Goat Trailer - Patriots (2008)

[Dave Gray]

I don't have a problem with you criticizing Ginn.  I just find it odd that you'd choose him for the Goat Trailer, the person that most cost us the game.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Dave, the run defense did ok.  The pass defense shit the bed.  It should go on Todd Bowles, not Pasqualoni. 

[MaineDolFan]

We scored 28 points, none of it in garbage time, and Ginn contributed to those drives.
We gave up 48 points!  Forty Eight!

Be real.

I don't disagree with you.  But the defense is only partially to blame.  Gin's boneheaded move starting us at the 2 and ended up giving New England great field position.  I think NE's average starting field position was something like the 37.  Yes, we scored 28 points - on a very suspect defense.  Only slightly better than ours. 

But when the average starting position for NE's offense was close to the 40, Pennington chucks up a duck returned inside the 10, Miami can't run the ball to save their lives and the defense is on the field all the time...

Can you REALLY lay it all on the defenses feet?  Or maybe, just perhaps, did special teams and offense stalling have ANYTHING to do with that?

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Can you REALLY lay it all on the defenses feet?  Or maybe, just perhaps, did special teams and offense stalling have ANYTHING to do with that?

I'm sorry Maine.  The Pats scored EVERY TIME they touched the ball in the second half.  Ginn had absolutely nothing to do with that.

[MaineDolFan]

Sure he did.  Miami starts at the 2.  I think we punted at the, what?  11?  New England fielded the punt at the 30, was returned to something like the 41.  They scored on a Moss touchdown pass once inside the 40.

It all ties together - which is why it's called a team sport. 

How many times can you expect a defense to (1) be on the field and (2) stop a team on a short field?  New England didn't start one drive inside their own 25.  Not one.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

How many times can you expect a defense to (1) be on the field and (2) stop a team on a short field?  New England didn't start one drive inside their own 25.  Not one.

You would expect a halfway decent defense to stop them at least a couple times.  The Dolphins defense failed to stop the Pats once in the second half.

[MaineDolFan]

Hey, like I said, I don't disagree that the defensive showing was pathetic.  I don't think Ginn was the reason why lost the game, or Brown...or Pennington's INT (although that REALLY hurt, it was a ten point swing).

You're right - we needed a stop or two.

I'm just saying that a lot factors into a defensive performance.  90% of it is on them, there is another 10% of other things that weighed into them allowing those points (IMO).

[fyo]

Call me a lunatic all you want, but late in the game MIA was still in it, and him running backwards 20 yards to our goal line hurt the team big time.

You need your memory checked.

It was 41-28 with less than 7 minutes remaining and Ginn went backwards a net FOUR freaking yards.

Something special needed to happen and your kick returner HAS to try.

[Rick]

You need your memory checked.

It was 41-28 with less than 7 minutes remaining and Ginn went backwards a net FOUR freaking yards.

Something special needed to happen and your kick returner HAS to try.

Lots of NFL teams have come back from 13 point deficits with 7 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter....Don't act like the game was out of hand at that point....starting at the 2 yard line dosen't help the TEAM at all.   

Even on Monday Night Countdown, Chris Carter called out Tedd Ginn for his poor decision on the kick return and the 2 critical drops in the 4th quarter....Ginn did't cost Miami this game, but he did make several devastating mistakes that hurt the team badly.

[Dave Gray]

Can you REALLY lay it all on the defenses feet?

YES!  Without a doubt, yes.

We won the turnover battle, and we still gave up 48 points, none of those were from special teams or defensive scores.  You can lay ALL OF THE BLAME on the defense, with enough blame to carry over to next week.

The offense scored 28 points.  That alone is enough to win football games, or at least keep them close.  The defense couldn't stop the Pats from moving the ball at all, the entire game.  The only time we were able to stop them is when they turned it over on a bad throw or fumble.

I'm fine with calling Ginn a dummy for running backwards.  But it was one, insignificant play.  The defense was unable to do anything all game long.  We will never win games, allowing 48 points.  Never.  It's ALL on the defense.

[Fred Finstoned]

Me! At the begining of the third quarter. Make a break up the stairs wide open at the vendor, grab two cold ones out of mid air , make my move ,fake left then right  spin I'm all alone, through the tunnel at the 20,the 15, the 10,5,row one! Make my seat, bump the cup holder and spill a full beer on my brand new DOLPHIN SHOES!!!! Just F@#%&ING bench me!!!!
     (true story)
The defense ,when we needed a stop they couldn't stop my fat ass!

[BigDaddyFin]

My co-goat trailer goes to Paul Pasqualoni and Dan Henning. 

Clearly we can't play pass defense to save our asses.  That can be blamed on a bad secondary. 

Twice inside the redzone, we let the defense spread us out and left no one in the middle.  Twice we gave up touchdowns, Cassel's 8 yard run and a 10+ yard run late in the game (Sammy Morris?).  In other words we used the same defense twice in one game that actually cost us the Texans game.   

Now, knowing that our pass defense sucked and wasn't going to get many breaks against New England's recievers, Dan Henning for no particular reason decided once again to throw every down.  We ran the ball 19 times the whole game.  The main difference this time was when the 4th quarter came around, we kept throwing the fucking ball.  Instead of oh shit, let's wear them out in the Florida heat, it was oh no let's have a track meet and play right into their hands. 

Oh no.  They stacked the line.  Oh no, we stopped even trying to run the football and control the clock, which is important against any high scoring offense.  We scored in 2 minutes, then they would score in 2 minutes.  You guys saw the damn game did you not?  Did we not spend the entire second half almost in the shotgun or with an empty backfield? 

It's football 101 guys, you have a mediocre or streaky defense, the other team has a great offense, what do you do?  Control the clock.