The Game Ball Thread: Wk 1 vs Texans

SeoulSoxFan

I Want to Hit the World with Rocket Punch
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2006
22,090
A Scud Away from Hell
This became much more palm-sweating at the end but the same story continues. Texans just can't beat the Patriots.

Here are my game balls:
  • Brady: even with new and less talented weapons, he still is the GOAT
  • Flores: this is a new defense and looks really promising
  • Gronk: when in doubt, Gronk
WIN!!!!
 

Blue Monkey

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 23, 2006
5,353
Reading
Yeah this game was sloppy. Uncharacteristic New England ball. They will clean it up and it will be business as usual. Game ball for me GRONK! Big early season test next week at JAX
 

DegenerateSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 11, 2006
2,064
Flagstaff, AZ
Don’t sleep on this O-line. Watt made a few plays, but was mostly kept in check - and often one on one. I think they got the better of very good D-line. I’d toss them a collective game ball.

And as PF pointed out so succinctly, Allen. That punt was beautiful, and made it just too difficult for the Texans to take advantage of some big plays that’d gone their way.
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,308
Dorsett, 12 catches all of last year and 7 on 7 targets today, his performance today should alleviate a lot of the worry about the receiving corps until Edelman is back.
 

RoDaddy

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jun 19, 2002
3,247
Albany area, NY
Yeah, Dorsett. If he's for real, it's huge for the Pats offense

Also:
Gronk
Brady
Bentley (7 tackles in his debut - we're gonna need this guy)
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
GOAT ball: Riley McCarron
That muff was way worse than the Chris Harper one a few years back but it's going to be remembered way less because they won anyway.

Dorsett, 12 catches all of last year and 7 on 7 targets today, his performance today should alleviate a lot of the worry about the receiving corps until Edelman is back.
He gave them exactly what they needed and did it a few different ways. Very encouraged.

The pass D was terrific. 4.3 yards per pass play. They held Houston to 158 yards, which would have been their third-best total in 2017.
 

SeoulSoxFan

I Want to Hit the World with Rocket Punch
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2006
22,090
A Scud Away from Hell
A shout out to Gilmore, who's turning out to be a true #1 CB. 8 total tackles & limited Hopkins under 100 yards (8 rec. for 78 yards).
 

FredJones

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2015
50
Maybe it's just me, but I thought the pass rushers rushed deeper this game compared to past games against mobile quarterbacks. Could Belichick's philosophy on the matter have changed?
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2009
8,878
Dallas
Jonathan Jones made plays in the slot and on special teams. Defense looked so much better 2018 week 1 vs last year.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,387
Brady - the INT was very unlucky; otherwise outstanding
Flowers - nice pressure all game
Dorsett - great start
Brown - he's a mountain
Gronk - just being Gronk
 

scotian1

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
16,324
Kingston, Nova Scotia
So McCarron was on and said he wasn't calling a fair catch on the ball he fumbled, what the heck he called fair catches when there wasn't anyone within 10 yds of him a couple of times earlier in the game. Luckily he voided the "goat ball"
 

SeoulSoxFan

I Want to Hit the World with Rocket Punch
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2006
22,090
A Scud Away from Hell
Such sweet & salty tears.

@AaronWilson_NFL
Aaron Colvin on the Rob Gronkowski catch "It's tough man, but I mean we're playing in New England. So you know what that means."
 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,333
Some thoughts on Jax for next week:
  • Fournette left in the first half and didn’t return
  • It was raining all day, but they weren’t taking any shots downfield
  • The D was mostly good but the Giants also left a bunch of plays on the field like they always do. Some drops, Eli with some big downfield misses, and a ton of penalties. If I’m game planning, I’m spreading them out all game.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,069
Hingham, MA
Why was McCarron back there in that situation? Under 5 mins to play in the 4th with a two score lead should be your best hands guy and basically an automatic fair catch or let it bounce situation. I blame the coaching staff for not learning from the 2015 game in Denver which was also a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.
 

McDrew

Set Adrift on Memory Bliss
SoSH Member
Apr 11, 2006
4,060
Portland, OR
Such sweet & salty tears.

@AaronWilson_NFL
Aaron Colvin on the Rob Gronkowski catch "It's tough man, but I mean we're playing in New England. So you know what that means."
That every offensive package has practiced "the most important outcome of this play is that we go up and snap it before they initiate a review and potentially undo the prior play so get the fuck to the line" repeatedly?
 

Blue Monkey

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 23, 2006
5,353
Reading
That every offensive package has practiced "the most important outcome of this play is that we go up and snap it before they initiate a review and potentially undo the prior play so get the fuck to the line" repeatedly?
And Houston went into the locker room with 3 to’s. Colossally stupid for them to not use one there
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
Why was McCarron back there in that situation? Under 5 mins to play in the 4th with a two score lead should be your best hands guy and basically an automatic fair catch or let it bounce situation. I blame the coaching staff for not learning from the 2015 game in Denver which was also a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.
The problem is that Edelman is the hands guy. They do not have a lot of PR experience on the roster; I think Chung is the only other one who has.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,069
Hingham, MA
The problem is that Edelman is the hands guy. They do not have a lot of PR experience on the roster; I think Chung is the only other one who has.
So just let the punt hit the ground. McCarron tried to run with it. Has to be better coached there to fair catch it. Situational football is the hallmark of the BB Patriots. It was inexcusable.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
SoSH Member
Mar 24, 2008
7,204
I guess this is the thread for post game commentary outside of back in the game thread which seems to be ignored once it hits a few hours after the game.

I think the Ghostkowski high kickoff to the 1 yard line has been a massive advantage for the last few years since they moved the kickoff forward, but with the special teamers no longer building up any speed, I think it's time to just boom it into the end zone for a touch back at the 25 yard line. Ghostkowski was still hitting his spot right at the goal to two yard line perfectly, but we were never close to a position to drag down the returner at the 15 like we often did last year, and instead it was either the first tackler gets them between the 20 and 25 or they're getting past it. Seems like the odds no longer dictate taking that risk anymore.
 
Apr 7, 2006
2,505
EDIT re: the McCarron post above...

Agreed. Inexcusable of him AND the coaching staff. Just LET the fucking ball BOUNCE. Who CARES what the field position is at that spot in the field and that spot in the game. So annoying.

GAME BALLS:

TB12 has a solid game whose stat-line would make almost any other NFL QB burning a copy for his collection.
DORSETT with an encouraging number of looks and grabs. Earn that trust, buddy - FAST. (Esp with Hogan putting up anemic numbers.)
FLOWERS/WISE - love seeing a frisky-ish pass rush. Wouldn't mind adding Rivers next week. (Did anyone notice Claiborne at all?)
GRONK has to feel pretty awful about that fumble. The Hill thing STINKS. Everything else #87 did was of the non-stink variety. Dominant. A monster man among boys.
RYAN ALLEN - situational punting. Good man. And good job being mentally tough as the team brought in competition following a rather crappy 2017.
DEFENSE in general was stifling against a fairly decent and diverse-ish offensive unit.

GREAT way to start the season.
 

Mugsy's Jock

Eli apologist
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 28, 2000
15,069
UWS, NYC
Not mentioned so much to this point, but I thought the O-line did a pretty solid job giving Brady time against a world class pass rush. I’m gonna like Trent Brown.
 
Apr 7, 2006
2,505
I meant to include that in mine. How much did Trent Brown play? I was expecting he'd be the one rotated in and out, given his conditioning issues. Was he in there a lot? Seemed like the RT spot was being rotated more than the left.
 

m0ckduck

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
1,714
Not mentioned so much to this point, but I thought the O-line did a pretty solid job giving Brady time against a world class pass rush. I’m gonna like Trent Brown.
They did a good job in general, but specifically, I don't remember hearing the name 'Whitney Mercilus' one single time other than the times when the announcers talked about how they hadn't mentioned his name all day.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,478
Melrose, MA
1) The defense: I wish we could go back and redo SB 52 with this defense, or even just a healthy Jonathan Jones
2) Dorsett: Clear improvement from last year and played a key role in the win.
3) Brady
 

IdiotKicker

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 21, 2005
10,785
Somerville, MA
I don’t think it’s fair to blame the coaching staff for expecting the punt returner to catch the punt on a clear day with no wind. You catch the ball if you’re an NFL-caliber player. Good high school teams do this stuff with no problem. And knowing what we know of BB and his willingness to be unconventional, if they didn’t think McCarron could do the job, they would have had no one back there the whole game. McCarron muffing the punt is a McCarron problem, which means he has maybe one more chance at most to get his shit together, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t make the trip to JAX because he has no track record to prove he can bounce back from this one.
 

Bowhemian

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 10, 2015
5,701
Bow, NH
Trent Brown got smoked by JJ Watt on one play in the 4th Q. You know the play, the one where Watt was offsides by about 1 yard when the ball was snapped. No penalty though. :(
Another non-penalty that should have been was in the 1st Q I think, when the play clock expired ~1 second before the ball was snapped.

Speaking of the 1st Q, how was that not a safety?

Anyway, game was closer than it had to be. I thought Dorsett had a great game and is worthy of a game ball. Obviously Gronk and Brady, although Brady had a couple of ugly looking throws.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,478
Melrose, MA
I don’t think it’s fair to blame the coaching staff for expecting the punt returner to catch the punt on a clear day with no wind. You catch the ball if you’re an NFL-caliber player. Good high school teams do this stuff with no problem. And knowing what we know of BB and his willingness to be unconventional, if they didn’t think McCarron could do the job, they would have had no one back there the whole game. McCarron muffing the punt is a McCarron problem, which means he has maybe one more chance at most to get his shit together, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t make the trip to JAX because he has no track record to prove he can bounce back from this one.
Well, we've been down this road before, and not that long ago. I think the coaching staff ought to recognize this as a potential outcome because it's not that uncommon. At the end of the day, it might be all well and good to say that McCarron or Chris Harper should have caught that punt, but they still muffed them and cost us one of two games.
 

IdiotKicker

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 21, 2005
10,785
Somerville, MA
Harper was a completely different situation that I do blame them for, because of the weather and way he was put into the role. Harper was signed two weeks before that game and it was an icy, windy day at altitude. This was a clear September day with two years of practice reps for them to observe whether or not he could do the job. There are things to get on a coaching staff for, but expecting a returner in the NFL to catch a punt on a clear day isn’t one of them in my book.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,069
Hingham, MA
Harper was a completely different situation that I do blame them for, because of the weather and way he was put into the role. Harper was signed two weeks before that game and it was an icy, windy day at altitude. This was a clear September day with two years of practice reps for them to observe whether or not he could do the job. There are things to get on a coaching staff for, but expecting a returner in the NFL to catch a punt on a clear day isn’t one of them in my book.
The problem was that he was trying to run with the punt and not fair catching it. The messaging there has to be that unless you have wide daylight, you fair catch. Risk is not worth reward when up by 14 with under 5 minutes to play in the game. I maintain it is on the coaching staff more than McCarron. McCarron obviously deserves some blame, but I'm inclined to say it is like 80-20 on the staff.
 

BigSoxFan

Member
SoSH Member
May 31, 2007
47,094
The problem was that he was trying to run with the punt and not fair catching it. The messaging there has to be that unless you have wide daylight, you fair catch. Risk is not worth reward when up by 14 with under 5 minutes to play in the game. I maintain it is on the coaching staff more than McCarron. McCarron obviously deserves some blame, but I'm inclined to say it is like 80-20 on the staff.
Agreed. Literally the only way for the Texans to get back in the game was for the Patriots to muff the punt. I get that an NFL player needs to catch that ball but shit happens. I don’t know why we would even have anyone near that ball. Just let it bounce and land wherever it lands.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2006
16,090
Tuukka's refugee camp
Trent Brown got smoked by JJ Watt on one play in the 4th Q. You know the play, the one where Watt was offsides by about 1 yard when the ball was snapped. No penalty though. :(
Another non-penalty that should have been was in the 1st Q I think, when the play clock expired ~1 second before the ball was snapped.

Speaking of the 1st Q, how was that not a safety?

Anyway, game was closer than it had to be. I thought Dorsett had a great game and is worthy of a game ball. Obviously Gronk and Brady, although Brady had a couple of ugly looking throws.
IIRC that was Waddle as Watt was lined up over the RT.

It wasn't a safety because the TE or RB was right there. Now they could have called it dead for being wrapped up but, given they didn't, it was the right call.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
The problem was that he was trying to run with the punt and not fair catching it. The messaging there has to be that unless you have wide daylight, you fair catch. Risk is not worth reward when up by 14 with under 5 minutes to play in the game. I maintain it is on the coaching staff more than McCarron. McCarron obviously deserves some blame, but I'm inclined to say it is like 80-20 on the staff.
I have no clue in the end but I'd be surprised if this coaching point wasn't made to him.

I think one of the problems with a guy like McCarron is that the urge to try to make a play has to be really strong - he has spent his whole career on the practice squad, he probably suspects that his spot on the team will disappear when Jules comes back, and part of him is probably thinking that he's only get a few chances to show that he can be an impact player at the NFL level. So while the brain might know that fair catching is the right decision, part of him has to be thinking that if he just goes back and fair catches everything, he'll be out of a job in three weeks. Up to that point Houston had punted five times and he hadn't returned one yet so I'm sure his eyes lit up when he saw a chance to get the ball in his hands and make something happen..

And, yes, I realize that the obvious rejoinder is that if he fucks up like that, he'll quite possibly be out of a job today, rather than in three weeks. But he's a kid desperately trying to make it in the NFL so rationality might be in short supply.
 

Harry Hooper

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2002
34,402
1) The defense: I wish we could go back and redo SB 52 with this defense, or even just a healthy Jonathan Jones
2) Dorsett: Clear improvement from last year and played a key role in the win.
3) Brady

Ouch, too soon.


I agree. They said that he was trying to throw to his tight end (83) who was in the blocking pose. It was BS.

Whistle should have blown for QB being in the grasp, plus there was blatant holding in the end zone. The fact that the TE was sort of in the vicinity of the thrown ball should have been irrelevant to a safety being called there.
 

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,776
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
Dorsett, 12 catches all of last year and 7 on 7 targets today, his performance today should alleviate a lot of the worry about the receiving corps until Edelman is back.
Agreed. Really good sign. If he can provide a legit weapon....then the coverage will loosen on Hogan.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,244
Whistle should have blown for QB being in the grasp, plus there was blatant holding in the end zone. The fact that the TE was sort of in the vicinity of the thrown ball should have been irrelevant to a safety being called there.
I thought the "in the grasp" rule has been dumped.
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,012
Mansfield MA
I think one of the problems with a guy like McCarron is that the urge to try to make a play has to be really strong - he has spent his whole career on the practice squad, he probably suspects that his spot on the team will disappear when Jules comes back, and part of him is probably thinking that he's only get a few chances to show that he can be an impact player at the NFL level.
That's what coaching is for - getting guys to do things that are in conflict with their natural urges but the best interest of the team. If McCarron is thinking the way you're describing, either the coaching failed or he's a guy who can't take coaching.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,069
Hingham, MA
That's what coaching is for - getting guys to do things that are in conflict with their natural urges but the best interest of the team. If McCarron is thinking the way you're describing, either the coaching failed or he's a guy who can't take coaching.
Seriously. I mean what part of Do Your Job is trying to make a play to try to survive in the NFL? It's the exact opposite of what BB wants to see out of a young player. Even if he returned it for a TD it wouldn't have been the right play.