Gregg Easterbrook's column today (which never actually appears in the morning like it's title suggests), has a not-so-fresh take on RunUpGate. So save yourself a lot of time and read the excerpt below or click on the title of the post to waste 45 minutes of your day. Spoiler Alert: Atom smashers may be bad for scientistics looking for funding in the future!
. . . . .
Running Up the Score Watch: At the end of the third quarter, the Patriots were leading Buffalo 42-7 -- more than the margin of the greatest comeback in NFL history -- yet Tom Brady was still on the field, still throwing passes like mad while the Flying Elvii were going for it on fourth down rather than attempting a field goal, frantically trying to run up the score. This is bad sportsmanship, plus it needlessly exposes starters to injury. New England possessions Sunday night: Touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, punt. That's impressive until you get close to the end of the string, when more touchdowns are unneeded. It is one thing for the Patriots to be determined to win, quite another for their coaches to be determined to convince the world they are poor sports. This is extremely weird -- why would anyone want to convince the world of this? Should the Patriots advance to win the Super Bowl still displaying bad sportsmanship at every chance, the postscript on the whole NFL season might be this word: bummer.
The Flying Elvii are doing everything to near-perfection, but TMQ continues to think too much credit is going to Brady and his flashy receivers, not enough to the offensive line and defensive front seven. On the night, Brady was never sacked, was hit only once and hurried only once; otherwise, he stood in the pocket as though he was posing for a magazine cover, no rusher even near him. Put Joey Harrington behind New England's great offensive line, and he'd be a star. When New England was on defense, J.P. Losman was sacked four times and hit really hard on three other occasions, despite Buffalo's keeping at least six back to block. Brady's passes were right on the numbers, and Losman's passes were hitting the turf in front of his receivers; superior New England line play was the reason for both outcomes.
Speaking of receivers, when oh when will someone jam the ones from New England? Game after game, defensive coordinators play New England by having the corners backed off and soft. Attention, this is not working! Tuesday Morning Quarterback continues to long to see what will happen if a defense simply jams the New England receiving corps -- the way New England corners almost always jam their opponents.
. . . . .
Here are some examples of why Gregg is an idiot and you can't blame the Patriots for running up the score...which they did.
1. With 8:56 left in the 3rd quarter Brady hit Watson on a 4th & 1 from the 3. Why not kick a field goal? Well, the Patriots know the game is in hand, so a field goal, as Belichick said after the game (and after the Cowboys game as well), kicking a field goal is a bigger slap in the face. By running a play on 4th & 1, they gave the Bills a chance to stop them and get the ball, instead of a 99.99% chance of a successful chip shot field goal.
2. 3:56 left in the 3rd quarter, the Patriots are in the red zone. 3 of the next 4 plays are runs to All-Pro Kyle Eckel and he busts in for a touchdown. Kyle freakin Eckel.
3. That touchdown by Eckel came on the first play of the 4th quarter. It was also the last play that Tom Brady appeared on the field. 7 touchdowns on 7 drives. Now he's out. If he stays in, it's reasonable to assume he tosses another 3 TD passes. But he won't because he was taken out after the 1st play of the 4th quarter.
4. 11:04 left in the game, the Bills punt to Welker at the Pats' 36. There isn't a defender within 15 yards of Welker when he fair catches it. If you saw the previous punt returns for Welker in the game, you'd see that he rarely fair catches and often caught the ball with defenders closing in on him. If you don't think this was planned, then you're just too jaded to be objective.
4. 3:56 left in the game, 4th and 6 at the Bills' 36. Does anyone doubt the Patriots could have converted this? Does anyone doubt that it's only a marginally difficult field goal try? Patriots pooch punt instead.
Hopefully in the offseason the NFL will convene a special "sportsmanship committee" to address the parameters around running up the score, when should you take out your starters, and whether the beaten down team should be allowed to pass the ball themselves when the ethics professors in the media deem the game to be unofficially over.
No one disputes them running up the score at this point. But when they get to the playoffs and someone actually plays them 60 minutes like the Colts did, do you want your team spending the previous 16 weeks calling off the dogs 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter? How does your team get up for 60 minutes if you don't play 60 minutes every week?
But, wait. Intellectually superior protectors of sportsmanship, like Easterbrook will tell you in one sentence: "On the night, Brady was never sacked, was hit only once and hurried only once; otherwise, he stood in the pocket as though he was posing for a magazine cover, no rusher even near him". Then in another he says: "At the end of the third quarter, the Patriots were leading Buffalo 42-7...yet Tom Brady was still on the field....This is bad sportsmanship, plus it needlessly exposes starters to injury."
How are you exposed to injury if you were only hit once and hurried once?
A typical TMQB column today. Heavily researched astronomy, poor box score evaluations, agenda-pushing subjectivity. The most well thought out part of that whole column was regarding the reason christmas music is playing earlier than ever this year.
As Glen Ordway (WEEI's BIG O) said today on his radio show: "Screw Gregg Esterberg and the rest of those guys."
If you like Terminator, ACDC, and a photo montage of the Patriots, check out this video submission from Mike. If you've got a link, video, or comments you'd like to contribute, send them in!
Here are some examples of why Gregg is an idiot and you can't blame the Patriots for running up the score...which they did.
1. With 8:56 left in the 3rd quarter Brady hit Watson on a 4th & 1 from the 3. Why not kick a field goal? Well, the Patriots know the game is in hand, so a field goal, as Belichick said after the game (and after the Cowboys game as well), kicking a field goal is a bigger slap in the face. By running a play on 4th & 1, they gave the Bills a chance to stop them and get the ball, instead of a 99.99% chance of a successful chip shot field goal.
2. 3:56 left in the 3rd quarter, the Patriots are in the red zone. 3 of the next 4 plays are runs to All-Pro Kyle Eckel and he busts in for a touchdown. Kyle freakin Eckel.
3. That touchdown by Eckel came on the first play of the 4th quarter. It was also the last play that Tom Brady appeared on the field. 7 touchdowns on 7 drives. Now he's out. If he stays in, it's reasonable to assume he tosses another 3 TD passes. But he won't because he was taken out after the 1st play of the 4th quarter.
4. 11:04 left in the game, the Bills punt to Welker at the Pats' 36. There isn't a defender within 15 yards of Welker when he fair catches it. If you saw the previous punt returns for Welker in the game, you'd see that he rarely fair catches and often caught the ball with defenders closing in on him. If you don't think this was planned, then you're just too jaded to be objective.
4. 3:56 left in the game, 4th and 6 at the Bills' 36. Does anyone doubt the Patriots could have converted this? Does anyone doubt that it's only a marginally difficult field goal try? Patriots pooch punt instead.
Hopefully in the offseason the NFL will convene a special "sportsmanship committee" to address the parameters around running up the score, when should you take out your starters, and whether the beaten down team should be allowed to pass the ball themselves when the ethics professors in the media deem the game to be unofficially over.
No one disputes them running up the score at this point. But when they get to the playoffs and someone actually plays them 60 minutes like the Colts did, do you want your team spending the previous 16 weeks calling off the dogs 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter? How does your team get up for 60 minutes if you don't play 60 minutes every week?
But, wait. Intellectually superior protectors of sportsmanship, like Easterbrook will tell you in one sentence: "On the night, Brady was never sacked, was hit only once and hurried only once; otherwise, he stood in the pocket as though he was posing for a magazine cover, no rusher even near him". Then in another he says: "At the end of the third quarter, the Patriots were leading Buffalo 42-7...yet Tom Brady was still on the field....This is bad sportsmanship, plus it needlessly exposes starters to injury."
How are you exposed to injury if you were only hit once and hurried once?
A typical TMQB column today. Heavily researched astronomy, poor box score evaluations, agenda-pushing subjectivity. The most well thought out part of that whole column was regarding the reason christmas music is playing earlier than ever this year.
As Glen Ordway (WEEI's BIG O) said today on his radio show: "Screw Gregg Esterberg and the rest of those guys."
If you like Terminator, ACDC, and a photo montage of the Patriots, check out this video submission from Mike. If you've got a link, video, or comments you'd like to contribute, send them in!
7 comments:
The most annoying thing about Easterbrook this year is his attitude about the Patriots is a complete 180, not to mention it is completely hypocritical of many of the things he regularly considers great about how to play football (as you pointed out).
In years past, all the same things they're doing this year were lauded. Regarding Pats players and coaches not goading the media, what was once humility and determination to focus on the game, is now haughtiness sinister signs of something hidden. Just last week he went on for paragraphs about going for it on 4th down, yet when the Pats happen to do it this year, it's a sign of poor sportsmanship to him. Worst of all is his regular condemnation of coaches who punt of kick field goals when behind, to lessen the margin of victory. Margin of vidtory doesn't matter in the NFL he says, they're just doing it to not look bad. Yet when the shoe is on the other other foot, and the winning team is doing all the precise things he holds up as essential, they are evil and poor sports? Hypocrisy at its worst, Mr Easterbrook.
Regarding the 4th and 6 punt: it was actually 4th and 1 before the Pats took a 5 yard penalty.
It just goes to show that, if you put the second string in for the entire fourth quarter and punt when you could easily get a 1st down or FG (48 yards is in Gostkowski's range), it doesn't matter. Easterbrook will scrape the bottom of the barrel by going back to the _3rd quarter_ to criticize normal play.
A complete ass.
And his coverage of science is childish, too.
Amen, it's amazing just how polarizing TMQB has made everyone. If you're not a fan of the Patriots, then it's likely you hate them, which is a good demographic to cater to. Of course that doesn't explain the astronomy demographic.
Thanks for the clarification on the 4th and 6. I neglected to mention the penalty that led up to that.
I think Ron Borges might have kidnapped Gregg Easterbrook and has been submitting his own thoughts under Easterbrook's name.
Great blog. Their hate feeds us!
I'm just waiting for those claiming poor sportmanship to start saying the Patriots need to put in the second string on defense. Why is it that they only want to shut the offense down. Certainly it would be more sportsmanlike to let the other team score a few touchdowns at the end of the game...hmmm.
This will sound really egotistical of me, but Coach B should design a goal line play with only 10 guys out there. As far as I know, playing with less than 11 isn't illegal. If people want to complain that the Pats are playing unfair or too hard, then we'll spot them a guy.
oh yeah. here's an actually decent story on the human side of Coach B
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=belichick
Post a Comment