Preview-Monday Night Football vs the Broncos.

The Patriots return home after spending a week and a half in California after having a split beating San Francisco and getting embarassed by the Chargers.  This week the Denver Broncos come to town, a nemesis of the Pats and a team that the Patriots have historically struggled to beat, even with Tom Brady under center.  A lot of people when they talk about the Broncos talk about their explosive offense, centering around young quarterback Jay Cutler and young wideouts Brandon Marshall and rookie Eddie Royal, who might miss this game with an injury.  But what people don’t mention is the Broncos are a bottom 5 defense that has given up almost as many points as they have scored, and can very easily be gashed on the ground or the air.

The Patriots on offense will have to stick with the game plan they established vs the 49ers two weeks ago, which was grind the clock, run the ball, keep the opposing offense off the field and don’t make Matt Cassel have to put the ball up in a comeback mode.  Cassel has shown little in improvement since week one and taking over for the injured Tom Brady, and is not the type of quarterback in which you want to get involved in a shootout with, and with Laurence Maroney and Lamont Jordan listed as doubtful, Sammy Morris will get a bulk of the carries with Kevin Faulk continuing to play his role as a change of pace.

The Pats on defense have been getting torched in the air.  Issac Bruce had a multiple TD game two weeks ago and Vincent Jackson had a career game last week, and the Broncos have an offense that is more high powered than both of these teams, even though they could be without Tony Scheffler, Eddie Royal and Brandon Stokley.  Brandon Marshall provides a match-up nightmare with the Pats’ smaller corners, as Marshall as been compared a lot to Terrell Ownes in the way he can not only attack the ball in the air, but how tough he is to drag down once he has it.  The Broncos run game has been tough to put a finger on since Terrell Davis got hurt earlier this decade.  Micheal Pittman rushed for a 100 yards last week with Selvin Young and Andre Hall out, and now rookie Ryan Torian is back, so maybe not this week but soon Denver might have a four headed running back approach.  While Denver to start the season were putting up huge point numbers, the last few weeks going against tough defenses thay have had some tougher sledding, not scoring more than 20 points since week 3, so they have slowed down.  They key is containing Marshall, something that is easier said than done.

This week is a tough match-up for a team that got gashed last week in the air by the Chargers.  The Pats will have to turn this into a ground and pound type game and not get into a shoot out.  If the Pats can control the clock, they will win, but I don’t think they will, and the Broncos will continue to own the Patriots, as the Pats have no answer to Marshall and the Broncos defense will find a way to stop the Pats offense by forcing Matt Cassel to beat them, something he isn’t capable of doing.  Denver wins big, 31-10.

Week 3 preview, Miami @ New England

The 2-0 New England Patriots hope to head into next week’s off week with some momentum going against the 0-2 Miami Dolphins.  Joey Porter from Miami has already opened his mouth, virutally predicting victory because “Tom Brady isn’t back there.”  Too bad for Porter, the Miami Dolphins don’t have the firepower on offense or the talent on defense to beat the Patriots this week.

The Patriots offense has to be breathing a colective sigh of relief after seeing Jason Taylor leave via a trade in the preseason, and seeing Zack Thomas leave for Dallas.  Furthermore, the Phins were torched by the Cardinals last week for over 400 yards and 31 points, and while the Pats offense looked stagnant last week in New York, going 1/5 in the Red Zone TD conversions, this will be a nice home start for Cassel with nowhere near the pressure of a hostile road start in New Jersey vs the hated New York Jets.    I can see the Pats moving the ball at will Sunday afternoon.

The Pats on defense will be using the old plans they have used against the Jets for the last few years, as Chad Pennington is now the starting QB for the Dolphins, and he might be benched for Chad Henne sooner rather than later.  They have been trying to establish a double backfield attack with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, but neither player can get anything going behind a young rebuilding offensive line.

I see a laugher happening Sunday.  The Dolphins are once again in contention for the #1 pick in the draft, and the Pats have this week and the bye to prepare for back to back west coast games weeks five and six.

Week 2 Preview, @ New York Jets

Well, the first full week of the Matt Cassel Era is against the one of the Patriots hated rivals, the New York Jets. The Jets were a busy team in the off season, rebuilding their offensive line, getting defensive depth, and trading for Brett Favre.  The Jets are in “win now” mode with coach Eric Mangini on the hot seat after a playoff birth his first year follow by a sub .500 record last season.  Usually these games have lots of bad blood, as it was last year’s game in New Jersey where the Spygate saga broke, not to mention the history with Bill Parcells including Bill Belichick’s day as “HC of the NYJ.”  This game might be more important for the Jets than the Patriots, as the Tom Brady injury now takes a lot of pressure off the Pats, as now the Pats went from thinking of another run at perfection to just another team.  Anywhere, here is a preview of this week’s game.

When the Pats have the ball

With Matt Cassel starting, I expect a lot of the Pats spread em out offense to be reigned in and the Patriots to use the run game along with a shorter, more ball control focused passing attack.  The Jets on defense have plenty of playmakers, a secondary with second year corner Darrelle Revis and safety Kerry Rhodes being future Pro Bowlers, along with a very good front seven led in the middle with nose tackle Kris Jenkins and linebackers Eric Barton and David Harris, along with Calvin Pace bringing a pass rush from the outside and first round pick Vernon Gholston.  Last week, the Pats didn’t expect to have Matt Cassel leading the offense, so now with a week to game plan, I expect a little less predictability out of the offense, as last week they seemed to be predictable and Kansas City took advantage of it by staying close in the game.  I expect the Pats offense to put up some points, but they won’t come easy, because the Jets defense is very underrated and right now, Matt Cassel is and unknown, he could come in and be like Tom Brady was in 2001 and manage the game, not make turnovers and give the team a chance to win, or the preseason Matt Cassel could show up and the offense could stall.

When the Jets have the ball

When facing the Jets the last few years when they had Chad Pennington, you didn’t need to defend the full field. Pennington’s lack of arm stregnth  meant defenders only had to defend the ball 10-15 yards past the line of scrimmage.  Now with Brett Favre at quarterback, you have to defend the whole field.  But you have to keep in mind that Favre is more turnover prone than Pennington, and will force balls into places.  The Jets have a rebuilt offensive line which features offseason signing Alan Faneca and Damien Woody, which as already led to starting running back Thomas Jones matching is 2007 rushing touchdown total after last week’s season opener.  On the outside, the Jets best pass catcher is Jerricho Cotcherry, as Coles is dinged up and not at 100%, and tight end Chris Baker just exetended his contract. The Pats secondary, which had a couple of questionable moments last week will be under fire this week. Cotcherry will be a handful, but I think the Pats will be able to keep everybody else in check.  The Pats defense was solid last week except for one play at the end, and I know with this being a rivalry game and without the gut punch that was Brady getting knocked out early the team will be ready to roll.

My prediction, even without Brady, I think the Patriots are still the class of the AFC East.  The Jets struggled vs Miami last week at full strength, and with a week of preperation for Cassel as starter, I think the Pats will come out with a game plan to make the offense productive while forcing Favre to make plays and hopefully make mistakes.  Pats win 24-14.

Patriots Preview-Game One, vs Kansas City

Finally this weekend, the NFL season begins for real.  The New England Patriots open the season at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Chiefs are rebuilding their defense after trading  Jared Allen in the offseason to the Vikings for draft picks, and drafted LSU prospect Glenn Dorsey in the draft, but on offense, the Chiefs are a team loaded with weapons, with the ageless Tony Gonzalez at tight end, Larry Johnson coming back from a broken foot, and young wideout Dwayne Bowe which will test the Pats semi-rebuilt defense.  The Pats come off a very unimpressive preseason, and coupled with some interesting roster moves this week, including cutting Fernando Bryant and John Lynch from the defense and adding Deltha O’Neal.  The defense which looked stagnant during the preseason no longer can be vanilla and will have to make plays, since the games are for real now.  And offensively, while the Pats looked awful, Tom Brady is back under center, Matt Light is back at left guard, Wes Welker is healthy after his rib injury and it looks like the offense will be just about at full throttle, as only Ben Watson might miss the game as he hasn’t practiced all week.  Here is a preview of what to hopefully expect Sunday afternoon from the defending AFC Champions.

When the Pats have the ball

The Chiefs defense as I said earlier is rebuilding.  They traded Jared Allen who lead the team in sacks last year, and added Glenn Dorsey  and Brandon Flowers n the draft to go with good young players like DL Tamba Hali and LB Derrick Johnson.  Linebacker Donnie Edwards and cornerback Patrick Surtain are veteran players that have been in the league for a while and add leadership, but this young defense will face a tough test early in the season, going against the reigning MVP in Tom Brady, the reigning offensive player of the year in Randy Moss and one of the highest scoring offenses in the history of football.  I can see the Pats moving the ball at will on this team, as these guys right now will have issues stopping the Pats machine, either with the combo of Welker and Moss through the air or Maroney and Morris on the ground.  Even if Brady isn’t at 100%, which is unlikely since he was not on the practice report yesterday, this will be a good chance for him to get his feet wet and see game action for the first time this season.  It will be interesting to see if the Pats still have what some fans would call the “GFY” or the “FU NFL” mentality of running up the score and punishing the opposition almost like a NFL game was a game of Madden.  They could very easily drop 40-50 points if they want to send more messages after the off season of more “Spygate” talk and doubting of the dynasty, along with the offseason of seeing the David Tyree miracle catch and hearing about the loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl.  The Pats will score at will Sunday and expect the Gillette scoreboard operator to have a busy day putting up points.

When the Chiefs have the ball

On paper, the Chiefs have a great bunch of skill players.  Larry Johnson, even though coming off of an injury plagued season, when healthy is one of the best at his position, but he has a lot of miles on his legs, as over the last 3 years, no back has had as many touches as he has.  Their best weapon in the passing game is tight end Tony Gonzalez, who had 99 catches last year and even though he is heading into his 12th season in the league, he is showing no signs of slowing down.  And on the outside, Dwayne Bowe, last year’s first round pick, almost had a thousand yards and is one of the most dynamic young wideouts in the league with a great future in front of him.  The key to this game is going to be if Brodie Croyle, the third year quarterback and in his first full year of starting after taking over in the second half of last year, continues to mature.  The Pats defense will be starting as of now two rookies, middle linebacker Jerod Mayo and cornerback Terrance Wheatley.  It will be interesting if the Chiefs find a way to match up Gonzalez on Mayo and Bowe on Wheatley and force the rookies to have to make plays.  The Gonzalez match-up is the most important match-up of the game in my opinion, as Bruschi is too slow to stay with him, and if Mayo with some safety help can’t contain him, they might need to use Adalius Thomas and weaken the pass rush.  Luckily for the Pats, the Chiefs line isn’t the same dominate group it was earlier this decade, so the trio of Seymour, Wilfork and Warren will be able to get pressure in the passing game and might be able to contain Johnson if he isn’t completely healed from his foot injury.  This is the first time in a few years this line is all at full health, as Seymour has been injured the last few years but in camp and preseason had looked phenomenal and looks to be a force.  It could be a long day in the Chiefs backfield if the line can’t hold the front three in check.

Prediction

On paper, this is a mismatch.  The Pats are a Super Bowl contender, and the Chiefs will probably  have a top ten pick in next year’s draft.  And this isn’t even talking about the mismatch on the sidelines, Bill Belichick vs. Herm Edwards.  This is going to be a good chance for Mayo and Wheatley to get their feet wet for the first time in a real NFL game, while letting Brady have his first action of the season, while getting ready for the week two match-up versus division rivals the New York Jets.  I predict, just like last year, a 38-14 start to the season.

Preseason Preview-Game 4 @ the New York Football Giants

Tonight the Patriots conclude preseason action by visiting Giants Stadium and taking on the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.  While the media and some fans might try to hype this up as some sort of Super Bowl rematch, this is far from a rematch, as the fourth preseason game is more about finding out about the bottom half of your roster than running your starters out for them to risk injury in a meaningless game, even more so after the Giants lost Osi Umenyiora last weekend to a season ending knee injury.  The starters for both teams might maybe see one drive, but chances are the guys who are locked into a roster spot will not see the field as tonight is more about finding out who will be a back-up, who will make the practice squad, and who will be looking for a job after cut day on Saturday, along with avoiding an injury which will cripple your team, like the Umenyiora loss.

The main focus on the Pats once again this week will be the back-up quarterback, Matt Cassel has one last chance to show he can run the offense.  He has struggled all preseason and the Matt Gutierrez train is picking up a lot of momentum after his two touchdown passes last week.  Both guys will have a chance to earn the back-up spot tonight, and chances are the loser will be getting cut this weekend when rosters are reduced from 75 to 53.

There are other players who are playing for roles, either on the bottom end of the roster or for a chance on the practice squad, guys like Ray Ventrone and C.J. Jones, both had some good plays last week vs Philly, and both have been working hard in camp.

On defense, there are less question marks.  The cornerback situation and the linebacker situation look like they are settled, as rookies Jerod Mayo and Terrance Wheatley have showed they are worthy of their high picks.  Mayo has been a starter throughout camp and has looked good, while Wheatley has played the nickel and could be pushing for a starting role by mid season.  Most of the people we see tonight will be looking to win a spot, either as a back-up or even through special teams play.

All in all, tonight isn’t going to be the most exciting night.  The last preseason game is more about getting out of it as healthy has possible and getting ready for the season opener.  Tonight will be more about the guys who are fighting for a job more than the guys like Brady, Eli, Moss and Burress.

Preseason Preview- Game 3 vs Philly

The Patriots take a 0-2 preseason record into tomorrow night’s games vs the Philadelphia Eagles.  The third preseason game is considered the most important, as that is the game in which the starters will play well into the third quarter and there is a chance there could be a less vanilla look on defense.  Tom Brady did return to practice this week, and his status for tomorrow night is unknown.  If Brady is unable to go, Matt Cassel will get the start and another chance to prove himself after a couple of lackluster performances.  If Cassel puts up another bad performance thought, he could be cut once the rosters get trimmed.

Other things to look for on the offensive side is once again the line play, as players are still shuffling in and out of practice, inclduing the signing of Mike Flynn today.

On the defensive side, the cornerbacks might play something other than the soft zones they have been playing the last few weeks, so we might get to see Hobbs, Bryant and Wheatley playing some more man and a little more aggressive.  And it will be interesting to see the usage of John Lynch after a week of getting used to the playbook and system.  Also I want to see what Jerod Mayo continues to do, as his emergence as a starter might mean Victor Hobson might be a cut next week.  And on the defensive line, I want to see if Richard Seymour continues his stellar play.  Last week he looked like a force out there, occupying blockers and making plays.

Tomorrow night will be the most important preseason game of the year, expect the starts to see a lot of play time, and there are guys who will be playing for jobs tomorrow night and hopefully the offense can finally show some flashes of potential of what they did last year.

Preseason preview Game 2 @ Tampa Bay

Tomorrow night, the Pats travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Bucs on a game that will be nationally televised on the NFL Network.  The Pats come off of a disappointing showing on offense vs the Ravens last week, and facing a tough Tampa defense will be another nice test for this team which will be without Tom Brady, who is nursing a foot injury which is unrelated to the ankle injury that was much talked about before the Super Bowl.  Here are some things to watch for tomorrow night while watching this match-up.

The offensive line is back in focus.  The line looked very lackluster vs the Ravens, thanks to the injuries suffered by a majority of players who were expected to contribute.  With bodies coming in and out of camp, its hard to say who will even start tomorrow night, and who will get a lot of playing with the first string.

The quarterback position will also get a look at tomorrow night.  Matt Cassel will work with the first group again, now will that first group have Moss and Welker or will it be Jackson and Gaffney.  A lot of people think Cassel’s struggles last week were more about the line and the fact that Chad Jackson played like complete garbage.  O’Connell looked the best last week out of all the quarterbacks, but he also went against 4th stringers and camp fodder, so I hope to see him get some time with the second string going against the second string, even moreso if Cassel struggles again.

The running game is becoming an interesting picture now as well with Lamont Jordan looking impressive both last week and in camp practice, maybe even jumping Sammy Morris to become the #2 back behind Maroney.  It will be interesting to see who gets the carries once Maroney sits, as Morris now could be playing for a job.

And one last person on offense to look at is Chad Jackson.  Jackson is starting to look like a second round bust, and his performance against the Ravens was horrific.  He is running out of time to prove himself, as it seems like he makes two or three boneheaded plays in camp then make an amazing play.  Hopefully good Chad shows up tomorrow night over bad Chad.

One defense, last week Jerod Mayo, Terrance Wheatley and Shawn Crable were playmakers and seemed to fit right in.  Mayo played on the first team and had a handful of tackles and was not out of position at all.  He looked like a veteran, not a first year player.  Wheatley got a lot of playing time and looked very good, and Crable had his first interception since high school last week.

The defensive backfield is another area to look at as well.  There is a heavy battle at the corner position, and will the newest signing, John Lynch, make an appearance in his old stomping grounds wearing a Pats jersey?

Tomorrow night should be an interesting game for fans to watch.  The quarterbacks will get a deeper look with Brady not even making the trip, and the rookies will hopefully continue to impress and not take a look back