Top 10 Stories of the 2009 NFL Season

What a wild season it’s been, full of drama and excitement, and we haven’t even gotten to the playoffs!

As always, there are an abundance of stories that made this season different from any other. Records being chased, off-field drama, along with a few surprise turn-arounds (for better or worse) gave NFL fans across the nation a lot to cheer and jeer.

As is usually the case with these top 10 lists, it’s hard to not only boil down the whole season to 10 stories, let alone to organize those 10 stories into an order of importance. This is my objective opinion.

So, without further ado, here is my list of the top 10 stories from the 2009 NFL season.

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New England Patriots: Suddenly Stuck With More Questions Than Answers

The question for the New England Patriots all week was whether they should rest their starters to let them stay healthy, or let them play to get momentum heading into the playoffs.

The Patriots took the gloomy snowfall in New England with them on Sunday when they played their starters, and lost not only the game, but one of, if not the key cog in their offense.

Wes Welker held his knee in a manner eerily similar to Tom Brady’s Week 1 injury of yesteryear.

Just like yesteryear, Welker stared up from the ground, writhing in pain.

Just like yesteryear, Welker was helped off the field by two trainers.

Only difference is, no one struck Welker.

He fell of his own accord, his tendons stretching like an accordion as his knee bent to the inside toward the turf.

He wept on the sidelines, as he watched an historic statistical season come to a screeching halt just a week before the postseason.

He may have wept harder if he were present to watch the Patriots choke up yet another 4th quarter lead.

Now, just like Wes Welker, the Patriots’ hopes for the postseason are in doubt.

Just like Welker’s knee, the Patriots confidence is severely injured.

The Houston Texans had their way with the Patriots on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter, putting up 21 unanswered points on the Pats.

The Patriots’ defense aren’t the only ones to blame. Tom Brady seemed to fall out of rhythm late in the game. I’m sure it didn’t help not having Welker in the slot, ready to convert 3rd-and-whatever all day. 

Instead, Brady was sacked on 3rd-and-4 to force a three-and-out, and then threw a rare late-game interception which allowed the Texans to score the go-ahead touchdown.

So the question all week was “what”; what will Belichick do—rest his starters, or play them?

And now, the question has become “why?”

As pointed out by a fellow columnist , this game was nearly meaningless for New England. It doesn’t really matter what seed the Patriots have going into the playoffs, as the caliber team they’ll be facing will be virtually the same.

I could understand playing the starters if the game meant something (and not just on a seeding level ), but Belichick risked harm to his starters for “what” reason, to keep his team in rhythm?

Clearly, that didn’t work.

Now, with the Patriots’ star player injured, their star in the playoffs appears to be fading.

The Patriots, as they have done several times this season, looked great for the first three quarters of the game.

When they play like that, they look like they can beat anyone.

But a game of football isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. The first three quarters of a game don’t matter if you can’t hold a lead in the fourth quarter.

The season is a marathon, as well; and the Patriots appear to be fading coming down the homestretch.

It’s uncertain which Patriots team we’ll see in the postseason; the team that started the season 7-3, or the team that finished the season 3-3.

The team that dominates the first three quarters of the game, or the team that chokes up fourth quarter leads.

The Patriots playoff hopes have shriveled like an onion in an oven.

There are still so many questions, and Belichick and the Patriots have begun to run out of answers.

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New England Patriots: Suddenly Stuck With More Questions Than Answers

The question for the New England Patriots all week was whether they should rest their starters to let them stay healthy, or let them play to get momentum heading into the playoffs.

The Patriots took the gloomy snowfall in New England with them on Sunday when they played their starters, and lost not only the game, but one of, if not the key cog in their offense.

Wes Welker held his knee in a manner eerily similar to Tom Brady’s Week 1 injury of yesteryear.

Just like yesteryear, Welker stared up from the ground, writhing in pain.

Just like yesteryear, Welker was helped off the field by two trainers.

Only difference is, no one struck Welker.

He fell of his own accord, his tendons stretching like an accordion as his knee bent to the inside toward the turf.

He wept on the sidelines, as he watched an historic statistical season come to a screeching halt just a week before the postseason.

He may have wept harder if he were present to watch the Patriots choke up yet another 4th quarter lead.

Now, just like Wes Welker, the Patriots’ hopes for the postseason are in doubt.

Just like Welker’s knee, the Patriots confidence is severely injured.

The Houston Texans had their way with the Patriots on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter, putting up 21 unanswered points on the Pats.

The Patriots’ defense aren’t the only ones to blame. Tom Brady seemed to fall out of rhythm late in the game. I’m sure it didn’t help not having Welker in the slot, ready to convert 3rd-and-whatever all day. 

Instead, Brady was sacked on 3rd-and-4 to force a three-and-out, and then threw a rare late-game interception which allowed the Texans to score the go-ahead touchdown.

So the question all week was “what”; what will Belichick do—rest his starters, or play them?

And now, the question has become “why?”

As pointed out by a fellow columnist , this game was nearly meaningless for New England. It doesn’t really matter what seed the Patriots have going into the playoffs, as the caliber team they’ll be facing will be virtually the same.

I could understand playing the starters if the game meant something (and not just on a seeding level ), but Belichick risked harm to his starters for “what” reason, to keep his team in rhythm?

Clearly, that didn’t work.

Now, with the Patriots’ star player injured, their star in the playoffs appears to be fading.

The Patriots, as they have done several times this season, looked great for the first three quarters of the game.

When they play like that, they look like they can beat anyone.

But a game of football isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. The first three quarters of a game don’t matter if you can’t hold a lead in the fourth quarter.

The season is a marathon, as well; and the Patriots appear to be fading coming down the homestretch.

It’s uncertain which Patriots team we’ll see in the postseason; the team that started the season 7-3, or the team that finished the season 3-3.

The team that dominates the first three quarters of the game, or the team that chokes up fourth quarter leads.

The Patriots playoff hopes have shriveled like an onion in an oven.

There are still so many questions, and Belichick and the Patriots have begun to run out of answers.

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The Indianapolis Colts Just Don’t Learn From the Past

A wise person once said: “Those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”

I don’t know who that person was, but it certainly wasn’t Bill Polian.

After another season in which their eyes and hearts were set on perfection, the Colts and their fans did what they so often do late in the season—they watched the second-team offense hit the field and the starters hit the bench.

Then, they all hit the showers.

What else could they do? Their record had just taken its first hit of the season.

For how dejected the Colts all looked as they sat on the sidelines, watching their hard work toward perfection fall before their eyes, they’d better hope they win the Super Bowl now.

So often, we hear about a team needing to stay in rhythm as they hit the home stretch going into the playoffs.

But wait…

What the Colts did was strictly avoid injury to their players.

They may have ruined their chance at perfection, but their players will be fresh and healthy for what really matters—the postseason.

What if, by some ironic twist of fate, the Colts hadn’t benched their starters and someone (i.e. Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, or even Peyton Manning) got injured?

They’d look like fools.

If a wise person made the statement that opened this article, then an even wiser person said, “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”.

To make a long story short (and, well, this story has been 16 weeks long already), if you start the season 14-0, the only acceptable way to end the season is by lifting the Lombardi Trophy.

So why do I still think this was the wrong decision?

Look no further than the numerous teams who got hot at the right time and took their momentum all the way to the Super Bowl. Among those teams: the Giants, the Steelers, and even the Colts.

The Colts’ methodology has earned them zero Super Bowl rings this decade—the one year they won it, they played their starters through the season. They even played their starters when a playoff spot was guaranteed with their early win of the AFC South.

Not only has the mistake of sitting their starters cost them in the past, but the benefit of playing their starters has paid off for them as well.

Could the signs point any more clearly to the correct path to postseason success?

History has shown that the Colts’ idea of postseason “success” may suffer from faulty logic.

Polian’s theory on resting his starters seems to rely on the idea that he believes the Colts can turn it on like a light switch.

The problem with that logic is that the Colts haven’t been tested to do that. Their entire season’s worth of success has been a snowball of momentum, building and building all the way up to the third quarter of the game against the Jets.

When the Colts made that decision, they effectively heeded advice left behind by Bill Belichick: if you make a run at 19-0 and don’t get it done, it’s all for naught.

What Polian and the Colts have failed to learn is that the same stands for sitting your starters.

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New England Patriots Defeat Buffalo Bills: Shot In The Foot

Shot in the foot, and the Bills are to blame.

No, this isn’t Bon Jovi. It’s not Plaxico Burress, either.

The Bills were poised to win this game.

They abused the Patriots in the early-goings, giving Fitzpatrick all the time in the world to throw. They ran the ball all over the Patriots, and assembled a nine-minute drive all the way inside New England’s five yard line.

On 3rd-and-goal, the Bills set up in the Big I formation with three tight ends and two backs. Clearly in a run formation, the Pats were blown off the ball and couldn’t stop Fred Jackson from reaching the end zone.

So instead, the Bills stopped themselves.

Little did we all know that the false start penalty that took away the Bills’ touchdown would be the game in a nutshell.

Although the Patriots were largely the benefactors of the Bills’ insurmountable penalties (they drew 11 flags for 124 yards), the Patriots did what they have historically done – just enough to win.

The defense looked stout throughout. They only allowed 241 total yards, a 70-plus-yard improvement over their season average. In all, they generated 6 sacks on the quarterback.

But it’s just the Bills.

Up to Sunday, the Patriots averaged 1.7 sacks per game, tied for fifth lowest in the league. By far one of the biggest issues the Patriots will (hopefully) address in the post-season has to be their inept pass rush.

Outsiders love to judge Johnathan Wilhite and Leigh Bodden for poor play, but the reality is that even Asante Samuel couldn’t cover a top-flight receiver with the unacceptable amount of pressure we’ve been getting on the quarterback – none.

Perhaps that’s why Wilhite was able to snare a spectacular interception off Ryan Fitzpatrick midway through the 2nd quarter.

The offense, on the contrary, looked a little limp at times. Averaging over 398 yards per game (2nd), they only netted 224 total yards against a Bills defense which has allowed an average of 350 yards per game (21st).

Brady was a fantasy team’s playoff spoiler this week, going only 11 of 23 for 115 yards. He threw an ill-advised interception to accompany his lone touchdown lob to Randy Moss.

The Patriots’ rushing attack continues to lack consistent production. The rushing attack, however, was overall unimpressive, with 34 rushing plays amounting to 109 yards for 3.2 yards per carry.

Perhaps instead of risking it all with Brady slinging the ball, they’ve decided to play ball control and clock manipulation to keep their defense rested. Although they lost the time-of-possession battle to the Bills 33:32 to 26:28, they ran the ball 11 more times than they passed it, an impressive statistic for the Patriots of recent.

Most of the damage to the Bills’ inept defense has come in the running game. I commented repeatedly during the game about how Maroney seems to be running very hard. It’s a contract year for him, so he’s playing for money, but he has a purpose out there. He’s finishing runs, he’s making moves and hitting holes with conviction for once.

Dan Dierdorf commented several times about how Maroney and Belichick have been reviewing film of all of his runs and going over what went well, what didn’t work, and it seems to have benefited Laurence quite nicely.

After a week in which every media outlet and sports writer (including myself) questioned Moss’ heart and determination, he fired back with 5 catches for 70 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.

But it’s just the Bills.

Moss didn’t give a press conference after the game, simply reading a rather blunt and direct statement. “I’ve been in this league 12 years, and these shoulders that I have on my body, you could put the earth on it. So just to let you know, I bounce back.”

Rodney Harrison commented that Brady was forcing the ball to Moss to prove a point.

That was definitely the case on a 46-yard pass attempt in the 2nd quarter, where Brady threw to Moss in double coverage. We’ve seen Moss make that catch before, and the effort was definitely there.

Bills safety Donte Whitner was flagged for interference on the play, bringing the ball all the way to the 1-yard line, resulting in New England’s first touchdown of the game.

Once bitten, twice shy? The Bills don’t want to adhere to 80’s rock lyrics, apparently.

Brady threw the ball to Wes Welker in the end zone. Reggie Corner was flagged for pass interference on that one, and the ball was placed at the one yard line yet again, resulting in the other.

When the Bills cut the lead to seven with 3:07 to go, I must admit I got a bit nervous. The Bills have a great special teams unit, and I even scoffed that the Bills could easily win a game where every team was a special teams play.

They recovered the onside kick, like a great special teams unit should, but like an inexperienced young team, they kicked themselves in the crotch yet again with a penalty.

On the next try, they settled for a deep kick.

The Patriots pulled off a good win for the team, because it was a gritty win by their defense and run game.

It’s made bigger because it’s their first domestic road win (they played a “road game” against the Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium). It was important that the Patriots learned to play and win on the road, especially heading into January.

But once again, it’s just the Bills.

The Patriots will have road games in Indianapolis and/or San Diego. Both of those stadiums will be fully charged (no pun intended) and ready to welcome the Patriots in with more noise than Tom Brady’s audibles can handle.

The Chargers are playing the best football they’ve played since 2006, now standing squarely in the 2nd seed in the AFC. The Colts, meanwhile, are only threatening to blemish the Patriots standing as the only team to go 16-0…no big deal.

The Patriots still haven’t beat anyone. It’s just the Bills.

But how many times this decade has New England been the underdog? They always seem to get counted out. Remember 2006? The pathetic Patriots were supposed to be no match for the powerhouse Chargers. Then, they put it together and make a great run until the Colts came up from behind and dragged them to the ground.

Perhaps the Patriots had to get knocked off their pedestal to go back to the gritty, gutsy team they’ve been for most of the decade, at least before the 18-1 record or 50 touchdown passes ever happened.

Back when they had a 9-0 record in the postseason.

It’s not the same team, but the same head coach and quarterback can lead that team and use the same guiding principles that helped those teams reach such great success in the first half of the decade.

Even if it was just the Bills, it’s still the New England Patriots.

 

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Chris Henry: From Bad Boy To Good Man

Chris Henry’s story is as inspirational as any you’ll hear in the NFL.

But this wasn’t a rags-to-riches story ala Michael “Blind Side” Oher. This wasn’t a comeback from a severe illness ala David Garrard.

Henry’s was the story of personal growth; how a bad boy turned into a good man.

The Cincinatti Enquirer ran a story on a changed man just two months ago, with the headline “What A Difference A Year Makes”. Henry had turned his life around dramatically. Once considered a locker room toxin for his off-field antics, Henry had rejuvenated his career and his life.

Carson Palmer said of Henry, “There’s a lot of speculation on what kind of guy Chris was, but the only guys who knew Chris and knew how big of a heart he had, were the guys in our locker room, the guys that were close to him and his family.”

A 3rd-round selection out of West Virginia, Henry had all the tools to be a success in the NFL. At 6’4″ with blazing speed, Palmer had handily dubbed Henry “Randy Moss, Jr.”

Henry caught on very quickly in the NFL. He played in 14 games his rookie season, reeling in 31 receptions for 422 yards and tallying six touchdowns.

The off-field troubles started shortly after the 2005 season, as he was arrested for possession of marijuana and shortly thereafter was arrested on gun charges.

Despite being benched and suspended for his illegal indulgences, he improved on all of those numbers in only 13 games the next season, taking 36 receptions for 605 yards and nine touchdowns.

Just like his vertical leap, the sky seemed the limit for his potential.

After two more legal run-ins, he served an eight-game suspension in 2007 for his off-field issues.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis issued a statement following the commissioner’s ruling: “While we regret the circumstances that called for it, it’s good for both Chris and the Bengals to have the matter resolved. Our team will move forward and now it is up to Chris to acquire a more mature understanding of his responsibilities as a player for the Bengals and a representative of the NFL.”

Those are hardly the words you want to hear coming from your head coach after you’ve seriously screwed up.

Still, he came back with a bang in week 10, reeling in four receptions for 99 yards against division-rival Baltimore.

He was still able to post respectable and consistent numbers despite his suspension-shortened season.

After the season though, Henry was hit with an assault charge and was arrested for a fifth time. Beyond frustrated, the Bengals cut him in March 2008.

The talent was always there, his head just wasn’t.

He would be given a second (third?, fourth?) chance to get it right, when the Bengals re-signed him in August 2008.

Henry took being cut in stride. He turned a corner and not just from unemployed to employed; this was a landmark of his life.

Many who spoke with and were close to Henry, regard that he was a changed man since being re-signed in 2008. He realized the mistakes of his past had left him with one last chance. Those who supported him always wanted to see him succeed.

He floundered in the 2008 season, only tallying 19 catches and two touchdowns in 12 games.

The answer to his turn-around seemed simple; with all of the issues off the field, he just had to spend more time on the field. And so, to the delight of Lewis and all of his teammates, Henry showed up to every off-season practice and OTA in 2009.

He reeled in a touchdown in all four pre-season games prior to the 2009 season and was being heralded as a break-out candidate. Now, in addition to making strides as a person, he was making strides as a top-flight receiver in the NFL.

After overcoming all these seemingly insurmountable odds, it seemed the path was finally clear for Henry to become just that.

Then, on November 22, he broke his forearm in a game against Baltimore. The Bengals put Henry on season-ending injured reserve.

“I learned to handle all situations, so I’ll be all right.”

This statement was very much a symbol of the man Henry had become;mentally tough and optimistic.

Bengals owner Mike Brown spoke on Henry’s death Thursday morning in a news conference: “He had worked through troubles in his life and had finally, seemingly, reached the point where everything was going to blossom.

“He was going to have the future that we all wanted for him and he wanted for himself.”

Although Chris Henry had only just begun turning his life around, we can be certain that his soul is at rest.

That he truly changed as a man was the key cog in the future that everyone wanted him to have.

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Did Randy Moss Quit on Sunday?

Whether they’re winning or losing, it seems the New England Patriots can’t stay out of the headlines.

That’s just what happens when you are one of the most storied franchises of the decade.

That’s also what happens when Randy Moss is in the mix.

The Moss Man was called out by Chris Gamble yesterday, and practically every media outlet this morning. Gamble claimed that Moss “shut it down” yesterday against the Carolina Panthers.

The Boston Globe quoted Gamble as saying, “He’d just give up a lot; slow down; he’s not going deep; not trying to run a route. You can tell (by) his body language.”

Moss had one catch for 16 yards, which he fumbled. He also tallied two drops, and the play that brought Gamble’s statement to the forefront—an interception thrown by Tom Brady where it looked like Moss came out of his route a little bit sluggishly.

Randy Moss has a history for taking play-off. That was a tactic used by Moss in his days in Oakland and Minnesota, when he felt he wasn’t playing for much, wasn’t getting the ball enough, or just wasn’t in the mood.

ESPN replayed the footage of Randy Moss dogging it over and over this morning. Merrill Hodge said that Moss definitely slowed down on the play and had he run the route the way he was supposed to, it wouldn’t have been intercepted.

Bill Belichick defended his star receiver , and was way more verbal with his emotions and thoughts than we usually see from the wily and shrewd head coach.

When asked about Gamble’s words, Belichick responded, “that’s a lot of conversation coming from a team that just lost another game.”

This is the most derogatory statement I’ve ever heard Belichick make about another team.

And he didn’t stop there.

That was just one of three statements in which he mentioned that the Panthers are a losing team that could potentially just be bitter that they lost another game.

And if that wasn’t enough, even Brady joined in on the jabs this morning on WEEI Radio’s Dennis and Callahan Show, saying, “I’ve seen plenty of plays made on Chris Gamble over the course of the season.”

Further defending Moss, Belichick mentioned a key cog in his football philosophy when he said, “stats are for losers. The final score is for winners.” It doesn’t matter to Belichick how they arrive at a win. A win is a win.

Brady echoed the sentiments of his head coach when he said, “We didn’t play our best game on offense, but we won, and that is what’s most important.”

He had defended Moss earlier by saying, “(Moss) was frustrated in himself and the situation, and it’s something you’ve got to fight through. He keeps fighting through it. You have those days where it’s not all great, but you keep lining up and you’ve got to keep fighting.”

This morning, he defended Moss again by adding, “He’s one of the top receivers in the league. He’s up there in yards, catches, and touchdowns. Every game plan the defense comes up with is to try and stop him.”

The thing is, over the past three weeks, defenses have been extremely successful in stopping him. The defensive schemes against Moss and opens up holes in coverage for Welker to make easy grabs underneath and reel off a nice gain.

So what does this all mean for Moss’ future in New England?

My gut feeling is that this won’t mean much down the stretch; unless, of course, the behavior continues.

Moss has one year left on a three-year, $27-million deal he signed back in 2008.

He’s been effective, consistent, and shown his full effort more often than not in his tenure in New England. He’s lived up to what he’s being paid. There should be no question that he’ll stay a Patriot throughout the duration of his contract. New England has no reason to cut him.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out, though, that going into an uncapped season, they could certainly use the free money.

Everyone brushed Moss’ tardiness to practice aside because he kept his mouth shut and accepted his penalty. He neither apologized nor made excuses for it.

He has been quiet to the media throughout his stay in New England, even in difficult times where he hasn’t gotten the ball as much as he should or could.

Could this have been a silent disapproval? Perhaps a sort of passive aggressive retaliation at the head coach?

Perhaps the defense was lucky to have the opportunity to exploit Moss’ slack-job with an interception.

Brady even took some of the blame for that throw. One of the world’s best teammates who has never thrown his teammates under the bus, Brady said, “I throw it to a place, and Randy went to the place he thought it was going to be. I don’t think you can blame Randy on that one. Ultimately, I’m responsible.”

As long as Brady keeps taking ownership of the mistakes, Moss’ public image should remain spotless.

The question is, will Moss accept accountability for his own mistakes?

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Four New England Patriots Late To Practice: Better Late Than Never?

Bill Belichick doesn’t care if a blizzard has engulfed New England in white like a Snow Cap .

If you show up late to practice, you will suffer repercussions.

Randy Moss, Adalius Thomas, Derrick Burgess, and Gary Guyton learned that the hard way.

The four players were late to a Wednesday morning team meeting, and were sent home from practice for their delinquency.

This comes on the heels of Tom Brady’s statement, in which he called out the team for not putting in enough time. This has very much been Brady’s bunch for the duration of the decade, but this is also the first time we’ve seen Brady hold people accountable and really take on the role of team leader in quite some time, partially because he hasn’t had to; the Patriots have long been the league’s most disciplined group.

It’s easy to see why action was taken against the athletes, but is Belichick’s punishment a little harsh?

Absolutely not; after dropping three of their last four, all in dramatic and/or embarrassing fashion, it’s about time someone cracks the whip.

In the past, we’ve come to know Belichick as the gourmet chef of “Humble Pie,” and it’s clear that the team needs to return to the disciplined, error—free ways of old.

I’m afraid that if this is the full extent of the punishment taken against these athletes, it could very well just be taken as a snow day.

But we’ll never know if there’s anything further; Belichick did, after all, say that “anything that happens with discipline on the team will stay between me and the players.”

The two names on the list that stand out for me are Derrick Burgess and Adalius Thomas.

Burgess was supposed to be a formidable replacement for Richard Seymour, and I gushed over him from the very start. Since his arrival, he has done nothing but disappoint and underachieve, amassing an unsatisfactory two sacks on the season.

Adalius Thomas, meanwhile, was a healthy scratch for the 59-0 drubbing of the Tennessee Titans earlier in the season (which, ironically, also occurred in heavy snowfall). Add that to his tardiness today, and Belichick seems less than satisfied with his star free agent signee of 2007.

Don’t get me wrong; being tardy to a meeting in a snow storm is hardly grounds for a release. If the discipline isn’t there, with the way these players are playing, there’s no way they’ll be turning their performance around anytime soon.

Randy Moss and Gary Guyton have much less to worry about. Moss has performed well throughout the season, and Guyton has really begun to come into his own, playing alongside Jerod Mayo in the middle of the 3-4 defense.

The outlook for both Thomas and Burgess is cloudy, though. At this point, it’s no sure thing that they’ll even be on the roster for next season.

The pass rush has been a problem for the Patriots all season. Two expensive players who promised to be pass rush beasts have begun to dig their grave of opportunity in New England.

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What Went Wrong for the New England Patriots Monday Night?

Ding-da-ding my cell phone goes off at 9:52 Tuesday morning. A charming reminder from my boss, a Chargers fan, of the night before.

“Old fashioned ass kicking! The death of a dynasty.”

What a wonderful way to start the day.

Who saw that beatdown coming?

Nobody, really. That’s why they have all those “any given Sunday,” “that’s why they play the games,” “every team who plays the Saints this year gets trounced by Drew Brees ” clichés in football. Even fans in New Orleans thought this would at least be a close contest.

So what exactly did we see Monday night?

Realistically, everyone (myself included ) should have seen this coming. The Patriots have only performed really well when they’re playing lesser talent. They only have two wins this season against teams that currently hold winning records—the  Atlanta  Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, both of whom are bordering on mediocrity.

What made anyone think that they could beat a team of excellence like the Saints?

The analogy has been used to compare the Patriots this decade to Mike Tyson   and that might be fitting; early on, they stunned everyone with how methodically they won, and no one knew how to stop them.

Like Tyson after Buster Douglas fight (or for the Patriots Super Bowl XLII), the chinks in the armor became exposed. Now, they are a feast for anyone who has the firepower to expose those weaknesses.

The Patriots defense has performed well enough all season to get the job done, but the weaknesses had already been exposed prior to this game;a mediocre run defense coupled with inexperience and a lack of top-flight talent in the secondary.

The Saints had the tools to capitalize on both of these weaknesses and they did so in explosive fashion.

As much blame as the defense have been given, the offense didn’t perform up to its standards either.

Tom Brady failed to get into a rhythm as he was bombarded with blitzers all day. I anticipated a much better performance against a blitz-heavy defense after he picked apart the Jets last week.

Against the Saints though, he overthrew wide open receivers three straight times to set up a 4th down, where the Patriots had to settle for a field goal.

So what’s next for the Patriots?

If there’s a silver lining to be found, Bill Belichick says that the errors he saw exposed in the game against the Saints are “correctable” .

If there’s another light at the end of the tunnel, it’s Belichick’s December record with New England is an astonishing 32-6 in his nine-year tenure as head coach.

Those teams were much different than this one. He was working with much more talent on defense and in the running game in years past than he is now. Only time will tell if New England’s wily head coach can get the best out of his men going into the playoffs.

Another thought that might offer a glimmer of hope for New England fans, is to what extent was Monday night’s rout a show of excellence by New Orleans compared to a show of weakness by New England?

It’s clear that New Orleans is 11-0 for a reason. Although their opponents haven’t all been top-flight contenders, New Orleans has been getting everyone’s best game all season and performing with excellence.

We all know how Belichick usually fares the week after a loss, especially one as heartbreaking as this. This season’s Patriots have proven to be a confusing bunch.

But with the way the Patriots played against the Saints, we could be in line for a December that leaves New England with more questions than answers. Their weaknesses have been exposed and their opponents now have video surveillance (no pun intended) of the chinks in the armor that were so heavily gashed in the Bayou.

The Patriots’ remaining schedule features the prototype middle-of-the-road teams they’ve feasted on all season. With a schedule that leaves Miami, Carolina, Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Houston in wait, we could be in line for many snow angels at Gillette Stadium in the month of December.

The Patriots and their fans definitely hope that’s the case.

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Patriots-Saints: One Massive Breakdown To End Them All…

Never have I seen a game with such little importance in the playoff picture be billed with such heavy hype.

It’s been billed by some as a potential Super Bowl preview, while others see it as a game with the makings for an offensive shootout. Others still think the defensive minds of Bill Belichick and Gregg Williams will dictate the outcome of the game.

Talk about a logjam of story lines, this one is chock-full of them. Ironically, the Saints will need to go through the only team to finish a season 16-0 if they want to accomplish the same feat.

So let’s break down every section of both teams to get a better idea of what may occur this Monday night, starting with the forgotten boys of this battle:

 

The Defenses

New England : 16.4 points per game (second ), 187.3 pass yards allowed per game (sixth ), 109.4 rush yards allowed per game (14th )

New Orleans : 20.4 points per game (13th ), 214.9 pass yards allowed per game (15th ), 115.7 rush yards allowed per game (20th )

New England’s defense allows the second-least points in the league, but New Orleans scores the most points in the league.

One would figure that the advantage would clearly lie with New Orleans in this one, and they might be right. The Patriots have only sacked the quarterback 18 times this season, and the Saints’ offensive line has been one of the best in football by only allowing 13 sacks on Drew Brees.

It will be up to New England ’s secondary to keep their receivers blanketed, but we all know how that battle usually works out, especially with a field general at quarterback. A cornerback can’t cover a receiver all day, and the Patriots haven’t generated a legitimate pass rush this season.

The Patriots’ secondary has proven to be no group of slouches, however, intercepting 13 passes this season. With the bevy of talent the Saints have backed up at receiver, I’d expect to see more of the same from Drew Brees—a spread attack that will test the depth of New England ’s secondary.

The Saints’ defense, however, is a different story. They rank first in the league with 20 interceptions, and have generated 24 sacks on the quarterback. Though their overall performance hasn’t been as stellar as New England ’s (as noted above), they’ve had a penchant for big plays.

Big plays don’t always win big games, though.

New England ’s defense has been more fundamentally sound all season, and though they’ve still given their fans migraines on third down, they’ve certainly done better about stopping opponents from scoring.

Needless to say, both defenses will be tested in what should be a high-scoring affair.

Advantage: New England

 

The Offenses

New England : 29 points per game (third), 302.3 pass yards per game ( second), 113.8 rush yards per game (16th )

New Orleans : 36.9 points per game (first), 266.2 pass yards per game (sixth), 154.3 rush yards per game (fifth)

One might be surprised to know that New England has outgained New Orleans through the air by almost 400 yards. The Patriots have also thrown 84 more passes than the Saints.

As the old adage goes, there are as many paths to the top of the mountain as there are people climbing it. These two offenses have achieved very similar success in very different ways. While the Saints have enjoyed their success by spreading the ball around to their plethora of options at receiver and running back, the Patriots have heavily utilized their all-stars in putting up their breathtaking numbers.

Randy Moss and Wes Welker are both having monster seasons, even by their standards; Welker’s league-leading 79 receptions and Moss’ near-1,000 yards put both players on pace to record their best totals in those categories in each of their careers.

Marques Colston has made some sensational snags, and is putting up respectable numbers compared to his other seasons.

The surprise of New Orleans’ offense has been Devery Henderson, who has 521 receiving yards. The Saints have been highly successful spreading the ball around; they have four receivers with over 300 yards on the season, while New England only has three of those.

Moss and Welker account for over 57 percent of New England ’s total receiving yards. The closest any New Orleans tandem comes to that number in the Saints’ aerial attack is 44 percent, by Colston and Henderson.

With all the hype around New Orleans’ passing attack, one might also be surprised to learn that New Orleans’ rushing attack is ranked higher than their aerial assault, and has 40 more rushing yards per game than the Pats. The Saints have also run the ball 40 more times than the Patriots.

New Orleans has outgained New England by 305 yards on the ground , and averages 4.8 yards per rush; New England falls .3 shy of the league average, as they gain 4.0 yards per carry.

Both teams love to utilize receiving options out of the backfield; Reggie Bush has almost as many yards receiving as he has rushing, and Kevin Faulk (not surprisingly) has 60 more receiving yards than rushing yards.

The Saints feature the recently popular two-back system, with Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell both at over 500 yards rushing on the season.

The Patriots, due to injury, have relied less on their running game than in the past (which is saying a lot). Laurence Maroney is the teams leading rusher with 455 yards and six touchdown runs.

Due to more flexibility, and also the crowd noise in the Superdome , I have to give the advantage to the Saints. They’ve done more, albeit against less talent, than New England has, and have done it consistently through this season.

Advantage: New Orleans

 

The Coaching

Bill Belichick: 145-89, 15-4 in the playoffs

Sean Payton: 35-23, 1-1 in the playoffs

Although this isn’t a playoff game, I think it’s important to note the playoff records of these coaches. Bill Belichick has far more experience than Sean Payton when it comes to big games (though that didn’t seem to bother Colts’ first-year coach Jim Caldwell in Week 10). With this being a potential Super Bowl matchup, the pressure is on for both teams.

Payton is held in high regard as an offensive wizard. He uses smoke and mirrors, trickery, and a wide variety of tools to create an offense that works like magic.

Belichick, on the other hand, is revered as a (evil) genius. His defensive schemes have remained effective throughout his tenure as head coach, and his players often reflect his own mentality—wily individuals with a knack for making the smart play, reading and reacting.

If offensive mastermind Sean Payton can out-think Belichick’s defensive genius, it could be a long day for the Patriots’ defense.

Belichick is rarely outsmarted by an opposing coach, though. He is definitely more big-game-tested than his opponent. I’d say the pressure is on Payton to produce a game plan effective enough to defeat the Patriots.

Advantage: New England

 

The quarterbacks

Tom Brady: 66.4 completion percentage, 3,049 yards, 20 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 100.4 quarterback rating

Drew Brees: 68.1 completion percentage, 2,746 yards, 22 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 105.8 quarterback rating

Matchups between two of football’s elite quarterbacks don’t happen very often, especially in non-conference games. This game has promise to be a shootout, as mentioned before.

I can’t really say it much better than Gil Brandt already did , but maybe I can shed more light on this epic discussion.

Although these two quarterbacks are incredibly comparable this season, statistically speaking, their styles are almost black-and-white different.

Brees has had his success carving up defenses by utilizing his multiple threats at receiver. His athleticism and ability to spread the ball around have been key to New Orleans’ change of fortunes this season.

Brady has done what any quarterback would: make use of his most lethal weapons. His presence in the pocket has made up for his lack of athleticism, as he has an innate ability to feel the pressure and to evade it.

The defenses of both teams will have their hands full, trying to confuse two quarterbacks who have seen virtually everything. Brady has good days and bad days against blitz-heavy defenses like the Saints. The Patriots, on the other hand , are masters of disguising their coverages and blitzers , showing blitz to make a quarterback think he has no time in the pocket, or faking a three-man rush and bringing the heat.

Since these two quarterbacks are so evenly matched, in the end , I give the advantage to the quarterback who doesn’t have to deal with crowd noise. Brady has played well in the Superdome in the past, though, so don’t be surprised if both quarterbacks have a great game.

Advantage: New Orleans

 

Overview

The Saints know they will be getting the best New England has to offer; the Patriots have a huge chip on their shoulder and a big point to prove after the crushing loss to the Colts, the “other” biggest game of the year.

Plus, they have a chance to deliver a crushing loss to the currently-undefeated Saints, and do to them what the Giants waited until the Super Bowl to do to New England in 2007.

Bill Belichick loves to turn off the opposing team’s biggest playmaker . With that being Drew Brees, who is having an MVP season, it will be no small feat to simply shut him down.

To shut him down isn’t necessarily to shut down the entire New Orleans’ offense, though; as stated above, the Saints have been even more successful running the ball than passing. Shutting down Drew Brees forces the Saints to become one-dimensional, though, and the Patriots have been highly successful against the run.

I think time of possession could play a huge factor in this game; either quarterback will have a field day in the second half if the opposing defense is tuckered out from too much time on the field.

In the end , I believe this game will come down to the final possession. Call me a homer if you want, but I’m going with New England in this game.

Brady and Belichick have a ton of experience in big games, and the fact that they haven’t gotten it done in those big games this season is just more indication to me that they’ll get it done this time around. They’re due to have that big game where their execution is near-perfect and where they hang on for the full 60 minutes of football.

I can make one safe assumption: whichever team wins, they’ll start with “New.”

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