Pats-Broncos hots and nots, and game notes.
Here are my "hots" and "nots" from an afternoon of television viewing, and the game notes as prepared by the Patriots' media relations department:
WHO'S HOT
WES WELKER: He's banged up and he was speared in the kidneys on one of his receptions (no call, natch), but he still caught eight passes for 86 yards. He won't last the season if Brady doesn't get someone else involved in the offense.
BRANDON McGOWAN: A qualified "hot" because he did have a defensive holding penalty that was offset by a Denver penalty. He had nine tackles two pass defenses and a fumble recovery in place of injured safety James Sanders.
LEIGH BODDEN: Another solid performance, including a team-high 11 tackles and two pass defenses.
JEROD MAYO: Six tackles and a forced fumble in his first action since suffering a knee injury in the opener. He’s a warrior.
MATT SLATER: He downed a Chris Hanson punt at the Denver 2. It wasn’t his fault the Broncos marched 98 yards for the game-tying score.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE IN GENERAL: This borders upon lukewarm, but Brady had time to throw, and holes were open for Sammy Morris early in the game. Things got a little dicey when Matt Light went out with a knee injury after Dan Koppen rolled over him, and it looks like a steady diet of Sebastian Vollmer is on the horizon.
WHO'S NOT
TOM BRADY: WBZ-FM’s Andy Gresh should be on Brady’s payroll for the post-game attempts he made to absolve the quarterback of all blame for the loss, and instead fault the defense. In the second half, Brady simply stunk. He was 5-14 for 63 yards, no touchdowns and a lost fumble after intermission. He had protection and open receivers, but he either overthrew the deep passes or appeared at least once to wing it up and hope someone not wearing a yellow shirt would be near it. What gives?
RANDY MOSS: He caught two passes -- one for 36 yards from Brady, and a half-ending Hail Mary pass by Kyle Orton that he intercepted. Brady overthrew him badly at least twice, but if you are the receiver Randy Moss is supposed to be, where’s the separation? Where are the jump-ball catches, or the leaping attempts?
LOGAN MANKINS: Didn’t this kid used to be good? He had a rough day, with an unnecessary roughness penalty, and being bowled over by the Denver defense on a third-and-1 rush at the end of the first quarter.
SHAWN SPRINGS: On the first of Brandon Marshall’s two TD receptions, Springs was cast aside by the rookie receiver like a rag doll as the latter made a quick move inside while Springs watched the reception from out of bounds. The pylon had a better chance of stopping Marshall. Springs seems determined to give his assignments a wide berth before trying to cover them.
JONATHAN WILHITE: During a third-quarter Denver scoring drive, he tipped the ball up in the air long enough for former Patriot Jabar Gaffney to recover and catch it for a big gain.
BRANDON MERIWEATHER: He was flagged for taunting on the play before Orton threw to Marshall for the game-tying touchdown. Earlier in that same drive, he played matador defense on run by Knowshon Moreno, who was trapped in the backfield but escaped as Meriweather made a futile grasp for that ugly yellow jersey.
LAURENCE MARONEY: Five carries, 21 yards as the second-stringer. First-round draft choice, huh?
ADALIUS THOMAS: Just one tackle credited in the game stats. One! He was absent from practice all week for reasons that were not disclosed; maybe he should have been absent for the game as well. Oh, wait, he was.
JONATHAN PAPELBON: OK, wrong game and sport. But that was pathetic pitching with the season on the line.
BILL BELICHICK: Denver calls its “wildcat” the “Wild Horses” offense. Hasn’t Bill seen enough of this gimmicky nonsense to figure out a way to stop it? Denver ran its wildcat five times for 23 rushing yards according to the NFL play-by-play, and on other occasions, Kyle Orton raced back under center and the Patriots didn’t adapt quickly enough to keep a receiver from being uncovered.
WHO'S LUKEWARM
STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI: He made a career-best 53-yard field goal, but his miss from 40 (only his second miss of the year) was a killer.
SAMMY MORRIS: Not really his fault to be here, more a fault of the coaching staff. He had 24 yards on eight carries and one catch for 35 yards in the first quarter, and looked as if he was going to add balance to the attack. Then Brady started winging it up. The Patriots tried to go back to the run later in the game, but they weren’t running from a position of strength.
THE DEFENSE IN GENERAL: They held Denver to 17 points in regulation, and have been stingy with the points in general this season. But the Patriots also surrendered 424 total yards (321 through the air) and 27 first downs.
GAME NOTES
MOSS RECORDS FIRST CAREER INTERCEPTION
Randy Moss lined up deep on defense during Denver’s final play of the first half and intercepted a QB Kyle Orton pass to secure New England’s 17-7 first half lead. It is his first career interception and second pass defensed of his career. He recorded his first pass defensed in 2007 at Buffalo (11/18/07). It is the first interception that Denver has thrown in 2009.
MAYO RETURNS
Jerod Mayo, the 2008 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, returned to action after missing three games with an injury. Midway through the first quarter, Mayo forced a fumble on a tackle of Denver RB Knowshon Moreno that was recovered by S Branon McGowan at the Denver 45-yard line. That play helped set up New England’s first touchdown. Mayo finished the game with six total tackles.
PATS GET A TAKEAWAY IN 13 STRAIGHT GAMES
The New England Patriots have had at least one forced turnover in 13 straight games, the third longest current streak enerting the Denver game, behind Oakland (15) and the NY Jets (12).
GOSTKOWSKI SETS CAREER-HIGH WITH 53-YARD FIELD GOAL
K Stepen Gostkowski’s 53-yard field goal in the first quarter is a career-high, besting a 52-yard field goal he had vs. Chicago on November 26, 2006. It is tied for the fifth longest in franchise history. Adam Vinatierei set the franchise record with a 57-yard field goal at Chicago (11/10/02).
GOSTKOWSKI TAKES OVER FOURTH PLACE ON ALL-TIME PAT LIST
Gostkowski’s extra point in the first quarter moved him out of a tie with Tony Franklin (163) and into sole possession of fourth place on New England All-Time PAT list. He entered the Denver game tied four fourth place with Tony Franklin on the Patriots All-Time PAT list with 163.
WELKER ABOVE AVERAGE
Wes Welker finished with eight receptions for 86 yards. He has avareged 7.1 receptions per game as a member of the Patriots. Welker has had six or more receptions in 17 of his last 19 regualr-season games.
NINKOVICH RECORD FIRST CAREER SACK
Rob Ninkovich registered his frist NFL sack on a two-yard sack of QB Kyle Orton in the second quarter.
BENJAMIN WATSON SCORES HIS THIRD TOUCHDOWN
TE Benjamin Watson connected with QB Tom Brady on his third touchdown of the 2009 season with a seven-yarder in the second quarte. He had two in the season-opener against Buffalo. He had two touchdowns last season.
PATRIOTS OFFENSE SCORES FIRST TOUCHDOWN PASS AGAINST DENVER IN 2009
The Patriots eight-yard scoring pass from QB Tom Brady to WR Wes Welker was the first touchdown pass against Denver in 2009. The Broncos entered the game ranked second in the NFL in total defense and allowed just two rushing touchdowns and no passing touchdowns in the first four games. Brady added a seven-yard touchdown to TE Ben Watson in the second quarter.
PATRIOTS SCORE 17 AGAINST DENVER
New England scored scored 17 points against a Denver defense that was ranked second and was allowing just 6.5 points per game through the first four games of the 2009 season. New England’s 17 first half points were more than Denver allowed in a single game in 2009.
WHO'S HOT
WES WELKER: He's banged up and he was speared in the kidneys on one of his receptions (no call, natch), but he still caught eight passes for 86 yards. He won't last the season if Brady doesn't get someone else involved in the offense.
BRANDON McGOWAN: A qualified "hot" because he did have a defensive holding penalty that was offset by a Denver penalty. He had nine tackles two pass defenses and a fumble recovery in place of injured safety James Sanders.
LEIGH BODDEN: Another solid performance, including a team-high 11 tackles and two pass defenses.
JEROD MAYO: Six tackles and a forced fumble in his first action since suffering a knee injury in the opener. He’s a warrior.
MATT SLATER: He downed a Chris Hanson punt at the Denver 2. It wasn’t his fault the Broncos marched 98 yards for the game-tying score.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE IN GENERAL: This borders upon lukewarm, but Brady had time to throw, and holes were open for Sammy Morris early in the game. Things got a little dicey when Matt Light went out with a knee injury after Dan Koppen rolled over him, and it looks like a steady diet of Sebastian Vollmer is on the horizon.
WHO'S NOT
TOM BRADY: WBZ-FM’s Andy Gresh should be on Brady’s payroll for the post-game attempts he made to absolve the quarterback of all blame for the loss, and instead fault the defense. In the second half, Brady simply stunk. He was 5-14 for 63 yards, no touchdowns and a lost fumble after intermission. He had protection and open receivers, but he either overthrew the deep passes or appeared at least once to wing it up and hope someone not wearing a yellow shirt would be near it. What gives?
RANDY MOSS: He caught two passes -- one for 36 yards from Brady, and a half-ending Hail Mary pass by Kyle Orton that he intercepted. Brady overthrew him badly at least twice, but if you are the receiver Randy Moss is supposed to be, where’s the separation? Where are the jump-ball catches, or the leaping attempts?
LOGAN MANKINS: Didn’t this kid used to be good? He had a rough day, with an unnecessary roughness penalty, and being bowled over by the Denver defense on a third-and-1 rush at the end of the first quarter.
SHAWN SPRINGS: On the first of Brandon Marshall’s two TD receptions, Springs was cast aside by the rookie receiver like a rag doll as the latter made a quick move inside while Springs watched the reception from out of bounds. The pylon had a better chance of stopping Marshall. Springs seems determined to give his assignments a wide berth before trying to cover them.
JONATHAN WILHITE: During a third-quarter Denver scoring drive, he tipped the ball up in the air long enough for former Patriot Jabar Gaffney to recover and catch it for a big gain.
BRANDON MERIWEATHER: He was flagged for taunting on the play before Orton threw to Marshall for the game-tying touchdown. Earlier in that same drive, he played matador defense on run by Knowshon Moreno, who was trapped in the backfield but escaped as Meriweather made a futile grasp for that ugly yellow jersey.
LAURENCE MARONEY: Five carries, 21 yards as the second-stringer. First-round draft choice, huh?
ADALIUS THOMAS: Just one tackle credited in the game stats. One! He was absent from practice all week for reasons that were not disclosed; maybe he should have been absent for the game as well. Oh, wait, he was.
JONATHAN PAPELBON: OK, wrong game and sport. But that was pathetic pitching with the season on the line.
BILL BELICHICK: Denver calls its “wildcat” the “Wild Horses” offense. Hasn’t Bill seen enough of this gimmicky nonsense to figure out a way to stop it? Denver ran its wildcat five times for 23 rushing yards according to the NFL play-by-play, and on other occasions, Kyle Orton raced back under center and the Patriots didn’t adapt quickly enough to keep a receiver from being uncovered.
WHO'S LUKEWARM
STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI: He made a career-best 53-yard field goal, but his miss from 40 (only his second miss of the year) was a killer.
SAMMY MORRIS: Not really his fault to be here, more a fault of the coaching staff. He had 24 yards on eight carries and one catch for 35 yards in the first quarter, and looked as if he was going to add balance to the attack. Then Brady started winging it up. The Patriots tried to go back to the run later in the game, but they weren’t running from a position of strength.
THE DEFENSE IN GENERAL: They held Denver to 17 points in regulation, and have been stingy with the points in general this season. But the Patriots also surrendered 424 total yards (321 through the air) and 27 first downs.
GAME NOTES
MOSS RECORDS FIRST CAREER INTERCEPTION
Randy Moss lined up deep on defense during Denver’s final play of the first half and intercepted a QB Kyle Orton pass to secure New England’s 17-7 first half lead. It is his first career interception and second pass defensed of his career. He recorded his first pass defensed in 2007 at Buffalo (11/18/07). It is the first interception that Denver has thrown in 2009.
MAYO RETURNS
Jerod Mayo, the 2008 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, returned to action after missing three games with an injury. Midway through the first quarter, Mayo forced a fumble on a tackle of Denver RB Knowshon Moreno that was recovered by S Branon McGowan at the Denver 45-yard line. That play helped set up New England’s first touchdown. Mayo finished the game with six total tackles.
PATS GET A TAKEAWAY IN 13 STRAIGHT GAMES
The New England Patriots have had at least one forced turnover in 13 straight games, the third longest current streak enerting the Denver game, behind Oakland (15) and the NY Jets (12).
GOSTKOWSKI SETS CAREER-HIGH WITH 53-YARD FIELD GOAL
K Stepen Gostkowski’s 53-yard field goal in the first quarter is a career-high, besting a 52-yard field goal he had vs. Chicago on November 26, 2006. It is tied for the fifth longest in franchise history. Adam Vinatierei set the franchise record with a 57-yard field goal at Chicago (11/10/02).
GOSTKOWSKI TAKES OVER FOURTH PLACE ON ALL-TIME PAT LIST
Gostkowski’s extra point in the first quarter moved him out of a tie with Tony Franklin (163) and into sole possession of fourth place on New England All-Time PAT list. He entered the Denver game tied four fourth place with Tony Franklin on the Patriots All-Time PAT list with 163.
WELKER ABOVE AVERAGE
Wes Welker finished with eight receptions for 86 yards. He has avareged 7.1 receptions per game as a member of the Patriots. Welker has had six or more receptions in 17 of his last 19 regualr-season games.
NINKOVICH RECORD FIRST CAREER SACK
Rob Ninkovich registered his frist NFL sack on a two-yard sack of QB Kyle Orton in the second quarter.
BENJAMIN WATSON SCORES HIS THIRD TOUCHDOWN
TE Benjamin Watson connected with QB Tom Brady on his third touchdown of the 2009 season with a seven-yarder in the second quarte. He had two in the season-opener against Buffalo. He had two touchdowns last season.
PATRIOTS OFFENSE SCORES FIRST TOUCHDOWN PASS AGAINST DENVER IN 2009
The Patriots eight-yard scoring pass from QB Tom Brady to WR Wes Welker was the first touchdown pass against Denver in 2009. The Broncos entered the game ranked second in the NFL in total defense and allowed just two rushing touchdowns and no passing touchdowns in the first four games. Brady added a seven-yard touchdown to TE Ben Watson in the second quarter.
PATRIOTS SCORE 17 AGAINST DENVER
New England scored scored 17 points against a Denver defense that was ranked second and was allowing just 6.5 points per game through the first four games of the 2009 season. New England’s 17 first half points were more than Denver allowed in a single game in 2009.
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