New England Patriots @ New York Jets Preview

September 19th, 2009 1:03 pm
by Big Dog

Well it’s not really a surprise to anybody that the Patriots are coming off a win against Buffalo. What IS surprising, is how they very nearly didn’t. You can make all the excuses you like, but the simple truth is that the Patriots don’t have it together yet. Brady was very pressured by the Bills‘ pass rush, especially in the first half, and the characteristic Patriots cohesion just wasn’t on display.

At the same time the New York Jets just monstered Houston with the Texans’ only score the result of a combined INT and Fumble Recovery. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez is certainly stirring up the enthusiastic support of Jets fans and with good reason. So far he seems to be stepping up to playing at the elite level with a great deal of poise, maturity and mental presence – all of which he’ll need if he wants to win on Sunday.

New England Patriots

Brady and the Patriots offense put up good numbers last week, with 378 passing yards and 12 receptions each for Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Their running game was seriously hampered and had its lowest output in a while. This formula can’t hold up against the newly revitalised Baltimore Jets defense. Quite simply, the Patriots need to get more yardage on the ground and contain the brutal defensive onslaught the Jets unleashed on the Texans last week. If they can do that, then the Patriots will get the job done.

New York Jets

New head coach Rex Ryan is off to a strong start and has established a foundation for his right to the position on the basis of his defense’s miserly allowance of only 183 total yards against Houston. If his defense can bring that same intensity and success to this Sunday’s game, then they’re in with a chance. The New York Giants showed the way to beat the Patriots in Superbowl XLII, hit Brady hard and often (and pull off a miracle or two). Unsettle the passing game and disrupt the run. Make no mistake, Mark Sanchez is a very good rookie quarterback, but if the Jets are going to beat the Patriots, it will be the defense that wins the game.

Prediction

Any rational football fan has to take the Patriots here. Expect them to bring a journeyman, work-a-day approach to the game, looking to systematically pick the Jets apart. A cold, clinical and methodical approach.

But I’m not a rational fan when it comes to the Patriots. I can respect the team and their success (and I do), but I don’t like their flavour of kool-aid, so I’m not buying it. This might be a case of wishful thinking, but I’m going with the hubris of youth in Sanchez, the point to prove in Rex Ryan and the renewed passion of Jets fans, and most of all – the ferocity of their defense.

New York Jets 31 – 28

Posted in Analysis, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Game, Houston Texans, NFL, NFL Coaches, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Game Previews, NFL Players, NFL on television, NFL schedule, NY Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Randy Moss, Superbowl, Superbowl XLII, Tom Brady, Wes Welker | No Comments »

Superbowl XLII – PREVIEW

February 3rd, 2008 5:35 am
by Pro Set

New York Giants vs New England Patriots – Superbowl XLII

Despite the substandard play of Tom Brady in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots remain clear favourites. The key to the game, when New England has the ball, is whether New York changes its tactics from the Week 17 contest.

In Week 17, the Giants attacked the patriots, and put pressure on Brady. He looked a little unsettled, and generally the tactics of the Giants met with widespread approval. But the seminal moment of Week 17 was the Brady to Moss TD pass when Moss was left single-covered. The playoff opponents that have faced New England clearly determined not to get beaten deep. This policy looked futile as Brady picked Jacksonville apart in the AFC Divisional Playoff. But JAX stuck form to the game plan, and never let the Patriots strike quickly.

San Diego followed this lead, despite the fact that JAX could not force the turnovers. Luck, however, was with SD as Brady was 5% off his game, and with 7 or 8 men in coverage, SD had the men there to swallow three INTs.

So, does New York attack or play coverage? The excellent weather in Arizona tends to suggest that Brady will be comfortable picking apart deep zones. But I think that the Giants must rush four and trust them to deliver. The Patriots offensive line has to have an off day eventually. Since New York has no one who can cover Moss in single coverage, it would be a massive gamble to bring excess rushers on a consistent basis.

For the Giants offense, Eli Manning needs to have his hot streak continued. The accuracy on his throws, the lack of one bounce receptions, and the reliability of Plaxico Burress have to arrive in Arizona. It is obviously well known that Eli Manning has not fared well in his career against the blitz. New England will be tempted to bring relentless pressure. This will test Asante Samuel, who is surely the man to cover Plax when the blitz arrives. He cannot fare worse than Al Harris, who had a nationally televised disaster that will surely be the epitaph to an overrated career.

The Patriots will win, and this author congratulates New England in advance on a perfect season.

Posted in Analysis, Asante Samuel, Bill Belichick, Game, NFL, NFL Coaches, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Players, NY Giants, New England Patriots, Plaxico Burress, Randy Moss, Superbowl, Superbowl XLII, Tom Brady, Tom Coughlin | No Comments »

Superbowl XLII – Pros and Cons

January 31st, 2008 11:11 pm
by Big Dog

The Superbowl’s always an exciting time of year. It’s the culmination of a long and hard season. It’s one of the greatest sporting spectacles on earth. And yet, if your team didn’t make it, the Superbowl presents a very real conundrum. Who do you cheer for?

This year your choice is between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. Each of these teams present their own sets of pros and cons when you consider offering your support.

New England Patriots
Pros

  • Perfect season (so far) – if you like backing a winner, the Patriots can offer all the winning you could want this season
  • Tom Brady – good looking, polite, friendly, humble, has a supermodel girlfriend and he can play football
  • Randy Moss – can run so fast and so far that Brady actually has to work at throwing the ball far enough to get to him
  • Laurence Maroney – while so much attention has been on the New England passing game this season, Maroney’s been getting the hard yards on the ground, forcing opposing defences to work even harder.

    • Cons

  • Perfect season – it’s hard to not want to see the underdogs knock of the undefeated favourites
  • Tom Brady – he’s good looking, polite, friendly, humble, has a supermodel girlfriend and can play football… too good to be true? Or just so good it’s annoying?
  • Bill Belichick – he’s sullen, surly, obsessed, clearly a manic genius and can come across as pretty arrogant

    • New York Giants
    Pros

  • Underdog status – everyone loves the underdog and it’s never a bad thing to support them, if you win, you did it against the odds, if you lose, well nobody really expected you to win anyway (indie band Spoon have a word of warning for the Patriots in their song The Underdog – “you never respected the underdog, that’s why you will not survive”)
  • Upset wins – the Giants have managed some tight wins in tough conditions recently. They’ve certainly found their form at the business end of the season.
  • Last time they met – the Giants really stretched the Patriots, up until the third quarter. However, if they’ve learned from that game… who knows how much they might stretch Belichick, Brady and the rest of the Pats this time round?
  • Plaxico Burress – the man’s predicted a definite 23-17 win for the Giants, maybe he knows something nobody else does
  • Eli Manning – he’s not only carrying the Giants team and fans on his shoulders, he’s also carrying the Manning family’s hopes for back to back Superbowl victories… that could be the inspiration he needs to lift his game

    • Cons

  • Eli Manning – Eli’s been famous for occasional bad decision making (usually when the game’s on the line) and it’s just possible that he’ll crack under the pressure of the biggest game of the year
  • Tom Coughlin – now, this is just me talking, but there have been several times this year when it’s looked to me like Tom just doesn’t know what to do, this is an issue that I mentioned earlier in the season.
  • The Patriots – Unfortunately for the Giants, they’re playing this year’s Superbowl against the New England Patriots, the record setting, unbeaten team of the year.

    • Anyway, no matter who you decide to cheer for this weekend, enjoy the game, enjoy the spectacle and enjoy the football.

    Posted in Bill Belichick, Eli Manning, Game, Laurence Maroney, NFL, NFL Coaches, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Game Previews, NFL Players, NY Giants, New England Patriots, Plaxico Burress, Randy Moss, Superbowl, Superbowl XLII, Tom Brady, Tom Coughlin | No Comments »