I've been tailgating at New England Patriots games from 1987 to present day. What a difference a couple of decades make! These tales from the tailgate include everything from the soul-sucking feeling of a 1-15 season to the unexpected thrills of Super Bowl titles. I often hear people say that Pats fans are spoiled and arrogant. Not all of us. Some, like me, still can't believe Vinatieri's kick was good.
When the team you root for is in the Super Bowl, the first of the two weeks before kickoff is a long week. There's a lot of chatter in the blabosphere but not a lot of information or analysis. There's lots of dead time. Time for one's mind to wander...
It's not good when the NFL Network shows their top five plays from last weekend's championship games and the two that are from the Pats-Ravens game is the pick by the Ravens in the end zone and the great touchdown catch and run by the Ravens' Torrey Smith. Not one good Pats play. They were really lucky to get out of there with a victory.
I heard Jim Irsay, owner of the Colts, say that he was disappointed that his soon-to-be-former franchise quarterback spoke out about his frustration with all the staff changes since the team's impressive 2-12 season ended. "I don't think it's in the best interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light. The horseshoe always comes first." The horseshoe? I could understand if he said "the team" always comes first. Or "the franchise." Or "all my millions." Something like that. But the horseshoe? And people hate Belichick? And that kind of talk coming from the guy whose family packed up the horseshoe in the middle of the night and drove it out of its sacred Baltimore and took it to Indianapolis. Ya, the horseshoe comes first... if it's wrapped in money.
Watching a replay of the Week 9 game between the Pats and the Giants at Gillette did not fill me with confidence. With just two minutes to go in the third quarter the Patriots offense had three points and just as many bad turnovers. Brady, to quote him, "sucked." The offense had more punts than first downs. It's not pretty to watch. And then Brady, Welker, Gronk, and Hernandez caught fire and the Pats would score 17 points in the final quarter to take a lead with just more than a minute to play. Then little Manning attacked our shaky defense and pulled out another last-second victory. I can't take another one of those.
The Jets implosion just keeps getting better and better. After team "leader" LT blamed everyone else for the Jets missing the playoffs amid a storm of tantrums and arguments, actual leader Darrelle Revis came out and said that coach Rex Ryan had no idea of the turmoil that was bubbling through the locker room all year. The coach who keeps predicting he's so good he will take his team to every Super Bowl played on this planet had no idea that his players were abandoning ship? Well, there might be another ring on Belichick's hand that he didn't come to NY to kiss.
The Globe's Greg Bedard, one of the best football writers the city has had in years, says that people are being too hard on Brady's AFC title game performance. Two picks (should have been three), no touchdown passes. He said Brady got the job done when he had too. True enough. But I think he's going a little too easy on #12. Brady has passed Neely as the player I have had the most fun watching, but it hasn't been that much fun in the playoffs the last few years. And it's not just because things come harder and defenses get better in the playoffs. Brady made several unforced errors last week. He wouldn't have made it through the first round at the Australian Open. I'm counting on that not happening two games in a row.
Last year as I was getting ready for the home playoff game against Baltimore there were a lot of doubts about the Pats. The team had failed time after time to make big plays in the big games during the season. There were leads blown late. Mistakes made. Tackles missed. Confidence lost.
BRADY & BILL: Redemption.
Sitting in the parking lot before the game we all asked the same things. Can the Pats play a complete 60-minute game? Can they overcome injuries? Can their coaching staff bring forth a game plan that throws the other team off balance? Can their best players (mostly Brady) step it up when it really counted? As the Ravens pounded the Pats all over the field the answers became clear. No. No. No. And no.
This year those same questions have already been answered. Often with a convincing yes. Big wins against the Colts, Steelers, Ravens, Packers, Jets, Chargers, and so on have shown that -- unlike last year -- the Patriots can make plays when it counts. They have played smart, focused, and aggressive all year. They will have to keep doing just that Sunday.
I have been wavering between quiet confidence and deep dread about this game. Losing to the Jets would be a very disheartening ending to this very entertaining season. The Jets are a good team. And a very good road team. They can create havoc on defense and can make big plays on offense. And, as was obvious from the constant din coming from their locker room all week, they are cocky. There has been very little actual football talk this week. The little I did hear had very astute analysis such as "The Jets need to put pressure on Brady and force him to make mistakes." No kidding. Sometimes it's amazing that writers don't hit the delete key when they reread their stories.
No matter how you analyze the game, the key will be ball protection. And I don't mean athletic supporters. I mean turnovers. Watch today's playoff games. The teams are pretty even. The difference will be who takes care of the ball and who doesn't. That's always the key. And it has been the key of keys for the Pats' 14-2 regular season. They have had a record low give-aways while making some big take-aways. You can break down the line-ups and the match-ups all you want. Just protect the ball.
The Jets' trash-talking may be getting Pats' fans even more fired up for the game but I don't think the Pats' players -- at least those who were on the team last year -- are even listening. The talk of the border war. Boston vs. New York. Ryan vs. Belichick. Toegate vs. Spygate. Baby Daddy Cromartie vs. Big Daddy Brady. All that pales to what really will be motivating the Patriots. Redemption. Erasing the memory of last year. That game has to still linger with Brady and Belichick as it does with me. They have been motivated for this game since that cold January day. No talking. Quiet determination.
The talk is over. Now it's time for the game. Finally. The chili is simmering. The wings are marinating. The beer is chilling. Although from the sound of the forecast, warm beer won't be a problem. More playoff football at Gillette. Thank you, Mr. Kraft. Hopefully you're not going to raise the parking fee.
Patriots 41, Miami 14. AT Miami. I said to Mark as we talked on the phone during the game... "This is the biggest win the team has had since we lost that bleeping Super Bowl." It's only one game -- as they say -- but as one games go it's huge.
And it was 7-6 Dolphins at halftime. Then the Patriots did something they haven't done in a long time. Put all three phases of the game together, on the road, in the second half.
WEEK 4: Everybody Pat Chung tonight.
Mark and I were discussing the options to open the half with the Pats getting the ball. A drive for a leading score would be great. Or a field goal. Even a few first downs to gain some field position. As we were talking I saw Brandon Tate (class of '09) take the kick-off, get a monster block from Sammy Morris, and fly 103 yards for a touchdown. We hadn't thought of that option. But we should have. Whatever problems having young players causes on defense, it makes for fast, explosive play on special teams. Very special indeed.
The defense then forced Miami to punt from its own 26-yard line and safety Patrick Chung (class of '09) came flying through and blocked the punt. Another huge special teams play. The Pats recovered at the Miami 15 and two Ben Jarvis runs later they were up 20-7 just a few minutes into the second half.
Miami responded with a long scoring drive to cut the score to 20-14 and all the concerns about the defense returned. Would the Pats blow yet another second-half lead on the road? Can the defense stop anyone? I texted my nephew Pete "We need a drive to get the momentum back." Brady and the offense did just that, putting together a 12-play drive that ended with Danny Woodhead (playing the role of Kevin Faulk and cult hero) hauling in a pass over the middle and taking it in for a huge score. Pats 27-14.
Miami responded with another solid drive but the defense toughened and forced Miami to try a field goal. Chung came flying in again from the exact same spot and blocked the kick. Kyle Arrington scooped the ball up and raced 35-yards for the touchdown. The blowout was on.
Chung also returned a pick for a touchdown. Rob Ninkovich had two huge drive killing picks in the first half when the Dolphins were up 7-0 and trying to take control of the game early. The Pats also set some kind of record for the first team ever to return a kick for a TD, block a punt, return a pick for a TD, and about five other things in the same game. All that without Randy Moss catching a pass for the first time since coming to the team. The Pats made more plays in one night than they made in many, many road games combined.
The defense still gave up 400 yards but then again the vaunted Jets D gave up more than 400 yards to the same offense last week. The thing that was most encouraging was the way the D played when the game got out of hand in the fourth quarter. I was expecting Miami to score a late garbage TD or two. Instead the young defense continued to play hard in the heat of South Beach and kept Miami off the board. That was a strong way to finish.
The whole team finished strong -- and happy. Even the coach. When he took Brady out of the game with a minute left the two embraced in celebration. There's been a debate in my family about whether Brady -- with his frequent appearances in Names and his long locks and West Coast mansion -- still has the desire he had that made him so great when he was younger. Some in my family (you know who you are) think he's gone too Hollywood. Myself, being lucky enough to watch him on the bench week after week, and my nephew Pete see a Brady who is as determined as ever. Even more. Watching him come off the field and congratulating his teammates it was obvious the fire is still there.
As Mark and I signed off for the night, conversation had already turned to two weekends from now at Gillette. The rematch with the Ravens. "Let's start planning for that tomorrow,'' Mark said. "No bye week for us."
The NFL Network has been ranking the 32 teams in the league heading into training camp in less than two weeks. The Pats came in at #9. I think that's a fair spot for them. It's the first time in quite a few years that they aren't ranked in the Top 5. They were a 10-6 team that got stomped at home in the playoffs and they still haven't completely addressed their big weakness -- all together now -- the lack of a pass rush. So #9 fits.
A team that did make the Top 5? The New York Jets. They are the hot pick to make the Super Bowl out of the AFC. They came in at #4. (Top 3 haven't been named yet). The Jets the fourth ranked team in the league? With that defense, yes. Just ask Rex Ryan.
The Jets coach talks loudly and carries an even bigger stick. It's an approach that doesn't often work in the world of the NFL. I can't really think of a cocky coach who has had success. John Gruden certainly was cocky and he won a title. But he did it mostly with Tony Dungy's team. Maybe Brian Billick is the closest in attitude to Ryan but even he didn't go around predicting Super Bowl titles in preseason. That's Ryan's style. It's fun to watch. We'll see if it works.
The Jets did make it to the AFC title game last year and that's where much of the expectations for this year were built. But the Jets were a 9-7 team. If it wasn't for the Colts gift wrapping a game for them at the end of the season the Jets wouldn't have made the playoffs. Ask any Jets fan who was paying attention and they will tell you the team lost several games last year that they could have, and should have, won. They had a great running game but often chose to let rookie QB Mark Sanchez pass. They have one the best defenses in the league but often didn't play nearly as aggressively as they talked. The jury on Ryan as head coach is still very much out.
The Jets went 1-3 against the Dolphins and Patriots last year. 1-3. And both teams are at least as good as they were. So the Jets have added some interesting pieces to the roster for their run at the AFC East and ultimate greatness. Veterans LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor joined the team in a quest for a title before their time runs out. Taylor is a good addition to an already stacked defense. He should create serious problems for the opposing quarterbacks. LT should create serious problems for his own team. Tomlinson is one of the most talented running backs of the past 10 years, but he is always on the verge of a meltdown and when the Jets hit a rough patch -- and they will -- he is the kind of player who makes things worse by sulking and whining. Certainly he could be what Corey Dillon was to the Pats in 2004 and have a great season. But he could just as likely get hurt and be found sitting with his jacket over his head alone at the end of the bench. He can single-handedly drag the morale of a team down. Just ask Phillip Rivers.
If the team plays poorly -- and remember Sanchez threw 12 TDs and 20 picks last year even though I thought he showed he will be a solid starter for years to come -- the pressure will build unreasonably for a 9-7 squad. If the Jets improved on their nine wins and made the playoffs that should be seen as a success and a continued step in the right direction. But Ryan has set the expectations so high that anything less than a Super Bowl will be a failure.
That's the danger of being a loud mouth. You run the risk of someone knocking you around and making you look foolish. Belichick and the Pats have to be looking forward to their chance to do just that. I think the Pats will finish somewhere in the top 10 teams this year. Probably higher than 9th. I expect the Jets to be right behind them.
