Tag Archives: Patriots

It’s Not About Veterans

Leave a reply

Spaceballs

This weekend, the world watched millionaire players and billionaire owners protest the national anthem, speak out against the President, or hide in the locker room. Monday, we saw a decorated Army Ranger who felt compelled to apologize for standing to honor his nation. WTF is wrong with this country?

In the span of a week we have jumped at ludicrous speed from a few guys kneeling to protest social injustice to a full-blown culture war.  The internet flooded with videos of self-righteous fans burning their season tickets and team jerseys. Patriots’ fans booed their team at home – not like in the 70s and 80s when the team deserved it.  Last week, they booed before kickoff.

It’s not about Kaepernick

None of this is new. This didn’t start President Trump tweeting something stupid and divisive. It didn’t start with a bad second-string quarterback in San Francisco taking a knee last year. Anthem protests have been around of years.

Most readers are too young to remember when US Track and Field Olympians gave a Black Power salute during the anthem after receiving their medals in 1968. Some may recall the NBA suspending Denver Nuggets guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1996 for refusing to stand for the anthem.

Embed from Getty Images

Tommie Smith and John Carlo’s iconic protest came at the height of the civil rights movement and in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.  The difference between Rauf and Kaepernick is that Rauf was still a legitimate player in the NBA at the time. He was run out of Denver at the end of that season and was out of the NBA entirely shortly thereafter. Don’t forget – Kaepernick voided his own contract and chose to leave SF at the end of last season.

Is his activism a factor in why he’s still unemployed? Almost certainly. Is it the reason? In NFL terms, it’s less probable than not. Back-up QBs should be inexpensive and neither be seen nor heard. Everyone recognizes that that isn’t Kaepernick.

Enough with the fake outrage

I have attended hundreds of professional sporting events in more than 20 different cities. I have overpaid for nachos and beer in 16 different MLB parks alone.  Rarely have I been impressed with how fans honor America while the song plays.

Across the country, in all major sports, fans ignore the anthem as they buy beer, make their way to their seats, talk with friends, or update social media. They keep their hats on, video the singer, and take selfies. Other than the ballpark at Arlington, I can’t remember attending a sporting event that suspended concession sales during the anthem. God Bless Texas.

I graduated from that same little trade school on the Hudson as Steelers offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva. I served more than 23 years in the Army and deployed five times. I’ve had friends come home in caskets under the flag. It means something to me. I will always stand in silence for the anthem and will smack my kids if they so much as sneeze before it’s finished.

Embed from Getty Images

 

Symbols and Rights

This fake controversy isn’t about disrespecting Veterans. The soldiers and friends I and others lost in the service to this country represented diversity racially and ideologically as any NFL locker room. They didn’t die for the flag or the anthem. They served, sacrificed, and died for their fellow Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines.

The flag and the anthem are not totems to bow down to, but rather symbols of the ideals of this country. Those include the idea that all men are created equal, have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and to free speech. These represent the very things for which people are protesting. You are not a good American if you claim to love our nation’s symbols but not the exercise of someone’s right’s because you disagree with their message.

I am offended by the jerk who keeps his hat on, usually backwards, and won’t shut up during the anthem. That’s disrespectful. Players using the opportunity to make a peaceful statement about social injustice – whether I agree with them or not – doesn’t bother me at all. For 241 years Veterans have fought for them to have that right, it would be hypocritical for us to ask them not to exercise it.

Easy Solution

Americans used to believe in the market place of ideas – that everyone could exercise their right to free speech, that good arguments would win and bad ones would lose. Now, as a nation, we seem to have lost the intellectual courage to tolerate diverse opinions.  We are so threatened by people who don’t believe exactly like us that we demand they be silenced. The left has done that on college campuses and the right is doing it now in NFL stadiums.

Embed from Getty Images

We have two simple solutions to our current national distraction. First, instead of attacking these players we could seek to emulate them. Every team in the NFL has players from every race, religion, and political ideology.  Yet, somehow, they’re not killing one another in the locker room.  Players like Devon McCourty, Duron Harmon, and others have protested during the nation anthem for more than a year.  Kraft, Belichick, and Brady all have relationships with President Trump.  And yet, somehow, these two different groups have good relationships with one another. How shockingly adult of them.

Second, we could just stop playing the national anthem at sporting events. Don’t pretend that it mattered to you before people started kneeling. It probably didn’t.

A Quick Analysis of the Patriots’ Week 4 Match-Up Against the Panthers

Leave a reply

A once-in-a-blue-moon meeting for the Patriots to prepare for this weekend. The Patriots will face the Carolina Panthers, a team they have not played in the regular season since 2013. After a Monday Night Football game in week eleven of that season, the Panthers came out on top in the waning minutes of the match to win 24-20. The game finished with controversy over the referees picking up a penalty flag for defensive pass interference on the last play of the game where Tom Brady took a shot in the end zone to Rob Gronkowski.

Since 2013 the Patriots and the Panthers have been present in a Super Bowl: the Patriots winning two and the Panthers appearing in one. The Panthers have had both successful and unfortunate seasons since this season but have learned from their mistakes. Both teams are very different from four years ago, however Tom Brady and Cam Newton still reign.

Stopping the Panthers’ West Coast Offense

Cam Newton is one of the more popular quarterbacks in the NFL, mostly because of his impressive mobility. He can turn on the burners in an instant and run with the ball himself on a split second decision. At the same time he possesses the arm strength to heave the ball downfield. The Patriots had a similar task last weekend against rookie Deshaun Watson whose pocket presence and speed kept defenders from containing him.

Cam Newton might be quicker than Watson, but the Patriots’ defense should be working on pressuring the quarterback more in this week’s practice. Heavily relying on zone coverage will not fair well against Cam Newton and his strong running back corp. Jonathan Stewart is a well-used power runner who is deadly on screens in the back field. A similar principle goes for rookie Christian McCaffrey, a quick runner and can punish on running an angle or wheel route.  To stop Cam Newton, man coverage QB containment and a few crafty blitzes will come in handy. As for the Panthers’ backs, that’s when cover 3 should be used. Dont’a Hightower, pending if he returns this week from injury, will have a big task covering Stewart and McCaffrey. Malcolm Butler will also have to size up 6’5″ wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.

Rallying on Offense

The Panthers used to boast one of the stingiest secondaries in the league two years ago under Josh Norman. Lately, they have become more centralized on building up the defensive line along with the linebacker corp: Charles Johnson, Julius Peppers, Star Lotulelei, Kawann Short, Mario Addison, Shaq Thompson, Luke Kuechly, and Thomas Davis. All of these powerful defenders work together on the defensive line. To beat a stacked defensive line like that, Tom Brady will have to replicate his performance last week. It is imperative that he gets the ball off quickly on short routes to receivers. The Patriots’ offensive line faces an even bigger task. Coach Dante Scarnecchia this week has more than likely hammered on his offensive line after they allowed Tom Brady to be sacked multiple times.

Quick slants will help beat a defense that will be trying to capitalize on rushing Brady. Danny Amendola is a perfect receiver for short passes and Rob Gronkowski is always a vertical threat. Chris Hogan might have a mixed role this game where he will catch short passes but at the same time run deep like he has done in the past two games. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Patriots life

How the Patriots Look After Week Three

Leave a reply

We’ve learned a great deal about this Patriots team from week three where they matched up against a potential playoff team with one of the best defenses in the league. This team is starting to come together, but beneath the surface lies holes in several areas of the Patriots offensive line and defense. The good news? Tom Brady still has the reins to this team.

TB12

Let’s start with Twelve. Tom Brady continues his MVP run at age 40. Yes, it’s only been three weeks, but is it ever too early when we’re talking about Brady? He continued to make history this past Sunday. Earlier this season, he became the all-time leader for most games with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in a game. This Sunday? He set the record for most games with FOUR touchdowns and zero interceptions in a game, now with 22 such games. He seems to be getting better and better as he ages, rather than declining. Checking out this beautiful pass, 40-year-old Brady puts the ball in the only spot where the WR can catch it.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/912002903665123328

To top it all off, he currently leads all quarterbacks in: total yards, yards per game, touchdowns, touchdown to interception ratio, and 40+ yard completions. The last one is the craziest to me. A 40-year-old QB leading the league in 40+ yard completions? This is unheard of. And he leads the league in all these stats despite a 267 yard, 0 touchdown week one performance. Not to mention Brady recording his 50th career fourth quarter/OT comeback.

The Archer

Speaking of comebacks, Brandin Cooks had himself a feast.  Cooks showed why he could be the biggest off-season move in the entire league. Brady and Cooks are still developing chemistry. Despite that fact, he recorded a game with 131 yards, 26.2 yards per catch, two touchdowns (one of which was the game winner), and a two-point conversion. Cooks looked unstoppable, and he was at exactly the right places at exactly the right time.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/912050350932103168

Gronk Spike

Gronk is Gronk. He played even better than his solid numbers show. Making crucial conversions, pushing through multiple tackles in the game-winning drive, becoming the fastest TE (and third fastest player only behind Jerry Rice and Randy Moss) to get 70 career touchdowns, and his solid performance from week two proves that Gronk is back to his solid self.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/912003339738419200

Gronk spikes are not a welcoming sight for the rest of the league, and it seems as though Gronk will be spiking all over teams on a weekly basis, once again.

The Bad News

However with all the great things that are happening for this Patriots team, there are some serious hiccups that will hopefully be addressed by players returning from injury. First of all, the offensive line needs some serious improvements. Brady needs to be protected, and this O-Line can’t do a great job vs serious teams. Houston’s Watt-Clowney-Mercilus combination is extremely deadly. The Patriots simply could not run the ball, Brady got hit far too many times, and they gave up a strip-sack for a touchdown. The Chiefs with Justin Houston and Chris Jones both in the top six in sacks, and the Raiders with Khalil Mack could pose serious threats as well.

The defense is also in dire need of improvement. Butler played every snap vs Houston and had a decent day, so he could be improving. That would provide some serious, necessary help in the Patriots secondary. Also, the return of both Hightower and McClellin is crucial. With their return and Butler’s improvement, this Patriots defense could pose a serious threat. Until then, Brady will just have to work his magic.

Analysis of the Patriots’ Week 3 Match-Up Against the Texans

Leave a reply

A 2016-17 AFC Divisional rematch in Week 3 is quite an interesting pairing. In the past year the Houston Texans and Patriots have clashed on three separate occasions prior to Sunday. The Patriots won two of these games in this short series, but each victory has been on separate terms. In a 2016 Week 3 match-up Jacoby Brissett and LeGarrette Blount brought the Brady-less Patriots to a shutout victory. The Texans and Patriots squared up again in the Divisional Round of the 2016-17 playoffs, where Dion Lewis and Tom Brady were the offensive heroes that brought home a win. And this season the Patriots and Texans played in the preseason and Deshaun Watson secured a decisive win for the Texans.

This upcoming battle will showcase current CFB Playoff MVP Deshaun Watson against prevailing Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady. Watson became the starter for the Texans in the second half against the team’s loss against the Jaguars recently. Since then, Watson has racked up a modest 227 yards along with one touchdown and an interception. Texans Coach Bill O’Brien’s offensive game plan in the foreseeable future is to develop Watson as fast a possible. However, Coach Bill Belichick, a friend of O’Brien, is aware of that and will bring defensive pressure on Watson quickly.

Stopping the Texans’ Offense

The Texans run a balanced offense consisting of short and medium passes along with a few different types of run plays. Deshaun Watson is a west coast-schemed quarterback, meaning he likes to throw short slant, curl, and dig routes to receivers. At the same time, he has the skills to tuck and run with the football by himself, as advertised by him against the Patriots in the preseason. For a rookie, Watson has showcased some impressive pocket presence, and knows how to roll out of the pocket to keep the play alive rather than giving himself up for a sack.

Deshaun Watson is able to use an receiving corp that has undergone an overhaul to suit the team. The top receiver on the squad is DeAndre Hopkins, a deep threat who runs primarily fly and cross routes. Will Fuller V is the go-to guy when passing short or medium over the middle of the defense. Ryan Griffin, the team’s primary tight end, mostly pass blocks or runs short routes like a curl off the line. Lamar Miller, the workhorse of the offense, is a one-cut back who can punish the defense on a wheel route.

Expect Bill Belichick to stop the Texans’ offense at the source. The Patriots’ edge rushers and linebackers must step up this week to keep constant pressure on Deshaun Watson. Blitzes and quarterback contain plays will keep Watson in the pocket and make a naive mistake against the Patriots’ secondary.

Tackling the Texan’s Stingy Defense

The Patriots offense redeemed themselves last week against the New Orleans Saints after getting blasted by the Kansas City Chiefs in week one. However, the Saints defense statistically let up a lot of points, and in the last three years they are ranked 30th+ points allowed. The Texans’ defense is on the other end of the spectrum, ranking within the top-five defenses in the league. Stacked on the defensive line the Texans at full strength boast the talents of J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and Jadeveon Clowney. This defense makes up for a weak secondary by bringing constant pressure to the opposing quarterback and stopping the run.

With an ailing offense and now Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola being among the eleven players questionable to play this week, the offense needs to be cautious. Therefore screen passes to Mike Gillislee and James White will work like a charm. Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen are both vertical threats that can shred up the Texans’ secondary. Tom Brady on average takes about 2.5 seconds to drop back and get the ball out of his hands. Statistics show as his career has progressed, Brady has become increasingly accurate after passing the ball that quickly. This skill will come in handy against an aggressive Texans’ defensive line. The pass rush will be frequent in this game for the Patriots offense. The offensive line and the rest of the offense can still shine if everyone does their job.

CTE : Is It Going To Be The End Of Football ?

Leave a reply

Unless you have been living under a rock, any true football fan has heard of the medical term CTE.  CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease.  It has gained prominence recently with a study showing that virtually all ex-NFL players brains tested had the disease.  A study published in July of this year revealed that 110 of 111 players tested showed various levels of the disease.

Could the prominence of CTE in NFL football players be the end of football as we know it?  I do believe that CTE is a serious health issue that needs to be investigated further.  I would like to give you a little perspective, and tell everyone to not give up hope yet.  There is more to this story and I hope I can share some of my insight with all of you.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CTE

To give you some context, consider the most common signs and symptoms of CTE: Most common sign is cognitive impairment, which is difficulty thinking clearly.  To be a true CTE symptom, it has to be a symptom that lasts beyond 48-72 hours after first being noticed; short term memory loss, impulsive behaviour, emotionally unstable, substance abuse increases, and most importantly suicidal thoughts.  As you can quickly figure out, all of these symptoms are quite scary.  The issue presently is how to diagnose CTE early enough to alleviate long term complications.

 

DIAGNOSIS OF CTE

Here is where the issue lies with CTE and contact sports like football.  CTE presently is the degeneration of brain tissues and the presence of a protein called Tau along with other proteins.  The only way that CTE can be confirmed as a diagnosis is by detection of these markers upon performing an autopsy.  This iwill have to change to make it a disease that can be managed.  Without earlier detection, there is no hope of keeping the condition in check at the earliest possible stages.

Personally, the articles and studies that I have read  now tend to compare CTE to Alzheimers with regard to the importance of early detection.  This makes great sense, because Alzheimers does not have one true test that is definitive, and I doubt that CTE will either.  The key will be educating all parties that will be involved to note symptoms and act appropriately.  Defining what those appropriate actions will be the key, and needs buy in from all stakeholders.

Alzheimers’ sufferers have a few medications available in the last number of years that have the ability to greatly slow the disease’s progression.  The key is early detection, and staringt the patient on the medication as soon as possible.  It looks like CTE may fall into the same category where early diagnosis will be paramount.  That’s lacking right now.

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: Chris Long #95 of the New England Patriots kneels before Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

 

IS CTE FROM REPEATED HEAD TRAUMA ALONE?

A lot of research is needed here with regards to CTE and playing football.  Everyone knows that repeated blows to the head will damage anyone.  The odds of this happening in a bone-crunching sport like the NFL is quite a bit higher.  I want to point out the fact that CTE happens in other cases where head trauma is not an issue.  Military veterans, chronic epileptics, and even domestic abuse victims are also people that have shown CTE without the repeated physical head trauma.  This fact leads me to think that the best test is going to have to be detecting the TAU protein and then developing a treatment to “deactivate it”.

UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF TAU

Presently the TAU protein destruction method is being explored in treating Alzheimers with relatively good success.  The treatments used could easily apply to athletes and others without any issues.  I think that there should be a pilot project with some current and ex-players and the drug manufacturers to see if there is symptom alleviation.

Believe it or not, the basic substance of curcumin (isolated from tumeric) is among substances under study.  If this turns out to be as good as initial tests have shown, then off to the grocery store we go for this.  This substance has so far been shown to neutralize the TAU protein and allow the body to clear it out.  The keys that are being explored is detection of the disease (CTE or Alzheimers) and then starting treatment.  One study is presently looking at starting some athletes on this before they show any signs.  The issue with this theory centers on  the baseline examined.

DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES

With the recent story of former Patriot Aaron Hernandez having been diagnosed with stage 3 CTE after his death, the CTE debate rages on.  I caution people to look back at what I mentioned previously in this article.  With only one diagnosed concussion in his career, was football the only source of his troubles?  Did his former gang activities, checkered past, or even prison time served have any bearing on his CTE development?  We have to answer these questions so we can stem this tide.

I hope I have demonstrated the threat of head trauma on NFL players. We all have to be more conscious of it and it’s effects. Minimizing illegal hits, late hits and unnecessary hits by players is definitely a good start.  As I have said, I believe there is more to the issue and that is what we have to figure out and fast.  Players should stop playing football unless only as a personal choice.  With further updates in safety and rules, I believe football can be as safe as any other sport.  We need to make sure that head injuries are taken very seriously, and treated as such.  It should have started many years ago, but hindsight is always 20-20.

 

 

Jardine’s Means: The Keys To Beating The Saints

Leave a reply

Well folks, as Coach Belichick would say “we are onto New Orleans”.  It will be refreshing for players and fans alike to get to the next game.  We all just hope that that first game was just a reminder to “do your job” and play.  Let me give you my keys to the Patriots beating the Saints tomorrow.

 

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: James White #28 of the New England Patriots with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

USE THE RUN TO SET UP THE PASSING GAME

One key to beating the Saints this week is controlling the game on the ground.  This will accomplish many things if executed properly.  First, it will allow the offense to get into the game and draw the Saints’ defense closer to the line of scrimmage.  By drawing the defense closer to the line over time this will allow for play action passing.  Brady is a master at reading the defense.  The more of them at the line the better.

Running the ball also eats up the clock nicely.  This allows the Patriots’ defense limit time on the field which keeps them very fresh.  Running the ball accomplishes the most important goal of all, keeping Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense on the sidelines.  They cannot score when they are on the sidelines looking at their tablets.  The Patriots really failed at this in their first game.  I guarantee you that Coach Belichick chewed the ear off Coach McDaniels about this very subject.

Expect a big ground game from Gillislee after Coach Belichick’s comment that “he could be a little better”.  Yes Gillislee scored three touchdowns.  But that was about it for positives in game one.

 

USE THE ENTIRE PASSING GAME

Anyone that watched the first game against the Chiefs probably shouted at their TV at least once during the game.  The most likely phrase screamed at the TV was probably “why the hell are the Pats throwing it deep all the time?”  Maybe that was just me, because I know I shouted that at least once.

The Patriots will move into their passing attack mode after running the ball.  This strategy will also be much more effective than my “spreading the ball around” and not just throwing deep.  Having Cooks and Hogan down the field was almost having a new toy for Brady last week.  Like anything new, you don’t want to wear it out from overuse.  The Pats have so many weapons in their passing arsenal that they should be OK.  By spreading the ball to Gronk, Burkhead, White and friends, then it should allow for deep throws sometimes.   Just don’t fall in love with the deep ball, Tom, because you don’t have to.

This so called spreading of the offensive wealth should allow for a better result then last week.  The Patriots have such a wide and varied offensive attack that things should work themselves out this week.

BACK ON TRACK

With the slight change of our teams’ offensive outlook, the result of this game should be better.  Keeping the Saints’ offens,e off of the field as much as possible, and grinding their D are going to be the keys to victory.  T,ake a deep breath Patriot Nation, because I think that loss last week will be a blessing.  Let’s Go Patriots.  Check out more great Patriot articles at BostonSportsExtra.com

Defense Analysis of The Patriots’ Roster

Leave a reply

Forget the calendar.  The real 2017 has finally arrived.   the first game of our 2017 NFL season left a lot to be desired.  But hey, just one game, and we all know the outcome of seasons with the same disappointing start.   Here’s a quick analysis of the defense and what we need to do to be successful in the weeks to come.

Defense Wins Championships

One of the most overused phrases in team sports, but sadly it is quite true.  Unless you have a perfect offense (we are close to that but ?), your defense has to play a key role in winning games.  Big plays on defense can change a game’s momentum, and turn around what looked like a lost cause (remember Hightower in the SB?).

Defensive Backfield

In my opinion, our greatest defensive strength is the defensive backfield.  At corner back, we have Gilmore and Malcolm Butler who would rank in the top three CB pairs in the entire NFL.  Having such dominant players at CB usually should help take away opponents’ best wide receivers and throw off their offensive game plan.  If the opponents can get around the “Velcro twins” of Butler and Gilmore then they have to deal with our safeties.   The hard hitting duo of Chung and McCourty back there can make WRs hesitate for a moment before stretching out for that long pass.

When Coach Patricia goes to the nickel package, he has the freedom of bringing in players like Duron Harmon and Eric Rowe, both better than many teams’ starting defensive backs. Having depth in this area is never a bad thing, especially against a team that likes a vertical passing game. I feel that these guys don’t get enough credit because they are not as flashy as some other defensive backs in the NFL.  Flashy is just that, and I will take effective and not flashy any day at all.

Linebackers

The defense could go either way here. This could be a strength of the team when all of the players play a solid “do-your- job” kind of game. But this part of the defense  suffers with injuries to players like McClellin and Roberts, notably.  The linebacker corp has seen  an infusion of new guys like David Harris, formerly of the Jets (bet he thinks he won the lottery getting out of that mess) and Marquis Flowers.  The stalwart of the linebacker corp remains — who else — the monster Dont’a Hightower,  listed at 6 ft 3 and 265 lbs and can run like he is being chased by a grizzly.  Hightower will get this group to focus on the job at hand and act as the QB of the defense, as he has for a number of years.  This might not be the only job that Hightower has this season, and I will mention more on this shortly.

Having such a diverse group of “hybrid” LBs allows Coaches Patricia and Belichick to have the defensive players needed to handle almost anyone’s offense. These types of players can really cover more than just their own position and give an opposing offensive coordinator a few sleepless nights.

Defensive Line

This is where the big boys hang out, and the Patriots have a couple of players that give the scale a good workout.  Start with the underrated Alan Branch, 6 ft 6 and 360 lbs (I think that he might not have had both feet on the scale there) and Trey Flowers.  Both of these players are great and can disrupt an opposing offence quite easily.  They may not get Von Miller or Aaron Donald-like sack numbers, but there is more to playing defense than getting “numbers.” Throw in newly acquired Cassius Marsh, formerly of the Seahawks, and that gives the Pats a formidable threesome.  Do not forget that we also have players like Malcolm Brown who continues to improve as has behemoth Vincent Valentine.

The defensive line may not be our strength on defense, but we do have some very good players who “do their job” very well. They are not the flashy types of players like Donald or Miller, but I will take quiet and effective anytime.  The only thing that matters is the score at the end of the game and not personal numbers.

My Radical Defensive Strategy

My off-the-wall thought for this year’s defense may seem a bit radical radical.  Blame Andy Lykins, my BostonSportsExtra colleague, who  brought it  to my attention.  With the unexpected retirement of Rob Ninkovich, would it be a crazy idea to insert Dont’a Hightower into Nink’s former role? Hightower is big enough, fast enough, and just ask Matt Ryan if he can get to the QB if he is let loose.  This may require inserting David Harris possibly as the starting middle LB.  Not a stretch in my opinion.  This may seem like a radical departure from what Patriot fans are used to, but I think it could work very well.

The only thing that matters right now is that we get this season on track.  Enough of the talk, let’s play some football.  Let’s Go Patriots.  Check out the 2017 Patriots roster at www.patriots.com   Check out other great Patriots articles at www.BostonSportsExtra.com

Baltimore: America’s Sports Armpit

Leave a reply

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]

Embed from Getty Images

 

Worse than New York

Though I now live outside Washington, DC and spent most of my adult life a nomad, I will always consider myself Bostonian to the core. There is only one kind of chowda, and only one way to say it.   Dunkin Donuts kicks Krispy Crème’s ass. And, of course, New York sucks.

I hate everything about New York – from the filth in the streets to the noise pollution that is their accent. I hate the Yankees, the Giants, and all their fans – certainly in part because much of my childhood misery came at their hands. However, like most rationale Massholes, as much as we hate our neighbor to the south, we have to respect them. New York is a strong, important city with character and the Yankees and Giants have great traditions of winning.

The same cannot be said for the landfill three hours further south. Baltimore has not one redeeming quality. I’d rather live in Baghdad, again, than spend more than an hour in that cesspool.

Baseless Arrogance

Baltimore, a city that burned itself to the ground in a race riot two years ago and needed the National Guard and 1,000 police officers to restore order, still somehow presumes to lecture Boston on racism. I get it, the Red Sox were the last team in baseball to integrate. Yeah, it was almost six decades ago. Progress has been made.

Embed from Getty Images

Maybe they haven’t heard that Red Sox principle owner John Henry is so overwhelmed with guilt that he doesn’t sleep well? The sport’s most aloof owner is “haunted” by the ghost of Tom Yawkey, who – like Scrooge’s Marley – apparently walks the concourses of Fenway Park in the dark of night howling racial epithets.

Perhaps it was Yawkey’s ghost who threw racial slurs at Adam Jones on that fateful night in May. That’s the only plausible explanation how in 2017, in a crowd of a thousand cellphone cameras, nobody caught the incident on video, nobody saw who said it, and not a single witness has been found. I’ve seen enough Discovery Channel to know you can’t see ghosts. It couldn’t possibly be that Adam Jones wasn’t telling the truth or just hates a divisional rival. Of course not.

Besides Jones, of course, my least favorite bird has to be Manny Mochado. Mochado spiked Pedroia on a dirty slide back in April and Pedroia hasn’t really been healthy since. If there were any justice in baseball he’d take a heater in the ribs every at bat in Fenway for the rest of his career.

The O’s are led by an equally unbearable ass. Buck Showalter once managed the Yankees, but since landing in “Charm City” has found the nerve to complain about baseball’s uneven financial playing field. Even more than the fact that he’s a hypocritical ass, I hate that he absolutely owns the Red Sox. Since taking over in 2011 the Orioles lead the head-to-head matchup with Boston 72-56. Thankfully, he’s simply awful in the post season, having one exactly one post season series in 19 years and posting a 9-14 record.

Showalter and his team love to talk about “playing the game the right way” and the unwritten rules of baseball. Save it. You haven’t even been to a World Series since 1983. Please stop talking until you do.

Whiney Losers

The truly sad thing is that the Orioles are actually Baltimore’s likeable team. Led by the whiniest coach this side of the University of Michigan, the Ravens may be the most disgusting franchise in all major North American sports.

I get the whole Edger Allen Poe thing, but let’s face it, only reason they chose the Raven as their mascot is that the NFL wouldn’t let them put the image of a battered spouse on their helmets. The greatest players in the history of the franchise are a murder and two spousal abusers. By the way, brave stance there with Ray Rice – once the video leaked anyway. Terrell Suggs? Oh, he’s still productive on the field so let’s not discuss his domestic abuse history.

Embed from Getty Images

The Ravens aren’t just bad, they’re stupid. Baltimore once made Joe Flacco the highest paid player in league history – the self-appointed “elite” QB with a career QBR lower than Rich Gannon. Rich Gannon. Take a moment and let that sink in.  And, of course, who can forget the 2015 AFC Divisional playoff game when New England twice took advantage of the same innovative, but fully-legal, formation to conceal eligible receivers to get critical first downs on scoring drives against Baltimore.

Harbaugh, of course, lost his mind – first on the field with the officials, then in the post-game press conference, and finally in the off season when Baltimore joined other teams to petition the league to change the rules. To this day, Harbaugh cries foul, despite the fact that the league has confirmed time and again that the formations were legal.

The Ravens didn’t make the playoffs last year.  They probably won’t this year either.  Neither of those facts will stop Harbaugh from being a whiney sideline diva.

One Good Thing

We are a week away from the final Red Sox – Orioles series of the year.  Baltimore will most likely miss the post season again – for the fifth time in Showalter’s eight years as manager. With any luck they will finish below .500.  But, as we head into this final series, we should recognize that Baltimore has in fact given us one thing for which we should be thankful: the HBO series The Wire. It’s saying something that this city’s greatest contribution is a cable drama about their crime and political corruption.  As we assess the Orioles and Ravens, their contemptible players, their unlikeable leaders, and their seemingly unending jealousies of the Red Sox and Patriots, I offer this final thought, from The Wire’s great warrior poet Omar Little: “you come at the king, you best not miss.”

 

Blessing In Disguise– Gaining From a Loss

Leave a reply

Well folks, if you are like me, I’ll bet you are glad that the first game is over.  The Pats got a slice of humble pie that I believe they needed.  On a positive note, I believe that the loss to KC will prove a true blessing in disguise.

FOXBORO, MA – SEPTEMBER 07: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on September 7, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Why I Think the Loss Will Help Us

The loss to the Chiefs at Gillette on September 7th was more than a little disheartening to Patriots’ fans. A large portion of Patriot Nation already planned out the SB route for next February. Even before we had played one quarter.  I believe some of the players believed the hype, even though Coach Belichick would definitely say otherwise.  There are reasons you play the games, because anything can happen.  The Patriots lost, Hightower and Amendola before the last play and it looked like all was lost.  To tell the truth, it made it evident to fans and even coaches that the Patriots had some work to do.

I believe the media can be blamed as culprits for starting the perfect season pressure for the 2017 season.  With the loss to the Chiefs, the Patriots just have to go out and play their games.  The pressure  to win to keep up the undefeated string went up in musket smoke, as did “dreaming the impossible dream”.  By not having that large monkey hanging off their backs, the Pats may just run the table now out of sheer determination.

What The Loss Will Show Us About The Patriots

This recent loss will truly be a blessing to the coaching staff of the Pats because they will constantly remind the players of it.  Knowing players like Brady, Amendola, Hightower, and many others, they just want to get back to winning. The loss will also show us that the team will have to go back to “Patriot Fundamentals” and just “do their job”.  Not trying to do too much or something that is just not your strength  got the team wrapped around the axle.  Brady firing the bomb way too often, and running up the middle without extra blockers  —  just a couple of examples of what I’m talking about.

Anyone who knows me also knows that when the Patriots’ offense slows down, I’m always screaming the same thing at the TV.  “Go to up tempo no huddle” and whenever we do, it succeeds.  The offense finds a rhythm and the opposing defense just ends up being gassed.  This stops them from putting up much of a challenge.  That would be our savior on one side of the football, but our defense may need more tweaking than that.

 

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on from the sideline during the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

What The Defense Can Learn From The Loss

We saw more than a few little gaps exposed on the Patriots’ defensive unit during the loss against Kansas City.  It is very evident to myself that Dont’a Hightower is truly the key to our defense.  His role became painfully evident when he left     the game.   Other players and the coaches could truly see that for themselves.  A solid effort is going to be required by the defensive unit this week against the Saints.   Getting pressure on Drew Brees is always the key, and the Minnesota Vikings did a great job of that this week.  Getting QB pressure has been challenging for the Patriots’ defense.  The D unit is going to have to find a way this week to get the W,.

How do you get pressure on the QB when you are struggling to do so?  That’s easy in my opinion.   You do things that your opponent does not expect.  If you bring pressure on Brees from the safeties, corners, or even blitz LBs up the middle at unexpected times you will have success.  The key to this?   Getting in Drew Brees’ face.

I believe the running game for the Saints should be non-existent if our D-line plays the way we know they can.  Forced into the passing game, the defense has to hurry Brees. The defense also has to cover the backs out of the backfield.  Those are Brees’ safety valves,  lacking a multitude of other offensive weapons to bail him out.  By blitzing, it will be difficult for Brees to use his other reliable safety valve of Colby Fleener.  Fleener would be required to block for Brees or risk getting him creamed..

 

All Is Not Lost

Everyone soon will see that the loss against the Chiefs was a true blessing in disguise for the Patriots.  No more listening to the reporters and analysts go on about the flawless season, and if it can be kept up.  Listening to the coaches and knowing that if you all “do your job” than this team should win.  I truly believe we have a great chance of this team hoisting another Lombardi trophy in Minnesota next February.  Do not give up hope.   e have the best leaders in the sport on this team.  Let’s go Patriots!

Check out more stories on the Patriots at www.BostonSportsExtra.com by myself and our other great writers.

For the Love of the Game…

Leave a reply

It’s game day.

Your buddies are over your house.

Pacing the room with excitement for kickoff.

Running to the fridge to grab another round of beers.

High-fiving when the Patriots score.

Maybe toss the pigskin around the yard at halftime?

Nothing better, right?

Meet Matt

Matt will never be able to do any of these game day routines.

Matt is 8 years old and holds a diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).  SMA is a disease that robs people of physical strength by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, taking away the ability to walk, eat, or breathe. It is the number one genetic cause of death for infants.

SMA sucks, but what this disease has not robbed Matt of is his love, passion and flat-out acumen for all-things-sports.

This is not about SMA.  This is about a kid who smiles through all his challenges and many of those smiles appear on his handsome face when he is watching sports.  Sports, in particular, the New England Patriots, allows Matt that same feeling of excitement we all get when enjoying our favorite teams play the games.  Watching sports puts Matt on a level playing field with the rest of us.  And while Matt can not run around and play catch or high-five his older brother, he gets that same pit of joy in his belly when kickoff/first pitch/tip-off happens.

Matt is 162 Red Sox kid.  An 82 Celtics kid and certainly a 16 (ok, 19) Patriots kind of guy.

This boy is an animal for it all….and a student.

Matt knows football

Here is his quick pre-season rundown he spits out to Mom on a ride to the doctors the other day…

Matt on the Pat’s Season

Matt absorbs sports knowledge like a sponge.  He can literally rattle off every play in order when watching Superbowl 51…because he has literally watched it 51 times (at least).  Being with Matt during a game makes it better.  He doesn’t miss a play, a pitch or a jump shot.

Here is another clip right before kickoff Thursday night…

Matt is “pumped”

He rattled off every NCAA March Madness seed to me last spring.  How about doing your math homework instead, chief?

I caught Matt watching a 2012 NBA finals game on-demand.  Were the Celtics even in that one, weirdo?

I almost told his parents to have him committed for a psychiatric evaluation!

Matt makes you truly appreciate those high-fives and games of catch that he can’t participate in.  In perhaps its’ purest form, Matt demonstrates why we love sports and that his passion can not be taken away from him by any ailment or perceived “disability”.

Matt is the man.  (Did I mention he is my nephew?)

And lastly, if you are ever in a bar debating what was the greatest touchdown in football history, I’ll settle the bet for you, ’cause Matt scored it in the storied Westford Pop Warner E season opener of 2015.