November 7, 2004
Rams vs. Patriots
At the Edwards Jones Dome, Patriots WIN, 40-22
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

There. I hope you致e learned your lesson. I hope we all have.

Our lesson for today, of course, is � don稚 count 粗m out. EVER.

There may be bigger regular season wins over the last few years than today痴 40-22 skunking of the Rams in St. Louis, but I can稚 think of them right now. A severely undermanned Patriots squad went on the road today and delivered a stirring performance under some of the most adverse conditions the team has ever faced.

The ass kicking that they got last Sunday in Pittsburgh � a thorough beatdown that ended their 21 game winning streak – was bad enough. But in the days that followed, it got worse. Workhorse Corey Dillon barely practiced, after missing the Steelers entirely. The valiant David Givens nursed a sore knee, as did Deion Branch. Cornerback Ty Law, hero of multiple Super Bowls, was placed on the shelf alongside his fellow starter, Tyrone Poole. Tom Ashworth, the starting right tackle, went on IR. The colorfully-named Earthwind Moreland jumped from the practice squad to the nickel package, and soon after, to the starting lineup.

So let痴 just say that a few folks were a little squirrelly about today痴 game. And the Patriots responded by going on the road to stuff their highly-touted opponent by three scores. You were saying?

So the lesson is – don稚 count 粗m out, because they always find a way. Today, it was two-way performances by their kicker-turned-passer, their linebacker-turned-tight end, and their receiver-turned-defensive back. It was another star turn by the runner who wasn稚 going to play. The receiver who wasn稚 going to play wasn稚 exactly chopped liver, either. And somehow, some way, despite being extremely shorthanded along their edge, the Patriots defense all but stoned Marc Bulger and his crew of supposed game breakers.

This one takes the cake. Last week痴 loss, as complete a thrashing as you would never want to see, had more than a few of us wondering if this might be one of those years when the fates, and our failings, conspired against us.

Yet tonight, after witnessing yet another courageous and cerebral stand by the defending world champs, maybe one of their best ever, we can be more confident than ever that the still-proud Patriots will still be standing come January.

You don稚 win games like this, under these circumstances, unless you have the goods. The New England Patriots have the goods, ladies and gentleman, even when they池e down to their fourth and fifth defensive backs. They proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt tonight.

Patriots on Offense

Here痴 the story for the offense today � after the Rams went up 14-13 with three minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter, the Patriots outscored St. Louis 27-8 the rest of the way. And they really could have had more.

Corey Dillon came off his alleged death bed to rush 25 times for 112 yards and a third quarter touchdown that for all intents and purposes put the game out of reach. At this point, you壇 have to say Dillon is exceeding the expectations that came with him in that draft-week trade. By a wide margin. There are few runners that are more valuable than Dillon is to the Pats, particularly in these days of many damaged wideouts.

Speaking of which, David Givens caught five passes for 100 yards, including a 50 yard bomb from Tom Brady that set up the 2nd quarter field goal that gave the Pats the lead for good. Business is business, but there has to be a way to keep Givens in New England beyond this year. He is emerging as one of the toughest, most dependable receivers in the league.

Brady continued to feel heat from the opposing defense, as his patchwork offensive line still struggles to protect the passer. He was sacked twice and hurried several more times, and again had a turnover that resulted in a defensive touchdown. Leonard Little痴 strip and fumble recovery in the end zone gave the then-struggling Rams their first score as the 2nd quarter began.

But as we have come to expect, Brady handled it all with great aplomb, immediately leading the Pats downfield for a touchdown and the lead again. On the day, he hit nearly 60% of his passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception.

This year痴 likely MVP was most impressive when he checked off at the line of scrimmage at several points throughout, audibling to runs and passes based on the given defensive alignment. Brady was seemingly right every time, setting up key Dillon gains as well as his big 50 yarder to Givens.

Brady was also superb with play action work in two key goal line situations, first hitting LB Mike Vrabel (a great catch by Mr. Touchdown for the Pats first TD) and then Bethel Johnson (a 4th quarter score that iced it) after sharp fakes into the line.

Finally, let痴 celebrate the returning Patrick Pass, who ran a toss play around left end for 19 yards, and added another 22 on a dump off from Brady.

Patriots on Defense

Here痴 the first thing � Asante Samuel, our last and best hope at corner since the loss of Law and Poole, went out of the game with a shoulder injury on the Rams second offensive play. That left undrafted free agent Randall Gay as the grand old man of the cornerbacks. Enough said?

Yet aside from a few anxious minutes in the 2nd quarter, when the Rams began to move the ball against replacement Earthwind Moreland, it didn稚 make a damn bit of difference. Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt each posted touchdowns, but anybody who tells you that either one was a factor in this game is nuts. Without a 35 yard garbage time catch by Holt, they would have been lucky to total a hundred yards between them. Gay and Moreland can稚 get enough credit this week.

Neither can the Jim Thorpe-like Troy Brown, who jumped into the breach following Samuel痴 injury (he did return in the 4th quarter) and manned the slot whenever the Rams went to three and four receiver sets. He even had a near interception. Remember all the crap Bill Belichick took for using Brown in the defensive backfield during training camp? How痴 that decision looking today?

Willie McGinest was the day痴 big playmaker, forcing both turnovers by the Rams offense and setting up 10 New England points. In the 2nd quarter, with the Pats leading by just two and the Rams at the Pats 30, McGinest ran down and stripped a scrambling Marc Bulger from behind, causing a fumble that was covered just inbounds by Jarvis Green. Nine plays later, the Pats extended their lead to five.

Then, with the Pats leading by 12 in the third, McGinest fell back into coverage and tipped a Marc Bulger pass to Roman Phifer at midfield. Phifer ran it back to the St. Louis 21, and Dillon ran it home four plays later. Once again, Willie McGinest had made the biggest of big plays for the Patriots.

He did not stand alone, however. The front seven, led by Vrabel, held Marshall Faulk in check (66 yards on just 12 carries) and put significant pressure on Bulger throughout. Often, he was forced to hold the ball as he searched for an open receiver. McGinest, Green, Ty Warren and Richard Seymour all had sacks. Second-year man Tully Banta-Cain had his best game as a pro in relief of Rosevelt Colvin, flying off the edge and fouling up the Rams pocket each time they tried to pass.

Rodney Harrison again led the Pats with eight tackles, though he was burned for the Rams longest completion of the day. Fellow safety Eugene Wilson was also sturdy, finishing with five tackles and a few solid hits on the typically meek Ram receivers.

Patriots on Special Teams

Hey, listen, Adam Vintaieri is the greatest thing since stinkin� sliced bread. He kicked four first-half field goals (each one dead solid perfect) as the Pats struggled to take advantage of Ram miscues and good field position. But that was nothing.

With seven minutes to go in the 3rd quarter and New England leading by five, the Pats drove inside the Rams 10 yard line but were stopped on 3rd and goal from the 5. Vinatieri quickly ran on to kick the chip shot and extend the lead to eight points.

He never kicked it. In a move that was not without a little poetic justice, Vinatieri took a direct snap and quickly threw a surprise touchdown pass to a wide open Troy Brown, who was allowed to drift toward the sideline unattended before the snap. Vinatieri (think anybody else will win AFC special teams player of the week?) threw a strike to Brown, who stepped into the end zone as slack-jawed Rams players – and their brainiac head coach, who痴 usually the one doing these things – watched helplessly. The only thing missing was Ricky Proehl.

Long snapper Lonnie Paxton hustled down and grabbed an all-too rare special teams turnover after Rams returner Shaun McDonald muffed a 1st quarter punt at the St. Louis 28. It set up the second of Vinatieri痴 field goals.

Patriots on the Sidelines

Small quibble � the next time you池e pinned back at your own 10 yard line, and your opponent has grabbed the momentum even though you致e been dominating, EMPHASIZE THE FREAKING RUN. You池e killing me over here.

But you have to tip your cap to the staff for this one. We didn稚 have the highest hopes for this game, and the Patriots killed the Rams. Killed them. They moved the ball whenever they wanted and stopped the Rams whenever they had to. Great job all around.

I think they felt that way too. It’s rare to see Belichick and crew celebrate a win as openly as they did this one. They deserved it.

Final thought � If you fit Ed Hochuli and his crew with orange reflective vests, you wouldn稚 know the difference between them and the average public works crew. A bunch of guys standing around, talking. Have they ever called a penalty they didn稚 have to conference over? If one of those guys ever inadvertently dropped their handkerchief, the game would be delayed fifteen minutes.

Patriots Next Week

Home again for an ESPN Sunday night divisional match-up with 3-5 Buffalo. YOU THINK MIKE MULARKEY DOESN探 LOVE HIS DEFENSE?

Just think. We’ll be able to thank the Bills personally for sticking a shiv in the backs of the previously high-flying New York Jets earlier today. The Bills win gave the Jets two divisional losses and, combined with the Pats victory over St. Louis, helped the Patriots to a one game lead in the AFC East at the halfway point.

Finale

Hey, 船akota�, want to tell us some more about how the Pats are going to lose to the Rams? They won by EIGHTEEN points, for cryin� out loud! You weren稚 even close! Tell us some more, 船akota�.

October 31, 2004
Steelers vs. Patriots
At Heinz Field, Steelers WIN, 34-20
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

You don稚 get there by making excuses.

You don稚 get to be champions � twice � by making excuses. So let痴 not start now.

The Patriots were thoroughly outclassed by the Pittsburgh Steelers today, losing ignominiously at Heinz Field by the deceptively close score of 34-20. The Steelers were just being kind, I think, but by the end, everybody knew that the Greater Pittsburgh area was officially the Patriots� daddy.

You can talk all you want about Corey Dillon, Ty Law, Matt Light and whoever else, but answer me this. The Patriots made their bones by remaining oblivious to every injury and obstacle in their path. No excuses. So why should today be different?

No, the injuries didn稚 kill the Patriots. The Steelers killed the Patriots.

They killed them along the line of scrimmage, offense and defense. They killed them from pillar to post. The Pittsburgh Steelers won every physical battle, earned every edge, and just generally waxed the backsides of the New England Patriots in a game that will almost certainly reverberate beyond today.

It was the first Patriots loss since September 28, 2003.

But that doesn稚 matter a bit now, does it? What matters today is that they got their lunches handed to them in a conference game against an opponent they may well see again. What matters is that they lost one of those tiebreakers that you end up nervously checking every week in December. You know the kind. The kind where you end up having a stroke while watching a Cleveland-Pittsburgh game on some Saturday afternoon just before Christmas.

Maybe this seems like nitpicking to you, but if it痴 the difference between a first round bye, or a home playoff game, I壇 say that was pretty important, wouldn稚 you? Important enough that you shouldn稚 get blown off the field by anybody, anywhere, not even by the mighty (today) Pittsburgh Steelers.

Yeah, they started without their lynchpin running back, and they lost their most decorated defender, and they had a patchwork offensive line, but you know what? Go sell your soap somewhere else, sister. They didn稚 get there by making excuses.

Don稚 make any for them now.

Patriots on Offense

There is one thing certain in life: you are not going to win a football game when your offensive line gets blown up the field every play like a mess of unraked leaves.

That痴 it. You don稚 need to say another word about the offense today. Just that the Patriots are not going to win any games when their offensive line plays like that.

It was their worst performance in God knows when. They got pushed around on the run and flattened in pass protection. If they were a dike, we壇 be underwater. They were physically and mentally bettered in every sense of the word, from the opening gun to last sad whimpers. With this effort on the horizon, the game was over before it started.

That doesn稚 exempt the 壮kill� players, except for David Givens, who can稚 be expected to carry the entire team by himself. Tom Brady was far more anchor than sail this week. Never more than when he committed two consecutive spleen-ripping 1st quarter turnovers (including a 39 yard interception return for touchdown by Deshea Townsend) that left the Pats in a 21-3 hole. He never was comfortable in the pocket (sacked four times and rarely had room to step up) and never seemed a serious threat to lead the Pats back, even when he ran off another two-minute drill touchdown to close it to 24-10 at the half.

Listen to me. Kevin Faulk is not a three down back. He will never be a three down back. Do not ask him to be something he痴 not. When you do, the result will not � ever – be positive.

I understand the Pats were in a pinch with Dillon out, and Faulk is a trusted veteran, but for crying out loud, run Cedric Cobbs out there. Faulk, a very productive specialist and playmaker, didn稚 measure up as a lead when it came time to establish the run, and even worse, contributed to the Patriots� rich tapestry of devastating turnovers with a fumbled pass that led � surprise! � to a Steelers touchdown.

Faulk痴 fumble came on the first play of the second half, and ended any brief flirtations the Patriots may have had with the comparatively slim two touchdown deficit. Game over, which was disappointing considering there were still almost 30 minutes to play.

Three times the Patriots had turned the ball over on the first play of a drive, and three times the Steelers had a touchdown on a short field. I can稚 imagine why they lost by 14 points.

Anyway, moral of the story, when you致e got the opposing defense gearing up to stop Kevin Faulk, there痴 going to be trouble. The Patriots have to do a better job at finding a lead runner to carry the egg when Dillon cannot.

Patriots on Defense

Like we said earlier, this game was won and lost along the line of scrimmage. Mostly lost.

The Patriots defensive front seven was as embarrassed as their offensive (literally) colleagues by the physically superior Steelers. Though it seemed at first they would be able to slow down the Pittsburgh running attack, the Pats D gradually wilted under the strain of short fields and three touchdown deficits. By the end of the game, both Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis ran freely through a totally whipped New England defense.

The same weak front plagued the pass defense, and as a result, rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger will be a whole lot more famous tomorrow morning. You know how we love stories, and this one痴 made to order � rookie QB beats pants off rookie QB-killing defense and coaching staff.

With no pass rush, and nobody ever able to lay a mitt on him, Roethlisberger hit on 75% of his passes and led the Steelers to more than 400 total yards. Look, the kid threw two nice touchdowns to Plaxico Burress, and he never once turned it over, but it just seems to me Ben Roethlisberger got the impression this whole thing was pretty easy today, and that makes me mad as hell.

Nobody could cover Burress once Law left the game in the first quarter with a leg injury. Rookie Randall Gay got burned for a 47 yard touchdown bomb the play after Law left, and Eugene Wilson was later badly outfought on a Burress fade route. In other news, Hines Ward was his usual pain-in-the-ass self. Thanks to him and his friends, the Patriots could never get off the field on third down.

Patriots on Special Teams

What friggin� difference does it make?

Patriots on the Sidelines

I知 not sure the Patriots didn稚 have a good enough plan to beat the Steelers today. I知 not sure it wasn稚 simply a matter of players not making plays.

Still, when your team gets manhandled like that, as if they were completely overmatched, in a game not without meaning, it痴 hard to say you had a good coaching week.

Patriots Next Week

Another road game, this one against an NFC opponent, as the 6-1 Pats head to St. Louis for a Super Bowl rematch with the Rams. I知 sure that痴 how the Rams will see it. We, on the other hand, should be happy with a pulse.

October 24, 2004
Jets vs. Patriots
At Gillette Stadium, Patriots WIN, 13-7
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

Let痴 talk for a minute about this thing we call The Fourth Wall.

The website wordspy.com says the term 礎reaking the fourth wall� originated in theater circles, to describe the moment when an actor breaks away from a fictional scene to directly address the real live audience.

Well, it used to mean that. The term has been redefined, out of necessity really. Because we Internet Heroes needed a succinct phrase to describe that moment when we finally come face to face with the people we致e been anonymously – and quite safely, mind you – insulting for months.

A small but plucky group of Boston Sports Media Watch message board posters decided months ago that The Fourth Wall would come down forever on October 24, 2004, when the Patriots hosted the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.

I don稚 mind telling you, I was a little intimidated. It was the oddest thing � here I was about to meet four of the people that I have engaged in a stream-of-consciousness running dialogue with for almost a year, and the only thing I could think of as I neared the stadium was 努hat in the hell am I going to say to these people?�

I guess the first thing would be 展here ARE you guys?�

There I was, trying to connect with the group of my fellow media-watching ruffians. Problem is I知 parked over by the stadium, and they池e parked in North Attleboro somewhere. Also, I have absolutely no idea what these people look like. Don稚 want to leave that little qualifier out.

After a fairly typical 層hy don稚 you ask somebody� exchange between my girlfriend and I, relative to finding the lot where my cyber-pals were parked (Her, exasperated: 努hy don稚 you ask somebody?� Me, scanning the sea of cars and people on the horizon: 努e don稚 need to ask anybody.�), we pulled out the cell phone.

I managed to raise one of my fellow miscreants, and we went through a set of directions that sounded like an episode of The Amazing Race (徹kay, look for the water tower. See the walking bridge? Walk through six lanes of traffic. Ignore that cop yelling. Now grab the clue!�). He guided us home until we found the lot and the awaiting tailgate festivities, mostly by process of elimination.

Let it be known that The Fourth Wall officially came down at approximately 12:30 p.m. yesterday when the poster known as 全anderson� and I walked right past each other, cell phones at our ears, each oblivious to the other as we searched for someone who, I guess, looked approximately like our message board avatar.

Hey, give us credit. He only got about 200 yards past me before we figured it out. It was the quintessential Fourth Wall moment, a singular second of weird poetry that made the whole damn thing worthwhile.

But there were a lot of other good moments. Finally shaking the hand of my partner-in-crime and chief foil, the poster lovingly known everywhere as 閃ark�, and enjoying the high comedy of being called 礎ub� in real time. Watching someone previously known to us only as 閃r. Magoo� graciously hurry around his completely outfitted tailgate setup (imagine the Stones� stage set-up for the 全teel Wheels� tour, only with stronger football overtones) making sure we had warm food in our stomachs and cold beers in our hands. Exchanging nervous glances and deep, cleansing breaths with the poster known as 銭ingasaurus� as the Jets drove for a possible winning score with only minutes to play.

Here痴 what I now know about The Fourth Wall. It really doesn稚 exist. Despite the warnings of Internet skeptics everywhere, people don稚 invent on-line personas to mask their deep-seeded real-life insecurities. That痴 urban legend (in other words, bullshit), propagated by the same people who regularly and summarily dismiss message boards and their participants, even though you get the feeling they never take their eyes off them.

Look, I致e been to the other side now, and I知 telling you, people are just what they say they are, even on the Internet. They were funny, they were sarcastic, they were prescient, and they were hospitable in words and deeds. They weren稚 a damn bit different from the people I致e 遡nown� now for more than a year. There wasn稚 a thing done or said by anyone that surprised me in the least.

I think that痴 just about the best news I致e had all week.

The game? Oh, yeah. Good news � The King and I were finally able to exhale, and the Patriots remained perfect with a bruising 13-7 win over divisional rival New York (yes, yes, the Yankees suck, I know). The Pats ruined the Jets perfect record and seized early control of the AFC East.

And a renegade band of Internet Heroes climbed out of the basement and into the sunlight (well, drizzle actually) without breaking anything. Except a fictional wall, I guess.

Patriots on Offense

Can you tell I致e run out of things to say about our New England Patriots?

I have to admit, I知 not the most qualified person to comment on yesterday痴 proceedings. Thanks for that go to that thoughtful lady sitting directly in front of me, who reflexively stood straight up (and in my line of vision) anytime the Patriots did anything. I知 sorry, but I don稚 usually stand up for one yard losses on 2nd and 7.

Here痴 what I did see. I saw Tom Brady complete almost 75% of his passes, despite a constant spritzing by the sky and an occasionally cranky Jets pass rush. I saw Corey Dillon mercilessly bang away at another defense until they wearily stepped aside and let him crank off another 40 yard run. I saw David Givens lead a depleted receiving corps by making one tough catch after another. I saw Kevin Faulk come off the bench to run his menu of draws and screens that � as usual � extended a crucial scoring drive. I saw David Patten work his way across the back of a crowded end zone to score the game痴 last (and biggest) touchdown just seconds before the half.

Two key passages:

1) After two early Pats field goals, Chad Pennington chewed up almost eight minutes of 2nd quarter clock before rolling left for a one-yard scoring run that put the Jets up with less than two minutes to play in the half. The offense responded with no huddle, shotgun scoring drive (featuring Faulk) that ended when Brady deftly stepped up to avoid a rush inside the Jet 10 before drilling a fastball at Patten, who appeared to be running his route through a human jungle gym of New York defenders. Touchdown Patriots. The New England spoilsports had allowed the Jets to enjoy the lead for all of 1 minute and 50 seconds.

2) Later, here came the Jets again, this time driving for a go-ahead score as the game reached its conclusion. Even when Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison and Randall Gay conspired to stop the Jets without a score, the two minute warning and two Jet time outs remained. Plain and simple, the Patriots needed one more first down. In one of the most predictable scripts this side of Everybody Loves Raymond, the Patriots rode Dillon left, up the middle and left again for 12 yards and the game-sealing first down. The fact that it was so predictable made it all the more beautiful.

Patriots on Defense

Yeah, the Patriots occasionally had trouble getting off the field on third down, and Pennington (though throwing a football that seemed to be made of balsa wood) found his share of open receivers, but let me ask you two questions: how many points did the Jets score? And who won?

As noted above, the Pats key stops of the day were made when the Jets frighteningly drove towards a winning score as the game dipped inside the three minute mark. On a 3rd and 5 from the Pats 27, McGinest and Seymour burst deep into the New York backfield to pummel Curtis Martin for a 3 yard loss. The play never developed thanks to the push of the Patriots defensive right edge. I値l say it again: there is no bigger defensive playmaker on the Patriots than Willie McGinest. I would argue that it痴 not even close.

Then, forced to go on 4th down, the Jets spread the field with receivers and tried to hit the ancient Wayne Chrebet as he moved from the right slot towards the end zone. Not happening. Rookie Gay (another strong effort by the undrafted free agent) and veteran Harrison combined to build a wall in front of Chrebet and knock the pass to the ground, effectively squashing New York痴 last and best chance to win the game.

I don稚 think this year痴 version of the Pats defense can be measured on the same scale as their 2003 predecessors. I知 not sure the numbers will as easily quantify them, as last year痴 shutouts and league leading statistics did. But let me say this: this version has a decidedly better W-L record at this point in the season. Counts for something.

A final note: somebody tell me the last time Ted Johnson played that well. Holy smoke. He痴 certainly re-emerged as a major cog in the Patriots run defense this year, but for crying out loud, he looked like a first-team Pro Bowler yesterday. Wow.

Patriots on Special Teams

Adam Vinatieri hit two field goals that provided the winning margin. Bethel Johnson made another big play by returning a Jets kickoff 38 yards, which shortened the field for Brady and set up the Patten touchdown. And something you notice more in person than on TV: Rabih Abdullah is a pretty good freaking special teams player.

Patriots on the Sidelines

Sign you池e getting old: you can稚 tell the difference between Bill Belichick and Charlie Weis from where you池e sitting.

Best line of the day: my friend Mark referring to a curious and seemingly misplaced Faulk draw play during the touchdown drive as 敵round Chuck.�

Patriots Next Week

Pats and Steelers in Pittsburgh. I could make reference to the several hundred times the exceedingly lucky Patriots have dashed the hopes of the humble and hardworking Steelers, but I won稚. Here痴 my alternative theme for this week – Josh Miller triumphantly returns to Heinz Field. Note to self – we致e got to be careful which hash marks we have him kicking from.

October 17, 2004
Seahawks vs. Patriots
At Gillette Stadium, Patriots WIN, 30-20
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

Someone痴 going to have to get up really early to slip one by these New England Patriots.

Someone almost did today � almost � but now, safely in the aftermath of the Patriots see-saw, 30-20 home win over the Seattle Seahawks this afternoon, the only thing that matters is that they didn稚.

The rest of the NFL has to be wondering what its going to take to hang a loss on the Patriots. Once again, the defending champs won a game by making all the plays that make all the difference. Same story, 20 straight episodes. They always find a way.

Like today. The fact that today痴 素ind a way� play was made, improbably, by a petulant, previously-inactive, umbrella-swinging second year wide receiver can稚 make the situation any less vexing for New England痴 rivals.

For while there, it seemed like today was the day the rest of the NFL would finally catch up to the Patriots. This game had so many momentum shifts, at one point all my furniture slid to one side of the room. The Patriots absolutely rolled over the Seahawks in the first half, driving the ball at will on Seattle痴 defense and wreaking turnover-happy havoc with their prized offense. The Pats hit the break with a 20-6 lead and the game seemingly in control.

But the half brought new life to Seattle, and when the Patriots suffered a rare fourth quarter stumble, the Seahawks were there to close the game to within three points with three minutes left. The outcome was left to be decided by a Patriots offense that, save for a third quarter drive that ended in a field goal, had done little to replicate its first-half success. The Patriots� 4-0 start, its heralded winning streak, its lead in the division�..all on the line.

Guess what happened?

Patriots on Offense

Like I said, that first-half offensive performance was something. Crisp catch-and-run passing. Vigorous head-butt running. Four possessions, four scores. It would be hard to pick one or two players who stood out during that stretch, not the quarterback, the backs receivers or linemen � it was like eleven men operating as one remarkably efficient unit. It痴 hard to imagine the Pats offense looking any better.

The credit goes to Seattle痴 defense for making the second-half adjustments needed to slow the Patriots offense and allow the Seahawks back in the game. They hung a three-and-out on the Pats to start the second half, and then forced a Josh Miller punt after a Matt Light tripping penalty stalled a drive at the Seattle 38.

It was on the next two New England possessions that things got really interesting. A scrambling Tom Brady lunged, rather than slid, towards a first down and got both his hat and the ball popped by Michael Boulware just inside Seattle territory. The helmet went one way, and the ball the other. For the second week in a row, Brady was left rubbing his jaw.

The Seattle offense was forced to punt three plays later (after driving for a field goal on its first possession of the half), but as they say, the worm had turned.

Did it ever. Here came Boulware again on the next New England drive, diving in front of David Givens to intercept Brady痴 pass at midfield. I was wishing there was some kind of NFL legacy rule that would have had Boulware off somewhere else, playing for the Ravens. We need to get someone on that Competition Committee.

Anyway, Boulware intercepts, and bang-bang-bang, its 20-17 with eleven minutes left. The Pats had squandered a two touchdown lead. Gulp.

Fortuitously, the teams wasted the next eight minutes trading field goals. Yet when Seattle handed the ball back over to the Pats at their own 37 with 2:55 remaining, trailing by three, they did so with an emboldened defense and a full compliment of time outs. Gulp.

This brings us to Dame Bethel Johnson, who deigned to honor the Gillette Stadium throng with his presence today, after vacationing on the Isle of Inactive last week. It was nice of him to come, since two of his position mates were once again unable to attend due to entirely legitimate reasons.

Over the previous 47 minutes, Johnson had contributed little to the cause. In the first quarter, he had looked for the ball over the wrong shoulder on a third down Brady pass inside the Seattle 10. It痴 a pass you often see Brady complete to his more focused, better prepared receivers. This time, the pass fell incomplete and the Pats settled for a field goal.

Now, Johnson lined up wide as the Pats faced a 3rd and 7 from their own 40. A conversion here seemed critical to avoiding, at the least, overtime.

As he had occasionally done during the afternoon, Brady rolled to his left to buy time and then launched a 50 yarder toward a streaking Johnson, who had found his way inside the Seattle 20. Amazingly, brilliantly, the Locker Room Sultan of Swat fully extended himself through the air and snared the ball, smartly protecting it as he tumbled to the ground at the Seahawks 12.

A ridiculous flurry of red bean bags followed, but there was no denying that Johnson had caught and secured the pass, his only one of the day. Two Corey Dillon runs later and the Patriots had iced it with a touchdown. The 壮treak� lives on.

It was an oddly jarring ending to the day, a sudden heroic turn by the last guy you would have picked to do it. It made you wonder what kinds of things Bethel Johnson could do if he took his job as seriously as some of his less-naturally gifted teammates.

Between the lines, he could find no better role model than Dillon himself. Though he had missed most of the week with a foot injury, Dillon was in the starting lineup and running effectively from the start. He ended the day with 105 yards and two touchdowns. Say what you want about his history in Cincinnati, this guy is all football player. He can outrun them and run through them. And he does it in the toughest, meanest looking manner possible. It痴 like having the 1980痴 Mike Tyson as your running back.

The line is obviously creating sufficient space for Dillon痴 exploits, and today seemed to give Brady ample time whenever he tried to go upfield. David Patten (despite a run of troubling late drops), Daniel Graham (who also excelled as a blocker) and Kevin Faulk (admit it � this guy is a very valuable player) were the leading receivers, though it wasn稚 a numbers day. Eight different Patriots receivers caught a pass. Hey, even Dan Klecko grabbed one and ran for a first down.

Patriots on Defense

For starters, I guess I can cut back on the hand wringing over the Patriots pass defense.

Admittedly, they were aided by a Seattle receiving corps with hands like canoe paddles, but the Pats pass coverage limited the big plays and kept the Seahawks out of the end zone despite repeated attempts. Matt Hasselbeck had almost 350 yards, but produced only one touchdown, a run by Shaun Alexander.

What I値l remember about Hasselbeck today is him shuffling in the pocket as he ran through his progressions, finding none of them particularly appealing, and finally having to settle for the least spectacular, least intrusive option.

The Seahawks came out heavy on the pass right away, and ended up running the ball only infrequently (curious, as Alexander was relegated to a mere supporting role). Even though Seattle threw fifty times, the Patriots linebackers and secondary bent but never broke. Gaudy passing totals be damned, I知 giving the pass defense a gold star for this game.

The whole unit gets a sticker for they way they opened the game, convincingly putting their thumb down on the upstart Hawks like an annoyed big brother dumping his kid brother in the garage trash cans. For the weekend.

After Seattle had opened the game by driving into New England territory, Richard Seymour leaped and batted a Hasselbeck pass into the waiting arms of Willie McGinest, who lumbered to the Seattle 26. Five plays later, the Patriots had an early lead.

On the next drive, Ty Law collected the second of Hasselbeck痴 interceptions, a diving grab off the ground in front of Darrell Jackson. An Adam Vinatieri field goal followed, and Seattle had no more than gotten off the bus and was already down 10 in the stadium of the defending champions.

In the second half, as Seattle drew closer, the Patriots defense grudgingly gave up ground. They forced the Hawks into extended drives that in the end yielded only field goals. With the clock inside four minutes remaining and a precarious six point margin at stake, the Patriots flushed Hasselbeck into an intentional grounding that essentially ended Seattle痴 drive at the Pats 12. The defense dodged a bullet and in the process held on to a field goal lead. By the time they returned, they were again comfortably ahead by 10.

Eugene Wilson led all Patriots tacklers with 12, as he ranged far and wide with well-timed collisions that recalled his impressive rookie season. Rodney Harrison had 6 tackles and 6 assists, his second strong week in a row. Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi were steady as usual, two indispensable towers of strength that joined with the front line to ensure that Alexander痴 occasional runs would be unmemorable. Though Hasselbeck was elusive in the pocket, the Pats applied occasional heat as Vrabel, Ty Warren and Jarvis Green all had sacks.

Patriots on Special Teams

Kickoff coverage was a little better this week, thanks mostly to some very solid Adam Vinatieri kick offs. They池e still running in cement on returns. Punt coverage got a lift from a nice play by the returning J坦od Cherry, who pinned Seattle at their 17 after a 52 yard Miller kick. Vinatieri was again at his reliable best, hitting three field goals that helped to make the difference.

Patriots on the Sidelines

Here痴 a fun fact: the Patriots ran their record to 5-0 for the first time since 1974, the only other time a New England team has gone this far into the season undefeated.

If this was the Boston Globe, I壇 be reminding you now that the 1974 team finished 7-7 after a disastrous run of injuries and bad fortune. Like it meant something.

Instead, we値l say this: I think the talent level of the Patriots is often understated. Though I致e guzzled the Kool-Aid on the whole 奏eam� thing, there痴 still some pretty talented individuals in the Pats locker room.

Yet, no matter how talented those individuals are, when they collectively deliver such consistent performances week after week, to the extent that we池e now talking about a year since they lost, then I don稚 think it痴 unreasonable to think we might have one of the best coaching staffs anybody痴 ever had.

Patriots Next Week

The Game of the Century, at least to the bonehead tabloids and a few under-the-influence Internet Heroes. 5-0 Jets meet the 5-0 Pats at Gillette.

October 10, 2004
Dolphins vs. Patriots
At Gillette Stadium, Patriots WIN, 24-10
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

Listen to me. It痴 NOT nineteen straight.

Its sixteen straight. The official NFL record for consecutive wins as listed in the league’s 2004 Record and Fact Book does not include postseason play. Period. Logical or not, that痴 what it is. So can we please stop hearing about some made-up �includes postseason play� record that doesn稚 even exist? All right?

You値l have to pardon me. I think I have Streak Fatigue.

Anyway, it strikes me that things like all-time best winning streaks are best stored in a cool, dry place. Twelve (ok, fifteen) of these wins came last year, which means they don稚 do a thing to help the Patriots this year. And for the moment, this year happens to be the only thing that matters. Better we should discuss this streak years from now, when we might need a few fond memories to sustain us.

Or we may need those memories sooner than we think. Frankly, that痴 about all I took away from today痴 24-10 Patriots win over the Miami Dolphins.

It痴 not entirely surprising that the Patriots struggled offensively against the Dolphins, given recent history between the teams, and the litany of injuries that has suddenly plagued Tom Brady and company. One time, when they were in a three-wide set, I could have sworn two receivers were beating marching drums while a third carried a tattered American flag over his bandaged head.

More to the point, for the second week in a row the once-proud Patriots defense let a badly struggling offense move the ball effectively against what is supposed to be the team痴 strength. Were it not for the sheer ineptitude of the Dolphins offensive unit today (well, every day), the outcome of this game would most assuredly have been different.

I壇 like to fall back on my usual �well, the Patriots make the plays when they count, which is what makes them champions, blah, blah, blah� caterwauling here, but to tell you the truth, I知 not feeling it today. I壇 hate to ever take anything like that for granted.

The ultimate goal isn稚 a nebulous reputation. It isn稚 history-making winning streaks. The ultimate goal is playing well in the 2004 season. And perfect records be damned, the Patriots, particularly their defense, are not doing that at the moment.

By the way, the 1933-34 Chicago Bears won 17 consecutive regular season games. So there痴 your record. Now forget I ever mentioned it.

I don稚 want to talk about this anymore, unless you get an automatic berth in the playoffs because you set some kind of league record during the regular season. Otherwise, stifle yourself, Edith.

Patriots on Offense

I think I知 going to give the Pats offense a flyer on today痴 proceedings.

They began the day without receivers Deion Branch, Troy Brown and Bethel Johnson. They lost Corey Dillon for the fourth quarter. For a while there, they were down to Kevin Kasper (big day for Kev痴 webmaster, huh?) and Rabih Abdullah. You壇 have thought it was August.

Plus, the Dolphins have a good defense. Allegedly. I suppose it痴 hard to argue this based on the numbers � Tom Brady had 79 yards passing. All day.

But let me ask you � if they have such a good defense, how is it Brady found two wide-open receivers for first-half touchdowns, both inside the red zone? Isn稚 the red zone supposed to be the hardest place to throw the ball? Neither Daniel Graham (1st quarter) or David Givens (late 2nd) were near anyone who could have prevented them from catching the ball. Thankfully.

So even though he struggled with a Flutie-like 7 for 19, with more than a few poorly-thrown balls (he began the day with a horrendous interception that gave Miami the ball at the Pats 35), Brady managed to beat the Dolphins just enough to win. He led the team on three different touchdown drives after Miami turnovers. Still, it痴 troubling to think of him trying to carry a chronically banged-up offense for many more weeks.

Dillon had one of the biggest plays of the day early in the 3rd quarter, blowing up the always overrated Zack Thomas around left end and then tight roping his way down the sideline for 38 yards. Immediately after, Dillon limped off with what looked to be a lower leg injury. He would return later for only one play. But his 3rd quarter run had set up a short Abdullah plunge and a more comfortable 24-7 lead.

The offensive line seemed to struggle with the Miami痴 pass rush, though they only allowed one sack. They were asked to lead Dillon on several sweeps to the outside, with only modest results. I壇 love to hear why the Pats decided this was the best way to run on the Dolphins today, especially considering that a few between-the-tackles runs looked promising. Maybe somebody will ask Bill Belichick at tomorrow痴 press conference, if there痴 time after the Red Sox questions, that is.

Last thought: Kevin Faulk returned after missing three games and added a nice little screen to the Patriots touchdown drive late in the first half.

Patriots on Defense

You池e right; the Dolphins only scored 10 points. You池e right; the defense forced two Miami turnovers, setting up two touchdowns with great field position for the offense. You池e right; though the Dolphin offense controlled things for nearly all of the game痴 final quarter, they came away with no points.

I still say there痴 something fishy (oops) about the Patriots defense. They池e either running or thinking a step too slow. I知 not sure which one I壇 prefer. I guess neither.

Like the Bills before them, the Dolphins came into the game having recently set a 叢ersonal best� for offensive futility. And like Buffalo, Miami suddenly found some offensive life in their previously rubbery legs.

Beginning at about halfway through the 3rd quarter, trailing by 17, the Dolphins were able to drive 51 yards to the New England 11, 59 yards to the Patriots 21, 58 yards to the Patriots 16, and finally 39 more yards to the Patriots 7.

That is a one hell of a lot of yards to give up in a quarter and a half to a lousy offensive team, one that would self-dissolve on all but one of those drives. That痴 a lot of chances to get back in the game. I wonder what a stronger opponent, like say Seattle, or the Jets (ahem), will do if given those same opportunities.

Jay Fiedler, God bless him, had a typical Jay Fiedler game. A couple of decent throws, a nice scramble or two, then two (at minimum) nutcrushing mistakes followed closely by a game-ending injury. That guy is one of the most consistent players in the NFL.

Fielder did throw for more than 250 yards, nearly half of them to Marty Booker, who owned the 4th quarter. Let痴 face it, the Patriots secondary has just been sloppy, and I知 not sure playing without Tyrone Poole (knee � Asante Samuel started in his place) is a good enough excuse.

On the bright side, undrafted rookie corner Randall Gay had his first pick, and was impressive in batting away another pass. He ran stride for stride with the receiver on each play. 4th rounder Dexter Reid covered up Fielder痴 second turnover, a fumble near midfield caused by Rodney Harrison.

Harrison also had 11 tackles, leading the team. Ty Law had 9. If all these secondary guys had such good games, how did we give up all those yards?

As for the front seven, they managed the run well (only 67 yards despite some unfortunate yet brief moments at the hands of Brock Forsey) and delivered consistent pressures on Fiedler and then A.J. Feeley. One of the most notable was by comebacking LB Rosevelt Colvin, who accelerated through Feeley on a late pass attempt and knocked him from the game only minutes after Fiedler had been sidelined. Vince Wilfork had an impressive game, with 7 tackles including a sack.

Patriots on Special Teams

As far as our guys, eh, more of the same. Faulk brought some stability to the punt return outfit, which has missed steady Troy Brown. Yet like Kasper on kickoffs, he was unable to get much in the way of a return happening. In coverage, they still seemed slow to pursue to the ball, and they still struggled with tackling on the first wave. This remains as one of the team痴 weakest areas.

The real story here was the Miami special teams. First, the Dolphins lose Olindo Mare in the pre-game, and a reserve wide receiver and kick returner named Wes Welker ends up nailing a field goal and extra point, plus 150 yards in returns. You don稚 see that every day.

They should have had him punt. With three minutes left in the 2nd quarter, and with his team trailing by three, Matt Turk lined up to punt at Miami痴 43. Looks like a good chance to pin the Pats deep in their own territory.

The snap was slightly wide, but manageable, until Turk completely freaks out and starts running for the first down. Let痴 just say that he痴 no Brian Moorman. Patrick Pass pushed Turk out of bounds at the Miami 46, well short of the first down. He never had a prayer.

Six plays and 46 yards later, Brady hits Givens on a five yard slant and the Patriots extend their lead to 17-7.

Seeing Turk explain his plight to Dave Wannstedt was one of those hilariously inexplicable and unfortunate moments that make life worth living.

Patriots on the Sidelines

I know what I said earlier, but this is one place where we can afford one minute of reflection about what痴 been accomplished.

Let痴 just put it this way � in Boston, there痴 Red Auerbach, and now there痴 Bill Belichick. What has transpired in four years, and particularly the last 13 months, has been nothing short of astounding, and it won稚 ever be forgotten.

Patriots Next Week

Know this: if the Patriots are driving for the winning touchdown late in next week痴 home game with the Seahawks, they致e got the right coach on the opposing sidelines.

The Patriots better play 100% better on defense next week, or else.

October 3, 2004
At Ralph Wilson Stadium, PATRIOTS win, 31-17
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

Ringo was right. It don稚 come easy. And that may yet be a good thing.

In truth, the Patriots outlasted both their opponents and themselves today in Orchard Park, ultimately extending their unbeaten streak to18 with a 31-17 win over the Bills.

Don稚 let the 14 point spread fool you. The Patriots entered the 4th quarter tied with slumping Buffalo, 17-all. Their offense had started quickly, and then mostly faded against a solid Bills front seven. Their defense had been burned twice for passes of more than 40 yards by a suddenly-sprightly Drew Bledsoe, including one to Eric Moulds that gave the Bills a 2nd quarter lead.

And their special teams�..well, I thing we can conservatively describe their performance as 訴ncendiary�. And not the good, movie-review kind. The bad bullpen kind. Kick returns for touchdowns, punters sprinting 35 yards after fumbling the snap, and a curious kickoff strategy that seemed to scream 滴ere! Take it at your 40! We Give Up!�

But you know what? They池e still 3-0. They池e still undefeated in the conference and now in the division. They致e been tested in each game and have somehow withstood even embarrassing gaffes to prevail. And by virtue of their work last year, and through the first three weeks of this season, they池e still good enough to actively remain on a list of the NFL痴 best ever teams.

That痴 because when it counted yesterday, Tom Brady marched his team 61 yards in a little over a minute to even the score just before the half. When it counted, he took them another 80 yards to reclaim the lead with 11 minutes to play. And when it counted most, Tedy Bruschi made Bledsoe fumble, and Richard Seymour grabbed it on the run.

When it counted, the champions were able to play like champions.

Don稚 you get the sense that this Patriots team is already better equipped to defend the title than its 2002 predecessors? By week four of that season, it was pretty apparent that we weren稚 in New Orleans anymore.

I thankfully have nothing resembling that sinking feeling this time, despite how much I致e fretted about it this summer. Though the team has stumbled through some uneven early moments, I end this day with the further-growing conviction that the 2004 New England Patriots have the fundamental focus, toughness and resiliency they値l need to keep us all busy through January.

Patriots on Offense

The Bills have some nice defensive players, but for the most part, the Patriots were able to move the ball when they needed to.

They took the opening kickoff and ran off a 77 yard touchdown drive that quickly prevented any unnecessary 禅HIRTYONETONUTHIN� momentum from building in the aisles of The Ralph. No sense getting those people riled up.

As previously noted, they then got a must-touchdown at the end of the first half, when a play-faking Brady hit a wide open David Patten for a 38 yard score. And when the game neared the 45 minute mark tied at 17, the Patriots offense drove for seven critical points (a Daniel Graham grab in the back of the end zone) while holding the ball for nearly six minutes.

It will probably be mentioned that on that drive, the Bills actually forced the Patriots to settle for an Adam Vinatieri field goal, but jumped offside on the play to award the Patriots a first down, and a new life. It will probably be mentioned as an example of the kind of 鼠uck� these Patriots live by.

See, the way I see it, the Patriots could have wiped the go-ahead points off the board and promptly fumbled. They could have taken a sack or thrown a pick, or missed a try at a second FG. But they didn稚. They almost never do. Instead, they punched it in. Their opponent screwed up, and they made them pay.

Something like that has to be made of something more than just 鼠uck�.

It痴 more than just luck that has David Patten coming up big again for the Patriots, with over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. The Pats started the game without Deion Branch, and lost Troy Brown and Bethel Johnson soon after (Bethel courtesy of Steve Neal Unchained, Part Two), but Patten and David Givens were more than enough to help Brady total nearly 300 passing yards.

The Pats had great success with the deep throw, particularly off Brady痴 deft play-action work (helped even more by the threat of Corey Dillon). Givens and Patten each had catches of over 40 yards, and Graham had one for 33.

The Patriots offensive line continued to sit on it and rotate, and they responded with a pretty clean game. They helped Dillon average more than 4 yards on 19 carries by quickly springing him up the middle (never better than on his 15 yard TD in the first) or walling off the Bills so he could sweep outside.

The line kept a pretty determined Buffalo pass rush (again, that front seven) off Tom Brady, who took a few hits but no sacks. As noted throughout, Brady had another strong game (particularly on third downs, as the Pats continued to convert at about 50%). While we池e on the subject, we might as well mention that Brady痴 the best quarterback in the NFL, and the centerpiece of the NFL痴 best team, and if things keep going this way (barring the unthinkable), he will for the first time be the frontrunner for league MVP.

Lastly, Dillon sounded one down note with his second fumble in two weeks, a second-quarter job that came at the Buffalo two. It cost the Patriots an almost-certain touchdown.

Patriots on Defense

I guess the first question that pops to mind is how in the hell can Drew Bledsoe look so bad for so long against so many teams and then suddenly spring to near lifelike form against the Patriots?

For a little while there, I was wondering if this might be Drew痴 day, and I imagined a special commemorative four-color pullout in tomorrow痴 Globe. Surprisingly, he was making quick drops and short throws to maintain possession and pile up first downs. And like last September, he was hitting big throws over the top. I got a little worried when Bledsoe beat the Pats secondary so badly on his touchdown to Moulds.

It wasn稚 just Bledsoe. Travis Henry had 98 yards on about 4 yards a carry. Eric Moulds finished with 10 catches for 126 yards. So, taken on the surface, the Bills anemic offense had unexpected success against the Patriots defense, which is not a comforting thought, no disrespect intended.

Yet, the Bills offense scored only 10 points. Henry ran steadily but rarely threatened bigger plays or scores. Bledsoe slowly reverted back to more familiar form as the Pats more frequently sent multiple blitzers to the line, and it was his fumble on the Bruschi sack and strip that led to Seymour痴 game clinching 68 yard return. It痴 not piling on to note that this kind of thing has happened to Drew an awful lot over his career.

A few defensive notes:

Both Eugene Wilson and Tyrone Poole gave up long passes. Is it my imagination, or has this happened a few times now? What痴 going on back there? I was also surprised by how few times Bledsoe appeared confused by the coverages he was seeing.

Poole rebounded nicely later, though, intercepting a poorly thrown Bledsoe pass and returning it to Bills territory.

Bruschi led the defense with two sacks, and the forced fumble as Bledsoe led the Bills towards a possible tying score in the fourth. Mike Vrabel continued to be a force from the edge.

It seemed like every time Travis Henry would start gaining a little steam, he would be soon met by Ted Johnson.

Patriots on Special Teams

Look, it痴 this simple. These guys don稚 make any plays. That痴 the first thing. They池e mediocre as a return outfit. Even with a couple of decent Bethel Johnson kickoff returns today, they have yet to do Thing One to excite anybody.

They池e horrifying as a coverage unit. You壇 think that after allowing a 98 yard kickoff return for a touchdown (the NFL equivalent to the Secret Service losing a president) earlier in the game, they壇 take pains to be attentive enough to ensure the punter doesn稚 run 35 yards for a first down after muffing a snap. You壇 think that, wouldn稚 you?

They stink. They stunk in August. They stunk in September. And now it痴 October, and they still stink.

Patriots on the Sidelines

The Patriots seemed to have a well-balanced offensive game plan and some solid idea about when they could try for the big play. Defensively, they again seemed content to let the Bills move the ball underneath and force Buffalo to string together long scoring drives. So the yards pile up but the points do not..

So hat痴 off to you boys. That is, except you, Seely.

And am I the only one who thinks it痴 funny that the local media-ocrity has spent the last four years telling us that Bill Belichick is a lifeless, soulless automaton who will never say anything of the slightest significance for fear he壇 lose some competitive advantage, and now all of a sudden, he痴 a reckless Chatty Cathy who痴 needlessly putting his players in harm痴 way with his disrespectful boasting?

Off Topic

In this week痴 Sports Illustrated, Jake Delhomme talks of life since Super Bowl 38. To prove that he is still the same humble person he痴 always been, Jake reluctantly reveals (well, not reluctantly, exactly�. it was in the first paragraph) that he still mows his own lawn. And he enjoys it. Dang!

What is it with these Deep South quarterbacks and their lawns? Kiln, Mississippi痴 own Brett Favre has filled three hundred Peter King notebooks with the same story. These guys must cling to those friggin� Toros like they were the last sane thing in their lives. Why do I think a few desperate tears have been shed in those plastic bucket seats? 的知 OK, you know. I mowed and weedwhacked this morning. I did it by myself, even though I can buy and sell every one of you! So what if I shake a little? Stop staring at me!�

From the sounds of it, every player in the NFL besides Favre and Jake has an entire staff of groundskeepers on call 24 hours a day, probably wearing matching Dockers and polo shirts, and whenever the player wants his lawn cut, he rings a little bell.

What the hell were we talking about?

Patriots Next Week

Oh, yeah, the Patriots. Next week, its home to Foxboro, and a visit by the red-hot Miami Dolphins (red-hot as in self-immolated). The Patriots will try to win their 19th straight game.

September 19, 2004
At Sun Devil Stadium, PATRIOTS win, 23-12
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

So, the big story all week was how hot it was going to be at Sun Devil Stadium for the Patriots game with Arizona Cardinals. Many expected temperatures to exceed 100 degrees at game time.

It did end up getting pretty steamy out there, but still, I知 guessing it was nothing compared to how blistering hot it got at my house.

(cue Nelly)

Before I go on, I値l acknowledge that the Patriots in fact dispatched the overwhelmed Cardinals 23-12 today, and that the defending world champions won their 17th consecutive regular season game. I do understand that.

But it was needlessly taxing, in large part to New England Offensive Coordinator Lewis Carroll. I mean Charlie Weis. In a bizarre second quarter that left my entire left side numb, the Mad Hatter started with the stupid riddles again, and in doing so invited a disheveled Arizona team – already kicked to the curb by the champs (14-0) in a little over a quarter – back to a party they had no business being at.

The Cards were on virtual life support when Corey Dillon痴 early 2nd quarter bobble/fumble set them up them their first score, an eventual field goal. That seemed bad enough, a needless error that gave a besieged opponent another breath. But these things sometimes happen.

However, there is no rationalizing Adrenaline Weis痴 decision to follow that regrettable sequence by immediately ordering a bomb from deep in Patriots territory, even though Dillon had run for 5 on first and ten against an Arizona run defense that had been impersonating 11 folding chairs.

Hurried and harried by a fierce pass rush that had to this point been the Cardinals only hope, Tom Brady predictably underthrew the ball, it was intercepted, and bang-bang, now it痴 14-6.

The Cards went on to stop the pass-happy Pats on their next possession, but missed a long field goal that left New England with the ball at their own 48 with four seconds left in the half. The Pats would surely take a knee and end this miserable Alice in Wonderland quarter.

Nope. I am stupid naive. The Patriots 礎rain trust� actually tried to squeeze TWO MORE utterly stupid pass plays in those four seconds. And as a result, the half ended not with points, but with their most productive receiver, Super Bowl star Deion Branch, writhing on the ground with a leg injury that didn稚 look at all minor. In retrospect, taking the knee might have been advisable. Nice work in that second quarter, fellows.

Yes, the Patriots reassumed control of the game in the second half, and it was two reasonably-plotted drives by Weis痴 offense that did the bulk of the work.

But in those completely ridiculous and irresponsible 12 minutes, with a 14 point lead, the Patriots coaches had endangered their MVP quarterback, ignored their running back, hurt their best receiver, and wore out their swarming defense (pretty hard to pitch a shutout when your offense keeps setting you up with those first-and-goals), and there was no damn need for any of it.

By the way, I pulled up old carpets in my dining room and living room this morning, revealing some very nice oak flooring. We池e pretty happy with it. But you wouldn稚 believe how freaking loud it gets in there when you start angrily screaming your head off.

Patriots on Offense

Despite an eye-popping 158 yards by the workhorse Dillon, my undisputed offensive star of the game was wide receiver David Givens, who stepped up in Branch痴 absence and became the go-to guy during the extended third quarter scoring drive that gave back control of the game to the Patriots. Givens finished with 118 yards on six receptions, most in the second half, and if Branch is out for long, the big, tough, dependable Givens will play an even greater role in New England痴 offensive fortunes.

Not to say Corey Dillon wasn稚 completely fantastic. He lugged the ball an awe-inspiring 32 times in the searing heat, racking up his buck-fifty without a run longer than 17 yards. Most impressive was his propensity to lower his pads and drive for the kind of extra yardage that often times extends drives. The verdict is in � the Patriots haven稚 had a running back like Corey Dillon for a very long time.

Daniel Graham continued his hot start, making me wish I壇 taken him, rather than the inactive Ben Watson, in my fantasy football draft. In those heady few moments when it seemed as though the Pats would blow Arizona out, Graham worked free to grab two scoring passes from Tom Brady, the second on a wide open touchdown on a 3rd and goal from the Cardinal 19. I look for a full media blitz on 禅he Maturing Daniel Graham� over the next two weeks.

That痴 the good news (except for Graham, that is � now he痴 got to spend two weeks talking to Kevin and Nick). Now here痴 the bad.

Though he made his usual assortment of clutch throws, Brady seemed off his stride at various points throughout. I知 attributing this to a pretty decent pass rush led by the Cards� Bert Berry. This was not one of Tom痴 finest hours, let痴 put it that way. After they sprung to the two touchdown lead, the Patriots consistently moved the ball inside Arizona痴 20 but were never again able to punch it in.

Though the offensive line surely deserves credit for creating the space for Dillon to get into the Cardinal secondary, they were conversely ineffectual in combating the Arizona pass rush. They sprinkled a few nut crushing penalties in for good measure, like Christian Fauria痴 motion penalty that wiped out a Dillon 3rd quarter touchdown. Strange but true – a Patriots offensive line totals over 170 yards in rushing yet still has only a mediocre game.

Let痴 end on a high note. Just who does Rabih Abdullah think he is, anyway? That was a nice 4 yard run on third down that allowed the Pats to take three knees to end the game.

Patriots on Defense

Four words: out-freaking-standing effort. Particularly considering their tongues had to be dragging by the time the Charlie Weis 2nd Quarter Follies wrapped up.

The Patriots defense did exactly what you壇 expect them to do to an inexperienced quarterback on a mediocre team. First, they proved to be quite sturdy against the runs of Emmitt Smith, putting the onus squarely on Jump Around Josh McCown to move the ball for the Cardinals. And like I said, that worked out exactly how you壇 expect it to.

Willie McGinest had a monster game, leading a relentless Patriots pass rush that also included linebacker Mike Vrabel and a blitzing Rodney Harrison. Together, they sacked McCown five times and pressured him on countless other occasions. Late in the game, they were joined by a fresher Jarvis Green, who probably ran three miles in the fourth quarter alone.

A word about McCown: in a few years, when his middle starts to thicken (as it inevitably does to all quarterbacks), he値l suddenly lose that little quick jog move to the right that allowed him to elude McGinest and Vrabel those many times, and when that happens, I知 pretty sure he値l be joining all the other non-playing McCowns at wherever it is they gather. How does a 6-4 quarterback get so many passes batted down at line of scrimmage? By not being very good.

Impressive rookie Vince Wilfork joined with ends Ty Warren and Richard Seymour to clog up the point of attack and render concerns about the Pats run defense null and void, at least for the next two weeks. Attention handwringing mediots: If Dwayne Robertson was half as good as Wilfork, he壇 be spokesperson for Visa by now.

The secondary had a very imposing game as well, led by Ty Law, who took prized Cards rookie WR Larry Fitzgerald (36 yards on 5 catches) out of the game from the start. Eugene Wilson followed his strong opening night with some of the best centerfielding since Paul Blair, snatching two interceptions and giving promise for well-timed turnovers for years to come. No matter what the future holds, Wilson should remain at free safety. He痴 an absolute natural.

The only down note to the whole affair was an extended Cardinal touchdown drive in the third quarter, which featured two maddening conversions on 3rd and long (including a frightening 42 yard screen and run by Josh Scobey that set up a short Smith TD run and tighten the game to within eight). However, as noted earlier, the defense was likely a little winded from having to race out on the field every other thing during the 2nd quarter to bail out a certain 訴maginative� play caller.

Patriots on Special Teams

Not much to talk about here, though it would have been nice if Shawn Mayer would have grabbed that Larry Izzo forced fumble on the opening kickoff.

Probably the most unimpeachable Patriot today was Adam Vinatieri, who continues to justify his exorbitant salary by being a very reliable son-of-a-gun.

Oh, and welcome back, punt-returning Troy Brown. Very nice to see you.

Patriots on the Sidelines

Let me just say this. Charlie Weis started having a lot better game once I directed my ire towards the malfeasance of the officiating crew of Referee Tony Coolatta, or Tony Coolio, or whatever the hell his name is. I don稚 want to argue with anybody about this � these idiots didn稚 miss a chance to stick a shiv in the backs of the Patriots while allowing Arizona offensive linemen to consistently grab and throw pass rushing Patriots defenders to the ground not three feet from where Coolatta (whatever) was obliviously standing. This is how bad Coolio (whatever) and his jackasses are � when my dogs see his puss on TV, they run and hide under the table. C-level hacks.

Final note. Bill Belichick is Charlie Weis痴 boss, and thereby is ultimately responsible for the actions of his employee.

Patriots Next Week

I never thought I壇 ever feel like a third-week bye is well-timed, but after today, I知 ready for a break. In two weeks, it痴 back to Buffalo. So we know that if Law is ever going to be released, it will be a week from Tuesday.

September 10, 2004
At Gillette Stadium, PATRIOTS win, 27-24
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

Remember the old show Emergency, when Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe would happen upon a prone, lifeless body (like maybe a football fan whose team was in the process of blowing a 10 point 4th quarter lead), they’d rip open the guy’s shirt, put those hot-wired ping-pong paddles against his chest, yell “CLEAR!”, and electroshock the poor guy’s heart into next week?

I was just thinking, with all the technology we have today, why hasn’t anybody thought to offer a home version of this appliance to consumers?

I’m not asking for any particular reason, mind you. Just one of those crazy brainstorms I get when I’m just idly sitting around, like on a rainy September evening. I’m an idea man. They just come to me.

Admit it – you’ve been thinking about this Patriots season-opener ever since the NFL announced the 2004 schedule a few months ago. If you’re like me, you probably even played and re-played a few series in your head, imagining all kinds of Peyton Manning interceptions and Edgerrin James fumbles and Tony Dungy grimaces as you waited for September 9th to finally arrive.

Still, I’m pretty sure you couldn’t have imagined anything as thrilling, as mind-melting, as Depends-requiring as the Patriots utterly wild-ass 27-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.

Here’s the first thing you’ve got to do. You’ve got to look at the big picture. Unfocus your eyes a little so you can’t see all the detail. Just like at the proverbial sausage-factory, it’s probably better that we don’t focus on every ingredient in the first game of the Patriots title defense.

Better we should take the long view. Which is, the defending champions took some pretty vicious kill shots last night, the worst ones self-administered, and yet remained standing at the end. This was no illusory, blowout-on-roller-skates victory-lap laugher, like the Pats’ ultimate false impression win over the Steelers on the night the first banner was unveiled in 2002. This one required nerve, ingenuity and perseverance. This one was a real test.

As we know by now, recent history is not on the side of NFL teams who are attempting to defend their Super Bowl championships. It seems to me the common thread running through all those teams, including the 2002 Pats, is that when the “tests” came, when they needed to summon the iron-willed qualities that had made them champions, their “It”, they couldn’t. They were startlingly, suddenly mortal again. Despite sincere preparation, despite the best of intentions and efforts, there was no “there” there. Whatever “it” hey had was just gone, in the mist of an all too familiar champagne and rubber chicken hangover.

So the only really important thing about last night is that the Patriots passed the test. I’m a little less worried today about spleen-crushing home losses in December.

Patriots on Offense

I need to write a Patriots book. Everybody’s doing it – Nick Cafardo, Pepper Johnson, Michaels Felger and Holley – so I need to write a Patriots book.

I’e got one problem. I think every chapter is going to begin, “Tom Brady is effing unbelievable!” That could get tedious.

You know what? I don’t care. Hey, lemme ask you – if you had to pick one of those quarterbacks last night, which one would you go with?

In many ways, Tom Brady wrote his own new chapter on Thursday night. The most in-control quarterback in the NFL began his 2004 campaign with an even greater command of the game. I’ll tell you this – he’s never thrown the ball better. He’s never looked better in the pocket. He’s never looked defter as a ball-handler. He’s never looked more able to control the game by the sheer force of his competitive smarts and ice-cold will.

Some Brady highlights: in the second quarter, answering the Colts’ first touchdown with two laser beams to David Patten (20 yards on 2nd and 17) and Deion Branch (for a 16 yard score). Later, after his defensive teammates had been pummeled by yet another relentless Colts drive, three quick strikes to Daniel Graham to set up a 45 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal with only seconds remaining in the half. Then, firing on all cylinders in the third quarter, peeling apart the Colts secondary with big third-and-long throws on two drives that concluded with book-end, feathery-soft touchdown passes to Patten and Graham.

And I think it’s nothing short of a miracle that when the gremlins took control of the Patriots communications equipment in the fourth quarter, rendering things kind of haywire for awhile, Tom Brady threw only one devastating interception. That’s a hell of a quarterback.

He’s only 27. He’s won two Super Bowl MVP’s. And he’s getting better.

Some of this may be due to the presence of Corey Dillon, who confused Pats fans for a brief moment when he suddenly appeared in the open field, free from defenders, running towards the Colts goal line. WITH THE BALL. Not having seen such an occurrence in many years, I figured the Patriots running back had picked the ball up during the commercial break when nobody was looking, but no, it turns out it was an actual play from scrimmage. The refs counted it and everything.

That 38 yard sprint in the second quarter keyed the Pats first touchdown drive of the season, and became the centerpiece of an impressive 15 carry, 86 yard night, but I’m here to tell you that Corey Dillon made one really HUGE play in this game.

Not one to be spooked by those pesky gremlins, Dillon saw the ball curiously laying unattended at the Patriots 19 with only two minutes to play, so he jumped on it. He didn’t pause to wonder why the hell the Patriots were throwing the ball with 2:08 left, in a three point game with the Indianapolis Colts, though you couldn’t have blamed him if he did. To his credit, he just jumped on the ball, leaving the questions to people like me. Thanks, Corey. That play alone was worth a second-round pick.

Though Brady, Dillon and the clutch team of Patriots receivers (Branch, Patten and David Givens each finished with more than 80 yards; Daniel Graham added another 50) were the offensive stars, they were supported throughout by a steady offensive line that gave Dillon just enough room to run, Brady just enough room to pass, while keeping the casualties to a bare minimum.

Patriots on Defense

Look at it this way: at least this game produced some nice new candids for our Memories of Peyton photo album. I particularly liked the slack-jawed one following Mike Vanderjagt’s inexplicable 48 yard miss that ended the game. Priceless.

Otherwise, eeewwww. At one point, I started boiling water, because I had to do something. I found myself yearning for the relative serenity of Super Bowl 38’s fourth quarter.

I’m sure the clucking hens of the dailies have already penned volumes on the perils of being so arrogantly tight-fisted with 350 lb. nose tackles, and I’m sure more than one jackass will make a good living this week arching his eyebrows and, sotto vocce, offering the most dire prognostications for what lies ahead.

I’ll just say this – this wasn’t about personnel, and this wasn’t about coaching adjustments. It was about execution. Make the damn tackle. Know the friggin’ coverage. Win the little one-on-one battles. They did virtually none of it. It’s no more complicated than that.

Thankfully, this is the Indianapolis Colts, and this is Gillette Stadium, so the Patriots were the beneficiaries of critical turnovers at the worst possible time. It’s good to know that you can still count on a few things in this crazy world.

There are four names that should be removed from any indictment. First, as the rest of the world continues to foresee either his retirement or his pink slip, Willie McGinest keeps making the biggest of big plays for the Patriots defense. Are you telling me you didn’t fly out of your chair as McGinest lurched towards an oblivious Manning, driving the Colts back 10 yards and forcing the liquored up idiot kicker’s game-ending miss? Willie McGinest saving a game against the Colts is becoming an annual tradition.

Secondly, somebody should keep an eye on Chad Eaton this weekend to see if he has HALF the game Ty Warren had last night. I’m guessing he doesn’t. Warren had a game befitting a first-round pick, pressuring Manning into a bad interception and forcing one of two James fumbles inside the Patriots five yard line. Proving once again that not only is Chad Eaton a big blabbermouth, he hasn’t the slightest idea what he’s talking about. Never has.

Lastly, second-year d-backs Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel. By delivering a hammer-strike on Mr. Butterfingers with only four minutes to play, Wilson prevented James from scoring to give the Colts the late lead. A play of Fred Marion or Roland James proportions.

Samuel stepped in for a gimpy Ty Law and, late (and completely bogus) pass-interference calls notwithstanding, played very capably throughout.

A Thought

You just know that somewhere on Thursday night, as ABC’s cameras brought Elton’s John’s piano-playing digits into tight focus, Jamin Elliot took one look at the gaudy new jewelry on the former Reg Dwight’s right hand and said “now ain’t THAT a bitch.”

Hey, at least the Patriots had the good sense to give a Super Bowl ring to a celebrity that won’t make a habit of hanging around the park. I mean, they could have given it to Affleck. Now THAT would have been a bitch.

Patriots on Special Teams

I’m giving him fair warning – the next time Deion Branch tries to catch a punt like that, I will personally wring his neck. If there’s not too much of a line, that is. A third-year guy with as much talent as Branch should have never allowed that to happen. Bottom line – for all the good he did on the offensive side of the ball last night, Branch very nearly cost his team the game. Hurry back, Troy Brown.

Patriots on the Sidelines

Look, I understand that you can never have too many points when you’re playing the Colts. I understand that the best way to stop their offense is to keep your offense on the field and in possession of the ball.

But Good God Almighty, the Patriots ran just four running plays to NINE fourth quarter passing plays last night, and this is with the lead. The atrocities included two straight pass plays – one the aforementioned sack/fumble and the other a near interception – on 2nd and 5, with two minutes to play and the Colts left with only one time out.

I’m sorry, no matter which way you cut it, that’s just hideously stupid.

But at the moment, I can’t help but recognize that the object of my morning’s steaming hot cup of derision also played no small part in that banner that somehow brought the all those emotions welling into my throat and into my eyes at around twenty minutes to nine last night, and made me feel so fortunate to be bearing witness to these events at this time and place. So I’ll deal with it.

For now.

Patriots Next Week

You mean there’s more games? This last one has such an epic feel to it, it’s hard to imagine there are 15 more on the schedule. First stop: Arizona. I’ll worry about that tomorrow. For now, I’m going to see if I can find that old prescription of nitro.

September 2, 2004
At Gillette Stadium, JAGUARS win, 31-0
By Scott A. Benson
[email protected]

You don’t know how much I wish Coach Bruce Allen would lift me after a couple of paragraphs tonight, so that some practice-squad Pats yahoo could finish this column while I chill and save myself for the regular season.

The fourth pre-season game is kind of like the third nipple: no good can come from it. Except maybe to remind one that “Jaguars” can be kind of hard to say on a full tank of oil.

Not that this is any kind of revelation (the fourth pre-season game thing, not the nipple or the oil thing) – it was pretty clear that this game had “limited upside” when Bill Belichick declined to start any of his front-line players. As someone who lived through the Tippett/Lippett/Veris atrocity, I sincerely appreciated it.

It turned out to be the highpoint of the evening. I am here to attest that it is, in fact, entirely possible to be utterly deflated by a game you could give a rip about.

I guess what I’m supposed to say now is that this was a meaningless, going-through-the-motions pre-season game featuring no starters and very few other players of significance, and when the bell rings next week, the real Patriots will emerge.

Right. I love those “when the bell rings” teams. I’ll just say it: I can’t shake the feeling that when the history books are written, this will not prove to have been a particularly effective training camp and pre-season for the defending champion New England Patriots.

I am just saying.

Patriots on Offense

Rohan Davey had almost four quarters to put up one point on the Jacksonville Freaking Jaguars and did not. He probably had as many turnovers (two picks and a fumble) as he did first downs. Davey may put his game together and become a capable NFL quarterback, but can we all agree by now that this will not happen in 2004?

I am sick of talking about Rohan Davey. Somebody change the subject.

The 2nd and 3rd team offensive line seemed to fare reasonably well tonight, yielding only a late sack of Kliff Kingsbury. Reserves Klemm, Neal, Gorin, Hallen and That Center Whose Name I Can’t Spell (Gene Mruczikowski) had even greater success with the run, at times opening some pretty reasonable creases and holes for workhorse Mike Cloud.

If there was anything good about this game, it was Cloud. In many respects, he had his most impressive game as a Patriot, finishing with 93 yards on 19 carries. He seemed to make good choices at the line, finding holes and then hitting them quickly and with authority. Even a late fumble doesn’t change the fact that in the final pre-season game, Mike Cloud did everything he could to earn a job. That’s got to count for something.

There weren’t too many receiving highlights because of, well, you know. Bethel Johnson had a couple of nice grabs, including a tough over-the-middle first down, before wisely heading for the hills.

Finally, to end in upbeat fashion, I present Mr. Ben Watson of Georgia! (Applause) Once again, Watson showed uncommon strength and speed with two catches for 37 yards. In the third quarter, he leapt high to grab an errant toss by (deleted) before righting himself and sprinting for gain of 22. Boy, some fantasy football owner would be pretty shrewd to grab this guy with one of their late picks.

Patriots on Defense

Before things got out of hand in the second half, I was actually pretty pumped by the job the Pats 2nd team defense did against Byron Leftwich and several other Jags starters. They forced punts on each of Leftwich’s three possessions and generally made him look like a flummoxed NFL Europe MVP.

Vince Wilfork continued to see time at the defensive end position, which will undoubtedly lead to a media assault on Bill Belichick. Somebody’s bound to bring up Bobby Hamilton, or jump to the conclusion that Ty Warren’s a bust. But for tonight anyway, I prefer to leave it at this: Vince Wilfork is a pretty athletic football player with good strength and an impressive push on pass plays. For a guy who ended up with only one tackle, he sure caught your eye.

Like Mike Cloud, LB Justin Kurpekis can go to sleep tonight knowing that he did everything he could possibly do to survive the final cut. He’s got some pass rush skills off the edge and hustles everywhere. With special team ace (and valuable backup OLB) Matt Chatham’s health seemingly an unknown, Kurpekis may get a further chance to prove he belongs.

From the charred remains of a defensive backfield that surrendered 28 fourth quarter points emerges the noble visage of CB Christian Morton, who saved a long Jacksonville touchdown (albeit only momentarily) with a startling all-out burst to catch Ernest Wilford from behind. At times, the reed-thin Morton seemed to be bullied off the line by bigger receivers, but I like a guy who doesn’t quit, particularly when he runs a 4.4.

Patriots on Special Teams

And it is here we find the one unqualified success of the Patriots pre-season. How much do you think the Pats improved their punting this off-season? I say a billion percent.

Patriots on the Sidelines

It’s late, and I’ve had a little to drink, but you know, next time we’re getting slaughtered in the fourth quarter, it would be nice if our players could at least attempt to hide the sideline smiling and laughing from the rest of us. Even if this game didn’t mean a damn thing, that scoreboard STILL said “Jacksonville 31, New England 0″.

Pardon the Interruption

You may have noticed there’s a different by-line on Game Day this week. I’m going to try a pen name for awhile. Honestly, this Pats67 (my real name, strangely enough) stuff is out of control. I can’t go out in public anymore. Do you know how many peed-on shoes I’ve signed? How many pictures I’ve taken with drunken college kids wearing off-the-shoulder Michael Vick jerseys? So I thought I’d go with something more literary, in the hopes I could sneak out for a steak and cheese once in a while without some greasy neighborhood kid on a bike yelling “Manning rules!” Anyway, I’ve decided to use “Scott”, as in F. Scott Fitzgerald or Sir Walter Scott. In fact, I even toyed with “Sir Scott”, but I decided that’s pushing it. In due time.

Im adding the middle initial “A” for “affectation”. The “Benson” I picked just because I liked that show. The governor was a stitch.

Patriots Next Week

Some game against the Colts, I think. I don’t know, I haven’t checked the schedule. It’s going to be hard to top a Thursday night exhibition skunking by the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is probably why they’re bringing in Beyonce.

August 29, 2004
At Carolina, PANTHERS win, 20-17
By Pats67

Well, this is just great. I suppose we’re going to have to give back the trophy now?

That had to be the shortest title reign in history. In defense of the Patriots, I think it’s kind of crummy that the NFL suddenly decides to move the Super Bowl to August, but still, it wasn’t the NFL that turned over the fourth quarter of a championship game to its third string quarterback. Is it just me, or did that seem a little arrogant to you, too?

Yet it wasn’t even the most arrogant move of the night. That one goes to the Carolina fans, who piled out of the stands – while their team still trailed – to get an early jump on the victory parade. They obviously knew they had us, but they didn’t have to rub our noses in it. I’lll leave it to them to explain to Rodney Peete why they weren’t there for his first touchdown pass since the Truman Administration.

The only good thing about this game is that all of a sudden, getting hammered by Cincinnati in a meaningless pre-season game seems kind of, well, meaningless. Its small potatoes compared to blowing a fourth quarter lead in the Super Bowl. NOW we got problems.

Actually, we don’t. That was a pretty fair country football game our boys played last night, and for now, we can put last week’s stink bomb safely in the “so what?” pile. The third week of August typically offers the conditions that most closely approximate those of the regular season, and the Patriots responded with an effort (with asterisks; more later) that at times wouldn’t look entirely out of place on Three Games to Glory II.

Before we move on, allow me to say a few words about the Carolina Panthers. It’s not often that I have anything complimentary to say about anyone, least of all opponents of the Patriots, but I’m telling you, I loves me my Panthers.

With all due respect to the Tennessee Titans, no NFL team provides a more competitive challenge for New England. Though their all-world, all-mouth defense hasn’t yet to find a way to slow down Tom Brady & Co., John Fox and the Panthers still manage to stay step-for-step with the Pats when they meet. I think that’s because you can find more heart and guile in Jake Delhomme’s little finger than you can at an entire Manning family reunion.

I hear the grim prognostications of imminent obscurity for Delhomme, and I’m not buying them.

Patriots on Offense

(Cue heavenly choir) Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Listen, if you don’t know by now that Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL, you’ve got rocks in your head. Crack rocks.

Watching him last night, I decided that if Brady was somebody else’s quarterback, I would absolutely hate him. I’d probably think he was a system quarterback who got too much credit for his team’s success. I’d probably make a few man-purse cracks on the Internet. Because deep in my little black heart would lie the painful realization that my team was going to have to get up pretty early to put one over on Tom Brady. To compensate, I would loathe him.

Last night would have driven me crazy, as Brady was sharp from the first snap, accurately hitting David Patten and Deion Branch in early possessions. He continued to click consistently with both before finally yielding the floor to Toastmaster Kliff Kingsbury and his Stupid Interception Orchestra with a quarter to play.

High point: In the 2nd quarter, through a maze of false starts and holding calls, Brady slicing like the proverbial hammer, connecting with both Daniel Graham and Ben Watson for touchdowns. A horrid second-half interception by Dan Morgan (did Corey Dillon run the right route on that?) did nothing to change the bottom line: this Brady kid is good. I think it’s safe to start the season with him.

There’s plenty of backslapping to go around this week. Slap one goes to the offensive line. Drew Bledsoe may have that four-second alarm clock thing going, but last night Brady seemed to be using a sun dial. They could have shown a movie during some of those pass plays. And this is against a defensive front seven that’s supposed to be pretty good. Huzzahs to the five returning starters, who with back-ups Stephen Neal, Adrian Klemm and Brandon Gorin, mixed-and-matched in different yet effective combinations throughout the first three quarters.

The o-line also opened a few nice creases for Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk, but ahem, the Patriots were a pass-first, run-later team last night. That is still Charlie Weis over there on the sideline.

Back slap two goes to David Patten. Shame on us for even discussing his possible departure. We were reminded last night that a healthy Patten makes the Patriots a better team. He’s no fringe player trying to beat out PK Sam. It doesn’t appear Patten’s lost a thing in the speed, savvy and clutch departments, and he’s had the best pre-season of any Pats receiver.

Next up is Ben Watson. I want to retract any and all previous statements that may have indicated that I’m anything but wildly enthusiastic about the Pats rookie TE. I blame an over-the-counter cold medication for any regrettable comments I may have made.

It’s patently obvious now that Watson, as more than one message board soothsayer predicted, will be a major component of the Pats offense. He lined up in two TE sets with Graham, took the traditional fullback spot in the I formation, and seemed to play a H-back role on some occasions, and he did all of it in the finest tradition of “smooth – and polished.” No kidding. Barring something catastrophic, that was one hell of a make-up pick.

As for Dillon, he’s yet to put up the kind of run that makes abundantly clear the difference between him and Antowain Smith, but he did show some nice cutback skills last night, and I知 getting the feeling that when Dillon gets fully warmed-up, he’s going to be a load. The good kind.

Patriots on Defense

Bill Belichick may have tried to deflect criticism of his interior defensive line last week, but there was little question that the Patriots hadn’t been winning the point-of-attack battles, even when beating Philadelphia in week one. That changed last night, as the Pats d-line dominated the line of scrimmage throughout, thanks to Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, and yes, Keith Traylor and Vince Wilfork. They were particularly effective in shutting down the Panthers ground game on first down, and though they never sacked the elusive Delhomme, they applied consistent pressure on pass plays.

Carolina’s offensive line may have undergone wholesale changes in the off-season, but good football is good football, and the Pats front seven played it last night.

I might have been seeing things (I upped the Heineken dosage), but Dan Klecko seemed to make a lot of plays from the inside linebacker position last night. He seemed to fit comfortably among the Vrabels, Bruschis, Colvins and Phifers, giving hope to Kleckomaniacs everywhere. Eat your vitamins and listen to your parents, kids!

I suppose if you want to be pissed about something, you can find fault with a sometimes-leaky secondary, even if it was without a suddenly-gimpy Ty Law. Should I be concerned about this, by the way? Or was Ty only sitting out to protest something? I’ve got to get down and get the papers.

But it’s like I’ve been trying to tell you – this Carolina passing offense can give you heart attacks. An industrious quarterback and tough, slippery receivers are going to make some plays on you once in awhile.

Better you should focus on the fact that, for the first time since February, the Patriots ball-hawking defense created some turnovers, including one to stunt a potential Panther scoring drive. Klecko, Vrabel and Jarvis Green each forced fumbles, which is a good sign in light of this defense’s inability to do so in its first two games. You don’t want to be the good defense that never forces a turnover. Too high a probability of a head scratching 6-10 record.

Patriots on Special Teams

Call me picky, but there is something too loosey-goosy about the kick/punt coverage and return teams. I’m not sure we can continue to attribute this to rookies and undrafted free agents, especially after we cut them.

What’s with Adam Vinatieri, anyway? If we’re going to pay millions of dollars for a kicker, of all things, the least he could do is make a big kick once in awhile.

Patriots on the Sidelines

I don’t want to say that officiating crew was flag happy last night, but even Johnny Grier was wincing at some of those calls.

Alarm over 15 penalties for almost 130 yards (including some ballcrushing defensive calls that resuscitated Panther drives) is pretty hard to dismiss, but some on, didn’t that seem a little over the top to you? One thing is certain: the referees are having a fine pre-season in anticipation of Flag Day, which this year is on September 9th.

Still, it’s a little hard to pin all the sloppiness on the officials, especially after I set the bar kind of high with that Three Games to Glory II reference earlier. Silver lining department: all those penalties will give Belichick something to yell about over the next two weeks. He can even threaten them with his jet-engine sound system. Tighten it up, you guys! Don’t make me put on Slippery When Wet!

A final sobering note: Troy Brown suffering a leg injury after returning a punt. I’m concerned whether the media will be able to successfully blame this on Belichick, what with the short-week and everything.

Patriots Next Week

First, pink slips for some, then a weird little Thursday night match-up with the Jags to wrap up the pre-season. Yikes! Watch the injuries – those guys carry axes!

At Cincinnati, BENGALS Win, 31-3
By Pats67

Before we begin, let’s pause and consider for a moment that there are no real game plans in pre-season, and certainly no free looks for opponents that you’ll face again in the fall.

There. I feel better already.

Actually, I don’t. I’m no football expert, but I’m pretty sure you don’t need a game plan to avoid being shoved 10 yards in the other direction on every play from scrimmage. Refusing to show your regular season goodies doesn’t have to mean that you’ll trail every pass play like red, white and blue streamers on an orange bike.

There’s really no excuse for the Patriots’ thoroughly listless and uninspired performance in Cincinnati last night.

There’ll be more than a little made of this in the next few days (for example, Greg Dickerson probably thinks he’s due some kind of journalism award now – maybe a Peabody). But you know what? I’m guessing the Patriots will get over it. I’m guessing that Gillette hasn’t suddenly become THE summer vacation hot spot for soft, self-satisfied football players.

I’m guessing that when they go back to work next time, the Patriots will remember that you can’t just get bored with training camp and mentally check out for a few days, even in pre-season. They’ll remember that by letting their minds wander ahead to more meaningful dates on the calendar, they lose the everyday things – focus, intensity, mental toughness, attention to detail – that are their lifeblood, the very things make them so special in the first place.

They’ll remember the NFL doesn’t give those gaudy Super Bowl hats and t-shirts to just any team, so they’ll put down their European carryalls, dust off their lunch pails, and get down to it.

That’s what’ll happen, right? Right?

Patriots on Offense

This is one game in which I would have welcomed the sight of Shannon Sharpe calling in the National Guard.

The Patriots were behind by a touchdown by the time they took their first snap, and that feat qualifies as the offensive highlight of the evening – at one point, we were only behind by seven points!

I agree. As highlights go, that’s kind of underwhelming. Look, it was either that or the 7 total yards (seven!) in the first quarter. Not much to choose from.

The Patriots got muscled off both sides of the ball all evening, and as a result, Tom Brady appeared to hurry several early throws. The good news is that the boys got to practice their three-and-out drill.

It wasn’t until part way through the second quarter that Brady was able to get anything happening, after stitching together a couple of down the middle darts to Daniel Graham and Deion Branch. Yet the drive petered out where so many Patriots drives have gone to die – inside the Red Zone. After another Brady to Branch completion brought them to the 14, the Pats turned to Corey Dillon, who lugged three times for a first down to the 3. From there, Dillon broke out his “man running into a brick wall while stuck in cement” impression, and I have to say it was convincing.

At the moment, Dillon looks for all the world like a guy who’s fully prepared to average three yards a carry this season. Later on, he capped his Homecoming Game by carelessly laying the ball on the ground after a successful screen pass. The only thing that didn’t happen was Bengals fans raining pieces of Corey’s old uniform down on him from the stands, but I swear if he’d stayed there much longer, that would have happened too.

Brady played the entire first half (and got picked after an ill-advised pass was tipped) before giving way to Rohan Davey, and if you thought things were going to get better at that point, you must have been sopping up Seabreezes with a sponge. Davey did appear to be slightly more comfortable under center this time, at least until guys started hitting him from behind. More good news – the Pats offensive unit got in some work on recovering fumbles.

So far, Davey has been the quarterback equivalent of a gawky teenager – all arms, legs and two left feet. Even on the rare instances when he’s been given adequate protection, he has been unable to step up and deliver a crisp, well-timed pass. When he’s forced to throw on the move, forget it. He might as well be throwing a wiffle ball on a windy day. I think it’s safe to say that Damon Huard’s Q Rating is moving towards heretofore unimagined heights.

There really isn’t much more to say about the rest of this unit, unless like me, you’re wondering if there was anything deeper to Adrian Klemm and Brandon Gorin starting the game as the tackles on the first-string offensive line, over Matt Light and Tom Ashworth. Last night seemed to be a night for coaches to send subtle and not so subtle messages. Was that a small one for the Contract Twins?

Oh, I almost forgot: Ben Watson managed to overcome the blow of being fired by Tom Condon to make his Pats debut with a couple of catches. I’ll say this; when Watson is running with the ball under his arm, he’s already the Patriots most impressive tight end.

Patriots on Defense

Let’s put it this way – the entire first team defense got benched.

It was the merciful thing to do. In their first two defensive series, the Pats allowed almost 130 yards on 13 plays. Now, math can be tricky sometimes, but if I’m not mistaken, that’s 10 yards a play. A first down on every snap. At this point, Bill Belichick had no other choice but to dig a big hole behind the bench and throw his entire defense in it.

They couldn’t tackle anybody. They couldn’t cover anybody. Those orange traffic cones would have shown more resistance on running plays, and broken-wheeled shopping carts would have taken more direct routes to the passer.

So Belichick banished them to the sidelines, and sent out the second teamers, who were so thankful for the opportunity that they immediately allowed a 75 yard touchdown drive. Thankfully, the Bengals collapsed from exhaustion shortly afterward, quelling any fears I might have had about them scoring in triple figures. It was all they could do to drag themselves to another 10 points later on.

But Belichick is like any good parent – he knows how to hold a grudge against his kids. So he trotted the first team back out after the half to battle the Bengal second and third-string. Can I just tell you something? It’s kind of disheartening to see your championship defense celebrating over the fact that they finally managed to stop Kenny Watson.

Most notable developments: Keith Traylor and Vince Wilfork getting rag-dolled on every offensive snap. Asante Samuel becoming the early season’s “illegal contact” breakout star. And these “FF” and “INT” columns on the scoresheet? What are they for?

I suppose if we’re looking for a bright spot, we might mention Rosevelt Colvin played a good bit of the game despite the Bo Jackson-like degenerative hip condition that was supposed to end his career and render his acquisition a bust. Oops! He even managed to record a sack on Carson Palmer. Until then, the only Pats on Palmer’s back were the ones he was getting from his teammates and coaches.

Patriots on Special Teams

This one’s easy – special teams sucks. They can’t cover, and they can’t tackle, and they can’t go a whistle without picking up a stupid penalty. They can’t field a kick cleanly. They can’t block. Maybe this has a little to do with the fact that the teams are stocked with some people who won’t be around on September 9th, but maybe it doesn’t.

Dexter Reid gets a slight exemption here because I figure that when they have three guys assigned to hold, punch and kick you on every play, you must be doing something right.

Cody Scates, where the hell were you last January?

Patriots on the Sidelines

If the Patriots keep playing like this, they’ll supplant the Red Sox as the most talked about team in Boston.

I stuck around and listened to Belichick’s post game press conference, and I thought he summed it up beautifully when he said, on two occasions, “ah…I don’t know.”

Final thought here – I love Pepper Johnson, and credit him with being a key figure in the development of the team’s character over the last few years (not to mention the stellar linebacker play), but I have to say so far, his work on his new position assignment (defensive line) is nothing to write home about.

Patriots Next Week

Off to the bright lights of Charlotte and CBS Television, for a Saturday night rematch with Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith and rest of the Panthers. I thought I told you I never wanted to see these guys again. Especially not in the week that most people consider the only meaningful one of the pre-season. Criminy.

Game Day Rear View
Pre-Season Edition, Version 1.0
August 13, 2004
By Pats67

I got to tell you, I’m not happy with my progress at this point.

I mean, there’s only three weeks before the season begins, and the games start to count. If I think I’m just going to turn it on when the bell rings, I’m sadly mistaken, mister. I need to put the time in now to be successful later. Try telling that to me, though. Talking to me is like talking to that wall over there.

My conditioning stinks. Two beers in four quarters? Who am I, John Dennis? That’s pathetic. Pretty soon they’re going to be firing live ammo, and I’m going to need to dig a lot deeper than that. At this rate, I won’t have it when I need it, and then I’d be no better than a Colts fan.

And frankly, I’m not all that impressed with my concentration either. Was that me who wandered over to VH1′s Most Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll late in the fourth quarter? I should have made myself run a lap right there. I think I missed a Quinn Dorsey quarterback pressure! That’s not going to get it done in January, brother.

Let’s face it, even the lead to this column is weak. Fundamentally, I’m a mess. For all I know, I just misspelled fundamentally.

Well, that’s it, I’m taking the weekend to get my head right, and then Monday morning I’m getting to work. If I want the Patriots to be playing ball through January, I can’t be soft. Otherwise, I’ll be watching somebody else’s team in the playoffs, all sour-pussed and resentful, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Other than Miami fans, I mean.

Anyway.

Patriots on Offense

The first pre-season game is like that episode of The Brady Bunch where Robert Reed and Florence Henderson are in the first scene and then they hand it off to Ken Berry and his adopted Rainbow Coalition. Meanwhile, Reed and Henderson spend the rest of the show standing there with towels on their heads, cracking jokes with Christian Fauria. It’s exactly like that.

The best you can hope at this point for is that nothing horrible happens in those brief moments that your first offensive unit is on the field. Point, Patriots. In fact, there were even a few highlights Tom Brady evading a near-sack to hit the returning David Patten in stride for 20 yards, and Corey Dillon lugging three straight for a first down, capped by a promising burst into the secondary for 14. I had to throw away a couple of Antowain Smith wisecracks when that happened. Then there’s Patten again, snagging a 10 yard TD from Brady, reminding us that David Patten ain’t no piker. He re-appeared later to add a wicked sprint up the far sideline on a kick return, which was called back when Adrian Klemm committed a penalty while doing the unthinkable; actually taking the field in uniform. But that didn’t wipe out what Patten had done with his evening; so maybe we ought to hold off on ordering that Chas Gessner authentic for now.

Speaking of Gessner, he and the rest of the NFL Europe all-stars took over for the first teamers in the waning moments of the 1st quarter. For a few moments, they faced the Eagles front-line defensive unit, and the storyline that emerged from that interlude was that Tom Brady is really, really a great quarterback.

A funny thing happened to Rohan Davey on the way to Canton. The funny thing was that we actually saw him play. Now back on American soil, Davey looked ill-suited to pilot the Pats efficient ball-control offense. Where Brady often delivers the ball on three and five step drops, Davey seems to need considerably more steps than that. Thirty, forty, maybe. However many it takes to run around for awhile before delivering a poorly thrown incomplete pass while being hit from several directions.

As the night wore on, Davey improved, probably because Philadelphia let their wives suit up and play defense after awhile. He managed to guide the team to a couple of scores, including a TD pass to Michael Jennings, which was actually a desperation pass to a covered Gessner in the back of the end zone. Nobody told Jennings, who sprinted out of nowhere to grab the pass on a play that wasn’t exactly surgical in its precision.

Before we move on, let’s have a hand for receiver Ricky Bryant, who made me wonder why the hell everybody’s always talking about Chas Gessner (that’s my fourth mention in the last five paragraphs). Bryant made a nice sliding TD catch (Davey’s best throw) and returned punts like Mike Haynes. It probably doesn’t mean a thing in terms of the final roster, but give the kid credit. He did something with his opportunity.

Unlike Chas Gessner. (Five!)

Patriots on Defense

Hey, didn’t I read recently that Johnnie Grier’s crew averages more flags per game than any other officiating team? I don’t know why they’re talking that junk about Johnnie, considering the way he let the guys play last night.

I don’t want to say no one on defense stood out, but when Troy Brown is your big defensive story (a few cameos in the nickel and dime packages), chances are things were pretty unremarkable. But hey, who’s complaining? Beats losing three defensive starters, if you know what I mean.

A few things I noticed: Keith Traylor knifing through a double team and stopping an Eagle running play in the backfield. Rookie SS Guss Scott blasting the bejeesus out of somebody after an incomplete pass. Dan Klecko looking kind of unexceptional at inside linebacker. Ditto d-tackle Vince Wilfork, despite significant time at the nose.

The day was carried by people like Justin Kurpeikas and the aforementioned Dorsey, who were among the most impressive Pats defenders. Which means almost nothing, really. You got to look at the big picture – they got their work in, they got some stuff on film, nobody seemed to get hurt, and they allowed only two field goals and they won. Never count your money when you池e sittin� at the table. Take it and run.

Patriots on Special Teams

I missed the very end did they carry Josh Miller off the field on their shoulders?

Count me as a big fan of the seventy-five yard missles, especially the ones he angles out of bounds at the 15. And it may have been missed, but on the Pats first extra point, Miller scooped a low snap and quickly got it in position for Adam Vinatieri.

If this was the 60′s, he’d be taking a bow from the audience on this Sunday’s Ed Sullivan Show.

Patriots on the Sidelines

What am I am going to say? The coaching staff didn’t have a good game? Jeesh.

Here’s a story I’m watching Sports Plus on NESN before the game, and there’s Nick Cafardo. Somehow, the subject comes around to Damien Woody. Nick says that yeah, Woody wanted more money, and he’d have to go elsewhere to get it, but he was leaving the Pats anyway because he’d had enough of the way they do things down there.

That made me think of Peter King’s line earlier in the week which said the Lions would like their signing of Woody a lot more if his fat ass was anything remotely near being in shape.

So it occurs to me that what Damien had enough of was somebody ragging on him all the time about being such a sloppy load. So he headed out for the land of the perpetual 6-10, where things like conditioning perhaps don’t matter as much. Nick didn’t mention that, though.

Patriots Next Week

Back to where it all began, in Cincinnati. The Queen City, baby, site of the completely disheartening opening game of the 2001 season. Things have certainly changed since then.