SZ 686

BY JIM DAWSON

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

DIRE STRAITS IN DETROIT – LIONS WHIP PATRIOTS 26-10

How do you lose to an 0-2 team, even on their home field? Well, a clue was in last week’s stats when the Lions, while losing to the 49ers in San Francisco 30-27, ran for 98 yards. You know that Detroit coach and ex-Pats Defense Coordinator Matt Patricia would want to run the ball against NE, winning the Time of Possession battle and keeping the ball away from Tom Brady. The Lions ran for 159 yards and had the ball 18 ½ minutes more than the Patriots (39:15 to 20:45).

Then, looking at the depleted NE wide receiver group, the Lions needed to stop the Pats from running. They did, holding NE to 89 yards. The Pats had to be able to run the ball effectively with few receiver options (no Gordon, Hollister and Edelman). They even had RT Marcus Cannon back. Sony Michel was twice stopped on 3^rd and 1, including just before half, resulting in a FG when they could have used a TD.

This game was won in the trenches and Detroit deserved the victory as they bested NE in the battles on the offensive and defensive lines.

It didn’t help the Patriots that their best pass rusher, Trey Flowers, and safety Patrick Chung were inactive due to concussions. Chung often covers the TE and comes up in run coverage at times. With CB Eric Rowe also out, it put other personnel in their places. Jason McCourty started opposite Stephen Gilmore at CB. The loss of those key defenders also affected substitute nickel and dime packages.

The Patriots scored their only TD at the beginning of the 2^nd half after Ja’Whaun Bentley intercepted a pass at the NE 48. But after making it 13-10, the Pats allowed Detroit to score a TD and a FG on its next two possessions. Down 23-10, the Pats were done in when Darius Slay intercepted Brady with 7:39 left.

Congratulations to Matt Patricia for beating his mentor Bill Belichick and rallying his Lions to their first win. Let’s hope that the Patriots get some key players back for Miami.

LEFTOVERS

Tom Brady was barely above .500 throwing the ball (14 for 26). It didn’t help that Phillip Dorsett, while targeted 5 times, didn’t have a catch. The rest: Gronk (5 targets, 4 catches), Hogan (4/3), White (3/3), Burkhead (3/2), Michel (3/1). Patterson had 1 target and 1 catch. You would have thought they’d throw to him more. And no end arounds.

Brady’s longest throws were for 19 yards, one to Gronk, the other to Burkhead.

The Lions had 2 sacks and 6 QB hits. LT Trent Brown gave up his first sack. NE had but one sack (Wise) and that was their only QB hit!

Detroit was 7 for 14 on 3^rd down. The Pats an anemic 2 of 9. The Lions scored on their first three possessions (FG, TD, FG).

Last week, Keionta Davis started at RE in place of Bentley. Yesterday Davis didn’t start but played. He didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Neither did DE Derek Rivers.

BULLETS

• Ok, the Red Sox have won the AL East. Now it’s up to Alex Cora to assemble the

Wrecking Crew that gets them to the World Series and a Championship.

• You saw what happened to Jimmy G (should have gotten out of bounds). The 49ers just paid him a ton of guaranteed money. Hope he’s able to come back from his injury.

• A shout out to Buffalo Steve whose Bills just destroyed the Vikes 27-6. Looks like QB Josh Allen helped mightily.

EMAIL

The song: The first song that came to my mind was “Hey Joe”. But I’m pretty sure that “Are you Experienced” came out before.

Dennis Doyon

Dennis, you are actually right with your first guess - Hey Joe. - Z

Hey Joe/Stone Free.

The Wizard

Wiz, yes, you are right, it's Hey Joe. - Z

Pats get Gordon- you didn't want Bryant an egomaniac- but you’re OK with Gordon a Sociopath-do you know the name of the Pats in-house therapist?

Ken Forestal

Ken, if any team can rehabilitate a reprobate, it's the Pats. He has a drug problem I think. Dillon, Harrison, Ochocinco, even Moss with his ego. Pats took ’em in. It's a chance for Gordon. He'll have great support, if he wants it. - Z

THE HOT CLUB

Folklore was talking about playing golf with his father. He talked about making some tough shots against his Dad. Fleet Feet Pete said that he plays ‘Military Golf’. What’s that? Left, Right, Left, Right.

We were talking about Patriots running backs and Ernesto The Walker brought up the NE back who scored 4 TDs one week and then was benched the following week. I thought hard and long, but couldn’t come up with the answer. Ernesto looked it up and while doing so, Charlie Clancy said “Jonas Gray”. Yup!

Dr. John and I were talking about some of the not so holy televangelists who had large followings. John mentioned that Jim Bakker (brought down by scandal) once said: “If you want to be a fisher of men, you need to have good bait.” I recalled that Robert Schuller, who used donations to build the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, saw his ministry collapse. The irony: the Catholic Church now owns the Crystal Cathedral.

So I told Dr. John, Cap’t Jack, Special K and Joanne about a book subtitled, My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars by Scotty Bowers and writer Lionel Friedberg (2012). It’s a wonderfully salacious tale of Bowers who, after WW II, worked at a gas station on Hollywood Boulevard and used it to set up ‘tricks’ for men and women of different sexual persuasions. Many were Hollywood legends, but whose studio contracts would have ended their professional film lives had they been ‘outed’. The title of the book is Full Service. There is a documentary now out by Matt Tyrnauer called Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2017) which is on Starz.

LAST ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUIZ ANSWER

So last time I asked you to tell me what was the first hit song Jimi Hendrix released (in the UK). Dennis Doyon and the Wizard got it (via email) and Special K knew it in person. It was Hey Joe.

THIS ISSUE’S TRIVIA QUIZ

A little change of pace – a sports question, but not about baseball (no way, Foot Joy). This NBA Hall of Famer once had a game in which he went 0-14 from the field. One clue - the player was known more for his defense than his offense, but still... Name?

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