Football is a game of peaks and valleys. At least that's what my high school football coach used to drum into our heads. While I didn't care for my coach, and I wouldn't have expected any sagely advice from such a dull man, I found this particular aphorism to be true.
Sure enough, the first six weeks of another NFL season has provided some high points and, as a Patriots fan, a whole lotta low points. The casual observer might figure that New England's low point transpired in the first quarter of Week One's game when Kansas City's Bernard Pollard did his best to make Tom Brady do a flamingo impression, effectively tearing the all-world quarterback's ACL and MCL. But, I can assure you that the team's pitiful performance last night against the Chargers did so much more to perpetuate the awful feeling of malaise that currently surrounds the squad.
Here's a glimpse into the average Pats fan's mind after Brady went down against the Chiefs: Sure, it's a kick in the groin to lose the reigning MVP, but come on! Let's be realistic. Mr. Brady is definitely a vital part of our offense, but just look at how many other cogs there are in the machine! Matt Cassel played all throughout the preseason, so he knows the ins and outs of this offense. And hey, let's be honest: with an offense as stacked as this, we could put Tarvaris Jackson behind center and still put points on the board. These guys might not replicate the 16-0 record of last season, but because they play in the weakest division in football and because most of the same faces were back to play out the NFL's easiest schedule, it's not unrealistic to think that this team will finish 12-4 or 13-3.
In Cassel we trust!
For a few weeks there, we were able to delude ourselves into actually believing this, especially after Cassel was able come out and play mistake-free ball in his start against the Jets. Hell, we were even able to chalk-up the embarrassing 38-13 loss to the Dolphins as an inevitable hiccup in a 16-game schedule.
Flash forward to last night in San Diego.
The feelings of doom began on the Chargers' first play from scrimmage, when Philip Rivers connected with Vincent Jackson for a 48-yard gain that setup a field goal.
The feelings of doom blossomed into feelings of despair when Rivers hit Malcom Floyd with a 49-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later. It seemed that before the Pats had even arrived at Qualcomm Stadium they were trailing 10-0. The remainder of the first half was just an ugly blur that left last year's AFC runners-up ahead of the reigning champs by two touchdowns.
If the theme of the first half was that New England's defense is old and vulnerable, then the second half's theme dealt with the very un-Bradylike play of Matt Cassel. Brady's understudy nearly inspired new hope among the faithful when he led the team 76 yards down the field to the doorstep of the end zone. But then he dashed our hopes with his two-bit attempt to sneak past the San Diego defenders on fourth-and-one. What's worse is that before he tried to maneuver his lanky frame past the menagerie of defensive linemen and linebackers, he failed to spot a wide-open Benjamin Watson in the back of the end zone. Fueled by the roar of the hometown crowd, the Chargers seized the ball back and Rivers was able to march his team 98 yards for another touchdown; the coup de grâce that put New England down 24-3 when they should have only trailed 17-10. The game was over in the third quarter.
The second crushing defeat in a span of three games brings with it a whole host of questions. First and foremost: how can last year's juggernaut barely scrape together 10 points when they hold the football longer than their opponent? And how long can the Pats stay confident in Matt Cassel if he continues his lackluster play? How will the Patriots deal with playing in a division that's no longer a laughingstock? (For those not keeping score at home, the once-lowly Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are now 4-1, 3-2 and 2-3 respectively.) Can Laurence Maroney stay healthy once he’s back on the field? How long will it take Randy Moss, notoriously unhappy while playing for the unsuccessful Oakland Raiders, to throw in the towel on the 2008 season? These questions may seem premature for a team that has 11 games remaining on their schedule, but with upcoming games against solid opponents and having to play in an increasingly competitive division, they must be posed.
And while they still maintain a winning record in the face of two humiliating losses, can anyone still realistically see this team finishing with 12 wins? Of course not. How about 10? Even that's iffy. A team whose three wins come against squads that are collectively 6-10 is highly suspect.
Next week presents the challenge of a “must win” game, which is something that this group really hasn’t had to face very often. Gillette Stadium will undoubtedly be packed with fans lusting for a dismantling of the Broncos, who have also dropped two of their last three. Anything short of a win will most likely introduce the team to something else with which they’re unfamiliar: a chorus of boos cascading down upon them from their hometown fans.
Sure enough, the first six weeks of another NFL season has provided some high points and, as a Patriots fan, a whole lotta low points. The casual observer might figure that New England's low point transpired in the first quarter of Week One's game when Kansas City's Bernard Pollard did his best to make Tom Brady do a flamingo impression, effectively tearing the all-world quarterback's ACL and MCL. But, I can assure you that the team's pitiful performance last night against the Chargers did so much more to perpetuate the awful feeling of malaise that currently surrounds the squad.
Here's a glimpse into the average Pats fan's mind after Brady went down against the Chiefs: Sure, it's a kick in the groin to lose the reigning MVP, but come on! Let's be realistic. Mr. Brady is definitely a vital part of our offense, but just look at how many other cogs there are in the machine! Matt Cassel played all throughout the preseason, so he knows the ins and outs of this offense. And hey, let's be honest: with an offense as stacked as this, we could put Tarvaris Jackson behind center and still put points on the board. These guys might not replicate the 16-0 record of last season, but because they play in the weakest division in football and because most of the same faces were back to play out the NFL's easiest schedule, it's not unrealistic to think that this team will finish 12-4 or 13-3.
In Cassel we trust!
For a few weeks there, we were able to delude ourselves into actually believing this, especially after Cassel was able come out and play mistake-free ball in his start against the Jets. Hell, we were even able to chalk-up the embarrassing 38-13 loss to the Dolphins as an inevitable hiccup in a 16-game schedule.
Flash forward to last night in San Diego.
The feelings of doom began on the Chargers' first play from scrimmage, when Philip Rivers connected with Vincent Jackson for a 48-yard gain that setup a field goal.
The feelings of doom blossomed into feelings of despair when Rivers hit Malcom Floyd with a 49-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later. It seemed that before the Pats had even arrived at Qualcomm Stadium they were trailing 10-0. The remainder of the first half was just an ugly blur that left last year's AFC runners-up ahead of the reigning champs by two touchdowns.
If the theme of the first half was that New England's defense is old and vulnerable, then the second half's theme dealt with the very un-Bradylike play of Matt Cassel. Brady's understudy nearly inspired new hope among the faithful when he led the team 76 yards down the field to the doorstep of the end zone. But then he dashed our hopes with his two-bit attempt to sneak past the San Diego defenders on fourth-and-one. What's worse is that before he tried to maneuver his lanky frame past the menagerie of defensive linemen and linebackers, he failed to spot a wide-open Benjamin Watson in the back of the end zone. Fueled by the roar of the hometown crowd, the Chargers seized the ball back and Rivers was able to march his team 98 yards for another touchdown; the coup de grâce that put New England down 24-3 when they should have only trailed 17-10. The game was over in the third quarter.
The second crushing defeat in a span of three games brings with it a whole host of questions. First and foremost: how can last year's juggernaut barely scrape together 10 points when they hold the football longer than their opponent? And how long can the Pats stay confident in Matt Cassel if he continues his lackluster play? How will the Patriots deal with playing in a division that's no longer a laughingstock? (For those not keeping score at home, the once-lowly Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are now 4-1, 3-2 and 2-3 respectively.) Can Laurence Maroney stay healthy once he’s back on the field? How long will it take Randy Moss, notoriously unhappy while playing for the unsuccessful Oakland Raiders, to throw in the towel on the 2008 season? These questions may seem premature for a team that has 11 games remaining on their schedule, but with upcoming games against solid opponents and having to play in an increasingly competitive division, they must be posed.
And while they still maintain a winning record in the face of two humiliating losses, can anyone still realistically see this team finishing with 12 wins? Of course not. How about 10? Even that's iffy. A team whose three wins come against squads that are collectively 6-10 is highly suspect.
Next week presents the challenge of a “must win” game, which is something that this group really hasn’t had to face very often. Gillette Stadium will undoubtedly be packed with fans lusting for a dismantling of the Broncos, who have also dropped two of their last three. Anything short of a win will most likely introduce the team to something else with which they’re unfamiliar: a chorus of boos cascading down upon them from their hometown fans.
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