Comments on: Gut Check – Game Five at Broncos

By: Blastor138

Blastor138 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:30:29 +0000

Someone want to let BB know that that soft zone coverage he likes to run only works if you get a semblance of a pass rush.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:09:57 +0000

In other words… it was ‘bend and broke’ yesterday. that 99yd drive was ‘death by a thousand cuts’. And by ‘cuts’, I mean in-cuts and out-cuts. My God, they ran basically the same 2 plays the whole length of the field.

By: Chris Warner

Chris Warner — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:40:59 +0000

AOB, I agree: “bend don’t break” only works when the defense makes a play at some point.

By: Angry Old Bastard

Angry Old Bastard — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:23:21 +0000

Patriots made Orton look great….. What were they in?…a “prevent defense” all freekin’ day?….the Pats looked like they were scared to death of giving up the deep pass so they GAVE Orton everything underneath. It seemed like their stratagy was, “Orton will eventually screwup and throw a pick”……well, he never did…….meanwhile on the other side, it was like pulling teeth for the Pats to complete a pass……what a revolting development

By: Lebron

Lebron — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:49:45 +0000

Was at the game yesterday and walked away with the conclusion that I’m all set with the Laurence Maroney Experience. Had the one 10 yard run, but had another run where he got stuffed for a half yard or maybe no gain by Dawkins. Play ends, everyone back to the huddle, except Maroney, who has to take exception to Dawkins’ woofing, which was pretty standard stuff around the league. Instead of getting his tail back to the huddle where it belongs for the next play, he’s concerned that some guy is woofing over stuffing him for minimal to no gain on the play that just ended – seems to encapsulate all that’s wrong with the guy as a football player. The guy just doesn’t seem to get it and seems to be constantly worried about the wrong thing. Perhaps if he just paid attention to doing his job and nothing else he’d get more opportunities to show the skills the Patriots seem to think he has. My patience with the guy has worn out. Not calling for him to be cut/waived, but his rookie deal can’t end soon enough for me.

By: Steve Bevacqua

Steve Bevacqua — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:45:06 +0000

Oh, and about tipped balls – didn’t they get about 8 or 9 balls batted in the air last week with no INTs? And then there’s the Gaffney recovery you mentioned that went for a first down (third down and long conversion iirc) when by all rights it should have been picked or incomplete. Balls just aren’t bouncing their way right now. I expect the pendulum to start swinging the other way any time now.

By: Steve Bevacqua

Steve Bevacqua — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:41:21 +0000

About TB ‘barking’ and that sometimes it’s HIM. I think that’s exactly what he’s barking about – he knows he should have hit a wide-open Randy Moss and a half-dozen other receivers and he’s pissed at himself. Yeah – a couple of times he’s mad at a receiver because (he thinks) the guy ran the wrong route for the situation, but for the most part I think he’s just frustrated by his own performance right now. Personally, I wish he’d just shake it off, relax and keep the bad passes he’s alreadt thrown from affecting the present and future ones.

-Steve

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:06:48 +0000

Mark… from how I understood it, based on what they quickly mentioned on the broadcast… is that the flag you saw thrown was for pass interference. Of course, the ball was tipped so that flag was rescinded. What we didn’t see… again, from a quick mention by Nantz, I think… is that a flag was thrown out of the camera’s view from the official behind the play (near, say, the 15-20yd line) for taunting. He saw Merriweather point at the receiver on the ground.

Having said all that, I HOPE that is really what happened, because if not, that would mean the flag that was thrown by that official was a result of ‘anticipating’ taunting! HA!

By: Chris Warner

Chris Warner — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:06:07 +0000

Mark, I think the flag was thrown initially for an unnecessary roughness penalty on Meriweather, who hit the receiver helmet first. What happened between the toss of the flag and Meriweather’s jabbing his finger at the ground, I have no idea.
I think a lot of this season will be up to the players. Logan Mankins’ roughness penalty (absolutely useless play, btw), an utter lack of one-on-one victories in the pass rush, no one grabbing a tipped ball for an interception – these plays need to get made.
New England should be fine short term (let’s hope), but they’ve got to step it up for Manning, Brees and Sanchez II.
The optimistic side of me says that they’re still forming as a team and figuring out each other’s strengths. The realistic side of me feels like I just swallowed a rotten oyster.

By: Mark O

Mark O — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:28:37 +0000

Chris,
Could you please explain the “taunting” penalty? I don’t understand how that call could be made at that point in the game and how the flag could be thrown BEFORE the taunting was done. I realize the Pats did not play well but please. Also, is there a trend developing with the Patriots being outplayed and outcoached in the second halves?