Resounding Yes

        With two games remaining in the 2010/2011 reuglar season the New England Patriots have risen to more than expected. From my preseason forecast of 12-4, to the declaration of the Patriots as "Best in the NFL" (only to get blown out by Cleveland), and all the way to 12-2 atop the AFC. I saw the true balance that this team had early on and determined they would win by overwhelming you with team play and extreme versatiality.

The mastery  of coaching by Belichick, the surgical passing of Brady, and the return to a true team with young  players emerging on both sides of the ball, this team is Super Bowl bound. On offense: An already great Quarterback is closing in on his second League MVP award and has his team primed to capture the number on seed in the AFC. After trading Randy Moss and losing Kevin Faulk to injury for the year, Brady has been torching the NFL's best defenses. The weapons at his disposal are two rookie tight ends, two undrafted running backs, and a magically revitalized Deion Branch. Brady and the offense are so strong in the passing game, that it reminds you of the Patriot's aerial assault launched in 2007.

    
The way the Patriots have played this season reminds me of the 01', 03', and 04' Super Bowl Champion teams mostly because of their defense and running game. Bill Belichick's "bend don't break" style defense was as present during the dynasty years as it is now.  On Defense: The defense is so good at that, they have been creating turnovers in key situations and making the big stops at the end of games. This was signature of the older Belichick defenses and has been holding up well this season so far.   The balance on offense has proven too much for every good defense they've faced, and the clutch play of their defense has closed the door on every good offense. This team is a hybrid of the Super Bowl winning years and the high octane offensive team of 2007.

   Desspite the fact that this Patriots team is dominant in the passing game (like 07') and playing textbook "bend, but don't break" defense of the Dynasty years, the core reason for so much success this year is preparation. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the second winningest Quarterback and Head Coach combination of all time. With 108 wins, nine wins shy of setting the all time record, Belichick and Brady are clearly a masterful duo that continues to win with any talent and personnel around them. The answer to is this team the Best in the NFL, the answer is a resounding yes.

Sources:

http://www.espn.com/

http://www.weei.com/

Photos:

http://www.si.com/

Heat Have Wrong Big Three

In 2007 when the Boston Celtics assembled the new look Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen they knew it was the right mix. Each member of the trio has a specific skill set that complements the other and this is why it worked so well. Think of the Big Three as a land, air, and sea approach to assaulting other teams. Paul Pierce is the ground attack as he muscles his way into the paint drawing fouls, and slashing to the basket for easy scores. Ray Allen is the air attack spreading the floor with his three point barrages and excellent mid range shooting. Kevin Garnett is the sea with his all engulfing/anchoring presence on defense, swallowing up anything that comes near the basket. All that made (and makes) the Celtic Big Three balanced and great is the opposite of the South Beach Trio.

By far the biggest story of the NBA offseason was "The Decision" by LeBron James and the acquisitions made by the Miami Heat. In what seems as an attempt to recreate the magic of the 07' Celtics, the Heat put together a star studded trio of their own (hoping for the same championship results). Dwayne Wade has been joined by two time league MVP LeBron James, and five time All Star Chris Bosh. With the arrival of James and Bosh the Heat are unquestionably a better team than a year ago, but they are not a championship caliber team. 

The members of the Miami Big Three do not complement each other very well and they have no real interior defense to match up with the Lakers or the Celtics. LeBron and Dwayne are virtually the same player with their ability to put up huge numbers in points, rebounds, assists, steals and can occasionally block shots. A stronger case for their silimairties is the fact that they both need the ball  to control the game and be most effective. By having both of these players on your team you inherently make them less effective because of their identical styles on the court. LeBron is more physically imposing than Wade, but outside of that they are the same type of player.  

The Heat are an upper eschelon team in the Eastern Conference because of the sheer talent of James, Wade, and Bosh, along with the fact that these players are surrounded by good shooters. James Jones, Eddie House, and (when he returns) Mike Miller are all great three point shooters. LeBron and Wade are very similar players, but when you surround them with shooters to spread the floor they become more dangerous. When the defense is spread out to cover perimeter shooting there is more open room on the court for LBJ and D-Wade to drive to the basket. They are a dangerous team because they can win any one contest. They are able to do this based on the fact that James or Wade can take over a game on any given night.

While the Heat may be good enough to win any one game, they are not good enough to win a playoff series against the Celtics, Magic, Bulls, Mavericks, Spurs, or Lakers. They have no interior defense in and around the basket because they simply don't have the players to do so. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is somewhat of a presence inside at 7'3 260, but he only plays limited minutes at age 35 with twelve seasons under his belt. Bosh made it known that he does not want to guard the center position anymore, serving now only as a power forward. Bosh is an excellent offensive player, but on defense he doesn't bring the defensive intensity of a Kevin Garnett or even a Glen Davis. There are some other aged veterans on the team and an untested rookie in Dexter Pittman, but not much interior defense to speak of.

The Celtics and Lakers are brimming with depth and defensive talent at the power forward and center positions, allowing them to rebound and defend at a high level. Last year the Celtics simply didn't have the defensive presence and size (with Perkins out) to defeat the Lakers, as they were out rebounded down the stretch of Game 7. Boston spent the offseason retooling their front line by adding Shaquille and Jermaine O'neal. This was done in hopes to bolster their defense and give them the size they would need in a rematch with L.A. Miami on the other hand spent their offseason crunching salary numbers to find a way to amass three maximum contract players; in what is now the Heat's Big Three. Instead of building a well balanced team that can defend and rebound across the roster, they are stuck with a team of three All Stars, a few shooters, and a group of old big men.

As good as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade are at the end of the day they play Small Forward and Shooting guard. The same applies to the Boston Celtics of 2007 and today, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce could not win without Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett defending. The Heat are a top three or four team in the Eastern Conference, but should not be thought of as a viable contender for the NBA Title. The Bulls, Magic, and Celtics are all more well built for the postseason than the Heat. Miami would have to surpass at least one of these teams on their way to an Eastern Conference Title. Perhaps LeBron's first ring will be attained with the Heat, but they have the wrong Big Three and it won't be this season.

Sources Used:


www.espn.com
www.basketball-reference.com
www.si.com

One Man Army

Peyton Hilis began his NFL career with the Denver Broncos as a fullback weighing in at 240 pounds. He was productive in Denver, but missed the majority of the 2008 season injured and was used on a limited basis in 2009. Somehow the Broncos miscalculated severely by trading away Hillis for quarterback Brady Quinn (on a team that already has Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow). Now the Browns are using him as their primary running back (now emerging as their best player). Last Sunday, ith a spectacularly dominating performance, Petyon Hillis defeated the Patriots single handedly.

Hillis's 184 yards and two touchdowns on 29 rush attempts (6.3 yards per carry) was the best performance by a running back against the Patriots this season. The Pats held Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Cedric Benson, and the Dolphins dangerous tandem of RB's to under 100 yards rushing. Enter Peyton Hillis and the (at the time) 2-5 Cleveland Browns. This one man army took on the entire Patriots defense by himself and carried his team to an upset victory. It was disheartening to watch a Bill Belichick defense that was simply pounded into submission. The Browns completed 14 passes for 174 yards and zero touchdowns, with their leading receiver posting 58 yards. Cleveland would have never won this game without the clock devouring, defense exhausting, and flat out dominant running of Peyton Hillis.

The Browns held the football for just over 38 minutes (63 % of the game) as Tom Brady watched most of the game from the sideline. Cleveland out gained the Patriots on the ground 230 yards to 68 and when the Patriots did have the ball, no reciever could hold on to the football. Yes, it was not Brady's sharpest performance, but he threw no interceptions and made some good throws at key times. Brady could do nothing as he watched his receivers drop pass after pass, and the offense never really got into a rhythm.

The entire outcome of the game could have been different if the Patriots had scored before half time. Being down 17-7 in the waning moments of the second quarter, the Pats drove the ball to the Cleveland goal line. Then tight end Rob Gronkowski fumbled the football on the three yard line and instead of being down by a field goal, the lead stood at 17-7. New England never found their rhythm on offense and when they did it was fumbled away or dropped. The best way to defeat Tom Brady is to keep him off the field (by dominating time of possession) and that is exactly what Peyton Hillis did; by himself.

Sources Used


www.espn.com
www.si.com
www.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/basketball/nba/
www.weei.com

Best Team in the NFL

Not many people could have envisioned the Patriots sitting 6-1 atop the NFL at the conclusion of week 8. Not even with my optimistic 12-4 preseason forecast did I see the Patriots defeating Miami, Baltimore, San Diego and Minnesota all in a row. Looking at the schedule heading in to week 1 against the Bengals I thought the toughest part of the schedule was the Ravens, Chargers, Vikings three game stretch. Not only a stretch against three postseason teams from last season, but a stretch of games prefaced by the Dolphins and leading into Browns, Steelers, Colts. Maybe the Patriots will still end up 12-4, but  at 6-1 traveling to Cleveland the sky is the limit.

At mid season the Patriots look like the best team in the NFL and are winning with their old ways. A team of (mostly) lesser known players working together. A team that runs the ball, plays situational football, and a team that morphs their play on the field to adapt to their competition. The reason Bill Belichick led Patriot teams have won so many games is that they adapt like no other team. With so many versatilie players the Patriots have been near impossible to game plan for because there is no one player you can take away. Outside of Tom Brady and Vince Wilfork there is no one player that other teams can eliminate from the game to win. How can you game plan when the opponent has a hall of fame quarterback in Tom Brady that favors throwing to the open receiver? How can you game plan When your opponent has enough team depth to adapt to whichever style of play you are implementing?

Another reason why Randy Moss was let go was due to this very concept, Belichick likes players who can do alot of different things. Moss was so amazing at one  task, running streak patterns deep down field catching touchdowns, that Belichick made an exception for a few years. However, Bill Belichick's has returned to his core philosphy of a team that plays as a team. A roster that is chalk full of versatile players, who can adapt and play situational football. Situational football is a term that Belichick has always used with his Patriots, and refers to moments in a game that are unforseen (in pre-game preparations). A situation in a game that is an important one and in which players must base their actions solely upon defusing the situation. Just like in yesterday's game when the Patriots stopped the Vikings on 4th & Goal at the New England one yard line. The players knew the Vikings were going to run the ball and they knew the importance of the situation.

The Patriots are the best team in the NFL right now because they are playing as a true team and are implemeneting Bellichick's situational football. Brady is again targeting the open reciever on offense and Belichick has the defense playing bend don't break, and adapt as you go football. These are the old Patriot ways that won them three Super Bowls. Dale Arnold said it best today on WEEI 850 AM in reference to the how the Patriots have been playing; "they kill you with 1,000 paper cuts". Arnold was referring to the fact that you cannot game plan for the Patriots because they have no player that overwhelms you on his own. All you can really do is try and apply as much pressure on Tom Brady as possible, because outside of the quarterback position its nearly impossible to know who to hone in on.  They are  running the ball with virtually unknown BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead, passing to Brandon Tate, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski, and the running backs. 

You cannot game plan for the Patriots and they are no different than the "leaky wall" that the Celtics are this year. You can plug up one hole in a leaking wall, but when you do that water pours out of another area. The Patriots are playing as a true team once again and it has led them to first place in the NFL. Look for them to sharpen their skills in a convincing win over the Browns as they prepare for the AFC's elite, the Steelers and Colts.

Sources Used

www.espn.com
www.si.com
www.weei.com

Photos taken by: Michael Gens

bottom photo taken by: Mary Gens

New Look Patriots, Old ways

When the New England Patriots acquired wide receiver Randy Moss in 2007 their entire offense changed for years to come. The Pats became a passing and finesse team that threw long bombs down field and scored an incredible 36.8 points per game. The offense had changed from a running, short passing, and clock eating attack to an instant strike high-octane unit. This style of offense did lead to an NFL record 50 touchdown passes for Tom Brady, 23 receiving touchdowns for Moss, and an undefeated season with a trip to the Super Bowl. However, in the end when the offense stalled the defense could not hold off a late drive, and the Patriots were defeated. The crushing 17-14 loss to the New York Giants left the Patriots standing at the alter for the perfect season, forever remembered as the 18-1 team.

For the next two seasons the offense became centered on throwing deep to Randy Moss and working the underneath routes to Wes Welker. No longer an offense that throws to the open receiver, runs the football, orchestrates long drives, and was no longer an unpredictable attack. Moss was incredible that first season and even became a surprise leader in his second season with the Pats. Randy Moss rose to the challenge of being an offensive leader in 2008 (along with Welker) by helping transform Matt Cassel into an NFL starter. 

2008 was Cassel's first year as a starter, and his first time starting a game since High School. Randy set the tone for Cassel early in the season, right after Brady left the first game injured. With 116 yards receiving and a touchdown the Patriots won without their Hall of Fame QB. Moss also caught a touchdown with 0:01 left on the clock to send a game into overtime against the Jets. This game did result in a loss, but Moss helped Cassel's development immensely by being there for him in the clutch. Randy Moss was elected an offensive team captain in 2008 and he truly filled the leadership role. His 1,008 yards receiving and eleven touchdowns that year earned him the role of "captian"again for 2009.

The 2009 production (in terms of statistics) from Moss was still at a high level with 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns, however these numbers are misleading. Moss had eight games with zero touchdowns and the offense stalled at times trying too hard to feed the ball deep to Moss. With the return of Tom Brady the Patriots attempted to restore the magic from 2007. The problem with this became that it was no longer an effective strategy and the offense became too predictable. Brady is more suited for a ball control offense with short to intermediate routes, and one that features the open receiver. This is what we all saw in yesterday's victory over the Baltimore Ravens as The Patriots offensive had success by spreading the ball around and churning out first downs. The old Patriot way is back in town and the team is better off for it.

As for Randy Moss this deal works out best for him as well. He does very well with new starts in new places (particularly in a first season) and now he can be featured more in Minnesota. Now the greatest deep threat of all time is paired up with the greatest deep passer in NFL history. Moss will be thrown to more often as a Viking, will feel comfortable in a place where he came into the league, and for his sake hopefully get the money he is looking for.

Sources Used

www.espn.com
www.si.com
www.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/basketball/nba/
www.weei.com

Full Cirlce

Some say Michael Vick came full circle last season when he ran and threw for a touchdowns against his former team (in Atlanta). Where the fans chanted "we want Vick" despite their hometown team losing. This must have been some vindication for Vick after the organization's and city's falling out with him (in the wake of the notorious dog fighting scandal). Others tell you it was recently when he started his first game since 2006 and defeated the now 0-3 Detriot Lions. However, I say his true full circle unfolds this Sunday afternoon. Michael Vick is about to play in what is perhaps his biggest game since returning to the NFL.

Vick has returned from the rock bottom of his career (banned from the league) to again lead a team into a huge rivalry driven, in division NFC match up. This all important divisional showdown will be the first time in many years that a team has believed and trusted in Vick (as the starter) to lead them to victory. While diving into the stands (last season) and basking in the glory of re-acceptance by the Atlanta fan base was important to his NFL revival, Vick now has his true second chance to solidify himself as that franchise quarterback.

Vick became the face of the Atlanta Falcons franchise by leading them to the playoffs twice. including a trip NFC Championship. The Vick led Falcons were one game shy of facing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 39, but lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10. Two years prior in the 2002 NFC Divisional Playoff game, Vick's team also lost to the Eagles by only managing 6 points, in a 20-6 defeat. The opposing quarterback in both of Vick's playoff defeats was none other than Donovan McNabb. McNabb was  the face of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2000-2009 with a 92-49 (in game's started) record and led the team to  a super bowl and five NFC Championship games. In 2009 McNabb lobbied for his team to acquire Vick who became the Eagles third string quarterback in 2009. Now as a member of the struggling Washington Redskins, McNabb must face his old city, old fans, old team, and their new leader Michael Vick.

This is only a week four match up, but there is drama thriving beneath the surface, despite McNabb's claim "it's just another game". There is much on the line for these two quarterbacks on Sunday. McNabb will want to defeat the man who has replaced him, and Vick will want to prove himself as a worthy replacement in the city of brotherly love. What makes this game so hard to predict is that it is difficult to see the McNabb/Mike Shannahan Redskins dropping to 1-3. It is also hard to see McNabb not playing well in such a big game. A game that has him returning to the place where he became great. On the other side it is hard to see the Eagles not playing well, as they have been such a revitalized offensive team under Vick. The  new Eagles  quarterback is back in his top form and is such a dynamic player that in the end it seems safest to say the Eagles take this game, 27-20. If the Eagles do indeed win; in steps Michael Vick and out steps Donovan McNabb as the face of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sources Used

www.espn.com
www.si.com
www.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/basketball/nba/
www.weei.com

Lack of Patience Hurt Patriots

Mark Sanchez silenced his critics across the media and NFL world (including me) against the Patriots this past Sunday. Perhaps we should not all be so surprised when you take a look at the weapons around the second year quarterback. In my last post I spoke of how easy it should be for Sanchez to score if he got LaDainian Tomlinson, Dustin Keller, and Braylon Edwards involved in the offense, and that is exactly what he did. I still do not believe in Mark Sanchez as a truly consistent NFL leader, and there will come a time this season where this fact resurfaces to harm the Jets. For now I'll try and digest how this possibly happened to the Patriots against such a young and inconsistent quarterback. The true reason the Patriots lost this game 28-14 was due to their incredibly atrocious game plan.

The Patriots seemed to have no patience at all in the second half, as all they attempted to do was bomb deep passes unsucessfully to Randy Moss. What made Tom Brady a three time super bowl champion was a simple philosophy, one that he and the Patriots forgot against the Jets. "My favorite reciever is the open man" was always Brady's M.O. and now it seems that he cannot help forcing the ball to Moss. New England began the second half with a 14-10 lead, stopped the Jets opening drive, and got the ball back. At this point the Patriots needed so stay with what had gotten them to this very point, keep moving the chains. Work the underneath routes with the tight ends, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, and churn out first downs. It is important to stretch out the defense with deep passes down field, but only after you have worked the underneath routes and running game. Moss did have an impressive touchdown reception, but it was followed by a two catch, ten attempt overall performance.

 A deep threat is an important part of any passing game and the Patriots will need Moss to provide that. However, he cannot be the only main feed for your offense, and the Patriots had no excuses for a zero point second half. The game plan was terrible in the closing quarters and the execution was even worse. Thankfully the Patriots have a good week of practice ahead of them and then a chance to hone their skills against an easy opponent this weekend, in the Buffalo Bills. Patriots 31 Bills 14.

Sources Used

www.espn.com

www.si.com
www.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/basketball/nba/
www.weei.com