Deflategate – My Honest Opinion

I’m not foolish, I’m not oblivious and I’m not going to play dumb, something shady happened in New England on the night of the AFC Championship game. The Patriots violated a policy of the NFL, no matter which way we look at it.

Regardless if footballs were deflated or not, the Patriots should be punished. At best, the ball boy who took the footballs into a private bathroom broke a rule and the Patriots should be fined for that.

At worst? The Patriots did deliberately try and deflate footballs and, as a result, cheat. That’s worse, and it likely does deserve a suspension or worse for the parties involved. Anyone with any common sense, Patriots fan or not, knows that.

Here’s the thing, for the NFL, this is no longer about PSI, it’s no longer about being factually correct or doing what is right, it’s about sending a message.

I don’t care how much you hate the Patriots, like I mentioned about them doing something wrong, you just can’t deny that this is, on some level, a personal battle now between the sides.

Equipment Violation:

Okay, let’s go back to the actual issue at hand here, the deflated footballs. By definition, this is an equipment violation, a gameday violation. Now, there is no set punishment for this, but the most common punishment is a $25,000 fine.

This happens all the time. The San Diego Chargers were fined $20,000 for using ‘stick-em’ on footballs back in 2012, an issue that falls into the same category.

This past season, the Vikings and Panthers were caught heating footballs on the sideline during a meeting between the teams in Minnesota. The reaction was totally different, and the NFL did not make a stink out of this issue. This, like deflating footballs, is tampering with the ball, yet there was no issue from the NFL or fans on it.

In 2009, the New York Jets attempted to use unapproved equipment to prep the kicking balls before their game against, yes, the Patriots. An employee of the team was suspended, but the kicker faced no discipline, in fact no players did.

The kicker, like Brady, was probably aware of what was going on and stood to benefit from the act, but nothing happened to him. The NFLPA mentioned that in their lawsuit, filed earlier this week. The precedent was set with that case.

These are just a few examples, but there are plenty of others out there. If you take the time to look, you’ll find countless violations that are similar or worse to this. The results were either warnings or fines for those involved.

The Cell Phone Saga:

Tom Brady destroying his cell phone is an extremely suspicious and fishy act, there is no debating that. This reminded me a lot of Aaron Hernandez, who did the same thing right before he was arrested back in 2013.

NOW, don’t get carried away, I am NOT comparing the two situations, I’m just saying it looks bad. Brady destroyed his phone before meeting with investigators, and that looks bad no matter the spin.

If Brady’s response to it, which came out on Wednesday morning, ends up being true, then this becomes a bit of a non-factor. That said, we may never know the truth. Regardless, it’s an act that looks bad from this angle.

Here is the quote from Brady regarding the phone.

I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline.

Last thing on this cellphone issue, the fact is, it had nothing to do with the investigation. Brady was asked to turn the phone over, but never actually required to do so. Ted Wells had no problem with that, this is a massive detail that is seemingly always forgotten.

The Wells Report:

The Wells Report was meant to be independent, but let’s not kid ourselves, it wasn’t fully an independent investigation. Was it a total witch hunt that was predetermined? Sure, that’s possible, but let’s leave fantasy world for a second here, because that is a highly unlikely scenario.

Most likely, Ted Wells was told by the NFL what to look for and what was suspected. His job was to find it if it was there. The NFL owners clearly have had enough of the Patriots pushing the line, and they wanted Wells to find anything that would allow them to send a message.

Wells, however, could find nothing concrete on this. Instead, we are now dealing with circumstantial evidence and no hard facts. Instead of “Tom Brady did it” we have statements like “It’s more probable than not Tom Brady knew”. Think about that for a second.

Could you imagine your boss saying you more probably than not knew of something and therefore you are getting in trouble for it, with no proof? You’d be angry and you would fight it too.

Lastly, Jeff Pash, an employee of the NFL, actually edited the Wells report before it came out, so let’s not kid ourselves here and say it was completely independent, it wasn’t.

The Lies From The NFL:

Remember that report in January that 11 of the 12 footballs were under-inflated by two pounds each? Yeah, that was a complete and total lie by a source to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who never even took the time to correct his monumental mistake.

Remember when the NFL said that Brady “lacked cooperation” throughout the entire process? Yeah, that’s a lie too. Ted Wells himself said that Brady was “totally cooperative”

There are more examples of this throughout the case, like how the NFL said earlier this week that Brady destroyed evidence by destroying his phone.

I know I touched on this above, but Brady offered his phone records up in this, and the NFL had the phones of every Patriots employee it asked for, AKA anyone who could have helped Brady deflate footballs.

Lastly, an investigator for the NFL said that the phone “wasn’t necessary to the case” and Ted Wells said “he didn’t want or need it.” Interesting how now all of a sudden this phone is a big deal….

Are the Patriots trustworthy? Their history would suggest you can’t exactly trust everything they say, but the NFL is arguably worse. Throughout the entire case the league has put out smoking guns to win the PR battle, and it has worked.

However, if you take any ounce of time to go back and read what is being put out there, you can see critical factual flaws in what the NFL is saying. You best believe that will comeback to bite them at some point.

The Patriots History, It Matters:

I mentioned the Patriots history, and it’s something very relevant that just cannot be ignored. Whether or not you like the Patriots, you know they have a reputation as cheaters. It’s not by accident either, the Spygate case rocked professional sports back in 2007.

The Patriots have been fined and have lost draft picks for a variety of different reasons, but none was worse than Spygate. Unfortunately, that likely played a factor in this decision. Once you earn a certain reputation, it is hard to shake that.

The Patriots certainly do not deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this stuff. What happened in Spygate was wrong, and therefore this group of coaches and this owner will always be suspected of things, that’s just how it is.

I’d imagine owners, like Woody Johnson of the Jets, have had their eyes on Belichick and the Pats for years because of this. I’m not complaining about it either, because they brought that extra attention on themselves years ago.

Who Is Right, Who Is Wrong?:

It’s pretty hard to say who is right and who is wrong in this case. Honestly, I think the fair thing to say would be that both sides are wrong here. The Patriots had SOMETHING go on in that locker room, while the NFL has handled this worse than the WWE handles things.

If the Patriots had simply admitted something went wrong and handled it the day after the AFC Championship, they likely would have received a team fine and the story would have been dead by the Super Bowl. Instead, they got into a measuring contest and prolonged this whole thing.

The NFL, meanwhile, has handled this completely wrong. They’ve made things up along the way to cover their tracks, and made a key mistake. They came down heavy on a team and a player with no concrete evidence that anything actually went down, it was a pure reputation penalty.

There was no precedent to suspend Brady, to fine the Patriots that much or to take away a first round draft pick. The NFL did this because they wanted to send some sort of message, because Goodell wanted to look good after he royally screwed up Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy.

Both parties are wrong, and in all honesty, both parties look like ten year olds fighting over absolutely nothing.

After all, that’s exactly what this is, a fight over nothing.

Final Thoughts:

Deflategate has been the dumbest sports story of my lifetime, it really has. The Patriots likely did something wrong here, but the NFL is acting like the old Soviet Union in terms of their discipline. The league has spread lies and, quite frankly, went over the line with their rulings.

They’ve alienated one of the most powerful owners in the game and beat-up THE poster-child of their sport, it’s hard to imagine Tom Brady ever respecting this league again. That’s an unfortunate loss for both sides.

In the end, we are likely going to court. If the NFL loses, they’ll look foolish for the fourth time in a year, while if Brady loses, he’ll have faced a suspension for such a little act that might have never even happened. It’s just going to end ugly no matter what.

Both sides would do well to settle on this before court and get back to what is important, football. Unfortunately, the NFL is more concerned with making the month of August look more like “Mean Girls” than camp season.

We wait for the next step.

Patriots V. Seahawks – The Prediction

The time has come. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is and make a bet. It’s time to pick a winner for Super Bowl 49 between the Patriots and the Seahawks. It isn’t easy, but it must be done.

This match-up is going to be one for the ages. I promise you this, it will not be a blow-out like last season. These two teams are way too good to be blown out, and are coached way too well to be unprepared for this challenge.

The Seahawks will have their challenges, like shoring up a rush defense that allowed over 100 yards in the NFL Championship, and figuring out a way to stop Rob Gronkowski on defense. They’ll also need to figure out how they will get their weaker WR corps to get open.

The Patriots have problems too. They’ll need to get their offensive line straight and ready to roll against this pass rush, and they’ll need to figure out a way to shut-down Marshawn Lynch while keeping Russell Wilson in the pocket. Not exactly easy tasks, in fact, closer to impossible tasks for most NFL teams.

The Patriots have the horses to run in this game, no doubt, but Seattle is the better team on paper. That secondary is the best in the NFL, and their offense can’t be stopped once it gets rolling.

That said, New England, in my mind, is the smarter team and can adjust on the fly like no one else. They also have the ability to throw some things out at Seattle that the Hawks simply are not expecting. They did it to Baltimore just three weeks ago.

All in all, this game was really tough for me to pick. I’ve gone back and forth on it all week, talking myself into New England, then into Seattle and back to New England. My heart lies with the Patriots 20-17, but my brain is telling me otherwise.

Seattle’s defense in the best in the NFL. They have a safety duo that will jack you up and cover you well, and two corners that don’t give up much. Add that to a solid pass rush and decent rush defense? Look out. Marshawn Lynch is the best back in the game, while Russell Wilson is tough to stop when he gets moving.

All week I have outlined ways that New England can win, but it’s going to take a lot for all of those things to happen in the same game. You have to stop Lynch AND keep Wilson in the pocket, while also playing a close to perfect game on offense.

CAN the Patriots do it? You better believe it, in fact I know they can, but will they? I just think it is a lot to ask.

I know I’m going to get so much flak for this from people everywhere, especially on Sunday from certain people, but I just have to take Seattle here. They were my pre-season pick, and I’m sticking with that.

I’ll take the Hawks, 23-21, in a total barn-burner…..Here’s to being wrong.

Patriots Rout Colts in AFC Title Game

It went better than planned. Deflategate or not, the Patriots were the better team last Sunday, and as a result walked over Indy to clinch yet another AFC title. This time, it was over Andrew Luck and the Colts, and it was never, ever, in doubt.

It started with a 14-0 lead, and ended in a 45-7 trouncing that saw both the offense and defense dominate from 6:35 pm until the clock hit triple zero. Regardless of what scandal went on, New England dominated, and you CAN’T take that from them.

LeGarrette Blount found the endzone on the opening drive, while James Develin caught a pass from Tom Brady to put the Pats up 14. Andrew Luck tossed a TD to Zurlon Tipton in the second, but it mattered not.

Stephen Gostkowski would add a FG before half, while Nate Solder and Rob Gronkowski would each catch TD passes in the second half to put the game away. Blount put the icing on the cake with two TD runs to seal things.

The Good:

The Pats, as a team, dominated this football game. Tom Brady was close to perfect in this game, while LeGarrette Blount torched the Colts defense all game long. New England’s offensive line won the battle all day, while the Patriot secondary totally shut-down the Colt passing attack.

Darrelle Revis was outstanding, while once again Kyle Arrington dominated a battle with TY Hilton. Julian Edleman was once again really good for the Patriots, while Brandon LaFell had another solid playoff outing.

The Bad:

The Pats got some pressure on the QB, but still not enough. Chandler Jones was decent, but not the factor that he needs to be against the Seahawks. On offense, Brandon Boldin and Shane Vereen really weren’t used, which I found just a little disappointing.

Rob Gronkowski had a bad day by his standards, only catching three balls for 28 yards and a single touchdown. The Pats need to make sure he is more involved against Seattle and their dominating secondary.

What Needs To Improve:

As mentioned, the pass rush. Russell Wilson is good outside the pocket, by inside it he is a bottom-15 QB to my eyes. Wilson has accuracy issues and doesn’t read the ball as good as other QB’s. Pressuring him is absolutely key, and that must improve for the Pats.

Getting Gronk involved must be a plan too. The Pats didn’t need him in this game, but will certainly need him against the Hawks. He needs to be better in this game, and I’m more than willing to bet that he will be.

What’s that coach? We’re on to Seattle.

Patriots V. Colts – The Prediction

Here we go, the AFC Championship. For the fourth year in a row, the New England Patriots have arrived at this stage. In their last three appearances however, they have a losing record, coming in at 1-2. They lost last year to Denver, and the year before that to Baltimore. In January of 2012, New England beat the Ravens on Cundiff’s missed FG attempt.

This year, there is no Brady V. Manning, no Ravens/Patriots rivalry, just New England and Indianapolis ready to duke it out at Gillette in an AFC Championship for the first time in eleven years. It’s Brady V. Luck, a new rivalry is born.

This game has some weather issues to it. It won’t be cold, likely in the forties for this one, but rain is in the forecast according to reports, meaning it won’t be as easy to throw the football for Luck and Brady. Advantage? New England and the running backs.

That said, the Colts know what to expect to a degree. They saw the Pats just a few months ago, and know what New England will try to do on both sides of the football.

That said, on paper, this is no contest. The Patriots offense and defense are both 100 times better than Indy’s. Tom Brady is the hottest QB in the NFL right now, and the Pats have the best TE in the game in Rob Gronkowski. Not to mention, Edleman, LaFell and even Amendola are hot right now.

Add to that a running game that has owned Indianapolis over the last few meetings, and you have a recipe for a huge day on offense for the Patriots.

Defensively, New England is better on paper too. Outside of last week, the Pats have been really good against the run this season, and have the second best secondary left in the playoffs, trailing only Seattle.

I have a tough time thinking Luck, who will be forced to pass all day, can beat Revis and Browner while TY Hilton is being blanketed by Kyle Arrington. It’s a really tough task for the kid.

Mentally, New England is in his head too. Luck hasn’t beaten the Patriots once, and has been blown out badly in each and every contest. He hasn’t even come close. Not to mention, the Pats have Chandler Jones back, while Indy has a weak offensive line.

The match-up? It’s a nightmare for the Colts, and a perfect one for the Patriots.

How does Indy win? Andrew Luck, that’s the only way. He’ll need to go off in this game, and Vontae Davis will have to be close to perfect in the secondary for the Colts. Luck has the potential to go off, no doubt, but asking him to win an AFC Championship by himself isn’t something I’d be confident in, it’s not fair to the young QB who is the future of the NFL.

Look, the Colts are a good team, but all of their weaknesses are strengths of the Patriots. The match-up is a nightmare for Indianapolis, even after beating Denver last week. Those balls Manning was missing? Brady won’t miss his guys like that.

I’m taking the Patriots to head to their second Super Bowl in four years by the final score of 31-14.

We’re on to Indy coach.

Patriots Edge Ravens In Thriller

It was a rivalry game that lived up to the hype and then some on Saturday night. It was another classic New England Vs. Baltimore game that had a massive meaning to it. Baltimore led by 14 points, twice, but couldn’t overcome a New England offense that was throwing on all cylinders.

Joe Flacco opened it up with two TD passes, but Tom Brady would answer back with a TD run of his own and a pass to tie things up before Flacco would find the endzone two more times.

After that? Brady would connect with Gronk, then Edleman to Amendola, and finally Brady to LaFell to complete the comeback and give New England a stunning 35-31 victory in the AFC Divisional round, setting up another trip to the AFC Championship game.

The Good:

The Patriots passing attack was unreal on Saturday. Tom Brady played arguably his best playoff game in a decade, and was the best player on the field for both teams. Rob Gronkowski was a factor as per usual, while Danny Amendola had one of his best games since signing with the Pats.

I thought Julian Edleman was very good in the football game too, making an impact both catching and passing the football. A surprisingly good player in this game? The Hoo man, who made an impact both blocking and pass catching wise.

The Bad:

The running game was not very good in this game. Boldin, Vereen and Blount were non-factors in this football game. The offensive line wasn’t that great in this game either, struggling to open up holes and containing Baltimore’s pass rush.

The defense struggled too, getting ran over by Baltimore’s rushing attack and struggling to contain Joe Flacco throughout the afternoon. That just was not good enough defensively, and it must be improved on within the next week.

What Must Improve:

The defense must get better. The Pats need to get back to their all-around solid game on that side of the football if they want to move on. Both Browner and Revis need to be better coverage wise, while Wilfork and Branch need to plug up that line again.

The Pats can’t allow Luck to throw that ball around with ease on Sunday afternoon.

A better running game would be very helpful too, as the Patriots need to be able to possess the football.

What’s that coach? We’re on to Indy.

Patriots Buzz – Brady Restructures

Following the massive firings on Monday morning, NFL news broke late Monday afternoon surrounding Patriots QB Tom Brady. For Patriots fans, it was simply more good news in what has been a good news year. Brady, the face of the franchise, restructured his contract with the team, freeing up $24 million in salary for this coming off-season.

The deal changes language in the current Brady deal according to ESPN, changing the $24 million guarantee from a “skill” guarantee to an “injury” guarantee. What does that mean? Brady would only receive the money if he got injured under the contract.

Also being changed up is the salary in the deal. Brady will get a bump in salary in each of the remaining three seasons, going up $1 million per year. In 2016, Tom will be owed $8 million, followed by a year at $9 million and finally a year at $10 million.

On top of this, and maybe the most important note, the Patriots can release Brady with absolutely no issues. No money owed, no nothing, just a clean cut. The only thing is, Brady becomes an unrestricted free agent, free to sign wherever he pleases.

That’s an important detail, because as we know, the Patriots don’t care who you are, they will cut you if they feel it makes the team better. It won’t happen this year, and probably not next year either, but the hole is there for the Patriots to cut Tom should they ever decide to do so.

What does it mean for this off-season? More cash baby! With $24 million opened up, this gives the Pats much needed flexibility. New England already had a fair amount of cap space, but now has more than needed to re-sign it’s key free agents. This open money should be enough to entice Darrelle Revis to return on a longer term contract in the off-season, which will be the top priority of New England I believe.

On top of that, the Pats will have room to re-sign safety Devin McCourty, RB Shane Vereen and other free agents, something that was a concern heading into the season.

The Patriots caught a break here, as Brady took a pay cut to help the team keep some massive pieces around moving forward. He’s done this before, but has never been rewarded with the Pats spending all of this cash. Something tells me this time around might be different. This money is needed, and Brady just gifted his coach and owner.

‘Tis the season for giving it appears!

Patriots Fall To Bills In Finale

After taking a week off for the holidays, I’m back and ready for the NFL post-season. First, we look back at week seventeen, the final, and most meaningless, game of the season. For New England, nothing was at stake here. Thanks to Denver’s loss last Monday, the Patriots were already set as the number one seed in the AFC, and had nothing but injury to worry about.

Julian Edleman, Rob Gronkowski, Dont’a Hightower, Brandon Browner and Sebastian Vollmer all took the day off, while Tom Brady, Darrelle Revis, Nate Solder, Vince Wilfork and Brandon LaFell all took half days.

The Pats B team took on a Bills team missing some key players as well, in a game that was really a slow and glorified pre-season tilt.

The Bills opened the scoring on the games’ first drive with a Robert Woods TD catch from six yards out, and Buffalo never looked back. The Pats got a trio of Gostkowski field goals, but Buffalo got another TD, this time from Bobbie Dixon, and a Dan Carpenter field goal to go up 17-9, which would be the final.

Now, while the Bills are missing the playoffs again, keep an eye on these guys. Buffalo finished the year 9-7 and came damn close to a playoff spot. They’ll be a tough out next season in my mind, likely a wild card team.

The Good:

No injuries. The Patriots need all their big dogs ready for the playoffs, and they should have them. Gronk is at 100%, and Edleman will have a month to fully heal between games. Brandon LaFell and Nate Solder came up limping Sunday in their short-stints, but there is no cause for alarm there.

With home field clinched, this game was about staying at 100%, and New England did that.

No player really stuck out to me, but I liked Jimmy Garoppolo’s ability to move around and make plays. I thought Blount looked decent in his time as well, but nothing to write home about.

The Bad:

Offensive line was dominated again. Buffalo was all over Garoppolo on Sunday, forcing him to scramble and take sacks. That can’t happen in the playoffs, plain and simple. There was also a lack of a pass rush, but again, not many big dogs playing on that side of the ball Sunday.

Not much to really nitpick at here to be honest!

What Needs To Improve:

Offensive line play has been an issue for a few weeks now. Hopefully coming off the bye, these guys will be rested and ready to go. Regardless of who they play, New England will be tasked with handling a good defensive line on Saturday, January 10th.

Outside of that, the Patriots are clicking on all cylinders and are ready to roll for their fourth Super Bowl title. This is the moment we have all been waiting for.

What’s that coach? We’re on to Cincinnati/Baltimore/Indy.

Patriots Squish The Fish!

It is a saying that started many moons ago, and continues on to this day, twice a year, for New England Patriot fans. Squish the Fish. Every time Miami pops up on the schedule, Squish the Fish becomes the saying of the week.

It was no different this week, as it was hat and t-shirt time for the NFL’s hottest team at home.

The Pats got out to a hot start, as Jamie Collins blocked a Miami field goal attempt and Kyle Arrington took it to the house on the first possession of the game. The Pats got a Shane Vereen rushing touchdown as well in the second, and led 14-13 at half time following a Mike Wallace snag at the end of the half.

A close half-time score would be all Miami could muster however, as LeGarrette Blount, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edleman all found the endzone in route to a second half blow-out that would extend the score to 41-13. With the win, the AFC East title was clinched for the sixth straight season by New England.

The Good:

Tom Brady in the second half was unreal for the Pats. He made some throws that only his guys could get, and he totally dominated a solid Miami secondary. The offensive line was really good in this game too, and sent a message after getting tossed around by the Dolphins in week one.

Once again, Darrelle Revis was money for the Patriots, while both Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins showed really well in this game.

The Bad:

The Patriots once again could not establish a rushing attack. While they did run for two TD’s, the Patriots were unable to move the ball for the most part on the ground, and couldn’t possess the ball for long periods of time. You’ll need to be able to do that in the playoffs.

Brandon Browner was decent in this game, but once again took a few too many penalties. I don’t mind them, but he needs to be more careful as we hit the critical point of the season. Don’t let flags make a difference in a game.

What Needs To Improve: 

The running game certainly needs to get better moving forward. The Pats will have to be able to run the ball in the cold playoff weather that awaits, and will need to be able to possess the ball for lengthy drives that kill time.

They’ve gotten away from that recently, but need to get back to running the football. Championship teams can move the ball on the ground with success.

What’s that coach? We’re on to New York.

Patriots Shock Chargers On SNF

Must-win, that’s what it was. The New England Patriots rolled into San Diego following a hard-fought loss in Green Bay just seven days earlier, and were hungry to maintain their recent success. Thanks to a Denver win earlier in the day, it was win or fall to the two seed, something the Patriots really don’t want right now.

New England came out early and stopped the Chargers, but things went down hill quickly after that. San Diego got an offensive and a defensive touchdown to take a 14-3 lead, and looked to be running away with the game until the Pats’ new look defense laid the hammer down, compliments Brandon Browner.

After that, it was all New England. The animal known as Rob Gronkowski caught yet another touchdown, while Stephen Gostkowski got New England within a point come half-time.

Another field goal, paired with a Julian Edleman 69-yard strike, gave New England a 23-14 lead they would not lose, en route to a massive road victory by the same score, keeping them in the top spot in the AFC.

The Good:

DEFENSE! This unit is good, scary good. Darrelle Revis absolutely shut-down Keenan Allen all game long, while Brandon Browner was solid all game too, yes including his MONSTER hit. Devin McCourty was solid at safety, while Akeem Ayers was very good, stepping up with Jamie Collins to limit the loss of Dont’a Hightower.

Rob Ninkovich stepped up big in this game as well, and Vince Wilfork had one of his three best performances of the season, and great sign for the Patriots.

Offensively, Tom Brady was solid in this game, while Julian Edleman had his best game in weeks, he was a difference maker in this game, and looked healthy. That Gronk guy is good too.

The Bad:

The offensive line must get better. They held off the Chargers long enough for Brady to get the ball off, but they were badly beaten in the running game on Sunday. Brady took a few hits too, which is never a good thing. These guys are better than earlier in the season, but need to be better than Sunday.

This line has the potential to be very good, and likely will be the key to a long playoff run for this New England squad.

Brandon LaFell wasn’t great in this football game. He had some nice catches, but made a key mistake in fumbling the football in the first half. He’s been really good this season however, so we’ll mark it down as a bad game and expect him to bounce back next week.

What Needs To Improve:

Last time the Pats saw Miami was week one, and they lost that game due to some poor line play that saw Cam Wake wreck havoc on Brady all day. The offensive line, which wasn’t good in Green Bay or in San Diego, must be better next week. If these guys can protect Brady, the Pats will walk over the Dolphins.

As a direct result of the line being better, the running game needs to be better too. The Patriots have to be able to posses the football against good teams, and will need that ability the rest of the way and into the playoffs.

What’s that coach? We’re on to Miami!

Patriots Fall in Green Bay

It was a classic game, in a classic stadium, between two classic NFL franchises. The New England Patriots traveled a little bit west and a little bit north to battle the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday.

It was a game that spelled trouble right from the start for the Pats, who simply couldn’t buy a stop defensively. New England held Green Bay to field goals, but couldn’t get off the field on third down and couldn’t force the key turnover.

The Packers ran out to a 13-0 lead, and never really looked back. The Pats, thanks to a Brandon Bolden touchdown and a Brandon LaFell strike, kept it close, but couldn’t get off the field late in a 26-21 defeat.

The Good: 

Outside of a bad read on Jordy Nelson, Darrelle Revis was very good in this game, making numerous pass break-ups and blanketing a few of the Packers key weapons. Brandon LaFell was very good in this game too, and Rob Gronkowski was solid once again.

Tom Brady played decent, and I thought Dont’a Hightower was very good while he was on the field in this game.

The Bad:

Patrick Chung, Logan Ryan and Alfonzo Dennard. Terrible in this football game is being polite. All three of these players were targeted all afternoon and beaten all afternoon by the Packers attack. Chung was badly exposed on a few key plays, while Logan Ryan was beaten badly on a third down play.

Marcus Cannon was beaten on the line a few times in this game, and was clearly exposed by a solid Green Bay pass rush. The Patriots pass rush was non-existent as well, giving Rodgers all day to throw the football.

What Needs To Improve:

The Patriots badly need to improve their pass rush, it just was not good enough for the second week in a row. The loss of Chandler Jones has had a big impact on this team, and not in a good way. Rodgers was given all day to throw the ball, and torched this Pats’ secondary.

Phillip Rivers isn’t Aaron Rodgers, but he is a damn good QB and can make you pay. New England must be much better in this regard on Sunday night.

I’m looking for the depth players in the secondary to step up too. They were targeted a lot on Sunday, and San Diego will likely look to expose that on Sunday night.

A loss is tough, but, we are on to San Diego.