WINNING WITHOUT WELKER                                                                          1/5/10

Just when I though it was safe to blog, Wes Welker suffers one of those injuries that kick you in the pit of the stomach. These 2009 Patriots were going to be hard pressed to succeed in the playoffs and climb the hill to the Super Bowl. And that was before losing the NFL’s reception leader and best at yards made after the catch. That hill to climb now looks like Mt. Everest. If the Patriots are Sisyphus, then that boulder that’s being pushed up Everest is the Pats Defense which has looked young, inexperienced and ready to come rolling back down on their heads.

 

If you put aside the loss of Welker (a pain that won’t go away), the story of Sunday’s game was the Pats Defense blowing a 2 TD lead to the Texans. In the 4^th Quarter!

 

For the first time all year, I had picked the Patriots to lose Sunday in D Train’s NFL pool. The Patriots didn’t need to win the game. Houston’s playoff fate hinged on their winning so I thought the Texans would be more desperate. There was no certainty how long Patriot starters would go. It all added up to a possible loss.

 

Now admittedly the Patriot Defense that shuffled into Reliant Stadium will not be the same one that strides onto Gillette Stadium’s turf next Sunday versus the Ravens. Texans’ rookie Arian Foster rushed for 119 yards, but didn’t have to face Vince Wilfork in the middle with Ty Warren next to him. Leigh Bodden will be at one cornerback opposite probably Shawn Springs. Jonathan Wilhite will be getting the singe marks off his uniform after getting badly burned in Houston.    

 

Seeing Jerod Mayo losing his cool and slapping a Texan upside the helmet did nothing to ease my fears and concerns regarding this Defense or the facsimile of one.

 

Now it’s one and done. Win and go on. Lose and end your season. The Defense must be tougher, tighter. There is no margin for error with an Offense that will be challenged to win without Wes Welker. Challenged to prove critics wrong that there are no 3^rd receivers on this team that just lost it’s 1A (tied with Moss) receiver, so now 2 are needed. If he stays healthy, 7^th round pick Julian Edelman looks like he can fill one slot. Someone else amongst Matthew Slater, Sam Aiken (who looked hurt Sunday) or Isiah Stanback has to step up and make the plays. A tall task. So expect to see a lot of passes to the backs, especially Kevin Faulk, to help give Brady time and keep him upright.

 

Who leaked the story that Brady may have been playing all season with 3 cracked ribs and now a broken finger on his passing hand? Nice timing.

 

 

PUT SOME   SOUTH   IN YOUR MOUTH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know the Patriots will give it their very best. Is there best good enough this year? Good enough without Wes Welker? Good enough with a young, inconsistent Defense? Good enough with a bruised and battered Tom Brady?

 

Brady isn’t broken though. The Patriots will fight to the finish as they always do under Coach Bill Belichick.

 

OVAL TEAM

() Reliant Stadium has a retractable roof, and the field is natural grass. Yet where Wes Welker was hurt was soggy and gave way when he made his cut. I wondered why.  

 

() The loss of Wes Welker is magnified because of his value returning punts. The Pats often were set up in excellent field position because of Welker’s returns.

 

() That moment at Gillette against the Jags with the guy in the Randy Moss mask was hilarious. Turns out he’s 12 and a Moss fan from CT. When he parted the seas, laugh.

 

BULLETS

• Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton of the Washington Wizards argued over a gambling debt in their locker room. Arenas reportedly (per ESPN) put 3 guns on a chair and suggested Crittenton take one. Crittenton said he had his own gun (not clear if that was in his locker). Unloaded says Arenas. Guns don’t argue. Bang! Oops, wrong guy!

 

• My daughter Cara is home from LMU (Loyola Marymount) and last week we went to Twin Oaks. Jeremy Kapstein was there and I talked to him. Mr. Kapstein came over to our table and showed Cara and I his World Series ring (2007). I told him it was a long way from when he did basketball stats for PC.

 

• LMU’s basketball team has suffered greatly since their heyday. Last year their new coach quit on them and they won about 2 games. Assistant coach Max Good (who did a great job at Bryant) took over. This year LMU has already beaten Notre Dame. 

 

• 3B Edwin Encarnacion was hurt by a firecracker to the face while celebrating New Year’s in the Dominican Republic. His brother was responsible for the friendly fire.

 

• The Winter Classic (Bruins vs. Flyers) at Fenway was great TV but the in person experience seemed not worth the money since most fans were far from the rink.

 

• URI hit the jackpot winning over Oklahoma State at Mohegan Sun arena. PC came back nicely against St John’s away. Maine beat BC at Conte Forum!

 

John ‘Marmaduke’ Dawson died while I was away. He was a pal of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead and co-wrote Friend of the Devil. Maybe a long lost, now passed, relative.