New England Patriots

Matt Cassel’s play is a big reason for the success of the New England Patriots this season

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:43:28 +0000

When Tom Brady went out for the season with a severe injury in Week 1 against the Chiefs most experts thought the Patriots would be toast. After all, Matt Cassel hadn’t started a game since high school and he was being thrust into the starting role at QB. Cassel has played in 10 games this season for the Patriots and he has completed 208 of 316 passes (65.8%) for 2,200 yards with 10 TD passes and 7 interceptions (87.3 QB Rating). He has also carried the football 51 times for 185 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run. It will be up to Cassel to keep playing well if the Patriots are to win the AFC East or make the playoffs as a Wild Card.

New York Jets 34, New England Patriots 31 in OT

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:38:24 +0000

The defense and special teams let the Patriots down in the football game last night. But, QB Matt Cassell kept the Patriots in the game with a huge effort. He completed 30 of 51 passes for 400 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 interceptions last night. He also carried the football 8 times for 62 yards (7.8 ypc) against the Jets so you can’t blame the loss on him. Kevin Faulk was busy in this game as he carried the ball 8 times for 38 yards (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 49 yards (12.3 avg). Matt Cassell spread the ball around to his receivers and that was very effective last night. Wes Welker led the way in the passing game for the Patriots last night with 108 yards on 7 grabs (15.4 avg). TE Ben Watson (8 rec, 88 yards) and WR Jabar Gaffney (7 rec, 86 yards) each caught a TD pass in the game last night. The Patriots finished up with 125 yards rushing on 25 carries (5.0 ypc) last night and they also completed 30 of 51 passes for 386 yards.

Rookie linebacker Jared Mayo led the way for the Patriots’ defense with 20 tackles in this game. He also defensed a pass as he was all over the football field. Still, the Patriots defense as a whole did not play well as the Jets rushed for 140 yards on 39 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 33 passes for 235 yards. The special teams also killed the Patriots in this game as Leon Washington had a 92-yard kickoff return for a TD against them. The Patriots have fallen to 6-4 in the AFC East, 1 game behind the Jets.

The New England Patriots lose linebacker Adalius Thomas

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:30:59 +0000

The Patriots might have to put starting outside linebacker Adalius Thomas on Injured Reserve as he has suffered a broken forearm. This is a huge blow to the Patriots’ defense as Thomas is the best pass rusher on the team. He has 34 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and he has defensed 4 passes. This was a player that the Patriots just can’t replace.

The New England Patriots are hurting at running back right now

admin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:19:40 +0000

Laurence Maroney, LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris are the three top running backs on the Patriots’ roster and none of them will be playing tomorrow putting a lot of pressure on Matt Cassel in the passing game. Maroney is out for the season with a shoulder injury proving that he just can’t be counted on in the future by the Patriots as he is proving to be very injury prone. He has carried the football 28 times for 93 yards (3.3 ypc) this season. Sammy Morris will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a knee injury. He has carried the ball 69 times for 307 yards (4.4 ypc) with 4 TD runs and he also has caught 12 passes for 90 yards (7.5 avg). The Patriots will miss Morris’ toughness between the tackles. LaMont Jordan has a calf injury that will likely cause him to miss tomorrow’s football game. He has carried the ball 24 times for 106 yards (4.4 ypc) so far this season. What this all means is that Kevin Faulk and Benjarvus Green-Ellis will have to carry the load in the running game for the Patriots. Faulk has carried the ball 23 times for 152 yards (6.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he has also caught 16 passes for 120 yards (7.5 avg). He is getting up there in years so look for the Patriots to watch his workload tomorrow. Benjarvus Green-Ellis has carried the ball 13 times for 65 yards (5.0 ypc) with a TD run and he has also caught 1 pass for 9 yards. It will be interesting to see the play selection tomorrow for the Patriots who have been trying to protect Matt Cassel to this point.

New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers

admin — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:18:43 +0000

The Patriots might have the guts to let Matt Cassel throw the ball against the Chargers who are allowing 265.6 yards passing per game (103.0 QB Rating). But, the more likely scenario for the Patriots’ offense will likely be keeping the ball on the ground with Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk against the Chargers who are allowing 113.4 yards rushing per game (4.4 ypc). The Chargers have 12 sacks this season and the Patriots’ line hasn’t pass blocked well this year allowing 16 sacks so the Patriots will likely keep the passing game to the short stuff so look for Wes Welker to have a better game than Randy Moss this week.

The Chargers will likely try to punish the Patriots’ defense with the running game as LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles should find a lot of running room as the Patriots are allowing 124.8 yards rushing per game (4.9 ypc) this season. Antonio Gates should also had a huge game working against the Patriots’ safeties who appear overmatched. Philip Rivers has been excellent this season so look for him to also test the Patriots deep with Vincent Jackson and 2nd year man Craig Davis who will be starting in injured Chris Chambers (ankle) place.

PREDICTION: SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 27, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 16

New England Patriots 30, San Francisco 49ers 21

admin — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:40:53 +0000

The Patriots planned all during the bye week to be physical and run the ball against the 49ers and the hard work paid off with a win. The Patriots rushed for 144 yards on 43 carries (3.3 ypc) but no one back had more than 63 yards rushing for them. Kevin Faulk was a big thorn in the side of the 49ers as he carried the ball 7 times for 32 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 4 passes for 29 yards. Matt Cassel was sacked 5 times in this game but he kept getting up and he completed 22 of 32 passes for 259 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions. WRs Wes Welker (8 rec, 73 yards) and Randy Moss (5 rec, 111 yards, TD) both had solid games to lead the way in the passing game for the Patriots. The Patriots had possession of the football for 39:52 of this game and that really helped keep the defense fresh. The Patriots held the 49ers to 199 yards of offense last Sunday. The Patriots are now a very impressive 3-1 on the season.

New England Patriots vs. San Francisco 49ers

admin — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:20:38 +0000

The Patriots and 49ers are both coming off losses and need this football game so we will see what happens on Sunday. The Patriots will likely shift gears on offense and come out running the football against the Niners. Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan and Laurence Maroney will likely split carries against a Niners’ D that is allowing 124.5 yards rushing per game and 4.0 ypc. The Patriots must protect Cassel better if he is to have any success throwing the ball against the Niners who have solid corners as Patriots’ QBs have been sacked 10 times in three games this season. It appears as if Cassel prefers to throw to Wes Welker over Randy Moss.

The Patriots are allowing a stunning 140.7 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so look for Frank Gore to be the focal point of the offense for the Niners. Make no mistake though, the Niners will put the ball in the air some with J.T. O’Sullivan spreading the ball around to WRs Arnaz Battle, Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson. The Niners’ O-Line must protect O’Sullivan better as they have allowed 19 sacks already this season and that has led to big mistakes.

PREDICTION: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 21, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 17

WR Troy Brown officially retires from the New England Patriots

admin — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:38:27 +0000

37-year old WR Troy Brown has officially retired from the New England Patriots. Brown was a good all around player for the Patriots as he did whatever it takes to win the game. He played in 192 games (70 starts) for the Patriots in his career and he caught 557 passes for 6,366 yards (11.4 avg) with 31 TD grabs. He also carried the football 29 times for 178 yards (6.1 ypc). But, Brown also helped out on special teams. He returned 87 kickoffs for 1,862 yards (21.4 avg) and 252 punts for 2,625 yards (10.4 avg) with 3 TD returns. Brown also played CB when the Patriots got in a bind in 2004 due to injuries. He finished up with 25 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he had 3 interceptions. Brown will go down as one of the better players in Patriots history despite never being a dominant player as he was always there to make a big play when the team really needed it.

Miami Dolphins 38, New England Patriots 13

admin — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:12:24 +0000

This result was a shocker but when you think about how the Patriots played in the preseason this year you had to think this would happen at some point. Matt Cassel didn’t look too sharp in this game as he completed 19 of 31 passes for 131 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception. Rookie Kevin O’Connell got to mop up in this game as he completed 3 of 4 passes for 25 yards. Sammy Morris led the Fins’ in rushing in this game with 27 yards on 9 carries (3.0 ypc). LaMont Jordan pitched in with 6 carries for 22 yards (3.7 ypc). Wes Welker had a solid game with 6 grabs for 55 yards (9.2 avg) and he also carried the ball 1 time for 19 yards. Jabar Gaffney also had a decent game with 6 grabs for 51 yards (8.5 avg) with a TD grab. The Patriots finished up with 79 yards rushing on 20 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 35 passes for 137 yards.

The Patriots’ defense was flat out terrible against the Dolphins as they got pushed around the whole game. Linebacker Jared Mayo and safety Rodney Harrison led the way for the Patriots’ defense with 12 tackles apiece in this game. The Dolphins finished up with a whopping 216 yards rushing on 36 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 21 passes for 245 yards. The Patriots fell to 2-1 on the season with this loss.

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins

admin — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:47:32 +0000

The Patriots have won 21 regular season games in a row which is an NFL record, while the Dolphins have lost 17 of their last 18 games. The Dolphins would love to run the football in this game and control the clock. But, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown have only combined for 100 yards rushing this season on 38 carries (2.6 ypc). If the Dolphins can get the running game going somehow against the Patriots then Chad Pennington can work his play action passing game. Still, with Chad Pennington’s lack of arm strength the Patriots will likely sneak the defense up towards the line of scrimmage and dare the Fins to throw the football.

The Dolphins have a stingy run defense allowing only 96.5 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry. That, coupled with injuries to Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan could lead the Fins to finally unleash Matt Cassel in this game. After all, opposing QBs have a Rating of 147.0 against the Dolphins this season and they are averaging 285.0 yards thru the air per contest. This could be the game that Randy Moss has his first breakout game of the 2008 season. Also look for Wes Welker to want to stick it to his old team.

PREDICTION: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 24, MIAMI DOLPHINS 13