Welcome Back Wes! Broncos @ Patriots Week 12

BRADY vs. MANNING XLXLLVVIIVI…. NO. It was the 53 man roster of the New England Patriots vs. the 53 man roster of the Denver Broncos with two elite, legendary, hall of fame, super bowl champion, MVP quarterbacks running both teams. As expected this game surely did not disappoint ANYONE watching. There were ups and downs for both teams that surely need to be fixed, and everyone playing in that game did not leave feeling 100%, I can guarantee that.

What the hell happened in the first half with the Patriots? It seemed like we had the ball for so long, and we just kept turning it over. I think the cameras showed Peyton Manning, and Demariyus Thomas playing Connect 4 on the sidelines. We just couldn’t catch a break! It was to the point where I was starting to accept that maybe this wasn’t our game. Denver’s defense came out ready to play, and they did. Until the Denver defense started getting injured, we were doing nothing. I’m sure we took advantage of that just like the Broncos took advantage of our horrible running defense this game. Moreno was 200+. That’s not good for us at all.

Why we limited Kenbrell Thompkins in the first half is beyond me. I didn’t see Dobson out there much either. Ridley and Blount got the doghouse after their crucial fumbles. Ridley has fumbled two weeks in a row now, and both fumbles were very costly early on in both games. Bolden, and Vereen took the workload after both failed. I don’t know what the hell is up with Ridley and his fumbling. It’s been a major problem in his career. It reminds me of Tiki Barber and all of his fumbles. Perhaps he has to change his style of running much like Tiki did in which we all know led to his late career success.

Brady and his bunch of receivers looked awesome. Edelman who was supposed to be forgotten (according to Yahoo Sports) with Amendola, and Gronk coming back showed to be the dominant receiver in the game. Vereen had some great catches as well, as GRONK. Brady was just being Brady. I seriously question the availability of both rookie receivers, and what Belichick’s been doing with them. It’s clear that Thompkins is a perfect fit for this offense, and it’s clear that Dobson was catching on to the system. Perhaps he didn’t like the matchups for either receiver for this game? I don’t know, what they do exactly, but I’d like to see them play more. I’d also like to see Boyce play more.

Our defense (not the run game) was awesome. I think Talib had a big game because we didn’t hear Thomas’ name called for most of the game. I think Jamie Collins had a coming out party (no pun). He was all over the field, and it was good to see him play productive. We need to stop the run though. I’m starting to wonder why we traded for Sopoaga because he’s not really helping us out. I understand we needed more speed in the game on defense, and it showed, but it paid off. We did well. I don’t think another team will run that much on us though, I believe that may have been an open option to have Peyton run it, instead of throw it. I agree with that. Congrats on yet ANOTHER pick by Logan Ryan the rookie from Rutgers. He’s a smart player, and I’m glad he’s a Patriot.

Overtime was crazy. Choosing to kick and taking the wind was just another strange move by Bill Belichick. In Bill we trust. WE WON!

Manning lost to Indy

Welker lost to New England

Coincidence? Maybe, but I don’t think it mattered.

  Today all I’m hearing about is how Peyton couldn’t play in the weather conditions which is mind boggling because he plays in one of the coldest states in the country. I’m pretty sure it gets cold in Denver too, right? There’s 100 reasons and excuses as to why Peyton and the Broncos lost, but no one has the balls enough to admit that the Patriots were the better team in the 5 quarters that were played. They’re expecting a wintery mix for the Super Bowl in New Jersey. How will Peyton handle that if the Broncos make it? That’s perfect conditions for the Pats though.

If we don’t give up those turnovers, I don’t think this game would’ve gone to over time.

Week 11 @ Carolina

So close! The Pats lost this game to a great Carolina defense, and an explosive Cam Newton. Regardless of that last call there were so many things the Pats could’ve done to stay in the game. Other than the fumbles, and the penalties at the wrong times, I can’t say I’m disappointed with this team. We got beat fair and square against a team that was better than us that night.

The run game looked good. We had more rushing yards combined with each back, and the power running looked to maintain ground. Blount looked awesome. Ridley looked better in the second half after being sent to the doghouse for fumbling at a crucial point in the first half.  Shane Vereen looked awesome also. I’m glad we have a dynamic player like him back on our offense.

I thought Brady looked good tonight too spreading the ball around.  I think he targeted like 7 or 8 people tonight. That’s classic Tom Brady for ya! I Aside from the pick in the end zone on the final play, I think he played pretty decently.

The WR’s played well too. I don’t understand why Thompkins isn’t used more in the game. Clearly he can be a game changer, but I guess that’s just how the Pats do things. Edelman’s been completely silent the past month or so. Dobson seems to be getting it and that’s a step in the right direction for this offense.

Defensively we didn’t do horrible. I’ve seen the defense play worse haha. We only let up 300 yards, and about 299 of that was Cam Newton rushing the ball. Not really, but he might as well have. The defense being banged up is starting to show. With Dennard out, and Talib out again who knows what can happen Sunday night against Denver.

Even though it was a loss for us it doesn’t feel like a bad loss. We’re 7-3 and we’re 2 games ahead of an up and down Jets team, and the Dolphins. I think the Fins show more of a threat than the Jets at the moment, but there’s still a lot of ball left to be played.  The Panthers didn’t crush us, and we were able to score on probably the best defense in the game right now. 

Next Sunday night we got the high-powered offense that is the Denver Broncos. In what could be an emotional return for Welker, and Pats fans. All emotions need to be pushed aside because despite the great records these teams have; they need to win this game. Brady has Manning’s number at 9-4 but that’s completely irrelevant when it comes to them playing the actual game. The only way they can control each other’s game is by controlling the clock, and the amount of time each QB spends on the field.  It should be a good game.

Week 9 vs Pittsburgh Steelers

I don’t care how you look at it. We beat a tough team today. The Steelers came out swinging in the second half, but that just wasn’t enough.  We’re 7-2 going into the bye week. There are some good things, and there are some bad things. I have a lot of respect for the Steelers, and especially Ben Roethlisberger. I understand how people feel about him and what he did, but I don't judge a player based on their off field actions (unless it's something involving murders, or something worse). Ben's a competitor, 2x Super Bowl Champ, and probably the toughest quarterback in the league as we speak. He plays the game well. When he Brady met after the game you heard him say, "You're the best." You don't see that often. That's great sportsmanship from one Hall of Fame QB to another. 

OFFENSE

I think the offense looked great today. Amendola really showed up, as well as Gronk. The other guy did well… what was his name again? OH AARON DOBSON!! He was great, and I couldn’t be any happier to see this guy catching on with Brady. The run game was solid. I think Ridley looked fabulous. That fumble just happened. It happens. Polamalu is a great safety and that’s what he does best. Blount looked good too. He’s a tough back and I laugh because I was against him for a few weeks. I didn’t see his true value, and right now I think the Buccaneers lost on that deal because Blount (aside from kick returning) has been nothing short of awesome. I laughed because after his TD he ran over to the soldiers with the muskets and hugged them. I think the best part about the offense was Brady. He just looked like Tom Brady today. I hope that continues. I’m in denial about Brady’s window. We can blame his inconsistency on a lot of things, but the matter of the fact is that he’s not playing like the Brady we’ve been watching the past few years. I think us fans have been spoiled rotten when it came to Brady being amazing, and this year he’s struggled and it’s just something we’re not used to seeing. Today was a good day for him though. It’s fun watching him play always.  His O Line still looks shaky, but I think that’s something we’re gonna deal with all season.

My big concerns for this offense is the injuries, and consistencies. Gronk limped off after that hit and wasn’t really targeted much after. I’m sure it’s nothing big but I don’t want fear that happening every time he gets tackled. Another question is Austin Collie. Sure he hasn’t been a big part of the offense yet, but he’s already out with a knee injury. Lastly my concern is Thompkins. Where was he today? Healthy scratch? We haven’t heard his name since the Saints game. It seems like after that he was quiet. Overall though I’m proud of this offense today, and they deserve a good break.

DEFENSE

This was the first time our defense let up 30 points this season. Teams have been close, and the Jets scored 30 in the OT game, but this is probably the most I’ve seen them struggle. We let Cotchery walk all over us, and we let Bell have a decent run game. No one went over 100 yards rushing, but that doesn’t matter. Gregory went down, Nink went down, and those were two solid guys we can’t afford to lose. I think McCourty played great today, and Dennard, and Harmon had decent games too. I’m hoping the bye week gives the injured defensive players a break to heal up. Nink didn’t come back in, but I think that was more precautionary. I’m not 100% sure. Gregory had a thumb injury I believe, and he too did not come back in. I’m not liking the way Arrington’s playing. That guy’s field vision is horrid lately. Two touchdowns the Steelers had could’ve easily been swatted, but our defenders had no idea where the ball or receiver was. We gotta start stopping the run game better. It's imperative if we want to make it far in the playoffs. Great teams have good running games, and if we can't block that it's going open up a world of ass kicking on us. 

Like I said, the bye week should hopefully heal up some bumps and bruises on our defense. It’s a good time to get a break because we have a tough schedule coming up. The Panthers are playing well, and after the Panthers we have the Broncos who of course are a great team offensively. Houston after the Broncos and even though they aren’t playing well, they’re still a tough team at home. After the Texans we have a tough home game against Cleveland. After that it’s two away games in Miami who’s playing tough, and the Ravens who aren’t playing great but can play great.  Lastly the game I’ll be at in Buffalo. It’s a tough schedule, and a sure test for us going down the stretch.