Patriots Report Card: Pats at Broncos 10/11/09
By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies correspondent
Sometimes late at night I wonder what celebrities would sing to each other at karaoke. I bet the Broncos would serenade Tom Brady with “Brady We’ve Got Your Number,” a parody of Tommy Tuone’s 1982 hit “867-5309/Jenny.” After Sunday’s mile-high quagmire, Brady is just 1-5 against Denver.
Quarterbacks:
Going 5-for-14 in the second half doesn’t cut it. Especially if you’re a two-time Super Bowl MVP. Included in that second half was a throw that fell at the feet of a wide-open Wes Welker with less than four minutes to play. Welker wasn’t the only one he missed as Brady sent passes sailing over Randy Moss’ head three times on the day. On the other hand, he did throw for two touchdowns, so it’s not all bad.
My Grade: D+
Running Backs:
Sammy Morris averaged four yards per carry. Solid. He also had a key 35-yard catch on the Pats’ first scoring drive. Kevin Faulk caught three passes. Laurence Maroney was good at blitz-pickup. Not a dazzling performance from the group, but its what they’re asked to do.
My Grade: B-
Receivers/Tight Ends:
Its not their fault Brady couldn’t get him them the ball. Moss’ stats would’ve been better had Tommy hit him on any of the deep throws over his head. Welker managed a team-high eight grabs for 86 yards and a touchdown. Ben Watson continued his hot play of late, catching both passes thrown his way and added a touchdown of his own.
My Grade: A-
Offensive Line:
Lost in the loss was Matt Light leaving the game in the fourth with a knee injury. That could be a problem to watch for in coming weeks. Regardless, the line played well. It only allowed one sack on the day. Plus it did a good job of blocking in the screen game, especially on Sammy Morris’ 35-yard catch.
My Grade: B+
Defensive Line:
Vince Wilfork continues to show why he’s an elite nose tackle. He overpowered the vaunted Bronco o-line. Perhaps his best play came late in the fourth, when he stopped a screen pass and stopped Knowshon Moreno for a loss. Ty Warren had as many tackles as Wilfork with four, but was called for a late-hit that set-up Denver’s first touchdown.
My Grade: C
Linebackers:
Jerod Mayo returned and his presence was felt throughout the game. He racked up six tackles, even though he hasn’t fully recovered from his week one injury. Rob Ninkovich and Tully Banta-Cain had a sack apiece. But Banta-Cain was flagged for being offside in overtime, moving the eventual game-winning kick up five yards.
My Grade: C
Defensive Backs:
The group whiffed on seven tackles. They also made Kyle Orton look like Tom Brady circa 2007 the whole day. The group couldn’t contain Brandan Marshall or Eddie Royal.
My Grade: F
Special Teams:
Stephen Gotskowski’s miss from 40 yards in the fourth could’ve won the game. But outside of that this group was good. Chris Hansen downed punts on the two- and ten-yard lines. Kick-off coverage was solid. And Gostkowski nailed a 53 yarder before his miss.
My Grade: C
Overall Grade: C+
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Scott, I think your generous with the C+, I was thinking low C’s. Brady had a D performance but we have to accept that it will take many more games before he is the Brady of years past. The Pats secondary better improve. There are several teams we play that can take advantage of that weakness. Time to add in a Coaching rating, I might only rate last weeks at a C-.