Just an observation while at work today: Some people seem to be in seriously cranky moods, judging by our message boards.
We had some rather innocuous features today (to be expected on a holiday) that seemed to stick in people's collective craws. There was the obligatory first baby of 2009 story, a nice piece on how seventh-graders are trying to make the Chinook the state dog, and another feature on a guy who enlisted in the Army at 39 (Note: These stories always bring out both sides in the the message board debates, but in light of the other "lighter" stories, thought it was worth a mention).
What happened to hoping 2009 is better? Yikes.
-JDE2
Friday, January 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Pats post-mortem
While I await a response from customer support on a work-related issue, thought I'd dash off a few thoughts on the Patriots season:
--I will never second-guess Bill Belichick again. Remember that sick feeling we had in our stomachs when Tom Brady went down on the second series of the season? As Matt Cassel came out to take snaps, my colleague Mr. McSorley texted me with the message, "The one thing we never wanted to see."
Seriously. The best QB in the NFL was down (and I knew it was bad when he went back to the locker room. There would be no miraculous, uplifting return a la Larry Bird/Paul Pierce.) And this guy, who hadn't taken a snap when it counted since high school, whose main claim to fame was backing up not one, but two Heisman winners at USC, who had spent four years wearing a baseball cap and holding a clipboard instead of a helmet and a football in games, and who had looked, to put it charitably, lousy in preseason . . . THIS was the guy who was going to take the reins of a team that came within 30 seconds of an undefeated season last year?
And the kid pulled it together magnificently. Yes, there were rough spots, which are to be expected when someone basically has to learn on the job. But 11-5? I had visions of 8-8 . . . which, come to think of it, might've been good enough to win the NFC West.
-- Yes, I wanted blood after last year. I wanted no mercy. I thought Brady sitting out the preseason was an effort at sandbagging. I came damn near close to buying a "37-1" t-shirt. But in some ways, this was more satisfying. We were treated to discovering an emerging star in Cassel, reminding us what it was like to watch Brady take over in 2001. With all their injuries, especially on defense (hey, give Cassel credit, but he still did have Moss and Welker to throw to), they still came together nicely. We as fans have really been spoiled, with no tell-tale holes in any unit on the team the past couple years. This year, the secondary was a big question mark, and once Rodney Harrison went down for the season, that was tough to overcome. Losing Tedy Bruschi and having to get Junior Seau off his surfboard and Rosevelt Colvin off from wherever was, in hindsight, probably a push - mainly because of the strong rookie season of Jerod Mayo and the continued solid play of Mike Vrabel.
-- Speaking of defense, someone raised this intriguing possibility: Why not trade Cassel and trade Brady? The resulting draft picks and players could be used to shore up the defense.
As we've learned from the Lawyer Milloy situation in 2003, Belichick recognizes that what makes the team better now is what matters. Yes, I'd love to see Brady finish his career with a Flying Elvis on his helmet. But if the team truly believes in Kevin O'Connell (and from accounts, they seem to) a move like that wouldn't and shouldn't shock folks.
--Part of me wonders if this works out better for Cassel's possible free agency. Leading a team with a decimated defense to a fighting chance of a playoff spot looks good on the resume, perhaps better than if said defense had been run over in a first-round blowout, overshadowing any QB's performance.
--This is not Pats-related, but hey, Brett Favre: 9 picks and 2 TD passes in the final 5 games? That doesn't look good, even on your HoF resume.
--Again, when all is said and done, it was a fun ride. Let's hope it doesn' t end this soon in 2009.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Bruins bandwagon to jump on. . .wearing my new Celtics fleece, no less.
-JDE2
--I will never second-guess Bill Belichick again. Remember that sick feeling we had in our stomachs when Tom Brady went down on the second series of the season? As Matt Cassel came out to take snaps, my colleague Mr. McSorley texted me with the message, "The one thing we never wanted to see."
Seriously. The best QB in the NFL was down (and I knew it was bad when he went back to the locker room. There would be no miraculous, uplifting return a la Larry Bird/Paul Pierce.) And this guy, who hadn't taken a snap when it counted since high school, whose main claim to fame was backing up not one, but two Heisman winners at USC, who had spent four years wearing a baseball cap and holding a clipboard instead of a helmet and a football in games, and who had looked, to put it charitably, lousy in preseason . . . THIS was the guy who was going to take the reins of a team that came within 30 seconds of an undefeated season last year?
And the kid pulled it together magnificently. Yes, there were rough spots, which are to be expected when someone basically has to learn on the job. But 11-5? I had visions of 8-8 . . . which, come to think of it, might've been good enough to win the NFC West.
-- Yes, I wanted blood after last year. I wanted no mercy. I thought Brady sitting out the preseason was an effort at sandbagging. I came damn near close to buying a "37-1" t-shirt. But in some ways, this was more satisfying. We were treated to discovering an emerging star in Cassel, reminding us what it was like to watch Brady take over in 2001. With all their injuries, especially on defense (hey, give Cassel credit, but he still did have Moss and Welker to throw to), they still came together nicely. We as fans have really been spoiled, with no tell-tale holes in any unit on the team the past couple years. This year, the secondary was a big question mark, and once Rodney Harrison went down for the season, that was tough to overcome. Losing Tedy Bruschi and having to get Junior Seau off his surfboard and Rosevelt Colvin off from wherever was, in hindsight, probably a push - mainly because of the strong rookie season of Jerod Mayo and the continued solid play of Mike Vrabel.
-- Speaking of defense, someone raised this intriguing possibility: Why not trade Cassel and trade Brady? The resulting draft picks and players could be used to shore up the defense.
As we've learned from the Lawyer Milloy situation in 2003, Belichick recognizes that what makes the team better now is what matters. Yes, I'd love to see Brady finish his career with a Flying Elvis on his helmet. But if the team truly believes in Kevin O'Connell (and from accounts, they seem to) a move like that wouldn't and shouldn't shock folks.
--Part of me wonders if this works out better for Cassel's possible free agency. Leading a team with a decimated defense to a fighting chance of a playoff spot looks good on the resume, perhaps better than if said defense had been run over in a first-round blowout, overshadowing any QB's performance.
--This is not Pats-related, but hey, Brett Favre: 9 picks and 2 TD passes in the final 5 games? That doesn't look good, even on your HoF resume.
--Again, when all is said and done, it was a fun ride. Let's hope it doesn' t end this soon in 2009.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Bruins bandwagon to jump on. . .wearing my new Celtics fleece, no less.
-JDE2
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