The Patriots game ball goes to…

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, December 20, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

New England Patriots
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Though the outcome of the game was resolved fairly early - say about 13 weeks before kickoff - the New England Patriots' victory over the Houston Texans was an important reminder of why fans in six states love their boys in navy blue so much.

It wasn't the Samuel Adams flavored laugh-inducing 40-7 result that was so uplifting in the northeast; despite some gaudy lines to the contrary (38-13, 31-7, 35-0), these are not the Patriots circa 2004. That squad routinely blew out opponents, running up an average 28-14 score in 14 regular-season wins while cruising all the way through the Super Bowl. Nor did the win clinch a position in the playoffs as those pesky New York Jets just keep hanging on by their fingertips.

Instead, the Patriots' victory reconfirmed for the nth time the quality that has made this team unique in the decade and, say, one more Super Bowl victory, in the NFL's history. Worshipers of Bill Belichick speak with eyes a-sparklin' (maybe that's the Sammy again) of The System, a mode of game plan in which players are interchangeable and wins flow in regardless. Often arriving alongside a fourth-quarter comeback or last-minute defensive stand, the excitement of watching this team comes from the suspense of learning who will be the stepper up.

On opening day, it was Ty Warren running up six tackles and ultimately sacking J.P. Losman for the winning score - a safety - against the Buffalo Bills. In the Week 3 demolition of the Cincinnati Bengals, it was overnight sensation Laurence Maroney's 125 yards and two TDs that helped put away the game early. Asante Samuel picked off three against the Mr. Hyde version of Rex Grossman in the win over the Chicago Bears. (And these are merely three examples from this season. This has been going on for years.)

On Sunday, New England was sparked by one guy low on the depth charts and a fifth-rounder scotch-taping a secondary together.

Offense. Kevin Faulk entered Week 13 as No. 3 on the depth chart behind Corey Dillon and Maroney; used primarily on third and long, he'd run up 14 carries for 64 yards to go with 29 catches for 227 and a single TD scored back in Week 1. When Maroney was knocked out of the game earlier against the Detroit Lions, Faulk stepped in and immediately acted like the starter. Running a whole mess of short routes (and does New England have any other kind in the post-Deion Branch era, really?), Faulk snagged eight passes, more than he'd caught since Week 8 in 2004. The career Patriot's been full on ever since.

For his first touchdown in this game, Faulk wended his way 11 yards to the goal line, evading five would-be tacklers for his first rushing TD in more than two years. Faulk closed the first quarter with a reception on a screen left caught behind the line of scrimmage. Faulk then proceeded to execute the way so many Patriot pass plays go in the post-Branch, post-David Givens era: Take the short pass, rely on downfield blocking and run like heck. Faulk followed the blueprint and went on a 47-yard all-out sprint. Touchdown. Nice. Game ball.

Special teams. Last week, the mention of Ellis Hobbs III might have gotten a "Who?" Under the rubric of that ever-malleable Pats game plan; this week, though, Hobbs gets a "Who else?" Hobbs came out of the locker room in a laugher, apparently determined to turn the second half into his personal highlight reel. After closing the gap to 27-7, the poor Texans haplessly had the kickoff returner cruise through their special teams unit and Hobbs was "high-stepping it into the end zone" from about the 20, a la "Madden." Game ball.

Originally a Texan himself from the Dallas-Ft. Worth megalopolis, Hobbs is a second-year man out of Iowa State. Though he performed well in the 2005 combine, as a cornerback, Hobbs' size went against conventional wisdom and New England chose the former Cyclone and academic Big 12'er in the third round of the draft. Thanks to the M*A*S*H unit known as the 2005 Patriots, Hobbs started from Day One on the 'D' and played some special teams. Mostly under the radar, of course.

So let's see: Hobbs, ultimately a perfect fit for the Patriots, was a brainy unknown from a small state - Is Bill Belichick the guy nominating Democratic Party presidential candidates?

Defense. Sure, Hobbs only notched three tackles. And equally as certainly, his interception that chased the kickoff TD return 2½ minutes worth of game time later was insignificant to the final result, but Hobbs might deserve kudos for just showing up. Hobbs himself was listed as "questionable" in a secondary that would not field Rodney Harrison, but played swell deep coverage against poor David Carr and the Bessies while Asante Samuel, usually the interception guy, ran up six tackles mostly at midfield. Game ball No. 2 for Hobbs.

On his touchdown celebration "philosophy," Hobbs is quoted on his official Web site (Dude has an official Web site?) as stating, "Enjoy it, but act like you've been there before. Don't throw yourself a parade."

Same goes for those Patriot Player Of The Week nods, Mr. Faulk and Mr. Hobbs. Enjoy it for now, because this Sunday it'll surely be someone else in the navy blue spotlight. We can only wonder who...

Stepping it up with the New England Patriots at RealFootball365.com.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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