The Day After

The Patriots 2005-2006 season came to an end last night in a performance that was uncharacteristic for our perception of Patriots football. However this season has been different and the Patriots’ performance in Denver was a lurking possibility in my mind. Patriots fans were justifiably buoyant about the team’s chances entering the playoffs based on their manhandling of the last few opponents, save for Miami. Even with those improved performances, the offense didn’t seem to be as efficient at scoring points as in the previous two seasons, and the running game was ineffective. Could this team overcome that? Well, pummeling Jacksonville last week seemed to indicate that they could, but I think we all realized that the Denver Broncos wouldn’t roll over so easily.

Playoff games on the road can be a tough assignment especially when the venue is Denver. Most everyone discounted the first meeting this season between the two teams when the Broncos built a huge lead before letting New England back in the game because of the numerous players who didn’t play for the Pats. As last night’s game progressed, it became clear that one thing you couldn’t dismiss from the first encounter was Denver’s ability to put pressure on Tom Brady. Brady was hurried and hit throughout the contest and that took an effect. Even when New England handled the blitz better in the second half, Denver’s pressure was the catalyst in Brady’s intercepted pass in the end zone, which Champ Bailey returned for 100 yards. In the end, the Patriots self-destructed with offensive turnovers and poor special teams play, and these errors were committed by veterans of Super Bowl success. One stat that possibly predicted this outcome was Tom Brady’s Touchdown/Interception ratio on the road: 12 TDs and 12 INTs. Compare that with Brady’s split at home of 17/2 and you can see that the offense struggled away from Gillette Stadium.

Given some time to reflect on the overall season, I think Patriots fans will realize that this team did well to get as far as it did. With the memory of the dominating Patriots of 2004-2005 in mind, it’s been tough for fans not to confuse that team’s accomplishments with the reality of this season’s performances. That led to an overly optimistic view of what could transpire in this season’s playoffs. The fact is that with each season there is a new team; this year’s team is not equivalent to last year’s. What’s happened in past seasons is not as relevant as fans would like to think.

With that in mind, it is a little early to declare the Patriots dynasty or era over as Cris Carter on Yahoo and Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe did today. I’m sure that is the fashionable stance to take, especially for a doomsayer like Shaughnessy, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Patriots come back next season as strong as ever, and go for a fourth Super Bowl in their last 6 seasons. The Patriots organization has proven to be effective at salary cap management, free agent evaluation, and coaching. There is no reason to think that this team can’t come back next season and be successful again. Let’s hope that 2005-2006 will just be a hiccup on the way to more championships.

Other Thoughts

· I’m watching the Indy – Pittsburgh game at the moment and I don’t know for whom I should root. Rooting for either team feels like rooting for the old Soviet hockey team. At this point (14-3 Pitt in the 3rd), the Steelers have looked better and they are pressuring Peyton Manning well, which of course is the key ingredient in holding the Colts offense in check.
· Is Seattle the real deal or not? I’m not yet convinced. I have only seen them play a couple of times this season, but they don’t look ready to win the Super Bowl to me. I’m also not positive that Matt Hasselbeck is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. However, in the weak NFC, it’s certainly plausible that the Seahawks reach the big game in February.