The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Brady and New England struggled in a 33-20 loss at Miami Sept. 7 be- fore recovering for a 30-7 win over Minnesota Sept. 14, but the Patriots' offense was still stagnant by Brady's high standards. Brady completed 15 of 22 passes for 149 yards with one touchdown versus the Vikings, but he told WEEI radio in Boston there was a long way to go. "I wasn't unhappy. I was very happy we won," Brady said. "I thought the defense played awe- some. Special teams made some huge plays for us. Offensively, I thought in the first half we did some real good, positive things. "I just wish our execution over- all would be a little bit better. That's what we'll work on this week, and we'll try to make some improve- ments where we can. Then hopefully we just continue to get better as we go." The Patriots scored only two of- fensive touchdowns and were held to two field goals in the second half. The offense was limited to only 292 total yards and 16 first downs, and the team was called for 15 penalties for 163 yards. "The penalties, they just kill drives. We don't want to be one of the most- penalized teams in the league," Brady said. "I think that's a great recipe for how to lose games — turn- overs, penalties, missed opportuni- ties. We've got to do a better job with the penalties." Oakland, meanwhile, was set to travel to New England with the league's 24th-ranked defense. The Raiders were allowing 364.5 yards per game through two weeks. "We suck," Woodson said told CSN Bay Area after a 30-14 loss to Hous- ton Sept. 14 that dropped the Raiders to 0-2. "That's as blunt as I can put it. For whatever reason, defensively we just won't stop people, especially early in games. Every drive, every first drive, teams are able to go and get points … collectively, we look bad. "It's disappointing. I don't know what else to say about it. Coming into the season, I felt a lot better about where we were at that point. For whatever reason, we haven't put it together on the field." Woodson called it "embarrassing." He and his teammates, though, could take a step toward erasing some of it with a win over his old friend's squad. CHAD HENNE IS STILL STARTING IN JACKSONVILLE Chad Henne hasn't played behind many good offensive lines in his last few NFL seasons, and this year is no exception. The former Michigan quarterback was sacked 14 times in his first two starts this year — 10 alone in a 41-10 loss at Washing- ton Sept. 14 — and his Jacksonville Jaguars were outscored 75-10 after jumping out to a 17-0 halftime lead at Philadelphia in the opener Sept. 7 before falling 34-17. "There are going to be some changes," head coach Gus Bradley said via the team's Twitter feed. "If you're asking solely on the quarter-