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Here are 10 things we learned from last night’s season finale, which put the Patriots at 16-0:
1. The Patriots have heart.
The real term might be pride, but whatever it is, they are overloaded with it. The Patriots played a decent game, but on both sides of the ball, they took control of the game in the second half.
2. The Giants were in denial.
This has been a common problem for recent Patriots opponents. They claim moral victories. The Giants played their hearts out, but they lost and quite frankly, Giants quarterback Eli Manning played his worst when it mattered most. Overall, he was impressive, especially in the stat sheet, but unlike Tom Brady he didn’t make any big plays from midway through the third quarter until the end of the game. My early guess is the Giants are in deep trouble against the Buccanneers.
3. No pressure on QB, no win.
The Patriots took over the game in the third quarter when they started to pressure Eli Manning into throwing the ball earlier than he wanted. On the other side, Brady was barely touched. Other than on blitz-sack, he had too much time. This is the most important aspect of the Patriots game, on both sides.
4. Tom Brady is the MVP … unanimously.
The Patriots had many blowouts this season, but the games that will be remembered most were the fourth quarter comebacks. He had four of them, three of which the Patriots trailed by 10 or more points in the second half (two in the fourth quarter). He doesn’t get rattled. I agree, I have said this 150 times before, but it’s true.
5. Dolphins showed class.
A nice gesture by the Dolphins PR department was to get quotes from several members of the 1972 Dolphins team which finished undefeated (14-0 in regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs). All were complimentary, but one, by former guard Bob Kuechenberg, was particularly interesting and honest.
“My heart is dead set against it. The ‘72 team is uniquely immortal in American sports and I don’t want us to lose that special place … If they win every game in front of them, then they will join us among those ranks. They will have deserved it and I will congratulate them.”
6. N.Y. media very fickle.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Expect many stories on the controversy surrounding the Giants decision to play their starters, three of whom were injured last night, for most of the game. The tabloid media played both sides before and after the game. Did Coughlin do the right thing? I probably would have rested my guys, but it doesn’t matter. He did play them and the country was handed a great game. Coughlin has a tough group to deal with there, and I’m not talking players.
7. Pats success hinges on Welker.
Mind you, Moss is the superstar, but the key to the Patriots success on offense is Wes Welker. When he has a big day, Moss usually is the biggest beneficiary. Welker had 11 catches for 122 yards last night, setting up Moss for two TDs, six overall catches and 100 yards receiving. On the big 65-yarder, which put the Patriots ahead for good, Welker was the first option, drawing two defenders. Moss kept running and ended up being all alone on the right sideline. His 11 catches gave him 112 catches, the most ever for a Patriot (Troy Brown led with 101).
8. Ben Watson isn’t right.
Maybe it’s the injury, but Watson didn’t look comfortable catching or running with the ball. This is a big deal because Brady wants to use Watson for deeper routes down the middle of the field while Moss is on the outside. The tight end was easy to take down and had two bad drops. If he is not at the top of his game, the Patriots are not as good as they could be.
9. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski is very, very good.
The second-year kicker out of Memphis made three field goals last night, two for 37 yards and one for 45 yards, all in the first half night. For the season he was 21 of 24 (88 percent), which is the best of his career (he made 20 of 26 last season). In case you’re wondering, Adam Vinatieri had three seasons better than Gostkowski’s (Vinatieri made 27-of-30 in 2002, 31-of-33 in 2004, 25-of-28 in 2006).
10. Bill Belichick deserves coach of the year.
16 wins in 16 games. Enough said.