Cursed To First - Sox and Pats forever.

This just in: Brandon Meriweather has got to go (UPDATED)

UPDATE -- As usual when this kind of 'sourced' story comes out, we're now entering the period of contradictory reports, equivocation, and uncertainty before the real facts shake out. Normally, I wait for this period to be over before I comment on any such situation, but when it comes to Meriweather, let's just say I was already inclined not to give him the benefit of the doubt.

This post highlights why that is, as well as the reasons why I think, if nothing else, the "optics" might be too toxic for the Patriots as an organization -- provided Meriweather was, in fact, involved. (Which is also why, like a good doobie, I used the word 'alleged' where necessary.)

Thus, I am going to leave this post up for now, but with this update, and follow up again when things settle.

Patriots survive Colts, 31-28

There's the face we all know and love...

Now at 6-4, the Indianapolis Colts are an injury-riddled team having trouble filling some of the gaps. But that didn't stop them from giving the Patriots absolutely everything they could handle today before running out of clock, or from knocking on the door, with a chance to come back and win, in the very last seconds of the game.

There were three factors that ultimately saved the Patriots: an aggressive game early, a two-dimensional offense, and forcing turnovers. But there were also a few things to be worried about going forward, with the Patriots still tied atop the AFC East at 8-2 and facing one more matchup with their bitter rivals to the south before the season ends.

Patriots do the Monster Mash on Vikings, 28-18

When last we saw them, the Patriots had all but fallen apart, escaping San Diego with a 3-point win against a barely competent opponent. And now, on All Hallow's Eve, Randy Moss was back to haunt his former home, as well as a still-questionable Patriots secondary.

So you could say things were a little spooky coming in to today's game, and they stayed that way for Patriots fans until the second half, which began tied at 7-7.

A Dude and Some Chicks Talk Football

The title is in reference to an old, now-defunct group blog called "Chicks Talk Football" that's gathering dust on the Interwebs these days. It has been given over to broken links and red "x"s where pictures (including the banner) should be.

And yes, I basically spent all my midweek football-writing energy in my comments on that thread because, dammit, I'm a Facebook addict. The first step is admitting you have a problem...

Thanks to Amy, Chris, Jen and Mer, who gave me permission to republish their comments.

 

Transcript of the discussion below the jump.

The ballad of Danny Woodhead

This afternoon, the 2010 Patriots reminded me in many ways of the Belichick teams from the early years of the last decade, the gang of no-names, draft picks and second-chance signings that would be built up, following that first Cinderella Super Bowl, into a well-oiled machine that brought home a second and third championship.

It's easy to forget, looking back from the other side of those championships, how up and down those teams could be, and how thin their margin of error, back when Mike Vrabel was still a salvage project from the Steelers scrap heap and Tom Brady was still a former 6th round draft pick trying to prove he wasn't a flash in the pan. That is, until you see a game like this.

Danny Who?!?!?

Once again, the Patriots' player development organization is mining the dregs of other teams' depth charts, and molding recent draft picks, with a Moneyball-like approach that -- at least in the past -- has proven capable of creating a whole that far outstrips the sum of its parts. As was often the case with those squads of the early aughts, this wasn't a pretty win, with a first half that saw a half-dozen lead changes and a second half which ended with 30 points on the board for Buffalo.

But it was a win nonetheless, one which saw mistakes being recognized and corrected after the humiliation at the hands of the Jets, and that steady, dogged pace of improvement from week to week that has been a signature of Belichick's more successful teams.

After two games this year that saw a second-half collapse, the Patriots stayed more consistent through the later quarters today.  The offense, in particular, showed a major turnaround compared with last week, with a pointed statement in the third quarter that included two touchdown drives. I think I can guess which hypercompetitive Movado model was behind that -- probably the same one spotted pumping his fist and yelling after an uncharacteristic 9-yard run for a first down in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, in the face of pregame fretting about the state of the Patriots' running game with Kevin Faulk on injured reserve and Laurence Maroney traded to Denver, the team that came into this afternoon without a rushing touchdown this season and averaging just 85 yards on the ground finished with two rushing TDs and more than 200 yards gained on the run.

Oh, and that scrap heap? Once again it seems to be alive and well.

Nowhere was the alchemy of the Patriots' scouting approach more apparent than in the example of Danny Woodhead, signed Sept. 19 off the Jets' practice squad after he was cut by the Jets. It was Woodhead who suddenly emerged through an interstate-wide hole in the line opened by right guard Dan Connolly, football in hand, with just over three minutes to go in the first half and the Patriots down 13-7. Before Patriots fans could even Google his name, Woodhead was cutting back toward the left side of the field, taking a long diagonal path upfield and into the end zone, putting New England back ahead by a point.

Defense avoids disaster with INTs

While the inexperience of this team, especially on defense, was apparent today, so too was its youthful energy. The Patriots' offense bailed out the defense by scoring 38 points, but in two big instances, the emerging leaders of the defense also showed they could help themselves off the field, too, with interceptions for journeyman safeties Patrick Chung and Brandon Meriweather.

In Chung's case, the play came as Buffalo drove downfield, taking advantage of the relative inexperience of the Patriots' secondary to draw the defensive backs toward the line of scrimmage, then beating them with long passes. On the previous two plays, Roscoe Parrish had burned them for 31 yards, and Lee Evans had carved off another five yards, to put the ball on the Patriots' 20 as the final minutes of the third quarter ticked away.

On the ensuing play, the Patriots defensive line created pressure on Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick, starting in place of an underperforming Trent Edwards, showed guts and tenacity today, but in this instance he seemed to panic, and sent the ball frantically in the vicinity of Roscoe Parrish, overthrowing him by a wide margin. The pass instead settled into the arms of Chung, waiting in the end zone, as if he'd been the intended receiver. Parrish grappled briefly with Chung, but finally fell at his feet in the end zone while Chung took off running, tumbling down back at the 25 and handing the ball back to the offense. They would drive down the field and score what turned out to be the winning points, pulling ahead 38-23.

Meriweather's pick was even more crucial. Toward the end of the fourth quarter, now just a touchdown and a two-point conversion ahead of Buffalo, the Patriots' offense stalled; a sack and multiple penalties forced them to punt after they failed to convert a third and 26. There were still more than three minutes left to play, and Buffalo had already demonstrated that was more than enough time for them to score again.

Fitzpatrick went all in on his first play of the possession, throwing deep for David Nelson, but the pass sailed high. Meriweather jumped up from behind Nelson, and made a leaping midair catch that would've made a wide receiver's highlight reel. In some parallel universe in which Meriweather missed that play, this game might still be in overtime.

The glass-half-full viewpoint

Yes, it had been the defense that put the Patriots in that 8-point situation in the first place. But they were also able to defuse it, almost immediately. Last week, thrust into a similar position by an offense that imploded late in the game, they showed no such spark.

And yes, there's plenty in the 'con' column this week. I'm not pretending otherwise. But something about those two picks to save the day had me thinking of those earlier Belichick teams again, and the way their defensive leaders always seemed to be able come through and turn the tide when they were most needed.

There will certainly be more rough spots and setbacks for the new-look Patriots. But right now, in the glow of this hard-fought win, I have hope that the lifecycle of this team is starting over, and that we're witnessing the first moments of its renewal.

Bradyless Pats overcome Favre and the Jets

Here was my impression of how this game would go, written for the NYT's Fifth Down football blog:

This game carries with it a big and obvious question: What will be the true impact of Tom Brady�s absence on the Jets / Pats rivalry? With Brady out, those who see the Patriots� 2008 season as lost are naming the Jets as the team to beat in the A.F.C. East. But are things really so simple? It�s not as if the Patriots will be playing without a quarterback � and while Brett Favre is a great addition to Gang Green, he is not necessarily the Brett Favre of old. I think this game will be closer and harder-fought than many people are anticipating, and that the teams remain well-matched. Brady being out of the equation sets up even more of a dogfight between Boston and New York this season than in previous years, but it�s not an automatic coronation for the Jets. � Jets, 17-14 (in the final minutes).

Yep, you saw that right - I picked the Jets to win. Specifically, what I pictured was almost exactly how this game looked by the fourth quarter, a mix of field goals and TDs, and the Patriots on top by less than a touchdown. (I pictured them with 14 points to the Jets' 10 -- instead, with 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, it was Patriots 16, Jets 10.

Here is where - I guess because Brady's injury had me in that Murphy's-Law frame of mind - I pictured the Jets and Favre mounting a comeback, a dramatic win in front of their home fans, and another week of hearing people gloat about what happened to Brady and hate on Belichick. In retrospect, I'm still not sure if I was really expecting it, or just trying to gear myself up for it as the worst-case scenario.

And it's not like I don't miss Brady, won't miss him dearly until the moment he steps back onto the field in a Patriots uniform. But as it turned out, the way Brady's absence was felt in this particular game was more subtle than I think a lot of us -- myself included-- were anticipating. Maybe because we needed reminding that there are plenty of things Tom Brady doesn't do.

Tom Brady doesn't play special teams.� The Jets started most of their drives at their own 20. The Patriots started five drives in Jets territory.

Tom Brady does not run the ball. The running game helped keep the Jets offense off the field after that 16-10 score that felt so ominous to me, and the only Pats touchdown of the game was scored by Sammy Morris, who crowd-surfed over the Jets' defensive front on a third-and-goal play. Kevin Faulk made key plays, including a salvage of a tipped pass from Cassel for nine yards at the beginning of the second quarter, and motored for 22 yards on a screen pass in the third. Arguably, Brady would've converted more Red Zone plays into touchdowns, but...

Tom Brady does not play defense. Big-time credit is due to the Patriots defense, and, yes, to the defensive mind of Bill Belichick - as it is on the other side of the ball in Eric Mangini (their opposition has the potential to be far more fascinating on the field than in their soap opera off of it). Both teams stuffed one another in the red zone throughout the first half, and Adalius Thomas and Richard Seymour were like twin blocks of granite in the running game and long-armed nightmares for Favre when he dropped back. They let Favre make his own bed, sometimes, like when Brandon Meriweather delivered one of Favre's trademark interceptions in the third quarter. Other times they just swelled up, buckled down, and made the Jets pay for their mistakes. My prediction underestimated this defense, and for that I apologize.

Tom Brady does not block. Dan Koppen won a formidable battle with Jets DT Sione Puha as Cassel dropped back with about eight minutes to go in the third quarter, freeing Cassel to find Welker at the Jets 5, and setting up the Patriots' touchdown.

Tom Brady does not kick for field goals. Stephen Gostkowski scored most of the Pats' points today - and Cassel did well enough to put him in position. Instead of a Jets comeback in the fourth quarter, what we got was another Cassel drive and another Gostkowski 3-pointer for insurance.

Tom Brady did not make the Jets commit a million penalties. The Jets: 6 penalties, 60 yards, and they always seemed to come at some crucial time. The Pats: 2 penalties for 10 yards.

Of course, there's also another edge to this for the Patriots -

Tom Brady does not play DB. The Jets figured Rodney Harrison wouldn't match up well against Chansi Stuckey as they drove for the goal line at the beginning of the fourth quarter. They were right - Harrison fell down in front of Stuckey in the corner of the end zone, and the Jets scored easily. Meriweather obviously showed improvement over last week, and Ellis Hobbs had a few good plays (which he made sure to showboat about...sigh...), but Favre sometimes looked like the old gunslinger against this secondary.

Tom Brady does not play offensive line. Koppen's nice play to set up the touchdown notwithstanding, there were still times I loudly demanded of my TV� whether or not the real issue with this team was the QB or his lack of protection, especially when Matt Cassel got sacked on three consecutive drop-backs between the second and third quarters. I'm still worried about how he got up limping after one of the hits in the second quarter (He was probably shot up with something to get him back out on the field for the third quarter, and who knows what the implications might be for next week).

But the point is, these would be points of concern with or without Brady.

And so after a week of reports of the Patriots' demise, we were all reminded, I hope, that there are 52 other players on this team whether or not No. 12 is under center - and one of the all-time winningest coaches wearing a headset on the sideline. People were quick to point out this week that Belichick's under .500 without Brady - but most of that record comes from his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, almost a decade ago. He also is still the last person to lead that franchise to a postseason win, in 1994.

If anything, this game reminded me of the Patriots' style of play at the beginning of their Super Bowl run - back when they were impressive not for blowing teams out but for finding a different way to win each week. Back when Brady was "overrated", and "it was the system" that made him successful.

This game was 2001-style Patriots football, right down to the place kicker arguably being the MVP. If it was to provide us with any clue as to what the team would be like without Brady, it would seem that clue is to be found in how New England played before Brady was Brady - which was not all that long ago.

This is not to say we can declare any kind of victory after two weeks, any more than we could declare total defeat after one. In a way it has its own kind of excitement, this mutual uncertainty between the Pats and their AFC East rivals, which I don't think will really shake out until mid-season or later.

As a Pats fan, the games are taking on a different meaning. It's not that they didn't matter before, but this season a lot is at stake for the Patriots as they try to move on from 18-1 and SpyGate without the help of Brady.� For tonight, I'm just trying to enjoy being newly hopeful after an unexpected win.

A Patriots Fan's Worst Nightmare

Tom Brady has managed to survive the punishing onslaught of 127 consecutive regular-season and playoff games, behind only Peyton Manning and Brett Favre in all-time longevity. Brady has played through sports hernias, taped-up knees, a separated shoulder injury that has lingered for years.

And so, for the first few minutes of the first quarter, it was refreshing to see him at the helm again, maybe dinged up but stubborn and bull-headed as ever, stepping up in the pocket despite the vulnerabilities he might be hiding and the relative shakiness of the offensive line in front of him.

This is the main thing Brady brings to the field for Patriots fans - the assurance, in his eyes and in the eyes of those who play with him, that Someone is In Charge. For the first and, so far, last moments of his 2008 season, we got to relax long enough to think that once Randy Moss and Wes Welker improved at hanging on to the ball, we'd be rolling.

Instead, it was Bernard Pollard rolling, over the pile and into the flexed left knee of Brady as he stepped up into the rush to send one down the sideline to Moss. Which Moss dropped. And recovered. But the CBS cameras were already swinging back to where Brady lay, writhing on the field.

I am not a squeamish person, but I had to look away as the announcers, audibly excited at a new development to hype and rehash, replayed the collision in macabre slow motion and dissected it in ever-more-florid language.

Once the initial AUGH and ARGH and DO NOT WANT subsided, however, there emerged a sense of inevitability about this turn of events. We've been lucky with him, and he is, in reality, probably overdue for something like this. Even before today, that seemed to be something the team was acutely aware of, as Bill Belichick seemed to be paying special attention to the quarterback depth chart from the very beginning of the preseason. Until today, it was Brady's right foot that had become, as one of the CBS sportscasters put it, "the most-studied right foot in New England since Curt Schilling in 2004." Almost no one has a career of any length in the NFL without experiencing something like this - and Brady is so long overdue, we were already thinking about it.

We've been so blessed over the last six years that it also seems gauche to act like this is the end of the world, especially before we receive any word about the severity of the injury or its long-term implications.

It didn't hurt, either, that Matt Cassel picked today to put it all together. After Brady went down, the second-stringer who'd struggled through the preseason, led the team on his first scoring drive yet, and a 10-play, 98-yard drive at that. In the third quarter, Sammy Morris powered another scoring drive. The defense was also buckling down more effectively than they had in exhibition. There is, after all, more to the team than Brady, more to this team than any one player, and it's important to remember that.

But.

Seeing the numb look in Brady's eyes as trainers inspected his knee, seeing him gathered back up off the field again and helped to limp toward the sideline...watching every snap, crackle, pop and twist on that knee in the slow-motion replays...it's the worst-case scenario for any fan. No matter how many times I watch a guy I've rooted for, grown attached to, laid out on the field, and then helped off it humbled and grimacing in pain, it doesn't get easier to watch. No matter who it is.

And when that guy is your franchise quarterback, you can multiply that feeling by a hundred.

***

Conflicting emotions were also the order of the day on the defensive side of the ball, which put together some gritty series and held the Chiefs to 10 points. Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison in particular played like animals, and Vince Wilfork was an oak tree in the middle of the defensive line. I still believe the front of the Patriots defense is its strength, though there was encouraging improvement from the secondary today.

That is, until the fourth quarter.� With about a minute to go, second-year safety Brandon Meriweather seemed to lose track of Devard Darling, who caught a pass and stretched the play deep into Patriots territory. Only a touchdown separated the teams from overtime. "There goes my guy, somebody else got him?!" my dad spoke for Meriweather in frustration as he was shown on the TV replay.

The good news: The goal line stand was successful.

The bad news: Only out of sheer luck.

The ugly: With the ball floating precariously in front of two Patriots and a Chief right at the goal line, Meriweather, flat-footed again, watched the ball fall to the ground. My dad provided another voice-over: "What the heck is that brown thing?"

The Patriots won this game. But is that really the bottom line? Maybe most weeks it would be. But the play of the day, which could have ramifications for the rest of the league, for the rest of the year - hell, possibly even for years to come - happened in the first quarter of the Patriots' season. They held on to their lead and began that season with a victory, but left the field with more questions than anyone has answers for.