Wednesday, October 31, 2007

I should be slapped…

I should be slapped and you all are going to rip me apart for saying what I am about to say.

I have no problem with how the Patriots are playing football.

Quick scroll down and leave a comment before I explain.

First off, I am not a Patriots fan. I rooted for them in 2001 and was partial to them during their other Super Bowl runs. I think Tom Brady is a great quarterback, but superstardom has taken away some of the qualities I used to like in him. I'm not a huge Belichick fan, but I will acknowledge that he is a good coach.

So anyway, back to my point. I don't see anything classless by what the Patriots did. Sure, throwing for a touchdown on 4th and 2 with a huge lead is probably the closest they came, but some of this blame should fall on the Redskins. I mean, isn't it the defense's job to stop the offense? So basically, if you can't stop the offense, you just want them to lay down and die? That's not going to happen. People's jobs are to score points. If they don't score the points, they aren't doing their job.

So hypothetically, Wes Welker catches a pass in the right flat, turns up field, breaks a tackle, and is in the clear. It's 28-0 in favor of the Patriots. What do you want him to do? Fall down after getting a first down? Run out of bounds at the one yard line? No, he's going to try to score. He's doing his job. If the defense did its job of trying to stop him, maybe it would be a different story.

Last week, Belichick had a 42-7 lead against a lethargic Dolphins offense and the next thing you know, he's down to a 14 point lead. Belichick probably did not want to make that mistake again with a more powerful Redskins offense. But again, some of the blame for the Patriots "running up the score" can be placed on the Redskins defense. Look at the length of the Patriots' possessions from the game:

Possession 1: 14 plays, 90 yards, 7:16 TOP, TOUCHDOWN
Possession 2: 5 plays, 15 yards, 2:12 TOP, Punt
Possession 3: 9 plays, 67 yards, 5:09 TOP, TOUCHDOWN
Possession 4: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:57 TOP, FIELD GOAL
Possession 5: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:08 TOP, Fumble
Possession 6: 8 plays, 73 yards, 1:32 TOP, TOUCHDOWN
Possession 7: 13 plays, 85 yards, 7:46 TOP, TOUCHDOWN
Possession 8: 14 plays, 88 yards, 7:56 TOP, TOUCHDOWN
Possession 9: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:37 TOP, TOUCHDOWN
Possession 10: 3 plays, -9 yards, 1:54 TOP, Punt
Possession 11: 1 play, -1 yards, 0:22 TOP, END OF GAME

My point is that the Patriots weren't just getting the ball and chucking it downfield for an easy touchdown. They were moving the ball and eating up clock while they were doing it. The Redskins just couldn't stop it. Some of you out there think that the backups should have just gotten the ball and taken knees. Well they aren't going to. The backups are trying to make the team. Even in a 52-7 win, if a backup misses a block or a tackle, that could be it for them. They are trying to stay on the team and if the only playing time they get is in garbage time, they are going to make the most of it.

The Patriots offense was just too good for the Redskins defense. The Patriots still have class. They were playing smashmouth football. They were not going to stop until they actually were stopped, which only happened three times the entire game. If you can only force a turnover or a punt on three occasions, you're going to lose. If your team goes 2-12 on third down conversions, you're going to lose. If you give up 486 yards of offense, you are most likely going to lose. If you let them have the ball for over thirty-seven minutes, you're going to lose. Get it?

See my point? The Redskins defense couldn't stop the Patriots offense.

And guess what happened?

The Patriots won.

By a lot.

So all you Colts fan you get your knickers in a twist after the Patriots score an insurmountable amount of points, think about your defense.

The Patriots are just playing football.

1 comment:

Neal Coolong said...

Excellent points. I almost feel a "can't beat 'em, join 'em" feeling about the Patriots.

Oh well, there's always next year.