NEW YORK, September 30, 2012 - As we noted in the
first installment of this column last weekend, there are a lot of things that
keep me awake at night, when it comes to analyzing the New England Patriots,
the NFL and the 2012 season.
Here are just a few for this
week, coming on the heels of the Patriots 52-28 win over the New York Jets on
Sunday:
 |
| Wes Welker looked like his old safe vs. Bills (Getty) |
The BALTIMORE RAVENS: The 2011
AFC title game saw New England eek-out a 23-20 victory after Ravens PK Billy
Cundiff missed a FG that could’ve tied the game, you surely remember. That
might sound familiar to Patriots fans who watched Steven Gostkowski miss a
routine 42-yard FG which put the Patriots on the short end of a 20-18 loss to
the Arizona Cardinals in week two of the NFL season.
After the NFL Network game of
the week required a short turn-around for the Ravens to host the Thursday night
game against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens played “just good enough” to
record a 23-16 victory. Baltimore QB Joe Flacco threw 28-for-46 and 356 yards
while throwing for a TD and running for another, cementing his place among the
upper echelon of current NFL quarterbacks just as running back Ray Rice stakes
his claim as the single best back in the league. The Ravens’ receiving corps is
now led by WR Anquan Bolden and a star-in-the-making in WR Torrey Smith – who
had his breakout game of the season the same night his younger brother was
killed in a motorcycle accident.
The Baltimore defense ranks
10th in the league in points allowed but is first in interception
returns for TDs. The Ravens and Houston Texans have emerged as the class of the
American Football Conference and both teams are improving each week.
STEVEN GOSTKOWSKI; Although
the Patriots scored 45 second-half points to annihilate the Buffalo Bills
today, the first half included four drives which concluded in alternating
results between fumbles and Gostowski missed FGs of 49 and 42 yards. When the Pats ran to the locker at
halftime – Gostkowski had missed his last three FG attempts, admittedly all 40+
yards but all make-able in the grand scheme of playoff contention-level NFL
playoff teams.
While there is absolutely no
reason to hit the panic button over three early season missed FGs, and
Gostkowski has hit two FGs from 50+ yards, the missed FG vs. Arizona which cost
New England an important game casts doubt on his abilities, his confidence and
Coach Bill Belichick’s confidence in him.
THE IRRELEVANCE of the NEW YORK JETS: Things are only right in the sporting universe when there are
healthy rivalries in the NFL’s AFC East division. Seemingly, with the New York
Jets unable to manage a single point against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday,
the long-term prognosis for the J-E-T-S is BAD, BAD, BAD.
New York was able to gain key
divisional victories over Buffalo (48-28 in Week 1) and over Miami (23-20 in
Week 4), but losses to Pittsburgh and the 49ers are more of a true barometer
for how low the Jets have fallen.
The unintentional comedy
meter went off when New York’s arrogant head coach, Rex Ryan, had the audacity
to state that he’d leave star defensive back Darrelle Revis on the active list
to allow for the possibility to utilize him should the J-E-T-S make it to the
Super Bowl. After the entire NFL
industry had a Phyllis Diller belly laugh, the bitter truth became apparent as
the Jets’ defense looked listless and their offense failed to register a single
point.
Ryan, a master manipulator
and royal buster of asses of players, media and everyone he interacts with,
tipped his hand back when the Jets starred in the HBO blockbuster “Hard Knocks”
back in 2010. In that series, it became quite apparent that Revis was the
heart, soul, backbone and talent behind a tough, cohesive NYJ defense. With Revis, the Jet head coach seemed
confident in his all-important defensive unit, without Revis (who was holding
out during the 2010 preseason) the Jets were mere mortals.
The goose egg laid today
against the 49ers is sure to ignite the long-awaited quarterback controversy
between incumbent Mark Sanchez and the ever-popular Tim Tebow, acquired in the
offseason as a back-up.
Let the tabloid wars begin.
Terry Lyons pens a
twice-a-week column on the NFL for Foxboro Blog, including a weekly look at
“what keeps him up at night” during the NFL season. You can follow him on Twitter
@DigSportsDesk
Lyons is publisher and
editor-in-chief at Boston-based DigitalSportsDeskhttp://www.digitalsportsdesk.com
where he writes on football,
basketball, baseball and hockey.
No comments:
Post a Comment