According to the pigskin pundits and
bobbleheads, this is the week the Patriots will finally be exposed as the pigskin pretenders they are.
Truth be told, they seem annoyed by the Patriots 3-0-0 record. Have they grown
weary of waiting for Brady’s skills to diminish? For Belichick to retire? For
the Patriots to finally yield to the inevitabilities of the NFL’s relentless
commitment to parity? I’m not sure it takes a lot of line to plumb the depths
of Tom Jackson’s or Sterling Sharpe’s minds but I really, does anyone know what
those guys are thinking?
Not that I was counting on Amendola or
Gronk suiting up Sunday night (okay, just a little bit for Gronk) but both will
be inactive. Despite his optimism, I didn’t think Amendola would be making the
trip to Atlanta. Something about the words “muscle ripped from the bone” had me
doubting he’d be back this soon. As for Gronk
and his posse, I’m more than happy with taking a conservative approach to
his return but if Gronkowski has been practicing in full pads with contact,
what else is going on?
I’m starting to wonder why he didn’t start
on the PUP list and free up a roster spot for Daniel Fells or Jake Ballard.
But what do I know?
(Channeling my inner Belichick here.)
Could Rob Gronkowski have played this
Sunday if it was a playoff game?
How close to being ready to play is
Gronkowski?
He’s
day to day.
Will he play next Sunday in Cincinnati?
He’ll
play when he’s ready.
What about reports that indicate there’s a
disagreement between the Patriots’ training staff and Rob Gronkowski about his
playing status?
Like
any other player dealing with an injury, he’ll play when he’s ready.
Is there a disagreement regarding
Gronkowski’s playing status?
He’ll
play when he’s ready.
After listening to Adam Schefter on ESPN
Sunday morning, this “story” seems more supposition than information, but no
matter what Gronk’s dad did or didn’t tell Adam Schefter, we won’t get anything
from Belichick on Gronkowski’s status or the internal politics of the Patriots.
As for the game, this one looks like a tale
of two defenses.
Is the Patriots’ defense for real?
We should get a good read on that against
Atlanta’s high-powered offense. Of particular interest to the chattering class
will be the Julio Jones-Aqib Talib match up. Belichick
famously argued against protégé Thomas Dimitroff trading up for Jones, maintaining
that Jonathan Baldwin was just as good and could be had without sacrificing so
many draft chips. Given Belichick’s history drafting wide receivers it could
have been that Dimitroff was only calling to get Belichick’s advice so he could
do the opposite of whatever he told him.
Good call.
Jones has turned into one of the best wide
receivers in the league while Baldwin
is already on his second team.
Jones has little to prove and doesn’t seem
like the kind of player that needs any extra motivation in any case. Talib on
the other hand is playing for a big money contract. Still, I think it’ll be
more about the challenge than the dollar signs for Talib Sunday night.
The nascent pass rush could do a lot to
help Talib out, of course. Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich and Tommy Kelly need
to pressure and be all up in Matty Ice’s grille if the Patriots are going to
win this game. I’ll be looking for Michael Buchanan and the Pats’ NASCAR package, too.
Free agent pick up Stephen Jackson was
supposed to spark the Falcons’ running game and take some pressure off Ryan but
Jackson’s hurt forcing diminutive 3rd down back Jacquizz Rodgers
into a lead role. He’ll be running behind a banged up
offensive line dealing with injuries to starting LT Sam Baker among others.
Did I mention they need to get after Matt
Ryan?
Is the Falcons’ defense bad enough
to make the Patriots’ offense look good?
Atlanta’s offense is elite but their
defense? Not so much. Bad news from a “defense wins championships” point of
view. Anyway, the hope in New England is that the Brady Bunch takes another
step up and breaks out against a defense that has been below league average in
giving up yards and points and is the primary reason the Falcons are 1-2-0,
tied with the Panthers and looking up at the undefeated Saints in the NFC
South.
Of course, the Patriots’ offense has been
below league average, too.
The Brady Bunch looked like they just might
be getting through puberty in last week’s win over the Buccaneers. If Aaron
Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins can raise their games again this week – and if
Josh Boyce and Zach Sudfeld can contribute more than a catch apiece, the
passing game might actually look above average. (I think they’re probably a few
weeks – and I’m being wildly optimistic here – from anything close to elite.) An
above average passing game should be more than enough if New England can
shorten the game and keep Ryan on the sidelines with their three-headed ground
game. If Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden and LeGarrette Blount can roll up 150+
rushing yards the Patriots should be able to improve to 4-0-0.
A fraudulent 4-0-0, of course, but my
understanding is that it counts just the same as a legit 4-0-0.
Suck it, Tom Jackson.
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