From: johndoe@samadams.inmet (johndoe)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Re: More Patriots Woes
Date: 5 Nov 92 21:51:00 GMT
Reply-To: johndoe@inmet.com (Bus error - core dumped)
Distribution: usa,local
Organization: Intermetrics, Inc.

In article <1992Nov5.102335.1@violet.ccit.arizona.edu> f67700241@violet.ccit.arizona.edu (Greg Franklin) writes:
>In article <1992Nov5.152805.16831@osf.org>, bsmith@osf.org (Bruce Smith) writes:
>>Adding to the Pats' already extensive injury list, Coach Dick MacPherson is
>>out for perhaps the rest of the year with diverticulitis (an intestinal
>>problem). 
>> 
>>The Patriots have often suffered from untimely injuries, but this year has
>>been especially bad. Anyone know all the names? The most recent (not counting
>>Coach Mac) was OT Bruce Armstrong, who suffered ligament damage in last
>>week's game vs. the Bills. I believe that leaves the team with just one
>>reserve offensive lineman.

the wounded include 1990 first round draft pick wr hart lee dykes (broken
leg?), starting qb hugh millen (shoulder, ribs?), andre tippett, irving
fryar (who has been playing despite his injury), and ol pat harlow, now
armstrong ... these are just the better starters on the team that have been
hurt.  

garin veris has also been permanently (well, you know what i mean...) lost
to free agency. 

>> 
>>Fellow Pats fans, take heart anyway. The team is still playing hard, and....
>>next year will *have* to be better! (won't it?)

despite their record, they are indeed playing hard, and that is good to see.
with their talent, they have to play completely mistake free games to even
have a chance to win, and they have been making mistakes in every game.

>
>Didn't Dick get coach of the year awards last year for turning around the 
>1-15 Pats of 1990?  He hasn't suddenly gotten stupid, right?  Jankovic was
>also getting kudos for the team's play, I'm sure?
>
>What choices did these guys make that have produced such an impotent team?
>Have the gains of 1991 been erased?

the patriots were overachievers in 1991.  they had a fifth place schedule,
and they won most of the close games they were in (td or less), while they
blew no one out and got blown out several times.

	ne 16 ind  7	den  9 ne  6	mia 20 ne 10	phx 24 ne 10
	ne 24 hou 20	buf 22 ne 17	mia 30 ne 20	cle 20 ne  7
	ne 26 min 23ot	nyj 28 ne 21			pit 20 ne  6
	ne 16 buf 13					den 20 ne  3
	ne 23 ind 17ot					cin 29 ne  7
	ne  6 nyj  3

without even having seen the team last year, you can tell that they played a
fairly conservative style of game, hoping to hold their opponents' scoring
down, and then pull it out in the end.  they were able to do this several
times, and almost did it in buffalo as well.  but they also failed to put
very many points on the board at any time, and when the defense could not
hold the offense, or when the offense made mistakes, the team suffered.

very little has really changed this year as far as the patriots are
concerned, but their opponents seem more patient and less prone to panic, or
else the patriots seem less confident.  they were tied with the rams 0-0 at
halftime, only to lose that game.  they were down only 6-0 to buffalo in
foxboro at halftime (and could have been tied or ahead but for a couple of
bad calls) before getting 35 unanswered points scored on them in the second
half.  they were ahead of san fransisco late, but they couldn't make the big
play when they needed to (hurst dropped an int for a td), and the 49ers went
on to win.  they were 8 points ahead of cleveland in the fourth quarter
before losing several fumbles.  the defense played tough in buffalo, scoring
the first 7 on the bills, and pretty much keeping them out of the end zone.
but they also were drawn offsides on at least 3 critical situations, and in
the end, the offense could not produce anything, even when it was gift
wrapped for them deep in bills territory.

>-- 
>Greg "Mockingbird" Franklin      Interviewer: "Sir, how do you spell relief?"
>f67700241@ccit.arizona.edu               Dan: "R-O-L-A-I-D-S-E."
>