PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

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The Patriot way.
Found myself looking out at the Patriots’ dismantling of Denver thinking:

1. No one uses two tight ends like the Patriots. Gronkowski blocks and catches, and the uber-athletic Hernandez has the moves of a wide receiver. Two tight ends, 261 total yards, four touchdowns. In one game.

2. No one moves a struggling first-round corner to deep safety in the middle of the season, but that’s what the Patriots did. That’s where Devin McCourty played most of Saturday night.

3. No one plays with a fired Oakland practice-squad safety, Sterling Moore, at cornerback in the playoffs, or backup wideout Julian Edelman, at nickel back, in the playoffs. The Patriots do. Every time I looked up Saturday night, Moore was on an island with Demaryius Thomas or Eddie Royal. A safety in Oakland, not good enough to stay on their practice squad last September, on the street in October. Now Moore’s playing 36 snaps at corner (according to the charting of ESPNBoston’s Mike Reiss) in a divisional playoff game.

Bill Belichick’s a mad scientist. He knew his defense had to change when it was getting strafed so badly in midseason, and he changed it, drastically. Who knows if it works another eight quarters. But 10 seasons after he used a bunch of middle-class free agents to help New England win its first Super Bowl, Belichick is scotch-taping another run together with Tom Brady playing at his peak, and a bunch of complimentary pieces on the chess board. Should be fun to watch.

Eli Manning, Osi Umenyiora key New York Giants’ upset over Green Bay Packers – Peter King – SI.com

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-ravens-31/

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The Patriots are better-suited to win the Super Bowl right now, at 14-3, than they were exactly four years ago, at 17-0. After New England’s 45-10 beat down of the Tebows in Foxboro, Vince Wilfork agreed with me that the Patriots were in better shape at this stage of the playoffs than they were after their undefeated season. “Four years ago, we peaked too early,” he said.
Four years ago, New England scored 34 or more 11 times in the regular season, then won by 11 and nine in the playoffs before losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl. They had Randy Moss in his prime then, and he was great. I’d rather have Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Eli Manning, Osi Umenyiora key New York Giants’ upset over Green Bay Packers – Peter King – SI.com

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-ravens-32/

Patriots to face Ravens in AFC Championship

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There will be no Cinderella in the AFC this year, as the two best teams in the conference will play for the right to go to the Super Bowl for the first time in a long time.

The Patriots hung on to beat the Ravens in overtime last season in Foxboro. It was a game they had to fight back in, and got huge boosts from the defense and Zoltan Mesko’s punting in the extra session.

Redemption is the story line that is coming to light for the 2011 Patriots. Let’s look back at who’s ended the Patriots seasons since they last won Super Bowl 39:

  • 2005: Denver – just pounded
  • 2006: Indy – Pats beat them and it looks like Peyton Manning may never play for them again.
  • 2007: Giants – TBD
  • 2009: Ravens – playing next Sunday.
  • 2010: Jets – beat them twice and now watching them implode.

So it’s still in play to effectively right every major loss this franchise has had since it’s last Super Bowl title. There’s definitely something poetic in that.

It should be a great game, and a true test of the direction of the NFL game. Will the team with the best defense win? Or the team with the best quarterback?