Felger & Mazz: Close Game In Indy More Helpful Than Blowout
BOSTON (CBS) -- Everybody might have been clamoring for a blowout, but playing a tight game on the road may end up being much more instructive and helpful for the Patriots down the road.
"In a lot of ways, I take this," Tony Massarotti said on Monday. "I'd take this over the game against Jacksonville. What do you learn in that one? You learn nothing. You learn you can beat a pathetic team that doesn't have a fraction of the talent you do. This team doesn't have the same talent you do but they have a fraction of it maybe, particularly at quarterback, maybe a couple of receivers, a defensive back or two."
Michael Felger was more impressed with the Patriots' ability to handle the end-of-game situation like a normal team, rather than a vengeful team on a scorched-Earth campaign.
"Do you know what the Patriots were doing? The smart thing. The right thing to do. Four-minute offense," Felger said. "You're up two scores, they have three timeouts, there's under four minutes left, you make them burn their timeouts and you punt the ball away. Normal! Like a normal, actual football team who isn't trying to emasculate somebody and prove some sort of stupid point."
Mazz appreciated it, as well.
"I actually liked this part of it, that when it got to that stage, they said, 'Let's just win the game,'" Mazz said.
"'Let's get out of here!'" Felger added. "'We've won, we've done our jobs, we've overcome some adversity, there's four minutes left, now it's time to go home.' This is where too many fans and media around here have just gotten it twisted. It's not about the records; [they] do not matter. It doesn't matter whether you win 45-20 or 34-20. It's about winning the game and getting the hell out of there."