The Game Ball Thread: Wk 15 @ Broncos

lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
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A nice throwback style win reminiscent of the early Brady-Belichick era. Game balls:

- All players that played the snaps on the defensive side of the ball. Granted, it's not exactly the most prolific offensive team in memory, but Denver had nothing in the 2nd half until essentially garbage time.

- Matt Patricia.

- Butler.

- Offensive line.

- Running backs.

- And Marcus Cannon with the huge redemption game.

Big monkey off this team's back. Now go beat the Jets, and if things work out Miami will be their last road game until they travel to Houston.
 

Seels

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As of right now the Pats have the best scoring defense in the league. As much as it's shit on around here they're allowing 16.6 points a game.
 
Apr 7, 2006
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DT's hands - or lack thereof
TJ's True colors coming out when he threw down Jules

Dion for slowly but surely rounding into shape (and he DID score)
Develin for doing the dirty work
Cannon & Friends for getting the job done all day
Go, Malcolm for shutting down Sanders
Flowers for not wilting in the cold
Van Noy for continuing to show up
Gost - not just the not-missing, the dead-centering
Ryan for keeping us consistently out of trouble
Jules for just (fucking) catching all those punts and for playing HARD AS NAILS receiver today - that one first down in particular, where he barreled through two Denver defenders...wow.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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Jun 26, 2006
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DT's hands - or lack thereof
TJ's True colors coming out when he threw down Jules

Dion for slowly but surely rounding into shape (and he DID score)
Develin for doing the dirty work
Cannon & Friends for getting the job done all day
Go, Malcolm for shutting down Sanders
Flowers for not wilting in the cold
Van Noy for continuing to show up
Gost - not just the not-missing, the dead-centering
Ryan for keeping us consistently out of trouble
Jules for just (fucking) catching all those punts and for playing HARD AS NAILS receiver today - that one first down in particular, where he barreled through two Denver defenders...wow.
Jules's over the shoulder catch on his tiptoes was damned good, too.
 

Ed Hillel

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And just think, they were basically a couple of fluke occurances that were the 2008 season away from what 14 straight divisional titles?
Seventeen straight seasons without having a division team win more games than they have.
 

BernieRicoBoomer

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Agreed 100%. I was literally just talking about this with my father-in-law tonight. Not having a viable fullback definitely changed their approach to running the ball last year. I was a big fan of the completion to Develin that made it first and goal where he was just hanging in the flat with literally no-one covering him
I would add that it was very good not to hear from you in a professional capacity today.
 

mauf

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They clearly aren't the best ever, but point is they are really good, and one of the best in the modern era. The 2005 Chargers are a good call.

As another aside, it's gonna be funny when Belichick franchises Develin and Felger blows up. I'm half kidding (if they choose not to on Hightower, why not?)

Edit - Gotta check to see if FB count as RB for franchise numbers...
I'd say none of the three RBs are all that special, but they're running behind one of the league's better O-lines, and certainly the best line the Pats have had in several years. Amazing turnaround from a year ago, and they didn't have to bring in blue-chip free agents to do it.
 

Stitch01

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I'd say none of the three RBs are all that special, but they're running behind one of the league's better O-lines, and certainly the best line the Pats have had in several years. Amazing turnaround from a year ago, and they didn't have to bring in blue-chip free agents to do it.
Lewis is a special talent, although obviously with a giant injury caveat.

One issue this offseason is Blount has been good enough someone will likely pay him a middling multiyear deal
 

RoDaddy

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1. Defense
2. Dion. The yards and number of touches are a huge step for this offense moving forward from a guy I thought might not have recovered enough based on how few carries he was getting up until today
3. Boston sports - Pats win, C's win, B's win, and Brooklyn loses
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Lewis is a special talent, although obviously with a giant injury caveat.

One issue this offseason is Blount has been good enough someone will likely pay him a middling multiyear deal
He's learned from his trip to Pittsburgh. He'll be back.
 

Seels

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No one is paying a 31 year old RB multi years. I mean I guess the Jets just did it this year with Forte but it seems unlikely.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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One other thing: Caught a glimpse of Michael Floyd on the sideline toward the end of the game - he looks a shit ton like Pedro.
I remarked the exact same thing when I saw that shot.

My game balls: Cannon (still can't believe how invisible Miller was), Ryan (game-turning play), and TJ Ward (entertainment value).
 

Spelunker

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Jul 17, 2005
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I remarked the exact same thing when I saw that shot.

My game balls: Cannon (still can't believe how invisible Miller was), Ryan (game-turning play), and TJ Ward (entertainment value).
Same here. I was pretty confused until they showed his name.
 

CantKeepmedown

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Jul 15, 2005
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O-line and the defense. Very satisfying win.

Two straight weeks against two good defenses. Put up 30 and win convincingly in one and then get one TD and grind out a win in the other. I'll take it.
 

leetinsley38

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Trio: Curtis Martin, Dave Meggett, Keith Byars.
I.e give me the versatile every down in his prime HOF back.
Would have been fun to see Martin and Brady together.
 

LaszloKovacks

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Mar 21, 2006
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Butler
Ryan
McCourty
Flowers

Solder
Cannon
Mason
Edelman

Great to see this team winning in multiple ways. Starting to feel like they can matchup with anyone and win. The continued amazing play of Butler coupled with McCourty having one of his best stretches since re-signing has really made the whole defensive side of the ball look legitimately good. The DL has been better, but opposing QBs have consistently had to look at their 2nd and 3rd options the past few weeks and that is the product of our two best DBs + great rotational roles in the secondary. Butler is one of the best stories of the BB era, and somehow doesn't get the national credit as a top 5 corner in the league. I really, really hope we sign him to an extension.
 

Toe Nash

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I think Cannon and the line did a great job but it was part gameplanning that kept Miller invisible --- so a ball to the coaches as well. They mostly ran away from him and Brady largely went to his first read on the first few (unsuccessful) drives so he had no chance. He also dropped into coverage a fair amount. Plus the run-heavy attack and the success they had allowed them to have third and shorts where Brady could get the ball out in < 2 seconds.

Definitely on a few key third downs Cannon held him off one-on-one which was incredible to see.

My individual game ball goes to Edelman who was just incredible all game.
 

joe dokes

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Jul 18, 2005
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Name a better trio ever, let alone the Pats Brady era. This has to be near the top.
Csonka, Kiick, Morris



Regardless, running with Lewis or White in the game, or passing with Blount in the game really makes it hard for defenses.
 

kelpapa

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Feb 15, 2010
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I've watched a lot of Bronco games over the past few years, and I can't remember a game where Von Miller was a non-factor. He was a non-factor yesterday.

Cannon and Scar.
 

Bowhemian

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Trey Flowers and James Develin. I'm starting to think Develin's importance is grossly underrated.
This is where I am regarding Develin as well. That passing play where he stood wide open waiting for the ball for like 5 minutes was perfectly played. He was clearly unnoticed out there, and just hung out waiting, rather than running around drawing attention to himself.
His role as a blocking back (and a pretty good one, too) has made defenses pretty much forget about him-which speaks to why he was uncovered on that play.
 

BrazilianSoxFan

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Malcom Brown deserves all the praise he can get:

Brown missed some time in the first half (stomach) before returning, which caught the attention of his teammates. “He’s a tough player,” said safety McCourty, one of the team’s captains. “His stomach is hurting, and he’s not feeling well, but he goes back into the locker room and gets an IV because he wants to help the team. He knew once he went down, we had two defensive tackles out there, so he wanted to come back in.”
http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4798757/patriots-offensive-tactic-with-shea-mcclellin-sparks-thoughts-of-ravens-playoff-game
 

Bergs

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Jul 22, 2005
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Why in the world did we not challenge the obvious TD by Lewis? It ended up not mattering because Blount blasted it in the next play, but it was clearly a TD.
 

Zososoxfan

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Pats had to sit on the tarmac for 2 hours last night waiting for the plane to be de iced per Zo.
Not to derail the thread, but this comment got me thinking. 2 hours on the tarmac for an NFL team (at least a well-run and managed one like the Pats) shouldn't be as big of an inconvenience compared to your average Joe. In other words, teams should have charter planes to accomplish travel in the best way possible for the players (i.e. extra large, fully reclining seats, recovery chambers, etc.). A quick Google search turned up some nice plane interiors with executive-style first class seats, but I'm thinking more along the lines of this story about a Nike concept:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2192671-nike-helps-design-airplane-interior-focused-on-athlete-specific-needs

This WSJ article is interesting, but also from 2012, so who knows how accurate it still is.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203897404578076574126494236

[/hijack]
 

ragnarok725

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Seems the Pats sent the Broncos into a bit of a meltdown with top notch guys like TJ Ward blaming both the offense and the run D for all their problems. They've shown time and again that they're a good unit when they're front running, but tend to lose their shit when they face any adversity.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000759572/article/denver-broncos-frustrations-boil-over-after-loss-to-patriots
From the story...
When the beaten Broncos spilled into the locker room, before the door was opened to reporters and other outsiders, coach Gary Kubiak gathered his players and asked if anyone wanted to address the team. Veteran left tackle Russell Okung, who signed with the Broncos last March, stepped forward to speak, and cornerback Aqib Talib strongly objected. According to several witnesses, that set off a spirited shouting match between the team's defensive backs and offensive linemen -- one which Kubiak had to diffuse before it turned ugly.
Talib really does seem like a huge asshole.
 

Curt S Loew

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Why in the world did we not challenge the obvious TD by Lewis? It ended up not mattering because Blount blasted it in the next play, but it was clearly a TD.
It happened quick? Plus, we ended up saving a challenge so I guess it worked out.
 

Pxer

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Why in the world did we not challenge the obvious TD by Lewis? It ended up not mattering because Blount blasted it in the next play, but it was clearly a TD.
They said on the post game that Bill did, in fact, throw the challenge flag, but it came out too late.
 

BigSoxFan

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Why in the world did we not challenge the obvious TD by Lewis? It ended up not mattering because Blount blasted it in the next play, but it was clearly a TD.
Belichick cares about his fantasy team too
 

TheMoralBully

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Oct 10, 2005
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Brown, Butler, Flowers, Allen, Gostkowski.

Edelman and Lewis. As weak as the offense was, after the first quarter they did manage to move the ball because of these two guys, and help win the field position battle. We've been on the wrong side of this before where it's 3 and outs by the offense, and the other team chips away with shorter fields.
 

InstaFace

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Why in the world did we not challenge the obvious TD by Lewis? It ended up not mattering because Blount blasted it in the next play, but it was clearly a TD.
If the refs don't agree that there's indisputable evidence, then your next challenge is your last.

I would have preferred Bill challenge, especially with the down-the-line angle we had, but at the 1 yard line and with a recovery ruled for the offense, I can understand him holding onto his ammunition.

As for game balls, rather than tiring for the 4th quarter as with many past games played at altitude, the Defense got stop after stop after stop. Take a look at the drive chart from yesterday, it's ridiculous. FIVE CONSECUTIVE three-and-outs, followed by a 6-play turnover on downs? They gave up two bend-but-don't-break 11-play drives in the first half, ending with an INT and a punt, preceded by a 47yd FG drive. The rest of the game they played with flawless execution. Show me a game, since the 2004 AFC Divisional game, where the Pats' defense played better. And we're talking with an UDFA at #1 CB, Eric Rowe, Sheard and Kyle Van Noy are all reclamation projects on their 2nd franchise, etc etc.