR. His statline was terrible, but he did create defensive mismatches which allowed Gronkowski and Welker to get 1 on 1 coverage at least a handful of times. When the game was on the line, the Pats ran a perfect play against the Bills’ zone coverage and Chad executed his corner route to perfection. Tom Brady spotted him and lobbed the ball perfectly in the endzone for a would-be game-tying TD, only to have Chad drop the pass. There was really no excuse to not catch the ball, and that play single handedly made the statement that Ochocinco is simply not understanding the Patriot offense. I think he deserves another chance, but at the rate he’s going, I don’t know how much longer Chad will be in New England. PLEASE get it together Chad!

The Patriots Report: Week 2

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With the Buffalo Bills completing a spectacular comeback against Oakland and the New York Jets dismantling the hapless Jaguars, the AFC East suddenly had two 2-0 teams; neither of which was the Patriots.  This looks like it will be a very tough division to come out of this year so it was important for New England to win today and keep up with its division rivals.  Needless to say, the Patriots played some excellent football for a second straight week and took care of business against the Chargers of San Diego by a margin of 35-21.  This was the tenth straight regular season win for the Patriots, making Bill Belichick only the second coach ever (behind Don Schula) to have three separate streaks of ten or more wins over his career.  The defense answered the call against the Chargers by forcing four turnovers and (for the second straight week) having a four-down goal-line stand.  If last week's performance on D was a C+ this week is easily a B+.  Twenty-one points is still a lot to give up to a team (this number has to be less by the time the Patriots reach the playoffs) even if that team is the explosive Chargers.  The forced turnovers were a big positive and it was a much better overall performance.  It will be interesting to see if the Defense can keep improving week to week, if they do watch out!

On the offensive side of the ball it was more of the same.  Tom Brady is looking to start a new streak of accuracy and got off to a quick start (3 Touchdowns 0 Picks, 31/40 passing) for good measure he also threw for over 400 yards again.  I know it is a little too early to talk about MVP awards, but if Brady can keep having games like this he should win it unanimously.  Another bright spot for the offense (and trust me there are a lot) was the emergence of Ochocinco.  Now, he did not have a spectacular game by any means but he did make catches which had an impact on the game (including a 30 yarder).  I said this last week: If he is your worst player on offence you are golden and it applies again, once he gels with Brady more expect more catches and Touchdowns.  His partner in crime Deion Branch once again showed his excellence, easily destroying the Chargers secondary for 8 catches and 129 yards.  The Patriots two tight-ends (Gronkowski and Hernandez) caught all the touchdown passes that Brady threw this game and are emerging as a very potent duo.  If they can keep playing at such a high level I really can not see how any team can stop New England, giving Brady five legitimate receivers is like playing Madden against a baby.  Also, if New England can keep going on mammoth 99-yard drives immediately following a goal-line stand, it will make things much easier on their defense.  One last note on the offense: They can run the ball too.  BJGE (yes, I am too lazy to type out his full name) gutted out a solid game with an excellent 4.1yds/carry including the game-icing touchdown run.  The key for the patriots going forward will be how they fare against their division rivals.  They can not afford to fall back as it is shaping up to be a very tough race for home field advantage.

Next week we will get to see if the Bills are for real when the Patriots visit them in a big early season game.  If the Bills win they will announce their arrival, if the Patriots win; they will be 3-0 with 2 division wins and 2 road games out of the way.  It's not a must-win by any means necessary, but if I'm coach Bill Belichik, I would want to keep this momentum going.

I will be covering New England throughout the season, for more of My work follow me on Twitter @ Daki_4, and follow the other writers as well

The Patriots Report: Week 1

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Before I get to my thoughts on the Patriots, just a few other notes I forgot to mention in my preview of why this team should get more respected.

 -They came up with the 'introduce yourself as a team' concept that everyone is copying now in the Super-Bowl
-Tom Brady refused to do endorsements without his line-men, he also bought them really expensive watches
-This team routinely destroys opposition that talks shit with my favorite obliteration coming against the Chargers in the 18-1 season. (notable exception: Jets, although I expect that to change this year)

Now that that is out of the way, on to my thoughts about last night's game against the Miami Dolphins.
I have to admit, I did not watch the entire game but I saw it in parts.  This was due to a phenomenal U.S. open final between two class-act athletes.  Seeing as there is no more tennis, next week I will be able to give a better summary of the happenings of the Patriots.  Of the parts that I did catch the number one thing that should worry Pats fans is the defense.  Now, Cabrock made an excellent point in his debut post about why defenses are struggling across the NFL so I will give the Patriots until week 3 to show me something defensively.  The thing is, the pass-rush was excellent, last season Chad Henne would have thrown 5 picks under that kind of pressure but it looks like he improved vastly.  The secondary was decent, including some good one-on-one coverage but the line-backers were dreadful.  For now we are tossing this up to a lack of film and preparation but this team will not accomplish anything if they keep letting teams bully them with easy scoring drives.  If the Patriots can get even an average performance game in and game out from their line-backing corps I believe that they will truly be a force to be reckoned with this year.

On the offensive side of the ball there is only one thing you can say: wow!
Tom 'Terrific' recovered from his first interception in 11 months (this isn't mentioned enough, that stretch was actually incredible) to go on and throw for 517 yards and 4 TD's.  This was largely fueled by a super fast no-huddle offense that had the Patriots snapping the ball quickly and often, completely overpowering and exhausting the Dolphins defense to the point where they had to use up a time-out just so they could get some rest.  The receivers were exceptional as well (with the exception of Ochocinco who only had one catch, but if he is your worst receiver you know you are good) Wes Welker tied an NFL record with a 99-yard catch, Gronkowski and Hernandez bullied corner-backs that tried to cover them and the offensive line gave Brady incredible protection throughout the contest.  Even their duo of running backs both had a very good 4.9yds/carry nights to keep the Dolphins on edge.  If the Patriots keep playing offense like this, getting into the playoffs wont be a concern, if they keep playing defense like this however, a Super Bowl is unlikely.  All in all it is only week 1, the Patriots are off to a good start and have their home opener against the Chargers next week.  That game should provide us with more insight into how the season will unfold for the 2011 New England Patriots.

Again, appologies for the shortness of the article, watching a full game next week will allow me ot provide more insight.  As always if you like the article or the site follow me @ Daki_4 on Twitter