Injury updates
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September 2006 ArchivesSeptember 30
Just received word that Ellis Hobbs, Eugene Wilson and Ryan O'Callaghan have been downgraded on the injury list. All three are now listed as out for tomorrow's game. 
September 29
Hey all -- There were no changes to the Pats' injury report, though the Bengals did add one player. I'll save you the scroll down and refresh your memory: PATRIOTS Questionable: S Artrell Hawkins (thigh), CB Elliss Hobbs (wrist), T Nick Kaczur (shoulder), S Eugene Wilson (hamstring), WR Chad Jackson (hamstring) Probable: QB Tom Brady (right shoulder), WR Doug Gabriel (hamstring), T Matt Light (knee), T Ryan O'Callaghan (head) All except Brady missed a portion of practice. BENGALS Out: C Rich Braham (knee), S Dexter Jackson (ankle), WR Tab Perry (hip), DE Frostee Rucker (shoulder) Doubtful: LB A.J. Nicholson (ankle) Questionable: WR Antonio Chatman (groin), LB Rashad Jeanty (foot) Probable: DT Sam Adams (knee), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (foot), T Levi Jones (ankle), S Kevin Kaesviharn (neck), LB Brian Simmons (knee), DE Justin Smith (foot), TE Reggie Kelly (illness) (Kelly is the new addition.) All of the players listed as out or doubtful, along with Kelly, missed at least a portion of practice. shalise
Hey all -- As Joey and I mentioned in SS/HS, the locker room was pretty loose today. On Fridays, we get the guys coming in off the practice field, so there's a lot of activity as guys move about. Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi were among those drawing a media crowd, but all around there were guys with chatting with reprorters. For those of you interested in the weekly Who I Am, this week's subject is Mike Vrabel. To me, he's such a guy's guy, but he didn't even bristle when I asked him when was the last time he cried. I thought it was interesting, hopefully you will too. If there are any changes to the injury report, we'll let you know. shalise
You know, this may be counter to the whole point of this debate forum, but I kind of agree with you. They were pretty loose in the locker room today. And they were pretty loose at practice as well; it seemed like there was a good amount of joking going on while they were stretching, though that also could have been because we were in the fieldhouse so noise is amplified. For all the talk this week about the Bengals' receivers -- and they are good, don't misunderstand me -- the Steelers exposed some of the team's warts last week. I think this game will be won in the trenches, especially since Cincy's starting center, Rich Braham, is out of the game with a knee injury and the O-line lacks cohesion (Carson Palmer was sacked six times by the Steelers). And if their O-line isn't that great, then I see New England's D-line dominating. Conversely, Cincy's D-line isn't doing so hot either. The Bengals are giving up over 113 yards rushing per game, and 24 of the 62 (39 percent) first downs by their opponents have come on the ground (compared to 11 of 47 or 24 percent for the Pats) which has to have Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney jazzed. And don't forget, there's also Dillon's history with Cincy giving some added incentive. Rodney Harrison said this week that Rudi Johnson is as key to Cincy's offense as the receivers because "the running game sets up the passing game and vice-versa." That works for both teams. But I think the key to this game is New England's defense getting involved. If the defense can put points on the board, it's in the bag. I think it will be a close game, but the Pats can win. Pow. shalise
Before you respond to the latest entry I've changed my mind just a little. My pick hasn't changed, but I think New England has a chance. Then again, this could mean I'm thinking with my heart and not my mind. Joey Mac
Cincinnati takes this one. The Patriots have been out of sync in the first three weeks of the season, while the Bengals are firing on all cyclinders, which has been impressive to watch this early. One of two things will happen this weekend. 1. The Pats get blown out. 2. They win by a very narrow margin (Gostkowski 43-yard field goal). Joey Mac
Hey Hockeyboy -- First of all, I didn't rip you about bringing up Gostkowski. It is a point of concern. He's still a kid (witness him using writing a term paper and having your computer crash before you could save your work as a comparison to not being properly prepared for the field conditions Sunday) and a kid who, whether he admits it is or not, knows the icon he is replacing. But, as one of our readers pointed out, that icon, Adam Vinatieri, wasn't exactly a picture of perfection when he first got here either. Vinatieri missed five field goals and three extra point tries in his first season with the Pats. However, don't think Mr. Clutch has been giving the kid pointers -- Gostkowski flatly said this week that he has never spoken to Vinatieri. I do agree with you -- he *needs* to make a field goal this week to know that it's not him. Josh Miller can tell Stephen all he wants that he hasn't missed a kick yet, but you have to know that in his own mind he's dumping on himself. Okay, what now? Who do you think wins this Sunday? shalise
Hey all -- Just spent some quality time in the fieldhouse, and once again the only player not on the field for stretching was Ellis Hobbs, listed as questionable on the injury report with a wrist injury. We haven't seen Ellis in the locker room this week either. Laurence Maroney was there, though he walked into the building a few minutes late. shalise
Okay, I have returned after two days back on the hockey beat. The Gostkowski argument is no longer timely since you wrote about him on Thursday (after ripping me for bringing it up) but to add just one more point about the kicking game before we put that episode to bed, I think Sunday is crucial for the rookie. Joey Mac
Hey all -- I guess our lovely late-September weather has left us. Practice today is in the Dana Farber Fieldhouse; we'll be headed out there in a bit and then locker room access is after practice. Coach Belichick, first and foremost, wasn't in his grey sweatshirt today. He had on a navy Patriots polo shirt with his regular navy shorts. But he didn't seem as relaxed as he normally does on a Friday. The Pats practiced without full pads both Wednesday and Thursday, an unusual move. Belichick did acknowledge that the physical nature of the team's first three games did play a role in that decision. There was talk of why a holder on placekicks lines up 7-8 yards behind the line of scrimmage, rookie Willie Andrews and the Paul Brown's impact on the game. Apparently Joey is preparing some big rebuttal for She Said/He Said about the blocked field goals, so we'll let him do that while we go to practice. shalise
September 28
There are no changes to the Patriots' injury report for today. shalise
Hey all -- Everything on the practice field today was much the same as it was yesterday -- Ellis Hobbs wasn't out there, and everyone else was present and accounted for during the media access period (stretching). The players were once again in shorts and shells. A random observation, but Junior Seau wasn't wearing a hat out there. Every other day we've been out there, he's wearing a Patriots hat while he stretches. We'll post again when the injury report comes out. shalise
Hey all -- Just in from the locker room and have a bit of time before heading out to the practice field. There were a few light moments today as both Rodney Harrison and Bill Belichick shot back at Bengals receiver Chad Johnson, who was talking trash Wednesday in his conference call with the Pats media. But both Belichick and Harrison knew it was all good-natured and treated it as such. "Tell him we'd cover him one-on-one all the time but he pushes off more than any receiver in the league and he must be paying off the officials not to call it, so we'll have to cover him some, not that he can get open, but as much as he pushes off then we have to do something to protect ourselves," Belichick joked, drawing big laughs from those in the media workroom. "He's a great guy, an entertaining kid. That's just Chad." Belichick said he spent time with Johnson in the offseason, running into him a few times in Los Angeles. As for Harrison -- Johnson said he'd knock the hard-hitting safety's helmet off but also said Harrison has become an advisor over the last couple of years -- he said it's a lot easier to take ribbing from Johnson than from former Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell, who called out Harrison before Super Bowl XXXIX. "This is similar to the Freddie Mitchell thing, but Chad's not as good a receiver," Harrison quipped, not missing the opportunity to get in a dig on Mitchell, a former first-round draft choice five years ago who is not even in football right now. "Chad is a baller, Freddie is not. Freddie is a bum." As for Johnson's contention that he'll knock Harrison's helmet off: "That guy couldn't knock a mosquito's helmet off. I tell you what, if he takes my helmet off, I guarantee I'll retire." Randall Gay, jettisoned to injured reserve yesterday, was walking around the locker room, as was Mel Mitchell, the safety who was placed on IR early in training camp and hasn't been seen since. Corey Dillon was in good spirits, as he came into the locker room with a small plate of brownies tucked under his shirt. He giddily revealed them when asked what he was hiding. We're off to practice on yet another lovely day. I wish it was like this all the time. I can't stand winter... shalise
September 27
Hey all -- Sorry I'm a little late here, but here's the first injury report for this week. PATRIOTS Questionable: S Artrell Hawkins (thigh), CB Elliss Hobbs (wrist), T Nick Kaczur (shoulder), S Eugene Wilson (hamstring), WR Chad Jackson (hamstring) Probable: QB Tom Brady (right shoulder), WR Doug Gabriel (hamstring), T Matt Light (knee), T Ryan O'Callaghan (head) All except Brady missed a portion of practice (Have I written that before??). BENGALS -- this list is longer than their arrest record Out: C Rich Braham (knee), S Dexter Jackson (ankle), WR Tab Perry (hip), DE Frostee Rucker (shoulder) Doubtful: LB A.J. Nicholson (ankle) Questionable: WR Antonio Chatman (groin), LB Rashad Jeanty (foot) Probable: DT Sam Adams (knee), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (foot), T Levi Jones (ankle), S Kevin Kaesviharn (neck), LB Brian Simmons (knee), DE Justin Smith (foot) shalise
Hey all -- Just watched the TO press conference. I may get struck down for making light of it, but are we really supposed to believe that everything that was on the police report is false? And what, the publicist was trying to call 4-1-1 and not 9-1-1? Okay, I've devoted too many brain cells to this already. We'll be back with the injury report. shalise
Hey all -- Just watched Bill Parcells' press conference on ESPN. It was odd that the Cowboys' PR guy said Parcells would make a statement about the Owens situation and would not take a series of questions.... and when Parcells sat down at the dais, he just said, "Fire away" and of course got bombarded with questions. There were so many media members and so many cameras clicking that Parcells couldn't hear most of the questions coming his way. Eventually -- after taking but one questions not about TO, though ironically it was about Terry Glenn -- Parcells had had enough and got up and walked out of the room. This whole story is just so strange -- our sister paper, the Dallas Morning News, has reported that Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders went to Owens' condo in Dallas, and of course his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is there as well. You'll remember the hilarious press conference Owens and Rosenhaus held in Owens' driveway last year when Owens ran afoul with the Eagles' brass. With such an interesting cast of characters likely to be in attendance when Owens begins his press conference in about 30 minutes, it is a morbidly intersting version of must-see TV. shalise
Hey all -- On a beautiful end-of-September day, there was only one person we didn't spot out at practice for the media portion (which was just stretching) -- Ellis Hobbs. Corey Dillon, Matt Light, Eugene Wilson and Rodney Harrison, all of whom left the game at some point on Sunday night, were all on the field. And newly re-signed Hank Poteat was also out there. The players were in shells and shorts. shalise
Hey again -- There were some good conversations in the locker room today, and a lot of it came from (not surprisingly) Josh Miller. Miller expressed sadness at the Terrell Owens situation, saying that he doesn't hold his feelings in because his support system -- namely, his wife and three kids -- is so strong. Miller also reassured us, just as he has Stephen Gostkowski, that the kicker will be fine -- Gostkowski hasn't missed a kick yet, it's on the players in front of him. But Gostkowski, who fiddled in his locker while he talked, said he takes 100 percent of the blame for the miss in the Denver game. A bit surprising that Gostkowski spoke, given that rookies are supposed to be seen and not heard from in the locker room. Maybe he'll have to pay the price with his teammates later. Rodney Harrison heard question after question about Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer and receivers Chad Johnson, TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry, and finally wondered, "Why aren't you asking about Rudi Johnson, the most underrated running back in the NFL?" So of course a question about Rudi followed. Basically, Harrison sounded a lot like Bill Belichick and said everyone on Cincinnati's offense is good and dangerous. Even their ball boys are quick, he joked. We're out to practice now. shalise
Hey all -- The weekly conference calls with the opposing team are happening now, and Bengals ever-entertaining receiver Chad Johnson is on the line. Johnson just said that he spoke to Terrell Owens on Monday night during the New Orleans-Atlanta game and spoke to someone close to Owens today and that Owens is fine. "T is fine. He just took the pain medication on an empty stomach. That's all," Johnson said. "Can I ask a question? How did a few pills become 35? If you take 35 pain pills, you know you're dead." Johnson also made sure to relay a few messages to the Patriots secondary, calling out Asante Samuel, Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson. He said he didn't know Ellis Hobbs enough to pick on him before the game "but I'll pick on him when I get on the field." He started to call out Junior Seau as well, but said that he wouldn't. To Harrison, Johnson said, "Tell 37 I'm gonna knock his helmet off." To Samuel, who is on his "hit list" that he keeps in his locker, "Tell him he should continue to have help for all four quarters or 22 will look like 55. Isn't that what 22 looks like upside down?" He warned Wilson not to hit him over the middle like Cleveland's Brian Russell did or the two would be dropping the gloves right then and there. Russell gave Johnson a mild concussion and a gash on his chin after a week two hit. After his jokes though, Johnson said Harrison has given him a lot of good advice, telling him to keep his head on right and "If your name's going to be in the headlines, make sure it's for something good." Johnson said he has relayed that advice to teammate Chris Henry, who has been arrested four times this calendar year. "I have Chris under my wing. He'll be fine," Johnson assured us. More later. shalise
Hey all -- There's a lot of buzz in the media workroom this morning about the news that Terrell Owens may have tried to committ suicide last night by ingesting a large number of prescription pain pills. Have to say though that most of the people in here (cynical media types all) think it's just another cry for attention from the wide receiver given that it seems his publicist was in his house with him when he did it and called 911 about 15 minutes after he reportedly took the pills. Another writer is saying this will turn the public sentiment on TO from disgust to sympathy as everyone thinks, "Oh he has problems, he's not just a jerk." But no matter why he did it, if he did indeed do it, it's sad and a clear sign that Terrell needs a lot of help. A lot of times we look at athletes -- especially one as physically sculpted as TO -- and assume that their life off the field is as perfect as the bodies they work so hard on. That's not always the case. Especially in the NFL, where you *must* perform or your livelihood can be taken away from you. Think about how people have been around here the last few weeks, saying Tom Brady should just "suck it up" and get over Deion not being here. Would you be saying the same thing if his father passed away or if he had depression? Terrell Owens grew up in extremely difficult circumstances, circumstances that fortunately many of us won't have to deal with and the scars from those events don't just go away because you're pulling in eight figures. shalise
The Patriots just announced that they have re-signed cornerback Hank Poteat. To make room for Poteat, Randall Gay was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
The Boston Herald reports today that an old, familiar -- did we mention old -- face was sighted at Gillette Stadium yesterday, and that it belonged to quarterback Vinny Testaverde, whom the team had apparently called in for a workout. Testaverde, 42, played a stint of his 20-year career under Bill Belichick with the Cleveland Browns. In fact, he led the Brownies to a playoff win over the Bill Parcells-coached Pats in January 1995. The Herald notes that the Patriots regularly work out free agents so that they are prepared in case of emergency. That said, the team is carrying only two quarterbacks on its roster: Tom Brady and the untested Matt Cassell.
September 26
According to old friend Tom Curran, the Patriots worked out Vinny Testaverde today. Testaverde is the second veteran QB the team has brought in for a look, following Tommy Maddox. Testaverde, who turns 43 in November, retired at the end of last season. shalise
Hey, Don't bust on my boy Grapes. While Madden stuffs ribs and corn into his belly, Grapes loves his Guinness. Plus, he's like the de facto president of Canada. Madden's just the master of every RV park in the U.S. Oh, we're still talking about Brady, right? Of course he hasn't been himself, the man is dealing with a bunch of rookies. And, if you think he's doing so poorly why don't you stand on your soap box and call for Matt Cassel. Maybe he's the new Brady and Brady is the new Bledsoe of the Patriots. As for Jerry Rice calling Doug Gabriel a talent, I've had people call me some things that are no where near the truth (insert your own slur). Serioulsy, though, I do agree Gabriel has the ability and once he and Brady get some more game reps in it will help the passing game. The player I do see with a possible confidence problem is rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski. He's had two blocked field goals in three games, and just the way Belichick defended him on Monday afternoon, I just think there may be an issue here. Now that's something to worry about, not Brady. Serve it up . . . Hockey Boy out.
You can say what you want about John Madden; if you spent most of your life on a bus and eating most of your meals at Outback Steakhouse, you might not always be lucid either. (By the way, I hear Don Cherry has had his share of suspect moments, hockey boy.) Yes, Madden wasn't in the locker room, and nor are most of those other so-called "experts." But he saw Brady on the field Sunday night, and he's seen Brady play enough to know when the man lacks passion. And I've seen him the past few weeks; he's still spouting the company line with the media, but he hasn't been doing it with the same conviction. The chemistry thing is a work in progress, and count me among those who thinks they might have something with Doug Gabriel -- if Jerry Rice raves about him, he's probably pretty talented. (Unless, of course, you want to discount the opinion of the greatest wide reciever to ever play the game.) And if Brady keeps working as hard as he has with the wideouts, I don't doubt there will be improvement. Just like I said, though, things have to be worked out by the bye week, both on the field and in Brady's mind. You got something new you want to get e-slammed with? Sha-zam! shalise
September 25
JOHN MADDEN! Isn't he the same guy, who during Super Bowl XXXVI, said the Patriots should play for overtime? I know I'm new on the football beat, but if I remember right, Tom Brady marched the team down field before Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. Yes, Madden is a football guru. Yes, he has forgotten more football than I will ever know. The thing that drives me absolutely nuts is when "experts" give their opinions about a player or a team when they're not ever around the locker room to see these guys up close and hear what they have to say. Listen, the Patriots are in a transition mode. Brady is going to be fine, it's clear he's not panicking. Even when someone asked Belichick if he was worried about his QB, the coach smirked out of the corner of his mouth as if to say 'are you kidding me?' As for the magic thing, I prefer that guy who immerses himself in a water tank. Serve it up . . . Joey Mac
Alright, buddy, you can call it whatever you want. I know the truth. Let me get this straight: Since Doug Gabriel said the passing game will figure itself out very soon, that's supposed to make me feel better??!?? He's only been around for a couple of weeks, but so far, I like Doug. Nice guy, made some nice catches Sunday night. But that quote makes it sound like he's the Pats' version of David Copperfield and he has a magic wand he's about to wave over the offense in the meeting room on Wednesday and everything will be A-OK come Sunday in Cincinnati. No less an expert than John Madden commented during the game that the Pats' offense wasn't playing with passion on Sunday night. And whose job is it to instill that passion, to stoke that fire? Brady's. Like I said before, I don't think he can't right the ship. What I am saying is something isn't right with the man, whether it's between the ears or mechanics or his Hollywood girlfriend hasn't been around much lately because she has a new TV show. Whatever it is, it can't go past the bye week if this team has any aspirations of cementing its place as a dynasty. Pow. shalise
On Brady: "I think everyone in that meeting room can do a better job," said the coach. "The coaches, the players, everybody. We all can do a better job. I don't think anyone is playing perfectly the way they can play." On the blocked field goal: "I think the ball came out low," he said. "That was part of the problem, there were other problems. . . There were a lot of factors on the play." On Dillon's arm injury: Dillon was in the locker room after the team's meeting, grab his bag, told a group of reporters he was not talking and walked out.
First of all, it's He said/She said. Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with Brady. His receiving corp, for the most part, is completely new to him. Sure, you can say he's had plenty of time to get used to the new guys during the preseason and the first three games of the season, but nobody can take a completely revamped passing game and make it work this early. Brady has faced enough adversity during his career to realize this thing will straighten itself out. THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY! Receiver Doug Gabriel said after Sunday's game that the passing game will figure itself out very soon. Plus, you have to give Denver's defense credit. Okay, so Brady wasn't sharp during the first two weeks of the season, too. It's early so come off the edge of the cliff and snuggle back up to your computer. I'll give you this much, his body language on the field last night, and in the locker room today was disconcerting. Serve it up. . . Joey Mac
On Josh Miller's solid performance yesterday: "When you have field position you want to maintain it." Miller continuously dropped punts deep into Denver territory on Sunday night. The only problem was, the Broncos were able to thwart the Patriots defense time and again almost making Miller's performance a moot point. After the first three weeks of the season, he's ranked third in the AFC and eighth in the league
Hey all -- Joe came up with this idea yesterday, and we're going to try it out. It's called She Said/He Said, and we're going to basically debate on-line, mostly about Pats things, but it may get into other areas, you never know. Our first topic: Tom Brady. I think there's something... missing with Tom Terrific. Something isn't there, and I don't think it's just a chemistry (or lack thereof) issue with his new receivers. In the first two games, he didn't look sharp and it wasn't much of a concern because in the end, the Patriots won the games. But it was magnified last night. At least one pass attempt came out of his hand wrong, and on a few passes, he overthrew or underthrew his intended receiver. And while he was 10-for-10 on the lone touchdown drive, Denver was in soft coverage then. As soon as New England scored, they switched up again and the Pats were three-and-out on their next possession. Brady admitted after the game that he had thrown the ball away on two of those three tries (the third was forced and broken up). It's easy for everyone to say, "Yeah, Deion is gone, he has to be a professional and get over it." And I know that's what he's getting paid for. But if your best friend, the person you worked with every day, went to lunch with, sent IM messages to about the God-awful shirt your boss is wearing, was all of a sudden gone, wouldn't that sting for a while? I hope whatever it is -- or they are, if it's more than one thing -- gets better soon. But right now, Tom Brady isn't the Tom Brady we all have come to know. shalise
Read the rest, write another...
Things around Gillette Stadium didn’t change very much from earlier this morning until this afternoon. The Patriots locker room was quiet, coach Bill Belichick said during his presser that everyone needs to be better. "We have to go back to work and keep improving," added the coach. "In every area we need to do a better job than we did last night." Belichick wouldn't just point to one specific thing, saying the team needs improvement in every aspect of the game.
September 24
Hey again -- We're about one hour from kickoff and we have the requisite players warming up on the field, which at this point is mainly the kickers for each team. Stephen Gostkowski and Jason Elam are lining up for field goals, and Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk are catching passes in the end zone from an assistant coach. The receiving corps -- minus the inactive Chad Jackson -- just came onto the field and are running routes and getting passes from Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. There spotlight burns bright for a Sunday night game, but it also brings a heightened sense of security. Though I know why and feel grateful that they are here, it's a bit disconcerting to walk toward the stadium and see several SWAT officers with semi-automatic rifles at their chest standing at the gate where media and stadium workers enter. We may or may not be back before the game starts... shalise
Chad Jackson is the most surprising Patriots inactive for today. The rookie wide receiver, who caught his first career touchdown in his first career game last week, was listed as questionable for tonight's game (as he was last week). The rest of the inactives: S Artrell Hawkins, TE Garrett Mills, LB Pierre Woods, G/C Gene Mruczkowski, T Nick Kaczur, DL Marquise Hill, DL Johnathan Sullivan For the Broncos: WR Todd Devoe, RB Cedric "I can run my mouth because I'm not playing" Cobbs, LB Nate Webster, G Chris Kuper, T Adam Meadows, TE Nate Jackson, DL Elvis Dumervil, DE Courtney Brown shalise
Hey all -- Joey and I went to the press conference announcing the Pats-Seahawks preseason game in China next August, and that question is all I could think of as I was sitting there listening to Bob Kraft, Roger Goodell and Dick Ebersol talk about getting into this "new" market of China. Can anyone help me with the translation??? You'll have my undying gratitude... shalise
The field at Gillette looks pretty good given the fact the Rolling Stones played a show here on Wednesday, and the New England Revolution played here last night. It's clear the grass has been painted a deep green color. The field will look sharp in high-def on NBC. Someone in the press box just asked: "How much paint do you think was used on the field?" The reply: "A lot."
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