Jets - Patriots Game Thread ****Official****

[CaptainHook]

Geno Smith underthrew just about every deep ball. I wasn't terribly impressed with his mobility. And he's got Eli Manning face.

[whomper]

Is Santonio Holmes high? His eyes are red as the devils ass!!!

 

I thought my eyes were deceiving me. He looked like a freak

[whomper]

That was seriously one of the worst games I have ever watched. Brutally sloppy and boring

[Big John]

That was seriously one of the worst games I have ever watched. Brutally sloppy and boring

 

Learned from last year that TNF games are usually not very good.

[Gopher]

A few thoughts on last night's game....

 

First, Brady continued to throw to Dobson because he didn't have anybody else to throw to. He can only throw to Edelman so many times, and the other options were limited.

 

Speaking of Edelman, I was already pretty high on him (drafted in a few leagues, and picked him up this week in any other league that I could), but man... I was even more impressed with him last night. Caught a couple of balls that I thought he had no business catching (or, at least, they were very difficult/impressive catches). The Jets knew he was the #1 target, had two guys on him at times, and he still found a way to get open enough for Brady to get him the ball. Not only that, but his punt return skills are about as good as I've seen. Not necessarily a guy who's going to be a top threat to break one to the house, but he's almost automatic for 10-15 yards per PR, which is very good (good enough to be the all-time punt return average leader in the NFL, in fact). Seems to make something out of nothing, nearly every time the ball touches his hands. He's more than just a "fill-in" who is getting playing time because Amendola is hurt. He's a talented weapon, and after watching him last night, I'm going to argue (even more than before) that he's got legitimate fantasy value this year and beyond, regardless of whether Amendola and Gronk are playing or not. I'm not quite ready to call him Wes Welker 2.0, but he's got a lot of the same characteristics... Good hands, decent speed/quickness, and a general knack for getting open. I know he's had some injury history before, but he seems like a tough kid, as well. I'm kicking myself, right now, wishing that I didn't have him in more leagues, regardless of whether they're redraft or dynasty.

 

I agree with the sentiment that the Patriots look rough, considering who they've played, and it's only about to get much more difficult for them in a couple of weeks. That said, I think we need to remind ourselves of a couple of things. First, the divisional opponents (particularly the Jets, but even the Bills at times) have traditionally played NE tough. So, although it's concerning that the Pats' offense has been sputtering, it's not exactly shocking that they had to win two close games to start the season.

 

Second, in terms of the offense looking pathetic, we've seen this before. The only difference is that, in past years, it was the defense that people were worried about, not the offense. There have been years (even championship years) where a lot of people counted New England out early, because they didn't seem to have a "championship-level" defense, and were of the general sentiment that blowing teams out in the regular season is nice, but it's not going to win playoff games (against stiffer competition) if your defense can't stop anyone. The one thing I've learned, when it comes to Belicheck teams, is that you never count them out because they WILL improve every week.

 

If you listened to the NFL Network's interview with Vince Wilfork, after the game, he basically said the same thing. They're young and unproven on offense, and they're thrilled to have won two close divisional games. In fact, Wilfork said he would prefer to win those games the way that they did, instead of blowouts, because they learn/develop more that way. All of the key pieces are still in place, in terms of leadership... Brady, Wilfork, Mayo, and of course Belicheck, will get these youngsters in line. They may lose a few games along the way, and I don't see them finishing any better than 10-11 wins, most likely, but I'm certainly not ready to say that NE has no chance at a playoff run this year. I've seen this too many times before, and they will undoubtedly get better.