Gresh On Patriots-Bengals: Response More Important Than The Result
BOSTON (CBS) - The regular season frustration level of Patriot Nation under Belichick has reached an all time high this week after getting crushed by the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Kansas City.
The Patriots travel home to play on Sunday night -- that's the good news.
The bad news? They're facing the 3-0 Cincinnati Bengals.
Normally, fans of the team would exhibit the utmost confidence in them having a bounce back game. But for the first time in his 10 years on the Patriots Radio Network, Andy Gresh is not sure how they'll respond.
"I've never gone into a game before not knowing if the Patriots would respond the way they need to. Damn right they are at a crossroads," said Gresh to open the show. "This Sunday is the most telling Sunday of the season for the New England Patriots, because if we don't get a response from this group we are sitting here Monday morning re-evaluating this football team. I don't think that's overstating it at all."
Scott Zolak also shares a low level of confidence.
"I want to see if the quarterback can elevate some people. I still believe in this quarterback. I really do. I don't know how much I believe in the people around him. They need to prove me wrong. I haven't seen enough in four games that other people can make plays. I know the quarterback can still make plays," said Zo. "I want to see this team get pissed off. I want to see the quarterback get really pissed off. I want this to be personal for them. I want to see some pride and find ways to come together."
For Gresh, he's more concerned with the response than the result, whereas Scott Zolak is treating it as a must-win.
"I don't know that they necessarily need a win," said Gresh. "But we need to come out of this football game Sunday night and say this team has the ability to reach back and find something to get us to believe in. We need to see something that will tell us this year is not going off the exit ramp. A bad performance Sunday night deflates every bit of expectation we had for this team. This is one of the most vital games we've seen under coach Belichick."
"You could almost call it a 'must-win.' I look at it as a must-win," said Zolak. "I really do. I don't care if the final score is 7-3 or 2-0. I don't know how many things are correctable or if it's a little tweak here or there. This weekend you go to the nuts store and pick up an extra set because you need to drop 'em this week. You need to get out there and prove you're not the team through the first four weeks."
Are you confident the Patriots bounce back on Sunday night?
Listen below for the full discussion:
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