Projo Pats Blog

They're 4-2 now, and in a league that has been more confounding than usual this season, the Patriots are about as confounding as a team can be. If you believe (as I do) that the Chargers and the Broncos are not all that far apart in talent, how do you explain following up a 20-point loss to the Chargers (in a game that wasn't that close) with a 34-point victory over Denver?

Tim Graham of ESPN looked at last night's game and noted the positives -- a revitalized running game led by Sammy Morris, a return of the Matt Cassel-to-Randy Moss passing game, and a defense that turned from giving up big plays to making them -- but also a host of concerns, including the mounting toll of sacks on Cassel and the mounting toll of injuries to the entire Patriots roster.

The folks over at ColdHardFootballFacts.com, who wrote the Patriots' obituary after the San Diego loss, are less qualified in their praise of last night's effort. Not only was it the Patriots' most impressive win of the season, the site says, it was the most impressive win by any team in the NFL this season.

I have to confess my agreement with the Globe's Dan Shaughnessy, who writes today that the game probably had more to do with the state of the league than it did with the state of the two respective teams. Because the NFL has no great teams, there is no reason to count the Patriots out of any potential matchup -- as many people even here in New England were doing yesterday (we had more people in our projo.com online poll picking the Broncos to win than picking the Patriots -- and that almost never happens). Denver may have had a potent offense coming in, but it was easy to see how the Patriots could neutralize them, given Denver's recent penchant for making mistakes. And boy did they ever make mistakes last night. While the Broncos do not waste their talent quite as egregiously as the Cowboys, their ridiculously bone-headed play at points of the game -- remember that face-mask penalty on Cassel when he was third and 15 deep inside his own territory? -- was hard to overcome.

The broad mediocrity of the NFL is also a result of the constant drumbeat of injuries that teams good and bad have to face. Look at Denver last night -- with two of their running backs disabled by injuries (Selvin Young and Ryan Torain) they had to go with Andre Hall, who fumbled away two promising drives in the first quarter, when Denver had a chance to take control. And that's not to mention the injury that Jay Cutler suffered on the very first play from scrimmage, leaving Cutler a shell of his usual self for the rest of the evening.

And then there were the injuries to the Patriots. There was Rodney Harrison, of course. Just when you felt that the Patriots had found their running back -- with Laurence Maroney out for the year and LaMont Jordan out for who knows how long -- Sammy Morris did not come out of the locker room after halftime, leading to a steady diet of undrafted BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the second half. The Patriots liked Green-Ellis in the preseason but didn't have room for him on the roster with their apparent surplus of running backs coming out of camp -- here we are, not even halfway through the season, and Green-Ellis could be the starter if the injury to Morris is more serious than it appeared.

The lesson to all this? It's the same thing we've been saying here since Tom Brady went down in Week 1 -- You can't count the Patriots out. But we've also learned that you can't assume the Patriots will win in any particular week, not with the inconsistency we've seen on both sides of the ball. If you like variety, keep tuning in, because we could have a different team every week.

HARRISON 'DONE': That's what Adam Schefter says on NFL.com, reporting that the Patriots' safety suffered a season-ending, career-threatening torn quad muscle last night.

TOUGH TALK: Moss' good game should silence his growing chorus of detractors for a while. Before the game, the group had grown to include Patriots great John Hannah, who called out Moss at an ESPN Chalk Talk luncheon. (Boston Herald)

NEXT UP FOR THE PATS: Is an intriguing matchup with the St. Louis Rams, whom we last saw beating up on the Cowboys. The Rams' chances to keep their success going look better now that running back Steven Jackson looks likely to play, despite his quad injury. (projo.com)

THE DEMISE OF BIG D: I always used to suspect that the Cowboys were jinxed when they had to wear their blue uniforms, and apparently former St. Louis Cardinals owner Bill Bidwell felt the same way (NFL.com) That's one possible explanation for Dallas' horrendous showing against St. Louis; more likely is their four turnovers and the fact that their new receiving corps of Terrell Owens and Randy Moss combined for 31 yards receiving.

STIR IT UP: Despite the broad calls for him to show some more passion in the wake of his team's struggles, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said yesterday that he is not going to change his laid-back approach. That answer doesn't suit the Dallas Morning News' Jean-Jacques Taylor.

WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT? Joe Banner, general manager of the division rival Eagles, told his team's web site that the Cowboys made a bad decision in trading three draft picks -- including a first rounder -- to get Williams from the Lions: "Time will tell. I wouldn't pay that much for a player like that." Banner also confirmed that his team tried to make a deal for Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. (Newark Star Ledger)

THAT MAKES THREE: Mike Nolan became the third NFL coach to lose his job this season -- and the second in a small area of the central California coast -- when he was cut loose by the San Francisco 49ers yesterday. (San Francisco Chronicle) Nolan finishes his career as coach of the once best franchise in the NFL with an 18-37 record since taking the job in 2005, following on the heels of Dennis Erickson's two seasons and 9-23 record. Add it up, and San Francisco is 27-60 since Steve Mariucci left following the 2002 season.

RISK TAKERS: In choosing Mike Singletary to take over for Nolan for the rest of the season, the 49ers are gambling on a man with a reputation for being a great teacher and leader, but without any experience as a coordinator. (ESPN)

SURGERY SUCCESSFUL: Saints running back Reggie Bush is recovering after left-knee surgery in Alabama, and he is expected to miss three to four weeks. (New Orleans Times-Picayune) Head coach Sean Payton has Deuce McAllister, Aaron Stecker and Pierre Thomas to fall back on beginning this week, with his team in London to play the Chargers.

NOT VERY CLASSY: The latest allegations of misogynist behavior against Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson are that he spit a drink in a woman's face at a night club. That makes four allegations in five years that Johnson assaulted women. (ESPN) The report filed with the Kansas City police in the latest incident alleges that Johnson threatened to kill the woman's boyfriend.

WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES? A four-game suspension could be in the offing for Johnson as a result, and Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow could miss some time too, judging by Romeo Crennel's reaction to Winslow's recent comments about the Browns organization. (The Sporting News)

SCANNING THE FIELD: With Brodie Croyle done and no one very promising waiting in the wings, the Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly been in contact with out-of-work Daunte Culpepper. (Kansas City Star)

PROBLEMS CLOSE TO HOME: While Brett Favre denies reports that he contacted the hapless Detroit Lions in an attempt to sabotage his former team, Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z sees a more serious problem for Favre: He is being restricted and caged in by an overly conservative Jets game plan, one that has limited Favre's yards per attempt while not cutting down on his interceptions.

TOUGH GUY ACT: Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin is hoping he'll be cleared to play this weekend at Carolina, less than a month after he sustained a concussion and two facial fractures as a result of a hit from Jets safety Eric Smith. (Arizona Republic) Boldin claims that even though he needed surgery to install eight plates to fix the fractures and to insert wires to realign his bite, he did not take any pills for the pain: "I don't do pain meds."

 Tags  Football Today

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