10 Things We Learned Yesterday
NFL. Here, in no particular order, are 10 things we learned about the Patriots in yesterday’s 21-12 win over the Chargers in the AFC Championship:
1. The lessons learned from last year’s AFC Championship loss to Indianapolis paid off yesterday. The roots of the season-long “sixty minutes” mantra were based in last season’s horrific collapse to the Colts in the second half of the AFC Championship Game. And the lessons learned from that painful defeat came to the fore yesterday: While the defense frittered away a double-digit second-half lead last season, yesterday, they were immense, holding the San Diego offense to just three second-half points. Combined with a standout effort by the New England backfield — which accounted for 241 yards of scrimmage on the day, much of which came in the second half — it was enough to make sure there wasn’t a replay of last season’s collapse. “It was so disappointing last season,” said quarterback Tom Brady. “I remember leaving the bus at Indianapolis, and just reflecting on how close we were and how disappointing it was knowing another team was going instead of us. And now, we can look at where we are now and be proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far, but realize there’s still a greater challenge ahead.”
2. As good as the passing game looked in the divisional playoff win over Jacksonville, it looked that sluggish at the start of yesterday’s game. Whether it was the weather, bad routes or a stout San Diego passing defense, the New England passing game had some serious issues at the start of yesterday’s AFC Championship Game. Over the first two quarters, Brady had just 98 passing yards, and the passing game was unable to do much of anything, much to his chagrin. “I think it was a good team,” said Brady, who has now been picked off a combined six times in his last two playoff games against the Chargers and ended the day with 209 passing yards. “I don’t think we executed as well as I thought we were capable, but we got the win and were able to put together some important drives.” That included one series that took up the final 9:13 of the game, where the Patriots were able to suck the life out of the contest with a standout effort by their running game, moving the chains and accounting for five first downs while taking the clock all the way down to 0:00.
3. Much of the Patriots’ offensive success yesterday can be traced back to Kyle Brady and Steven Spach. When New England made the shift from a wide-open passing attack with three and four wides in the first half to two and three tight-end sets early in the second half, the Brady/Spach tandem was able to deliver some key blocks, springing Laurence Maroney (106 rushing yards in the second half) on several occasions for sizable gains. Maroney ended up with 122 rushing yards on the day, marking the fourth time in the last five games he’s run for 100-plus yards. “Well, we had all those things in our package coming in, in our game plan,” Brady said of the sets that included the extra tight ends. “In the second half, I think we just committed to it a little more and got a good feeling when a few of the plays went well. That always makes it a little easier for an offensive coordinator to continue with certain personnel and play calls. I think we did that, and really started to kind of roll.”
4. Junior Seau’s emotional impact on the Patriots cannot be overstated. The veteran linebacker, who turned 39 on Saturday, was center stage for most of the postgame hubbub yesterday. Most of it was for his Chargers’ connections, but there also seemed to be a genuine affection on both sides of the ball for the San Diego native, who will be making his second Super Bowl appearance in two weeks against the Giants. “The way he’s worked, how hard he’s worked, the sacrifices he’s made, going through injuries and different circumstances; I’m just so happy and so proud of Junior Seau,” former San Diego teammate Rodney Harrison said of Seau, who had six tackles and a sack in the win.
5. The New England secondary wasn’t outstanding yesterday, but they still played well when it mattered. By their own admission, the Patriots’ defensive backs did not play well against the Jaguars in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the offense did more than enough to help them come away with a win. Yesterday, that performance was a bit better, keeping a hobbled San Diego offense out of the end zone all afternoon and coming away with a pair of interceptions. For his part, Ellis Hobbs — who appeared to split time with Randall Gay last week against the Jags — was back in the good graces of the coaching staff (or was back to 100 percent, healthwise). He was on the field for 59 of San Diego’s 60 plays from scrimmage yesterday, and had an interception and tied with the team lead in tackles with eight. The iron man for the New England secondary yesterday was safety James Sanders, who, by our count, was on the field for all 60 defensive snaps. The rest of the participation of the DB’s went as follows: Asante Samuel (59), Rodney Harrison (58), Brandon Meriweather (16) and Gay (15). “They did a great job,” Meriweather said of his fellow DBs. “They all did a great job. They contained, and they managed their game pretty well.”
6. The red zone was no Achilles’ heel for the New England defense, at least not yesterday. The Patriots’ defense pitched a red-zone shutout yesterday, as San Diego finished the day 0-for-3 in touchdown opportunities when they got inside the 20-yard line. The biggest stop of the day came in the second half — with the Chargers in New England’s red zone midway through the third quarter and driving for a potential go-ahead touchdowns, Seau had a key stop when he slipped through blockers and pinned San Diego running back Michael Turner for a two-yard loss, forcing another Nate Kaeding field goal, this one a 24-yarder that cut the Patriots’ lead to 14-12. After hearing nothing but bad stuff about their red zone defense much of the season, it’s now a major reason why New England will be moving on to the Super Bowl. “They played good,” Belichick said of his red-zone defense. “We were able to flush them out and coverage was good. And, of course, [we] didn’t let them run them in. Nothing worse than red area than letting them hand off the ball and run into the end zone. But hey, the players made plays and we played well today.”
7. Kevin Faulk is having an outstanding postseason. Faulk has had 13 passes thrown to him by Tom Brady in the playoffs — he’s caught all 13 of them. Six of the nine times he touched the ball yesterday, the Patriots registered a first down. And against the Chargers, he led all New England receivers with 82 receiving yards. The 5-foot-8 running back once derided by critics as “Fumbles” has grown into a huge part of the success of the New England offense. “My brother describes him as ‘instant offense,’” said Harrison, whose locker is a few yards away from Faulk. “He’s a guy that never complains, always playing banged up, always working extremely hard, always doing the small things.” Seau took time out at the start of his press conference after yesterday’s game to point out Faulk and his contributions. “Trust me,” said Seau. “He’s special.”
8. Donte Stallworth is finally getting his due as one of the best quotes in all of football. Thanks to Deadspin, the legend of the gloriously goofy Stallworth and his alter ego Nicco has started to take shape in the national sporting press more and more of late — expect another round of, “Did he really say that?” this week, and expect it to be going full bore when Stallworth hits Super Bowl media day a week from Tuesday. Stallworth is one of a handful of veterans who will be heading to their first Super Bowl with the Patriots. (It’s a group that includes fellow wide receivers Wes Welker and Randy Moss.) But don’t tell him he’s never played in a Super Bowl before. “I’ve told guys all week that I’ve played in the Super Bowl before. I’ve played in the AFC Championship Game before — it’s no big deal. It was on John Madden, on video games,” he said. “I’ve played in many Super Bowls and many championships and I’ve won them all on Madden.”
9. The Chargers are always good for a laugh. On paper, they remain one of the most talented teams in the league. But we all know that games are not played on paper. (To borrow our favorite Kenny Mayne-ism, they’re played inside TV sets.) As was the case last year, they just seem to be missing some sort of vaguely undefinable veteran presence that can bring calm to an overly excitable locker room. San Diego had a myriad of opportunities yesterday, but they were unable to cash in on most of them, going 0-for-3 in red zone touchdown chances. Afterward, Head Coach Norv Turner mixed it up with some San Diego writers who questioned whether or not LaDainian Tomlinson and his injured knee (later revealed to be an injured MCL) could have played more than a few first-quarter snaps. When asked what his teammates might have thought about him not playing, Turner snapped, “That’s the stupidest thing you could ask. The guy was not able to go. The doctors and trainers said he couldn’t go.” Pressed on it further by a reporter who said Tomlinson was 100 percent, Turner replied, “Where have you been?”
10. One of the most eventful seasons in recent NFL history will culminate with a trip to the Super Bowl. The Patriots have faced the pressure of an undefeated season, the potential distractions of off-field scandal involving Harrison and Randy Moss, the specter of “SpyGate” and charges of running up the score. But each time, they managed to weather the storm. As a result, they will head to their fourth Super Bowl in the last seven years, this one set for Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz. against the Giants. “It’s exciting. It’s exciting,” said Brady, who will be looking to add to a trophy case that already includes three Super Bowl rings and a pair of Super Bowl MVP awards. “It never gets old.” While many in the New England locker room have considered it a birthright to play in a Super Bowl — it’ll be the fifth trip to the Super Bowl for linebacker Tedy Bruschi — there are several newcomers who will be playing in their first with the Patriots, including Welker and Stallworth, as well as rookie DB Meriweather. “It’s a chance to live out a dream,” said Meriweather, who finished yesterday with four tackles. “Everybody who plays football, it’s their dream to make it there.”
Christopher Price is sports editor of Boston Metro and the author of “The Blueprint: How The New England Patriots Beat The System To Create The Last Great NFL Superpower,” published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. He can be reached at cprice@metro-boston.com.
