Bleacher Report - Bill Belichick

2009 NFL Season: Week 12

C Douglas Baker — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:39:55 -0500

My comments on Thanksgiving Day games can be found here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/298164-2009-nfl-season-week-12-thanksgiving-day-special

GAMES I WATCHED

New Orleans Saints over New England Patriots, 38-17

This was the marquee matchup of the weekend and it didn’t live up to its hype. The Saints spanked the Patriots like an unwanted step child.

The shellacking the Patriots took at the hands of the Saints was a nasty reality check for New England Patriots fans. We must face the fact the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and even the Indianapolis Colts, are the elite teams in the league this year. We are a notch below, along with a handful of other teams, peeking our head over the windowsill wondering how we got left out the party.

I’ll dispense with comments on the Saints in this game by simply saying they are a great team. Drew Brees is absolutely phenomenal and had an unbelievable performance. And defensive coordinator Greg Williams had a brilliant game plan and has really turned this defense around. I’ve been utterly impressed with the Saints all year long and suffering through this game left me even more impressed. I expect to see a Saints versus Vikings matchup in the NFC Championship Game. And if it turns out anything like the wild game they had in the regular season last year, it should be wildly entertaining.

Now on to the Patriots and what to make of the fiasco we witnessed on Monday night.

Let’s start with the offensive, the most fixable problem we face the rest of the season and into the playoffs, which we should reach. The offense has become utterly predictable.

The Saints simply dropped numerous players in coverage and took away the short passing game and Wes Welker, and mostly blanketed Randy Moss. They were able to get decent pressure on Brady, especially in the second half, with only a four man rush.

This was partially because of injuries on our offensive line, which hopefully will get back in shape by seasons’ end. But the Patriots’ offense appears pretty easy to scheme against these days.

We abandon the run way too soon and in the second half, like last week against the Jets, it was bombs away with nobody to throw the ball to. We need to at least mix up our plays a bit throughout the game and come up with less predictable or more creative schemes to get receivers open.

That’s not to say the offense is bad.

We scored 17 points against the Saints and really should have had more but for a few errant throws and interceptions by Brady. But nevertheless, we need to address this. Charlie Weis anyone?

Our defense right now is in a complete rebuilding mode. Most of our starting defensive backs are young players or recent starters and it shows. They have been frequently out of place and burned all year by most teams we’ve faced.

We have just gotten by with it, for the most part, because the offense has been putting up enough points to cover for them. The lousy play by the defensive backs was painfully evident on numerous blown coverages against the Saints. They should be embarrassed.

I hope they are.

Adding to our woes on defense we cannot get a pass rush or pressure the quarterback. Drew Brees had enough time in the pocket to eat a steak dinner and down a few drinks, much less throw the ball to his outstanding corps of receivers. What happened to Adalius Thomas? He has completely disappeared as a playmaker on this defense.

Overall the defense played like it was on a 0-16 team, not a championship caliber team. Now people don’t need to wonder why Bill Belichick went for it on fourth and two to try to preserve the game against the Colts two weeks ago, after Manning torched the defense for two long drives in no time. A punt might have been giving the game away.

The defense, as noted earlier, is in a rebuilding phase and I suspect it will take some time for it to come around. Unfortunately, it won’t likely be anytime soon, and not in time for a significant playoff run.

MVP: Drew Brees, QB

Philadelphia Eagles over Washington Redskins, 27-24

I will say this about the Redskins, all these new players finding themselves in starting roles are playing very hard and being competitive. Even though the Redskins are losing some close games, at least they don’t look as pathetic as they did earlier in the season.

They actually look like they belong in the NFL these days. The oft maligned Jason Campbell played reasonably well other than his two interceptions to Asante Samuel.

This was a game that the Redskins could have won but the Eagles just simply pulled it out at the end. Despite a talented group of receivers, the Eagles seem to greatly miss Brian Westbrook in the lineup. They just aren’t the same. And putting Michael Vick in to run plays seemed mostly counterproductive. It slowed the momentum of the offense.

Hats off to London Fletcher, the Redskins’ middle linebacker. He has been playing All Pro caliber defense all year long, as has Eagles’ defense end Trent Cole.

Finally, while his statistics don’t pop off the page, my MVP goes to Eagles’ wide receiver Jason Avant, whose two big catches in the fourth quarter jumpstarted the offense and the Eagles to their tying touchdown.

MVP: Jason Avant, WR

Minnesota Vikings over Chicago Bears, 36-10

I really felt this game was over before it really started. It turned out pretty much exactly as I expected it to. The Bears defense has not been great this year and the offense, especially Jay Cutler, has been subpar. But really, it’s the Bears offensive line that has been atrocious.

I assume that Orlando Pace was sitting on the sideline in the second half because he was benched for poor play. I feel really badly for Pace in some ways. In his prime he was an outstanding left tackle. But injuries and time spent in the NFL getting pounded on every week has clearly made him past his prime. For his sake I hope to see him retire this year. It’s time.

Meanwhile, Cutler threw his obligatory two interceptions during the game and his receivers did nothing to help him. And what happened to Matt Forte?

The Bears are in big, big trouble going forward. They gave up a boatload of draft picks for Jay Cutler and are in such desperate need of help in so many areas that it may be years before we see this team win again, especially if the Cutler we see now is what we can expect in the future.

Brett Favre had another excellent day, and rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin lit up the field with six catches for 101 yards and touchdown.

MVP: Brett Favre, QB

Baltimore Ravens over Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17 OT

Baltimore eked out a win against the Steelers and finally won a close game. They keep their slim playoff hopes alive. But Ravens fans shouldn’t get too excited.

There is no reason that the Ravens should have had to go into overtime when the Steelers were starting a third string quarterback. They continue to play down to the level of their competition.

That’s not to say that second year quarterback Dennis Dixon from the University of Oregon had a bad game. He actually played quite well. While the Steelers obviously altered their game plan a bit for him, he did throw the ball, and mostly well, throughout the game.

He also made a few nice plays with his legs. I think he has some potential. I felt sorry for him when he threw and interception in overtime that set up the Ravens for the win, but that’s how it goes.

The Ravens offense struggled a bit with the Steelers defense, but who doesn’t. I would say that Michael Oher and Jarred Gaither had a tough time against the Steelers linebackers, but who doesn’t?

For the most part they played really well, but there were stretches of time where I they were getting beat. And if Michael Oher, both last week and this week sure looks like he is moving before the ball is snapped on almost every play, but I guess he’s not since the officials aren’t calling it.

Overall this was a very interesting game given the circumstances. I’m not surprised the Ravens won, I’m just surprised they found it so difficult to do so.

MVP: Ray Rice, RB

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS

If I did a power ranking, the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and Indianapolis Colts would be the top three teams, in that order. There are several teams just below them.

Brett Favre, Drew Brees, and Vince Young had outstanding performances. Vince Young? He’s won five straight games as the starter for the Titans and has looked really good doing it. I wonder if he is going to make me eat my words that he will never be a good starting quarterback in the NFL?

I don’t recall the last highly touted wide receiver out of Florida that wasn’t a bust in the NFL. I’m sure someone will tell me who it is. But Percy Harvin is certainly breaking that streak.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

Defensive Player: Charles Woodson, CB, Green Bay Packers

Offensive Lineman: Ryan Clady, T, Denver Broncos

Special Teams: LaRod Stephens-Howling, KR, Arizona Cardinals

Rookie of the Week: Percy Harvin, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Posted in AFC East, Bill Belichick, National Football League, New England Patriots, NFL, Sports Tagged: AFC East, Baltimore Ravens, Bill Belichick, Chicago Bears, National Football League, New England Patriots, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sports, Washington Redskins

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What Went Wrong for the New England Patriots Monday Night?

Erik Frenz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:43:23 -0500

Ding-da-ding my cell phone goes off at 9:52 Tuesday morning. A charming reminder from my boss, a Chargers fan, of the night before.

"Old fashioned ass kicking! The death of a dynasty."

What a wonderful way to start the day.

Who saw that beatdown coming?

Nobody, really. That’s why they have all those “any given Sunday,” “that’s why they play the games,” “every team who plays the Saints this year gets trounced by Drew Brees ” clichés in football. Even fans in New Orleans thought this would at least be a close contest.

So what exactly did we see Monday night?

Realistically, everyone (myself included ) should have seen this coming. The Patriots have only performed really well when they’re playing lesser talent. They only have two wins this season against teams that currently hold winning records—the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, both of whom are bordering on mediocrity.

What made anyone think that they could beat a team of excellence like the Saints?

The analogy has been used to compare the Patriots this decade to Mike Tyson and that might be fitting; early on, they stunned everyone with how methodically they won, and no one knew how to stop them.

Like Tyson after Buster Douglas fight (or for the Patriots Super Bowl XLII), the chinks in the armor became exposed. Now, they are a feast for anyone who has the firepower to expose those weaknesses.

The Patriots defense has performed well enough all season to get the job done, but the weaknesses had already been exposed prior to this game;a mediocre run defense coupled with inexperience and a lack of top-flight talent in the secondary.

The Saints had the tools to capitalize on both of these weaknesses and they did so in explosive fashion.

As much blame as the defense have been given, the offense didn’t perform up to its standards either.

Tom Brady failed to get into a rhythm as he was bombarded with blitzers all day. I anticipated a much better performance against a blitz-heavy defense after he picked apart the Jets last week.

Against the Saints though, he overthrew wide open receivers three straight times to set up a 4th down, where the Patriots had to settle for a field goal.

So what’s next for the Patriots?

If there’s a silver lining to be found, Bill Belichick says that the errors he saw exposed in the game against the Saints are “correctable” .

If there’s another light at the end of the tunnel, it’s Belichick’s December record with New England is an astonishing 32-6 in his nine-year tenure as head coach.

Those teams were much different than this one. He was working with much more talent on defense and in the running game in years past than he is now. Only time will tell if New England’s wily head coach can get the best out of his men going into the playoffs.

Another thought that might offer a glimmer of hope for New England fans, is to what extent was Monday night’s rout a show of excellence by New Orleans compared to a show of weakness by New England?

It’s clear that New Orleans is 11-0 for a reason. Although their opponents haven’t all been top-flight contenders, New Orleans has been getting everyone’s best game all season and performing with excellence.

We all know how Belichick usually fares the week after a loss, especially one as heartbreaking as this. This season's Patriots have proven to be a confusing bunch.

But with the way the Patriots played against the Saints, we could be in line for a December that leaves New England with more questions than answers. Their weaknesses have been exposed and their opponents now have video surveillance (no pun intended) of the chinks in the armor that were so heavily gashed in the Bayou.

The Patriots' remaining schedule features the prototype middle-of-the-road teams they've feasted on all season. With a schedule that leaves Miami, Carolina, Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Houston in wait, we could be in line for many snow angels at Gillette Stadium in the month of December.

The Patriots and their fans definitely hope that's the case.

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Has Belichick the Master Finally Been Mastered?

Michael2 Keller — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:00:48 -0500

Watching the Patriots-Saints game last night, it became clear that we may have been witnessing the beginning of the end of an era.

I know, I know. One game does not a trend make. But...

What I saw was something I have not seen on the field or on the sidelines of a Patriots' game in a long time: frustration, confusion, disappointment and fatalism. All of the first three are not new, although not often seen. The last one, fatalism, is one I haven't witnessed before in its true form and in such abundance.

To see Hoody Bill look lost and searching for an answer, any answer, was a shock to the system. He was his typical stoic self in the first half, showing just a little emotion when Brady and company were able to put some points on the board. Then in the second half, he looked like he wanted to be almost anywhere but wearing the headphones and holding his play list on the New England sidelines.

A lot of the reason for that look had to do with the Saints' dominance on both sides of the ball. They were locked and loaded and came ready to play. They were playing at home to a very appreciative crowd and were battling to remain undefeated this season.

Why this happened can be explained by many things that have happened over the past year or so.

Trading Richard Seymour might be one of the biggest, as he took much of the heart and soul from the defense. The injury-riddled group that was left didn't have the heart, the players or the coaching to stop the brilliant performance by the New Orleans offense.

The inability to give Brady his usual time to find open receivers and hit them in stride and the swarming defense that held those receivers to a very low YAC was also a contributor.

I also might have seen the first cracks in the mutual love affair between Moss and his current team, which may not bode well for the chemistry the rest of this season. (Where have we seen this act before?)

These things happen all the time in the NFL to just about every other coach and team. But this is the first time I saw it so distinctly in not only Belichick's face and demeanor, but in Brady, Moss, Welker, et. al.

Maybe, just maybe, we are seeing Billy B and the Patriots sliding back to the rest of the pack.

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Patriots-Saints: What We Learned from the Pats' Loss to the Saints

Ryan Pickard — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:23:44 -0500

For all the hype that the Patriots vs Saints game brought with it, it certainly didn't live up to all that hype unless you are a Saints fan.

The Patriots got absolutely throttled 38-17 in a game that was pretty much over by the end of the third quarter. The Pats got beat in every facet of the game, and if it wasn't for the offense showing up in the first half and the Saints stepping off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter, this game good have been much uglier.

While this was a tough game for the Patriots, they were able to take a lot away from this game that will help them as they get ready for next weeks game against Miami and the rest of the season.

1. If the Patriots can't win on the road, then they shouldn't expect to go anywhere in the playoffs. So far this year, the Pats have been perfect at home, going 6-0, but the road game has been a completely different story.

The Pats have a 1-4 road record and their only win has come at a neutral site in London against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The way things are going the Pats will most likely have to play at least two road playoff games and if they can't turn their road woes around then they will be ousted in the divisional round.

2. The defensive line has to get more pressure on the quarterback.

While watching last night's game, a lot jumped out at me. The Patriots weren't getting pressure on Brees at all. He had as much time as he wanted to too find an open receiver and every time he got that time he hit his wide receiver.

Likewise, Brady was rushed almost every down and it showed as he threw two picks and looked flustered after every play.

The defensive line has been a boost to the defense for years now but they've struggled this year to get to the quarterback and if this continues the opposing quarterback will pick apart the secondary all day long.

3. The Pats secondary isn't what it used to be.

Most Patriots fans already knew that the secondary isn't as good as it used to be. It was probably the biggest question mark coming into this season after losing some key veterans. The secondary has had some good games but for the most part they have struggled to stop the better QB's in the game.

In last night's game, they looked completely lost as Drew Brees picked them apart for five touchdowns and had their heads spinning. They say defense wins championships and if this secondary can't find a way to stop the big plays from happening then the Pats aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

4. The offense can't continue to just show up for the first half only.

The most inconsistent part of this team has been their inability to score points in the second half. The Pats are one of the best first half teams when it comes to scoring but once the second half starts its as if their is a completely new team out there that has never played together before.

In three of the Patriots four losses they have had the lead at half but come out and done nothing in the second half. They were shutout twice in the second half against both the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos. If the offense can't keep up their play for an entire game, then they stand no chance in the playoffs.

I still believe the Pats can fix these problems before the playoffs start and make it to the Super Bowl but after watching last night's game a part of me realized that they are starting to fall from the elite of the NFL. As long as the Pats still have BB and Tom I have total faith in them and still believe they can make it to the Super Bowl.

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Early Hook? Bill Belichick Pulls Patriots Starters with Five Minutes to Play

Genevieve Whitbourne — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:04:53 -0500

The New Orleans Saints played Tom Brady and the New England Patriots right off the field on Monday Night Football —literally.

With approximately five minutes to go, and the score 17-38 in favor of New Orleans, Bill Belichick effectively ran up the white flag.

Belichick pulled, among others, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker. It wouldn’t be a surprise if New England fans stopped watching then, because it seemed that the Patriots had stopped playing, or at least playing to win.

Arguably, victory was no longer an option for New England. They were down by three touchdowns, and putting together three touchdown drives in the closing minutes of a game is almost impossible.

Almost.

But if any team knows that it’s not completely impossible, it should be New England. After all, the other undefeated team this season, the Colts, did just that against the Pats in Week 10.

From the standpoint of someone who just wanted to see a good, close game, it was disappointing to see Belichick take out Brady and other starters.

If this NFL season has taught us anything, it is that wild finishes are possible. Kansas City came back in the second half and beat Pittsburgh—Kansas City! Matt Stafford turned a Hail Mary pass into a legendary touchdown with no time left on the clock.

In the waning minutes of the game, Tom Brady has been as good as any quarterback who has ever played the game. A touchdown drive can take as little as a minute to put together, and with a little over five minutes left, asking Brady and this usually potent Patriots offense to get back in the game doesn’t seem like an impossible task.

Obviously, Belichick thought otherwise. Maybe he was right; he does have three Super Bowl Rings and an undefeated regular season under his belt, so he does know something about football.

The only reason to take out Brady and his starting bunch for Belichick had to be that the game was over. It can’t be that he wanted to give his second string a shot or that he was worried about injury. After all, Belichick leaves his starters in the game when his team is winning by a large margin late.

Seeing a team defeated before the game is even over isn’t fun for a football fan, but it does happen.

But what should be more troubling for Patriots fans is not that their team was beaten with five to go in the fourth, but that their team looked beaten after Brady’s interception in the second quarter.

The interception, which led to a touchdown for the Saints, was the turning point in the game, and it happened in the second quarter. After that, it never seemed as though the Patriots were in the game.

To not recover from an interception in the first half is a problem for a team going into December. The Patriots have not been a good second half team this year, and it is allowing teams to come from behind and get a win. Or, in the Saints' case, it allowed them to pad their lead without much contention.

The Patriots will make the playoffs this year. Their division is down; the Dolphins, Jets, and Bills are not going to be able to overtake them.

Still, this Patriots team needs to play better. Their defense is struggling to stop anybody, and the only road game they won was over Tampa Bay in London.

To make a successful playoff run, a team needs to be able to win on the road and play a full 60 minutes. When Belichick pulled his starters, it felt as though the Patriots were not a team that was going to grind out all four quarters.

One loss to a good team doesn’t make the Patriots a bad team. They will make the playoffs, and once that happens, all regular season bets are off.

Still, New England is going to have to show more grit if they want to make another run at the Super Bowl.

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Bill Belichick: 55 Minutes of Football is Fine With Me

George Romer — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:54:44 -0500

Bill Belichick has convinced me that not only has he lost his football touch, but he has also lost his mind.

How many times have we heard players and coaches alike preach the phrase “Play 60 minutes of football?” It seems to be a weekly utterance during pregame and postgame interviews league wide. In fact, the new campaign launched by the NFL geared towards keeping children active is called “PLAY 60!” It’s almost to the point of becoming cliché.

Bearing this in mind, can someone please explain to me why, with 5:26 left to play and down by 21 points, would Coach Belichick pull one of the leagues most elite quarterbacks from Monday night’s game?

Did he think that there wasn’t nearly enough time to get back into the game? Perhaps he should’ve checked in with Houston Texan’s Coach Gary Kubiak if he wasn’t clear on that thought.

The Indianapolis Colts humiliated the Texans in week five of last season by scoring 21 points in two minutes and ten seconds to win the game. Some say that that was just dumb luck and I might have agreed, had they not done the same thing to the same team just last week. Granted, this time it did take the Colts about five and a half minutes to pull it off.

Now, I understand that Coach Kubiak was out of town and Belichick didn’t have time to track him down for some advice, but Coach Jon Gruden was in New Orleans last night. Maybe he should’ve asked him.

Surely Gruden would have told him the story about how the Colts deflated his Bucs in 2003 by scoring twenty one points in less than four minutes sending the game into overtime where Mike Vanderjagt kicked the game winning field goal for Indianapolis.

Of course I say these things in jest. Coach Belichick obviously can’t call on other coaches for advice. Nor should he have to. He is supposed to already know these things. In fact, he was given his very own “Play 60” lesson by the Colts just two weeks ago when they overcame a three score deficit in the fourth quarter to beat his Patriots.

The bottom line is that the coach is supposed to have confidence in his team regardless of the situation. Belichick has proved for the second time this season that he does not. When he looked up at the scoreboard and saw 5:26, Bill Belichick committed one of the NFL’s biggest sins:

He gave up.

By benching Tom Brady, he told his team that it’s okay to give up. It’s alright to only play 55 minutes of football. What’s worse? His team bought it!

Try selling that to any of the real elite teams in this league.

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Hard-Won Lessons Of 2007: It's Never Too Soon To Peak Late

TR — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:11:46 -0500

As the New England Patriots face yet another undefeated team in the New Orleans Saints tonight, it is almost impossible to avoid thinking about the 2007 Patriots.

No, I'm not parroting the article in Sunday's Boston Globe comparing the 2009 Saints to the 2007 Patriots. It was an interesting read, but I did not find it that relevant.

Despite the fact that tonight's game has been hyped to the point of utter absurdity, it represents a pivotal point in the season for each of these teams.

The Pats have been criticized enough, and they need to prove to the rest of the NFL that they are for real. They are playing for some respect.

This game is also an opportunity for the Patriots to create some real separation between themselves and the rest of the AFC East.

For the 10-0 Saints, home field advantage throughout the playoffs is plenty of incentive, and they understandably want the respect that comes with an undefeated season.

Respect that comes unless you are the 2007 New England Patriots.

The Belichick-Mangini-Walsh-Goodell-Specter drama that unfolded in the wake of game one in '07 is well documented elsewhere, and frankly, the whole thing was such a tempest in a teapot, and I couldn't be bothered recounting it anyway.

What is far more interesting is a look at how that drama affected Bill Belichick and his team.

Regardless of how unclear the memo might have been, it was intended to clarify a league rule that was full of loopholes big enough to accommodate rush hour on the Southeast Expressway. The real point is that punishment was handed out, the NFL microscope landing squarely on Belichick, his staff, and his players, who motored forward.

End of story, right?

"Not so quick," said Belichick. "Does anybody really believe that my team needs to cheat to win games? Watch this."

Belichick's Patriots ignored the criticism spewed at them everywhere they went, leaving host fans seething at venues all over the country. Nobody wanted to lose to a team that they had been led to believe could only win by cheating.

Under the glare of that microscope, Belichick became Captain Ahab. Perfection became his white whale.

He worked his team relentlessly. They responded with the same intensity; they didn't like the idea of being labeled as cheaters, either.

Yes, they embarrassed some teams. Until the Colts in Week Eight, a 24-20 victory for the Pats, their opponents were completely overwhelmed. The Patriots were putting up numbers so gaudy, I almost felt sorry for some of these teams. Almost, but not quite.

To paraphrase John Madden as he commented on one of the Patriots' Monday night massacres: If your defense isn't good enough to stop them, that's on you. Some of these teams need to look at that.

The New England Patriots were on a mission, plain and simple. And I defy anyone to suggest that they were cheating or even bending a rule in 2007.

After the Colts game, the Patriots followed up with a 56-10 humiliation of the Buffalo Bills before heading into the bye week.

Injuries were piling up, Belichick had his players redefining the word "versatility," and the team just rambled on.

After the bye week, the margins of victory became smaller and smaller. The team was tired, and the injuries had taken their toll. By the end of the regular season, it was easy to see that the team had simply peaked too soon. They were running out of gas.

My apologies for resorting to such cliche, but there really are not many other ways of saying it.

During the playoffs, they faced some tough opponents, and had to dig really deep to win those games.

And Super Bowl XLII? They were toast. I don't want to take anything away from the Giants. They played well enough to win, and the Patriots did not.

Fast forward to 2009. We are all aware of everything that has happened since that Super Bowl loss, so I won't repeat it here.

The bottom line is the sum total of everything that has happened during the past 21 months and the New England Patriots are a new and improved team that started out this season with a lot of question marks.

I am not going to suggest that all the questions have been answered. What matters here is that this team has become better over the course of the season.

They began the season with a reliable core, surrounded by a number of players who had a lot to learn. And I believe that, for the most part, they have learned their lessons well.

Yes, there are injuries and other issues, but the 2009 edition of the New England Patriots has not peaked yet.

The Saints are a great team, but in my opinion, they have yet to be challenged. They have very precisely carved up the likes of the St. Louis Rams, the Buffalo Bills, and the Carolina Panthers.

A case could be made that their destruction of the New York Giants was significant, but in all honesty, we know that the Giants have lost several games they should have won. I can't put them on the list with the Rams and the Bills, but they have not played well.

So who wins this game?

Two great teams take to the Superdome field tonight, and one comes out with a lot of pride. The other team gets to say, we played a great team, and we lost.

The Patriots will win this game by the skin of their teeth.

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The NFL's All-Decade Team: 2000's

Kevin Hatfield — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:55:53 -0500

The 2000's have boasted some of the greatest players of all time. This list is what I believe are the best players of this decade. I am sure there will be many debated topics, and I look forward to reading everyone's opinion. The defense will also be run as a 3-4, because this was a revolutionary idea during the 2000's. Enjoy!

Begin Slideshow