Pats lose, still 0-0

Bill Belichick is not a happy man this morning. Or is he? The Patriots played their third preseason game last night and made more mistakes against the lowly Rams than they did in their previous two against the Saints and the Falcons. The coach will have plenty of things he can use to remind his team that they still have a lot of work to do. That's when he's at his best.

BELICHICK: The D stinks.

The next two weeks leading up to the home opener against Cincy will probably not be a lot of fun around Gillette. I think Belichick prefers it that way. It wasn't a disaster of a game as far as preseason goes (no injuries that I saw), but it was bad enough to get the team's attention. Lots of penalties. Lots of players out of position. The offense put up 35 points, but the defense gave up 36. Lots of work to do.

The game started off on a great note as second-year wide receiver Brandon Tate took the opening kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown. He looks like he'll have a spot on the roster at a very competitive position. Then the defense took the field and it seemed like they never left.

Rookie QB Sam Bradford led the Rams on a 10 play, 72-yard drive to tie the game. The Rams would add scoring drives of 8 plays, 7 plays, 9 plays, 15 plays!, 11 plays, and 9 plays. The last one led to the game winning field goal as time expired. I'm not sure how Brady and the offense were able to score any points considering how long the Rams held the ball. The spotlight will shine brightly on the Pats' defense over the next two weeks. The last preseason game next week against the Giants might turn out to be than just a scrimmage for the defense. They have something to prove.

It's a defense that is sorely lacking a leader. Mayo. Meriweather. Wilfork. They are all solid players but not the Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi kind of guys. Meriweather spends too much time howling after making a tackle when his team is losing. Make the tackle. Get up. Get back to the huddle. Make another tackle. When the game is over and you've won you can howl. Rodney knew that. Tedy knew that. The young players on the defense have to learn it. Asante Samuel might have been able to teach them. Mike Vrabel definitely could.

The defense's inability to make stops on third down was a problem last year and could be again. A lot of that has to do with a lack of pass rush. That was a problem last year and almost certainly will be again unless the coaches can figure out schemes that will let some players loose. Last night Banta-Cain was that guy but he kept committing penalties. Carson Palmer, Ochocinco, and T.O. are going to put the D to the test right out of the gate. They better be ready.

The offense will be ready. Brady hit some big passes. Moss looks committed to having a big year. The tight ends are making plays all over the field. Gronkowski dragging a defender across the goal line was Ben Coates-like. Welker looked like vintage Wes last night. The running game didn't do much but that's par for the course with the Pats. One week they'll run the ball 30 times. The next week the running backs might as well stay home and watch on TV. Overall the offense looks fired up. They're going to have to be because they may need to score 30 points a game to win consistently.

Lots of work to do.

The shootout

TALES FROM THE TAILGATE

Pats 26, Vikings 20 OT (11/13/'94): The sad news that former Patriots fullback Kevin Turner has been diagnosed with ALS is a sobering reminder of the risks that NFL players take to earn a living while entertaining the masses. The toll of the violence is something that we mostly don't talk about while hanging out in the Gilette parking lot grilling and drinking. It sometimes makes an ugly appearance on the field when a collision results in an injury. But mostly it shows up later in the life of the players when people are no longer watching them. For Turner, just 41, it showed up much too soon.

Turner is a favorite of the longtime Pats fan. A fullback is often the heart and soul of an offense. Much like linebackers on defense. Turner was a big part of the Patriots' heart as they suddenly transformed into a playoff contender under Bill Parcells. On a beautiful November day (near 50 degrees) in 1994, Turner was an even bigger part of the game in which Parcells saw his leadership and work finally start to pay off. What a pay off it was.

Me, my brother Jim, Mark, and his friend Scottie enjoyed a great day of tailgating in T-shirts in the winter. Scottie was wearing his Broncos T-shirt being a long, long time Denver fan. It was just mine and Mark's first year as season ticket holders together, a purchase inspired by the hiring of the Tuna, and we were enjoying our Sundays very much. The fact that the team was 3-6 and had lost four straight did not dampen our spirits one bit that afternoon. We were just glad to be tailgating.

The game started out horribly. The Vikings, one of the best in the NFC that year, were full of veteran stars. Chris Carter. Henry Thomas. John Randle. Jack Del Rio. And of course Warren Moon. The Hall of Fame QB was 38-years-old and still one of the best gunslingers in the league. He came out firing at the old Foxboro Stadium, passing for 234 yards in the first half. The Vikings jumped all over the Patriots for a 20-3 lead. Our spirits were a little dampened at that point.

The Patriots had a young player they hoped would develop into their own gunslinger. Drew Bledsoe. In the second half that's just what he did. Bledsoe completed an amazing 37 of 54 passes for 354 yards ... in the second half. 54 passes in one half. It was an amazing sight. Bledsoe finished the game with 42 completions in 70 pass attempts. Both NFL records. And he didn't throw an interception.

Bledsoe started slinging the ball all over Foxboro Stadium on the opening drive of the third quarter, capping it with a 31-yard TD pass. The rest of the half was one rocket after another. Big Ben Coates caught 10 passes, Leroy Thompson 11, Michael Timpson 10, Vincent Brisby 5, Kevin Turner 4. Not exactly Stallworth and Swan that Bledsoe was working with. The Pats still trailed by 10 with just over five minutes left in the game when #11 really started to heat up. Third down after third down Bledsoe would keep the drive going. A rope to Timpson. First down. A scrambling completion to Coates. First down. Me, Mark, Jim, and Scott were loving it. The whole stadium was loving it.

Matt Bahr kicked a field goal with seconds left to send the game into overtime. Then Bledsoe really caught fire. Starting at their own 35-yard line, Parcells called five straight pass plays and Bledsoe completed them all moving the team down to the Vikes 25. The Pats then ran three times to set up a first down at the 14-yard line. Parcells was a pound-the-rock kind of coach. His Super Bowl champion Giants played that way. So this was the moment we expected the Pats to keep it on the ground and set up the winning field goal. But the coach had already come to the conclusion -- as everyone else did when the game was over -- that the Pats had a very powerful weapon in Bledsoe. He wasn't afraid to use it.

Bledsoe took the snap and dropped back to pass. From our view in Section 311 we could see Kevin Turner come out of the backfield right below us, heading towards the near corner of the end zone. Bledsoe lofted a beautiful pass that sailed from our right to left, landing in Turner's fingertips as the fullback touched his toes gently in bounds. Touchdown! Pats win! From 20-0 to 26-20! Turner leaped into the arms of his teammates. Jim and I leaped into each other's arms. It was one of the best sporting moments I've witnessed. The Pats left the field with a 4-6 record but with a new sense of confidence. They did not lose another game the rest of the regular season and made the playoffs. That's how much of an impact Bledsoe's passes and Turner's catch had.

Ask anyone who was at Foxboro Stadium that day what it was like and they all get a large smile on their face. The tape of this game is one of the most revisited among my video library of Pats games created over 20 years through the hard work of faithful VCRs. I've watched that ball fall into the hands of Kevin Turner time and time again. He gave 60,000 people one of their greatest sports memories that day. He deserves a better fate.

Raising expectations

Oh, sports-talk radio. You are nothing if not predictable. The Patriots won their second preseason game last night, easily beating the Falcons down in Atlanta 28-10.

The voices coming through my car radio were throwing around declarative sentences like "The Patriots are sending the league a message"; "The Patriots look much, much better than I thought they would"; "They look like they could be one of the best teams in the league again." All this after a preseason game.

The Patriots sure looked good. The starting offense has that feel like it could be very hard to stop. Brady has lots of weapons, especially with Wes Welker way ahead of schedule. Last night the play of the two new tight ends (Gronkowski and Hernandez) was very encouraging. Maybe, just maybe, the Pats will actually get some offensive production from that position. The running game looked strong and the offensive line, thinned by the holdout of Mankins and the injury to Kaczur, pinned its collective ears back and opened up some running room while protecting the quarterback. Fred Taylor got into the action and looked fresh. When the Pats signed the veteran as a free agent last year I couldn't wait to see him in action. He's been a favorite for a long time. A class act all the way. Just when it looked like he was rounding into form last season he went down with an injury. So once again this year I'm looking forward to seeing him play. I like Maroney (still) but I think Taylor can have a big year.

Of course I thought that about Tory Holt too and he's now out for the season. Kaczur could be the next to go with a back injury. Combine those injuries with the loss of Ty Warren and it hasn't actually been that wonderful of a preseason. Except the team is 2-0. In two more weeks the record will be reset to zero.

I can't wait for the start of this season. Even with the injuries I'm optimistic the team can have a great year. I'm just not going to base that optimism on a preseason game.

The rock

Every workplace has its "rock." The person who shows up every day, carries a big chunk of the workload, rarely complains about it, has an even temperament, is a pleasure to be around, and is often overlooked. There's one in my department at the newspaper and when he's not there you notice it. Ty Warren is the rock of the Patriots. The announcement that he's going to have hip surgery and miss the entire season is a rather large rock through my rose-colored window. His absence is going to be noticed.

Warren -- fellow Mansfield resident -- has been a rock on the Pats D line since he was drafted in the first round of 2003. He has quietly manned Wilfork's right side. Together they have been a formidable run stopping force. The last thing the Pats evolving defense needed was to lose one of its veterans. But the last thing is often the most likely thing to happen in the NFL. And the teams that succeed adjust. The Patriots have been good at that under Belichick. This may be the toughest test of all.

The Patriots had already brought in another Warren to play on the other side of Wilfork. Veteran Gerard Warren. I guess they were going with the two Warrens are better than one philosphy. Well, let's hope the new Warren can play a key role in easing the loss of the old one. Mike Wright will be the other part of that equation, stepping into Ty Warren's spot. He has shown flashes of terrific play. Some guys like that prove that they can only do it in small doses. I get the feeling Wright is not one of those guys.

The other option is for the Pats to go out and get former Bill Aaron Schobel, a pass rushing beast. He's not really a good fit for the 3-4 but if the Pats switched to an in-your-face blitzing defense he would quickly become the leader of it. I would like to see Belichick go that route. They have young, fast players among the linebackers and defensive backs. They could let Wilfork, Warren (Gerard not Ty), and Wright do their best against the run and send everyone else after the QB. It would be fun if nothing else.

The bend-don't-break 3-4 defense that the Pats have used depends on having a physical presence on the end. Ty Warren brought that presence. Now it's gone for a year. If I see Ty around town I'll buy him a DD caramel ice coffee to cheer him -- and me -- up

Rust remover

The Pats hosted the Super Bowl champs in the first preseason game last night. I did not go to Gillette to see the new video screens because I was on the Cape with most of my family to draft our fantasy football teams for the Coatuit League. I took Randy Moss with the seventh pick (we have eight teams). I would have taken him with the first pick. Not because I think he's the best player. My team name is Moss Racing after the WR's stock car venture. You name your team after a player you have to draft him. Every year.

But on to the real game... well, sort of. I didn't watch much of the game while we were drafting but I have watched the replay on the NFL Network (a.k.a. My New Narcotic). Both teams played a solid first exhibition game. Brady and Brees both played well and got out of there healthy. They seemed to knock the rust of pretty quickly which might be attributed to the fact the two teams had been practicing against each other for a few days.

Shep did attend the game and offered some observations:

• The new scoreboards are not overwhelmingly huge but are a big, big upgrade. Very bright and HD -- excellent images. The one on the lighthouse end looks no bigger than the old one, mainly because the right side and bottom are ads. The other screen is wider than before, but also has ads on each side. However, they are much, much better quality, so they seem bigger — and the best thing: the game video ran all the time, with quick replays from two or three angles immediately after every play — a tremendous improvement that adds a lot to watching the game. They did say NFL Red Zone will be shown during games (in the context of announcing, ‘NFL Red Zone brought to you by.....”)
• I sat in the clubseats for the first half and failed to inspect the Don Julio situation as instructed. I will run my windsprints after work today.
• My biggest impression is that we had a tremendous draft, and Jermayne Cunningham didn’t even dress. Spikes is a beast and how he didn’t go in the upper first round makes you wonder; he played a lot, mostly in Mayo’s spot after the starters came out. Gronkowsi is gigantic — I thought Alge Crumpler was big, but Gronkowski is head and shoulders above him on the sideline. Devin McCourty — first thing you notice is that, yes, he’s not tall but he is big in the upper body and hits with force; very fast in coverage, too, and his returns were spectacular. Hernandez big and very athletic, almost a way-oversized slot guy rather than tight end.
• Starting O line looked quite good — Steve Neal healthy and quick, Koppen as usual, Volmer looking big and quick, Light as usual, and Dan Connolly surprisingly good, quickly pulling and getting upfield to throw a couple of hard blocks, including stoning Vilma on the first touchdown run.
• Brandon Tate had a nice catch downfield, keeping inbounds right on the sideline. Edleman, of course, picking up again with 6 catches for 90 yards — great running after the catch, and some great returns.
• Marques Murrell: sack of Brees early and got downfield for a nice special teams tackle. Tall, physical, quick looking guy, wearing Seymour’s 93.
• Zoltan’s punts in warmups and during the game went very high, allowing for good coverage—and he got one well inside the 20 without going into the endzone.
• Tyrone McKenzie No. 44 played quite a bit in the later second half and had some tackles.
• Hoyer did well, Zac Robinson didn’t have a great shot, since he was getting a big rush and knocked about a bit. I’ve always liked Patrick Ramsey, now the Saints’ backup.
• Pat Chung looked bigger and better.
• I was very surprised to see Gerard Warren all over the place when he was in at the beginning of the game. I didn’t expect that. He was chasing down plays away from him and going hard.
• Wilfork and Moss looked healthy and good.

Shep concludes: Now, Mr. Belichick, where is our pass rush?

Good question.

The biggest bright spot that I saw watching the replay was the return game with Edelman on punts and first-round pick McCourty on kick offs. They could make a very dangerous return team for the Pats which would be a huge boost. We could get into how the running game looked, how the new tight ends played, how the defense did, or just how bad Don Criqui and Randy Cross are at calling a game. But it's one preseason game. Let's hold off on drawing any big conclusions about the 2010 New England Patriots. Just like it's too early to tell how my fantasy team (featuring Moss, Brees, Greene, Grant, Philly D) will fare. Way too early.

Ya. Right.

The greatest player in the history of the NFL (who happens to have thrown the most INTs in league history, too) reportedly decided today that he won't play a second season with the Minnesota Vikings, instead opting to retire from football.

Let's just say I can't wait till Brett Favre and the Vikings come to Foxborough on Halloween night.

Fav-r-a is looking to add most career retirements to his already long list of accomplishments. Like most career interceptions. He retired from the Packers for the first time a few years ago. There was the tear-filled press conference and all that. The greatest Packer of all time was ending his legendary career. And just a few months later there he was in a different green jersey. That of the Jets. One pretty good year with the Jets ended with Favre making a huge turnover with the team's season on the line. That was followed by his second retirement. Followed by his second return, this time in Viking purple. One great year with Minnesota ended with Favre making a huge turnover with the team's season on the line.

Favre had such a great season with the Vikings that most people thought he would come back for one more year. The Vikings are clearly one of the two or three best teams in the NFC with the old man behind center. He got through last season mostly healthy, which is key for a quarterback at 40. So why retire now?

To Favre it seems the question is why just come to camp and join the team and get ready for the season when you can skip camp, miss all the hot, grueling workouts, have the media (a.k.a. ESPN) spend weeks speculating on whether the Vikings can lure you back for one final try at a championship, hold a press conference (or ESPN special: The Decision 2.0) announcing you are coming back one last time, and then show up for practice like the returning hero on the eve of the opener.

I expect Favre to be wearing his Viking horns on Halloween night. I also expect him to lead his team to the division title and the playoffs -- where, with the team's season on the line -- he will make the huge turnover one more time.