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New England Patriots Crawl into Playoffs with Injuries and Defensive Struggles
Published: January 6, 2010
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It wasn’t pretty, but the regular season is finally over, and the New England Patriots have made the playoffs.
With the return of Tom Brady and the addition of Fred Taylor and Shawn Springs, only 10 notches in the win column seems a little disappointing.
Last season, a Matt Cassel-led offense was able to put up 11 with no playoffs.
Brady is banged up, and Wes Welker is gone. Time for Julian Edelman to step up and become the story of the playoffs. Brady’s offense loves a good slot receiver, and Edelman will have his opportunity to step up.
The question isn’t if he will be given the opportunity; rather, can Edelman answer the call? The former Kent State QB probably never imagined his rookie year taking a turn like this. He has the moves, the athleticism, and the fire (look at the block he laid on Bills defensive back George Wilson) of Wes Welker.
Will he put up Welker-like numbers? No. Is he expected to? No.
Edelman will give the Patriots another slot receiver who can gain yards after the catch. His days as a scrambling QB at Kent State (where, as a transfer, Edelman walked up to starting QB Michael Machen and told him he was there to take his job) gave him the field vision he needs to avoid defenders for extra yards downfield.
In the limited action he has seen throughout the season, he has established himself as a rookie with great yard-after-catch potential.
In the case of the Patriots’ defensive backs, there is no Edelman to save them. Blowing second-half leads is the theme of the year for New England’s mediocre defense.
Regardless of how many defensive players the Patriots lost this offseason, no defense can be allowed/expected to blow double-digit leads in the second half of games. They are the Achilles’ heel of this year’s New England playoff team.
There are small signs of hope in Brandon Meriweather, Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Leigh Bodden, and Darius Butler (to name a few). However, inconsistent play has plagued this defensive unit all year. Jonathan Wilhite, Derrick Burgess, Springs, and Adalius Thomas need to step up. Burgess, Springs, and Thomas need to realize they have to become veteran leaders on and off the field.
This Sunday, the Ravens come to town, and as long as the Patriots defense doesn’t collapse in the second half, New England wins 28-14. It’s a bad sign when even a 14-point lead seems like no cushion at all—rather a gap that is waiting to be filled in the fourth quarter.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
New England’s 2009/10 Season: The AFC Can’t Hang With This
Published: September 2, 2009
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After the retirement of legend Tedy Bruschi, there will be some new faces on New England’s defense that will help the offense get deep into the post season.
These new defenders have fresh legs and are eager to stick their face-mask in the chest of offensive players across the league. The names Chung, Bodden, Butler, and Springs are all new to New England and will provide enough stopping power in the defensive backfield for the offense to outscore the other team.
That’s the beauty of being a Patriots defender; with the return of Tom Brady and the best passing offense in the game, the defense must only slow the opposition down enough for the offensive Brady Bunch to outscore.
The addition of Fred Taylor to an already above average group of running backs (Maroney, Morris, Green-Ellis, and Faulk) gives New England’s ground attack more than enough power to compliment Brady’s passing game. Maroney should know this is his last year to prove himself in New England, and if he is as good as we all once thought, then he should have a stellar year. Sammy Morris did a great job last season taking hand-offs from Matt Cassel when injuries plagued the team. Eventually Morris went down himself, and Green-Ellis did a great job as a stand in.
New England’s schedule for the 2009/2010 season is a tough one on paper; however, they should have no problem establishing AFC East dominance out of the gate. By the time Brady runs into arch rival Peyton Manning and the Colts in November, New England’s record should be at least 7-1. Almost guaranteed victories include the Bills in Week 1, the Jets Week 2, Broncos Week 5, Tampa Bay Week 7, and Dolphins Week 9. The Jets’ offense is too slow to keep up with New England (regardless of who wins the quarterback battle there), Terrell Owens and the Bills won’t come close (especially without Lynch in the game), and you can bet New England wants to make a statement to the Dolphins and their Wildcat offense.
Games that will test the team, but should still be victories, are against the Falcons Week 3, and Titans Week 6. Matt Ryan is a great quarterback, but he will have the same problem as most teams who face New England—he can’t score quick enough to keep up. Tennessee has been a solid team in the past few years, but I can’t see Collins or Young being able to keep up, and their running game isn’t fast enough to score as many points as they will need. The one game New England has the greatest possibility of losing is against the Ravens in Week 4; however, there is still a chance they head to Indianapolis undefeated. It depends on the production of Joe Flacco and if Willis McGahee is healthy.
The Colts game, in years past, has always been a battle for AFC dominance. Since New England doesn’t play Pittsburgh this season, the Colts will be their major AFC test (Tennessee may have a good record, but they won’t be a factor after the regular season).
In addition to the AFC East, the Saints, Panthers, Jaguars, and Texans will wrap up the regular season for New England. The only major worry here is the passing attack of Drew Brees, who may be able to find a way around the Patriots defensive secondary. Maurice Jones-Drew is too small to carry the Jaguars to victory against New England, and David Garrard (although he has been known to make plays late in the season) won’t be able to keep up with Brady. It’s hard to say how the Panthers will look, but on paper they shouldn’t be a problem. Houston will wrap up the regular season, and even though they will be a much better team than they were last year, won’t be a problem for New England (if all goes to plan, the outcome of this game shouldn’t affect New England’s playoff hopes anyway).
The Patriots should win 15 games during the regular season and head to the Super Bowl. Their one loss could be against a few AFC teams, however, the only team I can see giving them trouble is the Ravens, as they will be New England’s first taste of a real football team.
Michael Vick: A New England Patriot?
Published: July 31, 2009
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For Michael Vick, the glass is half empty. Teams in the AFC and NFC, whom experts believed Vick had the best chance of playing for, have publicly stated that they are not interested in signing Vick.
The Raiders, 49ers, Redskins, Dolphins, and other potential homes for the scrambling southpaw have given the ex-con the cold shoulder. But Vick’s glass isn’t totally empty, as some playoff-caliber teams have not completely ruled him out.
Though they have not said they are interested, the Baltimore Ravens have admitted to considering the pros and cons of signing Michael Vick. There have been rumors that Pittsburgh wasn’t ruling him out either.
That’s more than most people are saying. The majority of NFL clubs have said they are not interested even if they believe he deserves to be back in the NFL (just about every coach has said Vick deserves a second chance). Although there is one coach, who has said so much about Vick, by saying so little.
Bill Belichick wants Michael Vick. Bill is a man of few words and even fewer words of praise. He doesn’t get excited often and never shows much emotion, especially when speaking to the media. Bill understands that he has a reputation for being a quiet and secretive head coach (doing things like keeping Brady listed as questionable throughout his 50 touchdown season, just to keep people wondering).
He knows that if he shows the slightest interest or excitement, people may read right through him. It is for these reasons (and countless others) that New England loves him, and why New England knows Bill salivates at the thought of what he could do with Michael Vick on his team.
It is impossible to say, after the way he acknowledged Vick’s talent, that Coach Belichick hasn’t spent a good amount of time thinking about how he could render defensive coordinators useless by throwing an offensive game plan at them that includes Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Fred Taylor, and Michael Vick.
There is no way to plan for the potential offensive attack that a head coach with Bill’s abilities could unleash on the NFL.
After calling Vick an “outstanding player” and “tremendous athlete,” it is obvious Bill wants him. He doesn’t have to say anything else because for Bill Belichick, that is already saying a lot.
Then, instead of saying he wasn’t interested at the time, he pawned the decision making process off on someone else, claiming he would be open to anything. According to the Washington Post, he added the following statement:
“You know, I think we have, we would consider…I mean, we’re coaching the players that we have on the field right now, so that’s who’s here,” Belichick said. “So, anybody who isn’t here, is there potential that they could be here? You know, yeah, there probably is. But right now, they’re not.”
“We’re coaching the 80 players that are here, so until we get somebody else, we’re coaching them. If we get somebody else in here, which I’m sure at some point we will, then we’ll coach them along with the players that are here. So, who all that’s gonna be—you know, I mean right now, it’s the 80 players that are here. That’s all I can tell you.”
Come on Bill, “So, anybody who isn’t here, is there potential that they could be here? You know, yeah, there probably is. But right now they’re not.” He has to know he gave it away. He wants Michael Vick. He doesn’t care about the dog fighting because Vick served his time and paid his debt to society. Not to mention, dog fighting has nothing to do with Bill’s offensive system.
Bill knows New England fans want championships. Bill also knows that as soon as Vick is signed, any talk in New England of what a bad guy he is will quickly turn into bragging about what a great addition he is to an already spectacular offense.
Bill also knows that Vick will be as easy to manage as Randy Moss when he was signed. Character issues are not a big concern because on a team with Brady, Moss, Bruschi, and other veteran talent, Vick will be a smaller fish in a pretty big pond of talent and leadership.
Go ahead Bill, make the move. Do whatever you need to in order for Mr. Kraft to realize the potential of adding Vick as another offensive weapon. Don’t pay him much, he doesn’t deserve it, and New England can’t afford it.
What he does deserve is a chance, a chance to prove himself, to participate in the sport that took him from the rough life he once endured, and to once again be financially stable.
He served his time, he had the book thrown at him, and lost it all. Sign Vick, make defensive coordinators quit their jobs and make bringing another championship to New England that much easier.
