Talking NFL

To the rabid football fan, the Super Bowl represents the culmination - the zenith - of a five month season full of amazing plays, last minute victories, and ultimate team achievement. But to the casual fan, or just the everyday Joe or Judy, the Super Bowl may be the only game they watch all year long. It’s an excuse to buy ridiculous looking party favors, and throw a neighborhood bash on an otherwise uneventful Sunday in February.

For this later group, they really only have one request in regards to the actual football contest that is played:

They just want a close game. And some funny commercials (OK, two requests…)

As a member of the former group, I can certainly respect that wish. However, my standing as a lifelong fan of Patriot Nation completely outweighs any wishes I have for a down-to-the-wire thriller.

In fact, to all you one-day football fans (ODFF’s) out there, know that everyone in New England is wishing and hoping that not only is your party a dud - we f*@king hope it’s over before halftime. We hope the Patriots obliterate/annihilate/wickedbeatup-ate the Giants to the tune of 1,972-0.

Here’s the deal, my lovely ODFF’s: the Patriots are on the verge of unprecedented history. Not only for the first 19-0 season in NFL history, but for their 4th Super Bowl in 7 years. This achievement would elevate the Patriots dynasty to a new level; above the Cowboys of the 90’s and the Lions of the 50’s (yes, the Lions were once a dynasty - honest). We’re talking about moving into the same block as the truly elite teams: the 49ers of the 80’s, the Steelers of the 70’s, and the Bears of the 40’s.

The Monsters of the Midway won four NFL titles from 1940 to 1946 - a seven year span. But what people remember the most about that dynasty (the ones that are still kicking, anyways) is the first title they won in 1940, when they played against the Washington Redskins:

Washington had defeated Chicago 7-3 in a regular season game three weeks earlier. After the contest, Redskins owner George Preston Marshall told reporters that the Bears were crybabies and quitters when the going got tough. As the Bears prepared for the rematch, Chicago head coach George Halas fired up his team by showing them newspaper articles of Marshall’s comments.

The Bears controlled the game right from the start, using the T formation as their primary offensive strategy…they held a 28-0 halftime lead and then continued to crush the Redskins, scoring 45 points during the second half. After Halas took the team’s starters out, the backup players continued to pile on the points. The Bears ended up recording 501 total yards on offense, 382 total rushing yards, and 8 interceptions–returning 3 for touchdowns.

The final score was 73-0, the largest margin of victory ever in an NFL title game. And that epic destruction of the Redskins firmly cemented them in the annals of pigskin lore.

Because naturally, history remembers the big games, the title games. Not the Week 3 games, or the Divisional Round playoff games. Case in point - look back at the 2003-04 Patriots. When a Patriots fan thinks of those two seasons, we think of a 34-4 overall record, 19 straight victories at one point, and two championships. But to the ODFF’s? Meh. They remember that both Super Bowl games were close. In fact, all three of the Patriots titles were won by a difference of three points. Victories, but not all that memorable.

Certainly not memorable like the 85 Bears, the team that many people consider the best team of all time up to this point. Sure, they were pretty dominating during the regular season and playoffs. But what everyone remembers is the way they publicly castrated the Patriots 46-10 on Super Bowl Sunday.

(well, that and the Super Bowl Shuffle)

So with the peak of perfection in sight, every fan that cheers for the flying Elvis is looking for a final and emphatic flag planting ceremony to be held in Phoenix. The final exclamation point to say, without a shadow of a doubt, that this team is the best to ever walk a football field.

So here’s hoping for an absolute bludgeoning on Sunday. As Patriots fans, we want to see raw carnage. We want it to sound like a pinball game inside the University of Phoenix Stadium. We want the scoreboard operator to come down with a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome.

We want the Patriots to play the part of Daniel Plainview and the Giants that of poor Paul Sunday. We want to watch the final chapter of this march to perfection unfold the exact same way the last 10 minutes of There Will be Blood concludes.

And when the game ends, we want the audience to stare in stunned silence at the blank screen in front of them - the same way my girlfriend did at the end of that movie.

Complete with the exact same exchange we had:

Girlfriend: “…what…was that?!”

Me: “That…was a beating.”

That way, when anyone looks back at the 2007 Patriots (football fans, historians, or ODFF’s), they will have no choice but to say that they were the greatest football team in history.

New England Patriots, perfection, history, blowout, Super Bowl, There Will Be Blood

Regular readers of Talking NFL know that every now and then I like to slack off turn things over to a guest writer. With the Super Bowl just over a week away, we’re handing the reins over to a fellow Patriots fan and 451 Press writer. Her name is Randi Morse, and she writes for the extremely popular Brad Pitt Watch and Watching House. So kick back with a pint of Chunky Monkey and enjoy Randi’s journey as a Pats fan!

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I’ve lived in Vermont for my entire life. Around here, football seems like it belongs only in high school, as there is no stadium anywhere near here. When I got older and into high school I learned about the NFL and remember thinking that the Patriots were kind of like a joke. Like the last kid to be picked in gym class because you knew he was going to suck at dodge ball. Being a girl, and being a girl who wasn’t huge into sports, I decided that I would give all of my short sports-attention span to the Dolphins – mostly because they had cool colors and an awesome mascot. Luckily the year I chose to watch them they made it to the Superbowl…and lost. And, I must tell you, the Patriots didn’t enter my mind again until only three short years ago.

Three years ago I got a part-time job working at our local, hole-in-the-wall radio station. One of my responsibilities was inserting the commercials during the Patriots game. And on radio, a Patriots game can take hours. You have a few hours of pre-game chatter, the game, and then a few hours of post-game chatter. The first few games I blocked out everything, did my job, and would read a book or surf the net during any “talking�. Then, one day I found myself listening to the chatter and the game and realizing that – hey – the Patriots didn’t suck anymore! In fact, the Patriots were good…REALLY good!

The one thing that caught my attention the most was Bill Belichick. Whenever he had a press conference, whether it was after a great win or a tough defeat, he never bragged. He simply said that they did good, but that it didn’t mean they could rest. He embodied everything I’ve ever known and loved about old time New Englanders – they never brag, and they keep moving forward. You would never know that Belichick wasn’t born here.

Then the Patriots kept winning…and winning…and winning! Suddenly everyone I knew was holding a football party on a weekly basis, and even our tiny hole-in-the-wall radio station had teamed up with a company to give away a television for the Superbowl! And now we find that not only are the Patriots headed to the Superbowl again, they are doing so undefeated. That’s a big word, and one to live up to. Will I be watching the Superbowl on Superbowl Sunday? You bet! I’ve got someone to cheer for – a team that I can look at and tell my children that they belong to US – to New England. “They’re from around here�, I can say, “see – there are plenty of things to be proud about in New England.�

New England Patriots, Bill Belichick, Vermont, Guest Bloggers

Prior to the AFC Championship Game, football fans around the country were stunned when the Chargers knocked off the Colts, denying the New England vs Indianapolis rematch they were all pining to see.

But everyone quickly recovered once the Patriots knocked-off the spirited Chargers. For then the Cloverfield monster-like drooling over a Brett Favre vs Tom Brady uber QB face-off in Super Bowl XLII began in full. What a perfect match-up! What a phenomenal story line we can all bludgeon into the ground over the next two weeks!

Oops. Nevermind. Care for some Eli?

Having said that, the Giants not only proved to be the better team on Sunday, but the younger Manning brother proved to be the better QB on the field as well. While he didn’t do anything spectacular, he didn’t kill his team with a crucial INT like his Green Bay counterpart did either.

And let’s not forget about that New York run game. Just like Eli, it has also been very consistent, with the two headed attack of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combining for 324 rushing yards in the playoffs.

But perhaps most noteworthy has been the excellent game schemes put together by Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in the postseason. He had multiple blitzes against the Cowboys during the Divisional Round. Yet against the Packers, New York kept the QB pressure to the base 4-man front, letting linebackers like Antonio Pierce drop into coverage to limit Favre’s multiple receiving options.

As for this revised Super Bowl match-up, what’s not to like about a New England vs New York storyline? Sure, Patriots fans were all looking for a little revenge against those Cheeseheads for Super Bowl XXXI, but hey, beating another NY team en route to another title sounds pretty good to me as well…

Not that a Patriots victory is a given, either. This Giants team is responsible for the largest come from behind victory Belichick’s crew had to muster this year in Week 17 (that being 12 points). This makes the early Vegas line of 13 to 14 points in favor of New England that much more surprising. With their strong pass rush and efficient offense, the Giants match-up very well with the undefeated Patriots.

How well? Oh hey, we’ve got nearly 2 weeks to analyze this match-up! (Ugh…)

New York Giants, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLII

Care of Boston.com:

The New York Post published a picture today in which Patriots QB Tom Brady looked to be wearing a boot/protective brace over his right foot.

I’m not gonna freak out.
I’m not gonna freak out.
I’m not gonna freak out.
I’m not gonna freak out.

……

Too late, I’m f#@king freaking out!!!

New England Patriots, Tom Brady, there’s a big bear on the road to perfection

Championship weekend has arrived, and let all football purists rejoice! Both games will be played as they should be in January; outside in the freezing cold. Unfortunately, there won’t be any snow in either New England or Green Bay, but we would have seen some white stuff if the Carolina Panthers were hosting the NFC title game (Put that in your Global Warming pipe and smoke it, Al!).

In addition, both match-ups have historical significance as well. The Giants and Packers are two of the most storied teams in NFL history, and both franchises have combined for 18 championship titles/Super Bowl victories since 1927.

Ah, but did you know that the Patriots and Chargers are two original members of the old AFL league? And that the Chargers destroyed the Patriots 51-10 in the 1963 title game? Revenge game, baby!!

Let’s take a closer look at both contests, starting with the NFC:

Giants at Packers

First, let me join a long and not-so-distinguished line of sports bloggers & writers who owe the New York Giants a big fat apology. I completely wrote them off at the start of the season & predicted they’d finish 6-10. Whoops. And how about that Eli Manning kid, huh? Talk about clutch…good to see he stopped learning from big bro.

(yes that was a completely unwarranted cheap shot on Peyton. Expect roughly 58 more before kickoff ‘08…)

Anyways, this should be a great game. Both teams have an excellent running game (assuming Ryan Grant has fully recovered from his early case of fumble-itis early last week), and a swarming front seven that can get to the quarterback. Both quarterbacks have been playing mistake-free football, and both kickers are hitting over 80% of their field goals.

But there seems to be one area where Green Bay has a decidedly huge advantage, and that’s with their wide receivers. A great deal of Brett Favre’s resurgence this year needs to be credited to Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, and Donald Lee, who combined for 3,219 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns.

Add this to the fact that Giants cornerbacks Sam Madison and Aaron Ross are hobbled with injuries, and it should be a big game for the Packers passing game. Manning, Jacobs, and Burress should keep it close, but the Packers defense has the advantage in healthy playmakers, and that should be the difference.

Prediction: Packers 27 - Giants 17

(more…)

But it was definitely NOT easy! Give credit to the New York Giants; they brought their A game and were up by 12 points in the 3rd quarter (the highest deficit the Patriots faced all season). But right after Brady & Moss failed to connect on a long pass in the fourth quarter, they connected on a 65-yard TD strike that gave New England the lead, and gave both Tom Brady and Rand Moss the record for TDs in a season at their positions (50 and 23, respectively).

Some more notes from an amazing finish to a historic regular season:

- In total, the Patriots set or tied a stunning eight NFL records and four franchise records this season. Boston.com has a list of them all in pictorials.

- As much as everyone has talked about Brady, Moss, and Welker on offense, the unsung MVP of the Patriots offense this year was Kevin Faulk (and has been for the last 9 seasons).

- The much maligned Eli Manning looked more like his older brother for most of the evening, completing nearly 70% of his passes and throwing 4 touchdowns. But he regressed at the worst possible time, throwing a crucial INT in the 4th quarter.

- Speaking of which, it must have been very satisfying for Ellis Hobbs to make that pic after being grilled on and off the field all season long for his cornerback play.

- This deserves its own post, but the No Fun League really needs to lighten up on those TD celebration penalties. The one on Moss last night was ridiculous, and it’s been a problem all season long. Like or dislike Terrell Owens, he’s been victim to a few similar penalties that shouldn’t have been called (like one for this celebration, which was just plain funny).

- I credit the Giants for playing the Patriots tough and not mailing in an otherwise meaningless game. But you just have to wonder how much it will affect them next week against the Bucs. Since Week 10, the last six opponents the Patriots have played have lost their game the following week as well. Talk about a Patriots “hangover”…

- Best line of the night: when CBS 4 Boston’s Steve Burton asked Patriots lineman Matt Light after the game if he had anything to say to the “grumpy old men” of the ‘72 Dolphins, Matt looked directly into the camera with deadpan look and quietly said, “Sorry.” Classic!

- Speaking of which, hey Mercury:

Break out your tux, buddy.

New England Patriots, New York Giants, 16 - 0, Perfect, Sweet 16, 1972 Dolphins

WARNING: The following post has been rated (R) for Revenge. Please do not read if you are easily offended (or a Jets fan).

On Sunday, the New York Jets will visit Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots. Take away the Patriots quest for an undefeated season, and the game is nearly meaningless on paper. The Patriots have clinched a 1st round bye, and the Jets have been out of the playoff hunt for quite some time.

We all know, of course, that this game is not so meaningless to Coach Belichick & the Patriots.

Amidst all the bluster over CameraGate, and Part II that came out this week (wait, the Jets did it too?! Stunning…), the number one mitigating fact is this: Bill Belichick gave Eric Mangini his first break in coaching, and Mangini repayed him by turning him in to the NFL authorities.

Ergo, Eric Mangini is a rat. Wait, that’s an insult to your everyday rat; he’s a rat with herpes. A rat with four nipples and a gas problem. A rat with man-boobs that eats too much fried chicken cheese.

He’s Henry Hill minus the charming personality. He’s Colin Sullivan without Matt Damon’s hunky good looks. He’s Commodus with- you know what? He’s EXACTLY like Commodus. If the opportunity had been there to take over as HC of the NEP, you know Mangini would have smothered Robert Kraft with his own man-boobs.

On Sunday, the 70,000+ fans who fill Gillette will transform the stadium into the Roman Colosseum. They will become a blood-thirsty mob; they will cheer for a final score of 1 billion to nothing; they will scream for (and possibly get) the William Wallace treatment for the traitor Mangini.

To further instigate our this fanbase, I have provided a collection of the best quotes related to treachery, revenge and general violence I could think of below the fold. Please contribute your own quotes of vengeance (or personal preferences regarding ManJudas’s fate this Sunday) in the comments below.

Welcome to the 8th circle of hell, Eric. Paybacks a bitch.

(more…)

“That’s right folks!  A win over the New England Patriots is 100% guar-un-teed!  If you are not completely satisfied with my pregame smack talk, then I will give you double your money back with no questions asked!  With T. Smith it’s always an Iron Clad guarantee!”*

* - The Anthony Smith victory guarantee contains several terms and conditions that could make the offer null and void:

- Offer not valid if Anthony Smith falls for the play-action fake and lets Randy Moss get behind him for a 63-yard TD reception (27 second mark).

- Offer not valid if Anthony Smith (and the rest of the Steelers secondary) gets caught with their pants down on a 56-yard flea-flicker from Tom Brady to Randy Moss, back to Brady to Jabar Gaffney in the end zone (1:51 mark).

- Offer not valid if the vaunted Steelers zone blitz isn’t able to sack Tom Brady once because they’re outmatched by the Patriots offensive line.

- Offer not valid if the Steelers inexplicably try to run an end around on 4th and goal and fail (horrible call - Willie Parker was averaging 6 yards a carry and they pick that moment to get cute?)

- Offer of guaranteed victory not valid if made by a player who is “young and dumb” (according to unnamed Steelers official).

- Offer not valid if Steelers fans are too busy writing posts that jinx the Patriots previous opponent (thanks Christmas Ape!).

- Offer of guaranteed victory not valid if Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have “played against a lot better safeties” than the one making the guarantee.

- Offer not valid if guarantee of victory not made by one Joe Namath.

- Offer not valid if the team that guarantees victory isn’t as good as the one they’re playing against.

New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Anthony Smith, guaranteed humiliation, deeply satisfying wins, 13-0, this is how you should use an asterisk Coach Shula

Yesterday, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin held an emergency team meeting to prepare his players for their upcoming game against the undefeated New England Patriots. Talking NFL was lucky enough to come across some of the Patriots old tape recording equipment that was still in the Heinz Field locker room. Here now is a transcript of what took place at that meeting:

Coach Tomlin: “Listen up, everyone! (pause) First off, nice work handling Cincinnati this week. That was a big divisional game, and we took care of business in our house.”

(muffled cheers in background)

Coach Tomlin: “But we gotta put that behind us now! We all know what we’ve got to deal with this week…the best team in the league, the undefeated Patriots, on their field. Now I’m telling you right now that we match up with those guys better than anyone else, and we’ve got as good a chance as anyone to take ‘em out!”

(bigger cheers in background)

Coach Tomlin: “Now all I need from you guys this week is two things! Just two! You bust your butts in practice, and whatever you do…do NOT say ANYTHING bad this week! You understand me?”

(pause)

Willie Parker: “You mean like (explicative deleted), (explicative deleted), or (explicative deleted)?”

Coach Tomlin: “NO! I mean about the Patriots!! Do not give them ANY bulletin board material this week, you understand me?!”

Team: “Yes sir!”

Coach Tomlin: “Everybody’s been talking smack about the Pats this year! Everybody! Players, coaches, journalists, washed up cranky old guys, everybody! What morons! You know what they do after somebody talks smack about them? They rip their throats out! Hell, it happened to us before! Hines, you were there - how did that work out in the ‘01 AFC Championship game?”

Hines Ward: “Terrible, sir! The worst football loss in my life!”

(pause)

Coach Tomlin: “So why are you smiling?”

Hines Ward: “I always look like this.”

Coach Tomlin: “Whatever. The point is, do not say anything dumb! Do not insult them in anyway! Understand? Yes, question?”

James Farrior: “So I can’t get miked-up like I did for the ‘04 AFC Championship Game and just start yapping at them for NFL Films? Because that was fun! Well, until we started getting killed. Then it sucked. (under breath) Man, that was a bad idea…”

Coach Tomlin: “Absolutely not! Ugh. Look, if the media starts asking you questions, just start talking like the parents in those Peanuts cartoons.”

Troy Polamalu: “Hey, did Charlie Brown ever get with that little red-haired girl-”

Coach Tomlin: “No more questions! Just don’t say anything dumb for the next few days, that’s all I’m asking!! It’s not that hard! Is everyone with me? Does everyone-”

(pause)

Coach Tomlin: “Where’s Anthony Smith at?”

Ike Taylor: “Oh, he’s talking with some dude from the AP at his locker. Why?”

Coach Tomlin: “@#$^&%*!!”

(Tomlin sprints towards the locker room)

Alan Faneca: “Hey, you just said not to say anything dumb!”

Casey Hampton: “Dude, you think Tony just screwed up?”

Coach Tomlin: (from the locker room)
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

Ben Roethlisberger: “Who cares. You heard coach, we just can’t SAY anything dumb. I’m getting out of here & buying a new Harley.”

NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, bulletin board, poke the bear, Anthony Smith, DB guarantees win vs Pats, best headline ever

Yesterday, the New England Patriots said hello again to their longest tenured player, but also said goodbye to a key starter on defense.

As the Boston Herald’s John Tomase reported, 15-year veteran Troy Brown was activated from the from the physically unable to perform list.  However, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin was placed on injured reserve, ending his season.

The addition of Troy Brown to the active roster may not seem like a huge move, but it will bring a smile to the faces of Patriots fans everywhere.  The consummate team player, Troy has been a staple with the team since ‘93, and was a crucial member of all three Super Bowl teams.  With six other receivers on the roster, look for Troy to play more on special teams and defense; he’s played as a defensive back in the past, and judging by the way the Patriots were carved up by the Eagles they could use some help in that area.

Speaking of the defense, the unit suffered a big loss when Rosevelt Colvin was placed on IR.  Veteran linebacker Chad Brown will take his place, but there’s a significant talent drop-off between the two players.  Colvin had 27 total tackles, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and an interception before getting injured against the Eagles on Sunday.  

While his injury has yet to be disclosed, ironically this marks the second time that Colvin has suffered a season ending against the Eagles.  In 2003, Rosey sustained a fracture in his left hip in the second game of the season, which nearly threatened his career.

Can the Patriots survive losing Colvin?  Yes, but now they’re precariously thin at the linebacker position, and older veterans like Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi will have to play more snaps.  

The road to an unbeaten season and Super Bowl 42 just got a bit rockier for the Pats.

New England Patriots, Rosevelt Colvin, Troy Brown

Asante Samuel tacks on a few million bucks to his off-season price tag.

Kudos to the Eagles for putting up one heck of a fight last night against the Patriots.  Specifically to defensive coordinator Jim Johnson who put together a hell of a game plan that got good pressure on Brady and shut down Randy Moss for most of the night.

Thank goodness A.J. Feeley woke up in the 4th quarter and remembered that he’s not Brett Favre…the quest for the undefeated season continues!

New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, dodged a bullet there

“No, we can’t run up the score, Peyton.  The game’s over.  Honest.  You can take your helmet off now…”

Make no mistake about it; the Patriots and Colts cannot stand each other, at least from a front office standpoint.  Michael Silver highlighted some of the “gamesmanship” between the two teams in this article last week, and less than 24 hours after the Patriots 24-20 victory in Indianapolis, they’re at it again.  Specifically, the Patriots are lodging a complaint with the NFL regarding some perceived shenanigans at the RCA Dome.

Just after the game, Patriots President Jonathan Kraft asked NFL Vice President of Security Milt Ahlerich to investigate the possibility that the Colts piped in or played additional crowd noise during the game.  In the Patriots defense, they are not the first team to accuse the Colts of this ridiculous sounding violation of league rules.  Having said that, it’s a damn good thing they won the game; otherwise that would sound a lot like whining to many fans…

Earlier today, the internets were all abuzz with this story, especially since you can actually HEAR a weird artificial sound emanating from the crowd at the 2:25 mark of this NFL highlight video.  My initial reaction was to jump in and post an extremely professional headline; something like, “COLTS CHEAT! COLTS CHEAT!  Cough up that 1st Round pick you @#$&-ers!”  (You know, something to rival my mature headlines from the past) Fortunately, I’m learning that sometimes it pays of to wait on a story like this, and see if there’s a reasonable explanation behind it.  

In this case, there is, as Boston.com’s Mike Reiss reports:

Following up on the crowd noise issue in the RCA Dome, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello passes along the following:

“CBS has informed us that the unusual audio moment heard by fans during the Patriots-Colts telecast was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck and was isolated to the CBS broadcast. It was in no way related to any sound within the stadium and could not be heard in the stadium.”

So it appears that the Colts fans are simply very good at cheering on their team.  And for you Patriots fans that were storming the Colts fan forums and message boards trumpeting these accusations, well, now might be a good time to change your screen name & avatar.

However, the Colts still have another controversy on their hands.  During a routine search of the stadium grounds during the game, Ahlerich found head referee John Parry’s duffel bag with the following contents and note:

(more…)

Before we get to the prediction (almost certain to be way off) and the importance of Sunday’s epic contest, some late breaking injury news, which includes a stunner:

First, a report from ESPN indicates that Marvin Harrison has been medically cleared to play Sunday against New England.  However, the All-Pro wideout has been told his knee pain could last throughout his remaining career.  Harrison is a consummate professional and one of the all-time greats, but it does appear that father time is catching up with the 35 year old.  Should he play, it will be interesting to see just how effective he is.

One the other side of the field, a bit of a shocker; Mike Reiss from Boston.com is reporting that the Patriots have placed veteran running back Sammy Morris on injured reserve, ending his season.  When Morris was hurt in the chest against the Cowboys just under three weeks ago, it was thought at the time he might be out for only a month.  Apparently, the injury was more serious that the Patriots let on (wait, the Patriots weren’t completely forthcoming with an injury report?  Get out!).

As Mike reports, this opens the door for the Patriots to activate WR Chad Jackson or CB Eddie Jackson from the PUP list.  We’ll see what happens…

Regarding the game itself, it’s safe to say there’s been just a tad of hype surrounding this contest.  And while there’s no question that it promises to be an epic battle, one has to wonder just how important it is in relation to the rest of the season.  Past the two undefeated teams aspect, most experts and not-so-experts agree that the winner of this game should lock down home field advantage for the inevitable AFC Championship game rematch (at this point, the only thing that could prevent these 2 teams meeting again would be some unforeseen disaster, like an injury or meteor shower).

So how important is home field advantage?  Really, not that big a deal.

During this ongoing feud between the modern day Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, both teams have won on the opponents soil (the Colts have won the last 2 regular season games in Foxboro, and the Patriots won in the RCA Dome back in ‘03).  In addition, both teams proved last season that they can win a big playoff game in a hostile environment on the road (the Pats in San Diego, and the Colts in their old home town Baltimore).

More importantly, the teams styles have changed dramatically within the last year; so much so that they both almost seem better suited for their opponent’s field.  The Patriots have the #1 passing offense in the league, with Moss, Stallworth and Welker ready to sprint all over an indoor playing surface.  Meanwhile, the Colts have turned into a bit more of a ball control offense, preferring shorter passes and the run game, which could come in handy during the cold weather.

Bottom line; this thing will be fun, but it’s only setting the table for the real showdown.

So here’s the call on the final score.  I think the Colts are really miffed that the Patriots are grabbing all the headlines even though they’re the defending champs, and are itching for a fight.  The guy that scares me the most?  Bob Sanders - the new Ronnie Lott.  He’s making at least one big play in this game & I just pray it’s not a back-breaker.

(more…)

“Brady threw a 4th quarter TD?!  News team - assemble!”

Unless you live under a rock (that’s located in a no WiFi zone), you’ve probably heard or read about the NFL issue du jour.  Specifically, the fact that the Patriots are lighting up other teams to a historic degree and have very little desire to lay off the gas in the fourth quarter, regardless of the score.

Now, I call this fact because frankly, there’s no doubt that the Patriots are running it up.  As far as my position goes on the subject, I agree 100% with Michael Felger of the Boston Herald; yes, they’re “running up the score”, and no, I don’t have a problem with it.

However, over the last two weeks, there’s been an astounding volume of bloggers, writers, and fans that are incessantly whining complaining about the Patriots on-field activities.  They’re saying that the Pats are behaving like bad sports and disrespecting the game.  In some instances, writers are running headlines that read, “The Pats Have no Class.”

To this group, as a collective whole, I have a question for you:

“You guys (and gals) got picked on in recess, didn’t you?”

Let’s stop and think about these accusations, starting with the “bad sportsmanship” tag.  Now if this were simply a matter of a Pop-Warner game, Monopoly, or hopscotch, then I could understand this complaint.  But this is the NFL, and the NFL stopped being just a sport or a game a long, long time ago.  

The National Football League takes in just under $7 billion in revenue per year (that’s billions with a ‘b’).  The Dallas Cowboys alone are worth $1.5 billion as a team.  And top tier players are pulling in contracts that are worth around $100 million.  That’s not a game, son.  That’s big business.

“You’re the one who’s guilty!  Superfans, ESPN, those crappy truck ads…”

Bill Belichick’s place in that business world is HC of the NEP.  Which means that he answers to one man, and one man alone - his boss, the owner and CEO of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft.  Mr. Kraft employs Mr. Belichick in order to win football games and championships, a task the coach did not accomplish last year when the Patriots blew a 21-3 lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship.

Which means the off-season annual review for Coach Belichick may have gone something like this:

Kraft:  ”Well, Bill, you guys kind of choked in Indy this year.  How are you going to prevent that from happening next season?”

Belichick:  ”I’m going to start by telling Pioli to sign every good free agent available.  Then when we play, I’m going to pound the everloving crap out of the other team & make sure there is 0.0% chance they can come back and beat us.”

Kraft:  ”Allrighty.  Sounds like a plan.”

So far this year, Mr. Kraft (and his constituents, the Patriots fan base) have absolutely nothing to complain about.  Job well done, coach.  Continue to cash those paychecks guilt free (on the other hand, Coach Mangenious might want to give Woody Johnson a refund).

In that same vein, let’s keep in mind that this year has proven that almost no lead is safe.  The Titans were up on the Texans 32-7 going into the fourth quarter and gave up 29 points to the immortal Sage Rosenfels.   The Bears lost to the Lions thanks to a 34 point fourth quarter by the illustrious Jon Kitna.  So no, I didn’t have one problem when the Patriots continued to score on the Miami Dolphins a couple of weeks ago, because the Fins scored 21 in the final frame under the leadership of the indelible Cleo Lemon.

(yeah, I know indelible doesn’t really work there.  I went to the i adjective farm one time too many…)

Of course, I still haven’t address the core issue of those Patriots haters, who will say you can’t excuse the 52-7 beatdown they gave the Redskins and their “classy coach”, Joe Gibbs.  I’m sure you’ve read the tirade of Redskins linebacker Randall Godfrey, but in case you were under that heavy rock, here’s a snippet care of NBCSports.com’s Tom Curran:

“You look at all the great head coaches … I’m just disappointed,” he said. “You gotta show some class, show some respect. Joe Gibbs? We wouldn’t have done that.  That was blatant disrespect.”

A few comments on Godfrey’s rant:  first,

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“I am not a choke artist!”

When the Colts performed a 29-7 disembowelment of the once feisty Jaguars on Monday night, yet another second tier AFC team fell by the wayside.  More importantly, it meant there’s less than two weeks left to wait for true Armageddon - Pats vs Colts at the RCA Dome!

Pats vs Cowboys?  Foreplay.  Colts vs Jags?  Sloppy foreplay between two old people with dentures.  November 4th is the real deal, folks.  Break out the clean sheets and the KY, because it is going to get nasty!

Ironically, if both teams have a weakness, it’s the same one - run defense.  On Sunday, the Dolphins put up a whopping 179 rushing yards on the Pats, while the Jags ran for 117 on the Colts.  This despite the fact that both those passing offenses weren’t exactly fearsome:  QB Cleo Lemon was consistently throwing to the spot where his Dolphins wide receivers used to be, while Jacksonville replacement QB Quinn Gray was absolutely horrific.  Seriously, if this football thing doesn’t work out for Gray, the U.S Postal Service is ready to grab him.  AIR MAIL!

(thank you, thank you, I’ll be in Vegas on the 15th!)

Having said that, both teams go into this weekend as big favorites. So barring any upset by Carolina or Washington this weekend, the Patriots and Colts should square off the following week as the last two unbeatens in the league.  And because of the growing chasm between these two teams and the rest of the league, it almost assures that they will be playing for home field advantage in the AFC Championship Game.

(AP Photo - Phil Coale)

New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, November 4th, jacked and pumped