Browns RB Peyton Hillis rips Patriots

34-14.  After a solid home performance in Week 8 in defeating the Minnesota Vikings 28-18, the Patriots could be guilty of looking past the Browns, and ahead to the pivotal matchup this coming Sunday night at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the offensive side of the ball, although Tom Brady had a decent stat line – 220 yds., 2 TD’s, 0 INT- he was far less solid in reality.  Brady was guilty overthrowing receivers throughout the game, but was also victimized by numerous drops from the receiving corps, as well as a fumble by TE Rob Gronkowski.  The offense couldn’t sustain drives consistently, as the running game averaged just 3.6 yds/carry and missed some key opportunities on 3^rd downs, with just a 3-for-11 success rate.

The effects of not having Randy Moss could finally be showing up, and are most notable in Wes Welker’s production.  In the 4 games since Moss has been gone, Welker has averaged just 4.5 catches per game and 34.5 yards per game with zero touchdowns.  Deion Branch has been a ghost as well.  Excluding his first game back vs. Baltimore, he has totaled just 7 catches for 80 yards in the last 3 games.  Brandon Tate has not consistent as a deep threat.  Other than his 65-yard TD catch on a broken play vs. Minnesota, he has 3 catches for 47 yards in the last 3 weeks.

Defensively, the Pats allowed their first 100-yard rusher of the year, as they were eviscerated by Peyton Hillis for 184 yards on the ground for a 6.3 average and 2 touchdowns.  Hillis also beat Jerod Mayo on the sideline on a 29 yard catch.  The defense couldn’t stay off the field, as they allowed Cleveland to convert 7 of 13 3^rd downs, and rookie QB Colt McCoy to beat them with his feet rushing the ball and with numerous rollout passes.

Cleveland dictated the pace of the game with 38 minutes of possession to the Pats’ 22.  This was certainly helped by the Pats’ two turnovers, one by Sammy Morris on a first quarter kickoff, and a crucial fumble near the goal line by Gronkowski near the end of the first half.  The Patriots were down 10 points before Brady and the offense touched the ball, and they looked desperate all day trying to play catch-up.

It is not time to panic, but the Patriots have to find a way to inject some energy into the offense.  The Steelers have the best defense in the NFL, and are virtually impossible to run against.  Taking advantage of their hyper-aggressive nature by including some draw plays and screens could help to move the ball with better success.  Regardless, it is usually a classic when both teams get together and here’s to hoping Bill Belichick can find the cure for the stuggling offense, and anemic defense.

Vikings WR Randy Moss

During his time in New England, Randy Moss was a force to be reckoned with.  In 2007, he set the single-season NFL record for touchdown receptions in a season with 23.  Over three-and-a-quarter seasons with the Patriots, he amassed 259 receptions, 3004 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns.  Moss gave the Patriots a deep threat like they had never seen in their team’s history.  And now he’s gone. 

Like a shooting star, he has passed through the Boston sports scene and is gone forever.  To many fans, having such an iconic figure for this amount of time felt like a dream, to which we have now awaken.  Did it actually happen? 

Now that this dream is over, and Moss has been moved to the Minnesota Vikings for just a 3^rd round pick in the 2011 draft, reality will start to set in.  There is no one on the Patriots, let alone in the NFL with the possible exception of Houston’s Andre Johnson that has the physical skills to replicate Moss. 

Despite his apparent lack of effort that every Belichickian sycophant in the Boston media will swear by for their own livelihood and access, his mere presence on the field commanded respect, attention and multiple defenders to open up the passing game for the Welkers, and Hernandez’s of the world. 

Moving forward, this is no longer an elite offense.  For every talking head in this city that longs for the days when Deion Branch, David Givens, Troy Brown and company were just simple complimentary cogs in the machine, they need to realize that those days are over, and unless you have elite talent in the passing game in today’s NFL, you’re not winning championships.  Not to mention their defense isn’t nearly as good as it was in that era.

Look at the best teams in the NFL – New Orleans, Indianapolis, Green Bay – all of them are oriented at threatening the homerun in order to open up other parts of the offense.  The lemmings will tell you that the Patriots offense will now be predicated on two-tight end sets and the running game.  Really?  2 TE’s in every formation?  A running game led by future hall-of-famers Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead? 

The fact of the matter is that the Patriots are a worse team today than they were yesterday.  Sure, Moss had his apparent spats with the team.  Guess what, this happens in every profession, but you deal with it for your most productive employees.  Not everyone is treated equally.  They could have made it through the season and dealt with it, instead they chose to do it “their way.”  Unfortunately they can’t see the forest from the trees, since their way hasn’t done much for them lately.

Patriots WR Randy Moss

The New England Patriots ended 2009 on a horrible note, getting lambasted by the Baltimore Ravens at home in the AFC Wild Card Game back in January.  Most of the blame fell on the apparent softness of the defense.  Many of the holes have been addressed through the draft, as first round pick Devin McCourty from Rutgers is making a case to start at cornerback.  Despite his lackluster performance in the last preseason game vs. the St. Louis Rams, McCourty has been solid in camp in the preseason, and could bring a physical presence that that Pats have lacked on the outside for quite some time. 

To solidify the run defense, the Patriots selected ILB Brandon Spikes from Florida.  A natural leader, Spikes’ stock fell in the draft due to his poor 40-yard dash as the scouting combine.  With that being said, his tenacity and play making ability has impressed the coaches, and he is the favorite to start next to ILB Jerod Mayo.  On the outside, Tully Bata-Cain and Derrick Burgess are back.  OLB Marques Murrell has joined the team as a 2-down OLB.  The pass rush has been spotty at best so far in the preseason.

The defensive line still has many questions however.  DE Ty Warren was lost for the season with a hip injury.  Vince Wilfork will still be the rock in the middle, but the rest of the line will more than likely be a pu-pu platter of former Cleveland Brown and Oakland Raider castoff Gerard Warren, Mike Wright, and BC’s own Ron Brace.  Brace has looked good in the preseason thus far, but is currently nursing a sprained ankle.3

The offense was also questioned heavily last year for being too predictable.  To solve this, Bill Belichick completely gutted the tight end position.  Ben Watson left for Cleveland, and was replaced by two exciting and promising draft picks in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. 

Gronkowski has already become a cult hero in the preseason with 3 TD’s.  He’s a huge target at 6’7”, and could give the Pats their best threat at the position since Ben Coates.  Hernandez has more of a receivers’ body, and could see time as an H-back.  You could draw many parallels with Hernandez and Indy’s Dallas Clark.  Randy Moss is still one of the best in the league, and Julian Edelman has made huge strides.  With Wes Welker also looking spry and healthy, the receiving corps looks solid.

The issues that could hinder the offense lie with the offensive line and the running game.  Pro-bowl guard Logan Makins is a holdout, and may have played his last game for the Pats.  He is being replaced by Dan Connolly, who has been good thus far.

As for the running game, it was not addressed in the offseason, as Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, and Sammy Morris will all be back, with no clue as to who will get the majority of the carries.  (Fantasy note:  do yourself a favor….don’t draft ANY of these guys!!)  Maroney’s status is also in question, as he hasn’t played in the last 2 preseason games. 

With all this being said, the potential is certainly there for the Pats to win 10 games and return to the postseason.  As long as Tom Brady is standing upright, they have a good a chance as any AFC team.

Budding Rivalry

If Boston sports fans are irritated at seeing the New York Jets in Sunday’s AFC Championship game, they should quickly become used to the idea that the New England Patriots will more than likely finish behind Gang Green next season. While the Jets are seemingly riding a wave of confidence spurred by their boisterous rookie head coach, and the Patriots suffer from an apparent “lack of leadership”, the truth is that the differences in the two franchises are much deeper.

Truth #1 – The Jets have drafted better than the Patriots in the last 4 years
The Patriots’ draft philosophy has always been to accumulate as many draft picks as possible to gain depth on their roster, but in the last few years there have been many misses. In the last 4 drafts, the Pats have picked up only 3 legitimate NFL starters, in Jerod Mayo, Brandon Merriweather and Sebastian Vollmer. Only 3 out of 38 total picks. Busts include Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson. So many choices, so little return.

In contrast, since 2006, the Jets have picked up arguably the best corner in the league in Darelle Revis, two pro-bowl caliber offensive linemen in D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, two developing offensive weapons in running back Shonn Greene and tight end Dustin Keller, not to mention their franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez. Also in this mix is tow solid player in DB Dwight Lowery and LB David Harris, as well as third down-back Leon Washington, and return man Brad Smith. All this was done with just 23 picks.

Truth #2 – The Jets have had a bigger impact from their free agents
When the Patriots signed LB Adalius Thomas in 2007, they believed they were getting an all-around stud. Instead, they ended up with a malcontent whose best year was 2007 recording 6.5 sacks.

He had 11.5 with Baltimore the previous year. Also billed to be able to play inside, New England had to keep signing Junior Seau for Thomas’ inability to do so. Thomas will more than likely but released this offseason. Other free agent busts that come to mind include CB’s Deltha O’Neal and Shawn Springs. In fairness to New England, the signing of Leigh Bodden was a solid move.

In the past 2 years, the Jets managed to pick up LB’s Calvin Pace and Bart Scott who have helped the Jets’ defense become the best in all of the NFL. They are both fairly young (29) and should be able to keep the Jets in contention for the next few years.

Truth #3- The Patriots best players aren’t getting any younger or healthier
Next year, Tom Brady will be entering his 11th season and will turn 33. Randy Moss will be in his 13th year and also turn 33. Kevin Faulk will be 34, and Wes Welker, although young at 29, will be returning from ACL and MCL surgery.

Even Bill Belichick is getting up there as he approaches 60. The Jets top playmakers such as Revis and Greene seem to be entering their prime, while the Patriots’ best are entering their twilight years. This is a young man’s game. If New England does not get smarter about their personnel choices this year, and replenish their corps with legitimate young talent, winning the AFC East may be the least of their worries.