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Patriots game recap 2!

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The Patriots scoop up a pre-season win at Gillette against the Carolina Panthers

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Isn’t it great when the first drive of the game is a Patriots defensive penalty? 

Obviously I jest, but in some seriousness, the Patriots did notch up 12 penalties during the win against the Panthers. But hey, it’s the pre-season, there is still plenty of time to tighten up… insert grimacing gif of choice!

Not to single guys out, but well, this is a game recap. Scanning a play and not blocking at all as well as some penalties, earned James Ferentz himself a spot on many peoples bad list, even if the late hit for unnecessary roughness at the end of the second quarter, was perhaps a little sweet revenge. 

Whilst there is considerable depth at wide receiver at the moment, and we are watching guys to make that final 53, unfortunately Tre Nixon had a catchable ball that he… didn’t, and Josh Hammond suffered a similar fate. 

But the offense wasn’t all bad, not at all. Damien Harris with great pass protection, and to risk cries of “biased for tight ends” we finally saw something from Devin Asiasi, did we see enough, the jury is still out, but he had a great grab for a 19 yard reception as well as several other good catches. 

As well as wide receiver choices, the running back room has some depth and skill sets, and JJ Taylor may be on the bubble, but not for the sake of trying! Yes, he had a drop on an easy short pass, but he scurries around with some good movement, and threw a great block for quarterback protection considering he isn’t exactly a tall guy. 

Speaking of quarterback, as much as I love me some Mac Jones, I really do, Bailey Zappe ignoring the Panthers player wrapped around his ankle and still making the throw… delicious. 

The defense has reportedly had a good training camp. Watching the last two pre-season games, against the Giants last week and now the Panthers, the defense have been the stronger side of the Patriots. 

Whilst there is a lot still being talked about with coaching and play calling, the defensive mind of Bill Belichick continues to bear fruits!

The good list for the defense is definitely long. Davon Godchaux with some good spin coverage, Ja’Whaun Bentley swallowing up the receiver, Christian Barmore on the edge barging in, Matt Judon pushing his mark back giving Lawrence Guy the opening for some quarterback pressure, Josh Uche with the sack, and that is all just in the first quarter! 

Josh Bledsoe forced a fumble and Myles Bryant was on the collect, but the officials with the premature stop of play, possible cost the Patriots some points, good job its only a pre-season game huh?

The end of the second quarter saw Mack Wilson almost having an interception, reading the quarterback’s eyes well, showing that the Chase Winovich trade-off, could really pay-off!

And just when you thought the pace of the game was ebbing away, Terrance Mitchell with the safety! Well, actually it turned out to be a fumble recovery and a touchdown. And finally, Brandon Schooler made sure his name was noted down in your game book, by sealing the Panthers fate with an interception within the final moments, and so the Patriots notched up their first pre-season win of 2022, Pats 20 – Panthers 10. 

Until next time, you lovely lot! Go Pats!

The game recap is back!

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The Patriots host the NY Giants in the first game for pre-season

Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

So football is back… kinda.

Sure, it’s only the first game of the pre-season, and spoiler alert the Patriots didn’t win, but there was plenty to be positive about, even if there is some to still have those concerns over.

You all know by now, it’s my second full season writing these, I like to keep it as positive as possible whilst still letting you know what went on, and I’ll be honest folks I’m feeling rather rusty! Saying that, it wasn’t a tight pre-season game, but the Giants did put out a lot of their first team against, what the Patriots would probably specify, as the second, maybe third string guys.

An early in the game call, of too many men on the field for the Patriots defence, was a sloppiness that’s avoidable, not the greatest of starts.

Henry Anderson was a sight we didn’t see much of last season, although I know some of us were looking forward to, and he blocked his guy well moving him towards the Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. This gave way a little for Anfernee Jennings to charge through for the QB pressure, causing the Giants to settle for a field goal, putting the first points on the board. 

Tre Nixon had himself a great kick return, followed not long after by a false start from Justin Herron, the penalties had really begun. 

Currently the running back room has significant depth, but we did see JJ Taylor out there ‘scuttle bugging’ his way around, I’m just not certain it was always successful enough. 

The defense continued to show some of the good stuff we saw in training camp, as Daniel Ekuale took on two guys, and Anfernee Jennings brought the heat taking down the Giants running back. Raekwon McMillian and Joshua Uche delivered some quarterback pressure, and there was good coverage by Terrance Mitchell on the runner. 

The first quarter displayed good complimentary defense by the Patriots, and Myles Bryant had himself his first NFL punt return for a gain of 30 yards. 

Hoyer continued the game with some great throws, I quote the fabulous Scott Zolak here with; “Hoyer dropping dimes!”.

The later part of the first quarter saw a catch by 87, the tight end Matt Sokol. It didn’t result in much, granted, however, on a personal note, a ball to a tight end always has me excited. 

The second quarter showed Tristan Vizcaino kicking off, and Terrance Mitchell once against working hard and fighting through the block to help with the take down. 

Another name some were hopeful to see, LaBryan Ray, the undrafted rookie out of Alabama, was out there earning his reps, with good stance keeping his guy contained. 

A second false start by Justin Herron continued to rack up the penalties, and whilst he aired out some good balls, Bailey Zappe was under pressure.

Physicality on defense, whilst good by Mack Wilson, and then Jennings losing his containment to get after the quarterback, it saw Shaun Wade break up a play that resulted in a pass interference call. 

Guys like Uche, Jennings, and Bledsoe were catching my eye quite positively, but Joejuan Williams a little less so, especially when he was beaten by Richie James for the Giants touchdown. 

Shifting focus to the offence, Matt Sokol has undertaken his blocking tight end role rather well, and the third quarter saw Tre Nixon breaking free of some major coverage to make several great catches from a few lovely balls by Bailey Zappe.

Unfortunately, as much as the defence had some great flashes, including new comer to the team, Jalen Elliott, the Giants were still a little too successful against the run. Although, I must admit it seemed that Cameron McGrone could sniff out a ball whilst it was still in the air, and the third half saw his second almost interception. 

But, the penalties kept on coming, as rookie Nate Weiland, with initially a lovely power charge, got a bit too heavy with Daniel Jones and used his weight to drive him into the ground. Penalty number 12 for the Patriots. 

Jalen Elliott continued to show up all over the place, and Jack Jones gave us glimmers of his skills knocking the ball away beautifully with two almost pick-offs.

With the wide receiver core having some depth, we saw plenty from Tre Nixon and Kristian Wilkerson to prove that the 53 man cut down is going to be tricky, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey had a great vertical with some good engineering by Bailey Zappe, to throw another name into the wide receiver melting pot of choices. 

Unfortunately, there were some injuries on the offensive line for Cajuste, Herron and Murray, and although they all walked off the field, it’s still a worry when that many O line guys, even if second tier, are nursing issues. 

All in all, the defense and the offense had good flashes, and so I feel there is plenty of good to focus on. It’s still only pre-season game one, and whilst there is much to work on, I believe there are building blocks there stable enough to utilise, that’s just my two cents folks.

Until next time, you lovely lot. Go Pats!

Can we get some love for the kickers!?

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Fluffs, field goals and frenzy! The divisional round weekend of playoffs in the NFL 2021 season.

In case you didn’t know, three of the four divisional match-ups last weekend came down to a field goal. Not only that, the fourth game was moved into overtime by a field goal… C-R-A-Z-Y for K-I-C-K-E-R-S! 

And the nuttiness doesn’t cease there!

T’was the second quarter in Tennessee, Derek Henry took the direct snap and powered through for a touchdown. The Bengals had too many men on the field and Vrabel changed his play, and the Titans went for two. Henry rushed to the right and was taken down, conversion failed. The craziness is, had they gone back to the original play, and just took the extra point the Bengals couldn’t have won in the final moments with a field goal. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. 

Obviously, that’s easy to say, and you could about many, many games… Cowboys fans look away now…

But this is the playoffs baby!

Next up were the 49ers at Green Bay, McDreamy verses McMVP? Well, that’s popular opinion (but if you have listened to the latest episode of A Clare Perspective the podcast, you’ll know we aren’t ALL under that Jimmy G handsome spell). 

So, the 49ers were going to regret they didn’t draft the greatness that is Aaron Rodgers? (Oh, I so wish you guys could hear my sarcasm right now.)

But, in all seriousness the 10 and 7 Niners were the 6th seed, and the Packers were number 1. Not only that, it was looking shaky for Jimmy G with a couple of injuries, including his thumb! Don’t forget AR’s poorly pinky toe… Sorry, sorry I will can it. 

So, my personal feelings aside, Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers had a super successful season going 13 to 4, and people thought this Packers team were going to be different. January hasn’t been a great month for Green Bay in the past. 

There was snow, there was a blocked field goal, but you could argue that the Packers lost this game more than the 49ers won it, however, the blocked punt for a game tying touchdown in the fourth quarter by the Niners – pretty good. Either way, we witnessed some more franticness for the playoffs and the 49ers continued their journey to the Super Bowl with a 13 to 10 win at Lambeau Field. 

A headline in itself for the third game, “The Rams caused Tom Brady to draw his own blood!” The controversial penalty call on TB12, when the guy who hit him late didn’t even get slapped on the wrist, isn’t the only crazy thing that was seen in Tampa Bay. 

The Bucs kicker hit out of bounds twice, (not great Bob), Brady was under pressure far too often, and the Buccaneers were depleted by injury, unfortunately it showed. 

Tom Brady flung and slung, but sometimes he didn’t look like the GOAT we know, particularly when he threw too low for Gronkowski (anyone else think he was having a flashback and was actually looking for a certain cute squirrel? JE11, could just be me?). 

The Rams didn’t play a perfect game, so the Bucs left Cooper Kupp open too often, but he lost the ball at one point causing a turnover. And, I don’t know if Rams fans have arranged for that very early 4th quarter wild snap to Matt Stafford to be erased from history, but it was the craziest snap I may have ever seen, Stafford’s face was actually comical, I’m pretty sure he won’t see the funny side though.

And there at the end, as the game clock ticked down and it’s 27 to 27 did we witness another playoff winning field goal, and the Rams are one step closer to playing a Super Bowl in their own house.

The final game of the weekend was a doozy. It wasn’t quite as nut-job crazy as the others (well until the very end) but it was a battle of the elite. As much as it pains me to say it (you guys all know how much I dislike the Bills) this match up was one of some gifted players, and it came down to the toss of a coin, or did it? Don’t worry I am not here to start a fight, I’m moving along from that controversy.

So whether you think the ruling on the field should stand, that it is on a defense to get the ball back, or that each team should get a touch of the ball, at the end of the day Patrick Mahomes took less time to get a field goal, 13 seconds (yep, that’s right another important field goal) than it did for Dak Prescott to run… you know what, let’s not go there…

And so there you have it folks, another wild weekend of football, as we get one step closer to the almighty Super Bowl let’s take a moment to thank the kickers, ‘cos without them where ever would we be?

Go Pats!

The not so grand finale to the Patriots season

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Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The Patriots repeat visit to Buffalo resulted in another blow out, of the touchdown kind, as the Bills won 47 to 17. 

I gotta say, I like that the Pats denied the Bills of the fifty burger, but I shall put my visceral Bills hatred aside for the moment. 

I won’t sum up the game this time as frankly, I don’t think any Patriots fan wants to relive it, and if you haven’t seen it I’d rather not be responsible for traumatising you. Needless to say, the Patriots weaknesses were made rather obvious under the late night lights, and they just couldn’t get it done.  

But, that’s all the doom and gloom you’re getting from me folks. Sure, the Patriots only just made it to the playoffs, yes there are plenty of holes to be worried about, players and possibly personnel, but this is the rebuild of a dynasty baby! 

It is not about the destination, it is about the journey, and all this is still pathway!

The Patriots picked a new quarterback and he’s good, and who knows his potential?! Okay, he isn’t a playoff game winning QB, this year, and we may have seen some of his limitations, but he’s the only rookie to make the play offs. A smart kid with determination and dedication, leadership and heart. Let’s shoot for the moon Pats fans, and whilst we are there, we don’t want to miss the stars. 

Now, I know I’ll be criticised for glass more than half full attitude, but that just how I try to be. I am also realistic, I say when things aren’t great, and that was the offensive line earlier in the year, then the secondary, special teams, oh and about that so called dominant defence… 

So yeah, the QB is a rookie who’s potential could be limited, there’s issues on both sides of the ball and less cap space to play with next season, and the Patriots only got as far as the play offs. But we got through it, together. Patriots Nation had a team to root for, a team to be disappointed in as well as proud. And, we had each other. 

It’s been a rough couple of years and we’ve sought solace in sports, and hopefully in each other. 

This isn’t the end Patriots Nation, it’s another new beginning!! With Mac Jones, David Andrews, Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Henry,  Rhamondre Stevenson, Adrian Phillips, Christian Barmore, (hopefully) Big Kick Nick Folk and many others, we can see the team build up once again. Remember it is not just the one, but the sum of the parts. 

Sport is a cruel mistress sometimes, and that is how it goes.  However, try to be thankful for all that you do have, be the light in someone’s day, and just thank goodness you aren’t a Jets fan… 

As some of you know, I have lost loved ones during the last 18 months, as I am certain many of you have too, it’s been tough. And so, I dedicate this article to all those loved and lost.❤️

The Patriots fizzle out in Miami

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Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

If the game against the Jaguars was a burger (get it, fifty burger) then the game against the Dolphins was those few limp, soggy, skinny fries at the bottom of the brown paper bag. Ew.

The Patriots are renowned for heading to Miami and not doing great, and well, Sunday was no different.

This season has been an inconsistent one for many teams as well as the Patriots. I mentioned earlier in the week that I was concerned the Dolphins were generally out for vengeance following the spanking they took by Mike Vrabel’s Titans. And i’m not too sure if what we watched was vengeance, but it felt to me simply that the Patriots lost the game rather than the Dolphins won it, but that’s all semantics for this 24 to 33 result.

Now, the Patriots didn’t need to win, and the Dolphins future is the same if they did or didn’t, but still, as a Patriots fan you can’t watch that match up and not worry about the length of time the Patriots will be in the playoffs.

The Patriots run defense did not do its job, the defense itself did not look like the line we have been used to watching lately. There are many questions and few answers, but the loss of Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Dugger, as well as Myles Bryant did not help matters. 

To compound the issue, the bright spark of Matt Judon we had at the beginning of the year seems to have really dimmed lately. 

And not to kick ya whilst you’re down, but the awesomeness that is Christian Barmore suffered an injury and is uncertain for any further games in the near future.

I love me a good take away, food and football, but Devin McCourty needed to make that interception catch and in hindsight it could have really turned the game around, there’s no guarantee of course but still…

But you know what folks? It isn’t all doom and gloom. Brandon Bolden, Damien Harris, Jakob Johnson and Hunter Henry came to play. These guys have shown up and owned up this season and have been the light in some of our darker days, and I know I’m a tight end enthusiast but you know I’m only speaking the truth about that Los Angeles pick-up.

The second quarter gave us some fab blocking by Kendrick Bourne for the Bolden touchdown. Unfortunately, the next offensive play the Patriots undertook had a great block by Hunter with Mac airing it out to… Bourne and Meyers having a chat. Okay so I am exaggerating, and we have no idea who was at fault but that play, not great Bob.

Kendrick Bourne still flashed his infamous smile, and proved he was definitely worthy of his free agency signing as he gave Dolphins linebacker Phillips a piggy back down the field! 

And so Patriots fans, that is the regular season fizzling out there, but, BUT, the Patriots are in the playoffs with their rookie quarterback, in a year that covid is still on the horizon. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m not certain about how sure I was that they would get this far in the first real rebuilding season, so it all feels quite positive when you look at the bigger picture. 

Either way, we are on to Buffalo! Go Pats!

Another fifty burger in foggy Foxborough!

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Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Happy New Year Patriots Nation!

Apologies, I know I am a little belated, last week was my personal ‘bye’ week but I managed to catch that beautiful fifty burger that the Patriots served up! So, if you fancy a recap, missed the game, or just want something to read with that hot beverage you have there, sit back, relax and let’s enjoy it together, shall we?

The Patriots won the coin toss and chose to defer, and the first play the Jaguars made was a short left pass to a tight end! Number 89 Luke Farrell, to be exact. Now, I know this is mostly insignificant for Patriots fans, however, I am a tight endage enthusiast so I gotta get a little bit extra in where I can. 

Okay, I shall move on.

Needless to say, the Jaguars first drive did not result in much, and they punted after only 2 minutes, but not before Dont’a Hightower registered his first sack in two years whilst Ja’Whaun Bentley took out two players! All the twos anyone?

Kristian Wilkerson had his first NFL reception with a nice floating ball across from Mac Jones. Wilkerson did attempt to get that oh so desired YAC, but with three guys on him, there’s only so much a 6 foot 1, 214 pound wide receiver can do! 

The Patriots continued with Jakobi Meyers in great motion for the first down and Hunter Henry bringing the blocking. Tight endage baby!

And all that was in the first five minutes of the game in foggy Foxborough.

Trent Brown is a force to be reckoned with, as we know, but there was a play, with about 7 minutes remaining on the clock where Brown blocked for the beast that is Rhamondre Stevenson, and the Jags number 27, cornerback Chris Claybrooks spots Brown hunting him down and makes a bit of a push to run off to the side, almost away from Brown. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like you see me blaming him!

The Jags defense were committed to stopping the run, they had a loaded defensive line but Damien Harris was having none of it, and his cut back and forth was like a beautiful dance, and the next play he cha cha’ed a touchdown!

The end of the first quarter almost saw some controversy, depending upon which side you were rooting for. Bentley almost had his fingers on a Trevor Lawrence throw that was followed by a 40 yard catch for the Jags that Jalen Mills seemed to have his hands upon, but the Jags made their next play very quickly, and the matter was dropped. A touch hinkey if you ask me, but hey, no one did. Go figure…

The Jags ended the play with the field goal, and the Patriots had the ball again. 

The second quarter saw Stevenson fighting through for the run, Harris power running, with an epic block by Kendrick Bourne, and Hunter Henry with a 17 yard pick up. A li’l shake and a li’l wiggle too, nice tight endage!

Myles Bryant celebrated his birthday with an interception, his second of his career, another two, but the 13th for Trevor Lawrence… oof. 

Brandon Bolden continued to play strong and smart football, and the connections between Mac, Harris, and Bourne simply strengthened with a lovely little trick play. Mac followed that with a beautiful throw to Wilkerson, soft with just enough air, and Wilkerson scored his first career touchdown. 

Matt Judon had been a little quietly lately, and only just returning from the covid list it’s understandable, but they released the Judon! Only for him to be held and it not called as a penalty, ah this feeling of annoyance is so familiar this season…

JC Jackson solidified his “Mr Interception” status further for his 8th interception of the year, and the 25th of his career. Christian Barmore registered his first career solo sack, and it was just like Christmas all over again.

Myles Bryant’s birthday luck did not continue as he got a penalty call, I know I can be biased but it seemed a little weak. Both players put their helmets down and that rewarded the Jaguars a first down, however they were unable to produce, and the Patriots stormed on. 

Brandon Bolden made a glorious block that prevented a sack on Mac, only for the next play to result in Mac getting pressure from the left. But Mac rolled outside and got the ball to Hunter Henry on the move. Don’t you just love a bit of Mac to Hunter? 

Kyle Van Noy made a beeline for Lawrence and found his mark! Only for the next play to result in an interception by Kyle Dugger that he almost made into a touchdown. But the kid was smart, and he chose ball security over the glory and did his job. 

Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith continued to maintain their blocking prowess whilst the fly in the Patriot’s ointment had to be Chris Claybrooks. That Jags player was definitely an annoyance for the Patriots on Sunday. 

So there you have it folks, the Patriots look to be in the playoffs and are on to Miami… 

Go Pats!

The Patriots unable to reign in the Colts on the road at Indy

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Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Well hi there Patriots fans, I hope I find you well on this Sunday!

The winning streak, and the on-road winning streak, are all over for the Patriots in a crushing loss to the Colts.

It was said, going forward, this would be a difficult match up. These two teams were playing relatively even lately, and if the Patriots perhaps didn’t have such a slow start, this game would have been more of what I expected.

The Colts defense dominated the game, although in all fairness the Patriots defense didn’t completely lay down and roll over, but, the Pats offensive line didn’t have the best night, particularly Isaiah Wynn.

Mac Jones did not play the way he has been, airs of his rookie-ness were evident, possibly as a result of the offensive line issues, or maybe just as well as. Although, Carson Wentz didn’t exactly have a stellar game either.

This game recap is a difficult one to write, and not just because I need plenty of coffee, the “first three quarter Patriots” did not come to play this game. It took until the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late. 

We are back to a list of penalties, 8 for 50 yards, and 2 turn overs, not great Bob.

Sure, Rhamondre Stevenson had a couple of powerful runs, Ted Karras with a great block, and N’Keal Harry had an epic high jumping catch, but it just wasn’t enough against the Colts who played ahead for so much of the game. Even if Jamie Collins and Devin McCourty did have themselves a beautiful interception. 

Hunter Henry, always my favourite player, but he may have been Saturday’s best Patriot. Some great blocking, good catches, refusal to go down and oh, two touchdowns! 

But seriously, this wasn’t a pretty game if you’re a Patriots fan, a punt block for a return touchdown by the Colts can do that to ya, and I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a nap and a cup of “we are on to the Bills”.

Go Pats!