Game of the Week Preview

tom-brady-jpgThe featured game for week five is New England (3-1) at Denver (4-0). In what seems to be a Hollywood-like plot, Josh McDaniels will lead his undefeated team against his former mentor Bill Belichick. McDaniels, 33, spend the last eight seasons working under Belichick in New England, which included the last three years as the primary play caller and offensive coordinator.

Denver Quick Look:

The new-look Broncos passed their first major test last Sunday when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 17-10.  Josh McDaniels has proven once again that he is a genius with offensive schemes, which have lead to good play from starting QB Kyle Orton. Even though Denver has beaten weak opposition thus far, their defense is ranked number one overall in points per game, yards allowed, sacks and turnovers.

New England Quick Look:

The New England Patriots live and die with the play of their start quarterback. In Tom Brady’s first year back after suffering a devastating knee injury, he has played just good enough to for the Patriots to win (1129 passing yards, 4 TD, 2 INT). This is certainly not the same Patriots team that went 16-0 two season ago as many players have either left in free-agency, retired, are injured or have been traded.

Key Battle:

The key battle for this game will be the Denver defense trying to slow down Tom Brady. If the Denver defensive statistics are inflated due to an easy early-season schedule, the Broncos could be in for a long night. Perhaps the key to the game will be the health of Patriots WR Wes Welker. If Welker is healthy, Brady will have multiple receiving threats and can avoid throwing the ball to Champ Bialy’s side of the field.

Prediction:

New England, 20-17

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The New England Patriots season a wash?

Matt CasselIt’s safe to say the injury to Tom Brady in the first game of the 2008 NFL season makes this season for the New England Patriots a lost season. High expectation again were with the Patriots, maybe not to repeat 16-0 but be Super Bowl contenders once again. With Matt Cassel as the starting quarterback the Patriots fall back down to earth with the rest of the teams in the AFC, which also opens the door for new AFC Champion contenders. Patriots fans must agree that with the lose of the best QB in the league they wouldn’t expect much from the Patriots in 2008. In 2001, Drew Bledsoe became hurt and then unknown quarterback Tom Brady took his place and excelled so maybe history will repeat itself.The Patriots would seem to have fallen in the underdog role since Brady’s injury. How fast can the favorites in the NFL become the underdogs?….it happened in one game. The Patriots still have their potent offense with wide receivers Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Jabar Gaffney with coach Bill Belichick running the team. The receivers can be only as good as their quarterback, Brady raised everyone’s level of play in 2007 and with his lose Cassel must find a way to distribute the ball effectively and efficiently without creating turnovers.

Cassel doesn’t have to win the game for the Patriots, just not lose it for them. Many quarterbacks in the NFL have a great team around them and they are average at best, case in point the 2007 with Rex Grossman. Grossman was a sub-par QB and the Chicago Bears made it to the Super Bowl in spite of him with a good running game and stellar defense. All Grossman had to do was not make stupid mistakes by taking wild chances and it gave the Bears a chance to win every game. Cassel shouldn’t pretend he is anyone else and work within the offense and not try to be the “hero” so to speak. Being what the AFC is playoffs spots will be at a premium so falling back in the lose column will cause problems for the Patriots if they can’t pick up wins against the Raiders, Rams, and Cardinals.

Matt Cassel is in a very difficult position filling in the shoes of a future Hall of Fame player, but on the bright side nobody expects him to be Tom Brady, so with the expectation lowered some of the pressure will be off Cassel and he will perform better. Football is a very unpredictable game so maybe Cassel will take the opportunity he has been given and succeed, only time will tell. He is on a one season term because Tom Brady will be back next season, Cassel should make the most of his starting job while he can. Great quarterbacks in the NFL are few and far between and Cassel, while he isn’t a great QB yet this might be the chance he can prove that one day he will be.

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New England Patriots

Gino CappelletiThe New England Patriots were born on November 22, 1959 becoming a member of the new American Football League. In a naming contest, a team of Boston sportswriters decided to keep the history of the area alive calling their franchise the “Patriots”. The Patriots played in the first ever regular season AFL game on September 9, 1960 losing to the Denver Broncos 13-10. The Patriots finished the first season with a 5-9 record. The Patriots would improve over the next three seasons posting back-to-back 9-4-1 seasons and in 1963 finished tied for first place with the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots first playoff game came against the bills which they won 26-8. In the AFM Championship game the Patriots were dismantled 51-10 by the San Diego Chargers. The following season placekicker and wide receiver Gino Cappelletti was named the AFL Most Valuable Player. Cappelletti became the AFL’s all-time leadier in points scored with 1,100. In 1966 another Most Valuable Player came form the Patriots in fullback Jim Nance who lead the league in rushing twice in 1966 and1967.The Patriots would play in many different locations including Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox baseball team plays, Boston University Field, and in Harvard. The Patriots finally made their home at 70,000 seat Foxboro Stadium in 1971.

As the 1960′s and 1970′s went forward little success came around for the Patriots with a new low in 1970 with a 2-12 record. The Patriots would once again reach the playoffs in 1976 but would lose to the Oakland Raiders 24-21. The Patriots would make their first Super Bowl appearance against the “Monsters of the Midway” Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. The game was rout and the Bears won 46-10. The 1990′s for the Patriots saw them rise again to meet the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. The Packers would end the Patriots hopes again to a championship defeating them 35-21.

The 2000′s provided the New England Patriots with what they have been wishing for, a Super Bowl victory, not just one but three Super Bowl wins. The Patriots first Super Bowl win came against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI with a 20-17 win. The second Super Bowl victory two seasons later against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII in another thrilling game with the Patriots winning 32-29. The next season provided the Patriots with the same result winning Super Bowl XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. The Patriots would make a Super Bowl trip in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants but lost 17-14. The Patriots were on the verge of going undefeated with a 19-0 record and do something that hasn’t been done since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, finishing a season undefeated. That year several NFL record were broken when the Patriots set the all-time scoring record in a season with points scored with 589, Tom Brady throwing fifty touchdown passes, and Randy Moss catching twenty-three touchdown passes.

Since 2001, the New England Patriots have won the AFC East seven times, four Super Bowl appearances, back-to-back 14-2 regular seasons, and a 16-0 regular season. Its safe to say that the New England Patriots are the team of the decade.

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