The Patriots did manage to win the football game yesterday, though it surely won’t seem like it for much of this week, as once again they couldn’t hold onto a fourth quarter lead, and instead appeared to hand the game to the New York Jets when Devin McCourty fumbled a kickoff return with two minutes remaining. The Patriots managed to rally, getting a game-tying field goal from Stephen Gostkowski as time expired in regulation, and a game winning field goal in overtime (do those count as “clutch” kicks, or not?) and the defense made a big play in overtime to seal the game for the Patriots.
This team has some prominent flaws, and at times you scratch your head at the play calling (I don’t know about you, but I didn’t anticipate pining for the days of Bill O’Brien – and that’s no knock on O’Brien.) and execution, but in the end they got the win, an important division win, and that’s the most important thing at this point.
Don’t Let the W Fool You – Bill Barnwell disagrees, saying that if you’re a Patriots fan, you are required to panic right now. Thanks, I’ll hold off on that.
Win over Jets exposes flaw Pats will need to overcome – Tom E Curran says that what the Jets were able to do yesterday should be of concern.
Patriots defense still a concern – Even the steady Mike Reiss can hardly contain his fret over the Patriots defensive woes.
Late execution is killing them – On the other side of the ball, Greg A Bedard says that the four-minute offense needs to improve for the Patriots.
Clutch beats good every time – If you’re looking for a positive, Bill Burt notes that while the Patriots weren’t very good yesterday, they were clutch, and clutch is what wins Super Bowls.
What we learned Sunday: A win is a win, but questions remain – Christopher Price looks beyond the easy takeaways at a few deeper points we can glean from this game.
Thankfully, this is a Red Sox town. (or so I’m told repeatedly.) Instead of hearing endlessly about the Patriots fatal flaws, we’ll hear about the Red Sox new manager, and the rebuilding project Ben Cherington faces this offseason. Right?
Late Saturday night, news broke that the Red Sox and Blue Jays had come to an agreement to allow John Farrell to come to Boston to manage the Red Sox.
While some seem to be down on this move, (Nick Cafardo is heartbroken) I’ve got no problem with it all. If you want any shot of unity in the clubhouse, you need to have it between the manager and front office. Farrell is a smart guy who was worked in both the front office and on the field, and from all accounts commands respect.
I don’t think the Red Sox are going to turn around immediately. Right now this is a team and organization stripped of talent. Their biggest advantage is money, and while there aren’t the type of franchise free agents out there this offseason that can make a team – and haven’t we seen that might not be the way to go anyway – the franchise has the ability to make moves by taking on salary in trades.
Ben Cherington’s neck is on the line – Gordon Edes says that now that Farrell is in the fold, the GM has to deliver.
Pitching Farrell: New manager’s most pressing task is obvious – Alex Speier looks at job #1 for John Farrell as he takes over the Red Sox.
Jays GM no fan of Red Sox games – Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos isn’t happy with the leaks to the media that he feels the Red Sox put out there to gain an advantage in the Farrell talks.
The Celtics wrapped up their preseason schedule, and now prepare to face Ray Allen (who seemingly won’t stop talking about how the Celtics disrespected and evicted him) and the Heat next week in the season opener.
Sizing up the C’s at the end of the preseason – A. Sherrod Blakely looks at where the Celtics stand.
Meet the new and improved Jeff Green – Paul Flanney looks at the impressive preseason by the Celtics forward.
