Despite the quarterback questions surrounding the Arizona Cardinals, Kevin Kolb and his Cards held on to a 20-18 win last Sunday against the New England Patriots after Patriots’ kicker Stephen Gostkowski botched a 42-yard field goal attempt. The loss handed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady his first career loss in a home opener.
Last Sunday rose a lot of eyebrows around New England and raised some concern, chiefly that of the offensive line as Brady was sacked four times.
The offensive line has been an area of concern since the preseason, with many wondering where Pro-Bowl guard Brian Waters was. The Boston Globe has stated that the standoff originally was over Waters leaving his family and his discomfort with being so far away from them — something that bothered him last season.
On Tuesday, Globe reporter Shalise Manza Young wrote that the Patriots offered Waters a “significant” jump in pay (he’s scheduled to make only $1.6 million). However, the last-ditch effort was reportedly shot down by Waters.
While the Pats’ offensive line is one thing to watch as they square off in an AFC Championship rematch against the Ravens, who have a notorious pass rush and ballhawking secondary, here are three more things to watch for…
Return to the Ground
The Patriots have become a poster child for the modern day NFL offense and it’s shifting of philosophy that favors the passing game to the running game. The Pats have only had one 1,000-yard rusher in the past five years.
Yet, as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reacquaints himself with the Patriots (he was an assistant and offensive coordinator from ‘01 to ‘08) he is also bringing a ground game back to Foxboro.
The Patriots in their first two games have been on the ground much more than in recent memories which means Brady is taking more snaps under center then from shotgun formations.
In the first two games of the season, the ground has been controlled primarily by second-year back Stevan Ridley, who has averaged a very respectable five-yards per-carry while piling up nearly 200-yards total over the first two games.
Ridley will face a big challenge in the Ray Lewis-Haloti Ngata front that Baltimore puts on the field.
Southside Sorrows
Stephen Gostkowski’s 42-yard missed field goal, that went wide left and cost the Patriots a victory over Arizona, was attempted in the south endzone.
That just so happens to be the same south end zone that former Baltimore Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff attempted a 32-yard field goal in the last season’s AFC Championship game. He too sailed a kick wide left and cost Baltimore a spot in Super Bowl XLVI.
However for such a momentous occasion, channeling thoughts of Scott Norwood in Super Bowl XXV, Cundiff took on the media in stride as a consummate professional:
“It’s a kick I’ve kicked probably a thousand times out there,” Cundiff said post-game. “…I didn’t convert, and that’s the way things go. There’s really no excuse for it…”
While Cundiff is no longer on the team, he now kicks for the Washington Redskins, and the game will be played Baltimore and not Foxboro, the kicking game will still be on the minds of all watching the Sunday Night battle.
Baltimore now has rookie Justin Tucker kicking for them. The former Texas Longhorn has gone six-for-six in field goals with a long of 56-yards. Maybe Tucker will kick the image of how last season ended out of the heads of the Baltimore faithful.
Brotherly Love?
Baltimore will be the setting for a battle of the brothers on Sunday as Arthur and Chandler Jones will face off on opposite teams.
The Jones brothers hail from the Rochester, New York area and both went to Syracuse University. Arthur, the oldest of the three brothers (the middle brother is Jon “Bones” Jones who is fighting the main event in tonight’s UFC 152) played for the Orange from 2006 until 2009. The following spring, Arthur was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in fifth-round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Heading into this season Arthur is coming off his best season, appearing in 14 games (starting one) and totaling 20 tackles.
“Oh man, it’s definitely a unique opportunity,” Arthur told Syracuse.com. “It’s definitely a blessing my brother (Jon) is fighting this weekend and then I’m playing against Chandler. It will be awesome.”
Chandler took a similar road to the NFL. After playing for Syracuse from ‘08 to ‘11, he was drafted in the first-round of this year’s NFL draft. He’s now starting for the New England Patriots and will look to continue his quick start to the season which he already has 10 tackles and a sack.
Jon spoke on the matter in a press release from his promoter saying, “I feel bad for the loser. If Chandler wins, Arthur won’t hear the end of it. Chandler will let him know for a long time.”
Only time will tell if Chandler will get to let him know, until then it’s just something else to watch for.
