Week 8-Meeting of Momentum

The pumped Rams, fueled by two consecutive victories, including a thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys, brought them to Gillette Stadium to face a Patriot team fuming over the loss of All-Pro Safety, Rodney Harrison, and a decent blowout of the Denver Broncos only six days before. What came to pass was a close, and momentum clashing brawl. Thankfully, the Patriots won.
After coming off a game were the Patriots set a record setting amount of rushing yards against Denver, the running game was a bit lessened due to injuries to Lamont Jordan, and Sammy Morris. But Kevin Faulk and BenJarvis Green-Ellis, however, kept the running game to reasonable standards. With the running game established, the passing game opened up. Moss, Faulk, and Welker all played good rolls in the passing game, minus a couple drops that should have been caught. Cassel had a decent game, throwing a career high 257 yards on the day, and setting up his first fourth quarter winning drive. He did throw two interceptions, but they were tipped balls and not his fault at all. Probably his best moment was a game winning touchdown to Kevin Faulk. Kevin, actually had the best day, both on the ground, and in the air. He was the biggest weapon all day and helped the Patriots get their first consecutive win under Cassel's direction.

The defense looked alright up front, only letting a couple long gains on the ground all day, and recording several sacks. It was nice to see an actual pass rush from the Pats. The Secondary showed it still has some big holes to fill. They allowed Rams Quarterback, Marc Bulger, to throw the longest pass of his career, a 69 yard bomb for a touchdown. He nailed our secondary several times for big gains, and that's what kept the game close. Thankfully, to seal the win from the Rams, Patriot Cornerback, Deltha O'Neil intercepted a pass in the final minutes to close the game out.

It was a promising game, showing the Patriots have what it takes to win games. They are now 5-2, and tie for the divisional lead thanks to a Buffalo loss to the Miami Dolphins. We play the Indianapolis Colts, who are in a slump lately, and have a short week due to that they play tonight against the Titans. Hopefully that will carry over and we do a blow to their sagging record. If we can climb to 6-2 and play Buffalo the following week, confidence in the team, without Tom Brady I might add, will be restored.
Kudos to the Pats for an exciting game this week against the Rams.

The Chilly Tree

Finally got a new camera (Lost my old one, and the LCD screen broke). Ended up getting a Canon. Not totally sure on the model make and all that stuff, too lazy to check. It's nice though. And now I can get back to my favorite hobby. Here are the first few pictures I like. They all were taken next to , or of a tree that I have been eyeing as the autumn effects have settled in. Enjoy. :D

Week 7-Monday Night Massacre

After coming off a game that saw the Patriots lose to the Chargers, 30-10, the Patriots were in need of a morale boost. Not to mention a boost in the standings in the AFC East.
The Patriots hosted there only Monday night game this season, against the Denver Broncos. The past three games, the Broncos have taken it to us, and have crushed us in the playoffs in the recent past. However, evident from the previous week, records like that mean nothing. The Patriots looked as dangerous and effective as they did last year. Only, more balanced. The defense actually was a factor, the receivers stepped up and Matt Cassel looked great even after being sacked six times.
But the most potent and surprisingly effective form of attack was the ground game. It started with Sammy Morris gashing the Broncos for over 130 yards. He took an injury at the half and left the rest to Kevin Faulk and Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis.(Yes, thats his whole name) The Pats mustered over 260 rushing yards against the Broncs. They haven't attained that many rushing yards in a single game since 1985. Pretty dang impressive.
The Broncos looked anemic on offense, barely getting a touchdown late in the game, and that was from ex-Patriot, Daniel Graham. Their defense appeared bold in the first quarter, with All-pro corner, Champ Bailey, knocking a couple passes from Randy Moss and Jabar Gaffney. But he went down with a groin injury and never came back in the game. After that, the defense of the Broncos shattered and the Patriots ran freely against them. Randy Moss looked sharp with two touchdowns, one on a screen that normally would be passed to Wes Welker. He sprinted upfield and waltzed into the endzone effortlessly.
The Patriot defense looked a thousand times better than last week. Recording two interceptions by the end of the game, a forcing three fumbles. They allowed only one touchdown and kept the dangerous air attack of the Broncos to a minimum.
The Broncos, of course, left a painful scar on our team, injuring safety Rodney Harrison for the season. A team leader in many aspects of the game, it will be a painful loss for the team. With Brady already gone, others will have to step in and fill their rolls.
If the Pats can play like they did on Monday consistently, the Patriots could be headed deep into the playoffs. It was definitely an inspiring win, minus the injuries, but they need to continue performing at that level to win more games. They now stand at 4-2, and are one game behind the Buffalo Bills. We play the St. Louis Rams this weekend, and will hopefully pick up a decent win. The Rams are coming off two consecutive wins, a rare thing in recent Ram history, and will probably come out fired up. But I think the Patriots will have just the medicine to put them back in their place on Sunday.

Nephron Loops, Epic Battles, and Two English Muffins

Woke up today, feeling stuffed up, runny, and not wanting to go to school. A couple days ago, the day was going along fine until late in the night. You ever get that sense that you are going to be sick before you actually get sick? Something just isn't right. Like, you can feel that biological barrier shut down, and you know some nasty pathogen from hell, that would just love to take you down, sees the open door into your body.
And you ever have one of those days where, mentally, your just kinda off? You're not quite yourself and you don't think correctly? Well apparently, God thought it would be a wonderful idea for me to be sick, feel weird, and take a rather important lab exam for college all in the same day. Oh yes, perfect timing. I frankly can't argue with Him about it, but ya just gotta love how life works, the good and the bad.
So anyway, I dragged myself into class, told my friends that there was absolutely no way I would be able to go and play football with them today, and started the exam. The exam consisted of several 'stations' with models of different organs in the human body, all of which had parts that you needed to identify. I don't know how off I was, but I went brain dead when I stared at those
models. I couldn't believe it, but I actually forgot most of the parts of the heart. I usually am pretty good with heart parts. Vena-Cava, Aorta, Ventricles, and all that stuff. Easy. It all faded away though as I took the exam. I only hope there was a small portion of the intelligent Dave there to write down the right answers. My teacher looked over at me as i took the exam and sympathetically asked, 'David, are you doing alright? You don't look that great at all.' I quickly shook my head, no, and continued on, trying to figure out if it was the kidney or the spleen that contains the loop of nephron. (It's the kidney)
I did nail the 'Microscope usage' part of the exam however, my teacher told me that much, so there is some hope that I passed.
After I finished the exam, I ran down to the cafeteria and grabbed some juice. Vitamin C kicks a colds butt, so I wanted to tank up on it. Then I went home, put the trash out, and headed up to my wonderful, and warm room. Minus the fact, of course, that there is a fine line between my room and my brothers. It's kinda like God and stuff. How He is three persons in one and all, well me and my brother's room as like two rooms on one. On my side, you have a floor with maybe a small pile of clothes, and a bit of junk. It's not immaculate, but it's livable. On the other side, there is no floor, no carpet, just a thick layer of clothes, and empty soda cans. Oh yeah, and a bed that sorta meshes its way with that whole side of the room. That's my brother's side.
So, I crashed down on my friendly bean bag, turned on the X-box, and duked it out on Madden 08. It was me, an epic coach of the Buffalo Bills boasting an undefeated 7-0 record, against the charged and loaded 5-2 Philadelphia Eagles. A battle for the ages for sure. But there was one problem. That epic Buffalo Bill coach had the sniffles. He could not play with the optimum reaction time that he normally would have on any old day. So he had a simple solution. He just selected the same plays, offensively, and defensively. The same exact play, every down, every quarter, all game. He didn't care, he just wanted to get his mind off the sniffles he had and veg on his bean bag. And he won! He won the game cause the Eagles just lost it and got sick of playing a against a dull coach who doesn't understand the word, 'complex'.
After the game, I considered watching tv or have some tea, but decided against it. Instead a I flopped onto bed and slept away.
After a good hour or so, I woke up to my phone a'buzzing next to me. It was my lady, Dot, informing me about something related to pumpkins and pies. It sounded good, and right then I got real hungry. Pie sounded good, but I lacked the energy to actually go and create something of such goodness. My brother and my dad are very inapt at cooking and things related to the kitchen, and my mum was at work. So, instead, I had a couple english muffins, with warm peanut butter lathered on top. It wasn't pumpkin pie, but hey, peanut butter and pumpkin sorta have the same color right? Sorta. :p
Well after that I got real bored. I didn't wanna go back to sleep, tv sounded real boring, and I didn't have the patience to read or listen to music. So I went out online. I had to bundle up and head out to some nearby steps where I can get wifi. I should be getting wifi in my own house rather soon I hope so I don't have to run outside with my laptop. Especially because I look like a homeless bum who managed to steal a decent computer. Kinda freaky.
Oh well, there was no real point to me writing all this, other than to update my blog, and do something that would kill off my boredom. It worked too, and if you read it all, then give yourself a pat on the back and have some tea, cause that's what I am about to do. :p

Week 6-Painful Payback

After beating them twice in two years in the playoffs, and pummeling them in the regular season last year, the Chargers got their payback on Sunday. Their first play of the game was a deep bomb to Charger wide receiver, Vincent Jackson. That set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Chargers caught us horribly off guard with a slashing passing game. Our defensive backs played poorly against receivers who were taller, and a lot more aggressive. It felt like the Patriots were rag dolls all night, barely stopping the Chargers only to get the ball back for, what felt like, 2 minute possessions.
No doubt, the Chargers came in with a better game plan, were it seemed Bill Belichick came in with the same usual plan of stopping running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, and tight end, Antonio Gates. Instead, the Chargers unleashed a deep and powerful passing attack built around attacking the small and speedy cornerback, Deltha O'Neil. They matched him up against taller receivers, who could easily reach over Deltha's head and go deep down field.
The Patriots offense struggled all night finding consistency. They had few promising drives, one of which, may have changed the outcome of the game. Matt Cassel and the offense made it's way down field with a passing frenzy early in the 3rd quarter, and brought it all the way to the 2 yard line. The Chargers, however, stepped up and stopped us on all four downs, and responded by marching 98 yards back down field for a score of their own. After that, the game quickly got out of hand, and the Patriots continued to hurt themselves on penalties and turnovers.
The Charger defense played great, sacking Cassel multiple times and preventing him from efficiently moving the ball down field.Randy Moss was almost completely cut off all game, with the Chargers cornerbacks knocking the ball out of his hands on more than one occasion. The running game seemed feeble, and Matt Cassel appeared flustered most of the game.
The Patriots defense, in one small bright spot, did do a decent job of stopping L.T. mostly. He did break for a couple of gains, but overall, he was not a major factor. Kudos to the Patriot linebackers for staying on tap there. But overall, the unit played poorly as well. The Chargers were free to pass to who they pleased, and when they wanted.
The Bills still lead the division at 4-1, and are set to play the Chargers this weekend. Hopefully they can suffer the same fate we did to them. If they do, and we can beat the Broncos this Monday night, we are back in a position to tie for the division. The Patriots need to start getting their act together though, because the division is beginning to improve. Hopefully Belichick will have the Pats ready and prepared to pull out a win against the Broncos this Monday. They have had our number for the past three games, and an upset would be real nice right now.

Unfailing Love

Sometimes a day will come along, seeming completely normal and regular, and then it hits me.
Almost three weeks ago now, I was laying in my hammock, on a Saturday night, around midnight, stuck in a spiritual pit. I felt dreadful, every corner was another obstacle to try and climb over. Ever have times like that? When you pray and ya feel God just is so far away, and no matter what ya do, you feel like your slugging along through mud?
That's how it can be sometimes, and I definitely think God puts us through times like that. One, for growth, because He instructs us to praise Him, and give Him all glory when we are going through a trial. And two, for amazing moments like I had that night on the hammock.
I had my trusty Zune on me, and I was listening to some Chris Tomlin and his worship music. I recently have gotten really into worship music, especially Chris Tomlin. I think because I was feeling so distant from God, listening to worship songs was one of the few things I could do to feel close again. My music tastes have taken an interesting lean towards worship music slowly over time. I'm finding an amazing connection with God listening to it, and just rocking for Him. Prayer is good. Church is good. Youth groups are good. But in the long run, are main purpose is to give our everything to God. Glorify Him.
Anyways, I was feeling dismal, and I stumbled on the song titled, 'Unfailing Love.' It is a great an inspiring song. The song just talks about how God cares about every little tiny facet of our lives. That over everything, He loves you and always will, no matter what. Like total, unending, unfailing love.
It really hit home to me that night, and I broke down in utter praise. It happens once in a while. I went from being totally lost and caught up in myself, to giving my cares to Him and just trusting Him. I was overwhelmed by His love. I wish I could have an experience like it everyday. My cares, my worries, myself, it all didn't matter anymore. I was with God, putting all my faith in Him.
So, slowly, but more and more, I'm learning to stop caring about myself and my issues. Those are far better left in His hands. My job is to just rock for him and do His will. Praise Him! :D

Week 5-Decisive Victory

The 49ers came out strong at the start of the game, forcing Matt Cassel to throw an interception on the Patriots third play of their opening drive. But, the Patriots responded by picking off 49ers quarterback, J. T. O'Sullivan on their first play.

It seemed equal in the early stretch, with the 49ers puting up the first touchdown, then a Patriots touchdown, and then another 49er touchdown. Both teams were playing fairly well, and it seemed like the defenses were playing rather loose and unagressive. But, with the Patriots trailing, 14-7, the defense and offensive came alive. They started quickly by marching downfield with wide reciever, Wes Welker, and using a rotation of 4 running backs. They nailed a field goal, cuting the lead to 4. Shortly after a defensive interception, they flew downfield again, this time Randy Moss, being the key component, catching several deep passes on the way, to set up a Kevin Faulk rushing touchdown. The defense continued to play strong, stopping the 49ers, and their star running back, Frank Gore(Who led the NFL in rushing yards before this game). Kevin Faulk continued to help the Pats, moving them downfield again, and recieving a direct snap on 4rth down to achieve a 2nd rushing touchdown for the game.

Watching the Patriots lately, without Tom Brady, I am seeing a similiar aproach that Belichick used in his earlier years with the Patriots. The running game is a bigger factor for us, as it takes more pressure of Matt Cassel, and our defense is the key component to winning our games. Last year, we were an offensive machine, leading in every catagory, while our defense, while good, was slugging behind. Part of which, is our playmakers on defense are getting older, and we didn't have much youth in the linebacking corps.

This year, however, our defense has showed a second wind, and with some new faces put in through the NFL draft, is looking strong again, as it did when we won our 3 Super Bowls.

Matt Cassel did get away with throwing 2 interceptions yesterday, but on one of them, he was hit when he threw the ball, resulting in an easy interception for the 49er defense, and the other on a deep ball down the field to Randy Moss. Otherwise, he looked poised and comfortable, especially after coming off that painfull loss a couple weeks ago against the Dolphins.

But,It was immensly refreshing to see Cassel throw an accurate and deep pass to Randy Moss early in the game yesterday. Hopefully, that can become a usual way of attack for the Pats as the season goes on.
With the Patriots improving to 3-1 and the Buffalo Bills taking their first loss this week, falling to 4-1, the division lead would seem to be up for grabs. The Bills enter their bye week this week, while the Patriots have a chance to tie for the division with a victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. The Chargers just took a close loss to the Dolphins this week, and are more than likely going to come out strong against the Patriots in hopes of getting back to the playoff-bound team they were a year ago. But, the Pats have had the Chargers number the past couple of years, and after a comforting victory this week, may play farly well against them. This will be the first playoff team from last year that the Pats play this season, and I definitely hope they have what it takes to come home from the West Coast at a comfortable 4-1. Go Pats!