The Oakland Raiders aren't shy about saying what they think the New England Patriots are. Linebacker Rolando McClain (coming off an excellent second half against the New York Jets), wanted to let the media know what he thought of Tom Brady's offense. Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times reports.
Q: Different kind of test with the Patriots after the physical Jets?
McClain: This is just a finesse team. I mean, Tom Brady’s a smart guy, has many weapons around him, with his receivers as well as his tight ends. His tight ends are playing great right now.
Doesn't take much football knowledge to translate "finesse" into "soft".
Still, finesse might not be a good thing for Raiders defenders, because the Patriots aren't much different from the other team that just torched the Raiders, the Buffalo Bills. There's a lot of shotgun spread, lot of individual mismatches that the quarterback will try to take advantage of, and a lot of passing. And Tom Brady is no Mark Sanchez. He won't have too bad games in a row, so the Raiders defensive backs need to be on their toes.
And it's never a good thing to pigeonhole a New England Patriots team. Bill Belichick might rediscover a power run game that wasn't previously there for the Pats, and end up pounding the ball for 200 rushing yards on Oakland's defense. Crazier things have happened.
For more on the Raiders, go to Silver and Black Pride. For more on the Patriots, go to Pats Pulpit.