Week 4 Patriots @ Falcons

Guess what?

We’re….

4-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, we’re going to be without Big Vince Wilfork for the remainder of the season after he tore his Achilles last night. You can read more about that here. It says that those injuries take 6-9 months to heal. Here's to hoping we'll have ya back come playoff time, Vince! Us Pats fans wish you a speedy recovery!

 Can I just say something? Tony Gonzalez is still a monster at the TE position. This guy is STILL amazing to watch. If you didn't watch last night's game then you missed out on watching yet another great performance by Gonzalez. You also missed out on Cris Collinsworth telling the viewers how much he liked the way Gonzalez stretches out his arms to make a catch. I think he averaged that saying 2.5 times per Falcons drive. Hey Cris, we get it!

Just so you all know, I'm jumping on the Blount bandwagon now. I still don't agree with him being a kick returner, but as far as a running back, I'm a believer.

Tom Brady and his receivers are making some progress here. I was extremely pleased to see Thompkins have such a productive game. I believe he had 6 catches for 120 yards with a TD. That was better than Julio Jones who had 20 less yards and a no TD's. Talib did a great job playing under him with McCourty and Gregory over the top. We didn't completely shut him down, but we stopped him and Roddy White when it mattered. I liked watching Jaquizz Rogers as well. I used to root for the Falcons back in the day because I really liked Shaun Jefferson and when I found out he wasn't a Patriot anymore I chose the Falcons as my NFC team. I mean I didn't care for them like the Pats but I rooted for them. I also became a big fan of Michael Vick when he was a Falcon.

I can't say enough about the Pats defense. Aqib Talib might seem a bit cocky at times, but I like it. I like his attitude. I like the way he brings that defense together. Everyone works. I'm telling you right now, when they're on the field I don't cringe anymore. It's not like a few seasons ago where I expected us to let up some points but wouldn't eventually matter because the Pats were putting up more. Hightower's playing some good football as well. No one talks about Hightower, but he's playing at the top of his game. Unfortunately we lost Wilfork. It's a big loss no matter how you slice it. There is absolutely no one who could replace such a dominant force at Nose Tackle. I tried to find a positive out of this, and there's nothing there. People want to bring in Seymour but he's already said, "No way". Seymour was one of my favorite players on the Pats. Number 93 was such a dominant force for us for a very long time. That being said, we have a new number 93 in Tommy Kelly. This guy could fill that void left by Wilfork. He's not nearly as good as Wilfork, but he's better than Seymour right now. Also, Vallone/Vellone is a good NT as well. He had a sack last night. Let the new guys play! I'd like to see a bit more Collins, and Buchanan out there too. I'm pretty sure Seymour is still bitter about him being traded. Honestly, I don't blame him.

Overall a win is a win. I say that a lot. It was a lot prettier than the previous games but the Pats are starting to roll again. We're 4-0 now going up a tough Cincinnati team that needs to get a win. The Falcons were in the same position last night, but failed to get it done. It's gonna be awesome to see how our D stacks up against guys like AJ Green, and Mohamed Sanu. Also, The 2 headed RB combo of the Lawfirm and Bernard. It's gonna be fun seeing BJGE play against his former team.

I think last night Belichick should've taken that shot at the field goal instead of going for it on 4th and 1/inches. Gostkowski is kicking well this year, and I'm sure he could've made that one. It would've put less pressure on the D, and less pressure on the fans haha. Also last night some of the calls by the refs were ridiculous but whatever, it's over. I think the Edelman fair catch was bs...again. It's over.

There seems to be a lot of talk right now about Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Even ESPN is trying to compare the two QB's together. It's gonna go be that way until the two teams meet in mid November. So here's what I'm going to say on the subject.

Peyton Manning's a brilliant QB. He's without a doubt one of the greatest QB's to ever play the game. A few years ago after his neck injury people were questioning if he'd ever be the same again after. Now, we're talking about if he's playing the best football ever at the age of 37.

Thomas, Decker, and Welker. When you have WR's stacked like this, it doesn't really get any better. When your team is good enough to be on the cover with you, it says something.

Look, I have all the respect for Peyton Manning. Right now watching Peyton and the Broncos is a lot of fun. I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but Peyton's been spoiled for the longest time with players. Think about his Colts teammates: Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley, Dallas Clark, and Edgerin James. He goes to Denver and he has Thomas, Decker, and now he has Welker, and another TE Thomas who's proven to be solid. Even though Manning's working with great receivers, he somehow makes them even better. Brady doesn't get enough credit for what he's doing though. He's 4-0 with a whole new offense aside from Edelman and the RB's. Both are impressive in their own way. To say who's better is impossible. Both QB's are a lot of fun to watch. If I had to choose I'd obviously be bias and choose Brady. Brady's my QB, and that's my team. Instead of choosing who the better QB is, it's better to enjoy these QB's in their prime before their windows are completely closed. They've had epic battles with 0 controversy between the two. It's a battle of wits when they face each other. Brady has the better record, but records mean absolutely nothing when it comes to a new game. Neither of them care about their records against each other, why should we? These guys are rare nowadays, enjoy them while they last.

Patriots 2013 vs. Buccaneers and more...

Despite the negativity the Patriots are showing for their team, we're 3-0...

3-0
3-0
3-0
3-0
3-0

Did you read that you fake ass fans? I'm sorry but it's getting annoying.

The Pats went into this game 2-0 and the Bucs came in 0-2. With the Bucs going 0-2, and Schiano and Freeman on the hot seat I expected more from a team as a whole to fight it out with the Pats defense. The first half looked like the Bucs had something going. It seemed like it was only time before Jackson and Williams caught one for 6 but that wasn't the case at all. Jackson did miss a few big catches that might've been something big, but it didn't go well for him. In fact, Williams and Jackson both left injured. Personally I like Mike Williams. I was hoping that the Pats would've done some kind of trade to get him because he's extremely underrated. Second half the Bucs flunked.

As for the Pats they looked better. Not good, but better. It's a BIG positive that Bolden is back in the line up because he produces some good yardage receiving and running. He's surely a breath of fresh air while Vereen's out. The only complaint about Bolden is that he gave up on the play where he clearly beat Revis and would've had a TD if he kept running. The next play Ridley was on the field which means Bolden got the doghouse for a few plays, but it wasn't long before he was back. I'm hoping Ridley comes back as the number one guy because yesterday it didn't look like that.

Pats D once again looked great. Can't complain. Those guys are doing a good job. They held one of the top backs in the league under 100 yards, and there were no passing TD's. Talib is looking solid. Nink and Spikes are looking solid. How about that Kelly and Jones sack? I mean we're really looking like a different defense than what we've seen in the past.

Brady finally made connections with his receivers. You know it's a good sign when the announcers aren't announcing Julian Edelman's name every time a pass is complete by Brady. I was happy to see Thompkins step up and get those touchdowns. He worked it around in the end zone for Brady which is what he wants his receivers to do. Dropson Dobson played better. There were a few passes he missed but he's getting there. It's only time.

The other things...

I've been reading a lot comments on Patriots pages, Facebook comments, and anywhere else that you can think of. I've seen a lot of things so I'm going to address them (probably again) because it's getting annoying...

1. "Patriots should sign Terrell Owens"
TPF: No. They shouldn't. Are we really that desperate? Didn't Tom Brady work out with him in the off season in California? If there was any kind of chemistry, Brady would have that guy on the team catching passes left and right. Sorry folks, Brady said it himself, "Nobody's coming to save the day." Lloyd's doing a zombie movie right now, and Branch is hanging out at home somewhere waiting for the Pats to call him. I can see Branch coming back MAYBE. That's a big maybe. If a guy like Edelman goes down. As for TO? Come on now... He puts up a video on Youtube that says he's ready to play yet he looks like an almost 40 year old guy trying to make a comeback. Oh wait... He was practicing against his friends who were probably trying to make him look good but in reality? No... just no.

2. "The Pats haven't played a real team yet"
TPF: Look, the Patsies are slacking in their offense, there's no doubt about it. They pretty much have a whole new receiving line. So when Brady isn't being Brady, everyone flips the f--k out. The first game we played the Bills. A new offense who were probably rattled by nerves in an away game didn't play so great. It was the vets who stood out. The Bills played a great game. They were at home and had a chance to knock off the most dominating team to ever be in the AFC East. Bills still lost.

Game 2 was another nerve killer. The Jets are no fluke. They're a 2-1 team right with a killer defense, and a promising offense Forget what people are saying about how they suck, and how they're not going to do anything, the Jets are for real. Geno Smith is a good rookie QB, and he showed it against the Bills. Geno Smith gives the Jets WR's some hope, and it shows. We beat them in a nail biter at Foxboro.

Game 3 was another nerve wrecking game going on. I'm pretty sure everyone thought that the Bucs secondary was going to take total control of the Pats WR's. With Dashon Goldson and Darelle Revis at the helm of their DB's, I myself was sure it was going to be rough. Even their top offensive guys like Martin, JAckson, and WIlliams could penetrate through the Pats defense.

Regardless of stats, regardless of who we played, we're still a 3-0 team. We found ways to win and that's the most important thing. We're not going to dominate like we used to do. We're 3-0 without Vereen, Gronk, and Amendola. That says a lot. What happens when they all come back healthy? For now though we'll keep rolling, and winning. Next up we have a beaten up Atlanta team that's looking to not stay under .500. It's surely going to be a test in Atlanta for the Pats but it's another week of preparation, and another week we'll surely be getting better. Look for Gronk to be back.

Patriots 2013 Week 1 @ Bills and Week 2 vs. Jets

I haven't written in this blog for quite a long time. Today I start again. I'm a loyal Pats fan. Have been since Drew Bledsoe started. The full story is somewhere on this blog.


WEEK 1 @BUFFALO SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2013

First off, I'd like to say that Buffalo isn't the easiest place to play. It's extremely loud, I know that for a fact. I was in Buffalo for the Pats/Bills game in 2012, and the roar of that crowd is like no roar I've ever heard in any stadium/arena before. The Buffalo Bills have one of the most loyalest fan bases in any sport. Not once did they leave early last year despite the ass kicking they were getting in the fourth quarter when the Pats scored 31 pts to win what was at first a close game. They love their team, and they let you know how they feel about you being a Pats fan haha.

Onto the 2013 meeting.

I'm sure all of you were as pumped as I was for the first game of the season. We've been so anxious to see what the offense has to offer with some key departures (no need to name them, you're well aware of who they are). So we bring in Amendola, re-sign Edelman, and throw in a bunch of rookies to take over on offense. Ridley looked terrible. I'm pretty sure the guy rubs his arms with butter before he goes onto the field. The last thing we wanted to see him do was struggle in the first game of the season knowing that we're gonna need him big time this season. So in comes Vereen. The guy looked solid. Vereen definitely showed that he was poised to take that number 1 spot away from Ridley. Unfortunately with the way the Patsies luck is going, Vereen is now on the IR with a busted wrist. He under went surgery is out til at least Week 7 or 8.

Amendola hurt his wee wee. Yes, another injury for Amendola. We were forewarned with his injury history and it was almost inevitable that something was going to happen. He toughed it out catching 10 passes for 100+ yards. Some of those catches were incredible... no no no... all of those catches were incredible considering that he was probably playing through pain. He too is out now for a while. When he comes back 100%, I can't wait to see what he's capable of doing.

Edelman is a breath of fresh air. He knows the routes, he knows where Tom Brady wants him to be, and I think it's time he becomes that guy. I think (if he hasn't already) becomes the voice of that receiving team. He too was solid against Buffalo. He's probably my MVP of that game along with Amendola, and Vereen.

Brady looked decent. He's not gonna be the Brady of old with all the new receivers. It's gonna take time. I think a big thorn in the Pats side that game was Searcy. He was really all over the field for the Bills and showing that he was the guy that could've easily been a game changer.

Lastly I think the D was solid. We didn't let up points. We stopped the run by holding Spiller to 47 yards on 17 carries. It seems as if Fred Jackson was carrying better against the Patriots D. We let up some big passes for TD's but overall I was pleased with the Defense. There weren't any sacks, or picks, but we held them to 14 points offensively. Our secondary was able to hold Stevie Johnson to 3 receptions even though one was a TD.

Overall I'd say that it was a hard fought battle for the Pats. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win, and we'll take it.


WEEK 2 VS. JETS SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2013

Well to be honest, I didn't know what to expect in this game. I thought the Jets would come into this game with something up their sleeves knowing that they could easily take advantage of the beaten down Pats and be 2-0 by the end of the night. I was completely wrong. In fact, there was no dominating side to the game whatsoever. This was probably the sloppiest game I've seen since the Giants and 49ers playoff game in 2011.

Geno Smith is now the man in New York. Sanchez is most likely done with this season with an injury, yet he's still pushing to play. Despite his turnovers, I think Geno is a good QB and the right guy for the Jets. The Jets' receivers had the same problems the Pats receivers had, dropping the ball. The Jets had the better run game going. Powell and Ivory showed a consistency that the Pats RB's couldn't find. 

I had hoped to see Ridley come back strong. He did but he didn't. Good thing is he didn't fumble the ball, the bad thing is that he was held to 40 yds on 16 carries. The New York Jets' Dline and linebackers pretty much join together like an Autobot to form a brick wall. There was no way we were running the ball that night. Not even Big Blount could break through.

Edelmania is now in full effect. The only problem is, if he becomes the number 1 receiver, that small guys gonna get double teamed every time. He's not an outside receiver by any means. This could be a problem. I love his kickoff returns though. He's got some moves (some I wish he didn't try to during the torrential downpour last night that could've easily made him fumble the ball). Perhaps Edelman is Brady's new security blanket.

Thompkins and Aaron "Dropson" Dobson need to start learning their routes, and catching some balls. Last night their route running was dominant over the Jets DB's. We were beating them, we just weren't catching the balls. Imagine if the chemistry between Brady and his rookie receivers start clicking? They need time, and I'm almost sure they'll be a better team by Week 4 or 5.

Brady wasn't Brady. His frustration and anger was shown more last night than usual and now the media is making a big deal of it. They shouldn't. This is Brady, this is how Brady's been all of his career. If a receiver messes up, he has no fear in yelling at them, and letting them know what they did wrong. It makes them better players. He used to rip Edelman apart, and now look who his go to guy is.

The Patriots defense was incendiary. Chandler Jones looked to be the Chandler Jones we expected him to be. The Patriots secondary came up big when they needed to be. This was the first time in a VERY VERY long time that I felt comfortable with the Patriots defense holding the Jets back. Surely they looked tired, but they did it. They held on. They were the stars of the game. I love Big Vince's interview at the end about how he enjoyed winning the "dog fight" between the two teams. They're so used to blowing out other teams that it never felt like a challenge. Now that it's a different story, this toughens up the defense knowing that they've gotta be 110%.

Overall it's a win. Nothing to really say about it.

UPS

- The Patriots Defense. The first two games of the season has showed something we haven't seen in years. We're stopping the run, and forcing 3 and outs. I'm excited to see how this defense improves over the next few months. Jones, Talib, Kelly, Dennard, Arrington, and Mayo are a few names that stand out right now. Nink is my favorite player on the D, and he too has already made an impact.

- Julian Edelman. I didn't want to bring the name "Welker" up, and I won't much after this, but too many people are comparing Edelman to him. Stop it. Edelman is Edelman. He's a different style of player, and he's damn good at what he does. It's safe to say that if it weren't for him, there's a good chance we'd be 0-2 right now.

- We're 2-0 right now. We're 2-0 in our division, and conference. We'll take it.

- We have an extra 3 days of prep time, and healing time for the Buccaneers. Here's to hoping by next Sunday we'll have Amendola (doubt it), Sudfeld, Gronk (doubt it), and Bolden back. The good thing is that we've scrimmaged with the Buccaneers a lot of times so we'll be better prepared for them. We also dominate Freeman when we play him (even though it was preseason games) so that's a plus for the Pats.

- Penalties. As of right now the Pats have a combined 7 penalties from the first two games.  They've only given up 66 yards with penalties in 120 minutes of football. That to me is a good sign that Belicheck has these players focused at all times. The whole second half of the Jets game the penalties were limited on both sides until that late hit by Mangold.

DOWNS

- The Patriots Offense. Despite our record, our offense looks horrible. There is no chemistry yet. The receivers can't hold on to the ball. Like Brady said, "There's no one coming to save the day" so for anyone who thought we'd pick up a veteran receiver, they're wrong. That to me wouldn't benefit us anyway because they'd have to learn the playbook anyways and that's what Thompkins and Dobson are doing right now. Lloyd and Branch are not coming back. Let's face it, this is a learning phase for the Pats rookie WR's. It's gonna take time, and if they were meant to be, then they'll catch on. Dobson and Thompkins both show signs of talent. This will surely get better as the weeks go on... hopefully.

- Legarrette Blount. I don't understand his purpose on the team right now. He's not a good kick returner, and against a big powerful D line like the Jets, he's not moving the chains. Why wasn't Washington doing the kick returns? That's where Washington thrives. When we kept Blount, I honestly thought that he'd be a good TE option considering his size. He's around the same build as Hernandez and I was expecting Bill Belicheck to possibly plug Blount into some of those plays.



I'm sure there are more downs to talk about but overall I'm pleased with this team. It's a work in progress, and that's something we haven't been able to experience since 2006 when Reche Caldwell was our top receiver. Back then it was a mystery who was going to show up on 3rd downs. It kept us on the edge of our feet. The past 7 years we've had big named players making big plays for us. We don't have that right now. All the pessimistic Pats fans out there saying we're done, saying we're not going anywhere, need to relax and hold off on that panic button. We're rebuilding an offense around the best QB to ever play the game. We're gonna be just fine. We're not bringing in T.O., we're not trading for anyone, we're sticking with what we got. When our team is in full health, you'll see how good we are.