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Monday, December 30, 2002
A good win spoiled
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
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FOXBORO, Mass. — Lawyer Milloy said the magic was back. And who was going to argue? The New England Patriots did what they had to on Sunday and they did it in a style similar to that of their Super Bowl championship season. Rallying from 11 points down with 4:59 remaining in the fourth quarter, New England beat the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in overtime on Adam Vinatieri's 35-yard field goal at raucous Gillette Stadium. But, alas, not all the stars were aligned properly on Sunday. The Patriots still will not get to defend their Super Bowl championship in the playoffs. The New York Jets pounded the Green Bay Packers 42-17 later in the day, winning the AFC East divisional championship. Although the Patriots, Dolphins and Jets each finished with 9-7 records, only the Jets advance because they have a better record against common opponents outside their division (5-3 for New York, 4-4 for the Patriots). Indianapolis (10-6) and Cleveland (9-7) go in as the AFC wild-card teams, Cleveland getting the tiebreaker on conference record (the Browns are 7-5, Patriots 6-6). The Patriots are the 10th team to not make the playoffs following a Super Bowl victory, the third with a winning record (Kansas City and Pittsburgh are the others). While neither Coach Bill Belichick nor any players were available for comment after the Jets game - many of them watched it in the players' lounge - Belichick issued a statement in which he said, "We're very disappointed that our season has ended. Unfortunately, it was a situation where other things had to fall into place for us to get into the playoffs, and it just didn't work out. I am proud of our team." As the Patriots cleared out after the game, many spoke about the possibility of the season ending. "If it's going to end, that's a great way to end, rather than losing three in a row," said defensive back Terrell Buckley, noting the Patriots' two-game stumble against Tennessee and the Jets. That the Patriots were still in the playoff hunt following their game was improbable. The Dolphins, who have a history of fading in December, seemingly had this game in hand and, along with it, the AFC East title. A Miami victory sent the Dolphins into the playoffs, regardless of what anyone else did. Behind the running of Ricky Williams (31 rushes, 185 yards, two touchdowns) and a teeth-rattling defense, Miami opened a 21-10 halftime lead. But somewhere along the way in the third quarter, the Dolphins stopped attacking. "The feeling was that they were just trying to hold on, not trying to attack," said center Damien Woody. "So we went on the attack and we made enough plays to win the game at the end." The turnaround began after Miami's Olindo Mare kicked a 28-yard field goal with 4:59 remaining to give the Dolphins a 24-13 lead. New England then went on a 68-yard drive to score. The pivotal play was a pass interference call against Miami's Jamar Fletcher that gave New England a first-and-goal at the 3. After an incompletion, Tom Brady found Troy Brown uncovered in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown and it was 24-19. The Pats went for the two-point conversion and got it when tight end Christian Fauria leapt high in the back right corner to snag Brady's pass and it was suddenly 24-21. "I almost tried to catch it with one hand, for a brief instant," said Fauria. "At first I couldn't see him, then all of a sudden he popped out and the ball popped out too. I just jumped and I grabbed it." And the Dolphins were reeling. "When you lose momentum like that," said Coach Dave Wannstedt, "you have to come up with a play somehow, someway, to stop it. And we didn't." The Miami meltdown continued when kick returner Travis Minor let Vinatieri's kickoff bounce around before picking it up at the 2 and was tackled at the 4. A 23-yard punt by Mark Royals put the ball on the Miami 34. Four plays later, Vinatieri kicked a 43-yard field goal with 1:09 left to tie it and force overtime. There, New England won the toss. Mare had a dreadful kickoff, putting the ball out of bounds to give New England a first down at the 40. Kevin Faulk, whose stock rose dramatically with exceptional play in the final weeks, rushed for 15 yards and then made a stunning, cradling catch on the right sideline with linebacker Derrick Rodgers draped on him for another 20. Faulk was pivotal in the comeback, rushing for 53 yards, catching nine passes for 70 and returning four kickoffs for 104. "Kev has been a spark all year," said Brady, who was 25 for 44 for 221 yards with a touchdown and an interception. "He has been a guy that has made a lot of plays for us all year so he is a playmaker. When you have guys like that, you try to get them the ball." Three plays later, Vinatieri kicked his winning 35-yard field goal and the team, and its fans, celebrated. "It was magical," said Milloy. "I think that was something we were missing this year." To Fauria, a newcomer to the team this year, it was something else. "It was just grit," he said. "It was just want-to, it was just everything that you heard about this team in the past and showing it right now." And maybe that's why it was difficult to fully appreciate the victory, knowing that the team's inconsistent play kept it from fully reaching its potential. "It's still unacceptable," said Milloy, asked if this victory would be enough to carry the team through the offseason. "We put ourselves in this predicament and we'll face it like a man. "Being the champion, the defending champion, you want a chance to defend it in the tournament. The only thing we can reflect on is the whole season and we definitely did enough things in this season to put ourselves in this situation." Still, Belichick and others praised the effort and the result. This game, said Belichick, showed what this team was about. "There are some tough guys in that locker room there," said Belichick. "They won't quit. They just keep fighting. It doesn't matter who believes in them or what anybody else thinks they can do, they just keep digging. "And I have got a lot of respect for those guys, and I thought they really deserved today." The players insisted the performance was a reflection of Belichick, who never wavered in his belief that they would pull out a win and somehow make the playoffs. "It's a reflection of what he taught us," said defensive back Ty Law. "And we realized how we got our championship last year was playing that way." Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
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