Now, however, is not that time. (We’re talking to you, Brandon Meriweather.)
As running back Kevin Faulk reasoned earlier this week, Sunday’s 27-21 loss to Denver could prove to be costly. If an NFL team is going to lose a game, it should make sure it follows some very specific guidelines: Do not lose to a team in your division, and do not lose to a team in your conference. The Patriots decided to ignore part of that credo and dropped a tough one, allowing the Broncos to remain undefeated.
Faulk knows what’s up. He knows that losing to conference rivals could be the difference between an 11-5 record that gets you into the playoffs and an 11-5 record that gets you first dibs on tee times at Pebble Beach.
Mr. Meriweather did not get the memo. That seems to be why he turned an impressive fourth-quarter pass knockdown into a costly taunting penalty that set up the Broncos’ game-tying touchdown.
He’s not sorry, either. He’s just having fun, guys. What is football without a little bit of pompous flair and complete disregard for the rules?
At least Meriweather is standing by his judgment. We bet Bill Belichick stood by it, too, during his postgame locker room diatribe.
"I'm having fun regardless. With the penalties or without the penalties, whatever I do, I'm going to have fun doing it.''
–Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather, on Boston.com, on his taunting penalty in New England's 20-17 overtime loss to Denver
“You’ve got to be the one to ultimately go out there and perform better. Everyone counts on me to perform at a certain level. I count on them to do their job. When you’re not doing it, it’s very frustrating when you really feel in a way that you’re letting your teammates down. You also have the resiliency to go back out there and give it your best.’’
–Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, in The Boston Globe, on how the 3-2 team can improve
“A smile and a ‘thank you.’”
–Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, on Boston.com, on what it took to get Derrick Burgess to switch numbers with him
"He could be a slot receiver. Sometimes you stumble into it, but he did a great job of being like Wes Welker when we were preparing for New England. We put him in the slot, and he was tough. He really was."
–Jets head coach Rex Ryan, on ESPN.com, on scout running back Danny Woodhead
"I absolutely believe that he has something left in the tank, but not on an every-down basis. The every-down days for Junior are probably over."
–Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, on WEEI, on the resurrection of Junior Seau’s career
"Do what we always do on early games. Have 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull, and go get 'em."
–Red Sox manager Terry Francona, in the Globe, on his breakfast of champions before Game 3 of the ALDS
“Boy, he can shoot, and he scares the hell out of other teams. He used to scare the hell out of me when I was coaching elsewhere. I kid him that he’s on the All-Scare Team.’’
–Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, in the Globe, on the play of reserve guard Eddie House
"You come back around, and everyone is like, 'Ugh, you got the cooties.’ They don't want to be around you."
–Cavaliers forward LeBron James, on NESN.com, on being treated for the H1N1 virus
“Get me to the plate, boys.”
–Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, immediately before earning the series-winning hit in a come-from-behind NLDS victory over the Rockies
"You're just looking for some [junk], aren't you?"
–Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, on Yahoo Sports, after being asked whether he deems himself a tone-setter on the field
"Ain't no free lunch. Matt's going to take some hits for this."
–Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, on ESPN.com, on outfielder Matt Holliday’s extremely costly error in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers
"He already had his bye week, a long bye week.”
–49ers head coach Mike Singletary, on NESN.com, on rookie Michael Crabtree, who finally signed with the team after six months of negotiations
“I call it ‘The Michigan.’ I just dreamt it up.’’
–Nine-year-old hockey sensation Oliver Wahlstrom, in the Globe, on the Mini 1-on-1 goal that has made him famous on the Internet
“During baseball, you face some of the same hitters every day, every series, and you see some of their weaknesses, and sometimes, you end up throwing a pitch to their strengths. You end up throwing a four-seam fastball to the outside, and they end up hitting it over the center-field wall. And you’re like, ‘Why did I just throw that pitch?’ But at the same time, you’re thinking maybe if I would have thrown that pitch and struck him out, it would have been a great pitch. If I threw the ball and it just missed the defender’s hand and went for a touchdown, it would have been a great play. But you have to minimize your mistakes.”
–Boston College quarterback and former minor league pitcher David Shinskie, in the Boston Herald, on how he uses his baseball acumen to succeed in football
