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bradygirl_12Week 14: New England Patriots 20, Carolina Panthers 10 (8-5) (Sunday, December 13, 2009)
It’s probably good that the Patriots played a team today that couldn’t move the ball. The Pats came out flat as pancakes, and were absolutely a dead-ass team in the first half, ironic since they usually play that way in the second half of games this year.
This week had drama in Foxboro. On the day of our first major snowstorm on Wednesday, four players were late. Instead of just being fined, they were sent home. Why? Because after the horrendous Miami loss of the week before, Belichick had explicitly exhorted the team to come in early and stay late, something that is the culture down there but could be slipping this year. Forty-nine other guys, including rookies, had made it in on time. Tom Brady’s wife Giselle had a baby boy less than 24 hours earlier and he was there on time. Adalius Thomas, one of the four sent home, talked to the press and was pretty insubordinate, so was benched today. Fans had hoped that the team would come out on fire. Instead, they tanked in the first half, scraping a TD to go into the locker room at the half at 7-7. Three turnovers were killers today.
They finally cranked it up in the second half, having a sharp drive, and eventually won the game 17-10, but they were dead-ass in part of the second half, too. Tom wasn’t sharp, suffering from an injured finger, shoulder, and rib (that may be cracked, but the Foxboro Kremlin will never say, heh heh), so he was struggling but still managed to pull out a win.
Wes Welker was fantastic, moving up into the NFL’s higher echelons with over 100 catches yet again this season (10 today), his third in a row. He was a bright spot in the offense, and so were Kevin Faulk, Lawrence Maroney, and Ben Watson.
Tough division game up in Buffalo next week. They’re only up by a game over the Jets and Dolphins, so they better not think they’ve got the division and the playoffs sewn up.
It’s probably good that the Patriots played a team today that couldn’t move the ball. The Pats came out flat as pancakes, and were absolutely a dead-ass team in the first half, ironic since they usually play that way in the second half of games this year.
This week had drama in Foxboro. On the day of our first major snowstorm on Wednesday, four players were late. Instead of just being fined, they were sent home. Why? Because after the horrendous Miami loss of the week before, Belichick had explicitly exhorted the team to come in early and stay late, something that is the culture down there but could be slipping this year. Forty-nine other guys, including rookies, had made it in on time. Tom Brady’s wife Giselle had a baby boy less than 24 hours earlier and he was there on time. Adalius Thomas, one of the four sent home, talked to the press and was pretty insubordinate, so was benched today. Fans had hoped that the team would come out on fire. Instead, they tanked in the first half, scraping a TD to go into the locker room at the half at 7-7. Three turnovers were killers today.
They finally cranked it up in the second half, having a sharp drive, and eventually won the game 17-10, but they were dead-ass in part of the second half, too. Tom wasn’t sharp, suffering from an injured finger, shoulder, and rib (that may be cracked, but the Foxboro Kremlin will never say, heh heh), so he was struggling but still managed to pull out a win.
Wes Welker was fantastic, moving up into the NFL’s higher echelons with over 100 catches yet again this season (10 today), his third in a row. He was a bright spot in the offense, and so were Kevin Faulk, Lawrence Maroney, and Ben Watson.
Tough division game up in Buffalo next week. They’re only up by a game over the Jets and Dolphins, so they better not think they’ve got the division and the playoffs sewn up.
