THUD!                                                                                              DECEMBER 1, 2009

That thud you just heard is the sound of the Patriots not just failing to perform on the stage of Monday Night Football, but falling off of it.

 

That thud you heard is the hopes of the Patriot faithful for a Super Bowl, which just hit the floor like some punch drunk palooka.

 

That thud you heard is some of the fair weather fans jumping off the Patriots bandwagon, hitting the ground running.

 

That thud you heard is all the pigskin pundits who are about to slam the Patriots as being not worthy and all but ready for the burial ground.

 

Thud!

 

Gone is the swagger. Gone is the late game lightning. Gone is the invincibility. Gone is the belief that Bill Belichick can’t be outcoached. Not gone are the Patriots chances to resurrect themselves from the dead as critics shovel dirt on them.

 

What? Yes it is possible. The Patriots’ performance on Monday Night Football will rank as one of the worst in the annals of the team. However it reminds this writer of a matchup in 2001 when the Pats got beaten by the St. Louis Rams, ‘the Greatest Show On Turf’. The Pats lost that game 24-17. You recall that the Pats then beat the Rams 20-17 in the Super Bowl.

 

Admittedly a 38-17 loss to the Saints is a lot worse, but things have a way of snowballing when one team is hot and the other is not. Win as a team and lose as a team. There were things in this New Orleans game that Pats fans have seldom seen. To recount some:

 

The bomb thrown to Devery Henderson on the very first play (33 yards to the Pats 32). It didn’t take long for Drew Brees to expose a defense that on this night was as flimsy as a negligee.

 

Up 7-3, Tom Brady throws a horrible pass that Mike McKenzie, who was in street clothes two weeks ago, intercepts. It leads to the go ahead TD by Pierre Thomas.

 

The very next series Tom ‘Used To Be Terrific’ throws a 3^rd down pass to Aiken short of the first down.  How often does this happen? On this night, several times. 

 

Up 10-7, the Saints show that the bomb to Henderson was not luck as Brees hits him again for a 75 yard TD with no Patriot visible. This is called a blown coverage. This is not usually seen in Patriot Land.

 

 

 

PUT SOME   SOUTH   IN YOUR MOUTH

 

 

 

 

The Pats settle for a FG to make it 17-10 when Welker is stopped on 3^rd down on a crossing pattern short of a 1^st down. On this night Welker’s yards after catch were held in check by the Saints.

 

Just as I was wondering if the Pats could hold the Saints in check until the Half with about 4 minutes to go, Brees hits ex-Patriot Dave Thomas for 25 and then Robert Meachem for a 38-yard TD. The Pats don’t usually give up scores just before the half.

 

After the Pats score on the opening drive of the second half to get within 24-17, a defensive stop is needed. Oops. Instead we get a 68-yard bomb to Colston and then a pass to Dinkins for a TD and a 31-17 NO lead.

 

Mike McKenzie, who should have gotten a game ball, breaks up a 4^th down pass to Randy Moss inside the Saints’ 10. Moss and Brady are rarely beaten in this situation.

 

It’s the beginning of the 4^th quarter and there’s still time though the Pats are down 31-17. Brady misses a wide open Sam Aiken on a bomb. Brady had not been this far off since the first game against the Jets.

 

Down 38-17 now, Tom Brady throws another bad pass for a Darren Sharper interception. Brady came in with only 6 INTs (Brees had 9) but threw 2 on the night, a rarity.

 

Speaking of rarities, when is the last time Bill Belichick conceded a game in the 4^th quarter with 5:26 left as he did Monday when he sent in Jed Hoyer at QB?

 

A collective loss for the Patriots. Sean Payton’s offensive schemes annihilated Bill Belichick’s young defense. The New Orleans defense, with retreads Chris McAlister and Mike McKenzie, were stout against the Pats when they had to be.

 

All is not lost, just this one game. A lot can happen between now and the playoffs. The second time against a team in the same season has usually favored Bill Belichick’s Pats.

There’s a lot of work to do though, especially on defense. Don’t abandon all hope yet.

 

OVAL TEAM

() The obvious Achilles’ heel of the Saints is their kicking. John Carney was an adventure all night and had trouble just making extra points. If the Saints ever get in a close game (they might just pummel everyone), Carney could be their downfall.

 

() Laurence Maroney had one hell of a game with 15 carries for 64 yards (4.3 avg.) and 2 TDs. I’ve never seem him run so hard, though I think he got worn down. Sam Aiken was also an unsung hero and led the Pats with 7 catches.

 

() Tom Brady had had 5 consecutive games of 300 yards (or more) passing. The record is 6 straight games. Brady ended up with 237 yards on 21 of 36. 

 

() Some oddities: the Pats won Time of Possession 33:16 to NO’s 26:44. They also outrushed the Saints 122 to 113. Two telling stats - the Saints had an average gain per play of 9.6 yards while the Pats were at 5.2. New Orleans averaged 15.3 yards per pass play! The Pats were at 5.8 yards per pass.

 

() Jonathan Wilhite seemed to be victimized several times but was also blitzing a few times when there were big pass plays. The safeties and subs might have been lacking on this night. A check shows that Brandon McGowan only had 3 combined tackles.

 

TIGER WOODS

Tiger Woods is an icon and not just in the golf world. He has to be one of the most recognized sports figures in the world. When Tiger crashes his car into a tree and a fire hydrant at about 2:25 AM, people take notice.

 

Days before the accident, Star Magazine ran a story stating that Tiger Woods is having an affair with Rachel Uchitel, who flew to Melbourne to be with him at the Australian Masters. Inquiring minds wondered if the two events were interrelated.

 

Was Tiger’s wife Elin trying to rescue him by using a golf club to knock out his back window or was she chasing after him because she had heard of the cheating rumors? Was Tiger trying to run away from the wrath of his wife, who was wielding a golf club at the time?

 

Rachel Uchitel immediately issued a statement in which she denied being the source of the information. If you read what she says carefully, Ms. Uchitel does not deny the affair. She just says that she had nothing to do with the info published (in the Star and the National Inquirer which ran the original scoop).

 

Now this is all easy to settle. If Tiger has been defamed, then he will sue the National Enquirer and Star magazine. If he doesn’t sue, then you know what that means. Rachel Uchitel could also sue the publications.

 

Forbes recently celebrated Tiger Woods as the first sports figure to be worth a Billion Dollars in endorsements, speaking engagements and golf related activities. Any impropriety may affect that status.

 

Tiger is not taking the high road. He is tunneling underground avoiding the state police in Florida (because he can). He has a tournament Tuesday and the media will press him further regarding the incident. Tiger would like it to go away but it won’t. Oh, Tiger cancelled out of his own tournament and won’t be there. Still won’t face the music. 

 

Already the shots are flying. Someone at the Hot Club opined that they hoped it wasn’t Tiger’s best driver that Elin used. The Hugh Man asked me “Did Tiger change his name to cheetah?” And another wag asks “Is that Tiger’s shortest drive?”

 

The comedians are just beginning and it’s not going to be funny to Tiger.  If Tiger did dally, he needs to tell the truth and take his lumps. It can only get worse if he doesn’t.

 

E-MAIL

Jim,

WOW!  What a great holiday gift - Ron Johnson gone to Boston.  Great news for the PawSox!  It’s a super position for him as well. He won’t have to make any game decisions simply do whatever the dugout tells him to.  A true win win in this holiday season.

Ted ‘Section 8’ Bates

 

Right you are. I was going to say subtraction by addition but I decided to be nice. Not. - Z

 

the easiest way to get rid of something that isn’t good is to promote them (see the military).  he doesn’t know a single thing about base stealing so what do they do but make him their 1st base coach.  great

it will be very interesting to see who replaces him.  the coach at Portland (Arnie Beyeler) is very good with young rookies but also into the big sox quadroon of no sacrifice, no stealing bases (Kalish was the leader for the year with 14) and no hit and run.  Then you have DiSarcina in the mix.

Hope all is well.   ten weeks to spring training.

Jim Stapleton

Jim, my hunch is that it will be Beyeler. He’s been with many of the AA prospects who made it to Pawtucket last year and didn’t equal their Portland success. Guys like Lars Anderson, Ryan Kalish,… Nope it’s Torey Lovullo. -   Z

 

RE: the Boom Boom Room at Graceland - It’s an alcove off the game room in the basement. Walls lined w/ leather couches and extensive state of the art (for the time) stereo equipment.

The Boud

 

From a few weeks back:

So what’s the greatest number of undefeated teams any team has every faced?  It could be 7 for the Pats when they see New Orleans.  

Dualin’ Glenn

 

Still haven’t seen a figure yet but Mike Reiss noted the following on ESPNboston.com (11/30) - Z:

 

“ The Patriots are facing a team that is 8-0 or better for the second time this season. The last NFL teams to face two teams that were 8-0 or better in the same season were Kansas City and San Diego in 1998 when they faced Denver twice. The Broncos opened that year 13-0.”

Facing the same team twice is one thing. Facing two different teams who are 8-0 or better is another. So the Pats are making history. -   Z