Projo Pats Blog

Two weeks ago against the Jets, the Patriots won a defensive-oriented battle in which both teams scored in the teens. As much credit as Matt Cassel and the defense got for that performance, it was just as much won by the play of the Patriots on special teams. Last week, the Patriots once again scored in the teens (once again aided on their scoring drives by good field position), but the Dolphins opened up their offense and put the Patriots away by scoring 38 points themselves.

What we see in these two games is that the tables have turned a bit on the Patriots. Last year, the Pats frequently buried teams in the first half by throwing downfield early and often. This year, the Patriots are targets for similar treatment, with their questions in the secondary and their offense's apparent inability to go downfield themselves.

Over the next three weeks following the bye, the Patriots will face these teams: the 49ers, the Chargers and the Broncos. Let's take a look at the number of points scored by each team in its first three games:

-49ers: 13, 33, 31
-Chargers: 24, 38, 48
-Broncos: 41, 39, 34

These are three teams that know how to score. With Tom Brady at the helm, the Patriots would welcome a shootout with any of these squads. But with Matt Cassel calling signals, there is going to be tremendous pressure on the defense to limit the downfield attacks of each of these teams.

Here's what longtime NFL executive Mike Lombardi told The Boston Globe, which convened a panel of football experts to identify trends from the early part of this Patriots season: "Before the Jets game, I said if the game was in the teens, they were going to win; if the game was in the 20s, they were going to have trouble." At the start of the season, the Patriots had the easiest schedule in the NFL, based on the overall 2007 record of their opponents. But as you look at this schedule now, you see danger signs, and you come to the realization that the Patriots are going to have to learn to play in the 20s, at least, to be successful.

TED JOHNSON'S CONTRIBUTION: The former Patriots linebacker, who went public last year about the mental-health issues that he blames on repeated concussions suffered during his football career, is one of six former players who have agreed to donate their brains to a Boston University School of Medicine project to study the long-term effect of concussions. (New York Times) The others include former tight end Frank Wycheck; the program has also received commitments from a former member of the U.S. women's soccer team and from Noah Welch, who played for the NHL's Florida Panthers last season.

NO ARGUMENT HERE: Jim Donaldson agrees with my basic points from yesterday about Ellis Hobbs and the "fickle" Patriots fans. (projo.com)

WIDE RECEIVER ADDED: The Patriots have agreed to terms with second-year wide receiver Maurice Price, who was waived by the Chiefs last week.

PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS: The Patriots mixed their defensive substitution patterns quite a bit in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the Dolphins, and every defensive player got into Sunday's game except for Jonathan Wilhite and Larry Izzo. For the first time, rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo did not play every defensive snap, but veteran Adalius Thomas did. (Boston.com)

GIANTS SUSPEND BURRESS: Giants coach Tom Coughlin proved himself to be the tough guy once again, suspending star wide receiver Plaxico Burress for two weeks due to insubordination. (Fox Sports) Burress skipped practice on Monday and failed to respond to calls from the team seeking an explanation. The first week of Burress' suspension will be served during the Giants' bye week; the second week will include New York's game against Seattle.

NOT A STREAK BUSTER: Brett Favre limped off the field after twisting his ankle in San Diego on Monday night, but Jets coach Eric Mangini expects Favre to be ready when New York hosts the Cardinals on Sunday. (projo.com) Favre's start on Monday pushed his NFL-record streak to 256 consecutive starts.

THE VULTURES CIRCLE: The Jets' lopsided loss Monday night is being played as yet another indication that Mangini has lost his touch when it comes to preparing his team for big games. (Newsday)

STALLWORTH FINALLY READY: Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel, in between discussing Derek Anderson versus Brady Quinn and admitting that his team is not giving Jamal Lewis enough carries, said that wide receiver Donte' Stallworth should be ready to make his Browns debut against Cincinnati in Sunday's battle of winless Ohio teams. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

AS THE RAIDERS TURN: According to a report on Profootballtalk.com, the latest reports that Lane Kiffin's firing was imminent may have been planted by Raiders owner Al Davis in an attempt to catch someone who is leaking information to the media from within the inner circle of the organization. The report speculates that the leaker is Kiffin, and that it will be further proof to Davis that he needs a new coach.

AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT: Could it really be that former Cowboys quarterback and current Fox analyst Troy Aikman has an ownership stake in the Raiders? (East Bay Express)

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE OLDER: We knew there were changes coming in St. Louis, and now we have change number one: Marc Bulger is out as starting quarterback and Trent Green is in. (projo.com) Bulger has a 73.2 passer rating in the Rams' three losses to start the season. He's the team's highest-paid player and its starting quarterback since 2002. Green is 38 years old and on his second go-round with the Rams -- he was the guy whose injury launched Kurt Warner's career in 1999.

INJURED PLAYER SENT HOME: Baltimore safety Dawan Landry, who suffered a spinal chord concussion during the Ravens' win on Sunday, has been released from the Maryland Shock Trauma Center and is expected to return to the team this season. (Baltimore Sun)

SIMPLY THE BEST: NFL.com's Vic Carucci examines the league's six remaining unbeaten teams, and sees the Dallas Cowboys followed by everyone else.

THE NFC EAST, AND EVERYONE ELSE: ESPN's latest power rankings have Dallas number one, followed by two of the Cowboys' NFC East rivals, the Giants and the Eagles. The Patriots fell from sixth to 11th, while the Titans, at number four overall, are now the top-ranked team in the AFC.

T.O., AUTHOR: Terrell Owens has released a new book, with a shirtless T.O. showing off his perfect physique on the front cover, with the self-help title "Finding Fitness." Owens yesterday did a book signing in Southlake, Texas, and "outside of a guy wearing a Lito Sheppard jersey and Philadelphia Eagles-branded tennis shoes and some strange woman yelling at him to 'get out of here, this is Cowboys territory,'" it went off fine. (Dallas Morning News)

THEY CAN STILL FLY HIGH: One reason the Eagles look so good is that the way Donovan McNabb is playing, the offense can continue to produce even without Brian Westbrook. (ESPN)

CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE: The Giants' Justin Tuck has certainly earned plenty of attention this season, but Tuck doesn't even think he's the best player on New York's defensive line. That would be 317-pound Fred Robbins, although it is Tuck who is being mentioned as a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. (Newsday)

PITTSBURGH LOSSES: The Steelers will not have running back Willie Parker or nose tackle Casey Hampton for Monday night's game against Baltimore. (projo.com) Parker sprained his left knee late in Sunday's game at Philadelphia, setting the stage for rookie Rashard Mendenhall to get his first start. Hampton, who has a strained groin, is the second starter to go down on Pittsburgh's defensive line; Brett Keisel is also out with a calf injury.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS: That quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is relatively healthy, the eight sacks he took at Philadelphia notwithstanding. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

ANOTHER ONE DOWN: The Saints are one of the NFL's more injury-affected teams, and yesterday came word that New Orleans had lost another starter. But guard Jamar Nesbit's injury is self-inflicted: He is being suspended four games without pay for violating the leagues steroid policy. (projo.com)

AN ENDING IN DENVER? The Broncos placed five-time Pro Bowler Tom Nalen, a 15-year veteran and a key member of Denver's two Super Bowl championship winners, on injured reserve with a knee injury, putting his career in jeopardy. (NFL.com)

LOSING HIS EDGE: Edgerrin James has become an afterthought in a good Cardinals offense, and he figures to continue losing carries to rookie Tim Hightower. (East Valley Tribune)

JON KITNA'S DEFENSE: The starting quarterback of the 0-3 Lions says that the team can bench him if it chooses, but that it won't answer their many issues.

HILGENBERG DIES: Wally Hilgenberg, a linebacker on the Minnesota Vikings teams that advanced to the Super Bowl four times (and lost them all) died after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. (projo.com)

AND FINALLY: Former football players always seem to do well on "Dancing With The Stars," so it shouldn't surprise me maybe that Warren Sapp isn't so bad either. Not that I watch the show. Really.

 Tags  Football Today

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