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September 17, 2007

Humble pie in San Diego, respect from pundits after Patriots crush Chargers

K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers sits on the Gillette Stadium turf after a pass was intercepted by Adalius Thomas for a 65-yard Patriots touchdown. The Patriots won, 38-14.

Before we go to the land of weeping and gnashing of teeth, the New York Times got the point: With Their Video Cameras Off, Patriots Keep Rolling

...the game on the field raised only one question: This team needed to cheat?

San Diego Union Tribune: Chargers outplayed, humbled by Brady and Patriots' defense:

...It's not that they lost. The Chargers knew that was a possibility. They were playing across the country against one of the best teams in the league. They had considered a victory in last week's season opener paramount because of the cushion it gave them coming here.

But to be destroyed in such a manner – outgained 407 yards to 201, turning the ball over three times, having Tom Brady complete 81 percent of his passes – left them astonished.

“You don't lose a game like that – not when you have the expectations we have,” fullback Lorenzo Neal said.

The Chargers played poorly, and they played not all that smartly. Their coach went conservative early. Playing catch-up from the start, after the Patriots came out in no-huddle and passing on every down, they got out of their game defensively.

Afterward, they said they would have to view the forensic evidence before they could pronounce the exact cause of death. The most common refrains were “I don't know what happened” and “I'll have to look at film.”

Columnist Nick Canepa: Just call this sorry game film 'The Spy Who Drubbed Me'

The under-fire, underhanded New England coach and his Patriots last night stuck their figurative knife into the collective heart of the Chargers before a national television audience that probably found something better to do by halftime – such as go to bed.

The nightmare had passed by then – the Chargers' worst nightmare, anyway. The Patriots dumped them into Boston Harbor as if they were boxes of tea.

If the Pats were distracted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell taking Belichick to the woodshed over the most covert spying incident in league history, they should be so distracted every week.

If the Chargers were looking to make a statement after their bungled January playoff loss to the Pats, this statement was incomprehensible. They were outmuscled, outhustled, outschemed and outcoached by what obviously now is a much better team.

(The photo of Patriots coach Bill Belichick waving to the hometown crowd last night is by AP.)

Patriots Trample Chargers, 38-14 collects Chargers fans' comments. The first one:

What the hell just happened? All that hype down the drain. Well, you have to hand it to the Patriots....they had our number, and it wasn't because they were cheating, they just played better football, like they always do.

It's gonna be a long, sad, cold plane ride from Boston to San Diego tonight.

Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com: We should know better than to make the Pats mad: "Had the Patriots played with much more focus or emotion -- or, hey, been allowed to steal the San Diego defensive signals -- there is no telling how bad a beat-down New England would have administered."

Don Banks, SI.com: Mass destruction: "The Chargers had absolutely no chance in this one. None."

You can wallow in Patriots joy on the PatsBlog.

At our house, where I spent last season missing Brady's go-to guy, receiver Deion Branch, the family joked that Randy Moss might finally put that line out to pasture.

"She's found her new Deion Branch," Joe said.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 10:46 AM | Permalink