The State of Sports Dec. 15th

Football

-Patriots look for key win versus Tampa Bay
I read Dan Wetzel's yahoo article yesterday, and it made me realize...man the Pats are pretty dangerous. Brady is quoted as saying, "We are 8-5..."I dont think that anyone is too afraid of a team that is 8-5." This Pats team plays in among one of the worst in divisions in football. They have proven themselves worthy to compete in the playoffs as they are 4-0 on the season vs. division opponents. Injuries havent decimated this squad yet.

The Pats, winners of 4 of thier last 6, face Tampa Bay, winners of 3 out of their last 4. According to Head Coach Belichick:
-Tampa on offense: “Tampa is playing very well. They’ve really kind of changed their style of play the last couple of weeks, but it’s been very successful for them; won four of the last five. They’re playing very well on the road. They’re a very strong running team, they can throw the ball, they can make big plays, they have a lot of good receivers, of course, headed by [Joey] Galloway...whos among one of the best in the league."
-Tampa on defense: "Defensively, they’ve always been a real good defensive team, and that continues to be the case. They’re good against the run. They’re good against the pass. They turn the ball over. They’re good on third down. They’re good on first down. They’re pretty much good at everything, and that’s why they’re at the top of the league."

Belichick downplays a lot of things, but last weeks blow out win over Buffalo showed a spark of hope for this football squad. They now have Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk back. Both showed duribility in the snow as they combined for 27 rushes for 116 yards and a touchdown. They also had a combined 10 receptions for 100 yards. If this tandem hasnt had an opportunity to work for most of the season. Dillon has been limited since week 9, despite his 16 rushes for 60 yards, and a touchdown performance vs. the Jets in week 13. For Faulk, this was really his second good apperance since the Jets as well. He was inactive previous since week 5. The Patriots certainly look very dangerous with the tandem that performed well versus the struggling Bills on Sunday.

People arent worried yet, but seem to be in wondering about the status of Tom Brady. He went down on the injury report as questionable, yesterday. I think they have very little to worry about. Its now thursday and he should be taking it easy for now. On Saturday, he should be at practice doing a lot of things. This whole season, Belichick has been using the injury report to his advantage. Players have been going down with injuries that are legitimate, but you really arent sure whos starting and whos playing. Of the 13 players on the injury report listed as questionable, 6 of them played last week. This week they have 14 players. We will see what Belicheck decides to do.

As for Tom Brady, we hope he plays. He has been the catalyst for this New England offense, and down the strech, has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in football. People have been talking about how Payton Manning has been brilliant in his teams 12-0 record. But what about Brady. He hasnt missed a start all season, and has been very consistent all season. He has only had two games (Jets and Pittsburg) where he hasnt thrown at least a touchdown, and has had 8 200 passing yard games, and 4 300 yard passing games. He also leads the NFL in passing yards, by 400 over Payton Manning. His performance versus the Bills was unforgetable, and he proved how durible he really can be.

According to Wetzel, "The Pats will either prove to be pretenders and beneficiaries of a weak schedule, or emerge (after Indy) as the team you least want to play in the AFC"..."Proving day comes Saturday when one of the NFC's better teams comes a-calling. It's a statement game. And the rest of the NFL had better be paying attention because the champs just might still be capable of some stunning statements."

Wetzel is right. The Pats need to make a statement. If they had beaten the Chiefs, they would have had a victory in five strait games. But Larry Johnson really is too good this second half. However, the Pats face rookie Cadillac Williams, and hes been just as deadly (at times). This is the chance for them to prove that they are among the best in the division. This will prove that the Pats really have something to prove.

A couple of other stats that Wetzel mentioned:
-The New England Patriots are 17-5 under Belicheck. In the playoffs, they are 9-0. The Pats, are certainly peaking at the right times, and look like the better team to play, at home on Sunday.

Baseball

-Random thoughts
-I like the signing of Bill Mueller to the Dodgers. He is a very underrated player, and should solve the Dodgers problems at third base. After letting Beltre go, they started 7 different players at the position, and had very little luck. This interresting platoon combined for 10 HR's, 67 RBI's, 81 Runs, .249 BA, and .332 OBP. Muellers three year average is 13 HR's, 68 RBI's, 76 Runs, .301 BA, and .377 OBP. It looks like the Dodgers have solved thier problems at third with Muellers 2-year, 9.5 million contract.

-Nomar at First Base for the Yankees? It could happen, but its very unlikely. Of the free agents on the market for a position the Yankees need to fill, he looks like a very good option. This very well could be the revival of what Nomar is looking for. It doesnt matter what he could do with the bat, its his fielding. It has always been suspect at shortstop, as he was ranked in the bottom 5 of fielders in the AL, in 2003 (by Baseball America). Reports have said that Torre is looking for him to play multiple positions. One of my Yankees fan freinds (Dino) has told me that he wouldnt mind if the Yankees signed Nomar. Hes a lot better than Giambi.
-Dino has also said that Bubba Crosby will be the opening day center fielder. According to him, Crosby should play a position at the bottom of the order in a potent offense that really doesnt need anymore pop. Crosby also really is a pretty good center fielder, and possibly better than what the Yankees have had at the position in the last 3 years. This includes the decline of Bernie Williams. For the record, in two years and 127 games (53 in '04 and 74 in 05'), Crosby has two assists and no errors in the outfield.