Thoughts after the NFL Playoffs Divisional Round, Jets vs. Patriots

The Jets ran their mouths all week and it kills me that they backed it up. The Patriots struggled in all 3 phases of the game and picked the worst time of the year to do it. The Pats played from behind most of the game and were eliminated from the playoffs by the Jets, 28-21.

Offense

The offense came out without Welker who was benched for making several foot/toe references in a press conference alluding to the Jets' coach Rex Ryan's foot fetish. Though I think the punishment was a bit harsh considering it was a playoff game, I understand that Belichick had to make it clear that he does not approve of his players getting into personal attacks and providing bulletin board material for the other team. At the end of the day, the benching of Welker did not affect the final outcome in any way.

The Pats were able to move the ball well on their first two drives by mixing up formations and using several runs to the outside. However the first drive ended with an INT resulting from a horrible overthrow by Brady trying to set up a screen play to BJGE. The Pats were able to get a stop on defense and the Jets missed a FG keeping the score tied at 0.

The offense was able to march back down the field on their 2nd drive into the red zone. However the Pats had to settle for a FG after Crumpler had a bad drop in the end-zone. The Pats had two possessions deep into Jets territory and only 3 points to show for it.

The Pats struggled for most of the game after that. The Jets had a great defensive game-plan of rushing only 3, leaving CBs Revis and Cromartie to handle the WRs on the outside, and then putting the remaining defenders in the middle of the field to limit Welker and the TEs. Brady was sacked 5 times with many of them coverage sacks where he had to hold the ball longer than he normally would because he could not find many open receivers. Even when receivers were open, it looked like Brady was a little gun-shy after the INT on the first drive. It seemed like he was afraid of causing another turnover.

One problem that I've noticed with recent Patriots teams is their inability to make game-time adjustments. With single coverage to the outside, the Pats lack of an explosive WR really hurt them in this game. Branch was blanketed by Revis so he was a non-factor for most of the game. There wasn't another WR on the other side of the field that the Jets had to respect.

With the Jets only sending 3 rushers, the obvious way to beat that is to run the ball. Unfortunately the Pats took 3 quarters to figure that out. The Pats were finally able to move the ball but there was no sense of urgency from the offense! They wasted more than 7 minutes and ended up turning the ball over on downs. Such poor clock management reminded me of McNabb in the Super Bowl many years ago.

Defense

Overall I think the play of the defense was just okay. They got several stops throughout the game but were unable to make any game changing plays when it mattered most.

The main problem was that the Pats could not get any pressure on Sanchez. Even an average QB like Sanchez can make plays when given enough time to throw and he did just. He threw for 3 TDs on 16 of 25 throws for 194 yards.

The Pats did not commit enough to stop the running game. The Jets were able to rush for 120 yards at over 4 yards/carry. The Pats should have loaded up the box to stop the run and forced Sanchez to throw more. Instead, Sanchez was able to take advantage of play-action and play efficiently.

After allowing a long return by Cromartie on a failed onside kick attempt, the defense HAD to make a stop from their own 20 to keep it a 1 TD game. However they gave up a long TD run which pretty sealed the deal.

I think Meriweather had a horrible game. He attempted to make too many shoulder tackles instead of wrapping up which allowed the ball carriers to gain extra yards. He definitely took a step back this year.

In the 2Q, CB Butler got beat deep again yielding a 37-yard completion to Edwards. I had such high hopes for him considering how fast he is but he cannot make the play. Hopefully Leigh Bodden will be healthy and ready to go next year.

Special Teams

The special teams play that stands out is the fake punt late in the 2Q. It seemed like a bit of a panic move with the Jets only leading by 7-3. It was a gutsy call and unfortunately, it was horribly executed. Chung fumbled the snap and could not pick up the first down after recovering the ball. This play left the Jets with a short field and they capitalized and extended their lead, 14-3 heading into the half.

After the Pats kicked a FG to make the score 21-14 late in the 4Q, the Pats lined for an onside kick. They were not able to recover the onside kick and then compounded the poor execution by allowing Cromartie to pick up the ball and rumble all of the way down to the NE 25-yard line. The Jets proceeded to score another TD 2 plays later, 28-14. The last glimmer of hope that the Pats could miraculously come back was extinguished on that play.

Other Thoughts

I can't stand the Jets. There are so many hate-able guys on that team: Rex Ryan, LT, Edwards, Revis, Cromartie, and Bart Scott just to name a few. It kills me that the Jets dashed our Super Bowl dreams this year but I'm relieved that they were beaten the following week by the Steelers.

The Pats did not play very Patriot-like in this game. Welker was benched. The offense struggled for most of the game. Belichick made a mistake challenging a completed pass early in the game. The Pats were unable to make the necessary adjustments in-game until it was too late. There were bad penalties like the Mankins' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that killed a drive at the end of the 1st half. When the Patriots were finally able to move the ball late in the game, there was no sense of urgency and lots of time ticked off the clock. At the end of the day, the Jets played well and the Patriots didn't and the final score showed that.

It was a great run this year but unfortunately the Patriots came up short again. The Patriots have several holes to fill but here is my wish-list:

1. Passrusher. Other teams' QBs are too comfortable and too many average QBs look like superstars. The Pats need a passrusher to force the other QBs into rushing their throws and making poor decisions. This should help the young secondary as well.
2. Game-changing running back. I love BJGE's quiet workmanlike attitude but other teams won't game-plan around him because he's not a homerun threat. The Pats need someone who can break tackles, make people miss, and potentially break off a long TD here or there. If the Pats could get a talent like this, other teams will have to respect the running game which should open up the field for the receivers and enhance the play-action.
3. A legit deep threat. The Pats don't have another solid WR to line up opposite of Branch to help stretch the field. Tate is a nice special teams player but he doesn't command any respect when he streaks down the field. The Pats dink-and-dunk too much and other teams have figured this out. It's time to get a speed-burner and to send someone deep every once in a while.

NBA Playoffs = WWE?

I was trying to keep today's post positive but after watching last night's NBA playoff game, I just couldn't contain my rage any longer and I had to write about it. Games like last night remind me why I can't stand playoff basketball in general and why the NBA will ALWAYS be below the NFL in the list of sports that I follow. I know the NBA hates it when a team gets swept like the Orlando Magic was on the verge of doing. And I know that the NBA will do anything in their power to extend a series but can they make it any more obvious?

If I didn't know better, I thought I was watching a WWE wrestling match. Dwight Howard is pumped up with enough roids. There were enough "People's Elbows" to go around. Bodies were sprawled out on the floor. Marquis Daniels even knocked himself out trying to "head-butt" the armpit of Gortat. All that's missing was Matt Barnes smashing a chair over Garnett's head and Jameer Nelson putting Rondo in a full nelson. The NBA commissioner Vince McMahon David Sterns already pre-determined the outcome of last night's game.

The officiating in this series has been a complete joke. There were so many bogus calls against the C's. Perkins got two quick technicals for just breathing and got ejected. Guys were running INTO Rasheed Wallace and he would get tagged with a foul. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard is allowed to just run around swinging his elbows all over the place knocking out anyone foolish enough to remain in the area. And do you see the refs whistling him for a foul?! Nope. And if anyone even thought about complaining about the refs to the media, they better be prepared to be $25,000 poorer.

Anyways, speaking of Dwight Howard Coward...I hate the guy. I freaking hate the guy. I don't just sports hate him. I "hate him" hate him. I hate him more than Ron Artest, Joakim Noah, Anderson Varajao, Amare Stoudemire, Derek Fisher, and Kobe Bryant combined. That's a lot of hate. He is clearly the dirtiest player in the NBA. He continues to get away with these vicious elbows. He caught Garnett with at least 3 of them in Game 4. He gave Big Baby a concussion as a result of an elbow in Game 5. Before last night's game, I wrote as a joke on my Facebook page, "Over/under on the number of times Dwight Coward 'accidentally' elbows a Celtic tonight...2.5". Wow, I should have set the over/under at 6.5!

I have no clue what's going to happen in Game 6 back in Boston. I'm not sure the Celtics have enough healthy bodies to suit up and play. Rondo is clearly banged up. Garnett and Pierce look old again. I suppose I should just save myself the aggravation and just skip watching the game but the homer in me won't let me. I love my team too much. Go C's!

Over/under on the number of Celtics that Dwight Howard injures in Game 6? 3.5.

Post Game Analysis

I guess my prediction for the final score was pretty dead on (actually 33-14) but too bad I was dyslexic with the teams. Sigh. Another year of cheering, screaming, following draft boards and roster moves, listening to sports radio, following team blogs, and watching games is finally over. I've spent so much energy trying to fool convince myself that this '09 Pats team had what it took to win another Super Bowl. This just wasn't our year.

A special thanks goes to the Bourrets for having us over today to watch the game on their brand new and gorgeous 55" Samsung TV. Steve and Judy are always wonderful hosts and this was no exception. I always enjoy the fellowship there, even if the game was horrible.

Back to my thoughts on the game...it's kind of scary rereading my previous post. Most of the glaring problems that I had listed reared their ugly heads during this game. Let's see where to begin...

The offensive play-calling by Bill O'Brien was horrible. Knowing that the Pats were without Welker, I knew that the Pats would be limited in what they could do. Moss would be bracketed so that ruled him out for most of the game. I knew the Pats would revert to quick screens, dump-offs to their RBs, and an occasional draw play. Unfortunately, the Ravens were expecting the same thing. They contained the receivers on those screens and almost picked off a few of them. On those short dump-offs, there was always someone nearby to limit the YAC.

The offensive line play was shaky at best. Matt Light once again got beat badly which resulted in a heartbreaking strip-sack which ultimately led to the Ravens 2nd TD of the first quarter. A miscommunication between Koppen/Neal led to a huge hole for Ray Lewis to shoot through and sack Brady. I love Neal but he got run over another time which resulted in another sack.

It drives me crazy listening to sports radio, or reading forums, or watching analysis where they're killing Brady for this game. I understand that some of his throws were a little wobbly and at least one of the interceptions was simply a poor decision, but let's consider the context of the season. Aside from the '07 season, Brady has had career bests in several statistical categories despite playing much of this season with cracked ribs and a broken finger on his throwing hand. So it's not like he's forgotten how to be a good QB. The problem is that the offense doesn't have any reliable players. Tom Brady looks unsure in the pocket because the receivers don't know what they're supposed to be doing or where to be. And when they do get open, they have the most untimely drops. How is Brady supposed to trust throwing to this cast of receivers?

There is no rhythm on offense. The team got another delay of game penalty. A few times, the WRs didn't even know which side of the field to line up on. Randy "Houdini" Moss disappeared again in this game. Sam Aiken is a wonderful special teams player but he's not even close to being a serviceable 3rd WR. It seems like every time a ball is thrown his way, he tips it up for the other team to intercept it. Watson dropped another pass. Edelman had a few dropped balls as well. You know it's not your day when Faulk also dropped one.

The defense played okay for most of this game. Obviously, the 83-yd scamper by Ray Rice was tough to swallow. But the other 17 first-quarter points are solely the offense's fault for putting the defense in tough situations. But once again, the Pats couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs. Joe Flacco was horrible. He finished 4/10 for 34 yards, 0 TD, and an INT. That is a 10.0 passer rating! The Pats knew the Ravens were going to run the ball and tried loading up in the box. But they still couldn't get the key stops.

The Pats' special teams was also horrible. They nearly lost a fumble while misplaying a short kickoff from the Ravens. They also gave up several long returns. And Gostkowski's missed FG was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The Pats got beat down, outplayed in every phase of the game, and got out-coached. To be honest, the Pats overachieved this year in simply reaching the playoffs. They were a very flawed team and it showed today. But even though the Ravens were the tougher, smarter, and more physical team today, I won't get carried away and say that the Ravens beat the Pats. No way! The refs were totally biased! /sarcasm.

I'm exhausted. It's going to be a long off-season...

Patriots vs. Ravens

Sunday, January 10th, 2010. 1 PM at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots will face off against the Baltimore Ravens. I'm scared to death of this game. I'm not scared because the Ravens are a tough and physical team. Nor am I scared that Ray Rice ran all over the field the last time these two teams faced off. And I'm not scared of the vaunted Baltimore defense. This game scares me because the Pats scare me. They always do.

Tom Brady is banged up. The Ravens will frustrate Moss early on and he'll take himself out of the game. The Pats can't score in the 2nd half. Maroney will tip toe into the back of his linemen only to lose another fumble on the 1-yd line...that is if he ever gets off the bench. The play calling is predictable and unimaginative. And Watson and Baker are still in the witness protection program. Nick Kaczur is a revolving door at his RT position. They have problems in the red zone. And on top of that, they'll be playing without their best WR player, Wes Welker. And that only summarizes the problems on offense.

They can't stop the run without a healthy Wilfork. The LBs can't set the edge in the run game. There's no consistent pass rush. The DBs not named Bodden can't cover anyone. Meriweather is a rising star but still gets caught out of position too often on play-action fakes. A-fail-ius Thomas is a bust. Mayo is clearly hampered by his early-season injury. The tackling is atrocious. The defense can't seem to get off of the field on 3rd downs or get a key stop to close out games.

And then there's special teams. There are no explosive players to return kickoffs. And I don't trust anyone back there to return punts. Hanson stinks and I could probably punt the ball further...with my left leg! Gostkowski's kickoffs have been shorter and shorter and it leads me to believe he's dealing with some of his own aches and pains.

I hate to be so negative but I'm a realist. I follow the Pats year-round so I can't help but notice all of the weaknesses that the Pats have. I know that this team doesn't have a realistic shot at making it to Super Bowl, let alone winning the whole thing...

So the final score? Patriots 38, Ravens 16. What can I say? I'm a homer. Go Pats!