Brady and the Patriots Dismantle Chargers
Danny Dabiri |Sep 17,2007
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The New England Patriots absolutely pulverized the San Diego Chargers last night at Gillette Stadium. The 38-14 dominating performance sent a clear message to the rest of the league. The Patriots do not need to cheat to win. After all, they have Tom Brady. The former Michigan Wolverine displayed complete control of the offense from the opening possession. The Patriots executed a seven-play 69-yard touchdown drive with Brady calling the plays from the line. The no huddle offense proved to be too much for the vaunted Chargers defense. In all, Brady threw for 279 yards and three touchdown passes. Randy Moss was impressive in his home debut, pulling down eight catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Not to be outdone, the New England defense frustrated San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers all game. Rivers threw two interceptions, one of which was returned by Adalius Thomas for a 65-yard touchdown. The Pats sacked Rivers three times and forced two fumbles, recovering one. The Patriots defense limited reigning NFL MVP to only 43 yards on 18 carries. That’s only 2.4 yards per carry. The Patriots outplayed the Chargers in every phase and the game was virtually over by halftime.
The Patriots entered the game under a cloud of suspicion after the league fined New England head coach Bill Belichick $500,000, the organization $250,000 and forced the Patriots to likely forfeit a first round draft pick for illegally videotaping the New York Jets defensive signals in Week One. The media hammered the integrity of Belichick throughout the week, questioning his coaching legacy and calling into question his character. To his credit, Belichick deflected the media blitz and remained focused on the task at hand. His team’s performance was indicative of a team that was well prepared and determined to succeed.
Ironically, this entire fiasco can be used as a source of motivation and inspiration for the Pats. New England clearly played with a chip on their shoulder against the Chargers. If the Patriots bring the same level of intensity demonstrated last night on a weekly basis, they will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the fourth time this decade. Combined with the agony of last season’s meltdown in the AFC Championship and the recent videotaping scandal, the 2007 version of the Patriots resembles a team that’s on a mission to destroy anything and everything that gets in their way.
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