Now that the Patriots season is over, anyone else have Randy Moss/ New England Patriots withdrawls come Sundays? I know we are! We cannot wait until the Patriots and Moss kick it off again next August. What are we going to do until then?!
Stay out of trouble Randy!
It was, in many ways, a season to be proud of.
Despite 14 players landing on injured reserve, including stars, starters and key reserves, the New England Patriots rallied over the final month of the season to post an 11-5 record, the type of mark that would earn a team a playoff berth in any other season but this one.
But the five losses were all to division opponents, and when it came to the tiebreaker, that was the killer. And in those losses, the beleaguered secondary was often the culprit — and that was an issue because the loss of Asante Samuel wasn’t adequately accounted for by a front office that otherwise has many more hits than misses.
With all that in mind, here’s some of the highs and lows from the 2008 Patriots season:
•Worst Moment: Chief Bernard Pollard’s hit on Tom Brady’s left knee wasn’t just the worst moment for the Patriots this season — it was one of the worst in the NFL. The league’s reigning MVP, coming off a season for the ages, saw his 2008 campaign ended before it ever really started. There’s no way to quantify or predict how the Brady-less Patriots were affected by his not being on the field every day and for every game, and suffice it to say they’d rather not have to find out again.
•Moment Worse than the Worst Moment: The instant a Pittsburgh Steelers fan thought it would be funny to start a Bernard Pollard Fan Club, complete with Web site and T-shirts. Hard to believe that was thought through.
•Best Impression of Superman: Matt Cassel isn’t Brady, but he did a more than admirable job filling in for the superstar quarterback, overcoming a couple of early rough patches to finish strong. The quarterback many thought New England didn’t need on Sept. 1 (yours truly included) may have saved the season, and finds himself in the position to take full advantage of it.
•Worst Reaction to a Surprise: The first time Miami unveiled the Wildcat formation, on Sept. 21 in Foxboro, was one of the rare times in recent years that the Patriots have been caught totally off-guard — or when have you ever heard Richard Seymour say, “We were running around like chickens with our heads cut off”?
•Best Revenge: It was almost a given that New England would shut down the Wildcat when it played the Dolphins in Miami on Nov. 23, and that’s just what happened: Miami gained 25 yards on eight plays out of the formation that day, as opposed to 100 rushing yards (and three touchdowns) plus a passing TD by Ronnie Brown on just six plays in the September meeting.
•Worst Example of How to Deal with the Enemy: One can only imagine the grabbing, talking and possibly worse that happens in the trenches. But the image of Matt Light wailing away on the helmet-less head of Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder after a field goal was a memorable moment for all the wrong reasons.
•Best Proof of a Myth: There was a long-held belief — outside of the Patriots’ offices, clearly — that New England didn’t draft linebackers in the high rounds because the defensive scheme was too difficult for a rookie to grasp. But Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton proved that notion wrong. Mayo started from Day One and won NFL defensive rookie-of-the-year honors, and Guyton’s role grew with each passing week.
•Best Bid to Star in the Remake of Groundhog Day: Line Wes Welker up anywhere on the field and watch him make at least six catches. The diminutive wideout set a league record by recording six or more grabs in each of the first 11 games, and streak ended only because he was nearly decapitated by the Steelers’ Ryan Clark in Game 12.
•Worst Bid to Star in the Remake of Groundhog Day: Let’s put the positive up front: Benjamin Watson’s blocking has improved a great deal. But the former first-round pick had a number of dropped passes and missed catches this year, and he fumbled at a key time in the loss to the Jets.
•Best Use of 76 Inches: Randy Moss needed every bit of his 6-foot-4 frame to pull in an overtime-forcing touchdown from Cassel against the Jets. Moss stretched for the ball while somehow keeping his toes pinned to the turf for what seemed at the time was the play that would swing things in New England’s favor.
•Worst Time for a Blown Coverage: Jets, overtime, third-and-15. No further explanation needed.
•Classiest Exit: Troy Brown was the consummate professional and team player during his career with the Patriots, and it was impossible to think his retirement would be anything different. After a tear-filled news conference during which even Bill Belichick seemed to get a little choked up, and Brown conceded that his reluctance to curb his Baskin-Robbins appetite was one of the signals that it was time to hang up his cleats, the franchise’s all-time receptions leader got a chance in November to be feted in front of the fans who adored him. Brown wrote a thank-you letter to the faithful that was in the night’s game program; he expressed gratitude for the way they made him feel “right at home” from his earliest days with the Pats.
•Offensive MVP: Welker. It was easy to see his impact when he wasn’t on the field for the final quarter-plus against Pittsburgh, and his performance against Seattle a week later was a tour de force.
•Defensive MVP: Vince Wilfork. It wasn’t the best year for New England’s defense, but Wilfork’s ability to take on multiple blockers allowed a healthy Richard Seymour to return to wreaking havoc.
•Most Improved: Brandon Meriweather. The second-year safety’s hard work in the offseason paid off, as he pulled in four interceptions and by the end of the season, quarterbacks had learned not to throw in his direction too often. And once Rodney Harrison went down, Meriweather stepped up and never came off the field.
Disappointing? Sure. Displeasing? Not even close. Yes, the Patriots missed out on the playoffs for the second time in eight years. And, yes, if they had only made a play here against the Colts or a play there against the Jets they’d have as good a shot anyone of winning the Super Bowl.
But the Patriots gave it their all even as they all seemingly kept getting hurt. They overcame the departure of Asante Samuel in the offseason and the disappearance of Tom Brady, Laurence Maroney, Rodney Harrison and Adalius Thomas during the season.
Through it all the Patriots won far more games than they lost and, hopefully, regained some national respect. The fans wouldn’t tune out the perfect Patriots last season, but they were definitely turned off by the organization’s imperfect actions.
Quarterbacks (A-)
Maybe Matt Cassel is a product of the system, maybe he isn’t. The answer to that thought could come next year should the free-agent-to-be land somewhere else. (Jets? Vikings?) For now take comfort in the fact Cassel blew away what little expectations we had of him before the season started. Cassel ended up directing _ rather than just managing _ the league’s fifth-ranked offense. He threw for more yards (3,693) than all but seven quarterbacks and more touchdowns (21) than all but nine. Cassel also provided an un-Brady-like dimension by leading all QBs with 270 rushing yards. Finally, the true measure of any quarterback is wins and Cassel had 11. Rookie Kevin O’Connell is the heir apparent, but never got to air it out as he watched and learned. Midseason grade: C+
Running backs (A)
A group effort moved the backs to the forefront of the league, where they finished sixth with 2,278 rushing yards. That’s the most by the Patriots in 23 years. Everybody but Laurence Maroney _a major boffo disappointment _ chipped in here. Sammy Morris finished with career highs in yards (723) and touchdowns (7) while LaMont Jordan provided a nice boost down the stretch (363, 4) after missing eight games with a calf injury. Kevin Faulk did what he does best, which is everything. He contributed 507 rushing yards, 58 receptions, six TDs and excellent pass protection. Heath Evans and converted fullback Russ Hochstein were capable blockers. Rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis was a nice story for a few weeks and ended up with five TDs. Midseason grade: B
Receivers (A-)
There weren’t many receivers to rely on, but the few the Patriots used were good ones. Wes Welker finished second in the NFL with 111 receptions, four behind Houston’s Andre Johnson. The first-time Pro Bowler likely would have led the way if not for that blowout in Buffalo. Randy Moss finished with over a 1,000 yards for the ninth time in his 11 seasons and his 11 touchdowns were impressive considering he had four after nine games. It took quite a while, but third receiver Jabar Gaffney and Cassel finally developed a relationship, Gaffney making 26 of his 38 catches in the second half. Two problems: The Patriots never developed a fourth receiver and there were too many drops, particularly by Moss and Gaffney. Midseason grade: B
Tight ends (C-)
Just a whole lot of below average here. And that isn’t what you expect when you have one player who was drafted in the first round (Benjamin Watson) and another who went in the third (David Thomas). Watson has become a competent blocker, but 22 catches and two touchdowns? Please. Thomas was expected to be a player who could find openings downfield, but ended up with all of nine receptions. On the plus side, he only missed one game after playing in just two a year ago. Defenses paid attention to Mike Vrabel in goal-line situations for once and Hochstein provided some oomph when the Patriots frequently went to a power formation the last couple of games. Midseason grade: C-
Offensive line (B)
The Pro Bowl is certainly something of a popularity contest, but the Patriots weren’t very popular last season and Matt Light, Logan Mankins and Don Koppen all earned trips to Hawaii. No one made it this year. It was a solid season, not a standout one. The line had a hand in allowing a whopping 48 sacks, fifth most in the league. That said, it paved the way for the running backs to average a healthy 4.4 yards a carry. Light (shoulder) and Koppen (elbow) played through injuries and, along with Makins, didn’t miss a game. It’s interesting to note the offense as a whole hit its stride about the time right guard Stephen Neal rejoined the starting lineup. Mark LeVoir and Billy Yates were solid subs and Hochstein chipped in everywhere. Midseason grade: B-
Defensive line (B+)
All things considered, not a bad year for the Big Three. Richard Seymour finished with a team-high eight sacks, although just two half-takedowns after Week 12. Fellow end Ty Warren deserves credit for playing through a painful groin injury that affected his ability to get into the backfield. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork was the Patriots’ most consistent defender after Jerod Mayo. He was credited with 66 tackles by the NFL, sixth most among linemen. Mike Wright proved his worth by lining up inside and outside and really got after the passer in third-down situations over the final month. The big question is what happened to Jarvis Green? He had 14 sacks the last two seasons; two this year _ and both came in the finale against Buffalo. Midseason grade: B+
Linebackers (B)
The Patriots got a No. 1 when they drafted Jerod Mayo 10th overall. He made plays everywhere while being credited by the NFL with 128 tackles, good for first among rookies and 10th among all players. Mayo also took on more of a leadership role as the season passed and his fellow ’backers fell by the wayside. Other than that there just weren’t enough big plays out of this group in the second half. Tedy Bruschi is clearly in decline and the loss of Adalius Thomas (5 sacks, 9 games) really hurt. Vrabel inexplicably suffered a serious drop-off in production before rediscovering his mojo over the last month. Rookie Gary Guyton showed some promise and vets Junior Seau and Rosevelt Colvin were saviors with their late-season returns. Midseason grade: B+
Defensive backs (C-)
For every play they made, they seemed to allow two the other way. Lack of talent was the problem. The Patriots let Asante Samuel walk and then ran out and collected as many journeymen (Deltha O’Neal, Lewis Sanders, Jason Webster) and rookies (Terrence Wheatley, Jonathan Wilhite) as they could. Quantity over quality didn’t work this time. The energetic Ellis Hobbs once again showed how tough he is by playing with an injury, but he shouldn’t be any team’s top corner. Rodney Harrison wasn’t really missed as safety Brandon Meriweather (4 interceptions) started to flourish in his sophomore season. Fellow safety James Sanders continues to grow as a leader and plays the run well enough, but, like his colleagues, is a liability against the pass. Midseason grade: C+
Special teams (A-)
First, Stephen Gostkowski replaced Adam Vinatieri. Now he’s made folks forget about the New England folk hero. Gostkowski tallied 148 points, which led the league and is third most in team history. The Pro Bowler converted 90 percent of his field goals, including one from 50, and his 17 touchbacks tied for sixth in the league. Punter Chris Hanson was 18th in gross (43.7 yards) and 12th in the all-important net (36.3) category. Hanson’s 48-yarder against the Bills was terrific, but he too often failed with situational punting. Welker finished 14th in punt returns (9.9) and Hobbs finished second in kick returns (28.5) although his impact diminished in the second half. The coverage units ranked 10th on kickoffs and a woeful 31st on punts. Midseason grade: B+
Coaching (A+)
Bill Belichick has twice been named Coach of the Year (2003, ’07). He won’t win it this year, so he’ll just have to take satisfaction in knowing this was perhaps his finest piece of work in 34 NFL seasons. No Brady? No problem. The Patriots did lose five games, but Belichick only got outsmarted in two. There was the Wildcat game against the Dolphins and that whipping by the Chargers in which the corners were left to fend for themselves. Other than that, Belichick put his players in a position to succeed. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels really showed the goods by downshifting the offense until Cassel got a handle on things. On the other hand, what gives with defensive coordinator Dean Pees? He was conservative calling plays and did it from the sideline and up in the booth. Weird. Midseason grade: A-
Star pupils
WR Wes Welker … Caught more than 100 passes for the second straight year. More importantly, a lot of those catches provided a boost to Cassel’s confidence.
K Stephen Gostkowski … Not getting to attempt a 49-yard field goal in the Super Bowl hung over him entering the season. But all Gostkwoski did was hang up 148 points.
Class dunces
CB Deltha O’Neal …. O’Neal complained his way out of Cincinnati over a lack of playing time. He played so well in New England he twice got benched in favor of rookies.
RB Laurence Maroney … Just like at midseason, enough said.
On Sunday Randy Moss and the 7-5 Patriots will take on the 2-10 Seahawks.
Let’s take a look at Randy’s numbers against Seattle
Last game: 6 catches, 76 yards
Career: 4 games, 24 catches, 363 yards, 15 first downs, 3 touchdowns.
We predict 6 catches for 95 yards and TWO touchdowns in the win on Sunday!
Three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel stood in the New England Patriots’ locker room and found a bright spot in the decline of the team of the decade.
What’s so bad about being barely over .500?
“There’s a lot of teams in this league that would like to be 7-5, so go ask Detroit and Houston, some of these other teams, Cleveland,” the captain and linebacker said. “We’re going out there and we’re trying to fight, and until they tell us we ain’t got a chance and there’s no games left, that’s all we can do.”
How the nearly perfect have plummeted.
A year ago, the Patriots were 12-0 and on their way to an unbeaten regular season and two playoff wins. The NFL’s first 19-0 season was within reach. Then the New York Giants ruined it with a last-minute touchdown and a 17-14 Super Bowl victory. But they still set league records for most wins and points and greatest point differential.
Now the Patriots are just 7-5. Reigning MVP Tom Brady, safety Rodney Harrison and running back Laurence Maroney are sidelined for the season. Linebacker Adalius Thomas missed the last three games with a broken forearm and should miss more. Other contributors have missed considerable time.
Bill Belichick didn’t suddenly lose his substantial coaching skills— although two timeouts he wasted were costly in a three-point loss at Indianapolis—but strong game plans and solid preparation can’t always overcome a drop in talent.
So the Patriots, 100-29 in the last seven seasons, are in a rare predicament.
Even if they win their last four games, they could miss the playoffs, ending a stretch of six postseason berths in seven years and five in a row. So their motivation should be just as high, if not higher, than last season when they were aiming for a place in NFL history.
Last year, they needed a touchdown with 44 seconds left to improve to 12-0 with a 27-24 win at Baltimore helped by officials’ calls late in the game.
“I think you’re always playing for something,” Brady said before his next game. “Whether you’re 12-0 or 0-12, you have a lot of reasons to be motivated.”
This year’s team still has that drive—and a soft remaining schedule against Seattle, Oakland, Arizona and Buffalo. But so do the New York Jets, who lead them in the AFC East by one game. Indianapolis and Baltimore also lead New England by one game for the AFC’s two wild-card berths.
“It’s a different story compared to last year,” guard Logan Mankins said. “Last year was such a nice ride through the regular season and this year has been a lot different. 7-5 is a lot different than 12-0. So it goes that way in this league. It’s a competitive league, a lot of good players, a lot of good teams.”
Last year, Brady spent the day before Thanksgiving preparing to face the Ravens. This year, he wore a long white apron that day as he and girlfriend Gisele Bundchen served pumpkin pie and other food to about 400 members of Goodwill Industries job training and career services program.
Last year, Randy Moss was heading for an NFL-record 23 touchdown catches. Last Sunday, he dropped a sure scoring pass that would have put the Patriots ahead 17-10 at halftime. They ended up losing 33-10 to Pittsburgh.
Last year, Harrison and star cornerback Asante Samuel started the 12th game against Baltimore. This year, Harrison is recovering from a torn thigh muscle that probably will end his career, Samuel is with Philadelphia after leaving for a rich free agent contract, and the secondary has struggled.
“We understand that every year isn’t going to be the same,” said defensive end Richard Seymour, who played on all three title teams. “You don’t have the same guys. From week to week it changes. It’s a league where we have to expect the unexpected. A guy can be sitting next to you one day and be gone the next.”
The biggest loss was Brady.
Matt Cassel has played very well in his spot, considering he hadn’t started a game in seven years. But how can a team replace a quarterback who set an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes last year and has two Super Bowl MVP awards?
Seattle’s Mike Holmgren, coach of a 2-10 team also plagued by injuries, understands the cost of quarterback injuries.
“Bang, you lose your quarterback. I don’t care who you are, and I’m not talking about a Tom Brady-type quarterback, your starting quarterback. Typically that’s two or three games automatically” that turn from wins to losses, said Holmgren, whose Seahawks host the Patriots on Sunday. “It’s a real tribute to the Patriots to see where they are.
“It’s a little shock to everyone’s system since they’ve been so good— heck, undefeated (last regular season), for Pete’s sake. But that’s what this business is. Injuries do affect the outcome of games and the outcome of your season.”
Brady had been durable. He started his 128th consecutive game in the season opener against Kansas City. Midway through the first quarter, Bernard Pollard hit him, tearing two ligaments in his left knee.
Suddenly, the Patriots had lost the leader who threw for 4,806 yards last year, third most in NFL history. They also lost any chance for another dominant season.
So a team that won 10 games by at least 20 points in 2007 has lost three by at least 20 this season. And after 18 straight victories last season, they’ve alternated wins and losses in their last six games and desperately need a winning streak.
“We need to string one together,” Vrabel said. “We all put ourselves in this position. So I think we all need to either do something about it or we’ll end up at 8-8.”
Randy Moss in action!
The New England Patriots will take on the New York Jets on Sunday. The winner will take over the lead in the AFC East. Here is Moss numbers career against the Jets!
Last game v. Jets
Career v. Jets
Little-known BenJarvus Green-Ellis gave the Patriots a boost in the tight AFC East race.
And he helped hand the free-falling Buffalo Bills a costly loss.
The undrafted rookie from Mississippi rushed for a career-high 105 yards and scored a touchdown for the fourth straight game and New England’s defense dominated in the second half for a 20-10 win on Sunday.
Green-Ellis began the season on the practice squad but is the Patriots’ top runner with Laurence Maroney on injured reserve and Sammy Morris missing the last three games and LaMont Jordan out for the last five.
“Wherever we are on the field, I just try to get it to the end zone,” Green-Ellis said. “That’s my job every play.”
He capped a 19-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown with 1:57 left long after Matt Cassel rushed for a 13-yard touchdown on the Patriots’ first series. Cassel, the steadily improving replacement for Tom Brady, directed the offense with poise and completed 23 of 34 passes for 234 yards.
The defense held the Bills to 58 yards in the second half—while the offense piled up 192. The Patriots had the only two interceptions of the game and outgained the Bills 370-168.
“When you don’t allow big plays, it definitely keeps control of the game in your favor,” cornerback Ellis Hobbs said.
The Patriots (6-3) moved a game ahead of the Bills (5-4), who are 1-4 since winning their first four games. The New York Jets routed St. Louis 47-3 and remained tied with New England. Miami (5-4) beat Seattle.
“We realized this was a big pivotal game,” Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny said. “We have to get a winning feeling and we don’t have that now.”
The loss—Buffalo’s 10th straight to New England—was especially harmful since the Bills had lost their previous two games against the Dolphins and Jets and dropped to 0-3 in division games. The Patriots are 2-1 against AFC East opponents and face the Jets and Dolphins in their next two games.
“It’s getting down to crunch time now,” Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said.
After Green-Ellis’ score capped a 19-play drive, the Bills got their only touchdown on a 14-yard pass from Trent Edwards to James Hardy after an 85-yard kickoff return by Leodis McKelvin.
That was hardly enough against a strong defense.
The Patriots have won nine straight against the Bills and don’t think Buffalo players aren’t aware of that as they prepare for Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium.
“I believe the fact that they’ve beaten us and beaten us soundly definitely has an effect,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said.
New England won last year’s two games by a combined score of 94-17.
The Patriots, on the other hand, say they aren’t thinking about the streak at all.
“The past has very little to do with anything in the future,” fullback Heath Evans said. “You can learn from mistakes made and the success you’ve had, but it still comes down to how well did you perform on that given Sunday. There’s not a lot of confidence from the past.”
New England’s nine straight wins against Buffalo is the second-longest current streak by a team against an opponent in the NFL. San Diego has won 10 in a row against Oakland and Pittsburgh’s taken 10 straight from Cleveland.
The Patriots have defeated the Bills 14 times in the last 15 games between the teams.
The Patriots won a franchise-record 11 straight against the Bills from 1982-87.
