This is not a re-run: New England’s defense stinks
Monday, September 20, 2010
Then again, it stunk last week, too, but you wouldn’t know it from reading the paper or listening to sports-talk radio in this neck of the woods.
What we learned yesterday is the Patriots will lose each and every time Tom Brady fails to walk on water because their defense can’t stop anybody. Their defense is so bad it makes mediocre quarterbacks look like Fran Tarkenton. Yesterday, they made Mark Sanchez look like Mark Brunell as Sanchez fired three touchdown passes in the Jets’ 28-14 come-from-behind win at the Meadowlands.
In case you’ve lost count – and that would be perfectly acceptable since the touchdowns are coming at an alarming rate – the Patriots have allowed 341 passing yards in two weeks, which ranks them two spots behind Washington, which blew a 20-point lead Sunday in a loss to Houston, and one spot ahead of the Detroit Lions, whose recent history speaks for itself.
What pissed me off the most about last week was no one with an influential voice – and that means radio hosts, beat writers, columnists, etc., who have the power of persuasion – took an objective approach when analyzing the defense against the Bengals. The Patriots allowed three touchdowns on four drives in the second half at a time in which Cincinnati did nothing but throw on 70 percent of its snaps, yet still got a free pass because a.) they won and b.) the game was considered “out of reach” by those who were paid to watch – an absurd premise considering the Bengals pulled to within two touchdowns at the end of the third quarter before Brady engineered one last scoring drive that ate up most of the clock.
Anyone not considered a rumpswab could’ve seen Sunday’s meltdown coming for no other reason than the fact the Patriots have yet to make a key defensive stop since Gary Guyton’s interception return for a touchdown way back in the first half of the season opener. The defense didn’t close out that win against the Bengals – Brady did.
This defense couldn’t even lock down Sanchez, who threw 20 interceptions last year as a rookie and looked equally inept in the Jets’ season-opening loss to Baltimore. The scary part is this Patriots’ coaching staff looked horribly overmatched in the second half as the Jets scored 21 unanswered points to secure the win.
Adjusting at halftime used to be this team’s trademark, yet in two weeks the Patriots have allowed 39 second-half points and have played progressively worse as the games have gone on. They continue to fail miserably at closing out victories and they continue to fall flat on their faces away from Gillette Stadium; they’re 2-7 in their last nine road games, including a win over Tampa Bay in London that was more like a home game since most of the United Kingdom roots for New England anyway.
What’s also become quite obvious is the Patriots can no longer leave cornerbacks in one-on-one coverage without help from the safeties, unless they want a clear shot of the back of Darius Butler’s jersey as he chases receivers up and down the field. This young secondary needs help, but there aren’t any reinforcements on the way; Leigh Bodden and Brandon McGowan are out for the year, so the kids better grow up fast, or else they’ll waste what might turn out to be a 40-touchdown season by Brady.
On second thought, Brady will be lucky to finish with 30 if he continues to abandon what works best. The Patriots were just fine against the Bengals without firing 50-yard bombs out of a cannon, but as soon as All-World cornerback Darrelle Revis left yesterday’s game with a hamstring injury, Brady seemed determined to connect with Randy Moss, who actually beat Revis early in the game on an outstanding one-armed touchdown catch.
Brady’s determination ultimately bordered on obsession, and the game unraveled once he began forcing the ball into coverage. Brady threw two interceptions in the second half trying to squeeze the ball to Moss while Wes Welker, the pint-sized receiver no one can find an answer for, caught only two passes over the final two quarters. Yesterday’s second half looked like 2007 all over again, minus the touchdowns and victories.
Again, this goes back to coaching. At what point do you stop trying to uncork bombs against a secondary that’s cutting down every attempt? What happened to the screen plays that worked so well against the Bengals? I understand the concept of match-ups, and I realize not every play works against every team, but if you’re good enough offensively you should be able to do what you do best on a consistent basis regardless of the opponent.
The bottom line, despite who you want to blame for yesterday’s collapse, is the defense is undisciplined and unpolished right now, and the Patriots cannot be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders until they sort out this mess. Let’s see if the rest of New England has figured it out yet.
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