Roche: Random Thoughts On A Patriots Bye Weekend
BOSTON (CBS) - Just a few Boston sports thoughts as the Patriots enjoy a weekend off.
--You can't help but laugh at some of the chatter this week when it comes to the Pats. Yes, they did not look good when they fell to 2-2 on that Monday night drubbing in Kansas City, but, was it really a time for "let's trade Brady talk," or "the Belichick era is over" statements? Laughable. It was a wake-up call perhaps for Brady and company, but at 2-2 there was no need to go down that road. Amazing how teams are given zero breathing room when it comes to struggling. These players are human beings not machines and if anybody has a track record for greatness and should be given a break, it's Brady and Belichick. Of course, when a team rips off 5 straight victories it's fine now to look back and say, "we were just telling it like it was!" Sorry, but telling it like it was would be simply saying they have looked lost, awful, etc....but given their track records, there's no reason that this team won't right itself at some point and be there at the end.
--I think the most underrated player on the Patriots, and maybe in the NFL, is kicker Stephen Gostkowski. The two-time Pro Bowler has led the NFL for two straight seasons in points scored and is on his way to doing it again. He's 24-for-25 on field goals and he can kick in any kind of conditions. Clutch.
--Having Rob Gronkowski healthy allows this Patriots offense to do so many things. Against Denver it was time for Julian Edelman to have a big game as he notched 9 catches for 89 yards and a TD, plus an 84-yard punt return for a TD. Don't be surprised if we see Tim Wright or Aaron Dobson come up with a big game or two down the stretch as well.
--I thought Aqib Talib brought a good amount of swagger to the Patriots defense the past couple of years. He just couldn't stay on the field when it counted most due to injury. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner gives the Pats even more of that attitude as we're starting to see. If they stay healthy this team will be awfully hard to beat, especially at home.
--My favorite first half play was Chris Jones field goal block to seal the win against the Jets. Sweet revenge for the penalty called against him the year before for pushing a teammate as the Pats tried to block a field goal in OT. A great lesson for kids who have things go wrong while playing sports. Keep your head up, keep working hard, and good things can happen.
--With that in mind, a big round of applause to all the kids playing high school sports these days. Amazing how good these kids are. It's tough to even make a team on that level these days. When I was growing up if you wanted to play in high school you pretty much could if you had any kind of ability. Today, I've seen many kids get cut that left me shaking my head. And then to watch these athletes battle in the playoffs is incredible.
--Confidence is a word that I've heard Cam Neely throw around a lot about his playing days and his Bruin players. It is a huge part of the formula for long term success. Brad Marchand is a name that Neely has associated that word with quite a bit. And, after listening to a Fred Toucher preseason interview with Marchand -- where he basically told Fred he's out to shut a lot of people up -- gotta think that Marchand may emerge as a 30-plus goal scorer this season.
--Congrats to Claude Julien on his contract extension. He's got a system and when his players stick to it, they find plenty of success. They like playing for him too. Right man for the job as the Bruins look to win another Cup with this core group.
--Curious to watch the growth of Brad Stevens as an NBA coach. When/if Danny Ainge gets the players he wants here will be interesting to see where Stevens is at as far as his NBA comfort level is concerned.
--Fascinated to see how this Red Sox offseason unfolds. What do you do if you're Ben Cherington? They need two veteran starters to put into the mix with Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly and all the young kids. Would love to see the Sox shock everyone by bringing Jon Lester back. But, even if they did they'll pay way, way more than they had to. And if he doesn't return, we may look back on it and say the botched negotiations prevented this ownership group from winning a 4th World Series title.
--Can't wait to see Dustin Pedroia next year. Major chip on his shoulder. Pedroia's ability was limited because of a bad wrist last season when he hit .278 with a .712 OPS. David Ortiz said this to me about Pedey on the final weekend of the season: "I don't care if he goes 0-for-500. In the clubhouse, that guy teaches every single one of us how to go about it every day. That guy is one of my biggest motivators every day because I don't know how he does it. Don't focus on the fantasy player, focus on the real player."
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