Patriots sabotaging their own field !

[cavalierlwt]

I don't know if it will work, but I love it anyway!

Sloppy surface could slow Colts receivers
By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer
January 13, 2005
FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- The New England Patriots are preparing what may be the best defense against Peyton Manning and his speedy receivers: a slippery field.

The team left the Gillette Stadium grass uncovered through Wednesday's rain and Thursday's fog. With more rain or snow expected Friday and freezing temperatures for the weekend, the Indianapolis Colts' prolific offense could find the footing funky in Sunday's playoff game.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows a cold front may be as critical as his three-man defensive front in slowing down the Colts. But he certainly wouldn't turn the field into an ice rink or a quagmire just to help his team, would he?


``My job is not to pull weeds,'' he said Wednesday with an innocent-looking smirk. ``I have a lot of other things to do. Or rake the field and all of that. I'm sure that will all be taken care of.''

Belichick, who delves into the smallest detail, includes weather in his planning even though he may not have the final say on field maintenance.

``I'm sure he's consulted on it,'' team spokesman Stacey James said, ``but it's a collaborative effort between our stadium operations people and the grounds crew.''

NFL rules say the field should be covered on the day and night before a game if there is any chance of precipitation.

There's a 90 percent chance of rain or snow on Friday in the Boston area before a dry weekend with temperatures ranging from 20 to 34 degrees on Saturday and 16 to 33 degrees on Sunday, with mostly cloudy skies. There will be plenty of time for the moisture to turn to ice before the game's late afternoon start, at 4:45 p.m. EST.

There are heating coils beneath the field that could keep the turf from freezing, but they won't stop all that moisture from making the field slick, maybe even muddy.

``We feel like it's our nature'' to play in inclement weather, Patriots linebacker Roman Phifer said

[Davis]

Originally posted by cavalierlwt
I don't know if it will work, but I love it anyway!

Sloppy surface could slow Colts receivers
By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer
January 13, 2005
FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- The New England Patriots are preparing what may be the best defense against Peyton Manning and his speedy receivers: a slippery field.

The team left the Gillette Stadium grass uncovered through Wednesday's rain and Thursday's fog. With more rain or snow expected Friday and freezing temperatures for the weekend, the Indianapolis Colts' prolific offense could find the footing funky in Sunday's playoff game.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows a cold front may be as critical as his three-man defensive front in slowing down the Colts. But he certainly wouldn't turn the field into an ice rink or a quagmire just to help his team, would he?


``My job is not to pull weeds,'' he said Wednesday with an innocent-looking smirk. ``I have a lot of other things to do. Or rake the field and all of that. I'm sure that will all be taken care of.''

Belichick, who delves into the smallest detail, includes weather in his planning even though he may not have the final say on field maintenance.

``I'm sure he's consulted on it,'' team spokesman Stacey James said, ``but it's a collaborative effort between our stadium operations people and the grounds crew.''

NFL rules say the field should be covered on the day and night before a game if there is any chance of precipitation.

There's a 90 percent chance of rain or snow on Friday in the Boston area before a dry weekend with temperatures ranging from 20 to 34 degrees on Saturday and 16 to 33 degrees on Sunday, with mostly cloudy skies. There will be plenty of time for the moisture to turn to ice before the game's late afternoon start, at 4:45 p.m. EST.

There are heating coils beneath the field that could keep the turf from freezing, but they won't stop all that moisture from making the field slick, maybe even muddy.

``We feel like it's our nature'' to play in inclement weather, Patriots linebacker Roman Phifer said

Say it ain't so.

Hump

Looks like General Winter is gonna help out the good guys again..

[Lord ZOG]

While the Pats are using Mother Nature to help slow down the pretty-boy arena-football Colts, Peyton Manning and Tony Dungey have employed good old-fashioned whining and running to their mommies in hopes of advancing further into the playoffs.

This is football, ladies. They play outside from time to time!

I don't think this will be a good game for NE...their secondary is thin. It's going to be hard for them to stop the Colts offense, and I can't see Brady being able to score enough points to win. Doesn't really matter to me though...whichever team wins will just have the privilege of being beat by my Steelers next week

NFL: Patriots' field in good shape


Associated Press
January 14, 2005


FOXBORO, Mass. -- National Football League officials said the field at Gillette Stadium is in good condition, despite the New England Patriots' decision not to cover it during recent storms.

The NFL sent a representative to check the field on Thursday amid concerns that it was becoming a quagmire in advance of Sunday's playoff game with the Indianapolis Colts.

"Our representative said there was no issue with the field," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Boston Globe. "He reported that the field was dry, the footing is excellent."

The Patriots didn't cover the field Wednesday, but Aiello said that's because the grounds crew was painting it.

The field was covered Thursday night and Aiello said it would be covered tonight. The NFL requires the field to be covered on the day and night before a game if there is any possibility of precipitation.

When the Patriots refused to cover the field earlier this week, there was speculation coach Bill Belichick was hoping to muck up conditions to slow down the explosive Colts offense.

But Belichick dismissed those questions Thursday, saying "My job is not to pull weeds."

[cavalierlwt]

Thin secondary is understating it! We've got a WR playing CB! The one other CB is a guy that sat out last season after getting cut by the Canadian football league a year before that. Plus both backups are playing injured on top of that. Troy Brown (WR) is the only 100% healthy CB we have.
The Pats just signed two more scrub CBs (you can imagine what available at this time of year) and they'll probably start Sunday. Imagine that, signed on Tuesday, and playing in a Playoff game on Sunday against Payton Manning!

[Trash Can]

So I guess Bill Belichick is back to poking the little doll of Peyton Manning full of pins.

[cavalierlwt]

Voodoo may be the only thing an opposing coach hasn't tried yet against Manning. It's worth a shot!
Pro-bowl secondaries, complex defensive schemes, etc..none that has worked against Manning this season.
I'd be sticking pins into a Manning doll too if I was him.

On top of that, Indianapolis has something to prove. We beat them last year in the playoffs, we beat them in the regular season, we're the proverbial "dynasty" and they're the underdogs.

Should be an excellent game of football.

I agree that it will be a good game and the Colts do feel they have something to prove from last year. I think they are more annoyed than anything about the game 1 loss this year...they clearly had the Pats beat, they just somehow managed to fumble on the 1 yard line twice. Troy Brown is doing ok at CB but the colts WR's will likely have a heyday. The best hope for the Pats will be to get pressure on Manning and maybe force some turnovers from the running game. Gonna be fun to watch, no matter what

[Trash Can]

Originally posted by Murgatroyd
On top of that, Indianapolis has something to prove. We beat them last year in the playoffs, we beat them in the regular season, we're the proverbial "dynasty" and they're the underdogs.

You make it sound like you actually play for the Patriots.

[cavalierlwt]

'We' is just an expression that true fans use.