Which outdoor venue should host the Bruins?

Posted by Dean Reddington December 31, 2008 at 3:30 pm

On New Year’s Day the Chicago Blackhawks will host the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL’s second Winter Classic. What outdoor venue would be best to watch your first place Boston Bruins… Fenway Park? Harvard Stadium? Gillette?

On New Year’s Day 2008, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Buffalo Bills’ Ralph Wilson Stadium.

While you ponder, watch a video of the crews preparing Chicago’s Wrigley Field for the Wings and Hawks

Awesome vs Not-Awesome: 2008

Posted by Adam Hart December 31, 2008 at 9:41 am

This is for all the marbles. Who will be remembered as the final victor of 2008? Awesome, whose wins piled up due to beautiful women and my personal whims, or Not-Awesome — the degenerate? Click on for the results. Read more

Bruins Can’t Lose

Posted by Adam Hart December 31, 2008 at 6:44 am

9 straight. 12-1-0 in December. Try arguing with that. And last night they blew through the Eastern Conference defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. I’m just surprised they haven’t clinched yet. Read more

Wanna Trade, Cleveland?

Posted by Randolph Charlotin December 31, 2008 at 5:28 am

Boy, we don’t even get a chance to let the fact that the Patriots are out of the playoffs for the first time since 2002 soak in before the team is involved in off-season news.

On Monday, three teams fired their head coaches, with two of the head men out of work have Patriots ties. Rod Marinelli was canned after a 0-16 season with Detroit, snitch Eric Mangini was let go by the Jets for missing the playoffs two out of three years, and Cleveland had enough of Romeo Crennel after 40 losses in four seasons. Crennel and Mangini were both former defensive coordinators for the Patriots.

The day before the Browns served Romeo his pink slip, they fired general manager Phil Savage. Wasting no time, the Browns asked an received permission to talk to New England vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli about a position with Cleveland.

If Pioli takes the job, then I wish him luck. He’s earned the chance to run a football team and have final say on player acquisitions either in free agency or through the draft.

But if the Browns get Pioli from us, I want Crennel back. Maybe he won’t be the defensive coordinator because the Pats currently have Dean Pees as defensive coordinator and Dom Capers as a special assistant/secondary coach, but I want Crennel’s hands back and involved in the day-to-day coaching and preparation of the defense.

Even though last year New England’s defense ranked sixth in passing and first in rushing, I felt the defense was insulated by the record-breaking offense. Without the huge leads the defense typically played with, the truth would come out, which was the defense wasn’t as good as the numbers suggested.

This year gives some truth to my gut feeling. The pass defense dropped from sixth to eleventh in ‘08. The decline was even more dramatic for the run defense, from first to 15th.

Defensive numbers aren’t what’s most important, though. Bill Belichick would rather have a defense that bends but doesn’t break. In other words, teams could go up and down the field, but keeping the opponents from scoring matters most. That’s done by red zone defense and turnovers.

In that regard, the ‘08 defense was the worst in the last eight years. They allowed 25.6 points per game (eighth) and were just +1 (15th) in turnover differential. This chart puts it in better perspective:

Year   pts/gm (rank)   +/- (rank)
2008    25.6 (8)           +1   (15)
2007    17.1 (4)           +16 (3)
2006    14.8 (2)           +8   (4)
2005    21.1 (17)         -6   (20)

The defense overall was better in Crennel’s four years as Patriots defensive coordinator:

Year   pts/gm (rank)   +/- (rank)
2004    16.3 (2)            +9  (7)
2003    14.9 (1)            +17 (2)
2002    21.6 (17)          +10 (10)
2001    17.0 (6)            +7  (9)

But even more telling is red zone defense, an area the Patriots were terrible at this past season. Opponents thrived when they got inside the 20, scoring at a .933 rate! That’s embarrassing! Makes you wonder how the hell did the Pats win eleven game being as generous as they were. Two-thirds (.667) of the time opponents scored touchdowns, which ranked the Patriots as 31st in the league. It wasn’t a red zone, it was a red carpet.

It hasn’t been much better in the last three years:

Year     pct     TD pct (rank)
2007   .732     .585    (27)
2006   .743     .343     (2)
2005   .875     .563    (27)

And vs. the rankings under Crennel:

Year     pct     TD pct (rank)
2004   .653     .408     (3)
2003   .761     .391     (4)
2002   .815     .630    (30)
2001   .816     .388     (3)

Considering all these teams went to the playoffs with the exception of the 2002 team, it seems fair to say the defense was better under Crennel’s guiding hand.

But it’s more than just numbers. In the past the Patriots defense was known as a physical unit. They were big and intimidating. They lacked swagger, for obvious reasons - they couldn’t back it up on the field.

I don’t know if Crennel has anything to do with the defense’s attitude, but they need to restore their confidence. Having a healthy Richard Seymour helps, but it’s more than that. Changes need to be made as more youth infuses the D with speed and aggression. LB Jerod Mayo and S Brandon Merriweather are just the beginning. Finding a shut-down corner with a short memory would allow more creativity by the D coordinator to mix coverages. A rush linebacker or two to create consistent pressure, get sacks, and force turnovers would greatly aid a suspect secondary. And an emphasis on the fundamentals, particularly tackling, would keep running backs from breaking long runs.

Having Crennel back would get the Patriots get back to being the tough unit opponents groaned when lined up across the ball from. Get him back in some capacity. The defense can’t slip much farther, but improving the defense would be the difference between not just getting to the playoffs, but advancing once there.

http://www.newenglandpatriotsnews.com/randolphc/weblog/

Let’s Not Be Hasty

Posted by Adam Hart December 30, 2008 at 2:52 am

I’m talking to you, Florida Marlins. Please come back to the negotiating table. I want Hanley Ramirez in this Red Sox lineup.  Pronto. Read more

Hello world!

Posted by admin December 29, 2008 at 9:03 pm

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Bruins Take 8 Crazy Wins

Posted by Adam Hart December 29, 2008 at 10:20 am

Yeah, it’s a little play off of Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song.  No, I don’t celebrate the holiday.  But you can pretend that I gifted you Kesselmania XXII, if it’d make you happy. Read more

A Season To Remember

Posted by Adam Hart December 29, 2008 at 1:19 am

A devastating injury in Week 1 of the NFL season — every football fan in New England would have told you that the Patriots stood no chance of making the playoffs. But did anyone listen? No. Read more

Bittersweet Ending

Posted by Mike Giardi December 28, 2008 at 10:47 pm

So that’s it? Seems kinda sudden, doesn’t it? I mean, we knew the Pats were no shoo-in to make the playoffs, but I just believed it was going to happen, even if that meant relying on Brett Favre. Silly me for relying on that relic. He was a genius in the 90’s, a player capable of doing things few NFL quarterbacks have ever done. But now he’s an over-indulgent gambler. 22 Interceptions this season. 22! Three coming in the finale this afternoon at the Meadowlands, a fitting swan song in my mind, and maybe the end of Eric Mangini as well.

I, for one, don’t believe Mangini should get the gate, but I suspect the organization will cave to media and fan pressure and a capable coach will be looking for work. I realize that last sentence won’t go over well in New England, but get over it. Mangini left because he felt he was ready and got a big chunk of change. He ratted out the Pats because they were cheating. How much did that cheating help the Pats? Who knows, but the league laid down the hammer, so we know what they believe. Did Mangini take part in that? I’m sure, but he wasn’t working for the Pats anymore, so his loyalty belongs in one place, with the Jets. Anyway, I digress…I got way off track there. This is what happens when you have a million things to say and not that much time to say it.

On the Pats…a disappointing end, but a successful season. Does that make sense? They exceeded most people’s expectations (not mine. I had ‘em winning 11 post-Brady injury. That – and 50 cents – couldn’t buy me a good cup of coffee, if I could drink that anymore!), and there are so many things to like. First and foremost, Matt Cassel’s development. He’s a legit NFL QB, and while I expect there might be some regression next year, just based on where he may end up and leaving the Belichick/McDaniel cocoon, but he can sling it and he can lead. That will show up at his next home, I suspect. Then again, maybe his next home is right here. Some crazy stories circulating about Tom Brady’s health, and the possibility of him needing another surgery that may cost him 2009. You know the Pats will monitor this, and if Brady’s not ready, does that ensure Cassel comes back after getting franchised? Can the Pats spend up to 30 percent of their cap on one position? Questions that likely won’t get answered in Foxboro until they actually make their decision official. Yes, it’s how they roll.

After Cassel, there are plenty of other questions that need to be answered, positions that need to be addressed. If I had to rate ‘em, I’d say this team needs another inside backer and another outside backer. They also need another legit corner (even if you, like I, believe Wheatley and Willhite can be players in this league). I suspect free agent James Sanders will remain a Patriot. As for Rodney Harrison, would you trust him at this point? Maybe he’ll just retire and make the decision easy. I doubt it will play out that way.

Offensively, another wide receiver would be nice, either forcing Jabar Gaffney to re-sign as the 4th guy or find a replacement, and I’m betting big bucks that Laurence Maroney will be long gone and hard to find. The Pats proved they can do this without him, and what has he proven to this point? Very little, and only in short bursts. I’d also take a closer look at the right side of that offensive line and ask myself, can I do better? Stephen Neal played at a Pro Bowl level a season ago, but he is injury prone and getting older. Might be time to find a replacement, unless you think you can milk another season out of him.

Okay, I’m out of time, but not out of ideas. More in this space in the days and weeks to come.

Brad Penny. Red Sox.

Posted by Adam Hart December 28, 2008 at 9:32 pm

Apparently, Boston is close to signing Penny — one of those Alyssa Milano ex-boyfriends. Carl Pavano is still a free agent, right? Sign him up, too! Read more

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