Knee Jerk Reactions from Week 7

[ItsGood_ItsGood]

Look, this was a nice win, but don't get your hopes up. They'll always find a way to break your heart in the end. Oops. Forget what I said. Wrong team.

I heard a great point made by a talk show e-mailer this week. On the subject of how much the sports writers in this town are cirlcling the wagons for Grady Little right now, the guy contrasted Grady's treatment with that of Belichick, who clearly does nothing to curry favor with the scribes. Imagine if BB ran the Super Bowl with the same incompetence of Little last Thursday night/Friday morning? His players have fallen like the first row of soldiers in a Revoultionary War battle, and he's got them alone in first place in the toughest division in the NFL. But by Tuesday they'll be raking him over the coals for letting the clock run out in the 4th quarter. Count on it.

The amazing thing about this game is that this was the rarest of NFL games. It was one in which a team with playoff hopes (the Pats) had every reason to think that they could afford to lose this one. With one or two exceptions, every NFL team will lose at least five games. When the schedule came out last spring, every one of us assumed today would be one of those five. I was so post-traumatic-stressed about the Red Sox series and anticipating a loss, that I was ready to give the Pats a freebie. They were playing with the house's money. In fact, even when it looked like Miami was about to win it, I was about as stressed as if I was watching the rose ceremony on The Bachelor.

I keep waiting for the NFL to discover that for the last eight years the Dolphins have been putting two players on the field at the same time both wearing "Thomas #54" jerseys. Has this guy ever made less than 12 tackles in a game?

Speaking of which, it was really fun hearing Steve DeOssie declare that Junior Seau is the most overrated player in NFL history. But that kind of candor guarantees he'll never end up in an NFL broadcast booth, unfortunately. Seau will, but DeOssie, never.

The best free agent signing ever made by the Pats may well turn out to be Rodney Harrison. He set a tone the team kept up throughout the game, twice decleating James McKnight. BTW, we need a new term to describe a tackle like that. "Pancake" is pretty much used only to describe a block. I'm going to suggest "autopsy", as in "Ooh...Harrison autopsied McKnight on that one, Dick."

"On an all-new Survivor: The Ultimate Betrayal." OK, so let's review the new, revised list:
3) 1939. Hitler signs non-agression pact with Stalin. Then invades the Soviet Union. WWII kills 35 million.
2) 33 A.D. Judas kisses Jesus and receives 40 pieces of silver. Christ is arrested and crucified.
1) 2003 Rupert forms an alliance with the tall, stupid steroidy guy. Wins a cheese platter and a case of Mountain Dew.

In the second quarter, the Patriots were handling the ball like Grady Little handles pitchers. Aaaah...thanks. That feels better.

I thought Dan Dierdorf played it pretty much down the middle. The only time he McCarvered the Pats was when Samuel made a great play on the interception, tipping the ball to Wilson, and Dierdorf called it "luck." How will the 2003 draft, supposedly a weak one, be judged if those two continue to get it done as they have? And Klecko. And dare I say, Ty Warren?

BTW, I wonder if there's a secret "I Hate Al Michaels Society". How much fun would it be to get together with Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller and anyone else Al has kicked to the curb, get a few drinks in them and say "Hey, what do you guys think of Al?" and just sit back and listen. The guy has made more enemies than Dennis and Callahan.

The Pats cut down on the number of penalties, but its amazing how often they get big plays called back. What was Ashworth doing on the TD pass to Fauria that got nullified? He looked like he was doing the O.J. "shot in the gut" scene from the first Naked Gun. On that one play he banged into more guys than Jenna Jameson on ecstacy.

[Steve1]

the question is

"Who the hell is Ashworth"??? LOL
(I know who he is-the right tackle of course).

well written, good-good

[Peg]

Originally posted by Steve1
the question is

"Who the hell is Ashworth"??? LOL
(I know who he is-the right tackle of course).

well written, good-good

Well written is right...
My only input would be that it is not "Marvin Harrison", IGIG, but that it is actually, "Rodney Harrison" on our TEAM, that I believe that you are speaking of...

And Steve-- You are correct, in that Tom Ashworth is, indeed, a Tackle on our Offensive Line, man...
Furthermore--You had mentioned in another thread that you weren't sure about the one of the guys that we re-activated, upon the release of Larry Centers...
That was Shawn Mayer. He is a Safety, that is 6', 202 lbs., 24 years old, is a Rookie out of Penn State, that we signed as a FA in 2003, per my Training Camp Roster sheet that I referenced...
Just wanted to help to clarify that for ya!...

[pookie]

Originally posted by Peg
Well written is right...
My only input would be that it is not "Marvin Harrison", IGIG, but that it is actually, "Rodney Harrison" on our TEAM, that I believe that you are speaking of...

And Steve-- You are correct, in that Tom Ashworth is, indeed, a Tackle on our Offensive Line, man...
Furthermore--You had mentioned in another thread that you weren't sure about the one of the guys that we re-activated, upon the release of Larry Centers...
That was Shawn Mayer. He is a Safety, that is 6', 202 lbs., 24 years old, is a Rookie out of Penn State, that we signed as a FA in 2003, per my Training Camp Roster sheet that I referenced...
Just wanted to help to clarify that for ya!...

Mayer saw the field today I believe... as did Tully Banta-Cain! Very surprising since TBC hasn't had a single day of practice in months. Actually, can anybody tell me if he practiced AT ALL in camp? What was his injury and how did he sustain it?

[DolFan]

You forgot to say that the Dolphins suck

[BionicPatriot]

Originally posted by DolFan
You forgot to say that the Dolphins suck

GOT YOU COVERED SIR! Dolphins suck.

[bideau]

Originally posted by ItsGood_ItsGood
They were playing with the house's money. In fact, even when it looked like Miami was about to win it, I was about as stressed as if I was watching the rose ceremony on The Bachelor.

The fact that you are familiar with the "rose ceremony" is fairly disturbing :p I've never had a desire to watch that show.

The best free agent signing ever made by the Pats may well turn out to be Rodney Harrison. He set a tone the team kept up throughout the game, twice decleating James McKnight. BTW, we need a new term to describe a tackle like that. "Pancake" is pretty much used only to describe a block. I'm going to suggest "autopsy", as in "Ooh...Harrison autopsied McKnight on that one, Dick."

Harrison set the tone during training camp. Lawyer who?????

Interesting blurb from today's Globe:

Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael and Patriots safety Rodney Harrison spent a lot of time talking to each other during the game, and by the way it looked, they weren't talking about getting together on South Beach sometime.

McMichael caught a game-high eight passes for 102 yards, while Harrison finished with 12 tackles, a deflection, a forced fumble, and a recovery. So both players let their play do the talking, too. After the game, though, McMichael wasn't finished.

"It's just that some days you get into that zone and then somebody [ticks] you off and that makes you want to get into that zone even more," McMichael said. "Harrison [ticked] me off. He's talking about how I'm overrated. `I'm sure you're overrated.' But, like I said, he got the last laugh over there.

"Harrison, Marvin . . . whatever his name is. That's all I know. I can't wait to get some more of that cat, and you can print that. Put that up on his bulletin board.

"He's a garbage player. He's a great player, but he's a dirty player. That's all right, though. He got the win. I ain't even going to go into it because I don't want to start no rift or nothing. Let's just leave it at that. He's just a dirty player."

[bideau]

Originally posted by ItsGood_ItsGood
I thought Dan Dierdorf played it pretty much down the middle. The only time he McCarvered the Pats was when Samuel made a great play on the interception, tipping the ball to Wilson, and Dierdorf called it "luck." How will the 2003 draft, supposedly a weak one, be judged if those two continue to get it done as they have? And Klecko. And dare I say, Ty Warren?

Let's not forget the other contributions up to this point in the season from Johnson and Koppen. And now we can add Banta-Cain to the mix. ESPN guys commented on this. To paraphrase their words: Other than the Texans, is there another team in the league that can say they're getting significant contributions from so many rookies. Unlike the Texans, the Pats are winning. Kudos to Pioli and the scouting staff.

[Hawg73]

Originally posted by pookie
Mayer saw the field today I believe... as did Tully Banta-Cain! Very surprising since TBC hasn't had a single day of practice in months. Actually, can anybody tell me if he practiced AT ALL in camp? What was his injury and how did he sustain it?

Regarding TBC, he actually started practice on Wednesday. He was placed on the PUP for a leg injury ;) (pretty sure), but nobody thinks he was really hurt, it was basically a roster move and we had plenty of viable LBs at that time.

Since then things have deteriorated and they activated him as soon as he was eligible after his 6 weeks on the PUP.

I have been dying to see him in action since he is regarded by everyone as an outstanding pass rusher who slipped in the draft due to his "tweener" size.

He began his career at Cal as an OLB and moved to DE in his sophomore year and ranks amongst that schools all-time leaders in most major stat categories.

Early in camp he impressed with his ability to cover backs/receivers which is usuallly tough for converted DEs and based on the performance of the rest of this rookie class, I'm hoping for big things from this kid.

It speaks volumes about their confidence in his ability that he would see significant playing time in a huge division game after 1/2 week of practice with the team.

There are a couple of other guys eligible to come off the pup. Neal, Kenyatta Jones and Chas Gessner come to mind, but once they begin practicing the clock starts ticking and the team has 21 days to decide whether to activate them or shelf them for the year, so BB will start them practicing as need dictates at their particular positions.

[Hawg73]

In the random observation department:

* Ty Warren has arrived. 7 tackles and a sack and he held his ground very well.

* Props to the whole D line - Seymour was a force out there and Bobby Hamilton is putting together another solid season.

* Both Tedy B and Roman Phifer are standing tall at LB, but I have to say that IMO Matt Chatham has arrived in the NFL.

* Our defensive backfield has been outstanding all season and the group that controlled Miami yesterday had different starters at all 4 positions than the group the Phins saw last year. Hmmmm.

* Note to those that have been bashing Brady - don't sell this kid short - he is the man in crunch time and shows it again and again.

* The good side of my personality likes Bonnie Bernstein because she is cute and smart, but the dark side still just wants to bang Lisa Guererro no matter how clueless she is.

* Our go-to receiver if we have one is now named Deion Branch, which only helps Troy Brown find the seams.

* Nice catch and dive into the end zone by David Givens - the kid is really tough.

* Dan Graham couldn't carry Randy McMichael's jock.

* Dan Dierdorf's "nice guy makeover" since he got booted off of Monday Night Football was nice while it lasted, but when the heat is on he is what he is.......a pompous ass.

* I don't pretend to know how the Patriots are 5-2 at this point and I'm not going to complain, but they are not playing nearly their best football and are beating good teams so they must be doing something right.

* Grady who?

[ramblings]

Re: Tully and Shawn Mayer:

I suspect the Pat's coaches decided with so many players on the active roster sitting out games because of injuries, there was room to evaluate Tully and Shawn. BB puts new players like Tully and Shawn out there solely for evaluation purposes, not as contributors. The Pat's did the same with Mike Cloud, but he surprised the coaches by running very well.

The commentators said both Tully and Shawn were out there late in the game on special teams. If one or both looks good on special teams, it wouldn't surprise me if they would play briefly in the regular defense against weaker opponents.

Later as more players on the active roster return from injures, I'd expect Tully and Shawn will be inactive for games.

[pookie]

Originally posted by Hawg73
[b]In the random observation department:

* Props to the whole D line - Seymour was a force out there and Bobby Hamilton is putting together another solid season.

Unbelievable performance stopping Ricky the way they did! I was very worried about a potential 200yd day by him and they pretty much shut him down.

* The good side of my personality likes Bonnie Bernstein because she is cute and smart, but the dark side still just wants to bang Lisa Guererro no matter how clueless she is.

The heck with Guerrero bro. I'm all over Bonnie B. She is looking hot and BUFF!!! Is it possible that she's doing 'roids on the sideline and pumping up with weights to make her arms look like that just prior to going on camera? Wow, is she cut!

*Our go-to receiver if we have one is now named Deion Branch, which only helps Troy Brown find the seams.

* Nice catch and dive into the end zone by David Givens - the kid is really tough.

This is so key! givens took a hard pop, held on and dove into the end zone. That was a ballsy play. Having the 2 smurfs now hitting on all cylinders makes me want to say F U to alot the talking heads that say the Pats can't compete with small receivers.

* Dan Graham couldn't carry Randy McMichael's jock.

He is certainly not going to be compared to Ben Coates any time soon, is he?

* Grady who?

Amen bruthah! This Pats win was therapeutic to say the least.

[bideau]

All good points Hawg.

However, I'll take "B squared" (as they were calling her on the telecast) over Lisa anytime. I'm a sucker for the wholesome, girl next door type. BTW, did anyone catch Jillian on the FOX pregame show?

With Ty Warren starting to become a factor and with Seymour becoming a dominant force, how good will this D-line be when Big Ted returns?

On the ESPN pregame, the Pats improbable winning came up. Steve Young just shrugged his shoulders and commented they he had no clue how they were doing it, even after watching them on film. The answer is fairly simple but can't be seen in stats or on film. It's heart, courage and determination.

Did anyone else notice on the 5th Quarter post game show that BB seemed to be choking back tears when talking about his players? Very rare for him but it shows how much he truly loves and respects this team.

[ItsGood_ItsGood]

Originally posted by ItsGood_ItsGood


I heard a great point made by a talk show e-mailer this week. On the subject of how much the sports writers in this town are cirlcling the wagons for Grady Little right now, the guy contrasted Grady's treatment with that of Belichick, who clearly does nothing to curry favor with the scribes. Imagine if BB ran the Super Bowl with the same incompetence of Little last Thursday night/Friday morning? His players have fallen like the first row of soldiers in a Revoultionary War battle, and he's got them alone in first place in the toughest division in the NFL. But by Tuesday they'll be raking him over the coals for letting the clock run out in the 4th quarter. Count on it.

Far be it for me to tout one of my own predicitions, but I'm right so seldom, I have to make a big deal out of when I am.

Kevin Mannix in Monday's Herald said flat out that the team overcame their own bad coaching. Apparently, Brady and Brown drew up the game winner in the infield dirt. Lousy ink stained wretches.

[runnerone]

Look at the youth movement in NE. These guys all have motors that don't quit. Last season the Pats were getting knocked for being old on D this yr, they are very young, very fast and very motivated by the prospect of playing under Bill Belichick and the tutiledge of some very seasoned players, in street clothes or not.
These guys know that the no name Pats of '01 went all the way, so why not us.. I know BB is pumping these guys up in the club house and they all have bought into it. They kind of resemble the dominant presence of the Miami Hurricanes out there.
Go Pats!!!