Game Thread: Week 13 Pats @ Texans

[Shoeshine Boy]

Happy Thanksgiving nerds. A rough non-football medical week is brewing for the Pats. 8 players out of practice with the flu and then this:

 

[cheerupcharlie]

Rumor is the Patriots brought in 63 year old kicker Tony Franklin for a tryout.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

^ now that I’d pay to see

Instead we’re getting...

Patriots release kicker Folk to sign Forbath

 

[BigKen]

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots swapped out one kicker for another Friday morning.

The Patriots cut Nick Folk one day after he had his appendix removed. That move made room for the Patriots to sign Kai Forbath.

“We’ll do introductions and get to know everybody,” head coach Bill Belichick said Friday. “Yeah, we’ll see how it goes. We worked Kai out earlier this fall, three or four weeks ago.”

Forbath is the Patriots’ fourth kicker this season. The Patriots also have used Stephen Gostkowski, who’s on injured reserve with a hip injury, and Mike Nugent, who was released for ineffectiveness.

“It has (been challenging), but other teams in the league have gone through it, and we’ve gone through it at other positions,” Belichick said. “It’s not what you want. It’s not ideal, but we’ll keep going.”

Belichick wouldn’t commit to bringing back Folk after he’s healthy.

“Right now we’ll go down and play Houston, try to go down and beat Houston,” he said. “That’s the intention right now. That’s our goal. We’ll worry about next week, next week.”

Folk missed two field goals Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. He had been perfect in two previous games.

The Patriots play the Texans on Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Surprising the number of bad kicks this year, across the league.

So many yesterday even in domes.
I have a much better appreciation for a healthy Gostkowski now.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

 

[realityball]

Surprising the number of bad kicks this year, across the league.

So many yesterday even in domes.
I have a much better appreciation for a healthy Gostkowski now.

right?

... it seems it’s not just our imagination:
Kickers making field goals at NFL’s worst rate since 2003

 

[NEhomer]

Surprising the number of bad kicks this year, across the league.

So many yesterday even in domes.
I have a much better appreciation for a healthy Gostkowski now.

It was as if we didn't lose Vinateri and we had been very lucky for that.

 

[BigKen]

Bitch all you want about how the Patriots play tonight, but ABC is reporting that the flu is ripping through the Patriots team in Houston. As many as eighteen players have been given IV's to keep their bodies hydrated as a result of vomiting and severe diarrhea. Jason McCourty did not make the trip. No reports on "who" has been treated. It is being reported that every player has received multiple flu shots and the Texans have requested that no members of the Patriots socialize with members of the Texans. The fear is that the flu could be apndemic for the Houston area.

Just a little information for the idiots who think that not socializing will prevent the Texans form being exposed. Once the Patriots went into their hotel, all of Houston became exposed. You can't tell the flu to stay on one side of a stadium. The league should have rescheduled the game if that many players are sick and not allowed the team to travel and potentially infect another region of the country if the bug is that severe.

Needless to say, performance could be affected tonight. My guess is that the Texans will be affected next week after touching an being touched by sweaty Patriots in the nice warm confines of the Texans' domed stadium.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

right?

... it seems it’s not just our imagination:
Kickers making field goals at NFL’s worst rate since 2003

Wow.. Did not know.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

It was as if we didn't lose Vinateri and we had been very lucky for that.

We didn't lose him.


He left us the fuckingtraitor.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Bitch all you want about how the Patriots play tonight, but ABC is reporting that the flu is ripping through the Patriots team in Houston. As many as eighteen players have been given IV's to keep their bodies hydrated as a result of vomiting and severe diarrhea. Jason McCourty did not make the trip. No reports on "who" has been treated. It is being reported that every player has received multiple flu shots and the Texans have requested that no members of the Patriots socialize with members of the Texans. The fear is that the flu could be apndemic for the Houston area.

Just a little information for the idiots who think that not socializing will prevent the Texans form being exposed. Once the Patriots went into their hotel, all of Houston became exposed. You can't tell the flu to stay on one side of a stadium. The league should have rescheduled the game if that many players are sick and not allowed the team to travel and potentially infect another region of the country if the bug is that severe.

Needless to say, performance could be affected tonight. My guess is that the Texans will be affected next week after touching an being touched by sweaty Patriots in the nice warm confines of the Texans' domed stadium.

Yeah, one of those pig piles at the line of scrimmage and the guy at the bottom is no longer screaming "I have the ball" but
"DON"T BREATH ON ME!!"

 

[cheerupcharlie]

They took two different planes to Houston. One for healthy players and one for sick players. They ain’t messing around!

 

[patspa]

Mike ReissESPN Staff Writer
Starting CB Jason McCourty (groin) and backup DT Byron Cowart (head) have been downgratyyyded to out for Sunday's game in Houston. This likely means J.C. Jackson starts at CB for the second straight week. None of the 9 questionable players due to illness have been downgraded at this time.

Mike ReissESPN Staff Writer

Rookie WR N'Keal Harry, who scored his first career TD last week and said he has plans to turn it up a notch, arrives on the first bus at NRG Stadium

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

 

[BigKen]

Tom Brady should be inactive.

He is getting worse by the week.

First and seven and screws two passes.

Tries to laser one between two defenders and gets picked because he doesn't have the arm he did three years ago.

I love the guy and all he's done.........but he's done. Bring in Stidham and see if he has the jewels or he;s costume jewelry. It might be what Brady needs to polish his game if he anything left.

If it wasn't Brady we'd be screaming for someone with a higher passer rating than 88.5.

 

[patspa]

Once again after a decent first drive, play calling goes to shit. Brady still trying to go downtown to edleman enough with the shit,back to basic dinking and dunking to get things going or whatever to get a spark wtf already, the whole team even the defense. It is pathetic

 

[TP76]

Team just didn't show up tonight... it happens. Hopefully they fix this shitshow in the second half, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[BigKen]

They had to take both planes to Texas with all of the sick guys on one and the other "well" guys on the second plane. 18 guys had to have IVs on the plane and a second dose yesterday. Needless to say the Patriots were not in the best shape for a game. Especially an away game.

That said, the coaching staff did not game plan for a team that was not going to be 100%.

As I watch off and on while writing my book, I see that Sony Michele is sitting on the sideline somewhere and James White is running the ball like a running back is supposed to run.

I also blame Belichick for not making more adjustments.

I also wonder, where the hell is N'Keal Harry? Sick? Benched?

One thing we all know. Our questions will never be answered.

 

[BigKen]

Final score 28-22 and the pats missed recovering the onsides kick with 50 seconds left by a crotch hair.

The officiating was pretty bad. They let the Texan secondary maul the Pats WRs. They called a few of the most obvious but they let a shit ton of stuff go early in the game. Collingsworth didn't say anything when Al Michels said, "Gee I guess they're letting them play tonight." hahaha

None the less, the Patriots looked like shit because they apparently felt like shit.

Texans can celebrate a win over the pats after being 0-5 against them They best pray that they don't have to come to Foxboro and play real football in the weather and not home in the dome. and worse, against a healthy Patriots team.

If this game had been played in Foxboro tonight, it would be 37 degrees and a fucking blizzard. We're in the beginning of a forecasted three straight days of snow. When the game started at 8:20 PM more than three inches was on the ground in Gillette. My guess is that the score would have been about 48-10 and the Texans would be licking some serious wounds. See you in January boys.