Ball or Nuthin' » Tom Brady

Belicheck’s Decision Costs Patriots

T Lamont — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:36:22 +0000

2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. 4th and 2. Your team up by 6 points. Ball at your own 28 yard line. What do you do?

Conventional football wisdom says that you punt the ball. But Bill Belicheck proved that he is far from conventional.

Belicheck made the controversial call for the New England Patriots to go for the 4th down conversion. The Patriots turned the ball over on downs, and the Indianapolis Colts went on to score the game winning touchdown (and extra-point conversion) to win the Sunday night showdown, 35-34.

The choice to go for the 4th down conversion will be scrutinized for some time. An average punt would have forced Peyton Manning and the Colts (9-0) to move the ball 60 to 70 yards to score a touchdown. Instead, they inherited the ball on the New England 29 yard line. And within 4 plays, Manning had his team celebrating in the end zone.

The Patriots had a 34-21 lead with only 4 minutes left in the game. But the New England defense provided little resistance as Indianapolis marched 48 yards in less than 2 minutes to close the gap to 34-28. The Colts then faked an attempt at an onside kick, instead booting the ball out of the New England endzone. On their ensuing possession, the Patriots gained 8 yards on 3 downs - setting on the game-changing play.

Manning led the Colts on two touchdown drives in the last 4 minutes of the game.

Both Manning (28-44, 327 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT) and Tom Brady (29-42, 375 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) had big games for their teams, although Brady’s game was much more effective and efficient. Manning had several misconnections with his receivers, and he tossed two interceptions early in the second half that turned the tide in favor of the Patriots.

But Manning held tough and battled through each setback that he and the Colts encountered. To open the 4th quarter, Randy Moss (9 rec., 179 yards, 2 TD) caught a 5-yard TD pass which put the Patriots up 31-14. The Colts came right back as rookie wide receiver Pierre Garcon was on the grabbed a 29 yard TD receptions on and in-and-out pattern which fooled cornerback Leigh Bodden. This brought the Colts within 10 points, 31-21.

It was Colts’ receiver Reggie Wayne (10 rec., 126 yards, 2 TD) who made the final touchdown for Indianapolis, leaving only 13 seconds on the clock.

The loss puts the Patriots (6-3) at a disadvantage in the battle for home field in the AFC playoff picture. At 9-0, the Colts are one of two undefeated teams (the New Orleans Saints being the other) remaining in the NFL.

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Patriots Beat Titans 59-0

T Lamont — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:13:27 +0000

”I’m disappointed and embarrassed. Fortunately for me, career-wise, I have never been through anything like this before and, unfortunately, it happened tonight. I can assure you one thing, it’s not going to happen again.”

What else could Tennessee Titans’ head coach Jeff Fisher say after watching his team get smacked by the New England Patriots, 59-0.

The Patriots gained 619 yards in the game, and did not punt until about 4 minutes remaining in the contest. Tom Brady was 29-34 for 380 yards. Wes Welker and Randy Moss each had over 120 yards receiving, and Lawrence Maroney had over 120 yards rushing.

Titans' coach Jeff Fisher couldn't explain his team's struggles against the Patriots.

Brady certainly looked like his old self, throwing for 6 touchdowns. The Titans, on the other hand, didn’t look like a team that made the playoffs last year. This season has been disastrous for them, as their record stands at 0-6. Today’s events prompted Kerry Collins to take a seat in favor of Vince Young. Neither quarterback could get the job done. Tennessee only mustered 186 total yards, with 128 of them coming off of the legs of running back Chris Johnson.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck:

”I’ve been playing sports since I was 8, and never have I experienced something like that.”

This game just solidifies the fact that the Patriots made the right decision by sticking with Brady. (Former quarterback) Matt Cassel certainly filled in admirably for the injured Brady in 2008, but games like this one prove that there’s only one original.

”Back to his old self,” said New England receiver Wes Welker.

On the flip side, games like this make doubt that the Titans will get back to their old selves.

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Rodney Harrison Disrespects Tom Brady

T Lamont — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:20:46 +0000

“And Tom Brady if you’re listening…take off your skirt, put on some slacks and toughen up…”

Boy, what an idiot Rodney Harrison is! He acts like this is the first time that a player has gotten the benefit from a questionable call.

And Harrison is obviously forgetting that Brady led him to two Super Bowl wins – and did it from the most cerebral position on the gridiron. No Brady, no Super Bowl wins. But to the contrary, I’m sure that the Patriots would have been just fine without Harrison. Sure – he made consistent contributions to the team…but his contributions would be far easier to replace than Brady’s.

Or maybe Harrison is just plain jealous of Brady. Always has been. Brady is the poster boy for America’s team and the NFL. He’s won championships. After his injury last year, he had a rule created for him which protects vulnerable quarterbacks.

Heck…he even has a supermodel wife.

But if it makes Harrison feel better…I’ll bet Brady is listening…and doesn’t really care.

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Patriots’ Big 2nd Quarter Fuels Victory Over Ravens

T Lamont — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:07:34 +0000

The New England Patriots were perhaps the NFL’s forgotten team. With a record of 2-1 coming into today’s showdown against the undefeated Ravens, they were able to put together a 14-0 second quarter which propelled them to a 27-21 win.

Tom Brady looked about as good as any quarterback could look against the aggressive Ravens’ defense. He was 21-32 for 258 yards, including a TD strike to Randy Moss.

Ray Rice rushed for 103 yards in today's loss.

But as always is the case with Brady, his influence in the game went well beyond the numbers. Brady led the Pats on three touchdowns of 60 yards or more. In the all-important fourth quarter, he orchestrated a 59-yard drive that chewed up 7:07 of game time – and tacked on an extra three points to New England’s lead.

In typical Baltimore fashion, it was their defense that kept them in the game. Early in the third quarter, Terrell Suggs forced a fumble from Brady that was recovered in the endzone by Dwan Edwards.

But playing its first legitimately “good” opponent, the Ravens offense just didn’t put enough points on the board. The Chargers, Chiefs and Browns are simply not in the same category as New England. 14 (offensive) points against the Patriots is not going to get the job done.

Especially with Mr. Brady back leading his bunch.

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Why Brett Favre Won’t Retire

T Lamont — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:55:45 +0000

Each NFL offseason, it has been the same deal for the past few years. And I think most of us have turned a deaf ear to it by now.

Brett Favre goes through his seemingly annual ritual of seeing what media attention he can draw by stringing out his career plans. Is he hanging up his cleats? Is he playing one more season? Is he going to try to stick it to the Packers this time? He is indeed a big draw at the gate, and his appearance on a roster can edge it that much closer to respectability and a possible playoff birth. But in the process, he has appeared selfish, inconsiderate and high-maintenance. With a career as storied as his, he’s certainly just scratching an itch, right? He just can’t let go of the game he loves, eh?

Well, I think there’s something more to it than that. He seems desperate to achieve something, which at the surface would seem to be unnecessary.

Looking at his career, he is a man who has many accolades. Here is just a sampling of them:

- 3-time AP NFL MVP

- 10-time Pro Bowl selection

- 1-time Super Bowl champion

- most career TD passes, pass completions and passing yards

Favre's latest stint with the Jets showed that he was up to his old tricks again.

From a statistical standpoint he has just about done it all.

But where does he register on the list of all-time great quarterbacks? How about on the list of the best QBs of the past 30 years?

I’m not even going to attempt to tackle the first question…but let’s just think about the second one.

The quarterback position is the premier position within football. These are the players that traditionally receive the majority of the glory for victories, as well as a significant portion of the blame in defeats. Successful quarterbacks are successful game managers. They know how to get the most out of every possession. But a difference in philosophy exists between the truly great quarterbacks and Brett Favre.

If it’s 3rd and 25 (of course depending on the nature of the situation), the game managing quarterback that has the ‘green light’ will probably take what the defense gives. More than likely that means a 15-yard completion. This will instill confidence in the other facets of your team – special teams and defense. It’s a team approach to getting the job done.

Brett Favre has been, and seemingly will always be, a gambler. It’s certainly no coincidence that he also holds the career mark for interceptions (310). Favre is that quarterback who will always try to make a 30-yard play on 3rd and 25. This is precisely how possessions are lost, and how defenses inherit bad game situations.

Because of his penchant for attempting risky passes, his game managing skills can only be considered mediocre at best. This is the precise reason that he has not, and will not, be mentioned in the same breath as recent top-flight game changers like Joe Montana, Tom Brady and John Elway.

Each of these guys have a nack for knowing how to get the most out of their team. They are consumate leaders who allow their teammates to add to the success of the organization. Their actions clearly deomnstrate that they are not intimidated by the achievements of their peers, and they sacrifice personal accolades for the greater good of the team. And as we have seen time and time again, the leading men end up receiving the lion’s share of the credit anyway.

The Gulfport, Mississippi native has not been able to be that type of leader throughout his career. He has built his career on moments of unbelievable play – both good and bad. With his reckless mentality, he continues to knock at the door of the fraternity of the sport’s greatest quarterbacks.

Year by year, he chases legacies that exceed his grasp. Greatness shouldn’t define why you play the game, but it should define how you play the game. Favre needs to step back and be grateful for his 17 years of NFL accomplishments.

As John Elway so elegantly put it:

A guy as great as Brett Favre has been for the length of time he’s been, you would hope that he would be able to leave the game with a positive flavor in his mouth.

Well, if Favre’s recent actions could be adequately described as a flavor, the description would be old, stale and tired.

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