F*ck David Thomas.

[Celtics_Champs]

Jabar Gaffney...happens all the time in the NFL, dropped passes. Get em next time.

BB...risky moves, didn't work out. Challenge worked in the SB though, so why not try it. Still believe in you.

David Thomas...**** YOU! You should know better not to get a personal foul when your in command to tie, or even take the lead. Sorry, but had to get that off my chest. His goofy ass face saying, what, what did I do, really irked me.


In other news, the o-line play was the best I have seen this year. Thats a plus.

[sunshinekids99]

No excuse and he deserves to lose his game check. Just horrible judgment, I don't want to see the guy touch the field again this season.

As for Gaffney that happens. He's a sure handed receiver and he's been a solid player since he got here. BB last TO hurt too, but it happens as well. David Thomas is just inexcusable.

[l2RDO]

I agree, dropped passes happen, and Gaffney has proved himself enough since signing with us. BB's resume speaks for itself, he's earned his leeway, but David Thomas was just a jack*** that cost the team the game. I also have to say that Green-Ellis could have gotten the first down, but he got greedy and wanted to get extra yards instead of just diving for the first down line, but hes a rookie so its understandable. No reason for DT to screw up like that though, and his goofy ass face didnt make me feel any better about it. At least look remorseful, you cost your team the game.

[Basketball Jesus]

If I’m not mistaken, Thomas had a reputation as a hothead back in college. What an incredibly dumb move; it wasn’t even like it was close to the whistle; half the dudes were already walking back to the huddle.

Overall, it was a well-played game. You have to give credit to the secondary for keeping the Colts receivers in check; aside from Jonathan Wilhite getting completely lost on a couple of inside picks, they played tight coverage, especially on downfield routes. James Sanders had a very strong game inside the box with his only miscue coming on the missed tackle of Dallas Clark. And hot damn did Gary Guyton look like an All-Pro yesterday. It’s always fun to root for NDFAs, even more so when they actually contribute pro-quality games like Glover’s last night.

Must also commend the offensive line for probably their best game all season. Even though Dwight Freeney is a terribly overrated one-dimensional pass-rusher, his speed does cause a match-up problem for Matt Light on his own and the Patriots responded by running a blocking TE on his side for a majority of the snaps. Logan Mankins was constantly at the second level, giving BenVince Wilfork-Ellis monster holes to run through.

Speaking of Green-Ellis: it’s hard not to imagine him having a solid NFL career as a change-of-pace back, similar to that of Leon Washington. He’s got great linear speed, takes efficient cuts behind the line, finishes his runs strong, and gets to second gear right out of the hole. He’s got the skill set that can take advantage of tired or undersized defenses and, if paired with a grinder between-the-tackles type (like a Corey Dillon), he could put up some big numbers in limited carries. BJG-E’s success from here on out should play a huge role in whether or not Maroney’s part of this team next season.

Matt Cassel looked good last night. Aside from the late-game overthrows and interception, Cassel picked his spots, never jamming the ball into tight coverage and actually running when he had open lanes…as opposed to running whenever the pocket collapsed. And he had a bit of zip on his deep ball. It wasn’t altogether accurate at time but, still, nice velocity.

What I don’t get is why the Patriots don’t run more designed rollouts to take advantage of Cassel’s speed. Last night, on the rollout in the third (?) quarter, Cassel created a great mismatch by drawing the coverage LBs to his side of the field, then hitting the block-and-release receiver in space for a solid gain. By rolling out, Cassel’s going to force coverage LBs to commit to him in the event of a bootleg run, giving slot receivers a huge hole over the middle of the zone.

The reason this game was close was that the Colts just looked old on offense. Of course a great deal of it was Manning still having trouble setting and throwing, but Wayne, Clark, and (especially) Harrison just looked slower than in years past. Anthony Gonzalez, however, still looks like one of the best third (or fourth) options in the league and a sufficient replacement for the great Marvin Harrison.

Overall, it was a tough loss given the standings implications and the fact that it was the Colts but it still proved that, given proper protection and a modicum of rushing success, Matt Cassel is no worse than a league-average QB, which probably makes him the second-best QB in the AFC East, behind Trent Edwards.

[Pats19andO]

If I’m not mistaken, Thomas had a reputation as a hothead back in college. What an incredibly dumb move; it wasn’t even like it was close to the whistle; half the dudes were already walking back to the huddle.

Overall, it was a well-played game. You have to give credit to the secondary for keeping the Colts receivers in check; aside from Jonathan Wilhite getting completely lost on a couple of inside picks, they played tight coverage, especially on downfield routes. James Sanders had a very strong game inside the box with his only miscue coming on the missed tackle of Dallas Clark. And hot damn did Gary Guyton look like an All-Pro yesterday. It’s always fun to root for NDFAs, even more so when they actually contribute pro-quality games like Glover’s last night.

Must also commend the offensive line for probably their best game all season. Even though Dwight Freeney is a terribly overrated one-dimensional pass-rusher, his speed does cause a match-up problem for Matt Light on his own and the Patriots responded by running a blocking TE on his side for a majority of the snaps. Logan Mankins was constantly at the second level, giving BenVince Wilfork-Ellis monster holes to run through.

Speaking of Green-Ellis: it’s hard not to imagine him having a solid NFL career as a change-of-pace back, similar to that of Leon Washington. He’s got great linear speed, takes efficient cuts behind the line, finishes his runs strong, and gets to second gear right out of the hole. He’s got the skill set that can take advantage of tired or undersized defenses and, if paired with a grinder between-the-tackles type (like a Corey Dillon), he could put up some big numbers in limited carries. BJG-E’s success from here on out should play a huge role in whether or not Maroney’s part of this team next season.

Matt Cassel looked good last night. Aside from the late-game overthrows and interception, Cassel picked his spots, never jamming the ball into tight coverage and actually running when he had open lanes…as opposed to running whenever the pocket collapsed. And he had a bit of zip on his deep ball. It wasn’t altogether accurate at time but, still, nice velocity.

What I don’t get is why the Patriots don’t run more designed rollouts to take advantage of Cassel’s speed. Last night, on the rollout in the third (?) quarter, Cassel created a great mismatch by drawing the coverage LBs to his side of the field, then hitting the block-and-release receiver in space for a solid gain. By rolling out, Cassel’s going to force coverage LBs to commit to him in the event of a bootleg run, giving slot receivers a huge hole over the middle of the zone.

The reason this game was close was that the Colts just looked old on offense. Of course a great deal of it was Manning still having trouble setting and throwing, but Wayne, Clark, and (especially) Harrison just looked slower than in years past. Anthony Gonzalez, however, still looks like one of the best third (or fourth) options in the league and a sufficient replacement for the great Marvin Harrison.

Overall, it was a tough loss given the standings implications and the fact that it was the Colts but it still proved that, given proper protection and a modicum of rushing success, Matt Cassel is no worse than a league-average QB, which probably makes him the second-best QB in the AFC East, behind Trent Edwards.

Terrific analysis BBJ, but is Cassel really better than Favre?

[Basketball Jesus]

Easily. Favre's pretty much been acting like a drunk celebrity out on the field for the past few seasons, doing whatever he feels like whenever he feels like, and not caring if his actions will get someone hurt.

[Basketball Jesus]

Plus I've always been of the mind that Favre is one of the most overrated QBs in NFL history. He's basically Joe Namath in a pass-happy era.

[MyInsatiableOne]

No excuse and he deserves to lose his game check. Just horrible judgment, I don't want to see the guy touch the field again this season.

As for Gaffney that happens. He's a sure handed receiver and he's been a solid player since he got here. BB last TO hurt too, but it happens as well. David Thomas is just inexcusable.

Agreed, but he actually has way better hands than Watson....

Still, we shoulda won that game...especially against the ****' COLTS and Manning...ugh!