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
"When the future's architectured by a carvival of idiots on show,
you'd better lie low" - Coldplay
When you go for it on 4th and 2 from your own 28 yard line, up by six points, with 2:08 left in the game, you'd better be able to accept the flood of criticism that will come from falling short. After the referees spotted the ball inches from the first down marker, the flood gates came soaring open for Bill Belichick. At the moment, there's no less than six articles on ESPN.com lambasting Belichick for his decision to boldly go for the win last night. I, however, have absolutely no problem with that call. Giving Peyton Manning more than two minutes to execute a game-winning drive with one time out and the two minute warning is a recipe for disaster. I don't care how good your defense is, Peyton Manning has built his career on situations like that. So if you give me the choice between converting a 4th and 2 or Peyton Manning lining up from his own 25 with plenty of time to execute, I'll take the 4th and 2. It's not conventional. It's beyond gutsy. But it's also probably the play that gives you the best odds of escaping from Indianapolis with a victory. Maybe the Patriots would have stopped Manning on that final drive. Maybe they wouldn't have, and the outcome would have been the same. There's absolutely no way to tell. The bottom line is that if you put that one decision in a vaccum - 4th and 2 or punt - Belichick made the call with the better odds.
That being said, Bill Belichick coached this team like a complete idiot in the 4th quarter.
As promised, we have a preview of this week's Patriots game, which just happens to be the biggest game of the 2009 NFL Season thus far. Yesterday we had a little bit of fun with the Brady vs. Mannning debate, but now it's time to get serious. And seriously, after taking a look at the photo above, how is there any debate?
Tom Brady = Three Super Bowl Titles, tons of NFL records, super model wife.
Peyton Manning = Fail.
First Down: Receivers vs. Secondaries
Tomorrow night, NBC will be cranking the Brady/Manning hype machine to full tilt, but in all likelihood both players are going to be their usual phenomenal selves, cancelling the effect of the other out. The fact of the matter is that this game will come down to the non-quarterbacks on the field and how they match up with each other, and so for our first down, I'd like to take a look at how the receivers for each team stack up against their opponents on defense.
When Indy's got the ball, Dallas Clark will obviously be New England's main point of concern. As much as I like to hate on the Colts, there's no denying that the man has torn it up this season. However, a man getting very little national accolades in New England's secondary, Brandon McGowan, just happens to be a tight end killer. He's already contained Tony Gonzalez and Kellen Winslow this season. While Clark may be his biggest challenge yet, I think it's pretty safe to say that McGowan won't like him run wild like he did vs. Houston. If Dallas Clark doesn't have a big game, it's going to be very difficult for the Colts pull out a victory.
On the flip side, New England has Randy Moss and Wes Welker going up against... and....
Truth be told, I'm usually pretty confident in the Patriots when they're facing the Colts. However, it's generally a "nervous" optimism. I feel like I'm setting myself up to be blindsided like an overconfident Survivor contestant by saying this, but I'm not nervous at all about tomorrow's game. I just can't fathom how Indianapolis's injured secondary is going to contain New England's arial onslaught. You throw Bob Sanders back into the mix, and suddenly the butterflies return. But the fact remains that tomorrow night Randy Moss will be going up against a rookie and we all saw what he did to Miami's newbie Vontae Davis.
Perhaps the most instensely debated issue in football over the past decade is whether Tom Brady or Peyton Manning is the NFL's premiere quarterback. On Sunday night, the two QB's may meet for the last time in the 00's. It could be the last chance for either of them to prove why they should be considered the top quarterback of their era. There have been thousands upon thousands of words written on the subject. Brady supporters point to his three Super Bowl titles. Manning fans reply with Peyton's overal superior statistics. Tom's backers counter that when Brady had the recievers, he broke all of Manning's records. Peyton's camp retorts that when Manning had a supporting cast on par with Brady's he took the Colts to the Super Bowl. It's a debate that may seemingly never end...
Until now! It's pretty clear that when you compare the successing of Manning and Brady, you're left with a near tie. However, what few people consider are the duo's flaws. I mean, if you go 18-0 and then lose the Super Bowl, that's gotta detract a bit from your legacy. Likewise, if you set the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season, only to watch your team get bounced out of the playoffs by only putting up three points, that's also pretty bad. Today, two of Indy and New England's biggest fans will attempt to put the Brady/Manning debate to rest once and for all. 18to88.com will be posting an article highlighting Tom Brady's flaws. FoxboroBlog.com will be countering with Peyton Manning's biggest downfall. When it's all said and done, Dave of MoneylineLoser.com will get his long-time friend Peter King to judge each each quarterback point by point and finally declare once and for all who the QB of the Decade truly is!
Foxboro Blog's Take on Peyton Manning:
1. Most annoying in-game habit
Flapping his arms like an albatross before every snap. This is football, not the New York Philharmonic. Just run the play already!
2. Worst press conference moment
Calling Mike Vanderjagt an "idiot kicker". Look, we all know that Vanderjerk needed to keep his mouth shut, but you don't throw your teammates under the bus like that - especially if you're the team leader.
3. Lamest Advertisement
Peyton Manning will clearly shill for whatever company or product will throw some money at him. I'm still waiting for him to show up in a Valtrex ad. "Hello, my name is Peyton Manning, and I have genital herpes." However, until that one hits the airwaves the Oreos Double Stuff Racing team has to take the cake.
I bet Archie Manning wished he had a vesectomy after watching that one.
4. Worst Player Backed Up in College
Todd Helton - the guy plays for the Colorado Rockies!
5. Lamest Photo
Finding a picture of Peyton Manning looking like a goober is like finding a three leaf clover. There are so many to chose from, but this one of Manning and Dungy about to french kiss may be my favorite.
You won't ever see a shot like that from Brady and Belichick. Those two celebrate using a secret handshake where they clang their eight combined Super Bowl rings together.
6. Worst facial feature
Peyton Manning's head is more dysmorphic than Stewie Griffin's. One of my favorite things in life is a Peyton Manning interception, followed by him angrily ripping of his helmet to reveal that gigantic forehead of his, all angry and red from being stuffed inside his helmet. It's a beauiful sight to behold.
At least he's found a way to put it to good use during those balmy summer nights in Indianapolis!
7. Wussiest Rule Change
After Peyton Manning pitched a hissy fit about the Patriots defense roughing up his receivers, the league changed the league cracked down to help the Colts out a bit. Notice how the Pats/Colts rivalry became decidedly less one-sided after that change was made...
8. Biggest scandal
Peyton Manning mooned a woman in college which ended in a lawsuit.
9. Lamest Celebrity fan Kenny Chesney and Peyton Manning have a recorded duet where they sing the following lyrics.
Whatever it takes to win your love I hire me an airplane, have it paint your name up in the sky above I tell the world I'm yours, put it on a billboard out on the interstate If it takes forever to get us together Honey I'll do whatever it takes
When Sir Elton and Tom Brady get together for a remake of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", then maybe you'll win this point.
Now that you've seen Peyton Manning dissected, head over to 18to88.com to hear them rip Tom Brady Apart!
Then take a trip to MoneylineLoser.com, where Peter King will put together all the pieces and declare our winner!
The season is half-way over and the New England Patriots stand 6-2. It's been a fairly turbulent ride - the opening night nail-biter, the Jets upset, two big wins against the black birds, a heart-breaking OT loss to Josh McDaniels' Broncos, two thrashing - one in October snow, the other in London, and finally a battle against the wildcat for AFC East supremacy. For somebody who envisioned smooth sailing early on, much like 2007, the first half of this season has been quite the surprise. I never thought the Patriots offense would struggle the way it did early on. I also never saw the defense being as dominant as it has been. Joey Galloway getting cut? No way! Brandon McGowan becoming a defensive star? Never! Yet even though things haven't gone quite as planned, one thing remains the same nine weeks later - I believe the New England Patriots are a Super Bowl team.
For the remainder of the season, I'll be doing a weekly set of power rankings on Foxboro Blog. Instead of giving a run down of all 32 teams, I'm limiting the rankings to the Top 12. Before anyone jumps to conclusions, the number of rankings has nothing to do with the man-crush I may or may not have on Tom Brady. It's simply due to the fact that writing worthwhile comments on all 32 teams is pretty time consuming. Also, does anyone outside of Kansas City and St. Louis care about the current battle for the #29 spot? Actually, I'm pretty sure the good people of Missouri are so distraught about their state becoming the nation's capital of stinky football teams, that I'd actually be doing them a disservice by bringing up the Chiefs' and Rams' ineptitudes week after week. So without further ado, here's your Top 12 for Week 9. These are the 12 teams that matter, folks. Or, as I like to think of them, the eleven other teams that will be jealously watching Randy Moss hoisting the Lombardi Trophy this February...
Before we break down the Patriots' performance, let's give take a moment to congratulate Joey Porter on his incredibly insignificant performance. Nothing like running your mouth non-stop leading up to a game and then posting a row of zeros in the stat column.
In order to not be a complete hater, I will give credit to the Dolphins' play callers for keeping the Patriots on their toes. I honestly thought there would be no way that Miami could unleash the wildcat successfully with Bill Belichick coming off a bye week. Early on, it seemed that New England would steam roll the Dolphins. However, the Fins got incredibly creative with their formations to the point where I was sweating a bit in the fourth quarter. There's certainly something to be said for keeping a defense guessing. It lead to some big plays for Miami today. In a must-win game against a superior opponent, it kept the Dolphins alive to the end.
As promised, I'll be doing a game preview for each weeks match-up. I'm calling this segment "3rd and Long", because I plan to go over three hot topics/things to watch for in each preview. It was also the first name that came to me during the approximately eight seconds I spent thinking about what I should call my game previews. So while the name is subject to change, it's what we're going with for this week at least.
1st Down: The Most Annoying Sound in the World
If you thought that was bad, try listening to the latest batch of Joey Porter sound bites. First there was talk of how he has a natural "hate" for the Patriots.
“My feeling towards New England goes back further. It goes back to my Pittsburgh days. I feel a certain way after some things came out, way back when. There was some AFC championships I lost to them a couple times. Come to figure out a couple months later why we lost. So, yeah, I have natural hate for them. Period. And that’s just going to be with me forever. That’s not going to change. You can fill in the blanks. You know exactly what I’m talking about. And they know exactly what I’m talking about. And that’s not gonna change from my thought process on that situation.’’
Joey, if blaming your lack of execution on a video camera helps you feel better about yourself, then hate away. Clearly a video camera is responsible for a punt return touchdown and a blocked field goal touchdown in 2002. Foxboro Blog would also like to thank the good folks at Sony who got us the latest model of the Handycam just in time for the 2005 AFC Title game. We would've never been able to pick off Rothlisberger three times en route to a 41-27 drubbing without it!
Bottom line, Joey Porter can continue to run his mouth and say asinine things like how Brady "influences" the refs. New England does their talking on the field. The only annoying sound Porter will be hearing tomorrow are the muskets firing after a slew of Patriots' touchdowns.
Welcome to Foxboro Blog, the official home of the New England Patriots on the Bloguin Network! I've been covering the Patriots on my personal website, DeROK.Net since 2002. During that time I've had the honor of chronicling two Super Bowl titles, a 21 game winning streak, a perfect regular season, and a host of other memorable moments. Now it's time to ramp up the coverage of my favorite team with a full-fledged blog of their own. The goal is to build this site from the ground up and become the internet's leading Patriots community. I managed to do something similar for my favorite NBA team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, but I only got there through a ton of help from our super-star staff. I believe that Foxboro Blog can repeat that success, but only with similar contributions from my fellow Pats fans. If you'd like to help contribute, feel free to drop me a line using the contact link on the main menu. At the moment, my plan is to have a weekly schedule that includes a game preview, a game recap, and power rankings. However, I've got a lot on my plate managing our 100+ sites on the Bloguin Network, as well as writing for DeROK.Net, TWolvesBlog.com, and my day job as a pediatric resident. Honestly, I have no idea how I'm going to run this site on my own, but I couldn't let Bloguin go without coverage of the Pats for any longer. Also, I'm a huge fan of that Kevin Costner guy and believe that if I build it, the writers and readers will come. So hopefully you'll keep coming back as we cover the Patriots each week, as well as hot topics like Rex Ryan's diabetes, Eric Mangina's epic failues in Clevland, and Nextel's recent attempt to purchase advertising space on Peyton Manning's massive forehead.
Want to blog about the Pats? Foxboro Blog is looking for contributors to help us provide daily coverage of the Patriots. If you'd like to become involved with the blog, please contact us and let us know why you think you'd be a good fit for our staff.
If you're reading this site, then you probably love watching the Pats as much as we do, and betting on some of the games can make things twice as interesting!
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.
Advertisers
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.
Bloggers Wanted
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
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!
RSS Feed 
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! 