Comeback? I Am Back!

It was a theme that fit all aspects of this strange game. The inspirational comeback of Tedy Bruschi. The patented Brady comeback (his 20th game-winning drive) in the 4th Quarter. The comeback, or rather, re-emergence at the end of the game, of the real Buffalo Bills. (Despite dominating "time of possession" by a nearly 2-1 margin, the Bills inexplicably threw a flat pass on 4th and 7 with the game on the line. Same old Bills.) Bottom Line: Pats 21-Bills 16.

While the overwhelming story of this game was Tedy's brilliant return (he was in about 3/4 of the defensive plays and was on special teams), you can't escape without the feeling that this was another sloppy win. When will the Belichick-style precision return? When will this team hit on all cylinders? The most egregious non-Bill moment came right at the end of the first half. With the play clock running down, and Adam "Little Papi" Vinatieri poised for an easy tying field goal, the Pats took a delay of game! The re-kick from 5 yards further back was missed, and they went into the locker room out-played and down 3-0. Outrageous!

Of course, a win is a win is a win. But, do you really think this team is ready to take on the Colts next Monday night? Not bloody likely! They need to become, in every sense of the word, a true Belichick team again. Soon.

"Poole"-ing Our Injuries

Here we go again. Tyrone Poole became the 4th defensive back to go down to season-ending injury this year. When will it all end?

Luckily, we have passed through the toughest part of the 2005-2006 schedule, and will begin a long trek that includes six games against our "Pop Warner"-like Division rivals. I don't think it's outrageous to assume that we should take all 6, getting us to at least a 9-3 mark. Thankfully, we should easily qualify for the post-season by winning the AFC "Least". Hey, we deserve some breaks this year!

"Turnover" A New Leaf?

The Boston Herald points out an interesting (and depressing) stat in an article today. Believe it or not, your World Champs are 32nd in the NFL in turnovers, with just 3 all season. And, if you really look at them, only one was a legitimate turnover (the other two being brain cramps by the opposing offense).

All the more reason to breathlessly await the return of Tedy Bruschi, who seemed to always be at the right place at the right time in making game-breaking turnovers, seemingly out-of-the-blue. Maybe his presence will spread that sixth sense to the rest of the battered defense.

Bye The Bye (Thank Goodness For The World Series)

Surviving the bye week in the NFL is kind of like sitting through that incredibly boring "chick movie" you're forced to see. Mind-numbing, but you're trapped.

Where else do you go on "Bye Sunday"? Watch another team? No thanks, I get enough of Donovan McNabb on Campbell Soup commercials. Watch the NHL? Not until the Bruins start winning! NBA pre-season? Please, that's like TWO chick movies.

Well, to tide you over, Mike Reiss of the Globe has contributed a somewhat different bye-week treat: catching up on former Pats in their new roles. Joe Andruzzi you ask? Doing OK in the Mistake By The Lake. The above-pictured David Patten? Being robbed of looks by Santana Moss in DC. It's an interesting read. Sort of like sneaking out of the chick movie and slipping into the theatre next door showing "Fever Pitch".

Troubling Information From Brian Mullen

The Boston Globe's Ron Borges offers a very disturbing new piece of information in the Tedy Bruschi affair. In an article about former NHL player Brian Mullen Borges tells of an eerily similar set of clearances the former Ranger and Islander received from several medical doctors to play in the NHL again after suffering a mild stroke. Mullen had the same type of procedure as Bruschi to repair a hole in his heart (although Tedy's was done with a plug and Mullen's with open-heart surgery).

When Mullen returned to practice he suffered a seizure that left him unconscious and landed him back in the hospital. Doctors re-cleared him for play, saying the seizures are a rare complication in a small percentage of people who suffer strokes. He never played in the NHL again.

The bottom line for Tedy is: there are no 100% assurances, no matter how stellar the "Dream Team" of physicians on your case. It is troubling information, indeed.

Raiders of The Lost Defense

Despite a valiant comeback effort by Tom Brady and the offense, it was an over-matched secondary that was the biggest reason for the Pats 28-20 loss in Denver.

Broncos QB Jake Plummer shredded the Pats pass defense early and often, and Denver ran off enough big running plays to put this one just far enough out of reach to land the World Champs in a 3-3 position facing the bye week.

The news of Tedy Bruschi's likely return in the Buffalo game two weeks hence is the best news possible for this beleaguered defense, bereft of leaders and lacking players who can just simply carry out their assignments.

REPORT: Tedy Could Be At Practice In 3 Weeks

WBZ-TV Sports Anchor Steve Burton reported last night that LB Tedy Bruschi could be on the practice field sometime in the next three weeks, with an eye toward playing again this year.

While this would be a major boost for the beleaguered defense, you have to ask yourself whether this is the smartest thing for Tedy and his family. Reportedly, Bob Kraft had asked that Tedy get full medical clearance before going back on the turf, but one can't imagine any doctor giving an athlete 100% assurance that they will avoid debilitating injury.

There has been unconfirmed speculation that the medical procedure that repaired the small hole in Tedy's heart was the solution to the problem that caused the mild stroke he suffered in February. But, honestly, this whole scenario raises the specter of the Reggie Lewis tragedy so many years ago. While I hope that Tedy is 100% again and can safely return, I have to admit I am very concerned.

Aren't We ALL Just Probable?

The Herald's Karen Guregian has an interesting article today about our fearless leader being "out-Belichicked" by Falcon coach Jim Mora in concealing Michael Vick's true status for last week's game.

Coach B announced today that 14 (that's right, 14!) Patriots are "probable" for Sunday's tilt (4PM Eastern) against the Broncos in Denver. Could this be Bill's way of getting back at the NFL for their lax oversight of the injury report process? If it is, good for Bill! Does anybody really understand the arcane differences between "probable", "questionable" and "doubtful"? We're not even talking about the old baseball canard of "day-to-day".

OK, so Brady is "probable" for Sunday--yadda, yadda, yadda. Who cares!? Wait a minute, does that mean Flutie? Never mind.

A Very Brady Win

Tom Brady was immense in this fifth tilt of the "toughest 5-game stretch in NFL history". The two-time Super Bowl MVP passed for 350 yards and 3 TDs in a methodical 31-28 win over host Atlanta.

Brady hooked-up with Daniel Graham on a 45-yard monster romp to paydirt and hit Bethel Johnson with a soaring pass for a 55-yard TD in a performance that was among his best ever (22-27;12.2 yds. per pass). Corey Dillon helped balance the 483-yard offensive output with 106 rushing yards before leaving with an injury.

The Pats could not quite put away the Falcons as substitute QB Matt Schaub engineered a comeback aided by more New England miscues. A last-second defensive time-out near the end of the first half allowed Atlanta a second shot at a 58-yard field goal, which they promptly nailed. In the second half, a tipped Brady pass resulted in a Falcon interception that later lead to a TD.

All in all, however, this was an impressive road win in a loud, pressure-packed environment. The three-time Super Bowl Champions avoided what would have been back-to-back losses for the first time since 2002 (a 24-7 loss to Tennessee and a 30-17 defeat at the hands of the New York Jets).

By the way, on a side note, I just watched a FOX NFL promo that referred to the "invincible" Donovan McNabb. This, in my opinion, is the maddening continuation of the under-hype of Tom Brady and the over-hype of other, more "exciting" QBs like Manning and McNabb. Last time I checked Donovan was extremely "vincible" in the last Super Bowl at hands of the boring Mr. Brady, ditto Mr. Manning in the post-season. In fact, while Donovan has a huge lead in national soup commercials, Brady has the nod on rings. OK, that's my rant!

The Pats, now 3-2, travel to Denver to face the Broncos next week.

Ballroom Blitz: Will Coach B Send Them In Atlanta?

There's been a lot of talk recently about the ineffectiveness of blitzing against the astonishingly athletic Michael Vick. The consensus seems to be that you just can't do it. That's precisely why I think Coach Bill will do it on Sunday.

As Herald reporter Michael Felger aptly points out (he really is pretty good at football analysis, but seems to always have a ludicrous opinion about baseball), Atlanta features the so-called Zone Blocking system on offense, borrowed from the Denver Broncos. This scheme is apparently helpful to the running style of Warrick Dunn (not to mention Vick himself).

But given the way the linebacking crew has failed recently, why not just blitz often and put pressure on Vick and his sprained right MCL. Besides, one of the off-shoots of Zone Blocking is the cut-block, which, as Felger also points out, is what nailed Bryan Cox a few years back. Obviously, we can't risk any more injuries on defense, so I say, "Unleash The Hounds": blitz, blitz, blitz.

Defensive Indifference, Bolts Strike 41-17

They looked anything but World Champions today. The New England Patriots, perhaps suffering the first effects of a decimated defense, were dominated by a crisp San Diego Charger unit in an embarrassing 41-17 home loss. The Patriots (2-2) gave up big gains to areas of the field normarlly prowled by Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson: both key losses for 2005. The loss snapped a 21-game home win streak (including playoffs).

Tom Brady passed for over 200 yards in the first half, but did little else in the remainder of the game as the Patriots are now forced to look ahead to another tough road assignment: The Atlanta Falcons and Michael Vick.

Harrison Done With Football?

Rodney Harrison told a San Diego newspaper reporter the following: "I know I can come back from this. It's just a matter of how hard and how bad I want to do it. Football is not my life, it's a part of my life. It's what I do, it's not who I am." It appears that we may have the football version of Keith Foulke.