Bob Ryan On The Patriots' S----k
When is winning 17 in a row not a big deal in the
NFL? When Mr. Charisma, Bill Belichick is calling the shots, writes
the Boston Globe's Bob Ryan.
Rule No. 1: Do Not Mention The Dreaded S-Word. The mentor does not like it.
The Patriots do not have a 17-game S-word. It just so happens that on the morning after each game they have played since losing to the Washington Redskins on Sept. 28 of last year you would find them listed in your newspaper on the left side of the scoring table, not the right. That's one way to put it.
It's not a 17-game S-word. They just happened to have managed 17 one-game S-words. That's how the mentor would prefer you look at it.
A few things of interest have happened since the last time the gun went off with the Patriots having scored fewer points than their opponents. It was before Pedro walked off the mound in Yankee Stadium, pointing to the sky and thinking his task was completed. It was before Jim O'Brien told Danny Ainge to take his job and deposit it in an uncomfortable spot. It was before professional hockey chose a course of self-destruction. Much has changed in the local sports landscape, but one thing remains true: The New England Patriots are what the others wish they were.
It is Bill Belichick's task to do whatever he can to make people continue to think of the Patriots in that way, which is to say as a team possessing the aura of a champion. They are, as everyone in New England knows, 2-0 in the 2004 season, having defeated a very dangerous Indianapolis team -- is there a doubt in anyone's mind that these two will meet in January? -- by virtue of some timely defensive plays and then knocking off a dismal Arizona club simply because rolling out of bed they are better than the Cardinals. The lesson learned from the Arizona game was that the world champion Patriots are good enough to defeat such a team while submitting their C-plus game, but who didn't know that?
On the flipside of organizational excellence, the Providence Journal's Tim Curran points to New England's 1pm opponent today, the Buffalo Bills, and the tough time they've had with the recovering RB Willis McGahee.
Having already burned one of their two first-rounders from last year in the Bledsoe deal, Buffalo took McGahee with the 23rd overall pick in the draft. Trouble was, McGahee had suffered a serious knee injury just months earlier that put his career in question. He figured to be drafted but not in the first round. And certainly not by a team that only had one first-rounder and was trying to rise in a division where every team finished .500 or better the year before. Not by a team that already had a standout feature back in Henry. And not by a team that had a coach -- Gregg Williams -- who was on the firing line after 2002's disappointing finish. Buffalo needed to stem the tide of late 2002 before the momentum got away from it.
Didn't happen. Most felt the Bills were duped by McGahee's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, into taking McGahee and maybe they were. But there's also been a feeling in some league circles that Bills general manager Tom Donahoe is a "smarter-than-thou" type who has mastered the art of making flashy deals, then ducking the heat on the ones that don't work out.
It's premature to say McGahee won't work out. It's a credit to him that he's playing football even though he's touched the ball just 11 times this season. But his mere presence is a mild distraction in Buffalo as he's openly expressed discontent with his role behind Henry.
Asked previously about being the backup, McGahee said, "That's their decision, it ain't mine. That's all I can say about that. I'm not worried about it. My time will come. . . . Only one person can start and unfortunately he's the one that's starting."
His role on third down hasn't appeased him either.
"Third down?" McGahee said. "Nothing's good enough for now. But you know, you always strive to be better, and that's what I'm going to do. I don't want to be no backup. But you know, they're paying me. They're paying me a good salary. So to be a backup, I'll be a backup."
Rule No. 1: Do Not Mention The Dreaded S-Word. The mentor does not like it.
The Patriots do not have a 17-game S-word. It just so happens that on the morning after each game they have played since losing to the Washington Redskins on Sept. 28 of last year you would find them listed in your newspaper on the left side of the scoring table, not the right. That's one way to put it.
It's not a 17-game S-word. They just happened to have managed 17 one-game S-words. That's how the mentor would prefer you look at it.
A few things of interest have happened since the last time the gun went off with the Patriots having scored fewer points than their opponents. It was before Pedro walked off the mound in Yankee Stadium, pointing to the sky and thinking his task was completed. It was before Jim O'Brien told Danny Ainge to take his job and deposit it in an uncomfortable spot. It was before professional hockey chose a course of self-destruction. Much has changed in the local sports landscape, but one thing remains true: The New England Patriots are what the others wish they were.
It is Bill Belichick's task to do whatever he can to make people continue to think of the Patriots in that way, which is to say as a team possessing the aura of a champion. They are, as everyone in New England knows, 2-0 in the 2004 season, having defeated a very dangerous Indianapolis team -- is there a doubt in anyone's mind that these two will meet in January? -- by virtue of some timely defensive plays and then knocking off a dismal Arizona club simply because rolling out of bed they are better than the Cardinals. The lesson learned from the Arizona game was that the world champion Patriots are good enough to defeat such a team while submitting their C-plus game, but who didn't know that?
On the flipside of organizational excellence, the Providence Journal's Tim Curran points to New England's 1pm opponent today, the Buffalo Bills, and the tough time they've had with the recovering RB Willis McGahee.
Having already burned one of their two first-rounders from last year in the Bledsoe deal, Buffalo took McGahee with the 23rd overall pick in the draft. Trouble was, McGahee had suffered a serious knee injury just months earlier that put his career in question. He figured to be drafted but not in the first round. And certainly not by a team that only had one first-rounder and was trying to rise in a division where every team finished .500 or better the year before. Not by a team that already had a standout feature back in Henry. And not by a team that had a coach -- Gregg Williams -- who was on the firing line after 2002's disappointing finish. Buffalo needed to stem the tide of late 2002 before the momentum got away from it.
Didn't happen. Most felt the Bills were duped by McGahee's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, into taking McGahee and maybe they were. But there's also been a feeling in some league circles that Bills general manager Tom Donahoe is a "smarter-than-thou" type who has mastered the art of making flashy deals, then ducking the heat on the ones that don't work out.
It's premature to say McGahee won't work out. It's a credit to him that he's playing football even though he's touched the ball just 11 times this season. But his mere presence is a mild distraction in Buffalo as he's openly expressed discontent with his role behind Henry.
Asked previously about being the backup, McGahee said, "That's their decision, it ain't mine. That's all I can say about that. I'm not worried about it. My time will come. . . . Only one person can start and unfortunately he's the one that's starting."
His role on third down hasn't appeased him either.
"Third down?" McGahee said. "Nothing's good enough for now. But you know, you always strive to be better, and that's what I'm going to do. I don't want to be no backup. But you know, they're paying me. They're paying me a good salary. So to be a backup, I'll be a backup."
Posted: Sun - October 3, 2004 at 12:10 PM
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Published On: Oct 23, 2004 12:32 AM
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Published On: Oct 23, 2004 12:32 AM