PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Patriots – Bears 2006 Video Flashback

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I remember this game like it was yesterday. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving and everyone thought the Bears were legit… except the Rex Grossman part of the equation. It was a good game, and unfortunately it served as an unwelcome reminder that if the Pats had just hung on against the Colts in the AFCCG they would’ve had a pretty good chance at winning their 4th Super Bowl in 6 years. 

Football Outsiders: Playoff Odds and the Patriots

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Football Outsiders has updated their playoff odds rankings and here’s how things look for the Patriots:

  • To Make Playoffs: 99.8% (Jets 96.6%)
  • To Win AFC East: 81.8% (Jets 17.8%)
  • #1 AFC Seed: 70.7% (Jets 10.2%, for #2 Seed 7.7%)
  • #5 AFC Seed: 15.0% (Jets 18.2%)

Given the odds right now, here’s how the playoffs would shape up:

AFC

  1. Patriots
  2. Steelers
  3. Chiefs
  4. Jacksonville
  5. Jets
  6. Ravens

Given these matchups I don’t think anyone would argue that a Pats-Ravens, Steelers-Jets divisional round could be in the cards. Of course there will upsets and twists and turns along the way in these last four games. Indy and San Diego aren’t dead just yet. Thought the Colts have about a 10% better chance at the playoffs than the Chargers do.

NFC (for those who care)

  1. Falcons
  2. Packers
  3. Eagles
  4. Rams
  5. Saints
  6. Giants

Worth noting that the NFC is still really close, with 8 teams in contention for the 6 spots.

Old Julian Edelman Video Tops Unintentional Comedy Charts

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I posted this back on ye’ old blog and I think I put it up here on the new one as well at some point, but knowing how many Julian Edelman fans are out there (mostly the ladies) I had to make sure everyone caught this video.

I could try to set it up for you but it’s probably better to just watch it. Let’s just say the music is from Glory and it takes epic to a whole new level. And the highlights aren’t bad either.

ProFootball Focus: Patriots vs. Jets Re-Focused

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Here’s how PFF graded out the Patriots for their win over the Jets. Kinda surprising that some of these rankings are so low, but clearly the “horizontal passing attack” is working as well or better than the 2007 vertical attack.

Patriots: Three performances of note

In a 42-point game, it’s ridiculous to suggest that one man was the difference between the two teams. However, Tom Brady (+4.1) was pretty close to being just that. Here’s your stat of the night: On passes within ten yards of the line of scrimmage, Brady was 17 of 17 for 244 yards and four touchdowns. Even when under pressure Brady was able to complete 8 of 9 for 109 yards. He’s the best short passer in the game right now.

When the Patriots first signed Danny Woodhead (+2.9), many suggested it was just to pick his brains for the Week 2 showdown (for which he was inactive). Since then, Woodhead’s role has expanded and, although he only rushed for 11 yards on Monday, 50 of his game-high 104 receiving yards came on a shovel pass that was, for all intents and purposes, a running play. That isn’t all he brought to the table, though, as he blocked well and added a special teams tackle for good measure.

A game where you win by 42 points would seem to be a strange time to have (by some margin), your worst game of the season. However, that’s exactly what happened to Dan Connolly (-4.6)and Matt Light (-4.1). Connolly gave up a sack, a hit and two pressures, although this – as noted above – had little effect on Brady’s performance. The Patriots also gained just 21 yards – 16 of which were after contact – on eight runs between center and right guard. Light allowed two sacks.

Rookie report

Although they held the Jets to just three points, Brandon Spikes (+2.1) was actually the only defensive player with a rating above 0.6 as many of the Jets’ offensive wounds were self-inflicted. Spikes had seven tackles and an interception. … Jermaine Cunningham (-1.9) graded poorly despite recording five stops, a hit and a pressure. … Devin McCourty (0.1) had another interception, but also had a missed tackle. … Rob Gronkowski (+2.1) and Aaron Hernandez (+1.6) were great again.

Patriots History Tuesday: Bears Kill Patriots in Super Bowl XX

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Maybe this video will provide just a little bit of levity today as we’re all basking in the afterglow of last night’s win. I really hate hearing that the Patriots are Super Bowl favorites now. Not to say that they aren’t but really there is still a lot of games left to be won and still much improvement to be made.

I love what we saw out of our defense against the Jets. But now they must prove that they can play that way consistently. The Bears will be a stiff test, especially for our young pass defense. The problem with young guys is that they can get overconfident after a big win. 

I’m not worried about this with Brady and the vets, and I’d bet they are remind the young guys that they still haven’t won anything yet. But a letdown this week will make things even more interesting than they already are.

Until then, let’s not forget what the Bears did to us way back when…