Paying tribute

Page 12 of 12 -- A: They did very well with their personnel moves this season. They've had some bad picks in the past. If you're talking about this year, I agree with you. Genius is a strong word.

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I haven't been able to catch any Patriots games during my semester abroad in New Zealand, for obvious reasons, so i can't confirm or dispel my concerns about Adam V. I've been checking the box scores every game and i've noticed that he's been missing an alarming number of field goals. While I understand it's unreasonable to ask a kicker to go 100% for the whole season, he is one of the premiere kickers and therefore there are going to be higher expectations. I was wondering if you had any insight or info that would help explain AV recent kicking problems. I still maintain the opinion that he is one of the best, if not the best kicker in football, and I just want to see the situation fixed.
-- Dae Ho Kim

A: Plain old fashioned slump. He went through in '99. He'll come out of it soon and he'll be Automatic Adam again.

Nick: Tom Brady seems to be getting a lot of heat in the media for his 8-of-21 performance against the Giants. However, if those five dropped balls were caught then Brady's completion percentage becomes 61% -- right in line with his typical accuracy range. Is this an issue of receivers leaving their hands on the sidelines, or is Brady just not getting the right touch on his throws because of that bad elbow and shoulder? Thanks for your time and keep up the great work!
-- Mark V. Lonergan

A: Tough conditions last Sunday. The ball was wet. Tough to catch. I don't blame Brady or the receivers. In fact, who ever blamed Brady doesn't have a clue.

Why are the Patriots carrying six running backs, Pass, Centers, McCrary, Cloud, Smith, and Faulk? Centers seems to be not very productive this year.
-- Mark Zinan

A: I'm not sure how long that will last. They love Pass on special teams. Centers seems to fit their passing offense. I get the feeling as some of the injured players get back one of these guys will be gone.

The Patriot offense has been sputtering as of late. Penalties have been a huge factor and have taken away the big play, no to mention making third down conversions near impossible. It kills me to see these well paid professionals making pop-warner mistakes that will eventually cost the team one or more victories in the coming weeks. What can be done by the Pats coaching staff to cut down on the discipline problems?
-- Bill Donovan

A: They're supposed to be a well-disciplined team. But when you have so many new guys playing you're bound to make mistakes. I'm shocked the mistakes haven't hurt them more, but the only way it gets better is for the team to gain experience with each other.

Nick, Within the division, do you think the Patriots coaching staff gives them a significant competitive advantage? Also, do you sense the players resent the attention/credit the coaches receive for the teams success?
-- Joe Q

A: I think the Patriots have a tremendous advantage with their coaching. Absolutely. The other guys don't even come close. And I would apply that compliment to them in terms of the rest of the league as well. I don't think the players resent it, but I think we don't give them enough credit. After all, they are the ones who play on Sunday.