Random thoughts, musings and throwaway comments...

[FallingAlice]

1. Kerry Collins reminds me a lot of Drew Bledsoe. There were times, when the Raiders were attempting a comeback, when Collins appeared to be trying to "Will himself invisible" over on the sidelines. He looked a-scared a lot. He seems to be a lovely man, but I don't think I'd want him as my go-to guy.

2. The strategy of having Moss go deep and outjump everyone has its appeal but is, perhaps, not enough to build an offensive gameplan around.

3. Kerry Collins reminds me a lot of Drew Bledsoe. I think he may remind Moss of Drew Bledsoe, too.

4. Has Corey Dillon lost a step? He seemed to have a bit of trouble turning the corner and putting on the afterburners. There were a number of times he was caught behind the line when it appeared to me that a faster back might have gotten away.

5. That was a weird game. Especially the kicking game was strange. Misses, blocks, etc. Guys on Patriots special teams are going to be running laps next practice.

6. Despite the way the Pats played, they still managed to win pretty handily. I know tonight wasn't pretty, but I'm wondering if it doesn't presage a time when we will, indeed, be able to "mail" victories in or see much higher victory margins than before.

7. I miss Crennel and Weis. But it's sort of fun to watch these young coordinators. I don't have the same level of confidence in them which makes the game more interesting to watch.

8. Did Kaczur get quite a bit of time on the field tonight? He seemed to. And Mankins appeared (to me at least who is no afficionado of OL play) to acquit himself admirably.

 

[Mr NFLfan]

I try not to read too much into the first game of the season concerning the Pats as a team. Yes this game wasn't pretty but most if not all of the starters weren't in 4 quarter shape seeing as most haven't played more than 2-1/2 to 3 quarters yet this season. That and the fact that without much game film on the current raiders squad there was probably more coaching on the fly than we are used to seeing. Belichick will fine tune and adjust
and I think this team is going to be fine this year even without Weis and Crennel.
You are right though Collins does appear to be a bledsoe clone!

 

[#54]

1. Kerry Collins reminds me a lot of Drew Bledsoe. There were times, when the Raiders were attempting a comeback, when Collins appeared to be trying to "Will himself invisible" over on the sidelines. He looked a-scared a lot. He seems to be a lovely man, but I don't think I'd want him as my go-to guy.

2. The strategy of having Moss go deep and outjump everyone has its appeal but is, perhaps, not enough to build an offensive gameplan around.

3. Kerry Collins reminds me a lot of Drew Bledsoe. I think he may remind Moss of Drew Bledsoe, too.

4. Has Corey Dillon lost a step? He seemed to have a bit of trouble turning the corner and putting on the afterburners. There were a number of times he was caught behind the line when it appeared to me that a faster back might have gotten away.

5. That was a weird game. Especially the kicking game was strange. Misses, blocks, etc. Guys on Patriots special teams are going to be running laps next practice.

6. Despite the way the Pats played, they still managed to win pretty handily. I know tonight wasn't pretty, but I'm wondering if it doesn't presage a time when we will, indeed, be able to "mail" victories in or see much higher victory margins than before.

7. I miss Crennel and Weis. But it's sort of fun to watch these young coordinators. I don't have the same level of confidence in them which makes the game more interesting to watch.

8. Did Kaczur get quite a bit of time on the field tonight? He seemed to. And Mankins appeared (to me at least who is no afficionado of OL play) to acquit himself admirably.

Kerry is no Bledsoe...he's way more mobile. I agree that he did try to force some passes but so did Brady; though not as many as Kerry.

 

[Joker]

The first game of the season is important because it counts . No matter how it LOOKS the only real importance is whether you get the win.

Remember Buffalo beating our brains out one opening day not too long ago?

Remember all the gnashing of teeth and wailing and crying "oh no!!! we looked horrible!!! what will we do!!!"...THAT season turned out pretty good, DIDN'T IT?

Don't get too bent out of shape by how this unit played or that player showed....the staff has the game tape and will work on the appropriate things going into next game. THAT IS HOW WE DO IT.

1-0....as someone once said....Just Win Baby!

 

[Hemi_1]

Your eye on Dillon was good for me because I thought he looked preoccupied and played with out any conviction.

Littel second effort and going out of bounds when the clock mattered? Not Like Dillon.

Cory just seemed off tonight. Im glad we dont have anymore Thursday night games this year. Thats not his night for football.

On a brite note I thought the O line played well. And Brady was right on for the most part.

Some good stuff and some stuff not so good. BB will agree.

Lots of work to be done this week in practice.

A very important Win for our Patriots tonight. Now we have some road games to get ready for. Carolina? hmmm should be fun.

 

[RoadGrader]

Highlight Play of the Game.......

Mankins hoisting Dion Branch up in the air much like a weightless figure-skating chick after his TD reception

 

[#1Patsfan_chica]

Wow, Deion looks small in that picture.

 

[thomas144]

Were there an extraordinary number of commercials last night or have I forgotten what it's like to watch pro football?

It will be interesting to see if they continue to play a 4-3 this season, as many of us have been speculating for a couple of years now.

 

[Fightingdoxies]

Your eye on Dillon was good for me because I thought he looked preoccupied and played with out any conviction.

Littel second effort and going out of bounds when the clock mattered? Not Like Dillon.

Cory just seemed off tonight. Im glad we dont have anymore Thursday night games this year. Thats not his night for football.

On a brite note I thought the O line played well. And Brady was right on for the most part.

Some good stuff and some stuff not so good. BB will agree.

Lots of work to be done this week in practice.

A very important Win for our Patriots tonight. Now we have some road games to get ready for. Carolina? hmmm should be fun.

Yeah Dillon didn't look up to form, but I really think the Raider run defense looked pretty good. To me it looked like that was their game plan to stop the run but I could be wrong. Miller looked good. I am still so glad we picked him up.

 

[Darth Despot]

Over the last two seasons the Patriots record is 34-4 and I can count on one hand the number of times they played a meaningless fourth quarter. So all in all this was a typical Patriots win. Some random thoughts:

Passing Offense: Brady was a little off target on some throws but he was for the most part himself, 300 yrds 2 TDs no INTs. Solid professional Monanta like as usual. The receiving corps looked deep and talented. Brady hit everyone. Seeing Troy with 6 grabs gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. He deserved it.

Running offense: This is my biggest concern from this game. I really expected Dillon to have a big game but there wasn't much to work with. In the first half it appeared the Raiders were stacking against the run and Brady was taking advantage but in the 3rd quarter they put pressure on Brady but we still couldn't move the ball on the ground.

Offensive 1/2 time adjustments were ineffective. If this keeps up questions will inevitably be asked about Weis.

Pass Defense: Pretty good - especially in the 2nd half. Tyrone Poole CANNOT cover anyone who is 6" taller than he is. Please let him play on the slot and get Blue or Starks on the outside guy. Deep safeties was the reason the Raiders had success running early.

Run defense: See above. not a concern yet, but lets keep an eye on it.

Defensive 1/2 time adjustments were brilliant. Oakland Offense did nothing in the 2nd half until the game was out of reach.

Special Teams: a mixed bag but mostly needs work. The return game looked effective if the penalties can be eliminated (Oakland wanted NO PART of kicking to Hobbs). Kick Coverage sucked (except for Rodney's near decapitation on a kick return). Blocked kicks are unforgivable (the extra point is on Adam, it was 6' off the ground)

Bring on the Panthers.

 

[Threadkiller]

I thought the biggest concern last night was the underwhelming play at LB. Someone (Flagg, BD???) said this week that Colvin can't shed his blocks and they were right on about that. Chad Brown was pretty invisible. I attribute part of this to the 4-3 set where the LBs play less of a starring role. But other than Willie and Vrabes, there was very little of that characteristic great play from the linebacker corps.

On the other hand, that DL is great! Warren, Big Sey, Wilfork, and "Big Play" Jarvis Green were outstanding holding the Raiders to under a hundred yards rushing (I think) and keeping Collins uncomfortable throughout the second half.

All hail the great Belichick halftime adjustment! Just amazing. Colllins went from Johnny Unitas in the first half to Eric Hipple in the second.

And credit the Raider's DLine for Dillons poor night. Sapp, Washington, Burgess et al were much harder to run on in the 4-3 than they were last year in the 3-4. But you sure can pass on 'em!

 

[bideau]

The running game was definitely a big disappointment. From ny perspective, I didn't see any holes opening up. The safety was coming up fast and filling gaps. The line didn't seem to be getting much push. Of course, I didn't have the benefit of replays.

 

[RoadGrader]

The running game was definitely a big disappointment. From ny perspective, I didn't see any holes opening up. The safety was coming up fast and filling gaps. The line didn't seem to be getting much push. Of course, I didn't have the benefit of replays.

bid.....

I too was hoping for much more roadgrading as well but hey, they were dealing with some pretty big fat loads to move on the Raiders D-line.

how about the Dwight TD reception? a laserbeam throw, sure reception for a sweet score.

and for a little tyke Dwight sure was exciting in his punt returns.....all-in-all, a fun, new player to watch.

 

[Flagg the Wanderer]

Highlight Play of the Game.......

Mankins hoisting Dion Branch up in the air much like a weightless figure-skating chick after his TD reception

Yeah, I thought that was pretty bold of the rookie.

Anyway, my thoughts:

This was a tale of two halves in a lot of ways.

DL: In the first period or so they were being pounded. Not blown off the ball (I don’t think there’s an OL in the league that can physically dominate our front 3) but always guided and influence blocked into the wrong spot. Holes were opening up on the LOS with regularity. The did get some pressure, however.

In the second half the were magnificent. The Raiders OL was totally outclassed, especially when Willie was playing with his hand on the ground.

OL: Good pass protection, but the run blocking was horrible in the first half. Simple slants and loops were sending them into a tizzy, and guys were slipping through in penetration. I don’t think Big Ted moved off the LOS for the entire first half.

The second half was a littlebetter. But not much.

Moss coverage:
Well, sometimes a simple solution is the best. They paid for it in run defense in the first half, until they got the front 7 straightened out. Dude is dangerous.

Jordan factor:
The Patriots respected Jordan quite a bit, as evidenced by how effective the play action passing was.

Other thoughts:
- Brady was really off target a lot in the first quarter. His balls were floating and he missed several open receivers.
- Ben Watson is going to be a huge weapon. Typically, he won’t get used much as the Pats share the wealth.
- Dan Graham has become one of the best blocking TEs in the NFL. And he’s a threat as a receiver, too. A rare combination.
- Josh McDaniels, if he was calling the plays, should be euthanized. That was awful – no rhythm, nonsensical calls, totally failed to exploit the OLBs. Well, he did, but he tried to do it by running WRs into those zones (and bringing CBs with them). Truthfully, it wasn’t THAT bad, but a bunch of calls really chafed me.
- Madden made me laugh out loud at the end of the first half, when he made his comment about knowing from experience that the Patriots could march up the field and score. In general, Madden wasn’t quite as doofusy as he generally is, with one glaring exception that I can’t recall right now.
- Mankins was getting a heavy dose of Ted Washington, and had not the faith to move the mountain. His pass protection was excellent, though.
- After going with 2 TEs early, the Pats abandoned that for the most part because Oakland’s 4-3 is really more of a 6-1, which counteracts most of the benefits of a 2TE set.
- Routt (Oakland’s rookie) is pretty good, despite getting picked on some last night. He might be a player, if they can preserve his confidence.

I know I have more, but that’s all I can think of for now.

 

[bideau]

bid.....

I too was hoping for much more roadgrading as well but hey, they were dealing with some pretty big fat loads to move on the Raiders D-line.

how about the Dwight TD reception? a laserbeam throw, sure reception for a sweet score.

and for a little tyke Dwight sure was exciting in his punt returns.....all-in-all, a fun, new player to watch.

It seemed that Oakland was intent on taking away the running game. But their defense isn't good enough to take away everything. The Pats took what they were given.

Carolina will pose some interesting choices. Their strength is run defense. But their DL is not a big as the Raiders. Can the roadgraders open up some cracks for Corey? Or do the Pats attack their safeties like they did two years ago?

I said in another thread that my adopted son deserves a shout out. I'd like to see some WR screens to him.

 

[Ras]

I would like to offer some thoughts -

PRE-GAME

- For the most part, it sucked. Sound was lousy when the Stones, West, Marron 5 and Prinze came on.
- Green Day should have played more.
- Santana was decent
- Kraft was better this year and the unveiling was great.
- The players coming out to Ozzie and staying on the field while he sang was the best!

- Note: Al Davis was on the sidelines during the warm-ups. He had to use a walker (w/wheels) to assist in his mobility. Say what you want about the guy, but he was a true pioneer of the AFL and one of the game's greatest participants. It was very sad to see him like this public.


GAME

Captains - Brady, Izzo, Harrison, Seymour & Vrabel

- D-line played awesome.
- LB corps played very well.
- CB/S have work to do.
- Brady was on.
- RB had a tough job getting by all the weight.
- O-line had a tough time pushing all that weight head-on, but did a very good job on traps and counters. Most of the line played to keep them fresh. Mankins and Kaczur proved that they were good picks by the club.

NOTES: Saw the Madden/Michaels gauntlet run the stadium after the broadcast. Madden looked extremely old!

Overall - a good game and good time!

 

[Ras]

- Note: Al Davis was on the sidelines during the warm-ups. He had to use a walker (w/wheels) to assist in his mobility. Say what you want about the guy, but he was a true pioneer of the AFL and one of the game's greatest participants. It was very sad to see him like this public.

 

[blantyr]

5. That was a weird game. Especially the kicking game was strange. Misses, blocks, etc. Guys on Patriots special teams are going to be running laps next practice.

My mother and I started noting a lot of kick off returns getting to the 33 yard line. Towards the middle of the game, we started making a joke of it. 32 yard line... bad return. 35 yard line... great return!

Agreed, many laps seem to be required.

I noted the Pats maintained their edge in half time adjustments, depth, and/or conditioning. The first half was a close game. As the game went on, the Patriots started looking better and better. Towards the end, the running game was even working. The Raiders didn't seem as physically beat as the Eagles last February, when they didn't have the energy left to do a hurry up offense, but they were beat, and not just on the score board.

 

[O_P_T]

One thing I noticed, that hasn't been mentioned, is that after the first Patriots drive Flutie came over to Brady on the bench and had an animated conversation with him.

The nature of the give and take made it appear that Flutie was a coach telling Tom what adjustments he needed to make.

Now this was just a quick flash on the TV, but it made me wonder.

It has been speculated by many that Flutie's biggest contribution may be to act as a coach and give Tom feedback on what happened on the field.

Did anyone at the game notice if the two talking like that was a one time thing or a did it happen often?

 

[Darth Despot]

You know, I kind of forget how long Al Davis has been around. He was involved in Pro Football before I was born. I still think the game has passed him by but even the most ardent Raider Haters have to admit he was a huge presence in the game.