Patriots Blog: Gold Stars & Penalty Flags Week 2
BOSTON (CBS) -- Not the type of game that makes you feel positive about the Patriots future going forward for the season. A win is a win though. Here are your gold stars and penalty flags.
Gold Stars:
Kyle Arrington gets a gold star. For the second week in a row, he's made an impact on the defensive side of the ball. He's disruptive, gets after his receiver and makes plays in the running game. Kyle has come a long way since his first season with the Pats. It's nice to see him round into a good player.
Chandler Jones gets a gold star. The Pats needed to break on the sack board and Jones helped them do that with his solid performance. He lined up over the nose and then again on the end and at times he was un-blockable. A great performance for him on Thursday night.
Rob Ninkovich gets a gold star. He's just a solid all around player. Ninkovich could be the most important player on this Pats defense. They need a play on the QB, Rob's got it. They need a play in the running game, Rob's got it. How about a timely turnover, Rob's there too. Week in a week out he's there.
Penalty Flags:
Aaron Dobson gets a penalty flag and this is an easy call. Forget that the first catch of his NFL career was a touchdown, what ensued afterwards was a huge let down. He had drops, didn't get his head around, was in the wrong place on routes, didn't realize at times he was the hot receiver. This is a learning process and the good news is he can only get better. The Pats will need him to get better real soon.
Tom Brady gets a penalty flag. All that flailing and yelling was maybe warranted but it's not the actions of a team leader. He admitted after the game that he was over the top. He has to be patient. In 2001, the Pats defense was extremely patient when he took over and the offense moved slowly so he could catch up. Tom is better than he showed and if he pushes the envelope, he could ruin one of his young receivers. There's a balance between encouragement and tough love, he has to find it and find it before the next game.
Stephen Gostkowski gets a penalty flag. How does a kicker miss a kick that bad??? The Pats this season, may need all the points they can get, so Stephen has to be on. He missed a couple in the preseason but he can't mess up when they count.
Finally, penalty flags on Thursday night games. They are awful. Both teams are tired, you never get what you fully expect and in the end, last team standing wins. I know teams have to play the schedule but Thursday night games is no ones benefit. Glad the Pats are done with theirs.
