This is what I'm talking about. I couldn't have enjoyed the Patriots win over the Jets any more. The defense looked great. Cassell managed the game well and guys stepped up to make plays when it counted. Two plays stand out to me:
2)To seal the game with under two minutes remaining Wes Welker takes a screen pass on third and 3 and carries three Jets defenders with him for the first down. Game over. This team isn't playing like a team that just lost its chance at a championship.
Here are some pictures from Sunday's action to help refresh in your minds the continued domination of New England over the Jets.
Welcome to the AFC East, Bitch.
Lamont looked great running through Jets Defenders.
I SEE INTO THE FUTURE:
1) One cause for concern, and I hate to say it, is Randy Moss. Moss was held to two catches Sunday and Cassell underthrew him on what should have been an easy touchdown. Now, granted Moss still had a play on the ball and should have caught it, but he had 7 yards on the nearest defender with no one between him and the end zone and he had to come back about 10 yards to the ball. You could tell that Moss was frustrated, and perhaps rightly so. But it got me to thinking...how many 2 catch games is it going to be before a potential "give me the damn ball" crisis is upon us? I hope it doesnt happen, I really dont want to think that things could go sour with Moss who has been a model teammate since coming to New England. They showed a shot of Moss on the sideline towards the end of the game and I swear it looked like he was going to cry. Maybe it was just sweat in his eyes. The bottom line is that he wants to be a part of this teams success and I think with Brady going down he really wants an opportunity to be a playmaker and to carry the load. I just got a little nervous, that's all.
2) If Matt Cassell continues to play efficient, effective football throughout the season I'm willing to bet that he'll be dealt for draft picks in a heartbeat this offseason. You can almost hear Pioli chuckling down in Foxboro as Cassell's stock skyrockets beyond anything ever possibly imagined.
2 comments:
Babcock I was feeling the same thing, but Randy's comments after the game made me feel a little better. Bad ass:
"I don't think there is one person in my face with this microphone that picked us to win," Moss said to a group of reporters.
"I'm going to end [my interview this way]: The New England Patriots [are] 2-0. We got one in the division, so all you haters keep hating. We're coming."
Randy Moss fascinates me. As he has been my favorite player for some time, I feel like I have tried to study his behavior patterns and compare them across environments. From what I have deduced, I share your concerns about his potential change in attitude.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Consider the following:
Before settling in with Daunte Culpepper, Moss played extremely well and didn't allow his personality to get in the way of his team's success. This happened while he played with a multitude of different quarterbacks including Jeff George and Randall Cunningham (both of whom were very old). These Vikings teams were very good. So, you could hypothesize that because the Patriots are also good, Moss will not allow his ego to get in the way in this case regardless of who the quarterback is.
However, there are some variables that are different from that early period in Minnesota:
1) Moss was young and still making a name for himself in the NFL. He may have more of a sense of entitlement now.
2) Moss was getting the ball A LOT then. As Babcock said, he may not see as much action this season as defenses really focus on him and force Matt Cassel to look elsewhere (and as Matt Cassel is off target with his deep throws).
Moss was kept in check emotionally by Chris Carter there. He had a great deal of respect for Carter. You have to wonder if Belichick and Brady (if he's around at all) will have the same calming effect.
Oakland was a DISASTER. Moss knew that he was playing for an organization that was being run by incompetent people. The New England situation is totally different. Belichick, Kraft, Bruschi, Harrison, these guys wouldn't allow things to sink to that level.
To be honest, I think that Moss will be fine as long as the Patriots keep winning. After a certain point, he might not go hard across the middle. But, he will always remain a deep threat regardless of his motivation.
He's more motivated by wins and championships than people give him credit for. But, I think we can all agree that a championship in Oakland was out of the question. He was doing what any employee who worked for an incompetent boss would do. People don't work as hard when they don't feel like their leadership is solid. I think Moss keeps motivated and I think that he still has good TD numbers.
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