Running up the Score
Much is being made of the Patriots allegedly running up the score on their opponents. After 5 weeks of play, it certainly seems like they're not being particularly sportsmanlike. But overzealous media has certainly blown some stuff out of proportion.
Week 2: Up by 17 with less than 4 minutes to go, Patriots go for it on 4th and 1 at the San Diego 3-yard line: Up 3 scores, it certainly seems like kicking a field goal would have been sporting. Verdict: Running it up.
Week 3: Up by 31 with less than 4 minutes to go, Patriots run up the middle on 4th and 6 deep in Buffalo territory: Trickier to decipher, but with the 4th string running back carrying the ball, this is as good as a kneeldown. Verdict: Not running it up.
Week 4: Up by 14 with less than 4 minutes to go, Patriots throw a TD to Moss: Ahead by two scores isn't quite safe, especially against a dynamic Bengals offense. Playing hard still makes sense here. Verdict: Not running it up.
Week 5: Up by 10 with less than 1 minute left, Patriots call a pass play on 4th and goal and fail to score: Not sure what's going on here. 10 points isn't exactly a blowout, but why pass the ball on 4th instead of kicking a field goal? Trying to score still makes sense though. Verdict: Not running it up.
Week 6: Up by 14 with 20 seconds left, Patriots run on 4th and 1 with their 4th-string running back: This one seems pretty egregious. Although the Cowboys did score 8 points in 20 seconds the previous week, it seems like a stretch for them to drive 98 yards for a TD, then score another TD all in 20 seconds. The only justification for not taking a knee is the fact that the Cowboys took a timeout to stop the clock on 2nd down, signaling that they hadn't quite conceded defeat yet. So when taken in context, this doesn't seem AS bad. Verdict: Running it up.
Week 7: Up by 28 near the end of the first half, Patriots try the ol' "fake spike" play to score a TD: After the game, Belichick is accused of running up the score on this play, to which he incredulously replies, "It's the first half--it's the first half!" I agree. Verdict: Not running it up.
Week 7: Up by 21 points with 9 minutes left to play, Brady re-enters the game and promptly drives down the field to score against the hapless, demoralized Dolphins: After the game, ESPN reporters pepper Belichick with questions about putting Brady back in the game to run up the score, then chuckle at Belichick's assertion that a 21-point lead could be overcome with 9 minutes left. Lost in all this is the fact that they took Brady out of the game in the beginning of the 4th quarter, suggesting that they were not looking to run up the score. At this point, the Patriots had not scored since the 1st half, but the Dolphins had scored twice. Seems like a reasonable decision. Verdict: Not running it up.
So while the notion of the Patriots running up the score has a kernel of truth to it, there are really only 2 cases where it was very obvious. Patriots appear to be guilty of being lousy winners, but not to the degree that it may seem.
Thoughts on the Patriots in general:
-Randy, Randy, Randy...the guy is so ridiculous, it's not even fair. Catching a 50 yard bomb with his elbow while two guys cover him...just unbelievable. I really don't have much more to say.
-As awesome as the offense looks, it is weaker than the Colts in at least one area: big plays in the running game. Not that I think it's a huge problem yet, but when the weather turns cold and the aerial show declines, that may start showing up.
-Patriots defense has some issues. Though a solid group, it doesn't appear as dominant as their stats would indicate. They still look too slow to stop the Colts, and the past two weeks have been riddled with missed tackles. I think it will get fixed, but it's pretty disconcerting what with the Indy game lurking around the corner.
-It never occurred to me that Brady would ever be able to sniff Manning's single-season TD record. The old pro-Manning argument used to go: Put Brady in the Colts offense and he can't match Manning's stats, but put Manning on the Patriots, and he wins the Super Bowls. I never bought the latter part of that argument, and now I'm pleasantly surprised that the first part of it may not be true either.
-The NFL sucks this year. As good as the Colts and Patriots have been, the rest of the league has been pretty mediocre. No one talks about parity in the NFL anymore, and I think it's only a matter of time before someone starts talking about how crappy the quality of play has become.
8 Comments:
Week 8 vs Washington, up 17-0, fake spike with 20 seconds left from Washington 6 for a touchdown: Washington only had 4 first downs at that point and was already down 17-0. A field goal makes it 20-0 and let's face it, did the Redskins even have a chance? Verdict: Running it up.
That said, there's no excuse for falling for the fake spikes any more. The Pats have pulled this off at least twice this year and I saw the Jets even pull one off. Defenses should just be ready.
Week 8: Up 45-0 versus Washington with 7:16 to go, 4th and 2 at the Washington 37-yard line: You can't justify this one to me. Bring out the FG unit or just punt it. It's 45-0! Going for it is what I would do in Madden if I wanted to stick it to my opponent. Yes, this is now the bar for whether or not a score is being run up. Verdict: Running it up.
In the end, while I am always open to finding another reason to disliking New England, this seems like a poor area to fault them in. Part of football is executing your plays, and if the other team can't stop you, it's hard to not execute at 100%. In baseball there's stuff like not stealing bases when you're up 10-0, but if the next batter hits a home run, you won't be accused of running it up.
Without having seen many of the games, from a sportsmanship perspective, the frustrating thing would be if there were excessive celebrations when the score goes up to say, 42-0. At that point, I think it should just be a few high-fives and back to work. Everyone knows it's 42-0, no need to rub that one in.
For whatever it's worth - the week 7 fake spike is a borderline run up. A FG still makes it a 31 point lead, and it's Miami! Sure, "any given Sunday" but that's supposed to apply to teams that can compete. Would they have taken the same risk to pass it if Miami was winning 10-7 at that point?
Ha! Blogman beats me to the punch as I wasn't able to watch the game until late Sunday night (through the magic of TiVo).
Can't agree with you on the first one. First off, I believe it's nearly impossible to run up the score in the first half. Second, Patriots were running their 2-minute offense, whose objective is to score a TD. Besides, it was first down! Conventional logic says to try for a TD, then kick the FG on 4th down or if time is almost up. Running the fake spike is a little obnoxious, I suppose, but if they had scored with a different play, would that NOT be running up the score? (For the record, it doesn't look like Washington was fooled by the fake spike at all).
Now going for it on 4th and 2...when you're up by 7 scores....that's a little unnecessary. I don't even want to try and justify this one. Kicking the field goal is the correct move here.
More on this in another post....
I disagree - there is such a thing as running up the score in the first half - Washington had FOUR FIRST DOWNS. The game was way over and a FG makes the score 20-0.
But, you are right, I forgot it was first down, although, they had a time out left. So it may not be "running up the score" but I think it still falls under "dick move" combined with "poor defensive preparation." After all, they ran a fake spike just the week before!
Will their next loss be in 2008? Just looking at the schedule, isn't it strange that they have four home games in a row at the end of the season?
They only have 3 home games in December, with their last game on the road against the Giants.
So I guess we're agreed that the fake spike play isn't really running up the score, it's just a dickish move. I can see that. Nobody likes it when really talented teams pull a trick play, because it's like they're just toying with the opposition. Trick plays should only be reserved for the crappy teams.
So it surprises me that no one has really bitched about the numerous plays where linebacker Mike Vrabel lines up on offense and catches a TD pass. Seems unnecessary, doesn't it?
Right, in a relatively close game, you can't fault a team, good or bad for doing whatever it takes.
The Vrabel plays just seem pretty routine now. Is it really such a surprise to the opponents when the Patriots insert him into the package? I would imagine it's just as if they had another tight end or something.
Looking back to 2004, where the 2-12 Dolphins beat the 13-1 Patriots, the Dolphins had only 5 first downs in the first half (by my unofficial count).
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=241220015
That loss could have cost the Patriots home field advantage, though as it turned out, they won the Super Bowl anyway.
Five first downs but only a four point deficit at the half. I guess I mention the first downs in the Washington game to think that the 17-0 lead is possibly even greater given that Washington wasn't moving the ball. In that Miami game, the Dolphins only had a four point deficit - they weren't moving the ball well either, but had some good special teams and defensive play that kept the score close.
Looking at the rest of that play by play, it's pretty remarkable that the Dolphins won. The Pats carried an 11 point lead well into the 4th quarter. Looks like it's a Brady INT that set up the final score to put the Dolphins ahead.
I suppose the '07 Patriots could have blown a 20 point lead to Washington (after a FG instead of a TD) just as easily as blowing an 11 point lead back in '04, but really? It seems more like a dick move to me than not.
Maybe they should have kicked the FG and then run an onside kick for the following kickoff. After all, it's only a 3 TD game!
My point is that it's pretty tough to look at a halftime lead and say it's safe, regardless of how the other team has played.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home