Happy times here.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2004/08/22/patriots_put_on_sorry_exhibition/Patriots put on sorry exhibition
Palmer, Bengals air it out in preseason rout
By Joe Burris, Globe Staff | August 22, 2004
CINCINNATI -- Preseason games don't count. Or do they?
How much importance does one place on the Patriots' 31-3 exhibition loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last night? At the very least, it counts as a sordid effort, one that left the defending Super Bowl champions at a loss for explanations and prompted what undoubtedly will be hasty retreat to the drawing board.
Surely, it was only the second exhibition of the season, but New England was surprisingly outplayed in every phase of the game by a youthful team whose coach entered concerned about his players being physically overmatched.
Turns out second-year coach Marvin Lewis's concerns were unfounded. Cincinnati dominated from the outset, scoring on its first three possessions and gaining 385 total yards, including 276 in the first half alone. Its defense held the Patriots to just 10 rushing yards in the first half and intercepted Tom Brady once.
"The
don't count from a record standpoint," said Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, "but they always count on the field because they send a message."
Last night, the Patriots appeared to have gotten the point that there is much work to do.
"Obviously, the Bengals played great, they were outstanding in every phase of the game, and we didn't do much of anything well," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "They dominated in every phase, offense, defense, and special teams. We didn't coach well. We didn't play well. We got totally outclassed."
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