to hell with making it interesting

Well, that turned out to be a bit harder than it needed to be.  For the first time in a long while (since the end of 2003, maybe?), I was enjoying the prospect of a game that didn't go down to the last few plays and have me screaming at the tv.  But we couldn't have that, could we?  Bob Ryan gets it mostly right, anyway.  I'd note that, while they have some talent and aren't among the worst teams out there, no one expects big things from the Jets.  It's not clear what a win over them, even on the road, really means (though on a separate note, Buffalo may be better than people thought, or more likely Dante Daunte Culpepper and Miami are just far worse.)  Concerns about the Patriots defensive linemen and linebackers don't seem to be panning out--how about that Junior Seau?  Vince Wilfork's personal foul was one of the few errors they made.  The other big one was really a coaching decision: blitzing on third and nine when it was obvious that the Jets were going to try to put the ball in the hands of Laveranues Coles.  Yes, the secondary still should have tackled him, but a situation was created in which the Jets' best receiver, a guy with good speed and moves, had an open field, a blocker, and most of the Pats' defense behind him.

The other major tackling error getting the secondary in trouble this morning involves the Jerricho Cotchery touchdown.  Again, no excuse for not wrapping him up and making sure he was down--and smart thinking on his part to get up and go as fast as he could.  But that was a fluke of a play, even if it did remind me of a similar one by Ricky Williams several years back.  Given the way they collided and went down, there was almost no way the defenders could have grabbed Cotchery before he was off, even if they realized what had happened.  In any event, after last year, I'm not inclined to complain about a secondary of Harrison, Hobbs, Samuel, and Wilson.  That's a more dependable, consistent group than the Patriots have had in two years, and several of them have now played together for a while.  I'm not missing Hank Poteat,  and anyone who doubts Harrison or Wilson when it comes to hitting hasn't been paying attention.

The single biggest difference on the defense seems to me that this year's Pats don't quite seem to have the killer instinct for the ball they had in their Superbowl years.  Samuel's got it, and there was Bruschi's late INT (though made in heavy coverage), but you don't see the defense scoring or creating opportunities they way they did in the past.  On offense, what to say?  Meet Troy Brown, your number one reciever!  OK, maybe not, but it's a distinct relief to know that New England can run the ball.  The tight end attack has yet to really materialize, and the other receivers remain--even with Jackson's touchdown--largely unknown and unproven.  As for kicking, well, "Gostkowski" just doesn't have the same ring as "Vinatieri."

Comments

[Dan]

>... more likely Dante Culpepper and Miami are just far worse

Daunte.

>... this year's Pats don't quite seem to have the killer instinct for the ball they had in their Superbowl years. Samuel's got it, and there was Bruschi's late INT (though made in heavy coverage)

It will be a sad day when Tedy Bruschi loses his insatiable ball lust (?). This is a guy who burst a blood vessel at the thought of having to go six months without intercepting a pass or forcing a fumble.

[JL]

Daunte

Whoops. Thanks--that's what I get for writing so early in the morning. I knew I had to be careful with "Laveranues," but didn't bother to check the easy ones.

Hm, I don't know what Tedy would think of his "ball lust." I don't think he's lost it, though, any more than Rodney Harrison has. Tedy was playing with a cast, of course, which limited opportunities, but part of it may have been that the Jets didn't throw over the middle that much, at least that I can recollect. Most of what I remember seeing involved passes to the sidelines. I will say that, before things went all wacky, the Patriots' line was getting some nice pressure on Pennington. Again, it was expected that they'd overpower the Jets' offensive line, but still nice to see.

[Dan]

Do you you think Vlad Putin would have ever been able to abscond with Kraft's pigskin-shaped Super Bowl ring had Bruschi not been on the mend in '05? Not likely. All your balls are belong to Tedy. Even ball-shaped rings.

Btw... you want to talk linemen? The Bears' inpenetrable o-line was almost single-handedly responsible for Sexy Glassman's 148.0 QB rating yesterday.

Call it hubris... but, in the wake of two soft blowouts against the dregs of the NFC North, I can't help but feeling we're a mini-Ditka away from sheer dominance.

[JL]

Call it hubris

Hubris. Nah, while I wouldn't put too much weight on beating Green Bay or Detroit, the Bears do look like they're off to a good start. The defense looked as sharp as last year. Now keep that quarterback healthy! If he has a chance to actually play a season, he might be able to take you somewhere.

God, Peter King has the Charges at #3 in his "Fine Fifteen" on the basis of wins over the Raiders and the Titans. No reason to think the Chargers won't be a good team, but that's silly.

Tedy and Vrabel would have dropped Putin in the backfield. No contest.

[JL]

And I can answer King's question about why Tom Brady looked like his dog died after the show: the way Corey Dillon had to be helped after his final carry of the game. We'll hear more about that soon enough, I imagine.