SZ669

BY JIM DAWSON

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017

WOW! PATS PICK POCKETS OF TEXANS 36-33

Patriots fans have seen enough Tom Brady 4^th quarter comebacks to know that it can always happen again. It did Sunday on a hot day in which the Patriots allowed Brady to be sacked 5 times and hit a total of 8 times. Brady fumbled three times after being hit. One popped up to Jadeveon Clowney who waltzed in for a defensive TD.

The comeback, with 2:34 left in the game, was scintillating. Twice Brady faced long yardage. After a 19 yard completion to Brandin Cooks was negated by a David Andrews hold, it was 2^nd and 20 and then 3^rd and 12. Two passes to Gronk took care of that. Then after hitting Cooks for 18, Brady was sacked and fumbled. Andrews redeemed himself with the fumble recovery but it was 3^rd and 18.

It was at that point that Texans head coach Bill O’Brien did the Pats a favor by calling timeout. NE had only 1 timeout left. Maybe it was the heat that got to O’Brien and his team. But after that timeout, Brady hit Amendola between two defenders for 27 yards. It was a crucial, spectacular catch. It was superseded only by the next catch as Cooks caught a 25-yarder in the left corner of the end zone and somehow kept both feet in. And just so a FG would only tie the game, the Pats went for 2 and got it on a throw to Cooks.

With 23 seconds and 1 timeout, the Texans had a problem. And it helped when, after a completion to Hopkins to the Houston 46, O’Brien let the clock go from 11 seconds to 3 before calling his last timeout. Houston’s Hail Mary was intercepted by Duron Harmon in the end zone. 36-33 NE. The Patriots escaped a very good Texans team.

A check with pro-football reference.com shows that Thomas Edward Patrick Brady now has had 40 fourth quarter comebacks and 51 game-winning drives in his career.

Bill Belichick’s record versus rookie QBs was 8-0 at home. Deshaun Watson almost made it 8-1. Watson was 22 of 33, several of the completions thrown on the run. Watson also ran for 41 yards on 8 carries. He was only sacked twice (Trey Flowers and new guy Cassius Marsh, who recovered Watson’s fumble). Watson was elusive and though he

was hit 6 times, he constantly thwarted Patriot defenders. On one play in the 2^nd half, three different Pats had a chance to bring Watson down and he escaped. Completed the pass, too. Houston lost but also won – they found a quarterback.

POINTS AFTER

Official game time temperature at 1:02 was 84°. El Jefe, who was Driller Killer’s guest for the game, and I had it as 93° on our phone weather apps. I should have worn shorts.

Those temps were recorded at our seats which are in the shade and under an overhang.

The Pats started with Cameron Fleming at LT and LaAdrian Waddle at RT for Marcus Cannon (who was sorely missed). Nate Solder was at TE! Solder again did not have a good game blocking even when he returned to LT. Marcus Cannon, please get well soon.

For those that say Brady can’t throw long, that game winning 25-yard TD pass to Brandin Cooks was released from the 34-yard line. Last season, Brady looked to have worked on the long pass as his loft was much better. Great throw. Great catch.

The Texans had more 1^st downs (23/21), more total net yards (417/396), and won Time of Possession 33:38 to 26:22. It was 9:50 to 5:10 in the 4^th quarter! So despite having the ball 7 minutes + more, the Texans still lost. The Pats were slightly better on 3^rd down 6/13 vs. 6/14. But NE was 2 for 2 in the Red Zone compared to Houston’s 1 of 3.

THE BOSTON RED SOX

Couple weeks ago, I said that if the BoSox won their remaining series that it should be enough to stave off the Yankees. Despite NY playing well (7-3), they were unable to gain ground on the Sox (9-1) who swept the Orioles and Reds and won 2 of 3 versus Tampa Bay on an 8-game road streak. The Sox are up 5 in the loss column with 7 to play

Those last 4 games at home against the Astros may still have meaning even if Boston clinches the AL East. The Sox may have to win a couple just to make sure Cleveland ends up with the best record. The Sox would surely rather face Houston than the Indians who swept them last year. The Astros with Verlander would still be a tough series.

Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe was on Comcast Sunday night, and actually opined that the Red Sox had enough to win the World Series. This team certainly has the best pitching that I’ve seen in some time, especially the relief staff. With the additions of Addison Reed and the return of Carson Smith, they have filled some gaps.

So now the question is the starting rotation in the playoffs. If the Sox have to face Francona’s Indians, I still want Chris Sale against Corey Kluber. Pomerantz is #2. The #3 and hopefully #4 starters remain to be sorted out. Doug Fister has pitched poorly enough to be dropped from consideration. Eduardo Rodriguez has come on strong, better than Porcello who seems snake bitten this year. The BoSox baseball gods showered him last year with 7+ run support a game. This year, at last count, the Sox had not scored in 10 of Porcello’s starts. The home run ball has also been his bête noire.

Would the Sox consider starting David Price? Doubtful. He’s been out too long to build up arm strength. I didn’t like it when Farrell tried to get 3 innings out of him recently.

While the Sox have had patches where they don’t hit, they have shown a remarkable resiliency and ability to come back. 15-3 in extra innings. At least 42 comeback wins (if memory serves) on the season. That's not just luck. It's True Grit.

EMAIL

Hey Jim, I'm gonna guess Santana. Also another thing about Bill Russell, he never lost a game 7 and over his entire career, Olympics, college and NBA he is actually 21-0 in "do or die" games !!

Jim Dwyer

Jim, good guess on the music trivia but no, it's not Santana. The original question that I posed to two guys at the Hot Club was what basketball player had won 21 finals games. So I knew it was Russell. But in following it up, I couldn't find anything online about it. Your e-mail solves how it was 21 do or die games - it covered Russell's two championships at Univ of SF and his Olympics. - Z

Steely Dan could fit that description Jim.

Bill Flanagan

Wild Bill, good to hear from you. Yes, it's Steely Dan, named after a dildo (from Wm. Burrough's Naked Lunch). R.I.P. Walter Becker. I saw them at Great Woods last year. - Z

Steely Dan- another RIP is in order.

Roger Boudreau

Yes Boud, Steely Dan. R.I.P. Walter Becker. Just saw them last year. Who knew? - Z

QUOTES

5’10” Brandin Cooks on getting both feet down on his game-winning catch:

“We have our positives as short people, small feet.” (ProJo/Rich Garven – 9/25)

Tom Brady on sticking up for his teammates: “Yeah, I certainly disagree with what he (Ed.: Donald Trump) said. I thought it was just divisive,” Brady said. “Like I said, I just want to support my teammates. I am never one to say, ‘Oh, that is wrong. That is right.’ I do believe in what I believe in. I believe in bringing people together and respect and love and trust. Those are the values that my parents instilled in me. That is how I try and live every day.” (Quoted by WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable – 9/25)

Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz

THE HOT CLUB

As I was inspecting the draft beer choices with Bianca and Josh Collard, I noticed Wormtown. All three of us knew it is a brewery in Worcester (‘City of the Seven Hills’). The selection was Be Hoppy, a nice American IPA with an ABV of 6.5. Josh said that the Hot Club will try to have a beer of the week. There was one craft beer that I hadn’t heard of – Gnomegang Amber Ale by Ommegang Brewery. Bianca had a card describing the beer which had an ABV of 9.5! Look out below! So ask the HC bartender about the ABV of the draft you choose or look it up on your phone. The HC wouldn’t give you too much of that Gnomegang Amber Ale. Maybe a snifter.

So we wondered about Wormtown and whether it’s a nickname for Worcester. An Internet search showed that it was not meant as a nickname for Worcester, but some city ‘leaders’ thought it derogatory. According to worcestermass.com, the term Wormtown was coined by a DJ at radio station WCUW 20 years ago. It was meant to convey the local music underground and not some of the pap being played. DJ’s name: LB Worm!

Dr. John said a guy went to a dentist to have a tooth pulled. He asked for nitrous oxide or Novocaine. The dentist told the man he would give him something else – Viagra. So the guy asked the dentist “Why Viagra?”. Said the dentist, “So you have something to hold onto when I pull your tooth.”

LAST ISSUE’S QUIZ ANSWER (SOURCE - WIKIPEDIA)

Last issue, I asked, “This ’70’s rock band used ever changing personnel (all session players after 1975) yet had great success on a string of albums. The band is in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Even won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2000. Name the band. The answer is Steely Dan. Bill Flanagan had the answer as did Roger Boudreau, Matt Dawson and Driller Killer. Steely Dan was basically Donald Fagen and the recently departed Walter Becker. They met at Bard College and had a number of great albums and songs. It was Two Against Nature that won the 2000 Grammy. According to Rock n Roll Knowledge Cards (by Don Root), the duo’s signature sound was due in part to their fondness for the mu-major chord (a major triad with an added 2^nd).

THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ

This guitarist was a much sought after session man. He played on hits by the Kinks (You Really Got Me, the Who (I Can’t Explain), and Tom Jones (It’s Not Unusual). He then formed a hard rock super group of the ’70’s. Who is the guitarist and what band was it?