NFL FanHouse

Tom Brady: I've Never 'Influenced a Call'

Chris Burke — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:20:00 EST

Coincidence or not, after Tom Brady missed almost all of the 2008 season after a low hit tore the Patriots star's left MCL and ACL, the NFL's Competition Committee made clear that it would enforce more strictly a rule preventing defenders from tackling quarterbacks at or below the knee. It was affectionately dubbed "The Brady Rule" by folks outside the league office.

And the Patriots have benefitted from the increased focus on QB protection, with their opponents picking up five roughing the passer penalties in seven games. One, in particular, raised some eyebrows -- in New England's Week 4 win over Baltimore, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs gently brushed Brady's knee, and Brady gestured back at referee Ron Winter, and a flag came flying.

Winter might have thrown the flag regardless of Brady's reaction -- it is in the rule book, after all, though the rule states that forcible contact must me made -- but, nonetheless, the anti-Brady folk out there used it as evidence that Brady gets whatever he wants from officials.

Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter picked up that banner and is carrying it into Miami's game in New England this week. During an interview with the NFL Network's Rich Eisen, Porter said there's "no question" that Brady receives preferential treatment.

"When a guy can tell a ref when to throw a flag, and he gets it, he's got his own rules," Porter said, according to Pro Football Talk. "They made the rule that you don't go at the legs for Tom, so when he feels that someone is going at his legs, he just points to the ref and he gets a flag. So I can honestly say that he gets his own rules."

On Friday, Brady respectfully disagreed.

"No, I don't think so, " Brady told the Boston Globe when asked if he's ever forced a ref's hand. "You may get more calls. I don't know. I think the ref calls what he sees. I don't think I've ever influenced a call. The refs we have are very good. If they make a call on that, great. If they don't, that's fine."

Brady's situation aside, some of this can be chalked up to the league-wide epidemic regarding QB-protection penalties. It's not just New England that has benefited from some ticky-tack roughing the passer calls. Between the low hits, hits to the head, late hits, and tackles deemed unnecessarily ruthless, the number of flags flying when quarterbacks take a shot are rising everywhere.

Beyond that, though, is it really that surprising for Brady to get an extra flag here or there? Whether it's supported by the stats or not, high-profile players always seem to get away with a bit more than your average guy. That's not just an NFL issue -- look at LeBron James in the NBA or Sidney Crosby in the NHL. The perception is that they get a few freebies just because of reputation -- and while it's unfair to hang accusations like that on refs, it's also not totally unfathomable that it happens.

If you're officiating a Patriots game, knowing Brady's recent history, and you see someone clip him on the knee while he stumbles and looks to you for a call -- whether he explicitly asks for one or not -- there's a good chance you'd be more inclined to throw a flag. It's just human nature, not to mention the rule justifying a penalty there if his knee gets hit.

But regardless of Brady's personal protection, Porter's words -- as they often do -- added some extra spice to this weekend's AFC East showdown. It'll be interesting to see what happens if he comes in low on New England's golden boy.

Tom Brady: I've Never 'Influenced a Call' originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patriots May Own Sunday, but Saturday Belongs to Bucs' UK Fans

David Whitley — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Buccaneers, Patriots, FanHouse Exclusive

LONDON -- Mike Alstott's 1-yard touchdown run sparked Tampa Bay to an 84-0 win over New England Saturday.

No joke. Alstott really did score one of the red team's 14 touchdowns. The guys wearing blue jerseys had zero.

"Nil!" Paul Stewart said.

He broke out a bottle of champagne and passed it around. If ever a team deserved to savor a little success, it's the Bucs' UK fan club -- it beat the Patriots' fan club on Saturday in a flag football game. The other Bucs team was presumably watching film or sacrificing goats or whatever you do when you face that other New England team.

That'll happen Sunday at Wembley. Saturday at Richmond Park in Southwest London was the preamble. The oldest NFL fan club in Britain (the Bucs) met the fan club of England's most popular team (the Patriots).

When these two teams meet, you can't throw the record book out the window. There isn't one to toss. And if there were, the receivers would probably drop it.

"We're not really that good," Stewart said. "We relied on [Jon] Gruden's playbook. Expect we made it work."

Spoken with snark, like a true American football fan. And there may be no truer fans anywhere than in the group Stewart formed 25 years ago.

Bucs fans in America just have to turn on their TV to get their weekly dose of disappointment. These poor blokes have to go out of their way to cheer the Bucs to another loss. A lot of them have been doing it since Doug Williams' arm was wild enough to overthrow the Queen.

"I was 12," said Lee Bromfield, who's now 39, of when he became a Tampa Bay fan.

His family was vacationing in St. Petersburg and the Bucs were on TV. They actually won that Sunday, and a young man from Manchester fell under some mysterious Creamsicle spell.

Same thing happened to Stewart, who caught a Monday Night game the Bucs won on a last-second interception.

"Hey, that team in orange must be pretty good," he thought.

It was, only it took another 15 years to get there. The Bucs UK club has survived Leeman Bennett and Ray Perkins. It has withstood the boycott by Bo Jackson, the signing of Alvin Harper and the disappearance of Gaines Adams.

There were the good Tony Dungy years leading to that Gruden Super Bowl. But being a Bucs fans in the UK was like being a Chernobyl fan in the U.S. -- you can't explain it, you just admire the perseverance of 300 football souls.

Especially on Saturday when you looked across the field at all those snazzy blue jerseys.

"Bandwagon fans," Bromfield said.

It's not that everyone has jumped on since Tom Brady arrived. But New England claims to be the most popular team in Old England, and nobody's arguing. What the Bucs fan club lacks in recent converts, it makes up for in guile.

Members were told Williams might show up Saturday. He couldn't make it, but the Bucs did send a car over. Out popped Alstott, ex-linebacker Shelton Quarles and Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon.

Stewart started pleading for them to join the seven-on-seven contest. Selmon's been retired 25 years and didn't feel up to a comeback. The other two couldn't resist a little international bonding.

But was it fair to have two ex-Pro Bowlers in the lineup?

"We're 0-6 and they're coming off a 59-0 win," Stewart said. "Who cares if it's fair?"

So Alstott ran one up the gut. A couple of guys had on Tedy Bruschi jerseys, but they definitely were not Tedy Bruschi. The A-Train scored and the rout was on.

Quarles and Alstott went to the sideline early, but it didn't matter. It was as if the 2003 Bucs inhabited the bodies of the 2009 fan club. The Pats hadn't looked so outmanned since the '85 Super Bowl.

Not that anyone seemed too upset at the score.

"They were keeping score?" John Smith said. He was the lone Patriots player with NFL experience, and that experience was as a kicker from 1974-84. There were no goal posts, though Smith tried a fake field goal for the crew from NFL Films.

That's right, the company that made the slow-motion spiral famous is making a documentary on the Bucs' UK connection. It recorded every slow-motion play on Saturday. Unfortunately, NFL Films will probably include some footage of Sunday's game.

Any predictions?

"I think the Pats will win 31-14," said Chris Chinoy, a member of their fan club.

"What?" said Smith. "I don't know if they're going to score two touchdowns."

That would be two more than the Patriots scored Saturday.

"Nil!" Stewart repeated.

When you're a Bucs fan, you take a win any you can get it. Even if you have to get it yourself.

Patriots May Own Sunday, but Saturday Belongs to Bucs' UK Fans originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Pats Release Joey Galloway

Will Brinson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, Fantasy Football, NFL Rumors, NFL Analysis, NFL London

Less than two days after unleashing an aerial assault on the Titans, the Patriots have decided that Joey Galloway is an unnecessary part of their roster and, according to Adam Schefter, both on my teevee and Twitter, released him.

Galloway for the season has a stunningly weak six catches for 67 yards and hasn't played in a Pats game since Week 3. Additionally, when Galloway was on the field, there was an obvious disconnect between he and Tom Brady, who didn't seem to care for the receivers inability to stretch the field for Wes Welker and Randy Moss (which is what, theoretically, he was brought in to do).

As Schefter points out, Galloway is free to sign with another team, which is good news for the receiver who, despite being bumped from both the Bucs and Pats in the last few months, still has enough speed and talent to make him a viable second or third wideout for a playoff contending team.

Of course, he also lost out on a free trip to London as a result of the move, which might mean that Bill Belichick and Co. simply decided that his production didn't outweigh whatever travel costs he was going to incur.

Fantasy Spin: Heretofore, Galloway's been utterly worthless as a fantasy player, and there's always the [good] chance that continues. BUT -- and this might be more of an "if" than a "but" -- if he happens to land on a decent passing team without too many strong wideouts (or, you know, a crappy team like the Browns or Rams who will at least be throwing the ball downfield 40 times a game).

Report: Pats Release Joey Galloway originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Going Down With the Ship: A Fan's Perspective of Tennessee's Titanic Crash

Clay Travis — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, Titans

Jeff Fisher's frozen mustache passed for more yards than the Tennessee Titans did on Sunday. So did you. So did I. In the end, the Titans passed for -7 yards, lost 59-0, and left anyone with a pulse in Nashville wondering why Fisher is making $5 million a year. Eventually, Sunday made history, as the Patriots delivered the worst beating in an NFL game since 1976. And for those of us who watched every snap, the game wasn't even as close as the final score. Nope, 59-0 was as generous as Bill Belichick and the Patriots could have been in defeating the Titans.

But merely reading about this game does the contest a disservice. To truly experience the defeat you had to be sitting on your couch, in a Titans t-shirt, jaw agape, amazed at what you were seeing. I've been alive for 30 football seasons now and never been so astounded at my team's incompetence. In fact, in my entire life as a sports fan, I've never seen a beating this bad in any sport. Here we go with 16 observations from the game.

1. The entire game had a dreamlike quality to it. Snow in mid-October? An icy field? The way points only materialized on one side of the scoreboard?

You felt like you were watching a Madden game between someone who had been playing for two decades and a novice gamer. What's more, everyone saw it because it was the national game on CBS.

I guarantee you that Fisher kept repeating to himself, "This is really happening, this is really happening" -- although he never seemed to raise his voice or react at all on the sideline. He looked like a mustachioed scientist who suddenly realized that a heretofore unimaginable theory, time travel for instance, was actually possible. And not just possible, happening right before his eyes.

I guarantee you that in 20 years, when NFL Films does a retrospective on this game, Fisher will admit that he found the beating obscenely transcendent, like Balloon Boy meets football.

2. The Patriots scored their second touchdown on a 40-yard flea flicker.

Let me repeat that, they scored on a flea flicker!

I'm asking this question honestly, has there ever been a greater divide between quarterback statistics in the history of the league -- for one quarterback to throw for 387 yards more than another? For six touchdowns to none?
If you've ever sought play-calling evidence that one team doesn't respect the talent level of another, calling this play was the perfect example. It's snowing and players have been losing their footing the entire game. Yet the Patriots hand the ball off in the snow, run a man into the line of scrimmage, have him pause with defenders all around him, turn away from the defense, toss a wet football back to their quarterback, have the quarterback field the wet toss, reposition the ball, survey the field still without a defender near him, and throw a laser to a wide-open Randy Moss.

Oh, and the Patriots are driving into the wind when they score.

Think about all the ways the Titans could have stopped this play from succeeding. Then think about all the things that have to go right for the Patriots to succeed with this play call.

The best part of this play was how Phil Simms criticized Titans' safety Chris Hope for not staying behind the receiver. Evidently he expects Hope to expect the flea flicker in this situation. On the sideline Hope had to be sitting around thinking, "What the f... Why'd I ever leave Pittsburgh?"

3. The Titans' "defense" of Randy Moss when they blitzed down 17-0.

Moss threw up his hand about two yards into the route to signify that he was wide open. At no point was he actually covered by a defender. Think about how hard this is to manage on a football field. The Titans didn't jam him at the line and get beat, they didn't throw a safety over the top and get beat off the line with hope that they'd have him covered deep. Nope, they allowed him to run unmolested down the field, beat two men, who were offering token resistance, and catch a ball in the end zone without touching him.

It's inexplicable.

Truly.

If you've ever wondered what you'd look like trying to cover Randy Moss in an NFL game, watch this play from beginning to end. It's like the Titans suddenly lined up your Aunt Irene on the most explosive wideout in the history of the game. And then told her to cover him.

Alone.

Wearing her dress and heels.

Not surprisingly, Moss scored from 28 yards out to make it 24-0.

4. At this point in the game, my wife left the room because she said I was too upset.

But I really wasn't. Why not? Because I started to believe we might truly witness something unbelievable. And isn't that why many of us watch sports to begin with? Because at some moment there might be something we've never seen before? And we can't stomach if we missed that happening.

Well, I didn't miss it.

5. Wes Welker scored to put New England up 38-0 on the Titans and there was no one within 20 yards of him when he caught the ball.

Again, true question: If you took seven average high school players, told them the defense, had them line up and play that pass defense, is there any way they could be in worse position than the Titans were on this touchdown pass?

I'm not saying the high school players need to make a tackle or do something incredible. All I'm asking is whether they could have been closer to Welker when the pass was competed. And, be still my heart, could they have touched him before he scored?

Just a grazing of the fingertip as he ran down the sideline.

They could, right?

Better question, what if you and six of your buddies that could all run 100 yards without needing an oxygen tank, lined up against the Patriots on that play. And the entire purpose of your defense was only to be close to the receivers if they happened to catch a pass.

Then, to your benefit, you only have to cover 30 yards on the field. Because that's how much the Titans had to cover on that play.

How pissed would you be if you gave up the Welker score and no one even touched him?

Pissed, right?

Now you know how Keith Bulluck felt as he walked off the field.

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Tennessee Titans Photos

Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins (5) fumbles the ball during the second half of their NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. The Patriots defeated the Titans 59-0. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Tennessee Titans Photos

New England Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich (50) hauls down Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young (10) during the fourth quarter of their 59-0 win in a NFL football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, left, is brought down by Tennessee Titans cornerback Cary Williams, right, in the second half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. The Patriots beat the Titans 59-0. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) talks to New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss, left, in the third quarter of their NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, 2009. Brady was 29 of 34 for 380 yards and six touchdowns in less than three full quarters of play as the Patriots defeated the Titans 59-0. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, center, and quarterback Kerry Collins (5) leave the field after their 59-0 loss to the New England Patriots in a NFL football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher walks along the sidelines in the third quarter of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. The Patriots defeated the Titans 59-0. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots head coach Bill Bill Belichick listens to the referees during their 59-0 win over the Tennessee Titans in a NFL football game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass wide receiver Sam Aiken as running back Laurence Maroney (39) and Patriots offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer (76) block during the third quarter of their NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, 2009. Brady was 29 of 34 for 380 yards and six touchdowns in less than three quarters of play as the Patriots defeated the Titans 59-0. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

FOXBORO - OCTOBER 18: Cheerleaders of the New England Patriots dance on the field during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on October 18, 2009 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 59-0. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Getty Images

FOXBORO - OCTOBER 18: Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans leaves the field in the fourth quarter during a game against the New England Patriots converse at Gillette Stadium on October 18, 2009 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 59-0. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Vince Young

Getty Images

FOXBORO - OCTOBER 18: Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans hands the ball off to teammate Javon Ringer #21during a game against the Tennesee Titans at Gillette Stadium on October 18, 2009 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 59-0. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Vince Young;Javon Ringer

Getty Images

6. Has there ever been a more disappointing football performance from a team in a season?

Keep in mind that the Titans had the best record in football last year. They returned 20 of 22 starters. Vegas had them as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. In fact, I bet on the TItans back in August at 20-1 odds just because I always want to bet on my team when I'm in Vegas.

And now we're 0-6.

Again, if we'd known we were going to suck, we could have handled it. But this entire season has been the equivalent of the scene in "Old School" when Mitch came home and found out his live-in girlfriend liked threesomes when he was out of town.

I really want nominations for a greater variety between a season's expectations and their reality. I think the Titans might be setting a new benchmark.

7. What's the most amazing thing about the five touchdowns in a single quarter?

Think about how hard it is to get five possessions in a quarter. Then think about how hard it is to get five possessions in a quarter when the other team has possession of the football to begin the quarter, meaning you actually have to score five touchdowns in under ten minutes of playing time. Then think about how hard it is to score on five consecutive possessions. Then think about how hard it is to score five touchdowns. Then think about how hard it is to score five touchdowns all by passes.

Seriously, if you think about this for too long it's the football equivalent of trying to determine what happens if a snake starts to eat its own tail.

Yep, the end result makes you dizzy.

8. Tom Brady's numbers on the day: 29-of-34 for 380 yards, six touchdowns. Kerry Collins's numbers on the day: 2-of-12, -7 yards, 1 interception.

I'm asking this question honestly, has there ever been a greater divide between quarterback statistics in the history of the league -- for one quarterback to throw for 387 yards more than another? For six touchdowns to none?

When was the last time a quarterback threw for negative yardage? Plumbing the intricacies of this game's statistics is going to break several computers. You already got that sense. For instance, it took over an hour for CBS to confirm that 45-0 was the greatest halftime deficit in NFL history.

9. Combining Brady and Brian Hoyer, the Patriots' quarterbacks were 38-for-45 for 432 yards.

People who didn't watch this weather won't even understand how remarkable this performance was. Even completing 85 percent of the passes in this game without a defense against you would have been pretty decent. A wet ball, the windy conditions, the snow, the wet field, wet hands -- all of these things should have led to a less than sterling passing game.

Instead, the Patriots dropped back to pass 45 times, and the Titans only managed to stop them from completing a pass seven times.

The Titans are making a run at worst pass defense in NFL history. Every quarterback but Mark Sanchez has thrown for over 300 yards against them this season.

If Chuck Cecil's job was in question before today, after today he should be packing up his desk at the Titans' facility.

10. LenDale White's fumble and then leaving the field on a cart.

I think White is going to be back on Tequila after tonight. If I was him, while I was in the locker room, I would have bought an entire case of Patron and had it delivered to my house in Nashville.

11. My friend Tardio texted me at halftime to ask if we could get a running clock for the second half.

12. If the flea-flicker play represented offensive perfection, the default best example of the Patriots' brilliance on the day, then the Titans' 4th-and-10 play call on the first drive of the second half has to be the exact opposite result, perfect evidence of futility.

A reverse?

Really?

On 4th and 10? Somehow, Collins completed a pass to Nate Washington that lost 22 yards. And ended in a fumble.

13. In fact, let's review the Titans' turnovers today. Because seeing them makes you feel even worse about the effort.

a. LenDale White fumbles
b. Kerry Collins fumbles the quarterback-center exchange on the next play
c. Kerry Collins intercepted on an awful throw (at this point the Titans have three turovers in five plays)
d. Vince Young intercepted on an awful throw, the second offensive play for him in the game.
e. Ahmard Hall, perhaps troubled over the 'r' in his name, fumbles on a fourth-down conversion.

My point? All five of these are awful, awful turnovers. They aren't effort plays, where your team is trying so hard to make a great play that they fail. Similarly, they aren't spectacular defensive plays. They were just awful offensive errors.

14. How many years does Jeff Fisher really get?

I need to do a column on this instead of just tossing it in as an observation, but Jeff Fisher hasn't won a playoff game since 2003. Moreover he's won just two playoff games this decade. He's been to the Super Bowl once in 16 seasons -- counting this one -- with the Oilers/Titans. His career record is now 128-108.

During Fisher's tenure at Tennessee, Brian Billick, Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan have won four combined Super Bowls and been fired from their head coaching jobs.

Don't the Titans really seriously have to think about keeping Fisher around? Especially when, as now, this team is apparently riddled with holes on defense and in need of a new quarterback and a new start. What has Fisher really done in 16 years that makes you believe he can win a championship? Or, for that matter, a playoff game?

What's more, the team quit today. They also quit against Jacksonville and against the Colts. That's three quitting efforts in a row. Most coaches don't get that luxury.

15. Finally, even the refs were just ready for this game to end. They didn't call an obvious safety on Vince Young after, you guessed it, a mishandled snap that rolled into the Titans' end zone.

In fact, as bad as it was, the Patriots left 12 points on the field. The Titans stopped one drive at their own 2, the Patriots missed a 39 yard field goal, and the safety should have been called.

The more accurate final score in this game was 71-0.

What's more, the Patriots didn't score for the entire fourth quarter, it was 59-0 at the end of the third. Honest question, how many points could the Patriots have scored if they'd left Brady in for the entire game? 80? 90?

Ouch.

16. I'll even admit it. A part of me was disappointed that Belichick didn't challenge the Vince Young safety.

I've watched football my entire life, and never seen such a mismatched performance. The safety to end the game, and give a final score of 61-0, had a certain measure of beauty, like the world's ugliest dog. But, sadly, on this day, the Titans just claimed the title for world's ugliest football team.

Going Down With the Ship: A Fan's Perspective of Tennessee's Titanic Crash originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tom Brady Sets NFL Record With 5 Second-Quarter Touchdowns

Will Brinson — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:20:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, Titans, NFL Coaching, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Record

It started out innocently enough: the winless Titans were holding the Patriots relatively in-check through the first quarter during a heavy nor'easter. It replicated perfectly the attitude that Jeff Fisher discussed about his 0-fer team (i.e. they still managed to have some semblance of heart).

Then all of a sudden, things took a turn for the worse -- or better if you're a Pats fan -- as Tom Brady caught fire and began dismantling the Titans with five (!!!!) touchdown passes ... in the second quarter! (Update: Brady added a sixth touchdown before being pulled; seven is the record for most in one game.)

That is an NFL record. Also records, via the Pats' official Twitter account: 35 points in the second quarter, a New England record for points scored in any quarter, and 45 points scored in a half, which is what the Pats put up on the Titans before intermission. New England won the game, 59-0.

The entire process was equal parts Patriots domination and Titan-fail; Kerry Collins was abysmal and Tennessee looked overmatched every second of the entire quarter.

But that shouldn't take anything away from what Dreamboat did; as MDS pointed out via Twitter, "Tom Brady had two more TD passes in the second quarter today than Brady Quinn has in his NFL career." So, yeah, that's not embarrassing for Quinn at all.

Tom Brady Sets NFL Record With 5 Second-Quarter Touchdowns originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ailing Tennessee Secondary Could Be Just What Tom Brady Needs

Chris Burke — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:40:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, NFL Analysis

It's hard to feel too bad for Tom Brady and the Patriots. Much has been made of Brady's struggle to find a groove after returning from last year's season-ending knee surgery -- but even at less than top form, Brady's fourth in the league in yards passing, and the Patriots are tied for first in the AFC East.

New England's golden boy has looked very un-Brady-like at times, though, and his struggles have transferred over to Randy Moss, who -- despite 30 catches -- has found the end zone just once.

Both Brady and Moss are in need of a confidence-boosting breakthrough performance. They could get just that against Tennessee's disheveled secondary on Sunday.

Already without cornerback Nick Harper and safety Vincent Fuller, both out with broken arms, the TItans announced Saturday that cornerback Cortland Finnegan would also sit against New England because of a hamstring issue.

If ever there was an opportunity for Brady to get untracked, it's going to be against Tennessee.

Last week, Peyton Manning scorched the 0-5 Titans for 309 yards and an 82-percent completion rate. Jacksonville's David Garrard also topped the 300-yard mark against the Titans, racking up 323 yards passing in Week 4. With those two outings, Tennessee's pass defense dropped to No. 21 overall in the NFL at 208.2 yards per game. Making matters worse is that the Titans have just nine sacks in five contests, and will not have disgruntled Jevon Kearse in the lineup again Sunday.

Manning picked Tennessee apart on shorter, underneath routes, utilizing Austin Collie and tight end Dallas Clark to great success. Brady should be able to do the same with Wes Welker and New England's bevy of running backs and tight ends -- but the short game and lack of Titans' pass rush ought to leave the door open for a few deep shots downfield to Moss as well.

New England heads overseas next week to battle another hapless foe, Tampa Bay, in London's Wembley Stadium, so Brady should get another opportunity to air it out without much resistance there. By the time New England reaches its Week 8 bye, the Patriots should be 5-2 -- the only issue is whether they'll get there with Brady looking like his normal self.

If he can't take advantage of Tennessee's beaten defense, the concerns over New England's offense will feel much more palpable.

Ailing Tennessee Secondary Could Be Just What Tom Brady Needs originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Josh McDaniels, Underdog Broncos Land Major Blow With Upset of Patriots

Thomas George — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:55:00 EST

Filed under: Broncos, Patriots

DENVER -- After both teams had rerouted receivers enough, inserted personnel groupings aplenty, forced an underneath, long-haul offensive game and pushed the matchups gimmicks to the edge, only one team had one extra play in it. One extra kick.

And that was the Broncos.

It was a 20-17 overtime victory for Denver here against the mighty New England Patriots that legitimized the Broncos' now 5-0 season. After all, the Patriots were favored to dump the Broncos in their own yard at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium.

"None of us liked being the underdog at home,'' Broncos receiver Jabar Gaffney said. "It was important to set the record straight on that.''

The Broncos had beaten the Bengals and Browns and Raiders and Cowboys. But the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick, the mentor of new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, would serve as a different measuring stick.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen used the word "legitimize'' in the locker room afterward.

Anyone watching McDaniels after this victory -- pumping his fist in the air, milking the crowd, eagerly showing his enthusiasm and just what this victory meant -- knew that McDaniels gained something special from it, too.

You'd be a fool not to realize it meant a little more to him,'' Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. "It means a lot anytime you beat somebody who means a lot to you.''

Gaffney, who has played for both coaches, added: "(McDaniels) was hyped. It was big. He thinks the world of Belichick. And now he has beaten him.''

Even McDaniels later fessed up about how this game would prove a test to what he brought to Denver and how it would work against the man who taught him. McDaniels said about it being just another game: "I lied.''

We already knew.

So did Bowlen.

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NFL Throwback Uniforms

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American Football League (AFL), several teams have worn throwback uniforms this year. Tom Brady's New England Patriots were one of four teams in retro duds for Week 5. Click through to check out the rest.

Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Image,

NFL Throwback Uniforms

Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Image,

Denver Broncos or Wyoming Cowboys? The Broncos' AFL eyesores looked very similar to those currently worn by Wyoming of the Mountain West conference. Ugly or not, they worked -- Denver upset New England in overtime.

Barry Gutierrez, AP

At first glance, the Kansas City Chiefs' uniforms on Sunday, which they sported for an overtime loss to the Cowboys, didn't look that dissimilar from their current gear. But looks can be deceiving ...

Jamie Squire, Getty Images

... While the Chiefs got to keep their red and white on, they also wore the helmet of the Dallas Texans -- the AFL squad that moved to K.C. after 1962. It made for an odd scene with "Dallas" playing Dallas in Kansas City.

Jamie Squire, Getty Images

The Rams wore what may be the most recognizable of all the throwbacks, suiting up in their well-known yellow and blue jerseys with the ram-horn helmet. It's a look that St. Louis still has in the rotation as an alternate jersey.

Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

He saw his young coach's fist-pumping antics and leap into his players' arms after Matt Prater nailed a 41-yard field goal in a game that took 64 minutes and 51 seconds to finish. One that left the Patriots 3-2.

"It does legitimize us now,'' Bowlen said. "When I sat down with Josh, an hour into the interview, I saw that same enthusiasm and excitement. Give him five more years and maybe he will grow up.''

Dawkins countered, "Naw. We'll take him just as he is. I was convinced when he came here that he would do great. I remember the great chess matches we had with him when I was in Philadelphia with (then-Eagles defensive coordinator) Jim Johnson. It was back and forth, you counter this with that. A lot of that was going on out there today.''

Belichick said the Broncos, McDaniels' Broncos, gave the Patriots matchup issues.

"That's a good football team,'' Belichick said. "There were a lot of substitutions and a lot of tying to match up. They do a good job of moving people around and creating tough matchups.''

New England jumped to a 17-7 halftime lead.

But in the second half and overtime the Patriots were held scoreless. They were 0-for-7 on third-down conversions.
"You'd be a fool not to realize it meant a little more to him. It means a lot anytime you beat somebody who means a lot to you."
-- Champ Bailey
"While the Patriots' offense was melting, the Broncos' offense picked and plucked away. It produced a 12-play, 66-yard drive midway through the third quarter that resulted in a field goal and cut New England's lead to 17-10. It tied the game on a 12-play, 98-yard fourth-quarter drive that was capped by Brandon Marshall's 11-yard scoring catch. And its winning field-goal drive in overtime was 11 plays for 58 yards.

It was orchestrated by quarterback Kyle Orton, who threw some nice balls in some tight spots and kept reading the jumbled Patriots defense to find just the right matchup. On his two scores it was Marshall, this beast of a receiver in man coverage who he mangled his defender at the goal line both times. On several gains for first downs it was Orton to receiver Eddie Royal, who was masterful underneath in his 10-catch, 90-yard day.

"We have a good thing going right now,'' Orton said.

Royal outplayed the Patriots' Wes Welker, who usually stars in the underneath role.

Orton outplayed Tom Brady.

This is what McDaniels meant when he shipped Jay Cutler out and opted for Orton. This is what he wanted. A quarterback who will put the ball where McDaniels wants it, into the hands of the player he wants it, where the design calls exactly for that. Little of the freelancing, please. Do your job.

Orton did.

He was 35-of-48 for 330 passsing yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Brady threw for only 215 yards.

"The whole second half,'' said Bailey, "the defensive game plan became more about getting to Brady. I think that changed the game in our favor. We started making him move more and rush more throws.''

And that happened the last time the Patriots had the football with a meaningful chance to win it, with 1:37 left in regulation. They were at the Denver 49, a second-and-8 play. Defensive end Vonnie Holliday crashed through and sacked Brady for a 6-yard loss, Brady fumbled and the Broncos snatched it.

For overtime, the Patriots called tails.

It was heads.

Broncos ball.

Wham, bam, kick, game.

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"Huge, it's my first one,'' McDaniels said about winning the overtime coin flip. "We wanted to be aggressive. We weren't going to sit there and be careful in overtime. We wanted to throw the ball at them and try to move it down there and not let them have the ball. I think that's the best formula to use against Tom Brady and the Patriots.''

It also happens to be the best formula to use against Belichick.

Beat him to the punch. In this instance, the kick.

Legitimized. On all fronts.

What a mountain climbed by the Broncos. They beat New England despite losing the turnover battle 2-1. The Patriots were 53-0 in games where they had won the turnover battle. That string stretched back to 2002.

McDaniels knew this was extraordinary. He said he was fist-pumping, in particular, toward the upper tier box in the stadium where his family sits.

"It doesn't mean much if you can't share it with somebody,'' he said.

McDaniels and Belichick used to share these kinds of moments.

No more. They are opposites now. Surely, they will meet again. There will be more scores to settle.

But McDaniels can always remember he landed the first punch.

A knockout.

Josh McDaniels, Underdog Broncos Land Major Blow With Upset of Patriots originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Preview: Patriots at Broncos

R.J. White — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Broncos, Patriots, FanHouse Previews

It's not very often you'll find a 4-0 team as a home underdog against a non-undefeated team, but that's exactly the scenario that has played out. New England's only road game this season was in New York, where the Jet defense completely stifled the New England offense as the team handed the Patriots their only loss of the season. No defense has played better than that of the Denver Broncos, and the team has given up just 26 points combined over the first four games of the season. Sure, a couple of those games were against Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell-led teams, but you can only beat the teams you play, and Denver has done a great job of that this year.

More Previews: Falcons-49ers | Texans-Cards | Jaguars-Seahawks

Three Key Questions:

1. With starter Correll Buckhalter out with an ankle injury, is Knowshon Moreno ready to be the man?

2. Can the New England offensive line slow down the aggressive, big-play Denver pass rush?

3. Is Wes Welker finally healthy enough to return to excelling in the New England offense?

Player in the Spotlight: Champ Bailey. The grizzled veteran looked like his old self in last week's win over the Cowboys, completely taking over in the fourth quarter and swatting balls away from Dallas receivers at will. There's a big leap in talent from Roy Williams and the Dallas receiving corps to Randy Moss. The last time these two teams met, Moss caught two touchdown passes en route to a 41-7 shellacking of the Broncos. If Moss catches two touchdowns again this week, Bailey and the Denver secondary have failed. The key will be Denver's ability to put pressure on the quarterback, and Bailey's ability to continue his renaissance.

New England's Path to Victory: With Fred Taylor likely out for the season, the multi-talented New England rushing committee has gotten a bit smaller. Taylor led the team with 201 rushing yards and a 4.5 yards-per-carry average, and no other Patriot back has even 100 yards on the season. The Patriots will have to exploit the Broncos' aggressiveness with quick passes to Welker, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk, the latter two veteran running backs. I wouldn't be surprised to see the two of them in the backfield together much of the day, as both are good blockers and great receivers. Once the linebackers and safeties have to turn their attention to stopping the short running game, that's when Moss will look to break one.

Denver's Path to Victory: New England is third in the league in time-of-possession, holding the ball for over 35 minutes on average in a game. For Denver to win, they'll have to keep the ball away from that methodical New England offense. The Patriot defense has only managed one interception through the first four games, despite facing young QBs Trent Edwards, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. As long as Kyle Orton protects the football and doesn't try forcing bad passes, Denver should be able to win the ball-control game. From there, it's a matter of Moreno making would-be tacklers miss and the defense containing the short passing game of New England.

Prediction: In a Week 5 filled with uninteresting games, this battle stands head and shoulders above the rest. People proclaimed Dallas as the first real test for the Denver defense, and that test was passed with flying colors. Yet some remain unconvinced. I say that none know the intricacies of the New England offense better than Denver coach Josh McDaniels, and it will be up to New England coach Bill Belichick to stay one step ahead. Does he have the personnel to keep up, or will the student overtake the master? Snow is in the forecast, which favors the home team here. Denver 24, New England 14.

FanHouse Preview: Patriots at Broncos originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Fred Taylor Needs Ankle Surgery

Matt Snyder — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, AFC East, NFL Injuries

According to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston, New England Patriots No. 1 running back Fred Taylor is going to undergo surgery to repair his injured right ankle. The 33-year-old running back hurt his ankle on his seventh and final carry against the Ravens this past Sunday. No real timetable has been set for Taylor's return following this procedure, except that Reiss reports that it won't cost him the season unless there are complications.

Taylor, an offseason free agent acquisition, leads the Pats' backfield committee in carries (45), yards (201), yards per carry (4.5) and touchdowns (2). Expect Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk to all receive an increased workload with Taylor sidelined.

Fantasy Football Spin:
Obviously, this is a bit of a blow to Taylor owners. He had shown the ability to play like an RB2 when given a full load in Week 3, when he carried the ball 21 times for 105 yards and a touchdown. Don't go dropping him just yet, because we haven't heard definitively if this report is true or exactly how long he'll be out from team sources.

If he is out for an extended time, Morris is a good add in mid-size leagues on up. He'll likely get the most touches, be utilized in the passing game and get goal-line carries. Maroney will have a crack at carries, but he hasn't had as much success in the past two seasons as Morris has. He's rosterable only in incredibly deep leagues as running back depth. Faulk also looks to see an increase in touches, but most of his damage will be done through the air. In really deep PPR leagues, Faulk is worth a look at as an RB4. Don't discount BenJarvus Green-Ellis in this mix, either, but he's not an add right now anywhere. Morris is the clear winner in this situation.

Report: Fred Taylor Needs Ankle Surgery originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Picking the Brain of Bill Belichick

Thomas George — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, FanHouse Exclusive

"Josh is smarter than me," Bill Belichick says about Josh McDaniels, the apprentice that seeks to school the scholar when the New England Patriots play at the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Proud, confident, keep-it-close Bill Belichick is saying an opposing coach has the intellectual goods on him? It is common NFL conjecture that Belichick is the league's smartest coach. He just leaped over Curly Lambeau into third place in all-time winning percentage of coaches with at least 150 victories. The list? George Halas (.682), Don Shula (.666), Bill Belichick (.632).

With the Patriots, he is 119-46. That is a .721 winning percentage.

But eight seasons around McDaniels with the Patriots gave Belichick all the time he needed to see that McDaniels was the type of coach who could survive a firestorm in his Broncos debut and then push the team to a 4-0 start. McDaniels reportedly told his team when he first met with them months ago that beating New England was high in his priorities.

Destroying any team -- McDaniels' included -- is higher on Belichick's.

"I don't know all of the details about that, but what I see on the field is they have played well, sound, committed, taken advantage of opportunities from miscues," Belichick, in an exclusive interview with FanHouse, said of McDaniels' Broncos. "I'm not surprised. I really don't worry too much about what everyone else does. I try to coach the Patriots. See that we do a decent job.

"Every time our team walks on the field, I expect to win. We expect to win. I'm sure the Ravens last week expected to win against us. So, I imagine Josh and the Broncos expect to win. I can't imagine being a coach and not expecting that."

Belichick said when he was a first-time head coach in Cleveland in 1991 and he played his old Giants for the first time, he did not view that game as defining. He had served as the Giants' defensive coordinator; McDaniels last season served as Belichick's offensive coordinator.

"You know the players," he said. "You know the team. But the fact was I approached that game no differently than the season-opener against Dallas or the Week 2 game against New England or the Week 3 game against Cincinnati," he said, rattling them off in order before remembering that Week 4 re-introduction to the Giants, a 13-10 loss.

Belichick is too seasoned, too big picture to worry about reducing this Sunday's meeting to a personal confrontation.

"I've been in this game a long time," Belichick said. "There's something personal every week. A few coaches and players that I've worked with or have some kind of relationship with are on the other sideline every week. You greet before the game. You get on with it. That's a weekly theme. It's a book where you keep turning the page. You get to the end on Sundays and then you turn the page. Every game is big. The game you're playing is the big one. That is the most important chapter. Then you turn the page."

He is asked how he's been able to do that -- turn the page -- from his 2007 taping scandal.

"Right now, I am only thinking about the Broncos,'' he answered.

He is asked if he traded defensive end Richard Seymour to the Raiders in part to replace the No. 1 draft pick that the Patriots lost in league penalties due to that taping scandal.

"The trade was made for the best interest of the football team," he answered. "Period."

He is asked how long he will continue to coach and what has been his foundation for success.

"In the offseason, I thought about the 2009 season," Belichick said. "It's all week to week. The Falcons before the Ravens. The Ravens last week. The Broncos now. Long term for me is six days. There are a lot of layers involved in what we have tried to build here. That is more a historical question that a lot goes into it."

So, rather than try to snow his way through it, Belichick focused on something in which he takes obvious pride -- his ability to adapt. Like his teams, which play several combinations of schemes, Belichick is fond of coaching in chameleon fashion.

[Belichick] is asked how he's been able to do that -- turn the page -- from his 2007 taping scandal. "Right now, I am only thinking about the Broncos," he answered."You watch us play," he said. "You know we aren't the same team every week or every year. Last year, we had to find our way to win 11 games a lot different that we did the year before. We find ways to win football games. That's our philosophy. I haven't always done it the same. One year I coached quarterbacks. In '05 I spent more time with the defense than the offense. What I do is a reflection of what needs to be done."

His work usually starts at 5 AM and sometimes he finds himself wrapping things up as late as midnight. His bond with the Kraft family and their ownership style of giving him freedom to make football decisions helps to make things work, he said.

His football passion has always been innate, his core, he said.

"I love the game, I love what I am doing -- it sure beats working," Belichick said. "I enjoy coming to the stadium every day. No matter if it's the offseason program or free agency work or the draft. I enjoy preparation, team building, relationships, competition, all the things involved. It's a very complex game. Very challenging. And fun."

Belichick is aware of the criticism his vast NFL head-coaching tree has received. Recent NFL head-coaching stints including Romeo Crennel in Cleveland and Eric Mangini with the Jets and Nick Saban in Miami fizzled.

He does not like the characterization of "failure" for them.

"There is not much job security in the NFL anymore," Belichick said. "It's the way it is. I see coaches like Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden and Jim Fassel and Brian Billick and Mike Martz out of the league right now, coaches that have won Super Bowls or played in them, not just coaches but guys who built things in the league. They're not in. That's the way it is and I find it hard to accept that those guys are out of the NFL, a lot of good coaches not coaching, and the guys that coached for me are failures. I don't hear that all of those guys are failures. So, I don't know about being able to say that."

So, here comes McDaniels off to a rapid start with a chance to alter that discussion. With a chance to school the scholar.

He joined Belichick in 2001 from Michigan State, where he had worked with Saban.

"We brought Josh in to work in the scouting department and to break down film for the defensive coaches," Belichick said. "He did everything we asked. There are a lot of impressive things about him. Very smart. The type of person you can give 10 different things to do and ask him about one of them and he will be right on top of it. It won't be he has done two or three of them and he will have to get back on the others. He would have something on each thing. The type of person who can juggle a lot of balls. And know where they all are.

"The type of person no matter how much you give him he can handle and keep in departments. He comes back to you and says here is what I found. Here's what else I found that you didn't ask for. And here is something I found once I got into it, so, I changed the direction and found this that I think will be more useful."

That's the way young Bill Belichick did it for Ted Marchibroda when Belichick got his first crack as a $25 per week special assistant for the Baltimore Colts in 1975.

When McDaniels feuded with quarterback Jay Cutler and before shipping the QB to the Chicago Bears, McDaniels called Belichick.

"We talked," Belichick said. "He had to bring it up. It's not my business.

"He had a couple of times where he could have interviewed for other jobs and didn't. After that, we started talking about things from a coordinator point of view and things he might not see with me as a head coach. We both knew he probably would have an option at some point; he would be a head coach and I would be looking for a coordinator. We shared information on that freely and candidly. He helped me. I answered his questions. We talked for hours and hours and it went both ways."

He has already seen similarities in his Patriots and McDaniels' Broncos in video study. He expects to see more similarities on Sunday.

Both coaches pound home to their players the importance of situational football. Both teach their teams in this manner.

This is the way Belichick explains it:

"It is basically one-play situations," he said. "Every play is key to the game. Sometimes it comes down to one play. How you perform in that situation, whether it is red zone or onside kick or whatever. Be organized. Everyone understands what we are trying to do. Have a plan and do it. Know the rules. There is always something new and challenging to show players. It makes the game exciting. We try to work on those situations like every team does. It's definitely important to us. You have to have everybody know what to do -- not one guy telling everybody else what to do."

Belichick said he does not give a lot of advice. But he does remind all that a coach cannot fully implement his program in four games. "It just doesn't happen for good in the first month of a season," he said. "It takes longer than that."

Regardless of the surface.

Some might take that as a bouquet tossed McDaniels' way before the scholar schools the apprentice.

"This season is a continuation, absolutely," Belichick said. "We've had transition in coaches and in the front office but we've continued to try and build on the foundation we already established. It's different every season. Yeah, some of the things I'm proud of. The challenge ahead is Denver. Not what we have or haven't done or reflection."

Picking the Brain of Bill Belichick originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Faces, Same Results for Pats D

Thomas George — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:10:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, NFL Notebook

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots defense was supposed to be green this season minus seasoned fixtures like Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi. Even now, it is often considered a bunch of rookies getting baptized on each blitz.

Wrong.

New England started just one player with fewer than three years experience in its 27-21 victory over the Ravens on Sunday at Gillette Stadium -- and, actually, eight of the 11 starters are in at least their fifth pro season.

The Patriots' defensive starters average 6.4 seasons of NFL experience, with an average age of 27.9 years.

The idea that the Patriots overhauled their defense and turned to a baby-faced group is nonsense.

Sure, end Myron Pryor, safety Pat Chung and cornerback Darius Butler -- rookies all -- have become contributors to the defense in reserve roles with the occasional promotion to front-line duty.

But overall, there's more than enough NFL seasoning around to mold the group into the Patriots' defensive style.

The results against the Baltimore offense was another big step toward that goal, especially since the Ravens offense entered Sunday having scored 38 points against Kansas City, 31 against San Diego and 34 against Cleveland.

New England, however, held the Ravens to 14 points (Baltimore's third touchdown was scored by its defense) and forced two turnovers -- the Patriots' D hasn't allowed more than 19 points in a game this season

All of that is welcome news in New England.

NFL personnel leaders around the league expected the revamped Patriots defense to slide. Most thought that, at the very least, the unit would take several weeks to jell into a cohesive, productive group -- Bill Belichick would need time to craft the defense and quarterback Tom Brady would have to carry them.

The defense stood on its own against the Ravens, though. It also kept a Patriots streak going -- when New England wins the turnover battle in a game, it's 53-0 since 2003.

Imagine the feelings, the excitement for a guy like cornerback Leigh Bodden.

He experienced major struggles in Cleveland, and then last season, was a starter for Detroit's history-making 0-16 team. But Bodden became the first Patriot to intercept a pass this season, picking off Baltimore's Joe Flacco on Sunday. It was a big play, coming at New England's 9-yard line 1:11 before halftime, and preserving a 17-7 lead.

Bodden is 28 years old and in his seventh pro season. He's new here, but like some of his Patriots defensive peers, has gained scuff marks elsewhere.

"The Ravens have a good offense and we made some plays, but they made a fair share,'' Bodden said. "I think getting two fourth-down stops that killed their drives late in the fourth quarter really helped define our defense a little more. I think our guys realize the opportunity we have with the changes to the defense here and are excited about making a name for ourselves while continuing [the] tradition.''

Toss in 40-year-old veteran linebacker Junior Seau, as the Patriots are expected to this week, and the mix-and-match could develop even more quickly.

Next up for this Patriots defense is a visit to Denver -- where they'll face their former offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, now the Broncos head coach.

"The defensive guys here don't talk about him that much,'' Bodden said. "And since I wasn't here last year, I don't' know him. Now, the offensive guys here know him well, and I'm sure he has come up already among them. I imagine this week, I'll hear a few stories. You know, it's important to handle old family members.''

The Patriots defense hopes to show McDaniels that the locks have been changed. That his old passwords no longer work.

And that this revamped defense can obtain old-school Patriots results.

BOWLEN BOUYANT

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen selected the 33-year-old McDaniels as his head coach, in part, because Bowlen believed McDaniels could communicate effectively with modern NFL players.

After the offseason Jay Cutler debacle that ended with Cutler being traded to the Chicago Bears, Bowlen was scratching his head.

But with his Broncos 4-0 start, and the celebratory hugs between McDaniels and previously disgruntled receiver Brandon Marshall, Bowlen is reassured.

"I am pleased to see that -- very much so,'' Bowlen said of the Marshall-McDaniels relationship turn, and Marshall's game-winning 51-yard touchdown catch against Dallas. "Josh communicated with Brandon. He reached him at his level. There was sort of a subtle difference there between that and what happened with Jay. But Josh has remained very direct in the way he communicates with the players. He tells them exactly what he wants. He speaks directly to them. That's what players respect. It gives them a solid idea of where they are and their opportunity to improve.

"I mean, Josh is obviously wise beyond his years. He grew up in a football environment, had a father who was a football coach and lived in Canton, Ohio, where football is everything. He had a solid idea of how he wanted to be as a head coach. He grasps the age of these players -- young people communicate to each other in different ways now. I have children his age. I don't text and do all of that, but they do. These players do [too]. He knows how to reach them.''

Bowlen said the miracle finish in the season-opening victory at Cincinnati has set the tone for his Broncos through their 4-0 start. He said it was important for his new young coach and so many new players to win from the start, no matter how, to push along McDaniels' teachings.

And this is what Bowlen said about McDaniels reportedly telling his team the first time he gathered them months ago that they were going to kick the Patriots "tail'' in a game that finally arrives on Sunday in Denver: "I wasn't there, so I don't know that. But I wouldn't be surprised by it.

"It's what most young coaches in that situation would tell their team. At his age, as a new head coach, sure, he wants to beat the Patriots; they are the gold standard and he comes from there. He got a heck of an education from Bill Belichick. I don't think he meant that in a rude sense. I think he looks forward to testing all he learned in trying to beat the people he learned it from.''

MENDENHALL RISES

It was a tough start for Rashard Mendenhall after he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 23 overall in the 2008 draft. He was robbed a couple of weeks later at gunpoint in Chicago, then missed most of his rookie season with an injury. This season, he lost playing time after he flopped at practices and in games, according to his coaches.

But when you sit with Mendenhall -- as I did during his time at the NFL Rookie Symposium two summers ago -- you get the sense that his passion is great and his desire is inordinate. Watching him practice at Steelers training camp this summer, I thought he was the best back on the field, running hard and inside and with power. His coaches considered some of that an illusion.

On Sunday night, Mendenhall made everything about his potential quite real.

His 165-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance against the San Diego Chargers showed everyone -- his coaches and teammates included -- that he can be the dominating running back most scouts thought he would. It was a huge night for Mendenhall, both personally and professionally.

I expect much more. So does Mendenhall. And, as important to him, so do the Steelers, who will not forget what he just accomplished while they were looking for running game answers.

SAINTS DEFENSE CASHES IN

Sunday's game against the Jets went just like Gregg Williams envisioned. His hopes materialized.

Williams, the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator, told me last Wednesday that he believed his defense could be as important as any element in the game. It was, led by safety Darren Sharper's 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 24-10 Saints victory on Sunday.

Williams also talked about the practice battles between quarterback Drew Brees and middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma. He said these battles are helping to form the Saints' early in-game success.

"They go back and forth in practices making checks and calls,'' Williams said. "The first time I saw it, it was entertaining and impressive, and it continues to be. They battle. It's extremely fun. They keep each other and their groups on their toes.

"They are both empowered to make decisions. They make winning decisions. When you get that at those two positions, you have something special.''

New Faces, Same Results for Pats D originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pretty in Pink: No Matter How It Looked, Patriots Will Take Key Win

Thomas George — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:55:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, Ravens

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Plenty of Ravens and Patriots players wore pink on Sunday -- matching shoes and gloves -- in honor of breast cancer awareness. Myra Kraft, wife of Patriots owner Bob Kraft, noticed.

She stood on the Patriots sideline only minutes before kickoff as both teams stretched and styled nearby. It takes a real football player to pull off pink, we agreed.

"And I am so glad they are manly enough to help with this cause,'' she said. "I wasn't so sure they would actually do it.''

The Patriots then set out to ensure that their social conscious should never be confused with their football tenacity.

They did just that -- even in pink, the Patriots still pack a punch.

More: Check Box Score | Baltimore Lineman Hospitalized

Their defense mauled the Ravens offense, stopping Baltimore on a huge fourth-and-1 Willis McGahee run near midfield with five minutes left. And then for emphasis, the Patriots defense denied the Ravens' final drive, one that ended when Baltimore receiver Mark Clayton dropped a Joe Flacco pass on fourth-and-4 inside the Patriots 10 in the game's final 30 seconds.

It was a big game for the Patriots psyche, a 27-21 victory over a previously-unbeaten AFC foe that could prove pivotal for possible playoff seedings come January.

For now, both own 3-1 records.

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Sunday, we learned that the Ravens are not dominant -- yet. We also learned that the Patriots still have a ton of fight in them.

"We stopped them on fourth down twice in the fourth quarter,'' Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "That's when you've got to be there.''

Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather said: "(Baltimore's) a good team. This builds a little confidence for us. People still look at our defense as the question mark. We've got Tom Brady on our team, what would you expect? Who else would be the question mark? I think we played more freely on defense as this game went on.''

The Ravens were incensed at a handful of officials' calls in the game, particularly a couple of roughing the passer penalties that they believed Brady cajoled from the officials. Brady demanded a flag, it came out, he clapped and the Ravens were livid.

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FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 4: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stands in a huddle during a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium on October 4, 2009 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tom Brady

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St. Louis Rams quarterback Kyle Boller (12) stands on the field after being knocked down during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Josh Morgan (84) catches a 24-yard touchdown in front of St. Louis Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe (21) and cornerback Justin King, rear, in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 4: Clinton Portis #26 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Buccaneers 16-13. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Clinton Portis

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LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 4: Cornelius Griffin #96 and Andre Carter #99 of the Washington Redskins walk off the field after the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Buccaneers 16-13. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cornelius Griffin;Andre Carter

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LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 4: Josh Johnson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Buccaneers 16-13. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Josh Johnson

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LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 4: Carnell WIlliams #24 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Buccaneers 16-13. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carnell WIlliams

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LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 4: Reed Doughty #37 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his sack of Josh Johnson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Buccaneers 16-13. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Reed Doughty;Josh Johnson

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LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 4: Cornelius Griffin #96 of the Washington Redskins rouses the crowd against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Buccaneers 16-13. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cornelius Griffin

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LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 4: Santana Moss #89 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on October 4, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Buccaneers 16-13. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Santana Moss

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The Ravens should have been as upset over the opening kickoff.

Patriots special teamer Eric Alexander popped Baltimore return man Chris Carr, which jarred the ball loose. New England safety Brandon McGowan recovered at the Baltimore 12 -- the game was six seconds old and the Ravens had already committed a turnover.

The miscue led to a Patriots field goal. And New England never relinquished the lead.

"On the kickoff,'' said Alexander, "I'm just trying to make a tackle. I wrapped him up and I felt the ball jiggling. We saw that the ball was jarred out from him against San Diego. We thought maybe he carries it a little more loose than other returners. That gave us a great start and a lot of confidence.''

It was back and forth in this game, with Derrick Mason (seven catches and a 20-yard touchdown grab) proving to be a headache for the Patriots secondary and Brady looking more secure with the return of receiver Wes Welker -- Brady threw 10 of his 32 passes Welker's way; Welker caught six.

Nine different New England receivers had catches, with Randy Moss cashing in one of his three grabs for his first touchdown of the year, a 14-yarder late in the third quater. Moments earlier, the Ravens defense did its thing, bringing Brady down and knocking the ball loose and into the end zone for a fumble-recovery touchdown.

The merry-go-round battle showed that the Ravens have work to do in finishing what they start -- it showed that Baltimore's victories over Kansas City, San Diego and Cleveland were a nice start, but to win on the road against an experienced bunch like the Patriots requires more consistency. More focus. More finish.

For the Patriots, this was a game that helped them realize that the potential power of this team is not a mirage. New England's difficult start to the year -- a close win over Buffalo and a thumping at the hands of the Jets -- left the Patriots with questions.

The most pressing: Is New England still truly an elite team?

But a nice dose of pink helped erase any lingering blues.

"All week we heard macho guys don't wear pink,'' Moss said. "Keep rocking that pink.''

"Some guys were very iffy about wearing that and I was one of them,'' rookie Darius Butler said. "I wore some pink wristbands, though. It gave the team something to bond on as we got ready for this tough game. I think it helped us.

"We like the results.''

Pretty in Pink: No Matter How It Looked, Patriots Will Take Key Win originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Week 4 NFL Live Tweet: Brady Quinn, Jason Campbell, More

Michael David Smith — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, Ravens

The TV cameras caught Browns backup quarterback Brady Quinn yawning on the sideline. He's not the only one bored watching the Browns.

Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib became Jason Campbell's favorite receiver early on Sunday, picking off two passes before Campbell had completed more than one to any of his own receivers.

The Bears' Johnny Knox returned the second half kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown to take 28-21 lead over Lions, leaving Chicago fans asking, "Devin who?"

Those are among the observations in today's NFL live tweet. For more, follow along below or follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

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Previous tweets:

# Bears' Johnny Knox returned the second half kickoff 102 yards for a TD to take 28-21 lead over Lions. Devin who?

# Great interception by Leigh Bodden. He looks much better as a Patriot than he did as a Lion. Funny how that works.

# Ravens LT Jared Gaither stretchered off field, apparent neck injury. Few details but some info here.

# Bucs CB Aqib Talib is Jason Campbell's favorite receiver: Talib has 2 picks, no Redskin has more than 1 catch.

# TV camera catches Brady Quinn yawning on the sideline. He's not the only one bored watching the Browns.

# Bengals DE Robert Geathers scored on a 75-yard fumble return. I didn't know a 280-pounder could run 75 yards that fast.

# Ref gave Patriots a free timeout by calling for measurement on 4th down when it wasn't close. Pats go for it, convert.

# Matthew Stafford is having by far his best game, although the Bears' D is giving him plenty of help.

# Great head-first leap into the end zone for a TD by Jay Cutler. The kind of play that will win over Chicago fans. about an hour ago # Colts rookie RB Donald Brown fights for a 1-yard touchdown. If Indy can add power running to Peyton's passing, wow.

# Browns block chip-shot Bengals FG, game stays 0-0. Testament to fans in Cleveland this lousy team still sells out.

# Bears (and refs) helping Lions with a couple big flags on opening drive, Lions score to go up 7-0.

# Tom Brady had only been sacked once this season. Now he's been sacked twice. Patriots settle for a field goal. Up 3-0.

# Chiefs fumbled the opening kickoff, too. Giants and Patriots both start inside the red zone.

# Baltimore fumbles opening kickoff, Patriots will start inside the Ravens' 20-yard line.

# At Arrowhead Stadium before Chiefs-Giants they played the Jimi Hendrix "Star-Spangled Banner."

# Derrick Mason will play for Ravens today despite an illness. His 110th consecutive regular-season game played.

# Patriots WR Wes Welker will play vs. Ravens, Joey Galloway is inactive.

# Indianapolis to honor visiting Edgerrin James before Seahawks-Colts game. James in 3 games w/Seattle: 17 rush, 43 yards

Week 4 NFL Live Tweet: Brady Quinn, Jason Campbell, More originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tom Brady's New England Teammates Carrying Him for a Change

Dan Graziano — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, Patriots, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- As mere mortals, we're conditioned to believe life is easy for guys like Tom Brady. Fame, success, good looks, championship glory ... these things make it seem as if a dude is coasting through life, surfing the biggest waves with minimal effort, skiing on one ski.

But that isn't always the way, and anybody who tuned in around halftime of Sunday's Patriots-Falcons game saw a Tom Brady who wasn't real happy about the way things were going. New England's Golden Boy QB was openly screaming at teammates, clearly frustrated by his team's red zone failures and general inability so far this season to get into sync.

"I think I was just really into it," Brady would say later, by way of denial-drenched explanation. "Just trying to keep everybody focused. Football is a team game, and it's about everybody being on the same page."

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He smiled as he spoke, and he could, because the Patriots had won this game. They had ground one out in spite of Brady's obvious rustiness and continued red-zone inaccuracies. They had beaten a pretty good Atlanta team with their running game and their maligned and undermanned defense, smothering the Falcons' All-Pro running back and Hall of Fame tight end while they were on the field and making sure they spent most of the game on the sidelines.

They won the way you'd expect a team like the Bears or the Steelers to win -- nothing at all like the high-flying, record-setting Patriots of two years ago. By the end of this season, they may get back to that level. But right now, as they cope with all manner of nagging problems, it's the rest of the Patriots who are picking up Brady and the passing game.

"Total team effort," cornerback Terrence Wheatley said. "We didn't blow any coverages. We played physical. We played hard and just did our assignments, and that's what you get when you play smart football."

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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) hugs running back Fred Taylor after his touchdown during the first half of their 26-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in a NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

San Francisco 49ers' running back Glen Coffee (29) is stopped by Minnesota Vikings' linebacker E.J. Henderson (56) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Minneapolis. Minnesota won 27-24. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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Seattle Seahawks' Nate Burleson (81) tries to get past Chicago Bears' Zack Bowman in the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Deacon Jones speaks during a ceremony as his jersey number is retired before the NFL football game between the St. Louis Rams and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 27: Running back Maurice Drew-Jones #32 of the Jacksonville Jaguars runs for a 61 yard touchdown as cornerback Fred Bennett #32 of the Houston Texans can't catch up at Reliant Stadium on September 27, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Maurice Drew-Jones;Fred Bennett

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HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 27: Houston Texans cheerleaders peform during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Reliant Stadium on September 27, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

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San Francisco 49ers' running back Glen Coffee (29) runs for 13 yards against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Minneapolis. Minnesota won 27-24. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz reacts after Detroit's 19-14 win over the Washington Redskins, Sunday, September 27, 2009, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

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HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 27: Cornerback Rasheem Mathis #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars intercepts a pass meant for wide receiver Andre Johnson #80 of the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on September 27, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rasheem Mathis;Andre Johnson

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HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 27: Cornerback Rasheem Mathis #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates with safety Reggie Nelson after intercepting a pass meant for wide receiver Andre Johnson #80 of the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on September 27, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rasheem Mathis;Reggie Nelson

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New England's defense had looked like a weak spot so far this year, and for good reason. It lost Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour in one offseason and saw Jerod Mayo go down in Week 1. Just before Sunday's game, the Patriots announced that defensive backs Jonathan Wilhite and Darius Butler would also be inactive for this game. And early in the game, nose tackle Vince Wilfork went down (and missed the rest of the game) with an ankle injury.

And still, they held Matt Ryan and the Falcons to 10 points.

"That's what our team is all about," cornerback Shawn Springs said. "We have depth at a lot of positions, so that if one guy goes down, then another guy can pick it up."

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They also have Bill Belichick, who remains one of the game's great defensive schemers even as personnel shortages make his job more challenging every week. This week, Belichick's message was simple: take away Tony Gonzalez, the great tight end. The Patriots double-covered Gonzalez all day, leaving their defensive backs one-on-one with Ryan's wide receivers in exchange for making sure the player their coach feared most didn't beat them.

"He's a guy, game plan-wise, you've got to account for," Belichick said. "He's almost impossible to match up with. So we took away from some other spots just to make sure he didn't go off for seven catches and 110 yards or something like that."

Gonzalez ended up with 16 yards on just one catch. Star running back Michael Turner had 56 yards on 15 carries. The Belichick defensive philosophy of taking away the one thing the offense most wants to do and hoping it collapses in on itself was on impressive display, and his players -- shorthanded though they were -- made it stand up.

"My hat's off to Coach Belichick and his staff," Atlanta coach Mike Smith said. "They did a tremendous job. Tony had one catch. That's all you need to know."

Clearly, the Falcons imagined he'd have more. They also imagined the Patriots would pass the ball more than they'd run it. And while that did in fact happen, it was much more even than usual. Brady threw 42 passes, and the Patriots ran 39 run plays. Fred Taylor rolled up 105 yards on 25 carries. An unusual Patriot formula to say the least.

"Coming into this game, they had run the ball 43 times and thrown it 100," Smith said. "But it doesn't surprise me. Coach Belichick, he'll show one thing one week and then next week do something different."

That's not by choice, though, in this case. The Patriots didn't go to the ground game until it was clear that Brady, once again, was not having his usual easy-breezy time throwing the ball. Brady was 3-for-10 for 10 yards on red zone plays, and while he was the one barking at the receivers at halftime, he was also too often the one responsible for the missed throws.

"We can't keep kicking field goals, I know that," Brady said. "We've got to be better than that. Just figure out what the problems are and try to fix them."

Yeah, there it is. A little orneriness bubbling up underneath the smiles. Clearly, all is not 100 percent well for Brady right now. He's happy to be 2-1 because he knows he could be playing much better. He even got a little smarmy when asked about some overthrows he made with the wind at his back.

"When you throw it 50 yards, you wish you could throw it perfectly every time, but I missed a couple of them," he said. "Hopefully I hit them next week."

And everybody chuckled because he wasn't mad. Oh, he was mad at halftime, no matter what he says. And he's clearly not 100 percent comfortable with the way things are going for him out there. But he's smart enough, and experienced enough, to know it's okay if the rest of the team has to carry the star for a little while. Especially when the record says 2-1.

"When you win the games, everything feels a lot better," Brady said. "Even though not everything's perfect yet."

Hey, give the guy credit. For a guy who's used to having everything be perfect, he's handling this pretty well.

Tom Brady's New England Teammates Carrying Him for a Change originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sorting the Sunday Pile: Tom Brady Needs a Time Machine

Ryan Wilson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Patriots, Titans, NFL Fans

Sorting the Sunday Pile looks back at the NFL weekend that was. It's also an unofficial Mike Tomlin blog.

And suddenly, Bill Belichick is just another NFL coach. Apparently, it's a lot easier to be a genius when Tom Brady isn't coming back from a serious knee injury.

More: Pretty Pictures, Week 2 | Fake Tweets | MDS' Twitter Updates

For the second consecutive week, the Patriots have looked, well, average. The defense struggled to stop Trent "Check Down" Edwards and rookie Mark Sanchez, and the offense -- particularly Brady -- rarely looked comfortable. That's a problem, especially since Belichick, who shipped Richard Seymour to the Raiders right before the season, seemed to be saying that the 2009 Pats will live or die with its offense. Yeah, that game plan ain't working.

It's early, so when people start talking about must-win games in September, it just means that they're lazy, stupid or both. And while I'm sure folks in Foxboro are concerned about Brady's complete lack of Bradyness, something worth remembering: Peyton Manning was coming off knee surgery last year at this time, and the Colts started 1-2. They were 3-3 before reeling off nine in a row to make the playoffs for the seventh straight year.

The point: it's early. Yes, Brady's injury was much more serious than Manning's, and perhaps Carson Palmer, whose knee exploded in Jan. 2006 and is just now looking like the pre-Kimo-ed version of himself, is a better comparison. Fine. But unlike Palmer, Brady is accustomed to winning. That's bordering on the cliched, but he does have three Super Bowl rings, mostly because of his play late in those games. That counts for something, I'd think.

So, right, I won't be surprised if the Pats win 11 games and end up in the playoffs. Because that's what they always do. (Notable exception: 2008. They did go 11-5, but missed the postseason. Obviously Matt Cassel's fault.) Just something to keep in mind for the Boston-area bandwagoneers, many of whom had already mentally checked out now that it looks like the Red Sox will face the Angels in the wild-card round.

So there's that.

But here's something I kept coming back to as I watched Brady fail to convert one third down after another: What happens if this is it? What if this is as good as Brady will be for the rest of his career?

I ask because Seymour admitted to NFL Network's Marshall Faulk that he was blindsided by the news that New England had traded him to Oakland. And given that Belichick is a heartless, calculating robot, I could see him doing the same thing with Brady. I'd also imagine the torch-and-pitchfork crowd would make some noise, but these are the same people who were upset about Nomar for the few weeks before the Red Sox finally won the World Series.

There's virtually no chance Brady goes anywhere, primarily because the Pats don't have a viable option at quarterback behind him. (The last guy they pegged for the gig served as the Jets' team captain Sunday.) That said, I could see Belichick trading Brady to the Raiders for all their draft picks the rest of the century, then signing Jeff Garcia and bringing in Doug Flutie and Vinny Testaverde as insurance. Because that's how he rolls.

Myron Cope Is Still Laughing

Here's all you need to know: since the Titans desecrated the Terrible Towel in Week 16, they haven't won a game. They lost to the Colts in Week 17, crapped the bed against the Ravens in the divisional round, were outplayed in Pittsburgh last week, and went defense-optional against the Texans Sunday.

A coincidence, no doubt. But just in case, I'm asking Clay for his Terrible Fork so I can stick it in the Titans because they're done. Unlike the Pats and Brady, what you see is what you get with Kerry Collins. If the game plan is hand off, complete screens and dump-offs, and let the defense do the rest, Collins is your guy. Deviate from that and you could end up with Matt Schaub hanging four touchdowns on you.

Which leads me to this: what the hell happened to the Titans' pass defense? Last week, Ben Roethlisberger completed 33 passes for 363 yards. I'm willing to chalk that up to a ridiculous number of pump fakes, but 10 days later, Schaub went for 357 yards, 4 TDs, and no picks. Schaub's a swell guy and a pretty good NFL quarterback, but those are the numbers you'd expect against, say, the Colts. (Plus, he's not nearly as proficient at the pump fake.)

Maybe the loss of Albert Haynesworth is bigger than expected. Or maybe Myron Cope is exacting his revenge from the grave. On the upside: there's a good chance we'll get to see Vince Young in the coming weeks.

Jay Cutler Is a Winner

I'm a Steelers fan. I suspect that won't garner much sympathy from most of you since Pittsburgh has six Super Bowl titles, two since 2005. That's fine, and I don't blame you. For the first half of this decade, I hated the Patriots for similar reasons, and I'll happily admit that the Giant's Super Bowl victory over the Dreamboat All-Stars was one of my favorite NFL memories in recent years.

That's a big part of what being a fan is about: hoping the teams you abhor fail. (This is also why the terrorists hate us, I'm convinced; we have so little to worry about in this country that we can spend large parts of our day contemplating such things.)

Even though Jay Cutler is a sad little clown with a sad little clown haircut, I can't really muster the energy to hate the Bears. Probably because most of the Bears fans I know are decent people and they've suffered enough without me piling on.

That's changing. Matt Snyder, FanHouse blogger and Bears supporter, thought it would be great fun to send me some instant messages during the second half of Steelers-Bears, as Pittsburgh, leading 14-7, was driving. In general, I have no problem with this. It goes back to wishing the worst on your opponents, and if you have the opportunity to point it out to them during the game, all the better.

The reverse jinx, however, is absolutely unacceptable. It reeks of desperation. Then again, Snyder has had to watch the likes of Cade McNown, Jim Miller, Kordell Stewart, Chad Hutchinson, Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton and Week 1 Cutler so maybe I should cut him some slack.

Whatever, the transcript is cut and pasted for your enjoyment:

6:26 PM Matt: so I take it you're feeling pretty confident right now
6:27 PM me: well, not confident. santonio hates water, and cutler went bonkers on the steelers in den. in '07. it's early.

Steelers get a first down deep in Bears' territory, touchdown appears imminent.

6:29 PM Matt: it's over
me: ha. i love that.
Matt: Briggs is the only guy who can tackle
6:30 PM me: fair point. btw. willie parker is the tommy maddox of running backs. all or nothing and a HUGE [expletive deleted].

Jeff Reed misses field-goal attempt.

6:31 PM me: you [expletive deleted] jinx
6:32 PM Matt: really, three straight good Bears plays! (well two and a missed FG by the drunken kicker)

Cutler hits Johnny Knox for touchdown pass to tie the game.

6:40 PM me: /blocks snyder
6:41 PM Matt: but Cutler has NO RECEIVERS!!!!
6:42 PM me: knox is doing pretty well. he's no brandon lloyd, mind you, but he's been impressive.

Steelers driving again, late in the fourth quarter.

6:52 PM Matt: BRIGGS JUST GOT [EXPLETIVE DELETED] TACKLED [EXPLETIVE DELETED]

Reed misses another field goal, Bears have decent field position for one final drive.

6:58 PM me: dear snyder: you [expletive deleted] suck.

Cutler gets the Bears into range for a Robbie Gould field goal, he converts with 15 seconds to go, Chicago leads 17-14.

7:07 PM me: seriously, you're the worst. hands down. biggest mush ever.

I may have overreacted. Snyder's not the worst. He's the second worst after Jeff Reed. (In related news: the Homeland Security threat level for Pittsburgh-area Sheetz has been elevated to red.)

(Also, randomly: people who say things like, "The Steelers need to establish a running game if they want to be successful," either don't watch football, are dumb, or both. Because the Steelers ran the ball effectively against the Bears ... and lost. And they were ineffective for most of last season ... and won the Super Bowl. You know, just like those Pats teams that won three championships from 2001-2004.)

Muffed Punts
Leftovers from Sunday's action...

... The 2009 Saints might be the 2007 Patriots. That's a scary thought, but not nearly as disturbing as this: back in 2006, when Drew Brees was a free agent, then-Dolphins head coach Nick Saban thought Daunte Culpepper would be a better fit for that offense.

... When the Packers recovered an onside kick with 45 seconds to go and trailing the Bengals 31-24, I fully expected Gus Johnson to be teleported to Lambeau Field to call the finish. By the way, when Green Bay faces Pittsburgh in Week 15, I'm predicting 75 quarterback sacks.

... Didn't think it was possible for Rex Ryan to be more intolerable, but I'm guessing he'll find a way after beating the Pats.

... Worth pointing out (to Snyder): Kyle Orton still has a better record than Jay Cutler. And everybody knows that wins and losses are all that matter.

... The Jags clearly could benefit from Matt Jones.

Via Gretz: "The Chiefs-Raiders game set offense back 200 years."

... Nuked, indeed.

This Week in Fake Tweets

via Alper

Week 2's Pretty Picture

Sorting the Sunday Pile: Tom Brady Needs a Time Machine originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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End of an Era for Patriots? Maybe Not, But NFL Is Changing

Dave Goldberg — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:20:00 EST

Filed under: Chargers, Patriots, Redskins, AFC East

The New England Patriots slipped back into the pack Sunday.

Yes, the Pats are a good team. No, they are no longer a dominant one. Their 16-9 loss to the Jets is more indicative that their dominance has ended than last season, when they missed the playoffs.

That was a "good'' miss -- they were 11-5 and could attribute their "failure'' to Tom Brady's absence. Now their failures are the result of the inevitable aging of their defense and an offense that, with injuries, had to rely Sunday on 37-year-old Joey Galloway and Julian Edelman, a rookie who played quarterback in college, to supplement Randy Moss at receiver.

It was, in fact, a day of change in the NFL.

More Coverage: Sanchez Takes Jets to 2-0 | All Week 2 Scores

Tennessee, which started 10-0 last season, is now 0-2 after allowing 34 points at home to Houston. Only three teams that started 0-2 in the Super Bowl era have won the title, the last being the Giants of two years ago, who allowed 80 points in two early losses.

On the plus side, New Orleans is 2-0 and has scored 95 points in two games -- although the 48-22 win in Philadelphia was over a team with Kevin Kolb making his first start at quarterback, in place of Donovan McNabb, who sat with a rib injury.

San Francisco, a doormat since 2002, is 2-0 with wins over Arizona and Seattle, the two teams it will have to beat to win the NFC West -- although this version of the 49ers, which uses a grind-it-out offense with a pounding defense, has a long way to go to emulate the Joe Montana-Steve Young-Jerry Rice-Ronnie Lott teams that won five titles between 1981-94.

But the clearest indication of a changing of the guard was at the Meadowlands, where the Jets made all their pre-game mouthing-off stand up by holding New England without a touchdown. Chalk one up for Rex Ryan, who said when he was made the Jets' coach last winter that he hadn't come to kiss Bill Belichick's rings.

"We're not really flying on all cylinders now. To not get the ball in the end zone is unacceptable,'' Brady said.

"We didn't do a good enough job,'' deadpanned Belichick, who rarely says more than that.

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CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 20: Danieal Manning #38 and Nick Roach #53 of the Chicago Bears bring down Willie Parker #39 of the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 20, 2009 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Steelers 17-14. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Danieal Manning;Nick Roach;Willie Parker

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SAN DIEGO , CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Darren Sproles #43 of the San Diego Chargers is pursued by Fabian Washington #31 of the Baltimore Ravens before scoring a touchdown in the first half at Qualcomm Stadium on September 20, 2009 in San Diego, California. The Ravens defeated the Chargers 31-26. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Darren Sproles;Fabian Washington

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SAN DIEGO , CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the San Diego Chargers is pressured by Terrell Suggs #55 of the Baltimore Ravens in the first half at Qualcomm Stadium on September 20, 2009 in San Diego, California. The Ravens defeated the Chargers 31-26. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Philip Rivers;Terrell Suggs

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SAN DIEGO - SEPTEMBER 20: Brandon Manumaleuna #86 of the San Diego Chargers runs the ball as Dawan Landry #26 of the Baltimore Ravens trys to tackle him at Qualcomm Stadium on September 20, 2009 in San Diego, California.The Ravens defeated the Chargers 31-26 (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brandon Manumaleuna;Dawan Landry

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SAN DIEGO - SEPTEMBER 20: Both the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens prey after the game at Qualcomm Stadium on September 20, 2009 in San Diego, California.The Ravens defeated the Chargers 31-26 (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images)

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SAN DIEGO - SEPTEMBER 20: Eric Weddle #32 of the San Diego Chargers hugs Antwan Barnes #50 of the Baltimore Ravens after the game at Qualcomm Stadium on September 20, 2009 in San Diego, California.The Ravens defeated the Chargers 31-26 (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Eric Weddle;Antwan Barnes

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Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Brad Butler is helped from the field after an injury in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. Buffalo won 33-20. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Green Bay Packers Aaron Kampman tries to stop Cincinnati Bengals Andre Caldwell during the second half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, September 20, 2009. (Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

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Green Bay Packers Ryan Grant scores a touchdown in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, September 20, 2009. (Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

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Green Bay Packers Aaron Rogers gets off a pass in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, September 20, 2009. (Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers is sacked by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, September 20, 2009. (Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

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But it goes much deeper.

If Ryan had unleashed Mark Sanchez, who threw for just 15 yards in the first half, New York might well have scored more in their first win over the Patriots at the Meadowlands since Sept. 11, 2000. In hindsight, it was inevitable -- you can't take Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Richard Seymour off the defense and out of the locker room, especially when the new linchpin of the defense, Jerod Mayo, is out for a while with a knee injury.

Offense? Wes Welker rested a sore knee and was replaced by Edelman, a seventh-round pick who used to be Kent State's QB. He had a nice game -- six catches for 98 yards. But Moss, blanketed, was taken out of the game, and Galloway, the kind of pickup who has helped in the past, did little.

In fact, if Buffalo's Leodis McKelvin had stayed in the end zone with that late kickoff on Monday night, the Patriots would be 0-2. Instead he fumbled, allowing Brady to put up two touchdowns. The five minutes in which he did it are the only five minutes in two games when he has looked like the old Brady.

He will shake off the rust.

But he may not be surrounded by enough talent for that to make a difference.

CURIOUS COACHING

"Everyone was a little down in here," Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said after Washington barely eked out a 9-7 win over St. Louis, a 2-14 team in 2008 that they should have beaten easily at home. Instead, they could have lost if the Rams had enough offense to take advantage of a strange late decision by coach Jim Zorn.

With 3:47 left, Zorn eschewed a 37- or 38-yard field goal that would have given the Skins a 5-point lead to go for it on fourth-and-1. OK, that's understandable -- and Clinton Portis got the first down.

But doing it again at the St. Louis 2 with 1:40 left? That failed, leaving the Rams a minute-and-a-half to get into range for a game-winning field goal. Given St. Louis' offensive deficiencies, might it have been safer to not leave them within a field goal of winning? Yes, Zorn left them backed up instead of kicking off and giving them reasonable field position. But if they'd somehow gotten out of the hole and kicked a field goal, Zorn might have been looking for a job on Monday.

Better to leave them needing a touchdown.

Then there was San Diego's Norv Turner, whose team lost 33-28 to Baltimore.

Trailing 21-13 in the final seconds of the first half, the Chargers completed a pass to the Ravens' 1. After a roughing-the-passer penalty was enforced, they got the ball at the 1-inch-line and 19 seconds were put on the clock.

Then the game was delayed while replay officials checked to see if Vincent Jackson had gotten into the end zone on the play that got the ball down deep. He hadn't. The Chargers lined up, and 12 seconds later, were whistled for delay -- Philip Rivers or Turner or someone apparently didn't know that when there is a replay, the play clock stops where it had been, in this case at 12 seconds.

After two incomplete passes from the 6, there were 10 seconds left and it was third down. Rather than throw in the end zone, Turner elected to have Nate Kaeding kick a field goal. Ten seconds and a down left? That made it 21-16 and they ended up losing by five, a margin that could have been erased with a TD at the end of the half and a 2-point conversion somewhere down the line.

Curious.

End of an Era for Patriots? Maybe Not, But NFL Is Changing originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Sanchez Does It Again: Jets Thrill Rowdy Crowd, Upset Patriots

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:05:00 EST

Filed under: Jets, Patriots

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.(AP) -- Rex Ryan sent a message to the fans. His New York Jets delivered one of their own.

Rookie Mark Sanchez outplayed a Super Bowl champion quarterback and the Jets backed up their big talk, shutting down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 16-9 on Sunday.

"We believe that we are the better team today,'' Ryan said. "We went out and showed it. I think our fans are huge in this victory.''

So huge, in fact, that Ryan said he was giving the fans a gameball that would be placed in the team's trophy case.

"I thought they were the difference,'' Ryan said.

The victory was the first for the Jets (2-0) over Brady at home, and the first over the Patriots (1-1) at the Meadowlands since 2000. And, it came after a week during which Ryan reiterated his offseason comments that he didn't come to "kiss Bill Belichick's rings'' and sent a voicemail to season ticket holders, urging them to be loud.

The fans clearly answered the call, causing a tough time for the Patriots' offense all game. Brady was forced into consecutive delay of game penalties in the third quarter.

"I've got to do a better job,'' Brady said. "They don't come up very often, but when they do, they hurt. And they hurt us today.''

Ryan also said the Patriots had the better coach and quarterback coming in.

Hold on, Rex. Don't sell yourself short.

"The big deal is, we're a football team that should be respected,'' Ryan said. "Sometimes we talk a little bit, but only because we have confidence in our football team.''

Earlier in the week, Jets safety Kerry Rhodes said New York wanted to "embarrass'' New England.

"Kerry made a statement, we stood behind him and we had his back,'' defensive end Shaun Ellis said.

Sanchez came out throwing in the second half after a quiet first two quarters and connected with Dustin Keller on a go-ahead touchdown, and the Jets' defense clamped down on the Patriots.

"It's a major win for us,'' Ellis said. "To close that out and put an end to that, it's great.''

Brady had a chance to tie it for the Patriots, getting the ball at the Patriots 10 with 1:48 left, but the Jets' defense stopped him as Dwight Lowery knocked away a pass to Joey Galloway on fourth down.

"Honestly, I was thinking interception,'' Lowery said, "but the angle I was at, I couldn't really get a pick. Knocking it down was the second thought and I just got it out of there.''

Brady was unable to engineer his 30th comeback victory as Sanchez took a knee twice to seal it. Brady had beaten the Jets in 12 of the previous 14 games he had faced them overall.

"We had a chance there,'' Brady said. "We just didn't execute in that 2-minute possession. It's something we've been good at, but the Jets were better at it today. It's frustrating. I think we had really high expectations for this game. We just didn't put it together very well.''

Sanchez finished 14 of 22 for 163 yards and the touchdown to Keller, while Brady was 23 of 47 for 216 yards and an interception. He was without one of his favorite targets as Wes Welker sat out with a knee injury, and Randy Moss was held to four catches for 24 yards.

"We're not really firing on all cylinders right now,'' Brady said. "To not get the ball in the end zone is unacceptable.''

The Patriots got three field goals from Stephen Gostkowski a week after the Jets' defense held the high-scoring Houston Texans without an offensive touchdown in a 24-7 win.

"That's a statement not just to us,'' cornerback Darrelle Revis said, "but to the league that every week we're going to come out here and try to get a shutout.''

Sanchez was 3 of 5 for 15 yards in the first half, but connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 45-yard gain to the Patriots 11 on the first play of the third quarter. After a 2-yard run by Thomas Jones, Sanchez found Keller in the back of the end zone to give the Jets a 10-9 lead 1:03 into the third quarter.

"We just needed to relax and find our game,'' Sanchez said. "As soon as we do, we are going to get this thing started and rolling, and that's what we did.''

Jay Feely added two field goals to make it 16-9 with 9:48 remaining.

"Give the Jets credit,'' Belichick said. "They just did a better job than we did today and I don't think there's really a while lot more to say about it.''

Gostkowski's 29-yarder with 17 seconds left in the first half gave the Patriots a 9-3 lead. It capped a 14-play, 79-yard drive that almost resulted in a touchdown.

Brady's throw on third-and-3 from the 11 was tipped by Lowery and almost grabbed in the back of the end zone by Moss, who couldn't bring in the ball when was shoved in the back and out of bounds by Jim Leonhard.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Mark Sanchez Does It Again: Jets Thrill Rowdy Crowd, Upset Patriots originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wes Welker Out for New England

Adam Gretz — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: Jets, Patriots, NFL Injuries

The New England Patriots and New York Jets are getting ready to punch each other in the face -- perhaps literally and figuratively -- and one player that won't be taking part in the festivities is Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker.

The team announced on its twitter feed that Welker is among the inactive players for Sunday's game at the Meadowlands.

Welker had previously been listed as questionable with a knee injury after hauling in 12 passes for 93 yards in New England's come-from-behind win against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. This is a pretty big blow to the Patriots offense as Welker is a major contributor in the passing game, having caught a total of 223 passes the past two seasons.

In his absence, look for plenty of veteran Joey Galloway (zero catches in Week 1) and, perhaps, rookie Julian Edelman. Edelman, an undrafted free agent out of Kent State, caught six passes for 40 yards in the preseason and also had a 75-yard punt return.

Wes Welker Out for New England originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kerry Rhodes-Rodney Harrison Twitter War Sets Stage for Jets-Patriots

Josh Alper — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:20:00 EST

Filed under: Jets, Patriots, AFC East

If you didn't know better, you'd think that Sunday's Jets-Patriots game was for the AFC Championship. There has been an outsize amount of jabbering between the two rivals, most of it coming from the Jets, for a game that will leave one team at 1-1 with 14 games to play.

The latest and, presumably, final stage in the pregame yammering took place on the radio and Twitter Friday between Jets safety Kerry Rhodes and former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison. Earlier this week Rhodes said that the Jets didn't want to just beat the Patriots, they wanted to embarrass them. Harrison responded during a radio interview.

"I've seen him turn down tackles many a time.... Guys are not happy with Kerry Rhodes talking and Rex Ryan talking. It's just blatant disrespect. You don't talk like that. Some nerve of this guy to come out and really say that. He's going to have to back it up."

Rhodes tweeted his reply, "I'm detecting a lil jealousy from @rodneyh37 he must wish he was playing 2morrow. My talent outweighs his ask belichick," and, naturally, Harrison wasn't far behind. "Kerry, you talk big for someone who has yet to even win in the playoffs you think you will ever accomplish what i accomplished?"

And so on and so on.

There's no doubt that the biggest (only?) winner of Twitter wars are the guys who started the company, but the result of Sunday's game will still serve as either a justification or a rebuke of the way Ryan has changed the tenor of conversation in the AFC East. The Jets coach has gone way out on a limb with his consistent focus on beating the Patriots in an early season game, which means he won't be able to escape a tremendous amount of blowback if his team can't back up the bluster.

Losing this game wouldn't be a disaster for the Jets, just as winning it wouldn't constitute a changing of the guard in the division, but the amount of chatter leading up to the contest guarantees it will be spun that way. Such is the risk and reward of doing battle via media.

Kerry Rhodes-Rodney Harrison Twitter War Sets Stage for Jets-Patriots originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Straight-Shooting Ryan Sticks to Guns, Fires Up Jets

Thomas George — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Jets, Patriots, NFL Coaching

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan says his phone incessantly rings. The calls come from inside and from outside of the National Football League. They tell him to cool it. Pipe down. Shut up.

"Oh, yeah, some of them think they know me," Ryan said "Some of them don't. I'm not going to change. I just try to fit myself, who I am, into this and the players wouldn't have it any other way. They know that would be phony. I tell it the way I see it. I'm comfortable with that."

Many are not.

Not the Patriots, who seek a ninth straight road victory over the Jets on Sunday in the Meadowlands. Not many of his peers, who ascribe to the old-school coaching theory that the less you say, the less you have to take back.

But maybe Rex Ryan is on to something.

Maybe like NFL dust-it-up coaches of old including his father, Buddy, and Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Glanville and Sam Wyche and Mike Ditka, Ryan believes there is something that clicks when using brutal candor to change miserable, losing habits. When gutting a franchise's forlorn air.

And Ryan has certainly tapped into this -- today's young NFL players are more like him than the traditional league coaching model.

"Coming from Iowa where Kirk Ferentz led it, I couldn't have a more different coach," Jets rookie running back Shonn Greene said. "Kirk was more relaxed. I think Rex's way is a better way. He is direct. Straightforward. You understand it. Players respond to that. He gets them more excited than mad."

Jets fullback Tony Richardson is in his 16th NFL season. He has seen Ryan's approach, only behind closed doors.

"Dick Vermeil used to stand before us in Kansas City before playing certain teams and tell us they were soft and weak and we should bury them," Richardson said. "I have had many coaches who were as direct, just not to the outside world. Rex understands that today's younger players just want coaches to say what they are going to say, inside and outside. There is a new breed of players in this league, guys in their early 20s, who will let you know about it, tell you what they are going to do about it and then go out and do it.

"It starts now in high school and carries on to college and now this is what you are getting in the NFL, especially on the field. Making sure that does not disrespect opponents and that we remain role models is important. I don't think that's a problem with what Rex is doing or what we as players here are doing."

Really, for Ryan, it is about building confidence. Enforcing it.

Sometimes a team, collectively, does not realize its full potential until a coach brings the message with pop. This is what Jets owner Woody Johnson is counting on.

Johnson has seen the Patriots pummel his teams, his franchise. He has seen the Patriots toy with them in a battle from top down that has been at times personal and nasty and always intense.

Johnson was left with the bruises.

After he bought the Jets in 2000, he won the first three Patriots matchups. Since, Johnson is 2-14 against the Patriots. The Patriots have won the last five. They dusted Johnson's team seven in a row from 2003 through 2006. Their lone playoff matchup during Johnson's leadership was after the 2006 regular season, a 37-16 scorching.

Bottom line is the Patriots are smug when it comes to the Jets. They view the Jets simply as Patriots wannabees. They view them as a franchise obsessed with replicating them.

Little wonder Johnson has taken a new tract -- Ryan and his bluster and his team's aggressive on-field style -- that now colors the Jets.

Hammer them -- Ryan and his players -- leading up to the matchup and then bring more of it to the field.

"He has lived his life in football," Johnson said of Ryan. "He has confidence. He can't disguise it. From our time in our interview, I could tell this was what he was going to be and this was the style he would use."

It is Ryan real, authentic, unfiltered, Johnson says.

It is the response to the ogre that is the Patriots and to the Jets' deep-rooted NFL frustration with building enduring, championship-caliber football.

Linebacker Bart Scott explained: "You can say it, talk it, or you don't and you can believe it or you don't. We've got a coach and a way now that dares us to be great. Confidence is necessary."

So, Rex Ryan wore a little extra stubble on his face this week and kept talking big and said his team is right on target. He said his offensive line as a group is as good as any in the league. He said the Patriots will get everything the Jets have.

What if the Patriots hammer them by 40 points?

How foolish will Ryan and his players look? Can they handle that?

"That's part of the deal, and I understand if that comes," Ryan said. "I don't think we are going undefeated. I don't think we're going to be able to win them all. I think we have a really good football team that won't allow that at all, but I haven't always been right in my life."

But in Rex's world, he clings to this: Nor has he always been wrong.

Straight-Shooting Ryan Sticks to Guns, Fires Up Jets originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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