Easy to find silver lining

If someone told me at the start of the season that the Pats would be 5-3 after 8 games without Tom Brady and also told me the Pats would barely lose a game at Indy with Matt Cassel at QB, I would have said that's pretty suprising. I enjoyed the game last night even though they lost. This team is fun to watch. It's fun to root for these guys (Cassel, Green-Ellis, etc...). I also look forward to the 2nd half of the season, win or lose it's been fun so far which is pretty amazing considering no Tom Brady.

Couldn't agree more. The young defenders (Mayo, Guyton, Merriweather, Wheatley) are starting to get good. I would like to see more of Crable and Woods, but overall I see this team as a carbon copy of the 2005 team, sans Brady. Should get hot towards the end of the season and get a playoff berth.

I agree with everything you said. But the one thing that still isn't very good is the secondary. They consistantly give up a ton of yardage, both short and long passes. The always look out of place. They seem to look around at each other when there is a completion like "hey, who was supposed to have that guy?"

Right direction? The Pats should have WON the game Tony...we are here to Win not look good, or try to convince ourselves that we took a step in the right direction. The Pats had a number of chances to win that game...forget about the dropped ball that a pro had "hit him in the hands", and even forget the stupid penalty at the end....our play calling was horrible...

does anyone remember the 5-4 patriots taking on the rams back in 2001? they lost, but ask any member of that team when the turning point of the season was and they'll point to that game.

Excellent comments. It seems that too many observers are obsessing about the time outs this morning and not noticing that the Pats played much better this week than we had reason to expect them to do.

Think about this: the Colts had their best speed rushers at work, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and they didn't get a single sack! A few weeks ago, it seemed like everybody and his grandmother could sack Matt Cassel at will. The pass protection was good, the running game was solid, and the run defense was excellent. The pass defense is still a bit weak.

Nice job dispensing the Kool-Aid. No Brady, no future.

You're right, they lost... in the words of Mr. Parcells, "It is what it is".. and it's a loss... no matter how you want to sugar-coat this "almost" win, it is a loss... so please stop talking about how close it was, how wonderful they played, and how they came so close... sorry, but in sports, as far as I know, wins and losses are ONLY what counts... I thought that all that "marching down the field" was a waste of time if you don't put it in... and Cassel can not put it away... can NOT CLOSE... period... I am so curious why everyone is getting on the Cassel bandwagon... there were so many plays left on the field it was ridiculous... he does not have IT, and will never have IT... last year when ahead by 1000-2, it would have been good mgmt. style to put Cassel in, and give him some reps... now he is in -on-the-job-training, with a season on the line... seems kind of stupid to training him now, does anyone expect him to be here next year? Do YOU expect the Pats to go all-the-way, this year? I mean, r-e-a-l-l-y.... Put in O'Connell, here and there, when he can learn some things of value, and get him ready to back up Brady next year and beyond. Cassel doesn't even go thru his progressions and his middle name is "Telegraph" ! lol

Amen to all this. I don't believe in moral victories but I do believe that we saw some good progress to build on.

Um, I think the Pat's dinked and dunked too much, too many shotgun draws to Kevin Faulk (which albeit were successful, for like 4-7 yards I guess) and busted up screens or direct WR passes to Welker or something.

Can Cassell throw the deep ball to Randy?

Yeah Jabar dropped that one.

That being said, good, but frustrating game. Thought Belicheck gets too full of himself sometimes, especially against other good coaches such as Dungi, that challenge for too many players on the field was pretty silly

I agree with you completely. This was a very frustrating loss considering that the team executed the game plan really well keeping the Colts offense on the bench for a considerable amount of time. The Pats offense was also well balanced however, I do think they need to get Moss involved earlier in the game. I understand that he is being double covered by the corner and safety but I still think you can run him across the middle and then throw a few bombs down the sideline and let Moss out jump the defensive players. At the very least, it will keep them honest and open up plays for other receivers.
This was Belichick's worst coaching game for many reasons.

"Anonymous" makes the assumption that Brady will return next season, but have you considered the possibility he may not be ready ? Say Brady was only 50% likely to return for 2009, would you want to stake the farm on O'Connell ? Cassell is in a contract year, and I am going to guess he looks like a starter somewhere. Sticking with Cassell makes sense in more ways than one.

It was a very curious coached game and certainly not one of Belichecks best. But to me the superbowl flat out had to be the worst coached game since he has been here. That was just an utter debacle on the coaching staff's part. This defense still bothers me...again just like in the superbowl last year and the AFC championship the year before. When they flat out have to have a stop and need a play. They just cannot do it.

I have to admit - after the first couple of games with Cassell running the offense, I was one of the first screaming for a trade for Jeff Garcia- anybody that had some history of success. Now I have to admit I was wrong. Is Matt Cassell Tom Brady? Not even close. But is this week's Matt Cassell anything like week one Matt Cassell. Again, not even close. Cassell is just like anybody in any line of work- that is, we get better as we gain confidence. Cassell is certainly not ready for Canton, but at least we have a QB that is reading his receivers and opposing secondary better, is stepping out of the pocket, and eluding pass rushers and running a bit better than Tom Brady.

My gut tells me that Belicheck has told his staff that he did indeed make some costly calls. You could tell from his facial expressions during the fourth quarter that he had kinda blown it. But he ain't perfect either, and has never claimed he was.

The Pats

Yes tony i believe you are right they lost the game last NIGHT however i think they became a TEAM coming away from it....with eight games remaining i feel they need about 4 or 5 more wins to get in ...IF they win aleast three more win from the conference teams Jets , Bills and the Dolfins ..They are in I feel.....

They seem to be quicker team now on defense with the infusion of youth..It was getting tiring to see them beat in the middle...Last night we could see hope as the were able to make some keys defensive moves in the middle unlike the past..bring in the new...

They should be able to do it....It woud be much esier to win the conference then to waint for other to lose th other way ...

The Pats are 1 or 2 plays away from being 6-2 without Tom Brady, Rodney Harrison, 3 of their 4 options at running back, and with rookies playing a lot of minutes at DB and linebacker. I would have thought 4 and 4 would be an accomplishment.

is this what it has come to in new england? moral victories????

Let's notgo overboard here. They've beaten KC (horrible), SF (already fored their coach), Rams (see SF), Jets (they lost to the raiders. the raiders!) and Denver (who should be 2-6 if not favorable referee calls). That being said, 5-3 in this league, isn't too bad.

that really hurt as we could have put the colts down for good. Well u lose some. Next 3 games critical as we can lock up AFC East with wins.

As far as the penalty on Thomas I believe it was a bad call. Thomas could not hear the whistle and continued the play. Now can someone explain the "pick" play to me. I was led to believe this was an offensive pass interference call. This was how the Colts scored their touchdowns. Never mind the time keeper "forgetting" to run the clock at the end of the first half when the receiver was tackled in bounds.

Anonymous and Jeff,

For fans and bean counters, wins are all that matter, and losses just stink. However, for professionals, most especially those who coach and play for the Patriots, it is the number of wins by the end of the season that matter, and whatever it takes to get there. In this game, we had a brilliant display of what it takes to win, as well as some painful lessons on the costliness of errors. The latter is especially ironic because both the Patriots and the Colts played such error free football. However, the fact remains that this game may prove to be a bellwether for future success. And for that, this may be the most important game they will have played all season.

I'm sorry but what was the play called after the Thomas penalty- a shovel pass or something? When you need 17 yards to keep yourself alive? Play calling and coaching was just impossible to understand. If this were Demarlo Hale and Terry Francona how would people be reacting?

Re the comments around Belichick calling the timeout when they were going for it on 4th down on the 7 - to me this shows where Belichick's confidence lies. In the Super Bowl, they went for it on 4th down when they should have let Gostowski kick the FG because he didn't have the same confidence in Gostowski (who has more than proved himself this season) as he had in Vinatieri. Does anyone think that if Adam had been the kicker in last year's Super Bowl, Belichick would have gone for it on 4th down? Same with this play - he didn't have the confidence in Cassel to convert the 4th down (even though he did). Send in the FG unit. Maybe it's justified at some level but Belichick shouldn't second-guess these guys at such critical points. It definitely doesn't help in building their own confidence.

Looks to me like we're counting on the Celtics to keep Boston a Championship town...

I think that even though this one was close I am still tired of Cassel telegraphing his passes and not looking at all the receivers in the pattern. I mean his first choice gets the look with very little checking for anything else. If the primary is covered Matt gets flustered and tucks it and runs. One of these times he is not going to bounce up after a hit and then we get to see what the rookie has for this team.
Don't they practice check downs and looking at all your options in practice, or is Matt just too concerned about getting hit that he doesn't take the split second to see a streaking Moss or Gaffney wide open on the other side of the play?

I'm looking forward to the last half of this season....Matt looks good, the O line has never looked better and they can control the clock. The secondary needs to lick some wounds and they can compete with anyone. The next 3 games will be the best of the season, we'll have a good idea about the future of the Pats....look for a big win over the 'fins!!

Even if they don't make a big run this year in the playoffs....look at all the experience the younger guys are getting...especially on D. We're talking depth next year!!

Silver lining??? You probably think the dead sox won the world series this year!!!You losers are in for a surprise. Get ready Patsies!!! Here comes the JETS. Belicheat and his limping girlie man T Brady will be home watching the JETS win the AFC this year.

I agree with everyone who saw a well-executed game plan and came away feeling like this season is far from lost. I'm stuck out west and am watching these games in a bar room full of Pats haters, and I gotta say that the last few games are more interesting and entertaining than the same point last season when the Pats were blowing people out. I was the only left at halftime. Now the room stays full until the last whistle and I'm hearing a lot more positives about the Pats team character this year than last year when everything seemed to come so easy. BB is managing things like a chess player and he's putting them in a place to win.

But Jabar Gaffney looked like Reche Caldwell on that blown game-winner.

2008 version of 2001 Pats, people look at the tape! The whole NFL is weak this year. The Pats should be ok wait and see!

I agree with pretty much everything you wrote Mazz....however we must keep in mind that the Colts are now a very average football team. It looks like their best days are behind them.

Joseph Addai has been ineffective as a runner. Peyton Manning is getting flustered in the pocket a lot more. The Colts defense still has major problems stopping the run. These are just a few things. You no longer have to get in Manning's grill to make him throw off target. Last night his throws were inaccurate at the smallest hint that his protection was breaking down.

The Patriots did play well and look to have something to build on for the rest of the season and possible playoffs.

But let's not kid ourselves. The Colts are on the downturn. Last night if the Patriots had Brady and the rest of the lineup intact, it would have been a blowout of epic proportions.

Congrats to the Pats on their moral victory. Does that one go in the left or the right column?

A very good game,until the stupid PENALTY.They easily could've,should've won the game.But,I was most impressed with Cassel.He was reminiscient to Brady.Gaining such confidence,too,With the Pats' running game in jeopardy,they seem to iron things out.Oh,I agree,things are only going to get better.I think they will get into the playoffs and have some big upsetting in mind

Long time Pats fan here and it's obvious that posters such as cmon belichick and nshore have only been "fans" of the patriots since around 2001. Of course the game last was dissapointing, I think the team played great other than the drop by Gaffney and the penalty by Thomas. I echo the sentiments of Tony and believe the Pats could have and should have won that game. Cassel is clearly improving each game, the young secondary will have the second half of the season to learn and improve, and the rest of the NFL, especially the AFC is wide open right now. At any time during the 80's or 90's real Patriots fans would be very happy to have their team in a tie for first place in the division half way through the season while improving. So please let me ask this question to someone like nshore "No Brady equals no future" when Tom Brady retires will you still be a Patriots fan? Please feel free to jump off the bandwagon whenever you like because "fans" like you are a complete embarrassement and not wanted and/or needed.

I like that Randy Moss is finally referring to Cassel as "Matt." Early in the season, he would only refer to him as "Cassel," which made it sound like he didn't even know him. Maybe his trust in the guy trying to get the ball to him is growing? I'm sure I wasn't alone in thinking that, when Brady went down, Moss was wondering what the quickest way out of NE was. I want to believe in him, and this actually goes a long way in vindicating that.

Has anyone noticed that Green-Ellis IS what Maroney has been TRYING TO BE for two years?

I was down after the Chargers game, but not after this one. I'm not going to analyze it more than that... for whatever reason I feel pretty good this morning about the Pats despite the loss.

Does anyone know what happened to Terrence Wheatley (at least I think it was him...) he was defending a pass and landed awkwardly on his wrist, I'd swear he broke it. But there's no information available, and nothing reported.

I know you play the schedule but.... Please the Patriots have played 3 decent teams Jets, Chargers and Colts. Their record 1 and 2.
You have to love Matt Light and Randy Moss complaining about the officials.
They went 7 quarters without a penalty, then moan and groan when one gets called.

I love Ellis Hobbs' comment at the beginning. Kind of ironic considering the defensive secondary is absolutely horrific and any QB worth their salt could pick it apart. They did significantly better during this game, but they still leave a lot to be desired. Hard to believe we wasted two first round picks on Maroney and Merriwether. At least Mayo is turning out to be a stud.

Yes, there were some bright spots. Cassel looked better in the pocket, and was able to 'feel' the pressure a bit more. In some situations he reminded me of the Brady of old - before he developed his razor sharp passing skills - who would scramble a little too early but would ultimately result in a good play. However, TB could throw the long ball, and aside from Gaffney's drop, Cassel's deep passes weren't in the same area code. Moss looked like he was in an astronomy class.

We're talking about a loss to the Colts, not exactly the Colts of previous years!!
This should have been an easy win, but it turned out to a be a loss that likely will come back to bite em later in the year.

Wow, a lot of spoiled whiners here today. Sure we could have and should have won -- but that's football. You are bandwagon fans if you believe that this Patriots team is going to win every game, or even all of the ones they deserve to win. What we all should care about is whether we win in December and January -- and on that front I couldn't be happier. Cassel is really stepping up to the plate and had a great game. We ran the ball well minus Morris and Jordan, and held Peyton mostly in check with our reserve secondary. A fantastic game plan which almost worked.

Coach Lombardichick made two uncharacteristic coaching errors last night -- but when the championship is on the line, do you think he'll be making those kinds of mistakes? My money's on Bill Belichick -- every time. How many of you were calling for Cassel's head after the preseason? Just the most recent example of this man's genius at player evaluation.

When Tom Brady went down, I recalibrated my definition of a successful season to be this: the team plays hard and sticks together all season instead of mailing it in - what we usually call a "rebuilding season.." So by this definition we could have a successful season without even making the playoffs. Instead, we have a well-coached and disciplined football team which is showing incredible resilience in the face of injury. I couldn't be happier.

If you want to be the kind of fan who roots for his team in good times and turns the knives on them when they stumble, just unhitch your wagon and go find yourself another team. Any true Patriots fan should be delighted with where this team stands right now -- as a legitimate playoff contender, and a team which makes me want to turn on my TV every single Sunday.

Go Patriots -- and Tom -- get well soon...

Does any body here no anything about football? I mean r-e-a-l-l-y now anything about football besides what you see on TV or read on-line or in the newspaper? Bottom line is the pats played a heck of a game and if Gaffney catches that ball the pats probably win. Cassel played great. He was threw one garbage pic but besides that he was very accurate and didn't take those sacks for holding the ball too long that he has quickly become famous for. And the play calling? I read someone complaining about that. The pats punted ONCE the entire game and that was the first drive of the game. That is amazing considering the injuries to the backs and Brady

bringbackglory - I said the same thing to a friend of mine today, regarding the loss to the Rams in 01. Truth is though, that Rams team was much more of a contender than this 4-4 Indy team, but I do see the similarities from a fans perspective.

The great game plan and good execution by the players was over-ridden by pathetic in game decisions. They may be fun ... or should I say frustrating to watch ... but the simple fact is the Pats LOST a game that they easily could have won!!

i felt like crap going to bed and in the morning, but you know what? mazz is right. yes, the Pats lost, and they should have won. but you know what? a pro sports regular season is a building process for most teams and we all have seen the players improve step up when needed, especially Cassel. all those people who are making critical comments about the 'hopelessness' of this season are either trolls attempting to get under our (the fans) skins, or 'fans' who have forgotten what it's like to be a part of the NFL, not a step above it like they've been the past few years. point is, yes, the boys are going to have to grind out games again, just like the good old days of a few years ago. with that, a few losses will come. what needs to happens is continue improving, playing well, and hit your stride in the postseason.

While this might be unrealistic, I am hoping - praying - that the Pats can make it to and win this years' SB. I think Matt deserves to win one himself. He's come a long way and I hope to see them get their butt in gear and continue winning. This season made life without Brady an unfortunate event but Matt has come through better than most gave him credit for initially. It also gave me a newfound respect for Randy Moss. Aside from being a great receiver, he's proven to be the one thing the press never attributed to him - a team player. I have seen him on the sidelines pumping up Matt and the O line and while he hasn't come anywhere near the numbers he posted last season, he is still willing to do what it takes to get the job done.

The only people who beat the Pats were themselves, between the idiotic use of timeouts and challanges not to mention the the stupid personal foul call that gave the Colts the ball back (after a silly interception) they need to regroup and learn from their mistakes. Bellicheck will no doubt make the proper adjustments.

For those haters out there, I find your disgust of my favorite team enlightening since it is obvious you do not have a team you care for as much as we New Englanders do.

Tony,

Accurate and billiant! All the naysayers are morons,; no question about it. This is one hell of a season thus far! Bring it one.

Mark

A silver lining? PLEASE! There are about half a dozen NFC teams that would take this Patriot team out to the woodshed for the beating of their lives!

And I'm still not impressed with Matt Cassel...very little development there. He can't complete a pass longer than 5 to 10 yards downfield. Defenses are stacking the line because Cassel can not stretch the field. Would you want someone with high school experience as the President of the United States? NO! Would you want someone with an high school education as your financial advisor. NO! So why are the Patriots letting someone with high school experience run their offense? I don't understand why Cassel is still in there! He leads the team down the field for field goal after field goal...that doesn't win games in January!

They'll be ok so long as they play that type of super conservative game and protect cassell. He's an ok "manager", but when the game gets into his hands and he needs to sling it, I'm slightly concerned. We're back to dink, dunk, screen, draw, and bend-don't-break defense, which is fine, but we just need some playmakers (like Troy Brown/Ty Law/Bruschi) to make random great things happen (punt returns, pick 6's, etc). That's what 2001 was built on (along with some great Tom Brady poise, which is another thing I'm slightly concerned with when Cassell is in there).

The Patriots played a 3-4 team. This 3-4 team performed like a 3-4 team while playing the Patriots. The Patriots had a great game plan and executed it against this 3-4 team. The Patriots lost to this 3-4 team. Plain and simple. Great coaching to even be in that game. The longer that game goes, the more points New England loses by.

The Patriots have yet to beat a good team and I would suggest haven't played a very good team yet. The Pats have lost to mediocre teams. The Jets have the best Record of all the teams they have played thus far at 5-3. The winning percentage of the 8 opponents the Patriots have played is .390. The Chargers and the Colts are NOT the teams to beat in the AFC this year and the Patriots lost to them anyway. Miami is improved but still mediocre, and the Pats lost to them as well.

Most of their wins were against the pee wee's of the league. San Fran at 2-6. St Louis at 2-6. Kansas City at 1-7. Denver was the only team with a winning record entering their game against the Pats. Denver who is 4-4 and would be 3-5 if not for the blown call by Ed Hochuli. That's the win you rally around as Patriot fans. May I remind you that Kansas City looked like the 80's Forty Niners when playing against Denver and that awful defense. The fact that Cassel looks O.K.against teams like Denver and St Louis means jack squat. That's like me throwing 17 TD's last Saturday playing designated QB for my 11 year old nephew and his friends. Except without all the TD’s!!!!!

One thing to say, GO PATS...

I completely agree with Tony. There are many positives to take out of this game, the most important being, the growth and development of Matt Cassel. He is not the Tom Brady of today, but he does compare favorably to Tom Brady circa 2001. He is doing what is asked of him, which is first and foremost, take care of the football, and second, make good reads and strong, accurate throws. If Cassel continues on this tack, the Pats have a great opportunity in a relatively wide-open AFC to go a long way. As ridiculous as it sounds, this team can be a contender, but it hinges on Cassel's development. Belichick, Gaffney, and Thomas will not repeat their mistakes. That is a given. Cassel is the major variable and right now, that is a positive.