We believe that Bill Belichick is a genius and Tom Brady is his prophet. We believe in team over self and results over stats. We believe you can blame your lack of execution on a video camera if it helps you sleep better at night. We believe there is no shame in 18-1, only pride. We are Patriots fans. We are Foxboro Blog.
Schedule
Record: 10-7
Regular Season 9/14 vs. BUF - W 25-24 9/20 @ NYJ - L 9-16 9/27 vs. ATL - W 26-10 10/4 vs. BAL - W 27-21 10/11 @ DEN - L 17-20 OT 10/18 vs. TEN - W 59-0 10/25 @ TB - W 35-7 11/8 vs. MIA - W 27-17 11/15 @ IND - L 34-35 11/22 vs. NYJ - W 34-14 11/30 @ NO - L 17-38 12/6 @ MIA - L 21-22 12/13 vs. CAR - W 20-10 12/20 @ BUF - W 17-10 12/27 vs. JAX W 35-7 1/3 @ HOU L 34-27
An opening game rushing play that should've gained about three yards goes off for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Typical.
That image above pretty much sums up the New England Patriots' 2009 season. Whether it was defending a large fourth quarter lead, making basic play calls, punching the ball in from the 1 yard line, or something as simple as not letting a wide receiver run right past you, the Patriots managed to make the mundane into a monstrosity. This was a season built upon a foundation of late-game collapses, 4th and 2's, goal line fumbles, and missed assignments. The fact that it came to a screeching halt in the wake of a 24-0 first quarter deficit should come as no surprise. At no moment throughout this entire 17 game run did the Patriots do anything to establish themselves as one of the NFL's elite teams. Every opportunity to do so was seemingly met with an indominable will to "blow it". As a result, New England found itself overwhelmingly under achieving at 10-6. What could have easily been a first-round bye, became a wild card game. What could have been a young defense on the rise, became a squad notorious for giving up important plays. What could have been a season to build upon became a giant step backwards. What could have been...
Yet this isn't a time for all the "if's" and the "but's". This is a time to reflect upon what is. And the Patriots are a team with a piss-poor pass rush, sieves at the corner position, a razor-thin receiving corps, no top running back, a banged-up quarterback, an over-matched offensive coordinator, no defensive coordinator, and a coach who's clearly lost his mojo. That's what the Patriots are. The debacle against Baltimore cemented it. Sunday's game was the ugly head of an infection that's been smoldering all season. When your opponent beats you by putting up one more passing yard than they do points, there's clearly something awrye.
Bill Belichick has his off-season work cut out for him perhaps moreso than any season in his tenure. There's cancers to be cut out, weakness to be stomped out, and bad trends to be reversed. Yet at the same time, the Patriots were still a team capable of winning their division and claming the AFC's third seed, despite all their flaws. It's easy to look at this past season and claim the sky is falling, as it clearly didn't measure up to what we've come to expect from this team over the past nine years. The Patriots have clearly gone from being excellent to just being good. Still, "good" is a decent starting point, all things considered. A pass rusher here, a cornerback there, and perhaps the return of Deion Branch or some other free-agent receiver, and, suddently, New England returns to the Super Bowl conversations.
No good thing lasts forever. Indeed the Patriots' reing of dominance couldn't even last the length of a decade. Still, as we leave the 00's, an era that will forever be defined by New England and their epic battles with the Colts, I have hope for what lies ahead. There are still pieces left missing to the puzzle, but they will be filled in time. The Patriots went from being an old team to a young team seemingly overnight. Expecting the youngsters to play like the wily veterans who claimed those three titles is asking a bit much, as is expecting Brady to come back from ACL surgery and act like nothing ever happened, or expecting Bill Belichick to not miss a step when he's had a revolving door of top assistants year in and year out. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was the Patriots Dynasty. Returning New England to its former glory will be a process. If it involves some trial by fire, or, in this case, trial by the most embarrassing playoff defeat I've ever experienced, so be it. All I know is that I want to see my team raise the Lombardi again in the 10's. I want them to become the only franchise to ever define two decades. As I've said many times before, "If you have Brady, and you have Belichick, then you have a chance".
A week ago, I envisioned the Patriots riding into the post-season on a four-game winning streak. They were supposed to have followed up their shellacking of Jacksonville with an impressive victory over the do-or-die Texans. They would have won their last two games on the road. They would finally be firing the kill-shot when their opponent was wounded. They would have a four-pronged ground game to compliment the Welker/Moss duo. Yes, the Patriots, a team that everyone counted out after their back-to-back defeats against the Saints and Dolphins, would be entering the post-season flying high and perhaps looking better than any other team in the twelve-franchise field.
As has been the case all season, things just didn't go according to plan. As New England approaches its Sunday afternoon match-up with Baltimore, there are far, far more questions surrounding this team than answers. How healthy is Tom Brady? Can the offense survive with a receiving corps of Randy Moss and... yeah, that's pretty much it? Is Laurence Maroney going to play again this season? Do we even want to risk having Laurence Maroney playing again this season? Will Bill Belichick remain as cavalier with his play calling now that each game could mean elimination? Is this team capable of stopping a quarterback on the road who's not named Trent Edwards? How large of a fourth quarter lead would this team have to have for me to feel comfortable about the outcome? 22 points? 23 points?
Honestly, there's a part of me that just wants it to end. This season has been beyond maddening. As the playoffs progress and the stakes heighten, it's only going to be more painful when the mistakes that have plagued this team all season finally do them in. If the Patriots lose to Baltimore, it's quick and relatively painless. The team is clearly rebuilding. They lost their MVP in Week 17. End of story. See you in September.
The NFL regular season is officially over! While the only rankings that truly matter are the ones in the standings, the Top 12 returns for one final rendition. After all, making the playoffs is important, but entering the playoffs with some real momentum can be even more vital. We we prepare for the most exciting time of the sports year, here's how we see the league's Top 12 teams stacking up. And as for the Patriots, well, let's just say that after this past week, their final position won't be very pretty..
Without question, this New England Patriots season will go down in infamy as the dumbest ever. Decades from now, when young children roam the hallowed Hall of Fame in Foxboro, they will make their way past the photos and memorabillia of this decade's greatness and end their journey through the 00's with an exhibit called "2009: The Year of Stupidity". There they will be treated to a number of interactive exhibits such as "You Make the Call", where kids will get to chose between punting the ball from your own 28 yard line, or going for it on 4th and 2. They'll giggle with glee as they experience "Laurence Maroney's Goal Line Fumble Fest", or "Who Wants to Watch the Receiver Run Right Past You? with guest host, Jonathan Wilhite. When they're finally done with all the fun, those children will move onto the 2010 wing, and when they do, they will pass a bronze statue of a receiver on a stretcher with a towel draped over his head. Many will run right past it, full of anticipation to get their very own 1st round pick by playing "Let's Make a Deal with Al Davis", but some will stop and admire the statue. One or two may even ask, "Daddy, who is that man?" And that father will shake his head and begrudgingly answer, "He's the crowning achievement of Bill Belichick's stupidity".
Like the Crying Indian of the 70's, the image of Wes Welker above will serve as this generation's reminder of a beautiful things can go to waste if we don't take care of them. It's not that I didn't want Wes Welker to be in the game. In fact, I wanted the Patriots to play every able body on their roster against the Texans. I wanted to keep the momentum, take the 3rd seed, finish 11-5, and give this young team a taste of what it will be like to play against a team whose season is on the line. That being said, Bill Belichick's approach to the game accomplished almost none of those goals. They lost any momentum they may have had. If they get the third seed, it will be by default. They are now 1-6 in true road games this year. They blew yet another 4th quarter lead, surrendering a horrendous 21 points in the final fifteen minutes. They lost the game, and more importantly, they have probably lost Wes Welker.
Injuries happen. Wes Welker could have just as easily gone down this week in practice with a similar injury. It's not like he was tackled or hit hard. The knee just buckled on him. It could have been ready to go on him at any moment. However, there's a big difference between losing a star player because you're giving your all to win and losing a star player in a game that you're treating as an exhibition. If the Patriots weren't going to try to win that game, then sit Brady, sit Moss, and sit Welker. Sit whoever you can spare and still march out a complete roster. Why risk injury for a game that you're content to lose? If you're going to lose Welker by going balls to the wall building up steam for the playoffs, you have my blessing. But there's absolutely no reason to put your season in that type of jeopardy if you're going to pull Tom Brady for the potential game-tying drive.
The Patriots' effort in Houston was a disgrace all around. Not only did they fold yet again in the 4th quarter, but they completely disrespected Wes Welker by giving up on a game that he gave his knee to win. Despite the many highs of this decade, there have still been a fair amount of low points as well. Whether you want to call this the tail end of '09 or the very start of '10, in my book, this game easily ranks among the lowest. I entered today with Super Bowl aspirations. I now sit here with zero confidence in my team's defense, serious doubts about my coach, and without the league's top receiver.
With a spot in the playoffs clinched and nothing left to play for but the third seed, the Patriots' upcoming game against the Texans is a tough one to prepare for. Will the Patriots go all-out for their 11th victory of the season? Will they pack it in and rest their starters? Tomorrow's contest could either be a fun battle against a high-powered offense, or a total snooze-fest where we see Tom Brady pulled after one drive. Of course, Bill Belichick in his typical fashion is remaining extremely tight-lipped about the game plan, so we'll have to wait until game time to actually find out. With all this in mind, I'm going to pass on doing a typical "3rd and Long" Preview. Why bother breaking down the keys to a game that your team might lay down for? Instead, I'm going to break down the pros and cons of the Patriots giving everything for a victory or resting for the playoffs.
You gotta love the consensus Top 3 teams all season all tumbling like a house of cards two weeks before the playoffs start. Well, unless you're a Colts, Saints, or Vikings fan. Thankfully, I'm not, which means not only do I get to see my Patriots launch themselves near the top of the rankings, but I also get to watch my hated rivals plummet. Things are about to get interesting...
It's been an extremely busy weekend for yours truly, thus the lack of a game preview. Spending time with family around the holidays leaves very little time for blogging about the Patriots and running Bloguin. I know, priorities...
Anyway, I don't really have much time to do a game recap either, but I didn't want Week 16 to pass Foxboro Blog by without at least some commentary on the Jaguars Game. Here are my quick hits...
Laurence Maroney is absolutely killing himself with these fumbles at the goal line. Probably the only place worse to fumble would be right in front of your opponents' goal line. At least the Patriots' defense took care of the Jaguars, kept good field position, and the Patriots scored on the following drive. Still, fumbles like that will murder your season if they happen in the playoffs. Maroney looked incredible on that opening drive, to the point where I thought he may have been earning himself a game ball. Then it all fell to pieces. I don't blame Belichick one bit for sitting him the rest of the game.
On the replay challenge of Maroney's fumble, the ball dropped straight down and had clearly broken the plane of the goal line, yet the refs refused to overturn the play and call it a touchdown. The announcer's explanation was that the refs could only "extrapolate" that the ball had broken the plane before Maroney dropped it and did not actually see him cross the plane. I'm calling B.S. here. You don't have to be a nobel prize physicist to understand the laws of gravity. If the ball drops straight down and hits the goal line, then it was dropped while it was across the goal line. Calling that replay inconclusive was just devoid of any common sense.
While we're at it, let's not forget the 2005 NFL playoffs where Champ Bailey, running at full speed, was hit from behind at the 1 yard line by Benjamin Watson. The ball came flying out forward from Bailey's arms and then landed out of bounds. In order to have landed out of bounds before the end zone, the ball would have had to change direction 90 degrees in mid air, something that's physically impossible. Instead, it had to have landed out of bounds in the end zone, which meant the Patriots should have had the Ball on the 20, not the Broncos having the ball on the 1 yard line. But again, the replay was inconclusive. Right...
Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris looked just as effective as Maroney out there, and neither of them fumbled at the goal line. Guess who my go-to backs are in the playoffs?
Whoever decided to wake the sleeping giant that was Randy Moss, I have two words for you: Thank. You.
How many catches would Wes Welker have at the moment if he didn't sit out Weeks two and three this year?
Ben Watson and Chris Baker are finally starting to see some action, and the Patriots offense is clicking better than it has all season. Spreading the ball around is crucial.
Brandon Merriweather was everywhere.
The one consolation I had after the Colts and Saints loss is that you don't want to peak around Week 10. You want to be hitting your stride around Week 16 and 17. Out of the Patriots, Colts, and Saints, which team looks like the Super Bowl contender right now?
Very surprisingly, two of last week's top four teams took a tumble in Week 15. That means that the Patriots, who I assumed would be stuck at the #5 spot for the rest of the year will now get an opportunity to move up a bit. That's the good news for New England. The bad news is that their path to the Super Bowl now likely runs through the teams that hold the #1 and #2 spots in our rankings. The Pats certainly were able to overcome their woes on the road this past Sunday against Buffalo, but that's a whole lot different that winning in San Diego and Indianapolis. Onto the rankings...
I don't have a ton of analysis to drop since my iPhone decided to crap out right before the game started and I spent the subsequent 3 hours plus on the phone with Apple support. I was in and out of the game in between countless computer restarts and uninstalls and re-installs of iTunes. Come to think of it, maybe it's not a good thing to have your phone/mp3player/digital camera/video camera/email/gaming all on one device. Because when it stops working, you're in a tough spot. Let's just say that if my mp3 player broke at 12:30pm on a Sunday afternoon, not a moment of the football game would've been missed. Anyway, here's some quick observations...
To say I was concerned following Buffalo's opening drive, where they ran all over a Wilfork-less Patriots defense, would be a major understatement. As I mentioned in my game preview, the team that performed best on the ground would likely come out the winner. While the Patriots didn't dominate, their ability to plug the dam and contain Buffalo's running backs for the remainder of the game played a huge role in their victory.
After the game, Randy Moss said you could put the earth on his shoulders. Well, yesterday, he certainly carried the Patriots on them. The long pass play to Moss that drew a defensive pass interference penalty, as well as his super-human catch moments later for the touchdown put the Patriots on top. For the first time in a long time, he also caught more passes than Wes Welker
I won't get too happy about dominating Buffalo's offensive line, but the Patriots' six sacks were a sight for sore eyes after suffering from an ineffective pass rush for the majority of the season. With the D-line banged up, the Patriots were forced to go to their sub package which featured only linebackers and defensive backs. This created a lot of confusion for the Buffalo passing game, and could be a good weapon for the Patriots to keep in their arsenal when they need a big stop on 3rd down in the future.
The victory was the team's first true road win. Not something that you necessarily want to accomplish in Week 15, but at 9-5, things could certainly be a lot worse.
With both Miami and New York losing, the Patriots are a victory away from clinching the AFC East! Never take making the playoffs for granted.
This Sunday's game against the Bills is about as big as they come. No, it doesn't have the mass-appeal of the showdown vs. Peyton Manning, the hype of facing the Saints on Monday Night, or the rivalry factor involved in a game vs. the Jets. The importance of this week's game boils down to pure, simple survival. If the Patriots' can't beat the lowliest team in the AFC East, they will no longer sit atop the AFC East. Sure, Miami and New York could easily lose their games next week, but assuming that they don't, this game is absolutely vital for the Patriots. A loss puts Miami squarely in the driver's seat by virtue of a better divisional record. Suddenly, the Patriots would not only be praying for a Miami loss to help them regain the division and a home playoff game, but with six losses, they'd likely be another defeat away from missing the playoffs entirely. Also of note, is the fact that they'd now be 0-6 in true road games, a very, very disturbing trend as we approach the playoffs. So yes, it's very easy to dismiss this game as "just another easy game" against Buffalo, a team they've defeated 12 times in a row, but this is about as much of a "do or die" game as you can get without your season literally being on the line.
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 