10 Things We Learned Yesterday
In no particular order, here are 10 things we learned about the Patriots in yesterday’s game, a 30-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers:
1. When given the chance, Matt Cassel can look downright comfortable out there. Cassel, who insisted this week he was becoming a better quarterback, proved it yesterday against the 49ers, managing a series of sustained drives against San Francisco in a calm and efficient fashion. His most damning interception came after a defender struck his arm in mid-delivery, which led to a Takeo Spikes pick. But in a real contrast to two weeks ago against Miami — when an early interception marked the beginning of the end for the quarterback — he rallied, finishing the day 22-for-32 with 259 yards and a touchdown. It’s important to remember that these are the 49ers — and so should these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt — but Cassel’s performance will likely serve as a major boost for his confidence going forward. All in all, it was a good day for the California native, who had several friends and family at the game. “A lot of family out and my wife was able to come out,” Cassel said. “It was great to come out to California and have them all here for a game.”
2. You don’t necessarily have to score a touchdown for it to be a successful drive. The Patriots were able to put together spirit-sapping drives late in the first and early in the second half that really changed the tone of the ballgame. For the first time all season, the Patriots had a game where they three drives of five-plus minutes. And while they didn’t finish off any of those three drives with touchdowns (two field goals and a punt), they were able to control the game, dictate the tempo and impose their will on the 49ers’ defense. It all added up to a 40-20 edge in time of possession, and a San Francisco defense that was wiped out by the end of the afternoon. “I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like we had the ball out there after the first quarter, it seemed like we had it all day,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
3. We’re running out of words to describe Kevin Faulk. The veteran running back was the perfect compliment to the offense again yesterday, getting work in the running game (32 yards, two touchdowns), passing game (29 receiving yards) and as a returner (two punt returns for 19 yards). “He had two rushing touchdowns — he probably hadn’t had that since the fourth grade,” Belichick told reporters. “Kevin does a great job. Seems like no matter what we ask him to do, he always does it well; whether it’s blitz pick-up, or pass receiving on third down, running the ball, goal line. He’s a clutch, dependable player for us. But he had some big ones today.”
4. On the other hand, Laurence Maroney continues to regress before our very eyes. What’s going on here? He finished yesterday with 10 rushes for 26 yards, and almost all of his rushing attempts involved some sort of dancing before he hit the line — even when there were no tacklers there to dance away from. When it came to hitting the hole, there was no decisiveness. However, his most egregious action came when he was faced with a choice between stepping out of bounds inches short of a first down and trying to bull over a defender. Maroney chose the former, and was quickly yanked from the contest. (In contrast, Sammy Morris ran hard yesterday, picking up 54 yards on 13 carries.) Maroney did not play two weeks ago and saw limited action yesterday, so injury could be a real possibility. But on the season, Maroney has played in three games, and has 28 carries for 93 yards and no touchdowns. Six of his 28 carries on the season have either gone for zero or negative yards, by far the highest percentage on the team. The bottom line is that these are not the sorts of numbers you would expect out of a first-round pick at this stage of his career.
5. So much for the idea that Matt Cassel is incapable of connecting with Randy Moss on a deep ball. The 66-yard Cassel to Randy Moss touchdown pass midway through the first quarter was perhaps the sweetest ball any New England quarterback had thrown all season, a tight spiral that landed in a spot where only Moss could catch it. Moss — who was in single coverage with Nate Clements after San Francisco safety Walt Harris slipped and fell — collected it in stride and took it the rest of the way for the score. It was the longest play from scrimmage Cassel has been involved in at either the pro or college level. “Being able to connect on that deep ball, I think it was good,” said Moss, who finished with five catches for 111 yards and one touchdown. “That’s something that we’ve been missing in our repertoire the past couple of weeks.”
6. Even without Tom Brady, the Patriots’ offense isn’t afraid to break out a cut from its greatest hits package. The direct snap to Faulk? By my count, that’s the fourth time I’ve seen New England use No. 33 as a goal-line quarterback: in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Panthers, in 2001 against Miami and in the 2006 playoffs against the Chargers. (In addition, there was a fake direct snap on the goal line to Faulk in last year’s playoff win over the Jaguars.) “It’s a play that we’ve been working on for I don’t know how many weeks, months, but we needed it today, and we hit it,” Belichick said of the direct snap.
7. After getting cuffed around in the previous game, the New England defense rose to the challenge yesterday. Other than an occasional breakdown in pass defense, the Patriots did well across the board defensively against the 49ers. Total net yards (San Francisco had just 199 yards) and third down conversion (11 percent) were both positives, as well as the fact that they finished with three interceptions and a sack. The 49ers didn’t register a single first down in the second or third quarter. While the pass defense had some issues, Rodney Harrison, Deltha O’Neal and Brandon Meriweather all deserve a thumbs-up for coming up with interceptions.
8. While Bill Belichick may profess to be a big fan of Mike Shanahan, Mike Martz might bring out the best in him. Belichick has now defeated a Martz-led offense four of the last five times they’ve met. While it wasn’t much like Super Bowl XXXVI — think Willie McGinest and Mike Vrabel knocking the hell out of Marshall Faulk — there were many of the same basic elements of that defensive game plan that the Patriots were able to put into place to stop the 49ers yesterday. Like they did that night against the Rams (when they used six defensive backs on 13 defensive snaps), New England went heavy on the DBs yesterday, using just one lineman and six defensive backs on a number of occasions. It ended up befuddling 49ers quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan, who finished yesterday’s game 14-for-29, for 130 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. “They do give you a lot of looks. I expected it,” said the former New England practice squadder. “They’re a veteran defense. They’re very good at what they do.”
9. Stephen Gostkowski continues to kick at a Pro Bowl level. It was another sensational day for Gostkowski, who finished with three field goals of 35, 40 and 49 yards. The kicks were Gostkowski’s 15th, 16th and 17th consecutive successful field goals, extending a streak that dates back to Dec. 9, 2007. Gostkowski has now made 30 of his last 32 regular-season field goals (94 percent) and is a perfect 10-for-10 this season, a fact which is made all the more impressive when you consider that the bulk of his work has been done in three of the hardest venues for a kicker — Gillette Stadium, The Meadowlands and Candlestick Park. Gostkowski’s 17 straight successful field goals streak is the third longest in Patriots history, trailing only a 25-kick streak by Adam Vinatieri from 1996-97 and a 23-kick streak by Vinatieri in 2004.
10. Isaac Bruce can still get the job done. The veteran receiver caught two touchdown passes, but was at his best on a 38-yard catch in the first quarter. The Patriots pass defense broke down in coverage so badly that it appeared Bruce simply materialized in the middle of the field like he had been beamed down from the U.S.S. Enterprise. Later, the 35-year-old was as wide open as a receiver could be in the red zone. Bruce finished with three catches for 49 yards and two touchdowns.
Christopher Price has covered the Patriots for Boston Metro since 2001. His book, “The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower” is current available from St. Martin’s Press in paperback. He can be reached at christopher.price@metro.us.
