Raining in Nashville
11:51 AM Sun, Dec 31, 2006 | Permalink | Write the first
comment
Email this author | Email this entry |
 |
Projo Pats Blog |
December 2006 ArchivesDecember 31
The tarp was on the field earlier today and now there's a slow mist as the players continue to warm up. Today's inactives: New England _ WR Bam Childress, QB Vinny Testaverde, CB Chad Scott, RB Kevin Faulk, G Gene Mruczkowski, T Wesley Britt, DL Vince Wilfork, TE Benjamin Watson. 
December 30
Hey all -- The Patriots have just announced that five players are downgraded to out: Bam Childress All five players had been listed as questionable on Friday's injury report.
Live from Nashville with the Predators beating the Bruins, 1-0, mid-way through the first period, the New England Patriots just updated their injury report. The following Patriots players have been downgraded to out for tomorrow's game at Tennessee: Bam Childress
December 29
Hey all -- Just in from a sunny but cold practice field, where there was perfect attendance. Tom Brady was back on the field for the first time this week, which means we can guarantee that he will start Sunday's game with the Titans. Not that we ever doubted he'd let his streak of consecutive starts die out anyways. The players were once again in shells and shorts/sweatpants/sweatshirts/knit hats. We noticed in the locker room today that practice squad defensive lineman Santonio Thomas was also wearing a black practice jersey this week, meaning he and Jabar Gaffney were the practice players of the week last week. shalise
Hey all -- It's a different Friday than usual here at Gillette, in that we've already talked to Coach Belichick and been in the locker room -- usually, we're in the locker room after practice. Truth be told, we're liking the schedule because it gives us a chance to take advantage of some post-Christmas sales. So anyway, Belichick was asked this morning about monitoring players for signs of fatigue, and if he pays closer attention to the rookies. Coach said he "monitors everyone" and stays in communication with the trainers and strength & conditioning coaches to stay on top of things. He added that many times, the fatigue is more mental than physical. He also talked about Vinny Testaverde and Kelvin Kight. Testaverde's skill and longevity impress Belichick, while Kight figured out that "the better you are on special teams, the more reps you'll get on offense and defense." Speaking of Vinny, we're profiling him for Sunday, and Rodney Harrison is this week's Who I Am. We'll try to post the injury report (we're going shopping, remember) and any other changes the team makes before Sunday's game. Joey will have you from Nashville. Happy New Year!
December 28
Per the Pats' PR department: A very limited number of tickets for next weekend's playoff game at Gillette Stadium will be sold through Ticketmaster on Friday, Dec. 29 at 10:00 a.m. Fans should be reminded to use a Visa to purchase Patriots tickets. Orders can be placed online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 617.931.2222. Historically, these tickets sell out within minutes.
There were no changes to the personnel on the injury report for either team. The only difference is that today, Tennessee's Travis Henry (ankle) and Bo Scaife (ankle) did not miss any portion of practice today; yesterday it was reported that they did.
Hey all -- For the second straight day, Tom Brady was the only player not present for the media-access portion of practice. That means that Benjamin Watson and Vince Wilfork were there again. Print media were only present for stretching. Practice was held outdoors, behind the stadium, and players were in shells and shorts/sweatpants. shalise
Hey all -- Bill Belichick talked some more about Vince Young this morning, saying that if the Titans' rookie quarterback is most like any former player, it's Randall Cunningham, not Michael Vick. Belichick also said that Matt Cassel has made "a big improvement" from last year at this time until now, and the second-year backup quarterback drew a big camera crowd in the locker room as a result. Well, that and he's seemingly become the holder for field goals and extra points, which even he has said isn't rocket science. In the locker room, punter Todd Sauerbrun addressed the media for the first time since being signed last week, and it was apparently quite entertaining. Sauerbrun has no love for the Carolina Panthers, who once fined him for being three pounds overweight, and he also address the issue of his suspension earlier this year. Cassel, Sauerbrun, Daniel Graham and Mike Vrabel all drew crowds to their lockers. We'll be back after practice, which starts shortly and is outside, which scares us. We really don't like the cold and haven't bought new gloves yet. shalise
Hey all -- We don't have a dope of the week award here at the PB (that's Pats Blog, but on another note, we really need a catchier name), but if we did, Jack Del Rio would get the first one. During a press conference with the Jacksonville media yesterday, not only did Del Rio stand linebacker Clint Ingram and his helmet-first dive into Tom Brady's shoulder/back during the fourth quarter, he said his team should have gone after Brady earlier in the game, as well, during another of Brady's runs. “They should’ve speared him then,” Del Rio said of a Brady head-first dive early in Sunday’s game, when Jaguars defenders backed off Brady because they thought he was going to slide feet-first. “You go face-first and you’re a runner,” Del Rio added. Uh, coach? Spearing. Is. Illegal. NFL rules stipulate a 15-yard penalty for "A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent." And you just advocated that your players should have speared another player. Not just any other player, a quarterback. Ingram could be fined by the NFL for the move, though the player said yesterday he had not yet heard from the league. Have fun with the award, coach. Speaking of fun, the Jaguars' web site is pretty fun. That's where we found this ridiculous quote, and also where we came across some quotes we had in Monday's paper from players and Del Rio whining, oops, griping about the play calling in the game. shalise
December 27
Hey all -- Here's the first injury report of the week: New England PROBABLE: QB Tom Brady (right shoulder), S Rodney Harrison (shoulder), CB Ellis Hobbs (wrist), DL Richard Seymour (elbow) **All but Harrison, Hobbs and Seymour were reported to have missed at least a portion of practice today. Tennessee QUESTIONABLE: DT Tony Brown (knee), TE Casey Cramer (neck), RB Travis Henry (ankle), DE Travis LaBoy (knee), TE Bo Scaife (ankle), DT Robaire Smith (toe), WR Bobby Wade (ankle) **All of the players were reported to have missed at least a portion of practice.
To elaborate on our previous post, Tom Brady was not at practice during the media-access portion, which today was an abbreviated stretching session. While that's not great news, there was some good news in that Benjamin Watson (knee) and Vince Wilfork (ankle) were on the field, for the first time since getting hurt in the Miami game. Jabar Gaffney was wearing the black jersey, given to the practice player of the week for the Jaguars game. The players were in shells and shorts/sweatpants; practice was held inside the fieldhouse, but we spotted the kicking crew headed outside as we left to do work on the natural grass field. shalise
Shalise just called in from the media access portion of practice, saying Tom Brady is not on the field. Ben Watson and Vince Wilfork are both practicing.
Hey all -- You know, I had this elaborate entry written a little while ago, and then my internet crashed and it's gone. That's not cool. Suffice it to say, it was mostly about Bill Belichick's press conference this morning, when he was asked about Tennessee uber-rookie Vince Young, whom Belichick called "a winner." Belichick also talked about Young's former teammate, David Thomas: "I don't think (Thomas' success) has been sudden to anyone that's been around here," he said. "He had some opportunities, and he certainly capitalized. He's done a solid job; he's been pretty solid and consistent." The coach also talked about Titans' offensive coordinator/quarterback coach extraordinaire Norm Chow, who has helped the careers of Young, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer and Matt Cassel (at USC), Philip Rivers (at NC State) and even Steve Young at BYU years ago. During his conference call, Young called Thomas "one of the best players I've ever played with, both on and off the field." Tom Brady made a brief appearance, and said he's "feeling a lot better than he did a couple of days ago" after the hit he took from Clint Ingram. We'll be back later with practice notes. shalise
December 24
Borrowed that line from colleague Rich Garven of the Worcester Telegram. Anyway, Matt Cassel held on that 48-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.
Newly-signed punter Todd Sauerbrun's first punt went just 22 yards. Not a great start...
They just announced the starters, and not only is Rodney Harrison playing today, he's starting.
WR Charles Sharon
Here are the inactives for the Patriots: That's as clear a sign as any that we'll be seeing Rodney Harrison, Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk.
Another good sign... Laurence Maroney is out on the field in game pants (with shorts over them) warming up.
Hey all -- This place is almost exactly as I remember it. The last time I were here was for Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, and that night, we were in the "auxiliary press box" which was really part of the stands. And it was cold that night. Well, colder than I expected it to be. Anyway, it's pretty nice here for Christmas Eve, though they tell me there's a good chance it's going to rain today. The early warmups have begun, and we're pleased to say that Kevin Faulk is out there practicing some cuts and with nothing on his right knee, as best we can tell. Bill Belichick is walking the field, nattily attired in a grey suit and accompanied by his sons, Stephen and Brian. Scott Pioli is chatting with Tom Brady on the sideline and Matt Cassel is throwing some passes with an assitant coach. We'll be back again with the game inactives. shalise
December 23
Hey all -- Greetings from Jacksonville and Happy Holidays... The Patriots have downgraded Vince Wilfork, Benjamin Watson and Ryan O'Callaghan to out for tomorrow's game against the Jaguars. And they signed Bam Childress to the open spot on the 53-man roster off the practice squad. We'll be talking to you again in the morning. shalise
December 22
We're starting to feel as if we're trapped in a version of "Groundhog Day" Foxboro-style... Just in from practice, where the only players not present for the media-access portion were Benjamin Watson and Vince Wilfok. The players were in shells and shorts/sweatpants and practice was held in the practice fields behind the stadium. shalise
Hey all -- Indeed, the Pats have a punter in the form of 12-year veteran Todd Sauerbrun. New England coach Bill Belichick said Sauerbrun was just brought in this morning for a tryout and was signed afterwards. Sauerbrun, who turns 34 on Jan. 4, was most recently with the Broncos, and made headlines earlier this year when he tested positive for the banned supplement ephedra and was suspended for the first four games of the season by the NFL. On the day he was supposed to come back from the suspension, in October, Denver cut him. A three-time Pro Bowler who has averaged 44 yards per punt for the over 800 kicks he's had in his career, Sauerbrun may also be remembered around these parts for the tackle and forced fumble he had on Ellis Hobbs in the playoffs last season. Denver recovered the ball and ended up scoring a touchdown. shalise
The Patriots just announced that they signed punter Todd Sauerbrun.
December 21
Hey all -- Just in from pracitce, where once again Benjamin Watson and Vince Wilfork were the only players not present for the media-access portion, which today was just stretching. Rodney Harrison, upgraded again this week from doubtful to questionable, was out there once again. Today the players were in full pads and practice was held on the practice fields behind Gillette. shalise
Wide receiver Troy Brown will be in North Attleboro tonight to host an advance screening of We Are Marshall, a movie based on the events that followed the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 Marshall University football players and coaches. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey as the coach who takes on the job of rebuilding the program. Brown is a Marshall graduate who still lives in Huntington, W.V., the town where the events depicted in the movie take place. His guests will include Patriots teammates and members of the Foxboro and North Attleboro high school football teams.
Hey all -- We just wrapped up with Bill Belichick, who didn't have an opening statement this morning and just opened things up to questions. The first one he got was about a quote -- "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" -- and his thoughts on it. Not surprisingly, Belichick said he believes there is a lot of truth to that statement, and brought up a similar quotation of his own from ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu: "Every battle is won before it is fought." Belichick said there aren't a lot of motivational signs around the Patriots' meeting rooms and other spaces, but that quote is one of the few that is. The coach also talked about newly-signed rookie punter Tom Malone, signed yesterday to the practice squad. Belichick said Malone was brought in for a tryout earlier this season. He said Malone's arrival is not supposed to create a competition between Malone and Danny Baugher. We're off to the locker room and will be back with more shortly. shalise
December 20
Not that his resume needed any more polishing to attract potential mates in the wake of his recent breakup with Bridget Moynahan, but Tom Brady was selected the fifth-hottest male athlete by a panel of Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. With an average model rating of 8.2 out of 10, Brady is the highest-rated "mainstream" American athlete. Number four on the list is French soccer star Zinedine Zidane; third is Swedish-born soccer player Fredrik Ljungberg; second is David Beckham, the soccer player with the ever-changing hair and Spice Girl wife; and tops is surfer Kelly Slater. The swimsuit models were also kind enough to rank the top 20 hottest female athletes, with tennis champion Maria Sharapova topping the list. Don't shoot the messenger people; we're just passing along the information. shalise
For New England: QUESTIONABLE: LB Eric Alexander (shoulder), S Rashad Baker (thigh), RB Kevin Faulk (knee), S Rodney Harrison (shoulder), RB Laurence Maroney (back), T Ryan O'Callaghan (neck), TE Benjamin Watson (knee), NT Vince Wilfork (ankle), DL Mike Wright (shoulder) PROBABLE: QB Tom Brady (right shoulder), DL Richard Seymour (elbow), CB Ellis Hobbs (wrist) *After being upgraded from up to doubtful last week, Harrison gets bumped up again, and now has a 50-50 chance of playing. Word is, he is determined to be back on the field Sunday against the Jaguars; it will be up to the coaching and medical staffs, however, to determine if he's ready. After being listed as questionable since Week Four, Hobbs was upgraded as well. The probable players did not miss any portion of practice. For the Jaguars: PROBABLE: CB Ahmad Carroll (groin), LB Jorge Cordova (hamstring), P Chris Hanson (left hamstring), RB Maurice Jones-Drew (knee), G Vincent Manuwai (calf), RB Montell Owens (head), DT Marcus Stroud (ankle), RB Derrick Wimbush (ankle) *McDaniel, Taylor and Stroud were reported to have missed at least a portion of practice.
Just in from a nippy practice, where there was good news and bad news. We'll do the bad first so you have something to look forward to. Vince Wilfork and Benjamin Watson were the only two players not spotted at practice. On the good news front, that means that Kevin Faulk, Laurence Maroney and Rodney Harrison were at practice. We saw Faulk, who injured his right leg during Sunday's game in the locker room, and when we asked how he was doing, he answered, "Much better." The players were in shells and shorts/sweatpants, and the practice player of the week was Bam Childress. Print media were only present for stretching and some early drills. shalise
The Patriots just announced two practice squad signings: defensive back James Patrick and punter Tom Malone. Patrick, a first-year player, begins his second stint on the practice squad, having spent Nov. 1 to Dec. 12 with the Pats. Malone, 22, is an undrafted rookie from USC, and spent little more than a month with San Francisco this summer.
Hey all -- There wasn't a whole lot going on in the locker room today, as players were coming in and out for meetings and as they were getting ready for practice, which starts soon. Larry Izzo, passed over for the Pro Bowl, talked about not making it, saying it's a "great honor anytime you can go, but we don't control that." Rosevelt Colvin, one of a few players drawing large media crowds, said if he could vote for his teammates, he'd vote for every one that he lines up with. Asante Samuel and Artrell Hawkins also drew sizable interest. shalise
Hey all -- Bill Belichick had his boxing gloves on this morning, and took another jab at former Texans general manager Charlie Casserly, who claimed on the CBS pregame show last Sunday that the Patriots had been warned by the NFL about having a staff member "dressed in coaching attire with a video camera who was presumably videotaping the other team's signals. You can't do that. They were warned." Casserly's claim came as the CBS crew was discussing Miami's claim after its win over New England that it got game tape with audio to try and figure out Tom Brady's protection calls. On Monday, Belichick said he hadn't heard anything from the league, and when asked is teams are allowed to have cameras on the sideline, he said, "Why don't you go talk to Charley Casserly? He seems to have all the answers on everything, so why don’t you go ask him?" Today, the shot was disguised. Asked for his thoughts on the current debate about whether quarterbacks are getting too much protection from the league, Belichick initially said his background is in defense, so we can guess what his answer would be, but added that no one cares what he thinks anyway. When (comically) pressed for more, Belichick eventually dropped this one: "the Charlie Casserlys of the world who have all the answers, ask them." Since he's no longer a team official, Casserly is not a member of any NFL committees, but he likely was when he was with Houston. shalise
December 19
Rookie Laurence Maroney received the 2006 Patriots' 12th Player Award today; the award is presented to the New England player who "personifies the Patriots' team spirit, performs beyond expectations and is recognized for his contributions to the organization, both on the field and in the community." For the past 12 years, Pats fans have selected the winner, voting at Shaw's Supermarkets and at www.shaws.com. Recent winners of the 12th Player Award include linebacker Willie McGinest in 2005, wide receiver/defensive back Troy Brown in 2004, defensive tackle/fullback Dan Klecko in 2003, kicker Adam Vinatieri in 2002, quarterback Tom Brady in 2001 and linebacker Tedy Bruschi in 2000.
Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour was voted to his fifth straight Pro Bowl, chosen as one of two interior linemen (San Diego's Jamal Williams is the other). The game will be played Feb. 10 in Honolulu. Amazingly, Seymour is the only Patriot player chosen for the game, meaning that his linemates, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork, were snubbed despite a dominant year by both, especially Warren. Tom Brady was also left out of the party, passed over for Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer, as was his center, Dan Koppen and corner Asante Samuel, who is the NFL co-leader in interceptions. Special-teamer Larry Izzo, who was leading the fan voting for that position, also was left off the list. The AFC-leading Chargers had nine players chosen while NFC leader Chiacgo had seven. Seymour, 27, becomes the first New England defensive player since Hall of Fame hopeful Andre Tippett was named to five consecutive games from 1984 to '88. He is the fifth Patriots player to earn at least five straight nods, joining Tippett, John Hannah (eight, 1978-85), Mike Haynes (five, 1976-80) and Ben Coates (five, 1994-98). The complete list of players for the AFC (*-starter): Tackles: Willie Anderson, Bengals*; Johnathan Ogden, Ravens*; Tarik Glenn, Colts (injured) Tight ends: Antonio Gates, Chargers*; Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs Fullback: Lorenzo Neal, Chargers Defensive ends: Jason Taylor, Dolphins*; Aaron Schobel, Bills*; Derrick Burgess, Raiders Interior linemen: Richard Seymour, Patriots*; Jamal Williams, Chargers*; Casey Hampton, Steelers Outside linebackers: Adalius Thomas, Ravens*; Shawne Merriman, Chargers*; Terrell Suggs, Ravens Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey, Broncos*; Rashean Mathis, Jaguars*; Chris McAlister, Ravens Strong safety: Troy Polamalu, Steelers Free safety: Ed Reed, Ravens*; John Lynch, Broncos Placekicker: Nate Kaeding, Chargers Kick returner: Justin Miller, Jets Special teamer: Kassim Osgood, Chargers
December 17
After his 51-yard kickoff return last week, perhaps we should have expected this. Anyway, Ellis Hobbs' 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the first kickoff the Patriots have taken for a touchdown since Dec. 5, 2004, when Bethel Johnson also had a 93-yard TD return against Cleveland. It was Hobbs' first career touchdown.
The Patriots signed safety Guss Scott off the practice squad, bringing him onto the 53-man roster just days after bringing him back to the team. Scott, 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, is now the fifth member -- and only non-receiver -- of the active roster who played at Florida, joining Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson and Kelvin Kight.
|