Week Log: Patriots Are Just Another Team

Unless you’re the President of the United States or the engineer who figured out how to fit all that cheese into a Cheez-It, you’ve probably awoken to days when you feel like Just Another Guy or Just Another Gal, as Felger might say. On Tuesday morning, I woke to the realization the Pats are Just Another Team. One that may well run the table to 12-4, and one that might even steal a first-round game if they host it, but one that has failed almost every test of mettle this season and, as Mike Reiss points out, the opportunity to answer tough questions is now over.

Let’s look at the recent carnage that was once our budding expectations. We’ll start on a simple note, where Get Out Of My Ballpark wishes Stephen Gostkowski could have kicked a few more extra points on Monday. Dominant and atrocious are PatriotsBlog‘s descriptions of the O-lines of the Saints and Pats, respectively. Blaug feels as though they brought a potato gun to an air raid. PatsPulpit says that anytime Randy Moss and Wes Welker are shut down, trouble will be a brewin’. It Is What It Is has Welker saying the Pats have a big-time lack of attitude.

Patriots Gab doesn’t believe the Pats gave this game up; rather, it just got taken from them. Watching Coach Belichick stick around too long to congratulate the winners put a real bummer on Thanks For Playing‘s night. The Patriot Act calls Monday’s embarrassment a watershed game for Drew Brees and the Saints.

After being picked apart by Breez, Pats Chowder sees nothing in this secondary that should give Patriots Nation any cause for confidence. However, I’m Just Sayin’ has Belichick believing he can fix his secondary problems.

On a positive note, Jeff Howe has special teams captain Sam Aiken forcing the coach’s hand for more plays from scrimmage.

NCAAF

The BC Blog has the Eagles pulling out all the themes in preserving their 19-17 victory in Maryland last Saturday. BC Interruption calls the game dull and uninspiring. With eight wins in the bag and a bowl game coming, BC Draft enjoys ripping Andre Ware a new one over a prognostication gone bad. The bowl outlook is nice, but Eagle In Atlanta is excited over The Heights’ switch of uniform sponsor to Under Armour. The View From Section X has four Eagles getting All-ACC honors. Congrats!

The Connecticut Post’s UConn Sports blog has the Huskies attracting interest from the PapaJohns.com Bowl, while Ramblings From The Runway has Coach Randy Edsall changing his tune on the St. Petersburg Bowl.

And did Edsall win more than just a football game two weeks ago in South Bend? Responding to rumors the UConn coach has been contacted by the Irish, JSilver’s UConn Blog thinks Edsall would make a good fit at Notre Dame, but try selling that to their fan base. The Courant’s UConn Football blog says Edsall has not been contacted by the Fighting Irish. Sox & Dawgs figures Edsall will play the Focused-On-South-Florida card in sidestepping the question this week.

Bruins

Don’t look now, but guess who’s in first place? Yes, your Boston Bruins, courtesy of last night’s 4-1 win against the Lightning at TD Garden. Kathryn Tappen says Tampa Bay was the first of three sure wins that should continue this B’s surge in what figures to be a wild post-Thanksgiving ride.

Brilliant! says Stanley Cup Of Chowder on the Marc Savard contract extension that may cut $1 million off next year’s salary cap. Something’s Bruin analyzes the extension for Savard, who proves to be no liar. The Hockey Blog Adventure has Savard pulling off a .007. Bruins 2010 Draft Watch didn’t like the first Savard signing, but now loves having him in Boston for the rest of his career.

It was payday for the assistant coaches too, as Big Bad Blog reports on their contract extensions.

Celtics

What’s this, another winter team thriving under the radar of the Patriots’ woes? The C’s have won five straight, including the first two of their four-game road trip, after downing Charlotte on Tuesday night. CelticsBlog, which predicts this the start of an 11-3 run leading up to Christmas Day, says this team is too good to be held down.

Red’s Army finds a little basketball porn in a single play in Charlotte, which was part of an 11-1 run that Green Street calls the turning point of the game. After his season-high 21 points against the Bobcats, ESPN’s Boston Celtics Blog has Kendrick Perkins blossoming into a hunter on offense, and Perk Is A Beast says their namesake isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

Celtics Stuff Live tries to read between the lines in understanding Rajon Rondo. Dime’s Pass The Mic says Rondo’s J keeps him out of consideration among the top point guards.

Sox / Hot Stove

Nuggetpalooza helps us figure out if Roy Halladay will be worth it over the next four years.

Fire Brand Of The American League looks at the implications of offering arbitration to Billy Wagner and Jason Bay. Fenway West says Wagner’s departure to Atlanta makes re-signing Takashi Saito a top priority. Red Sox Monster hates the ambiguity of the Hot Stove league as he wonders whether Bay or Matt Holliday will be in left field next summer. And if both fall through, NESN’s Boston Red Sox says there’s always Jermaine Dye.

No Hot Stove discussion would be complete without an obligatory visit to shortstop. Forget Alex Gonzalez, as Utility Lou says Marco Scutaro has among the best gloves in baseball and that Theo should have been focused on him all along. Sox Tea Party isn’t crazy about an in-house transfer as they remember when Pedroia was too fat to play short. Don’t be concerned about messing with second base perfection says Peter’s Red Sox Forever, who thinks Pedroia will give Jeter a run for his money at short.

Surviving Grady can relate first-hand to the off-field turmoil J. D. Drew has undergone in recent years. Kyle Snyder has left Toeing The Rubber hanging for the winter. And if Tom Caron gets his way, winter won’t be shorter any time too soon.

Remember, Week Log gives you only a taste of these bloggers’ wares; be sure to check out their full week’s content whenever you visit. No blog links next week as I’ll be filling in for Bruce on Thursday’s Morning Links. Follow me on Twitter for other posting updates.