Patriots Pre-Game Thread

[Keith]

To get you ready for what the Texans can expect from the Boston mindset this week...

The 2012-13 Texans? Pure frauds. The worst 11-1 team in the history of the NFL. These Texans have absolutely zero chance of beating New England here next week. And everybody knows that this is true. ...

The great J.J. Watt was a zero in that game. Then he was unavailable for comment after the game. Houston’s ever-overmatched defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, was scratching his head, perhaps wondering why his guys were unable to cover all those Patriots wide receivers. ...

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/20...tIL/story.html

[chuck]

"Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com."

[HPF Bob]

Patriots always do seem like they have 13 players on the field.

[WMH]

Me and 2 buddies are aiming for some punishment. We have just booked our trip to Foxboro....

Hope its fun.

[Arky]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Patriots always do seem like they have 13 players on the field.

They do! 11 players in football uniforms and the line judge and field judge....

Originally Posted by WMH

Me and 2 buddies are aiming for some punishment. We have just booked our trip to Foxboro....

Hope its fun.

Wow, that is cool. I think we all would like a full report when you get back...

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From what I hear and read, Shaughnessy is a bit of a pot stirrer unliked by even Bostonians. He's got us talking so mission accomplished... The article would make good bulletin board material in the Texans locker room...

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Honestly, the Pats are not some invincible machine. To hear this writer and even some of our fans speak, we shouldn't even show up. They've got weaknesses - not as many as your average team, but they are there nonetheless. They (Patriots) were razor sharp in the first meeting - the Texans were on their 3rd road game in a row. I do not believe the Texans have put a total game together yet this year where offense, defense and special teams all were clicking at high efficiency (possibly the Baltimore game but that's it) - next Sunday would be a good time to start. I truly expect a different game than was the MNF debacle...

[Keith]

Revenge + Underestimation is a nasty combination to face in a football opponent. Certainly understandable why the Patriots may be overconfident (and to remember this writer's opinions are not necessarily those of the team), but the Texans should enter this game feeling like they have nothing to lose. No one expects them to win. Don't play so tight.

The Texans put a little too much pressure of themselves last time (Thanks Dre for calling it 'the most important game in team history', which it wasn't), and they probably faced a team who wanted it more than them. Couple that with a couple funky bounces (like the fumble recovery Kareem missed and that forced fumble from the defense that the Pats recovered in the endzone for a TD), and this is not the mismatch it may seem. And we also wonder how much of the offensive playbook Kubiak employed...

The Texans need to (a) get to Brady by only rushing four. Blitzing great QBs like Brady, Rodgers, and Manning will not work. They can do this if they not only get the effort from J.J. Watt, but they also need guys like Antonio Smith and Connor Barwin to play like champions. And, more obviously, they also (b) need to keep this from becoming a track meet. Lastly, (c) they need to take an early lead, stetching the field from the start.

[nunusguy]

And whatever you do guys, please don't wear those hokie "Letterman sweaters" up to NE this trip.

[Nconroe]

I think Texans showed they can play with intensiity and focus to win in playoffs.

If they control both sides of line of scrimmage like they did Saturday they can play with and beat any team.

All the underdog talk should help Texans and if Pats are celebrating early that is even better.

[barrett]

We don't have a great chance to win this football game. High scoring teams cause Kubs to clench up. Not to mention fantastic QBs find their way to big plays against all of our man coverage, and Tom Brady turns it over less than anyone in history (and never gets sacked) so we are unlikely to get the negative plays that offset the big plays. Plus we are still not playing well. The Cincy win was an ugly one.

With all that said, we have no pressure and no expectations. We are being regarded by too many as some kind of broken team, and I think their is plenty of pride in our guys. I don't know if we can make the plays when we need to, but I think the game will be close enough that we will have a chance to make them.

The biggest problem I see is we need to catch breaks in this game, but they don't turn it over and we don't make special teams plays. So that means we need to be lucky and have fumble recoveries break our way, tipped passes find our guys hands, etc...

But we don't need to be better than them, we just need to be better than them Sunday.

[WMH]

Got interviewed by Jeremy Desel @ Channel 11 about our decision to goto the game. Will air at 5 or 6......

[chuck]

Originally Posted by WMH

Got interviewed by Jeremy Desel @ Channel 11 about our decision to goto the game. Will air at 5 or 6......

I'l give you $50 if you guys get letter jackets made up.

[WMH]

Originally Posted by chuck

I'l give you $50 if you guys get letter jackets made up.

LMAO.

Ummm, no thanks.

[WMH]

Pretty good read here:
http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/...s-pure-frauds/

[Arky]

TV = CBS (channel 11 local), Sunday 3:30 pm CST

Announcers = Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, sideline - Steve Tasker

The line = Patriots by 9.5 to 10

WalterFootball offer this nugget of hope:

Now, it's time to review what the media overreacted to last week:

1. This week, the major overreaction is to the Texans. Everyone's giving up on them after two losses.

Fading the media is now 13-4-1 since Week 12. There are two things the media's overreacting to this time:

1. The Texans dominated the Bengals but only won by six, so they're getting a ton of flak. No one's giving them a chance against New England, yet they have the same record.

2. Everyone is just assuming the Seahawks are going to beat the Falcons. Michael Wilbon said that Atlanta winning would be a surprise. Umm... aren't the Falcons favored?

[Keith]

I agree with both points. The Falcons getting slighted is worse than any slight the Texans have endured this week (mostly because the Texans have earned much of their derision). There is a perverse media inclination to set up a Packers-Seahawks rematch (remember the TD-INT call with the fake refs?) since it makes for a 'good story', and it really just adds to my general distate of the media.

As for the Texans... They were just 4-pt dogs last time (though that jumped to like 6 near kickoff). They had a bunch of unusual things go against them early, like the illegal formation penalty on the 1st play (negating a nice run), the INT from Schaub into the end zone with the score still 0-0 I think, the missed fumble recovery by Kareem before the Pats first score, etc. The only usual thing that hurt them was poor special teams (I think Welker had a big 1Q punt return).

[barrett]

The Texans deserve to be big underdogs in this one. We have not played a good offensive game since Thanksgiving Day.

However, there is no reason for why the media has turned on this team and declared them frauds. They finished 12-4 and the 3rd seed in the AFC and that is exactly what they are. A good 12-4 team who is the 3rd best team in the AFC (and beat the 4th, 5th, and 6th best teams in the conference). There is nothing fraudulent about them. They are exactly what they seem (especially last week when they were the definition of "good, no more, no less").

Now they go into NE with no expectations and plenty of motivation. If they walk out as big losers they have lost nothing. If they walk out after a close defeat they will have gained some 'respect' and they will try to sell it to fans as progress. Or they walk out as upset winners and all of the media stories are re-written and the 24 hour news cycle forgets they were ever left for dead.

I hope the NFL, the networks, the media, and everyone else lives a nightmare come true and by Sunday night, Brady vs Manning has turned into Schaub vs. Flacco.

[WMH]

Saw this in Walter's recap as well:
RECAP: If you think that laying 9.5 with the Patriots means easy money like Shaughnessy apparently does, you're mistaken. New England typically doesn't live up to expectations as a big playoff favorite, owning a dubious 3-8 spread record laying 4.5 or more points in the Bill Belichick era.


Bad thing is, he has been WAY off this year...

[WMH]

Originally Posted by barrett

A good 12-4 team who is the 3rd best team in the AFC (and beat the 4th, 5th, and 6th best teams in the conference).

AND beat the 1st seed @ thier house.....

[barrett]

Originally Posted by WMH

AND beat the 1st seed @ thier house.....

Exactly. So the Texans have wins over the 1,4,5,6 in the AFC playoffs, meaning the only AFC playoff team we didn't beat is New England. That alone should get Shaughnessy fired (not to mention they played 9-8 Denver in this round just last year). But if his dozens of similar attack pieces against local NE teams didn't get him fired this won't either.

It is depressing that journalism has reached this point. Media outlets now employ professional pot stirrers to drive hits. And as long as they don't cross some racial, gender, or cultural line in the process they can write any drivel they like with as little basis in reality as possible. And it is all led of course by the 'worldwide leader.'

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by barrett

Brady vs Manning has turned into Schaub vs. Flacco.

And that would be Schaub vs. Flacco in Reliant Stadium @ Houston, TX. Here, here !
We can surely hope.