"That ending makes me think football is rigged."
-Text message received from my friend Luke after the Patriots grabbed victory out of the jaws of defeat.
Tom Brady strikes again. I must admit, I had foolishly accepted that the Patriots had choked and lost to a far inferior Buffalo Bills team. I was steaming over the fact that Edwards held the ball until Warren was a split second a way from contact, then threw the ball away and the refs called roughing the passer. Then later, Edwards still had the ball and was sacked by Adalius Thomas and the refs again called roughing the passer. I've never in my life seen that. Roughing the passer called when the quarterback still has the ball and is sacked. And Thomas didn't hit him in the head or anything. It was a clean tackle. What a bunch of crap.
Tom Brady strikes again. I must admit, I had foolishly accepted that the Patriots had choked and lost to a far inferior Buffalo Bills team. I was steaming over the fact that Edwards held the ball until Warren was a split second a way from contact, then threw the ball away and the refs called roughing the passer. Then later, Edwards still had the ball and was sacked by Adalius Thomas and the refs again called roughing the passer. I've never in my life seen that. Roughing the passer called when the quarterback still has the ball and is sacked. And Thomas didn't hit him in the head or anything. It was a clean tackle. What a bunch of crap.
ABC showed a graphic about a game from 2002 against the Dolphins. It was the last time the Patriots came back from behind down by 11 points in the 4th quarter to win. Yet, that was the dumbest coached game I'd ever seen in my life. After a Patriot field goal to cut the lead to 8, the Dolphins took the ball from inside there five with just over two minutes left. Ricky Williams was running all over the Patriots and they couldn't stop them to save there lives. The game was over. All they had to do was run, get the inevitable 17 yards, wait 40 seconds and repeat. But Dave Wannstedt decided to throw on first down, an incomplete pass. They threw on second down... incomplete. And again on third down. Incomplete. It didn't even take the game to the two minute warning. Brady drove down the field, the Patriots scored a touchdown and the two point, won the coin toss and drove down the field to win in overtime.
When the graphic came up, I thought it was a once in a lifetime thing. No way they could do it again. Especially not with all these bogus roughing the passer calls. But Brady was his usual calm but intense stuff. He drove down the field and hooked up with Ben Watson to cut the lead to 5. The two point conversion was no good. Dropped. No worries. This is the New England Patriots. Aside from two notable exceptions, they don't lose these games.
2:06 left in the game, and with all three timeouts, the Patriots kick it deep. The Bills return man brings it out, which in my mind is a good call. If he doesn't, time doesn't move off the clock and the Patriots get an extra time out with the two minute warning. My friends and I wanted him to take a touchback for this very reason. However, Brandon Meriweather forced him to fumble and Place kicker Stephen Gostkowski dives on top of the loose ball. A minute later, Brady finds Watson again to put New England up by 1. The two point conversion is again, dropped. Still, no worries, the Patriots don't lose these games. The defense kept the Bills from scoring and the game ended.
By the way, Jon Gruden is now my new favorite analyst. Whenever I heard him, I thought of these videos J Arthur Ellis showed me. When Gruden mentioned Galloway in the broadcast, I almost died laughing. Whoever did those videos was spot on with the Gruden impression.
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3 comments:
"How ya gonna prepare for Joey Galloway, and Bruce Gradkowski?"
I was at the laundry mat watching this game. When Buffalo scored their last touchdown, I said, "Wow, that's it. Buffalo is going to win. Amazing." We walk out, drive straight home (one mile away) and the first thing I do is turn on the tv to see the post-game celebration...
And the Patriots are winning by a point. Amazing.
I thought Brady was quite bad for most of this game. Didn't see those last two touchdowns of course, but he was just plain inaccurate otherwise. Do you think he's settled in now? Just shaking off the dust?
Also, I wholeheartedly agree about those roughing the passer penalties... And not only were they bogus, but they came at critical moments in the game.
I think Brady was fine. I was listening to the radio call in shows last night, and others were questioning him and saying he looked shaky. I didn't see it and it's hard to argue with his final numbers, 39 of 53 for 378 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The interception by Schobel was an amazing catch, arguably the best I've seen by a defensive line man. I remember him forcing a ball to Randy Moss on fourth down and the two 2 pt conversions were forced, but those are do or die and interceptions really don't hurt you there. He also threw another ball that hit Schobel in the chest (thankfully it was dropped), but aside from that, nothing sticks out in my mind that would make me question him.
He was hit a bunch of times and always got up, so I think he's back.
One thing I forgot to mention was the injury to Jerod Mayo. The defense looked pretty awful without him. No status updates on him, not that the Patriots would give it if they knew. I don't think they did though, because a reporter asked Belichick who said "I really wish I knew" and the reporter followed it up and Belichick responded with "I don't have anything. I wish I could tell you but no one's told me." I believe that he doesn't know. However, I also know when he finds out, we won't.
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