Patriots Get Hats and T-Shirts for Christmas

Throughout the week, the doom and gloom, sky is falling, Chicken Little, bah humbug Patriots fans and pundits out there were terrified of the Ravens. But everyone (myself included) overlooked two facts:

1. The Ravens offense failed to score a touchdown against Detroit, and only a miraculous field goal gave them a win.

2. Joe Flacco would be playing hurt.

The Ravens, particularly Flacco, played a horrendous game Sunday. Along with his bad knee, he seemed to play with a strained decision making muscle in his brain. He had a few token deep chucks. Other times he didn't notice open receivers. It was ugly.

His teammates joined in the ugliness. Penalties at the worst times, dropped passes. A variety of stocking stuffers given as gifts to the Patriots.

The Patriots offense didn't do well either. There's plenty of coal to be given to that side of the ball. They were successful on the ground, but for some reason went away from the run in the second half. Almost as if they were trying to preemptively adjust to Baltimore's adjustments to their success. Josh McDaniels' over-cleverness strikes again.

On the good list, LeGarrette Blount ran strong and piled up 76 yards on 17 carries. Stevan Ridley protected the ball and ran for 54 physical yards. As a team the Patriots rushed for 142, averaging 4.8 per carry.

Here's an alarming stat. The Pats averaged 4.8 yards per rush, and only 6.6 yards per pass. And that doesn't include sacks. Including sacks they averaged 5.6 yards per pass play. Brady was 14 for 26. He scattered a few great throws. He made a few very bad throws. Edelman caught 7 passes, or half of Brady's completions. Nobody else caught more than 2.

Julian Edelman now has 96 catches this season, for 991 yards. He's Santa Brady's chief elf.

Losing Shane Vereen to a groin injury early hurt the offense. Like the reindeer team losing Dasher.

Thankfully the defense stepped up for the Pats. Misfit elf Dont'a (similar to dentist) Hightower actually made a good play in coverage. And that resulted in an interception.

The defensive star was Logan Ryan. Two interceptions and 3 passes defended for the rookie from Rutgers. "Rudolph" Ryan led the way for the defense.

The Ravens turned the ball over 4 times. It was like the football was a Yankee Swap present that nobody wanted. The Patriots did their part to protect the football and take advantage of those turnovers.

Both teams also benefited from soft pass interference penalties in the end zone. That issue deserves its own post to discuss. If not for those calls, the Patriots offense might have looked even worse, and the Ravens might still be mired in an 8 quarter scoreless drought.

The Patriots clinched the AFC East before the game kicked off, thanks to Buffalo beating Miami. That's 11 division titles for Brady and Belichick. The Patriots are currently the #2 seed, which they can clinch (along with the bye) if they beat Buffalo next week. That game has been flexed to 4:25pm. They can gain the #1 seed with a win and a Denver loss to Oakland. Stranger things have happened this season.

Merry Christmas, Happy Festivus, Merry Bradymas, and Happy Hanubelichickkah!

Photo Credit:
USA Today Sports Images

Patriots-Ravens Drinking Game: Christmas Cheer Edition

Only a few days until Christmas. Many people have already started their holiday drinking. Here's a drinking game to play during this afternoon's Patriots/Ravens game.

Anytime a commentator says...
"Rivalry" = take 1 drink from a beer
"Foes" = 1 drink
"AFC Championship" = 1 drink
"Revenge" or "vengeance" = 1 drink
"Rematch" = 2 drinks
"Hoomanawanui" = finish your beer
"Injury" = 1 drink
"Ray Lewis" = take a shot of liquor
"Holidays" = 1 drink
"Season" = 1 drink
"'Tis" = 1 drink
"Merry" = 1 drink
"Christmas" = drink for 10 seconds
"Happy" = 1 drink
"New Year" = 1 drink
"Balmy" = drink an entire beer
"Winter" = 1 drink
"Rain" = 1 drink
"Thunder" = 1 drink
"Lightning" = 1 drink
"Suggs" = 1 drink
"Bulletin board material" = 1 drink
"Ho" = 1 drink per ho


Anytime this is on screen...
Highlights from previous Patriots/Ravens games = drink until the highlights are over
Rob Gronkowski getting injured = 1 drink
An injured Patriot on the sidelines or in a suite = 1 drink
A video, list, or graphic of Patriot injuries = 1 drink per injured player
Anything related to the weather = 1 drink
Chandler Jones and his brother Arthur Jones = 1 drink
Something stupid Terrell Suggs said = 1 drink
Cheerleaders dressed in Christmas attire = 1 drink
Anyone dressed as Santa or an elf = 1 drink per costume
Bill Belichick and The Grinch = finish your beer
A fireplace = drink as long as it's on the screen
A player or coach wishing happy holidays/merry Christmas = 1 drink
Bill Belichick giving season's greetings = drink a whole beer
A member of the broadcast crew wishing HH/Merry Xmas = 1 drink
A stocking = 1 drink per stocking
Christmas ornaments = 1 drink per ornament
Reindeer = 1 drink per antler point
Fake snow = 1 drink per flake
Robert Kraft = 1 drink
Bob Kraft talking to someone = drink the until he's done talking


Anytime this happens...
Tom Brady gets frustrated at himself = 1 drink
Brady gets frustrated at a receiver = 2 drinks
The Patriots fail to score a TD in the Red Zone = shot of liquor and half a beer (just a shot for a field goal)
A Patriots tight-end is thrown to = drink for 10 seconds
A Patriots tight-end catches a pass = drink for 30 seconds
Stevan Ridley carries the ball and doesn't fumble = 1 drink
Ridley fumbles = 1 shot
Matthew Slater makes a special teams tackle = 1 drink
Slater catches a pass = half a beer
Dont'a Hightower looks lost or gets beat in coverage = 1 drink
Hightower makes a tackle on a rushing play = 1 drink
Announcers mention that Chandler Jones and Ravens' defensive lineman Arthur Jones are brothers = 1 drink
Brady says "Aplha Milk" = 1 drink from spiked eggnog
Kickoff touchback = 1 drink
Kickoff return = drink until return is over


Merry Christmas, Happy Festivus, Happy Saturnalia, Happy New Year, and get lubed up responsibly.

Milan Lucic Doesn't Get into Fight Outside Vancouver Bar

Could you imagine if there were video phones and social media back in the day? Babe Ruth's exploits would make Johnny Manziel look like Tim Tebow. Here's a clip of Milan Lucic outside of a Vancouver bar (the Bruins were in Vancouver and Lucic is from there), in an "altercation," with another patron.

When Lucic says to the guy "Do you know who you're fucking with?" Half of that smacks of celebrity arrogance. 'Do you know who I am?' The other half sounds like a genuine warning. Do you know what you're getting yourself into?

You really don't want to get into a fistfight with Milan Lucic. This is a 6' 4" 230 pound guy that boxed as a kid and now makes a living playing and fighting in the toughest sport in North America. His job is to be tough in a sport of tough people. There are many hockey players who do not want to fight him. And some dude in a bar decides he's going to mess with that? And responds to Lucic with "Do you know who you're fucking with?" Good luck, pal.

Lucic comes close to crossing the line but doesn't. Thankfully it seems like the bar's security (or perhaps just other patrons) intervened until police arrived. It would have been hilarious if someone dressed as a linesman showed up and separated everyone.

If this "altercation" occurred on the ice, Lucic wouldn't even get 2 minutes for roughing.

Patriots Can't Finish Against Fins

It would be easy to say that the Patriots are banged up, beaten up, and even their "healthy" players aren't near 100%. It would be easy to blame a loss on all the injuries. The thing is, even with all injuries considered, the Patriots could have, and should have won this game.

They didn't win because they failed to finish drives. Offensively and defensively. They didn't do well enough in the Red Zone on offense, and on defense they failed to get off the field in pivotal 3rd and 4th down situations. This game turned on 3 or 4 plays.

The Patriots' first drive went for 83 yards and ended in a Red Zone field goal. By the end of the 2nd quarter they were finally able to put together a touchdown drive. However the defense failed to stop Miami on a 3rd and 10 with 1:23 left before halftime. a stop there and maybe Brady and the offense have a chance to score. However the defense failed to get the ball back. Then failed to stop Miami.

The Patriots defense failed to finish the drive on 3rd and long. Miami scored and kept themselves in it. Instead of going into halftime up 14-0 or 10-0, it was 10-7, and the Dolphins had hope.

In the 4th quarter the Patriots had three drives totaling 220 yards. And only one drive ended with a touchdown. Without Rob Gronkowski the Pats will struggle to score in the air in the Red Zone. And they didn't even try to score on the ground.

Gronk was 79 inches tall, 8 inches taller than Amendola, 9 inches taller than Edelman. Size matters in the Red Zone.

If you look at the raw numbers, the Patriots theoretically should have won. They accumulated more yardage, won the time of possession battle, committed fewer penalties, were better on 3rd down, rushed more per carry, allowed fewer sacks, turnovers were even. The difference was a handful of plays at key moments: Not stopping Miami on 3rd and 10 before halftime, or on 4th and 5 in the 4th quarter. Kicking Red Zone field goals instead of scoring touchdowns.

One strategic issue I had with the Patriots in the 4th quarter was just after they'd achieved a 1st down at the Miami 19 with 0:27 on the clock. The Pats took a timeout. I would have spiked the ball at that moment and saved the timeout. That would have kept the playbook open and forced Miami to defend the middle of the field, not just the edges. Once the Patriots took that timeout, all Miami had to defend was the space outside the numbers and in the end zone. And that put the Patriots receivers in position to have one-on-one physical battles, which the Patriots are not equipped to do without Gronk or big receivers. Edelman and Amendola, as brilliant as they are, are not going to outmuscle safeties and linebackers in the Red Zone.

Also the ball was still 19 yards away from the goal line. Keep the timeout and you can try to close the distance to 10 yards in the middle of the field. Guys like Edelman and Amendola are best when they have the option to dart inside and outside. They're at a disadvantage if they're forced to play on the edges and not use their shiftiness.

I'm not going to panic and go to DefCon 2 over this loss. The Patriots failed to win. The world somehow continues to spin. No other AFC team is significantly better than the Pats. The Broncos can't beat the Chargers at home. The Bengals were thrashed by the Steelers, who were dominated by the Patriots, who lost to the Bengals (the common denominator in all three of those games is that the home team won). I see little to no separation among the best AFC teams, and see that a handful of plays is the difference between winning and losing.

The Pats are beat up and injured, but they've won 10 games. They were 1 play from winning this game. I'm not too concerned. They have issues and weaknesses. Just like all the other teams out there.

Patriots play the Ravens in Baltimore Sunday evening. As well as Baltimore has been playing, they have weaknesses too. But I'm sure all week people will focus on the weaknesses the Patriots have.

Photo Credit:
Robert Mayer-USA Today Sports

Bruins Overcome Flames, Flu

The excuses/explanations were pre-loaded for Tuesday night's Bruins game in Calgary. The B's were missing players due to injury and suspension. The flu was making its rounds through the locker room. It would be an emotional return to Calgary for Jarome Iginla. And so on.

After two periods of play it seemed as though those excuses would need to be deployed. The Flames had outshot the Bruins 22-9 and were up 1-0. Tuukka Rask had let in a soft goal. The B's were on track to lose to the second worst team in the West.

Everything flipped in the 3rd. Boston outshot Calgary 15-5. The Bruins capitalized on a delay of game penalty with a power play goal. David Krejci scored it but the goal was shaped by Torey Krug. Krug took advantage of space created when a Flames defenseman broke his stick and Mike Cammalleri surrendered his as a replacement. Krug's slapshot was tipped in by Krejci to tie the game 1-1.

The assist was Krug's 10th power play point of the season (4 goals, 6 assists). That leads the team (Krejci now has 8, Chara had the other assist giving him 7 on the season). Last year Krejci led the Bruins with 7 power play points.

The game-winning goal started in the Bruins' defensive zone as Carl Soderberg won a puck battle along the boards. Ryan Spooner found the puck then found Reilly Smith driving through the neutral zone. A patient and strong finish beat goalie Reto Berra glove side and the Bruins went on to win 2-1.

Give a bench assist to Claude Julien for mixing up the lines for the 3rd period.

Rask redeemed himself in the 3rd with a tough save on a mid-range backhanded shot launched by a spinning Sven Baertschi. The save came only 2 minutes after Smith gave the B's a lead, and with 2:30 left in regulation. That's what people mean when they say "timely saves."

The B's remain in Alberta and play the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night. The Oilers are the only Western Conference team doing worse than the Flames. If you're going to catch the flu, this isn't a bad time in the schedule to get it.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh

Celtics Start Reunion Week with a Loss

Before I talk about this game, I have to unleash a torrent of rage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. They play way, way, WAY too much arena music. Every possession was either a cut from Jock Jams, or a rap song, or "Everybody clap your hands," or organ music meant to induce cheers and chants. There were maybe half a dozen possessions that you could actually hear the players, the dribbling ball, the squeaking sneakers, and the crowd. You know, basketball sounds. The rest of the game was a relentless cacophony of stadium soundtrack torture.

Before the game the storyline was that these two teams were in reverse positions from what we expected before the season. The star-studded Nets were in turmoil, the hodgepodge Celtics were thriving.

However, at least for one game, the preseason expectations became a reality. The Nets dictated play. The Celtics had extended stretches of poor shooting and mediocre defense. The C's kept themselves close thanks to their 3-point shooting. But they repeatedly allowed the Nets to build leads.

The Nets looked like the team that had everything in order, while the Celtics, at times, looked like a team in disarray. At other times the Celtics looked solid. Apart from a few big runs that the Nets went on (a 16-2 run in the 1st quarter, a 10-0 run in the 3rd after the Celtics tied the game 60-60, then an 11-2 run later in the 3rd), the Celtics held their own. They just didn't have the defensive force to stop Brooklyn on those runs, or the offensive ability to at least keep up with them.

Give the C's credit for keeping themselves in the game without Rajon Rondo. If Rondo plays, maybe things are different. At the same time, a healthy Paul Pierce probably contributes more than 4 points (all from free throws).

All glass-half-full sentiments aside, the Celtics were physically outmatched. The Nets outscored them 48-30 in the paint. Brooklyn also outrebounded the C's, and got to the line more often. That determined the game.

All five Celtics starters scored double digits, only Avery Bradley had more than 20. The Celtics bench only added 12 points (compared to 22 from Brooklyn's). Kevin Garnett scored 11 points and collected 9 rebounds against his former team. Paul Pierce scored 4 points off the bench. Deron Williams and Brook Lopez led the Nets with 25 and 24 points, respectively.

More reunions tonight as Doc Rivers and the LA Clippers come to the Garden.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Kathy Willens

I Don't Mind Seeing Pittsburgh Penguins Players Injured, Maybe it Should Happen More Often

I don’t like what Shawn Thornton did Saturday night. But I don’t mind who he did it to, and what team he did it against.

What Thornton did was inexcusable and indefensible. He should and will get suspended a long time for it. The reason it was inexcusable was because Brooks Orpik was defenseless.

However, hitting defenseless players is a consistent pattern of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. Great offense, shaky goaltending, dirty hits. That’s the Penguins' way. And that’s why I feel no sympathy when I see a Penguins player lying on the ice. Why should I? That’s the sword they live by, and it should be the sword they (metaphorically) die by.

Maybe if enough Penguins get concussed, they’ll reevaluate how they play the game. Maybe if Sidney Crosby gets laid out the same way Marc Savard was by Matt Cooke, and has his career shortened, then the Penguins might look in the mirror and realize that hockey shouldn’t be played the way they play it.

Thornton’s attack on Orpik came after a double dose of Pittsburgh dirtiness. Sidney Crosby kept the blade of his stick on the ice to ensure he tripped up Brad Marchand. The ref, of course, didn’t call it. No big deal. That is until James Neal saw a prone player. Neal’s eyes must have lit up when he saw an opportunity to hit someone when they couldn’t defend themselves.

You can see Neal change directions toward Marchand, and keep his left knee exactly at the same height as Marchand’s skull.

To paraphrase Chris Rock: I’m not saying Shawn Thornton should have retaliated the way he did. But I understand.

Earlier in the game Orpik leveled Loui Eriksson. I think that hit was relatively clean. If anything, a 2 minute minor for interference as Eriksson didn’t have the puck.

What pisses me off about Orpik and the hit on Eriksson is that Orpik has made a career of dispensing hits like that, and then never EVER standing up for himself and for his actions when someone wants to fight him over it. He doesn’t answer the bell. Just drop the gloves, protect yourself, fall to the ice and wait for the linesmen to break it up. That’s all he has to do. But he doesn't. He hasn't fought in 5 seasons.

Orpik, like most of the Penguins, is only brave when his opponent can’t see him. Or when his opponent is horizontal on the ice, like Marchand. Or when he can use his stick as a weapon.

Chris Kelly is now out 4-6 weeks with a fractured fibula. Pascal Dupuis was not penalized for the blatant and completely unnecessary slash. The League has decided not to discipline Dupuis.

If players felt compelled to answer the bell after hits like Orpik’s hit on Eriksson, perhaps guys hesitant to fight, such as Orpik, wouldn’t be giving out so many concussions with legal seek-and-destroy hits. If Orpik knew he would have to defend himself in a fight later, Loui Erksson might not have gotten a concussion.

By the way, where's the sympathy for Eriksson? Second concussion in five weeks.

The NHL suspended James Neal 5 games for kneeing Marchand in the head. I doubt if that will alter Neal's behavior. He’s been warned, fined, and suspended before. And he still plays the way he plays. And he still fails to express any remorse or regret for it. Just as he failed to show remorse for kneeing Marchand:

"I haven't, like, seen the replay or anything, so I mean I hit him in the head with my leg or my foot or my knee or shin area. I don't know. But I mean, he's already going down, and I guess I need to try to avoid him, but I have to look at it again...

"I mean, what do you want me to say? That I was trying to hit him? No, I'm going by him. I don't get out of the way, like I said. I need to be more careful and I guess get my knee out of the way, but I'm not trying to hit him in the head or injure him or anything like that."

Contrast that with Shawn Thornton.

Which player do you think is more likely to repeat what they did?

At least the NHL has given out some sort of punishment to a Penguins player. When Matt Cooke wasn’t suspended for the Savard hit, the NHL failed to curb a dirty player and a dirty team. Instead they gave him and the Penguins license to do as they pleased.

The Penguins will continue to play the Penguins Way that the NHL sanctioned when they didn’t suspend Cooke. At least until something changes. Until they lose more players to suspensions. Or until they lose more players to concussions.

Thornton seemed sorry that Orpik got hurt. I’m not sorry. I don't care. I guess Thornton has more character and class than I do. But I’m just sick of players like Orpik, like Crosby, like Neal, like Dupuis. And until that team changes the way it plays, I won’t shed a tear for their troubles or injuries.

Don't Leave Patriots Games Early, and Don't Abandon the Season Early Because Gronk Is Gone

As droves of people evacuated Gillette Stadium by the thousands in the 4th quarter of Sunday night's game, I turned to a friend and jokingly remarked "Now that everyone's leaving, the Pats will win." In reality, I didn't think they had a chance. Two touchdowns in the last 61 seconds. Unbelievable.

It shouldn't have to come to that against the Cleveland Browns. But it did. And a win is a win is a win.

It's funny how if the Red Sox play 8 bad innings then come back in the 9th, it's a thrill. Or if the Bruins score goals with the goalie pulled in Game 7 against Toronto, it's fantastic. Or if the Celtics have an amazing second half comeback against the Lakers, it's magical. We see these as great sports moments. However when the Patriots need late drama, or "win ugly," fans seem more pained than entertained. Patriots fans have no joy in them, only bitterness and resentment if things aren't perfect.

It's sports. It's a game. It's entertainment. Enjoy it.

And frankly, regular season wins don't mean much so who cares if they're ugly or beautiful. They're all part of the total you collect in 16 tries. Ugly wins, pretty wins, tough wins, lucky wins, they all count the same. And that total means nothing compared to playoff wins and losses. A dozen ugly regular season wins mean the same as a dozen pretty ones. And if you lose in the playoffs, every regular season win means nothing.

On the other hand, losing Rob Gronkowski does have tremendous meaning. He destroyed his ACL and MCL. He's done for the season. And the Patriots offense now becomes completely different. Gronk was not only Brady's favorite weapon, especially in the Red Zone. He also opened up acres of space for his teammates, by drawing attention and causing matchup difficulties. With Gronk, this offense was like Brady in the driver's seat of a Corvette. Now Brady's driving a Toyota Camry.

Shane Vereen is the only remaining difficult matchup for opponents. Give him the 12th Man Award for most contribution from an unexpected source this season. He caught 12 passes Sunday for 153 yards. He also ran for a touchdown. I wish I had picked him up off fantasy football waivers, and I'm not the only one kicking myself for not doing so.

Stevan Ridley had 0 fumbles. That's the only stat of his I care about.

With Gronkowski this team was a Super Bowl favorite. Without him they fall back to the pack of potential contenders. He's so ridiculously good. And so ridiculously injury prone. In 2014 they should bench him until Week 14, let him warm up a few games, then only really use him in the playoffs. That's not a serious suggestion, but it's not completely insane is it?

Some are saying that the Patriots' season is over without Gronk. As Barstool so eloquently put it: "Like the second you saw this you knew the season was over." What part of speech is "like" there? Quality, interesting writing, Barstool. Anyway, I understand the sentiment and I would agree with it. Except the Saints game seemed over and the Patriots won. The Broncos game seemed over and the Patriots won. This game Sunday seemed over and the Patriots won.

I'm not going to lose hope and turn my back on this team like all the so-called fans who left the Saints game early, then the Broncos game early, then the Browns game early. I'm sticking around for the 4th quarter and overtime. As stressful as these games have been, they've been a thrill to watch.

Patriots travel to Miami next week where they can clinch the AFC East.