Patriots' wish: A challenge
By TOM KING Telegraph Staff
sports@nashuatelegraph.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – What do you give the NFL team that apparently has everything?
A challenge, that's what.
The New England Patriots may finally get that on Sunday when they travel to Dallas to play a part in the Tony Romo Show. A challenge is the one thing the Patriots haven't had all year, the one thing fans and experts – and you can bet the Patriots themselves – are looking forward to.
"Offensively, (the Cowboys) have the most physical offensive line I've seen in a long time," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on Monday. "The tight ends are good, the backs are good, the receivers are good, the quarterback is good, everybody's good. They're good on defense. They're good in the kicking game."
Good, good, good. The difference is, a lot of people are saying the Patriots are great, great, great.
They know that on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns they were just good enough.
"It's kind of a bittersweet feeling," Patriots defensive back Ellis Hobbs said. "We hold ourselves accountable to a higher level. Winning is just not enough for us. Playing well and winning is what we try to do.
"I think we can all agree that we have to pick it up and it's not going to be enough to play Dallas and to beat Dallas."
The rest of the league may already be convinced.
"You can see why they are a playoff team," Cleveland linebacker Andra Davis said. "They go out there and don't make very many mistakes. They recovered three turnovers (actually, four on Sunday). . . . They play well as a team and they force you to beat them. They force you to play safety football."
Safety football is not part of the Dallas vocabulary. Smart football is not only part of the Patriots' vocabulary, it's a way of life at Gillette Stadium.
But when things come easy for you – Cleveland neutralized Randy Moss and Wes Welker on Sunday and the Patriots still found a way to win somewhat comfortably – then a challenge is needed.
"We know what kind of football team they have," Belichick said of Dallas. "They're very good at everything. That will be a big challenge for us, going down there and competing with the Cowboys. They're doing an outstanding job of pretty much everything from the tapes that I've seen so far."
And you can bet he's seen plenty of them. The tape of Sunday's Browns strategy might make the rounds, as well. The fact that Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel found a way to push Moss out of the picture certainly opened some eyes. As Belichick said, "They created some matchups that we had trouble with.
"I wouldn't say (the Browns) took him out of the game, but they made a strong effort to limit his production. They did a number of things on both sides of the ball that gave us some problems that we had to adjust to. A lot of things that didn't go well out there (on Sunday) for us (were) a result of what Cleveland did. It wasn't just mistakes that we made, although I think we made our share."
But the Patriots sent the rest of the league a subtle message Sunday: Take our big guns away and we'll just go into the armory and pull more out. That's why Ben Watson was able to have a career game and Donte Stallworth finally became more involved in the offense.
People seem to have forgotten what a great athlete Watson is. While it's a testament to the increased level of talent that a year ago he was considered the team's No. 1 receiver and now he's a secret weapon, the guy is still someone you can't ignore. Nor is Stallworth.
"You wait on your opportunities," Stallworth said. "I got a little more of an opportunity, they were trying to take Randy out of the game. Whenever that happens, they're leaving someone with single coverage. . . . Whenever that happens, other guys have to step up and make the plays."
While Crennel probably knows the Patriots better than anyone, Dallas coach Wade Phillips is no stranger to New England, having been the head coach at Buffalo and the defensive coordinator at San Diego.
He keeps things simple, but it appears he's allowed the personalities at Dallas to shine.
"I think his teams are well disciplined," Belichick said. "I think they're fundamentally sound. They don't necessarily run the most exotic things, but what they do, they do well."
After a 5-0 start against teams that are a combined 7-16, the Patriots are simply looking for a challenge against a strong team.
They should get it next Sunday.
sports@nashuatelegraph.com
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – What do you give the NFL team that apparently has everything?
A challenge, that's what.
The New England Patriots may finally get that on Sunday when they travel to Dallas to play a part in the Tony Romo Show. A challenge is the one thing the Patriots haven't had all year, the one thing fans and experts – and you can bet the Patriots themselves – are looking forward to.
"Offensively, (the Cowboys) have the most physical offensive line I've seen in a long time," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on Monday. "The tight ends are good, the backs are good, the receivers are good, the quarterback is good, everybody's good. They're good on defense. They're good in the kicking game."
Good, good, good. The difference is, a lot of people are saying the Patriots are great, great, great.
They know that on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns they were just good enough.
"It's kind of a bittersweet feeling," Patriots defensive back Ellis Hobbs said. "We hold ourselves accountable to a higher level. Winning is just not enough for us. Playing well and winning is what we try to do.
"I think we can all agree that we have to pick it up and it's not going to be enough to play Dallas and to beat Dallas."
The rest of the league may already be convinced.
"You can see why they are a playoff team," Cleveland linebacker Andra Davis said. "They go out there and don't make very many mistakes. They recovered three turnovers (actually, four on Sunday). . . . They play well as a team and they force you to beat them. They force you to play safety football."
Safety football is not part of the Dallas vocabulary. Smart football is not only part of the Patriots' vocabulary, it's a way of life at Gillette Stadium.
But when things come easy for you – Cleveland neutralized Randy Moss and Wes Welker on Sunday and the Patriots still found a way to win somewhat comfortably – then a challenge is needed.
"We know what kind of football team they have," Belichick said of Dallas. "They're very good at everything. That will be a big challenge for us, going down there and competing with the Cowboys. They're doing an outstanding job of pretty much everything from the tapes that I've seen so far."
And you can bet he's seen plenty of them. The tape of Sunday's Browns strategy might make the rounds, as well. The fact that Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel found a way to push Moss out of the picture certainly opened some eyes. As Belichick said, "They created some matchups that we had trouble with.
"I wouldn't say (the Browns) took him out of the game, but they made a strong effort to limit his production. They did a number of things on both sides of the ball that gave us some problems that we had to adjust to. A lot of things that didn't go well out there (on Sunday) for us (were) a result of what Cleveland did. It wasn't just mistakes that we made, although I think we made our share."
But the Patriots sent the rest of the league a subtle message Sunday: Take our big guns away and we'll just go into the armory and pull more out. That's why Ben Watson was able to have a career game and Donte Stallworth finally became more involved in the offense.
People seem to have forgotten what a great athlete Watson is. While it's a testament to the increased level of talent that a year ago he was considered the team's No. 1 receiver and now he's a secret weapon, the guy is still someone you can't ignore. Nor is Stallworth.
"You wait on your opportunities," Stallworth said. "I got a little more of an opportunity, they were trying to take Randy out of the game. Whenever that happens, they're leaving someone with single coverage. . . . Whenever that happens, other guys have to step up and make the plays."
While Crennel probably knows the Patriots better than anyone, Dallas coach Wade Phillips is no stranger to New England, having been the head coach at Buffalo and the defensive coordinator at San Diego.
He keeps things simple, but it appears he's allowed the personalities at Dallas to shine.
"I think his teams are well disciplined," Belichick said. "I think they're fundamentally sound. They don't necessarily run the most exotic things, but what they do, they do well."
After a 5-0 start against teams that are a combined 7-16, the Patriots are simply looking for a challenge against a strong team.
They should get it next Sunday.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:33 PM
<< Home