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Playing out the schedule Patriots close out season with easy win over Ravens
Posted: Monday January 03, 2000 12:41 AM
FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) -- Pete Carroll strode to the podium, spoke animatedly about having fun, then left with a light wave of his right hand and the words, "See ya." Sunday's news conference after his Patriots ended their season with a 20-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens might have been the last public sighting of Carroll as New England's coach. He's expected to be fired with two years left on his contract. He avoided questions about his future as successfully as his defense battled the Ravens, who had won their previous four games. "I just loved the day today," Carroll said when asked if he didn't think he'd have another enjoyable day as coach of the Patriots. "I'm always savoring everything I have an opportunity to savor." He loved Troy Brown's three long kick returns and a defense that allowed one touchdown in its last two games. The Patriots won despite gaining a season-low 151 yards against the NFL's third-ranked defense in a game between teams already eliminated from playoff contention. "Our whole thing was to have fun," Carroll said. "Sometimes in the bitterness, we miss the fun." He said he had a "very good, upbeat" conversation with team owner Robert Kraft on Sunday. The second half of the season wasn't much fun for the Patriots. They were 2-6 in that span and finished last in the AFC East. They were tied with the Jets at 8-8, but New York, which beat Seattle 19-9 Sunday, had the tiebreaker advantage. The Ravens also finished at 8-8. "We didn't give them a lot of yards, but we didn't do anything big on defense," Ravens free safety Rod Woodson said. The Patriots did, as Chad Eaton returned Tony Banks' fumble 23 yards for a touchdown and a 20-3 lead with 7:01 left in the third quarter, and backup cornerback Kato Serwanga intercepted Banks' pass in the back of the end zone with 2:41 left in the period. Brown was the biggest star, with returns that set up 10 points as the Patriots led 13-3 at halftime. "We didn't want to go home carrying a loss with us," Brown said. That's what the Ravens had to do, despite a strong stretch run. "This loss definitely takes the luster off the winning streak," said Banks, who left the game after the third quarter with a strained left knee. "People only remember your last game." Carroll can only hope. The Patriots have gotten worse in each of his three seasons since he took over the AFC champions from Bill Parcells, now the Jets' coach. "Pete walked into an extremely difficult situation," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. "Has it been fair? Probably not, but nobody said it has to be fair." "I don't know what's going on," defensive end Willie McGinest said. "I just wanted to play hard for the guy." The small crowd reflected the game's meager significance. The 50,263 fans marked the smallest crowd at Foxboro Stadium since the Patriots last home game of 1995. On Sunday, the Patriots' offense wasn't much better than it had been when it averaged 12.6 points in its previous seven games. The Patriots, without leading receiver Terry Glenn, were outgained 313 yards to 151 for the game. Carroll suspended Glenn for missing three medical checkups after he contracted the flu. But Brown's three returns in the first half and two key turnovers in the second half sparked New England. "It's too bad," Baltimore defensive end Michael McCrary said. "I thought this team's pride had passed the point of packing it in." Brown returned the opening kickoff 54 yards, but New England couldn't get a first down and turned the ball over on downs. After Matt Stover's 19-yard field goal on the third play of the second quarter, his 18th consecutive successful attempt, Brown returned the kickoff 49 yards. But the Patriots settled for Adam Vinatieri's 25-yard tying field goal with 10:01 left in the period. Kyle Richardson punted after Baltimore's next series and Brown returned that kick 52 yards to the Ravens' 23. Five plays later, Bledsoe threw a 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Mike Bartrum, whose two catches in four seasons with the Patriots went for 1-yard touchdowns against Baltimore. Vinatieri, who missed a field goal with two seconds left in regulation and another in overtime in a 13-10 loss to Buffalo the previous Sunday, made a 51-yarder on the last play of the half. Notes: The Patriots avoided their first losing season since 1995. ... Bledsoe threw for 108 yards after passing for only 101 a week earlier. He was sacked twice and ended the season with 55, second to Tony Eason's team record of 59 in 1984. He fell 15 yards short of becoming the fourth NFL player with three 4,000-yard passing seasons. ... Banks failed to throw a scoring pass for the first time in seven games. ... The Ravens allowed three rushing touchdowns in their last 47 quarters and didn't allow a single 100-yard rusher all season.
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