Alright I said in my last article that I needed some additional time to gather my thoughts. I'm ready. First of all: The NY Jets are in the divisional round of the playoffs!? Are you kidding me right now? Not to mention that I loathe this team but in all fairness, no one picked the Jets to be sitting here, one win away from the AFC Championship game. It's so hard to be unbiased sometimes, especially when you really REALLY hate a city and every team that's affiliated with it. But I've grown up some and I'm trying my best to give you an honest, realistic sports evaluation... here goes...
The Cincinnati Bengals were dominated in every single way last weekend in a terrible loss to the Jets. Carson Palmer started the game well but then as things progressed the New York defense started to dictate everything. Cedric Benson ran the ball with great heart and produced some big plays, if not for him I'm not so sure the Bengals break single digits in the score column. But if you want to call anyone a lame duck, say the name Shayne Graham, Cincy's kicker. Unbelievable how much this guy choked Saturday afternoon! You just felt bad watching him react to his mistakes. With all the men standing on sideline wearing team colors, Shayne looked awfully lonely towards the end of the game when he was sitting on the pine by himself. The Bengals peaked too early in the year and weren't expected to do anything big this postseason (unless you live in Ohio).
Now let's breakdown the play of the Jets: WOW. New York looked very strong in all facets of their game, maybe the lone exception in the punting unit where Feeley took over while the regular guy was out with a injury. The defense was nasty, rough, and intimidating. Revis held Ochocinco in check once again, collecting one INT in the process. I think we witnessed a star being born watching Shonne Green bulldoze over the Cincy defenders early and often throughout the game. The Jets offensive line played one of their best games of the year. Last but not least let's discuss young QB Sanchez and the coaches. Sanchez looked sharp thanks in no small part to a amazing gameplan by the coaching staff. Placing a heavy emphasis on the run, the Jets coaching staff instructed Mark to keep it simple: be careful with the football and execute the gameplan. Sanchez did one better by safeguarding the pigskin and throwing a TD pass to a wide open tight end in the first half. The plan was ingenious: limit touches for Sanchez, play tough, physical defense, and run, run, RUN!!! Jets seem to be playing their best football of the year as they head west to visit the Chargers. We'll preview this game later in the week.
The story of the 2009 New England Patriots. What a crazy dramatic one it was! Had all the makings of a true drama: hero (Brady), villian (Adalius Thomas) , victim (Welker), I could go on and on. The worst part of dramas though, is they come to a screaching halt at one point or another. The massacre that took place in Foxboro Sunday was a huge shock to many around the league. Baltimore came in and took it strong to New England from the very beginning. The Ravens received the ball and on their first offensive play of the game Ray Rice ran 83 yards for a TD. To make things even worse on the first series for the Patriots, Terrell Suggs stripped the ball right out of Brady's hands giving the ball to the dirty birds in New England territory. Needless to say, 24 first quarter points by the Ravens, 4 Tom Brady turnovers, no NE pass rush, and disappearance by Randy Moss yet again in a playoff game = a giant, disappointing finish for the Patriots. The first thing that needs to be acknowledged is the play of the Baltimore Ravens. From start to finish the Ravens played lights out, fired-up football. They were the agressors all day and deserved to win. Ray Lewis had commented earlier that this was the most complete team he has ever played on, hard to disagree with him. Baltimore avenged their early season loss at Foxboro and beat the Pats for the first time ever (Balt was previously 0-5 all-time against NE). Now the Ravens move on to bigger and better things, gathering great momentum from this game heading into a showdown with the number one team in the league, the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts. Wouldn't suprise me one bit if Ray Lewis & Co are smiling once again this upcoming weekend. Anyone remember who the Steelers beat in last year's AFC Champ game? The Titans? Nope. It was the Ravens that went into Tennessee the previous week and beat the then league best Titans on their field. Interesting isnt' it? I am looking forward to this weekend's monster matchup with Indy and expect another barn burner.
And now we dissect the New England Patriots. Oh my Patriots. They looked overmatched, outsmarted, outplayed, and just plain beatup. As I watched with horror as my beloved team was being beaten sideways I started to remember the good 'ole days. Brady throwing for a touchdown after a long, ten play drive. The Pats defense clamping down on the opponents running game and forcing a three and out whenever necessary. Clutch kicking at crucial points of the game to provide a mental edge. Tough, gritty players that refused to crumble in the face of adversity. A coach who was always one step ahead of the opponent with creative gameplans. All of these wonderful, feel-good statements are done. They have run their course. The Patriots are not the Patriots from 2001-2008. They are only a fragment of a former championship caliber team that is headed for rebuilding.
Sure the Patriots have Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker (who we shouldn't expect to see until 2011 sadly). However, beyond these three there is an abundance of youth. On the defensive side of the ball, three of the Pats best playmakers, Vince Wilfork, Tully Banta-Cain, and Leigh Bodden are free agents. The Patriots are stocked well with draft picks for the NFL Draft in April but I feel like we could be in for another disappointing season next year. Understand one thing though, a "disappointing season" for a Patriots fan is a great season to most other NFL fans. If you are a Patriot or a fan of the Pats you expect to be playing for a SuperBowl championship. Anything less is a disappointment. That is what we have come to expect in the last 9 years. I must say 4 Superbowl appearances in 6 years is pretty damn good and 3 Superbowl wins is a huge accomplishment. However, it's never easy to accept the eventual downfall.
It's the law of gravity: what goes up, must come down. Like my best friend Jason told me in college - "Enjoy the highs Mike, cause while you're up everything's going great and awesome. Just remember though you'll eventually have to come down and sometimes those valleys can be awfully deep but perservere through the tough times because you will rise up once again." I guess that's my message to Patriots fans everywhere: We've had a great run at the top. We've been on the top of the mountain for a long time and it's been fantastic! But that time is coming to a close. We got knocked off the mountain last Sunday and it hurt like hell. I know Belichick will work harder than ever to get the most out of our players, draft smart, talented players in the draft, and Brady will work diligently to get back to where he needs to be in terms of health accuracy. Just remember the higher you go, the harder you fall. My support for the Patriots will not falter and I will always love my team. We will be back NFL, at some point down the road, Tom Brady and the nasty Pats will be back to run all over everyone once again. When that time comes though... will remain TBD. To be determined...
Looking ahead to this weekend we have some awesome games to break down. Saints hosting Arizona, Ravens visit Indy, San Diego welcomes the Jets, and perhaps the marquee matchup: Dallas at Minnesota. Looking forward to another weekend of exciting football!
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