Archives for November 2004

‘Bledsoe gave $150,000 to his alma mater, Washington State, in the name of his grandfather. He’s the international chairman of the Children’s Miracle Network, raising millions of dollars to benefit hospitalized children around the world. He’s been honored by the Pop Warner organization. He’s written children’s books. He’s the ideal role model. He’s the kind of guy you want your daughter to marry. But he’s not the kind of guy you want quarterbacking your football team.’

The Bills team that showed up in Foxboro on Sunday night is the worst team in football. Arizona, San Francisco and Carolina all showed much more spark than the Bills. Even Miami had a better week and they were on a bye.

‘"It’s still too early to rule out where we’re going from this point in the season," Mularkey said after meeting with his players. "There are seven games left. We’re not out of it. Drew has proven in three (wins) of four (games) before this game that he was a big reason why. We’ll start with Drew this week."’

‘They’re 3-6 now. It doesn’t matter how they got there, or how close they came in a couple of the losses. They are what they are – an utter mediocrity, a team that front-runs in its own stadium but lacks the talent and heart to compete on the road. They have no shot. I’m told Wade Phillips has declared them out of the playoff race. So they might as well end the Bledsoe charade once and for all.’

‘I hear there’s a No. 11 jersey clear-out sale this week.’

‘I’m pretty sure every clear-thinking Bills fan has seen enough. I wish Mike Mularkey would admit that he has seen enough.’

‘ Sam Adams did break through and slam his 335 pounds of flesh into Brady on one occasion, but for the most part, the O-line kept the quarterback clean. The unit also kept the running backs from much harm. After Dillon, Kevin Faulk also picked up 61 yards on 13 carries.’

‘Light, Andruzzi and Koppen overpowered the right side of the Bills line, which is where Dillon got most of his yardage.’

‘But it’s not a perfect world, and Sunday night we saw Drew Bledsoe at his worst. As immobile as a statue. Making bad decisions. Throwing interceptions. Unable to generate anything. Just another quarterback in peril against the Pats’ defense, the magic all gone.’

‘The Patriots called on their three-tight end package about 10 times. Other times it was two tight ends and fullback Patrick Pass. Regardless of the power combination, the team dominated the time of possession game — 41:22 to 18:38 — accomplishing the goal of sucking life out of Adams and Williams. Adams is 6-foot-4, 335 pounds and Williams is 6-3, 317, so they’re not built to play 41 minutes, let alone 31.’

‘Clearly, Brady has played for better teams the last three seasons, but there was no escaping how good he looked and how bad Bledsoe looked Sunday night.’

‘Belichick and Romeo Crennel decided to go with more zone coverage in the secondary to take away Bledsoe’s primary options and also mixed in enough pressure up front to keep him on his toes. The coaching staff once again made it a priority to stop the run, which set the tone for the rest of the game.’

A hike in his play (Boston Globe)

A strange twist: Bruschi is intact (Boston Globe)

Pats rush to judgment

(Boston Herald)

Line draws high praise (Boston Herald)

Patriots’ thin `D’ gets fat

(Boston Herald)

Bruschi brushes off injury scare

(Boston Herald)

White lies (Boston Herald)

Patriots’ rushing attack hits a new high (Metro West Daily News)

Pats coach explains reaction to Harrison penalty (Metro West Daily News)

An imperfect world and time have made Bledsoe a has-been (Providence Journal)

Only Patriots and Eagles are consistently good (Providence Journal)

Chiefs’ Holmes is expected to miss Pats tilt (Providence Journal)

Bruschi Bends But Doesn’t Break (Hartford Courant)

No longer in same league? (Springfield Republican)

Game 9: Patriots 29, Bills 6 (Springfield Republican)

Belichick’s group stellar in picking apart Bills (Woonsocket Call)

Bruschi OK following late injury (Woonsocket Call)

Bledsoe’s best days long gone (Concord Monitor)

Two in a row and more to go? (AP)

Dillon leads Pats past Buffalo (The Sports Network)

Inside slant (CBS Sportsline)

Strategy and personnel (CBS Sportsline)

Notes, quotes (CBS Sportsline)

Offensive line steals the show (Patriots.com)

Grogan’s Grade: Week 9 (PatsFans.com)

‘Each of his interceptions were the result of poor throws or poor decisions and Mularkey admitted Bledsoe didn’t play close to what he needed to in order for Buffalo to have a shot at upsetting the Patriots (8-1). Still, he said Losman, who broke his fibula in training camp and is still not 100 percent healthy, isn’t close to being ready to assume the starting reins full time.’

‘Corey Dillon became the first individual to top 100 yards on the Bills this season, running roughshod over the Bills’ No. 3-ranked defense for 151 yards on 26 carries, a 5.8 average. The Patriots didn’t bother attacking the middle of Buffalo’s defense with Adams and Pat Williams there, so they hit the edges hard, with the majority of their runs going over undersized DE Aaron Schobel. Buffalo’s tackling was horrendous, particularly by Fletcher and SS Lawyer Milloy who took too many wrong angles for players of their stature.’