Great teams find a way to win when they’re not playing their best, and that’s just what we saw out of the Patriots against the Cowboys. For much of the game it looked like it was shaping up to be a cliched Patriots loss.
You know, either they were down late or didn’t have enough of a lead that their defense could protect. But finally it felt like an old school Patriots win. Key defensive stop. Clutch Brady drive. Game over.
That’s why I work up this morning feeling so good. Of course then I check the interwebs and all I see are questions about Ochocinco, and how even rumored interest in Brandon Lloyd is an indictment of Chad even though Lloyd’s experience in the McDaniels offense would make him worth at least a phone call.
I’d just like to go on record as saying I will not care about Ochocinco until we need him. I love the Branch-Welker-Hernando-Gronk offense and I don’t see why anyone would want to pull one of those guys off the field for Chad.
In Welker and Branch you have two of Tom Brady’s all-time three most trusted WRs (Troy Brown being number three) and in Gronk and Hernando you have two of the most diverse match-up nightmares ever to wear the flying elvis. With those four guys on the field, and how quickly they can operate with Tom Brady, it’s an extremely tough offense to defend.
Chad was never brought in to be a “deep threat”, he was brought in as insurance if Branch or Welker got dinged. Now there may come a time when the Pats are down by 10-plus points and they need to go to a spread attack to score points quickly through the air. That’s when we could need Chad, but for now, at 5-1 with the second best record in the NFL, I’m happy to give him as long as he needs.