|
Recent Comments
Monarch on Seau hints at comeback dan fonseca on What's happened to Silva? art on Belichick on Wheatley Ken Pittman on Belichick on Wheatley larry on Belichick chats about Mayo mark on Pats expect Walsh-Goodell meeting to exonerate them from charges of spying at Super Bowl XXXVI Brian on Pats expect Walsh-Goodell meeting to exonerate them from charges of spying at Super Bowl XXXVI John on Pats expect Walsh-Goodell meeting to exonerate them from charges of spying at Super Bowl XXXVI JP on Patriots announce ticket prices for 2008 season Mike from FL on Hobson signing confirmed To comment on any posting, click on the word 'Comments' at the end of the item. |
 |
| Projo PatsBlog |
|
|
September 30, 2007
Neal, Washington OUTThe Patriots have downgraded guard Stephen Neal (shoulder) and receiver Kelley Washington (hamstring) to out for tomorrow's game with Cincinnati. The rest of the injury list remains as follows: QB Tom Brady, right shoulder -- probable Players who are not out made the trip to Ohio, meaning there's a chance they'll play. That includes Maroney, who had a career day last year against the Bengals. Yates, listed as Neal's backup, did play last week, but Russ Hochstein started at right guard.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Injury updates; Faulk removedThe Patriots and Bengals have updated their Friday injury reports -- Kevin Faulk was removed from New England's list. He had not practiced on Friday, with team decision as the reason given. For Cincinnati, CB Deltha O'Neal (dental/tooth) was added to the list. He is probable. OL Willie Anderson remains probable; he practiced Saturday after not practicing Friday. G Stacy Andrews (shoulder) participated fully after having limited participation on Friday; he remains questionable.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Rader ReleasedThe Patriots released practice squad tight end Jason Rader today. Rader had been placed on practice squad/reserve injured list on Tuesday. The 6-foot-4 tight end spent last year with the Dolphins, primarily on their practice squad.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 28, 2007
Friday injury report; Faulk addedAfter being the only player not present for the media access portion of practice this afternoon, Kevin Faulk appeared on the Patriots' injury report today. Faulk did not participate in practice, according to the report, but it was a team decision and he is listed as probable for Monday night's game. Other than that, everything's pretty much the same for New England... **All of the players except Brady as listed as questionable. For the Bengals: Out Did Not Participate Full Participation
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Projo PatsTalk: Cincinnati has something to proveClick here to listen to today's edition of projo PatsTalk with Art Martone and Shalise Manza Young. The topics: once again, calm confidence on the part of the Patriots; Randy Moss' locker-room persona; Bill Belichick's admiration for Chad Johnson; the problems with the Bengals; and what Cincinnati has to prove after last year's rout by New England. Following are excerpts from Shalise's comments. Moss in the locker room: "I've seen him talking to everybody on both sides of the ball, joking around with guys. I've seen Laurence Maroney sitting at his locker talking to him. I've seen him talking to Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney -- of course they spend most of their time in this building together as receivers ... His locker is right next to Tom Brady's, so when they're both at their lockers they're chatting. He may not talk to us [the media], but he's definitely talking to everybody else with the team." Belichick on Johnson: "I think, if you listen to Bill Belichick enough, when he's asked about players and he says they love the game of football, then that's something he definitely respects. I think he knows Chad Johnson loves the game of football, he loves to play the game of football, and that's just all it is. It's not like he's talking smack about teams and its negative ... People want to associate Chad Johnson with a Terrell Owens, because they're both loud and they both garner attention, but Terrell Owens garners attention in a diffferent way. ... When we talked to [Johnson] yesterday, we were asking him, 'What touchdown celebration do you have planned next week?' And he said, 'I'm not celebrating. We're 1-2, and this is not the time for me to be celebrating.' " On the Bengals: "I think they're looked at at this point as just underachievers. It seems like going into this year, and last year especially, they were looked at as a dangerous team in the AFC, and they haven't been able to pull the trigger, for whatever reason. They make mistakes at bad times, or they can't come through at the most important times, as we've seen the last couple of weeks with their losses. They have Carson Palmer, they have their offensive weapons. I think their problem might be on defense; they just don't have that balance that you need to be successful in this league."
Posted by Pam Cotter Friday practice lookHey all - The Patriots' string of perfect practice attendance was broken today, as Kevin Faulk was not spotted on the field. The running back was not listed on yesterday's participation/injury report. The players were in shorts and shells.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 27, 2007
Colts sign Pats draft pick HilliardThe Indianapolis Colts today signed offensive lineman Corey Hilliard to their practice squad. Hilliard, a sixth-round pick for New England out of Oklahoma State, was cut on the Sept. 1 cutdown date. Reportedly, he was in Foxboro earlier this week for a workout with the team he spent training camp with, but today the Colts signed the tackle to their practice roster.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Wright added to injury/participation report; R. Johnson outThe Patriots and Bengals have released their injury/participation report for Thursday, and defensive lineman Mike Wright, who was not on yesterday's list for the first time since the regular season began, is back on today. Also, Tom Brady is listed as "limited participation"; yesterday he was "full participation." Here's the full list for New England: Limited Participation For the Bengals: Out Did Not Participate Limited Participation Full Participation
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Perfect Thursday attendanceBill Belichick is always striving for consistency with his team, and the Patriots have it in at least one area: practice attendance. Yet again, every player was on the field for today's session, though it remains to be seen how much each player will participate; for the first three weeks of the regular season, Randy Moss and Kyle Brady have been given reduced workloads on Thursday, and several new players popped up on the list yesterday. The players were in full pads today. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young "Plugging through to Cincinnati"Hey all -- Bill Belichick's press conference this morning was pretty light, as the coach looked for help from the crowd a couple of times for help with names of some of the Bengals' offensive linemen and said he wouldn't be the one to fire the first shot at receiver Chad Johnson. Belichick and Johnson traded good-natured barbs last year in advance of the teams' matchup. But Belichick knows Johnson's antics are all done in good fun, which he seems to respect. As to one of his own receivers, Donte Stallworth, Belichick expressed no disappointment at the numbers he's put up thus far (4 catches, 66 yards, no TDs): "He's working hard; he's doing fine. We're confident that when he gets his chances he'll make plays." In the locker room, Oscar Lua was spotted, heavily favoring his injured right knee, and there was a Mike Richardson sighting as well. Randy Moss walked through the room a couple of times, smiling and trading barbs with some of his teammates. And Vince Wilfork said he hasn't gotten a FedEx envelope yet -- the typical way the NFL delivers notice of a fine -- for his hit on J.P. Losman, but he expressed concern that his good name is being smeared because it's believed that it was an intentional hit on the Bills' quarterback. Wilfork has reached out to friends of his on the Buffalo squad, and intends on talking to Losman as well: "Of course. It's a player hurt and I had something to do with it." Somehow, a clip of the play is still up on youtube.com, and it appears that Wilfork was blocked into Losman by Bills' center Melvin Fowler. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Ronde Barber: Glad it's not meHey all -- Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber, who co-hosts a weekly show on Sirius radio, expressed amazement at the performances being turned in by New England's Randy Moss. From his comments, he's clearly glad the Bucs don't face the Patriots this season. “I can’t imagine anybody that I would rather not play against than Randy Moss when he’s interested and he has a great quarterback on his side and he’s throwing him the ball. And that’s what’s happening in New England right now," Barber said. "The guy goes for another 115-yard performance. It’s almost incredible that he toiled in mediocrity in Oakland those two or three years. The guy’s a great player and we seemingly forgot about it."
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Kraft added to Nat'l Football Foundation BoardRobert Kraft is one of eight individuals joining the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Board of Directors, joining 36 other members of the board. Kraft and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are the two additions with NFL ties. Here's some info on the NFF from the press release: Founded in 1947 with leadership and support from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and renowned journalist Grantland Rice, the NFF serves as a leading voice in the promotion of amateur football and its ability to develop the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academic achievement in America's young people. The NFF programs cover the entire spectrum of amateur football. The College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., one of the nation's premier sports museum, stands as the centerpiece to organization's efforts, showcasing the accomplishments of the 993 legends from all divisions of college football who are immortalized within its walls. The 120 NFF chapters in 47 states reach more than 4,800 high schools and 400,000 football players with more than 315 annual events, including coaching clinics, leadership conferences, college nights, media days, awards banquets, and comprehensive free physicals for high school student-athletes via the TOPS program (Team of Physicians for Students).
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 26, 2007
Pats sign DL Zach West to practice squadThe Patriots signed defensive lineman Zach West to their practice squad today. The Patriots practice squad now stands at its limit of eight players. West, 23, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Texas-El Paso on May 8, 2007. The 6-foot-5-inch, 305-pound defensive lineman was released by the Patriots in the final preseason roster cutdown on Sept. 1, 2007. West started 32 games at defensive tackle in his collegiate career at UTEP.
Posted by Art Martone Patriots injury report: WednesdayNine players were listed as having limited participation in practice on Wednesday's Pariots injury report: OLD Rosevelt Colvin, ankle QB Tom Brady (shoulder) had full participation in practice
Posted by Art Martone Brady AFC Offensive Player of the WeekHey all -- The NFL has just announced that Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady is the AFC offensive player of the week after his career performance against Buffalo. Brady was 23-for-29 for 311 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, which equals a career-best quarterback rating of 150.9. It is the eighth weekly honor of Brady's career. Tennessee linebacker (and fellow Orangeman) Keith Bulluck was defensive PofW for his three-interception game against New Orleans, and Baltimore rookie Yamon Figurs won the special teams honor after his 75-yard punt return.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Practice peekHey all - We're just off the field for New England's first practice of the week and there was perfect attendance once again. Quarterback Matt Gutierrez, and practice squadders Bam Childress and Ray Ventrone were all in black jerseys, signifying their selection as practice players of the week. Defensive lineman Zach West is back with the Pats; Stacey James tells us he's been signed to the practice squad.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Wednesday wrap-upHey all -- It's a "normal" Wednesday here at Gillette, even though the Patriots have a Monday night game. That means Tom Brady was chatting in front of his locker, and Mike Vrabel, who also tries to limit his weekly appearances to Wednesday, was holding court as well. As one would expect, there was a lot of talk about the Bengals' offense and receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Carson Palmer's proficiency with the no-huddle offense. New England's offensive line also got more love, as did Sammy Morris, whom Bill Belichick said is a good guy to be around and a professional, as well as a hard worker who has been able to contribute on all four downs so far. Rosevelt Colvin was showing off a stuffed parrot he had hanging in his locker that repeats whatever he said...he'll put it to use when he starts hearing the same questions over and over, he joked. Brady admitted that it's not just fans and media observers who have been surprised by the performance of Morris: ""Sammy has been a surprise for everybody. He's done everything that we've asked him to do. He's very powerful and explosive," he said. As has often been the case this season, after the interview at his locker, Brady was seen wearing a soft wrap/contraption on his right shoulder. He said he's trying to keep on top of it, but said he's doing OK. We'll be out at practice shortly and will update you on any absences from there. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 25, 2007
Edmonton possible next year?Hey all -- China didn't work out like it was supposed to, but is Edmonton, Alberta next? According to this article in the Edmonton Sun, the Patriots and Broncos may play in the Western Canadian city over Canadian Thanksgiving, which is the second Monday in October. Pats' spokesman Stacey James said today that the Krafts were in Edmonton recently, but he did not know why they were there. The game would be played at CFL team Edmonton Eskimos' home field, Commonwealth Stadium, which apparently could hold 64,000 fans. It is one of the larger stadiums in Canada. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen was a successful lawyer in Edmonton, and his father, Paul, made millions thanks to Canadian oil. Stay tuned as always... shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Practice squad transactionsHey all -- The Patriots have made some practice squad moves, re-signing (actually, re-re-re-signing) cornerback Antowain Spann, while releasing Gemara Williams from practice squad and placing tight end Jason Rader on practice squad IR. The 6-foot, 195-pound, 24-year old Spann was released just before the start of training camp. The former Louisiana-Lafayette standout had three stints on the 53-man roster last year. He played in eight games, making six special teams tackles. League rules mandate that players who played in more than nine regular-season games last year no longer qualify for practice squad, so Spann was just under the number. Williams also has been bounced about -- he spent last year on injured reserve, was cut in August and then signed to the practice squad on Sept. 12. Rader was signed to New England's practice squad Sept. 3; he spent last year between the Dolphins' active and practice rosters.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young See and hear the Projo Play of the Week: Moss' 45-yard scoreClick the play button at the bottom of the photo to see more pictures and listen to the narration. Click here to see other Plays of the Week.
Posted by Mike McDermott September 24, 2007
Belichick: Red-zone defense "ridiculous"Hey all -- Admittedly, when Bill Belichick stood up after yesterday's game and started talking about how his team still had so much to work on, I groaned. Three games, 38 points per game, defense has given up five total touchdowns. What is there to beef about? But there is one thing that the team clearly needs to fix, and one thing that Belichick clearly isn't happy about: the Patriots' red-zone defense. All of the five touchdowns they've allowed this season have been in the red zone, a 100 percent conversion rate that has the coach irked. "It's ridiculous," he said. "It's a combination of bad coaching and bad playing. Hopefully we'll do a better job going forward. It won't take much." When rookie Trent Edwards came into the game for the injured J.P. Losman yesterday, Belichick said it changed some things for New England defensively, but took away some concern because Edwards is a pocket passer, where Losman is a threat to get outside the pocket. The coach also lauded the play of Russ Hochstein, who stepped in at right guard yesterday, and said that punter Chris Hanson did what the team wanted him to by making it impossible for Buffalo returner Roscoe Parrish to get his hands on the ball and perhaps have a big return. Players are in meetings for most of the day, but media will be in the locker room around 4:30 p.m. We'll have a locker room look then. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 23, 2007
Tom Brady press conference transcriptYour first two touchdown drives were set up with good returns from Wes Welker. How important is it for you guys to get that field position there? On that 45-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss, Coach Belichick thought it might have been incomplete. Did you think it might be too long? Can you describe that play? You mentioned the slow start. Was that because of things the Bills were throwing at you or is it just a matter of having to get into a rhythm? You made that look easy out there -- To throw that ball the distance you threw it, in-stride, on the outside shoulder -- How hard is it to make that kind of play? You had a slow start this week. Do you think it has to do with an emotional letdown after last week, which was so charged up? How hard is it to maintain that type of energy each week? The quarterback is not as young as he used to be. Your first three touchdown throws inside the 10 yard line were to three different people. Are you consciously trying to spread the ball around? Don’t you love to throw when Randy is covered and know that the play is still going to be made? Do you find yourself making throws maybe you wouldn’t have in the past because of who you have out there? What is it with 38 points? You gave credit to your offensive line. Going up against the pass-rush and the success Schobel has had, to not hear his name called for the first three quarters must have made you feel good.
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots LB Tedy BruschiOn the play of the defense in the second half On the Patriots’ field position all game On if the Patriots had to change their game plan when Losman got hurt On Randy Moss’s second touchdown catch
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots CB Ellis HobbsOn whether the script for the Patriots before the season is becoming a reality on the field On making the adjustment from JP Losman to Trent Edwards On having a clear path to JP Losman on his first quarter sack On breaking up a long pass play toward the end of the game
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots OT Matt LightOn the way the game played out On Aaron Schobel being quiet for about three-and-a-half quarters On whether he’s surprised by the Patriots’ offensive production through three game On the offense’s efficiency so far this season
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots DE Jarvis GreenOn Buffalo’s quarterback change affecting the defense’s game plan On getting off to a fast start this season On why it took about a quarter and a half to get going On if it’s characteristic of a good team to play poorly for a stretch but manage to get through it
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots DL Ty WarrenOn if the offense being good makes his job on defense easier On if the defense was prepared for what the Bills were going to do On if the team might get used to beating teams by this much On limiting the other team’s rushing attack
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots CB Asante SamuelOn his first interception of the year On if he would like to guard Randy Moss On what tightened up in the second quarter defensively
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots LB Junior SeauOn falling behind in the first quarter On the Patriots’ consistency On how the Patriots in the second half took the game over
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots WR Wes WelkerOn his punt returns On the 75-yard punt On the lateral to Randy Moss
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Patriots WR Jabar GaffneyOn scoring 38 points in each of the last three games On if what Randy Moss can do surprises him On if Randy Moss cleared it out for him on his touchdown
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Assorted members of the BillsChris Kelsay, Defensive End
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Bills CB Jabari GreerOn when he found out he was starting
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Bills QB J.P. LosmanOn the injury
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Bills WR Lee EvansOn the game
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Bills quarterback Trent EdwardsIt couldn’t have been a tougher situation for a first year kid to come in here, against this team and in that situation. Can you comment on that? Could you believe how well your first series in a regular season game went; how efficient it was and that you scored on it? Were you nervous at all? Obviously, they changed the game plan after JP went out. What do you think about that? What do you think you did less of that you might have done more of? Did the Patriots dramatically adjust anything defensively? After that first drive, they kind of slowed you guys down after that? How do you think you threw the ball today? How will it be different this week? Having a week to prepare and knowing you’re going to start? You just couldn’t convert third downs there for a long stretch. Any of those stick out in your mind? Dick [Jauron] said you couldn’t have been thrown into a worse situation.
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Bills coach Dick JauronWell, it was a long day. A long day for us in a lot of ways. It didn’t go anywhere near the way we hoped it would have gone. The injuries certainly played a role in that. How big, we’ll never know, but they are a fine team. An outstanding team. JP [Losman] has a strain and it is pretty severe. I think that Bud [Carpenter] said it is grade one, so that is a couple weeks probably. When he came back, he said he could go if he was needed and Bud kind of said the same thing, but he said as the day moves on it is just going to get worse and worse and stiffer and stiffer. Jason Whittle, we think he might have torn his hamstring. We’ll know more about that tomorrow. Of course Paul Posluszny broke his forearm and he’ll have surgery tomorrow. That is kind of where we are. We said coming in that they are a team with no weaknesses. You can’t find any weakness on their football team. We knew it could turn into a long day, and it did for us. It did. Our guys fought, but that is never an issue with them. They are a group of good guys, tough guys. They’ll play, but we are getting worn out. Can you recall a season in which you have had the number of injuries that you’ve had this year? It looked like Jabari Greer had good coverage on those two Randy Moss touchdown receptions. What happened there? Do you anticipate keeping Paul Posluszny active? Is that the preference? Do you think Vince Wilfork should be fined for his hit on J.P. Losman? Being a former defensive back yourself, what advice do you give to your defensive backs when you see Moss making those plays? What are your thoughts on how Trent Edwards played? Did your game plan change at all when Trent Edwards entered the game? Is that the reason we saw fewer 3- and 4-wide receiver sets? After Posluszny got hurt were you forced to stay in a nickel package and do you think that is why the Patriots ran the ball? With all of the hardships the team has experienced, how hard will it be to keep this team moving forward?
Posted by Art Martone Postgame quotes: Sammy MorrisOn being 3-0 On if the Patriots’ offense could play at a higher level On falling behind early in the game On Tom Brady’s play so far this season
Posted by Art Martone Patriots postgame notesThe postgame notes from the Patriots' public-relations department: SCORING STREAK MOSS FIRST IN NFL HISTORY WITH 100-PLUS YARDS IN FIRST THREE GAMES WITH TEAM NFL RECORD BOOK PATRIOTS RECORD BOOK MOSS SCORES TWO CAREER-HIGH GAME FOR BRADY BRADY’S TOP PASS RTGS Rating Date Opp. 150.9 9/23/07 vs BUF 148.3 10/21/01 at IND 147.6 11/03/02 at BUF 146.6 9/9/07 at NYJ 143.9 11/25/01 vs. NO 140.4 10/09/05 at ATL BRADY’S TOP TD GAMES TD Date Opp. 4 9/23/07 vs BUF 4 11/19/07 at GB 4 10/30/07 at MIN 4 12/27/03 vs BUF 4 09/22/02 vs KC 4 11/25/01 vs NO BRADY’S TOP COMP. PCTS. Pct Cmp-Att Date Opp. 84.6 22-26 11/03/02 at BUF 81.5 22-27 10/09/05 at ATL 80.6 25-31 9/17/07 vs. SD 80.0 16-20 10/21/01 at IND 79.3 23-29 9/23/07 vs BUF 78.6 22-28 9/9/07 at NYJ BRADY: CAREER-BEST THREE-GAME TOUCHDOWN TOTAL THREE WINS TO START SEASON THREE GAMES, 114 POINTS MARONEY: 100-YARD GAME ASANTE SAMUEL INTERCEPTION WATSON SCORES FOR THIRD STRAIGHT GAME MOSS PASSES 11,000 YARDS GAFFNEY TOUCHDOWN HOBBS STRIP SACK RECORD IMPROVEMENT SERIES STATS SILVER JERSEYS GAMES WEARING SILVER JERSEYS SEAU MOVES UP LIST BRADY-TO-BRADY STARTING STRONG
Posted by Art Martone Complete transcript of Bill Belichick press conferenceThe transcript of Bill Belichick's postgame press conference: I thought it was a good win for our team out there today. We got off to a little bit of a slow start, but I thought that in the end all three phases came back and we made some plays. We had some good coverage plays on special teams and finally got the punt return going a little bit. Defensively after that long drive there in the first quarter, we played better after that. Offensively we kind of sputtered around a little bit there, but then we started scoring some points in that second and third quarter, even though we moved the ball earlier we weren’t able to convert and get the kind of points that we would like to get off of those drives. In the end, we made enough plays to win. That was good. I thought the players played hard, especially after we got past that first quarter, quarter-and-a-half there. We just didn’t do a good job. Buffalo ran some new schemes on us and we had a little trouble adjusting to those, but I thought the players did a good job in the end. Now we’re moving on to Cincinnati. You mentioned the punt return game. Can you maybe expound upon that a little bit? It seemed like that sparked a little bit of a turnaround. 75 yards. It looked like your offensive line had a pretty good day, especially keeping [Aaron] Schobel out of the backfield. Can you talk about their performance a little? Is it good to see your team come back after an emotional game last week to put up another win? Does anything Randy [Moss] does surprise you or do you think you’ve seen enough of him? Did you see Randy’s second touchdown catch at all from where you were? Yes. You’ve seen a lot of great things from Tom over the years. These past couple of weeks, has this been as good of a stretch that he’s played that you’ve seen? It seemed like Laurence [Maroney] ran with some more authority today and he was decisive in his cuts. Is that accurate? How do you feel about the balance of your offense? Do you feel at all that the efficiency of your running game has been overlooked? What was your reaction when Wes Welker lateraled the ball to Randy?
Posted by Art Martone Quick reaction from Tom BradyQuick snippets from Tom Brady's postgame press conference . . . On the Pats' getting better as the game went along On the offensive line On whether Randy Moss ever surprises him with the plays he makes On if he thought he had overthrown Moss on the 45-yard TD pass On the play On the Bills' defense On throwing TD passes to three different receivers in the red zone On Moss Check back later for the complete transcript.
Posted by Art Martone Quick reaction from Bill BelichickQuick snippets from Bill Belichick's postgame press conference: On the game On the punt-return unit On the carryover of individual games On Randy Moss On Moss' catch for his second TD On the team On Laurence Moroney and the running game On offensive balance Come back later for the complete transcript.
Posted by Art Martone FINAL: Patriots 38, Bills 7BY ART MARTONE FOXBORO -- With less than six minutes to play in the second quarter, the New England Patriots trailed the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Not by much -- four points -- but they were behind. That they wound up winning by 31 speaks to . . . what? More than anything, it speaks to their talent. Their relentless, multifaceted offense wore down and finally broke Buffalo's defense -- which had protected its early 7-3 lead with a pair of noble stands in the first half -- and the Pats rolled to their third straight win of the season, 38-7. The Patriots drove 89 yards in nine plays on its second possession in the third quarter, the big play being a 45-yard Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss pass that put the ball on the Buffalo 23. Four plays later Brady hit Jabar Gaffney with a four-yard TD pass, giving the Patriots a 24-7 lead. They increased it 31-7 on their next possession on a four-yard scoring run by Sammy Morris, capping a four-play, 58-yard drive. Moss was in the middle of that one, too, taking a lateral from Wes Welker at the end of a 26-yard throw-and-catch with Brady and taking it 11 more yards down to the 4. And Moss closed things with a highlight-reel, one-handed catch of a Brady bomb down the right sideline that he took in for a touchdown, a 45-yard play that made the final 38-7. To read the first-half recap, click here. The Pats' dominance was evident all over the stat sheet. Get the numbers here. Come back later this afternoon and evening for Shalise Manza Young's game account, stories by Rob Lee on Randy Moss and Wes Welker, Jim Donaldson's column, and various other news snippets and notes, including a piece on the combined running of Laurence Moroney and Sammy Morris.
Posted by Art Martone Brady's day done; Cassel inWith New England holding a 31-point lead with 8:15 to play, Tom Brady has been pulled from the game and backup Matt Cassel is in the game. Brady was 23-for-29 on the afternoon -- again completing 79 percent of his passes -- for 311 yards, 4 touchdowns, no interceptions and one sack.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young More Moss historyRandy Moss' 45-yard touchdown grab (we think that might have been even more sick than the catch in triple-coverage against the Jets) put him over the 100-yard receiving mark for his first three games with New England. He is the first player in NFL history to eclipse 100 yards in each of his first three games with a new team.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Finally, a first downTrailing, 31-7, late in the third quarter, the Bills made a first down for the first time since scoring their touchdown. One was all they got, however, before punting to the Pats.
Posted by Jim Donaldson Numbers worth notingFOXBORO -- With the Patriots leading comfortably, 24-7, midway through the third quarter, QB Tom Brady has thrown three short TD passes to three different receivers -- 8 yards to TE Ben Watson, 3 yards to WR Randy Moss, and 4 yards to WR Jabar Gaffney. On the other side of the ball, the New England defense has not given up a first down since allowing the Bills to score a touchdown late in the first quarter. It doesn't help Buffalo that rookie Trent Edwards is playing QB, taking over when J.P. Losman suffered a knee injury on the first series of the game.
Posted by Jim Donaldson Moss moving upRandy Moss' 45-yard reception on that scoring drive gives him 11,040 career receiving yards, making him the 19th player in NFL history to eclipse 11,000 yards. Moss is also four catches shy of notching his 700th career reception; he will become the 26th player to record 700 or more.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Halftime notesFOXBORO -- Notes from the first half: -- The Pats have now scored in 29 consecutive quarters, dating back to last season. Since being shut out in Miami last Dec. 10, the Patriots have scored in 41 of 42 quarters. The last time they were held scoreless in a quarter was the first quarter of the game at Jacksonville last Dec. 24. -- The Patriots have scored first in six straight regular-season home games. -- The sack by Ellis Hobbs was the first of his career; the forced fumble on the sack was also a career first. -- The strip-sack by Hobbs was the Pats' fourth of the season.
Posted by Art Martone HALFTIME REPORT: Pats lead Bills, 17-7BY ART MARTONE FOXBORO -- It took a while, but the Patriots finally began to play like the 16 1/2-point favorites they were as they scored twice in the second quarter and built a 17-7 halftime lead over the Bills Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. The rout everyone expected appeared to be underway within the game's first two minutes. Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman injured his knee when he was hit low by the Patriots' Vince Wilfork -- Wilfork was penalized 15 yards for roughing the quarterback -- and though a clearly hobbled Losman stayed in the game, two plays later he fumbled when hit from the blind side on a cornerback blitz by Ellis Hobbs. Jarvis Green recovered for the Pats on the Buffalo 35. It took six plays for New England to reach the Bills' 6. But the Buffalo defense stiffened, and the Patriots had to settle for a 24-yard Stephen Gostokowski field goal. It was the first time this season New England didn't score a touchdown on its first offensive possession. Six minutes later, the Pats recorded another 2007 first: They fell behind. Trent Edwards replaced Losman at quarterback and marched Buffalo 80 yards in 12 plays, capped by an eight-yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch. The Patriots gained 20 yards on the first two plays of their next possession, moving from their 33 to the Bills 47. Again, however, Buffalo tightened defensively and the Bills eventually took over on downs when the Pats -- passing up a 47-yard field-goal attempt by Gostkowski -- came up a yard short on a fourth-and-seven pass to Kevin Faulk. Buffalo took over on its own 21. By now it was the second quarter and uneasiness was beginning to settle in over Gillette Stadium; the Patriots, after all, had entered the game as a 16 1/2-point favorite. That uneasiness grew on the Pats' next possession when Tom Brady, after driving the Patriots from the New England 28 to the Buffalo 3, fumbled on a sneak attempt and the Bills recovered, keeping the Pats out of the end zone and protecting their 7-3 lead. But the uneasiness soon disappeared. The Bills never escaped the shadow of their goal posts after recovering Brady's fumble, and a 75-yard punt by Brian Moorman was negated somewhat by a 29-yard return from Wes Welker. Starting on his 47, Brady marched the Pats 53 yards in six plays and put the team ahead to stay with an eight-yard TD pass to Ben Watson. It was the third consecutive game Watson had scored. Welker set New England up in great field position when another long punt return, this one of 26 yards, after the Patriot defense had forced another three-and-out. Starting at the Bills' 48, it took Brady just six plays -- one of them a 20-yard pass to Kyle Brady, which moved the ball to the Buffalo 2 -- to reach paydirt; the drive was capped by a three-yard scoring toss to Randy Moss with 1:20 to play in the half.
Posted by Art Martone Getting ridiculous for BillsBills rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny, who had been leading the team in tackles and was one of the few bright spots, was injured on Laurence Maroney's carry from midfield. He was tended to for several minutes before being carted off the field, his left arm in an air cast. We've just gotten word that his broke his left forearm. Buffalo has already placed five players on season-ending injured reserve.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Who are these kids, and what are they doing to the Patriots?FOXBORO -- The battered Buffalo Bills, 16-1/2-point underdogs to the powerful Patriots, took a 7-3 lead into the second quarter thanks to a couple of first-year players -- backup quarterback Trent Edwards and rookie running back Marshawn Lynch. The Pats got off to a good start, turning a fumble recovery into three points when Asante Samuel, coming in untouched on a corner blitz, sacked J.P. Losman, the Bills' starting QB, from behind, knocking the ball loose. Considering that New England gained possession at the Buffalo 35, the fact the Pats had to settle for a field goal was a plus for the Bills. It was the first time this season that the Patriots failed to score a TD on their first possession. Losman had been hurt on Buffalo's first play from scrimmage when Pats nose tackle Vince Wilfork was penalized for diving into the QB's left knee. He stayed in the game, but did not return after being hit by Samuel. That brought Edwards, a 6-4, 231-pounder drafted in the third round out of Stanford, off the bench for Buffalo. Unlike San Diego's young quarterback, Philip Rivers, last Sunday night, who had that ''deer in the headlights'' look when surveying the New England defense, Edwards efficiently directed an 80-yard scoring drive that was capped by a punishing, 8-yard TD run on third down by Lynch, taken 12th overall in the first round by the Bills out of the University of California. Only 5-11, the 215-pound Lynch is a powerful runner who was voted Offensive Player of the Year in the Pac-10 Conference last season, when he averaged 6.1 yards on 223 carries, rushing for 1,356 yards and 11 TDs. He had 1,246 yards and 10 yards in 2005. -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Buffalo driveBuffalo's touchdown to take a 7-3 lead marks the first time this season that New England has trailed. It also continues an interesting trend for the Patriots: in five trips to the red zone for their opponents, they've given up a touchdown each time. Last year, the team was excellent on red zone defense. And could Vince Wilfork be Buffalo's Mo Lewis? Backup QB Trent Edwards was 4-for-5 on that drive, as J.P. Losman stood on the sidelines after Wilfork slammed into his left knee on the first play of the game.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Losman returns to fieldJ.P. Losman has trotted back onto the field and is taking warmup passes on the Buffalo sideline.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Hobbs gets first sackEllis Hobbs' nine-yard strip sack of J.P. Losman was the first quarterback sack of the corner/return man's career.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Losman leaving fieldBills quarterback J.P. Losman is limping off the field, presumably to get his left knee looked at. On the first play of the day, Vince Wilfork fell onto Losman's legs, drawing a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty, and bending Losman's leg in a way it just wasn't meant to bend.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Asante gets the startAsante Samuel started the game at left cornerback, his first start of the season. In the first two games, Randall Gay had started for the first defensive series, then Samuel came onto the field.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Game inactivesFor the Patriots: QB Matt Gutierrez - 3QB For the Bills:
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Pats wearing their silver jerseysFOXBORO -- The Patriots will be wearing their alternate silver jerseys today, the first time all season -- preseason included -- they haven't worn blue. The Pats introduced the silver jerseys, which they normally wear once a year, in 2003. They beat both the Cowboys and Dolphins when they wore them in '03, beat the Bengals in '04, lost to the Chargers in '05 and beat the Texans in '06. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone Welcome to GilletteGood morning -- It is a beautiful late-September morning here at Gillette Stadium, where the traffic issues continue thanks to construction of Patriot Place. There's some activity on the field below, with Mike Wright running the length of the field, without any type of knee brace, and seemingly without any issues. So it's looking like he'll be on the field for the first time this season. Mike Vrabel is also warming up, and Stephen Gostkowski is playing catch with punter Chris Hanson near midfield. Gostkowski is barefoot, but his left (plant) ankle is well-taped. We'll be back with more as game time gets closer. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 21, 2007
Friday's injury report: Five listed as questionableFOXBORO -- Five players -- guards Stephen Neal (shoulder) and Billy Yates (shoulder), safety Eugene Wilson (ankle) and wide receivers Kelley Washington (hamstring) and Donte Stallworth (knee) -- were listed as questionable for Sunday's game on the Patriots' latest injury report, which was released moments ago. All had limited participation in practice. As he has been every week since 2003, quarterback Tom Brady (shoulder) was listed as probable. He participated fully in practice. Brady has never missed a start since becoming the Patriots' starting quarterback in 2001.
Posted by Art Martone Projo PatsTalk: Putting the controversy behindClick here to listen to projo PatsTalk with Art Martone and Shalise Manza Young. Today's topics: a relaxed attitude leading up to Sunday's game; practice attendance and possible injuries; the league closing the books on the video investigation; the players moving on; more reaction to the win over San Diego; and the next media circus that we can anticipate. Here are some excerpts from Shalise's comments: On the team's demeanor this week: "It's just a relaxed kind of atmostphere. They know that they made a very big statement last sunday ... Obviously, Bill [Belichick] is going ot make sure that they are focused, because as we well know, it very well could be that the Bills pull off an upset, because the Bills are generally a challenge for them." Is the case against the Patriots really over? "That's what the league is saying, that there won't be any more penalties, and I guess to them anyway, the case is closed. The implication by some people that the defensive linemen were wearing microphones and things like that -- the league has said that there is no proof of that, and there is no way to prove that happened." The next big controversy: "After the Cincinnati game [on Monday, Oct. 1], Rodney Harrison can come back. So I'm sure that will bring another media circus -- people wanting to question him on what happened. ... I'm sure he will stand in front of the reporters and discuss it as much as he wants to, or doesn't want to -- he'll recognize that people will have questions for him."
Posted by Mike McDermott Friday wrap from GilletteHey all -- The atmosphere at Gillette today is fairly relaxed, as New England puts its finishing touches on its preparations for Buffalo. Bill Belichick was asked for his reaction to the NFL deciding to take no further action against the Patriots after the team handed over videos and notes on opposing teams dating back to 2000; the league destroyed the items. Not surprisingly, Belichick said his only reaction had to do with how his team was doing to get ready for Buffalo. But the coach did give some praise to Bills' rookie linebacker Paul Posluszny, Patriots safety James Sanders and backup defensive lineman Santonio Thomas, who is seeing his first game action as a professional after spending most of the last two years on the practice squad. "Like Vince (Wilfork) and Kareem (Brown), all the defensive linemen from Miami, its a different system than what we do here," Belichick said. "(But) he never stops working and trying to get better." Belichick was at his best when he was asked about the fullback position, and how it has changed over the years in the NFL. He said that the I-formation is really the reason that the fullback has become a blocker, whereas years ago, Jim Brown was listed as a fullback. In the locker room, Wilfork's old Miami jersey was hanging in Ty Warren's locker, as Wilfork's Hurricanes upset Warren's Texas A&M Aggies last night. There was also more tape-basketball, with Wes Welker draining at least five in a row at one point, and Laurence Maroney howling when he noticed that the trash can "hoop" had been pushed back a few feet. We'll post the injury/participation report as soon as we can, and then unless there's breaking news, we'll be back on Sunday morning. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Friday: perfect attendanceThe Patriots are on the field in shorts and shells for their final practice before Sunday's game with Buffalo. Once again there was perfect attendance during media access, which was stretching and some kickoff work orchestrated by the always-entertaining Pepper Johnson.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 20, 2007
Thursday participation reportFor the Patriots: Limited Participation in Practice Stallworth is a new addition to the list; Wilson and Yates were listed as not participating yesterday, so this is a step up for them. It is interesting that giving Kyle Brady and Moss a lighter day on Thursday has become a pattern for the team -- this is the third week it has happened. Both veterans battled leg injuries during training camp. For the Bills: Out Limited Participation in Practice Full Participation in Practice
Posted by Shalise Manza Young The evolution of 'Brady Style'Nope, I'm not talking about the way he throws the football. And I realize this may not appeal to all of you Pats fans, but also I bet there's a contingent out there that will appreciate it. There was apparently, ah, a disturbance in the newsroom this morning when the photo of a buff Tom Brady in a sleeveless shirt was spotted in today's Boston Globe. The more enterprising among us wondered what boston.com might have served up, too. And it wasn't just an appetizer, but a full course, with a photo gallery called "Brady Style." It features photos of Brady through the years, from shots on the playing field to magazine covers to paparazzi-style pix with his girlfriend. Interested? Click on over for a look-see.
Posted by Andrea Panciera Thursday: perfect attendanceIt is another day of perfect practice attendance for the Patriots as they continue their preparations for Buffalo. The players are in full pads. Eugene Wilson and Billy Yates, reported as not participating in practice yesterday, are taking part in the positional drill we're being allowed to watch before we're kicked off the field.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young "There's plenty of new challenges"Hey all -- One of the fascinating things about Bill Belichick is his ability to make even the worst teams seem like a worthy opponent. Now we will acknowledge up front that this is the NFL, and every player gets paid to play and ultimately win games. And games aren't played on paper. Yadda, yadda. (I spend too much time here.) But as of right now, Buffalo is not in the same class as New England. The boys in Vegas think so -- the Pats are 16 1/2 point favorites for Sunday -- and basically everyone outside of the Bills' locker room thinks so. Still, Belichick stood at the dais in front of the electronic billboard and espoused the virtues of the Bills once again. "There's plenty of new challenges," he said, again talking about Buffalo's strength on special teams; yesterday Belichick mentioned their defense and their bulked-up offensive line. On his own team, Belichick praised the progress of safety James Sanders, who has been starting while Rodney Harrison serves his suspension, and said he's glad to have Kyle Brady on his side. In the locker room, there was a lot of joking going on, as Ryan O'Callaghan was hearing it from the media thanks to his former teammate Marshawn Lynch, who said O'Callaghan's nickname at Cal was "Big Baby" because he didn't have facial hair. Laurence Maroney, Chad Jackson, Kevin Faulk, Donte Stallworth and Sammy Morris were clustered in front of Faulk and Morris' locker, all smiles. Tight end David Thomas revealed that his wife gave birth to their first child, a son named Jaxon David, on Tuesday. Jaxon weighed in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces, and mom and baby are doing well. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 19, 2007
Wednesday participation reportFor the Patriots: Did Not Participate in Practice Limited Participation in Practice
For the Bills: Out Did Not Participate in Practice Limited Participation in Practice Full Participation in Practice
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Practice peekThe trend of perfect attendance continues today, with all of the players present and accounted for here on the practice field. That includes Stephen Neal (shoulder) and Mike Wright (knee), both of whom sat out Sunday's game. Rashad Baker, David Thomas and Kelley Washington are all in black jerseys, signifying them as the team's practice players of the week for last week.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young You're not from around here, are you?Hey all -- Early on in Bill Belichick's press conference this morning, a reporter from Canada's TSN brought up the unthinkable: a 16-0 season. The reporter began by saying that "others" are saying it's possible, and does Belichick think it's flattering? (See? You cringed too!) "That's so ridiculous," Belichick said. "Seriously. Does anyone have any questions on the game?" Thankfully, there were some questions about New England's game with the Bills, and Belichick was doing his best to talk up the 0-2 team. "They have a style of play that's very distinct that will be hard to get ready for in a short amount of time," he said. "Defensively, they have a lot of quickness...their special teams we know are very good." Belichick also talked about defensive end Aaron Schobel. As soon as his name was brought up, Belichick said, "he's killed us. He's killed us." Schobel has more sacks on Tom Brady than any other player, including Miami's Jason Taylor, with 10.5 in 2 games. Taylor has 8.5 in the same number of games. In the locker room, Tom Brady held court in front of his stall for several minutes, but it was quickly broken up when Randy Moss -- whose stall is right next to number 12's -- came wanting to get into his space. Sammy Morris, drafted by the Bills, Rosevelt Colvin, nominated for AFC defensive player of the week, and Mike Vrabel also drew big crowds. Chad Brown has moved his locker from the north end of the room, where his number put him with the defensive linemen, to the south end of the room, where as he told us, he can be with his linebacking brethren. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Practice squad transactionsHey all -- The Patriots have shuffled their practice squad roster, signing defensive back Ray Ventrone and quarterback David Greene to the team and releasing offensive lineman Clint Oldenburg. Ventrone spent the 2005 season on the New England practice squad, while Greene is a former third-round draft pick (2005) of the Seahawks. Oldenburg represents yet another Pats draft pick who didn't get to stick around. The Colorado State product was selected in the fifth round.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 18, 2007
See and hear the Projo Play of the Week: Adalius Thomas' interceptionClick the play button at the bottom of the photo to see more pictures and listen to the narration.
Posted by Mike McDermott Streaming video of today's Senate hearing on injured playersThe Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee is holding a hearing focusing on the current compensation system for retirees with claims of advanced injuries that became symptomatic after retiring from the NFL. Witnesses will include: Daryl Johnston - former NFL Player, Dallas Cowboys; Brent Boyd - former NFL Player, Minnesota Vikings; Bill Bain - former NFL Player, Los Angeles Rams; Garrett Webster - son of NFL Player Mike Webster, Pittsburgh Steelers; Dave Duerson - Trustee for the Burt Bell/Pete Rozelle Retirement Plan and former NFL Player, Chicago Bears; Gene Upshaw - Executive Director National Football League Players Association; Roger Goodell – Commissioner, National Football League; Mike Ditka - NFL Hall of Fame Player and former Head Coach, Chicago Bears; Gale Sayers- NFL Hall of Fame Player, Chicago Bears.
Posted by Mike McDermott September 17, 2007
The morning after: Belichick appreciates the supportHey all -- Our very brief day here at Gillette Stadium is already over -- the day's schedule called for a press conference with Bill Belichick and that's it. There's no locker room access today, as the players pretty much only have to lift and then can go home; Tuesdays are an off day for them. When Belichick walked into the room and saw the shrunken media group, he joked that clearly a bunch of people had slept in. Belichick opened by saying that after getting a look at the tape of last night's game, his reaction was still pretty much the same as it was right after the completion of the 38-14 pasting of San Diego -- that the players made a lot of plays, the team stepped up and played with a lot of energy and was well-prepared for the Chargers. He also noted again the fan support the Patriots and he himself received over the previous week and at Gillette Stadium, and that it was time to close the book on San Diego and get ready for the Bills. Belichick also talked about the support he got from his players, notably Tedy Bruschi, how it felt to get a game ball from owner Bob Kraft ("I appreciated it; it was a nice gesture") and the changes in the Chargers offense from Cam Cameron (the team's previous offensive coordinator) to Norv Turner, which he said were mostly in mixing up formations to try and throw the defense off. Asked about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's demand that the Patriots hand over all notes and video tapes on other teams in regards to illicit spying, Belichick said "of course" he will comply with the request, but when it came to the question of whether there are more tapes like the one that got him into hot water with the league, the coach replied, "I think we need to spend time watching video of Buffalo." shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Projo PatsTalk with Art Martone: A very, very satisfying winClick here to listen to today's edition of projo PatsTalk with Art Martone. Today, Shalise Manza Young joins Art to talk about: the Patriots' reaction to last night's win; how the Chargers were left humbled; Bill Belichick's take; and whether this team can be challenged in the AFC. Here are some excerpts from Shalise's comments: Patriots' postgame reaction: "Tedy Bruschi called it one of the most satisfying wins of his career ... Ellis Hobbs said that this was the time for them to make their statement, you know, they kept their mouths closed in the face of all the comments that people were making about them ... I think even if it hadn't been for video-gate or whatever you want to call it ... just the way that San Diego had been talking so much trash -- 'We were supposed to win last year,' and 'They shouldn't have won in our house' -- [the Patriots responded] 'Just come back to our house and settle it,' and that's what happened." LaDainian Tomlinson's reaction: "He was emotional. Whether it was frustration or not, who knows. And if I was him I'd be pretty frustrated, because you're the league MVP and you have 68 total yards in two games." Belichick's postgame remarks: "His whole demeanor was completely different. I think we might have seen a couple of smiles. He used the word awesome a couple times as it related to the fan support that he received and the crowd in general ... ... he said that they really helped the Patriots out. I've never heard him mention anything like that before. So he did seem like he could kind of exhale, because like most athletes and most coaches, for three hours or four hours he got to be in his sanctuary. Because the football field is where he really can shut out everything else."
Posted by Mike McDermott The final game storyBY SHALISE MANZA YOUNG FOXBORO – Ponder this: In his New England Patriots lifetime, Tedy Bruschi has been part of nine AFC Championship or Super Bowl games, and has only lost two of those contests. But according to Bruschi, last night was the most satisfying win of the emotional linebacker’s professional career. After New England’s dominating 38-14 win over the San Diego Chargers, Bruschi, who had chosen not to speak all week about the cheating charges leveled against his coach and current and former teammates, let it all out. "We went through a lot this week. Hearing some of the things that were said about our teams, this team, past teams, this victory was for all Patriots, past and present,” Bruschi said. “I’ve got something to say to all the players in the league who wanted to comment on this: if you’re on past teams and you’ve got doubts and all these hypotheticals, I’ve got a hypothetical for you. Let’s get all the players that played with us (in those games) and get them back. Then get all the players you had and bring them back on your team. And let’s play again. We would win again, period.” Teammate Ellis Hobbs likened the Patriots to a ticking bomb, set to go off at kickoff last night. “I think we all had to make a statement. Enough of the talking, enough of the cheating thing, (of the Chargers) taking cheap shots at us off the field. Who cares?” Hobbs said. “We were taking shots all week and holding it in, holding it in. (At kickoff) was when we could let it all go – on the field.” Let it go, let it all hang out, let the NFL know they weren’t going to tuck their collective tail between their legs after Roger Goodell’s punishment and that they are a team to be reckoned with. Though not to the degree that they did last year against Minnesota’s outstanding run defense, the Patriots were pass-heavy in the first half against San Diego, and the Chargers basically had no answer for what Tom Brady and the rest of the offense threw out there. New England started the game in a no-huddle offense and from the opening drive it was evident that Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had come up with a solid game plan. “We got off to a fast start, which we were talking about all week,” Brady said. “This is a physical team that plays with a lot of energy. Coming out there and putting a touchdown on the board on the first drive (was a positive).” Randy Moss blew by every defender San Diego put in front of him – and almost inexplicably, he faced a lot of single coverage – and Wes Welker and Brady had the short stuff covered. Not to be outdone, the New England defense was stellar as well. All-world back LaDainian Tomlinson got nowhere, picking up just 43 yards on 18 carries, forcing the Chargers to become one-dimensional. And that one dimension? Well, it was flat. Philip Rivers got away with a couple of ill-advised passes in the face of heavy pressure, and at other times, his protection let him down. Patriots players didn’t say they were playing for the embattled Belichick, and they didn’t really need to: their honor was on the line as well. Accusations that they hadn’t won games – championships – fair and square clearly hit home. “I don’t care what people think about our hard work,” said Brady, addressing the scandal for the first time. “I know that I count on my teammates to work hard. I know I show up and prepare as hard as I can. There’s no home video that follows us around (chronicling the hours of offseason work the players do). No one would understand anyway. “We’re just going to go out and try to play the best that we can for the one statement we can make a week, which is when we play.” And what a statement last night was. With the eyes of football fans across the country trained on them, they invited arguably the most talented team on paper in the NFL into their house – and then proceeded to whup on them like they were trying to steal something.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Rosevelt Colvin has monster gameBY ROBERT LEE FOXBORO – Rosevelt Colvin is living his dream. “It’s a great situation to be in . . . Where else are you going to get the opportunity to put, 60, 70, or 80,000 people on their feet making one play?” the Patriots linebacker said. “I cherish the moment.” Colvin brought the Patriots crowd to its collective feet more than once last night. On San Diego’s first offensive play in last night’s 38-14 New England victory, Colvin intercepted a Philip Rivers pass intended for Buster Davis. Don’t call him Nostradamus just yet, but Colvin predicted that he would have an interception in last night’s game last week. “I didn’t think that it was going to come on the first play, but I knew that I was going to have an opportunity to get back into coverage,” Colvin said. “That’s one of the things that I’ve always liked in my game – being able to be a cover guy. I’ve always been able to rush [the quarterback]. A couple of things clicked over the last week-and-a-half.” New England couldn’t capitalize on Colvin’s pick though. Stephen Gostkowski missed a 41-yard field goal four plays later. “He made some plays,” New England coach Bill Belichick said of Colvin. “I saw a couple out there that I think he could’ve done a little better on, but he made some plays. Obviously the first play action pass there, getting out underneath that comeback route was a great play, our first defensive play, he did a nice job on that. He read the play well and made a nice catch, something our linebackers aren’t always noted for, but he made a great catch and that was a big turnover for us.” The pass interception wasn’t Colvin’s only specialty last night. He flew all over the field, helping New England’s defense stuff the run. He finished with five tackles, two sacks, an interception, and two forced fumbles. The sack gave Colvin 49.5 career sacks – the sixth highest total among all active NFL linebackers. Vince Wilfork recovered the loose ball, giving the Patriots possession. Colvin didn’t stop there. He recorded career sack 50.5 a minute into the fourth quarter, wrapping up Rivers for a 10-yard loss and stripping him of the ball. San Diego’s Kris Dielman recovered the fumble. Colvin led the Patriots with 8.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits last season.
Posted by Rob Lee Bruschi speaks outBY KEVIN McNAMARA FOXBORO – Bill Belichick may not be talking much but his players certainly felt the heat from last week’s spying scandal. When media, fans and especially other players around the NFL started calling into question the legitimacy of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl wins in light of Belichick’s penchant for taping opponent’s sideline signals, a line was crossed. The players says they have too much pride in their accomplishments through the Belichick Era to let others take shots at them. No one seemed more upset than the prideful linebacker Tedy Bruschi. The 12-year veteran was clearly upset with the developments of the previous week and called last night’s 38-14 win ''one of the biggest of my career,’’ because his reputation and that of previous Patriots players was on the line. ''To come out and win this game after hearing some of the things that were said about our team, hey, this victory was for all Patriots teams past and present,’’ he said. Asked just what bothered him from comments made by other players, Bruschi sniffed, ''Hey, I’ve got something to say to all the players in the league who wanted to comment on this. If you’re on past teams and you’ve got doubts and all these hypotheticals, I’ve got a hypothetical for you. Let’s get all the players that played with us and get them back. Then get all the players you had and bring them back on your team. And let’s play again. We would win again, period.’’ The Patriots pride themselves on focusing only on the next game on their schedule and those thoughts were crystallized this week. Once the NFL slapped Belichick with a $500,000 fine and the Pats another $250,000 (plus a first round pick), the doubters began to surface. But after posting identical 38-14 wins over the Jets and Chargers to start the season, the players feel they’ve made a statement that any extra 'help’ from scouting films has little effect on their play. ''This was different. This wasn’t people calling us out or some other type of gamesmanship. This was different,’’ said Bruschi. ''It was a different atmosphere in this locker room because of the way things were going on this week. Did we use that going out there? We didn’t really. We just buckled down in the locker room and focused and just said `we need to win this game. We need to win the game, period.’’ Quarterback Tom Brady clearly heard the rumblings about the legitimacy of his team’s wins as well. Like Bruschi, he thinks the team's record should stand for itself. ''We’ve won quite a few big games around here,’’ said Brady. ''If you were to listen to everything that everybody says and respond, there’s just too many battles to fight. There’s only one battle that I care about and that’s playing football and performing well. We control that. You just can’t go out and respond to what everybody says about you. There’s not enough hours in the day. Especially after you’ve been winning for the last six or seven years.’’
Posted by Kevin Brady makes statement, on and off the fieldBY JIM DONALDSON FOXBORO – Tom Brady was Tom Terrific last night. Not only the field, where he completed 25 of 31 passes for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Patriots’ 38-14 rout of the defending AFC West champion Chargers, but also at the podium in his post-game press conference, where he defended his embattled coach. “We’re all lucky to play for him, because he’s the best -- no question,” Brady said of Bill Belichick, who on Friday was fined $500,000 by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “Over the years,” he said, “[Belichick] always has done a great job of keeping us focused and tried to make sure that the most important thing that we’re doing in terms of preparation is what we’re taking care of. “If handle your preparation, and your ethic, and your attitude, then you come out and try to play the best that you can.” The Patriots couldn’t have played much better against the Chargers, offensively or defensively. For the second week in a row, Brady made superb use of his dazzling array of offensive weapons, the most explosive of which is wide receiver Randy Moss, who racked up his second straight 100-plus-yard game, catching 8 passes for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. Clearly, opposing defenses need to concentrate on stopping Moss, who had 9 receptions against the Jets, for 183 yards and a touchdown. But, if they do, that could create even more openings for Wes Welker, who last night had 8 catches for 91 yards, and big tight end Benjamin Watson, who included his second TD catch in as many games among his 5 receptions for 49 yards. The Pats also can run the ball, as Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris combined for 128 rushing yards on 25 carries. Equally impressive last night was New England’s defensive effort. San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson was all but unstoppable last season, setting NFL records for touchdowns (31, including 3 receiving) and points scored (186). He also threw three TD passes. Last night, however, he rushed for just 43 yards on 18 attempts (2.4 per carry), caught 4 passes for only 15 yards, and failed to get into the end zone. “I think this team did a nice job,” Brady said, “putting some distractions behind us and realizing that the most important thing is coming out and trying to win football games. “You just focus on the task at hand. If we were to listen to everything that everybody said and then respond -- there’s just too many battles to fight. There’s only one battle I care about, and that’s playing football and performing well. “We can control that. You just can’t go out and respond to what everybody says about you. There’s not enough hours in the day.” “I know the truth,” said Brady, “and I know what I believe, and that’s all that’s really important. Everyone who’s been around here knows that and, hopefully, everyone who follows us realizes that. But, if you don’t then who really cares? “I just don’t feel like I ever need to respond to what people say or think because they’re going to think that way, anyway. It’s just not something that’s worth the energy. We’re just going to go out and try to play the best that we can for the one statement we can make a week, which is when we play.” Brady and the Patriots made an eloquent statement last night. “We’re all lucky to play for (Belichick),” he said. “He’s the best coach, probably, in the history of the NFL.”
Posted by Jim Donaldson Adalius Thomas has a big gameBy ROBERT LEE FOXBORO – Adalius Thomas doesn’t fit the mold of a sprinter. The Patriots linebacker is 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds. But none of the San Diego Chargers will likely challenge him to a race any time soon. With San Diego driving down the field trying to cut the Patriots 17-0 lead to 17-7 last night, Thomas, on third-and-1 from the Patriots 37-yard line, intercepted a Philip Rivers pass intended for Malcom Floyd and out ran the San Diego offense for a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown with 5:17 remaining in the first half, giving the “We were in zone coverage and [coach Bill Belichick] told us to get back and read the quarterback,” Thomas said. “That’s kind of what I did. I just caught the ball and ran.” Thomas said that he wasn’t going to stop running until he reached the end zone. “You don’t look behind you, I mean you look back and tend to slow down so I just took a peak at the jumbotron,” Thomas said. “He made a nice play, anticipated the throw, made a good catch, and he really showed his speed on that,” Belichick said. “He had a couple of guys chasing him. I don’t know if they made up any ground, but they didn’t make up much. That was a pretty good run.” The pick was the third-longest interception return for a touchdown by a linebacker in Patriots history. It trails only Chris Singleton’s 82-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 15, 1992, and Sam Hunt’s 68-yard scoring return against Tampa Bay on Dec. 12, 1976. Asked if he was worried if anyone would catch him, Thomas simply said, “No.” “You don’t know where they are so I just ran as fast as I could,” Thomas said. It was Thomas’ seventh career interception, and the third interception return for a touchdown of his career. It was also his sixth career defensive touchdown. In addition, he also had three tackles, one of which resulted in a four-yard loss on a LaDainian Tomlinson run. “It was just instinct,” Thomas said of the tackle. “I kind of shot the gap and that’s kind of like what it was.” One of the reasons why New England signed Thomas as an unrestricted free agent on March 3 was for his covering abilities. “I think it was the total package with Adalius,” New England coach Bill Belichick said when asked why the Patriots drafted him earlier this year. “ . . . His work ethic, his toughness, his versatility defensively and in the kicking game, he has some pass rush skill, he has some coverage skill, he can play the run. He’s a good pursuit player.” “AD, he brings that playmaking ability that he showed in Baltimore,” Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said. “That’s definitiely one of those things that attracted Bill to him. And I think he showed that tonight and that’s great when you got a guy that can make the play and then take it to the house.” Thomas, a Pro Bowl selection in 2003 and 2006 with the Baltimore Ravens, said that he is having a good time playing for New England so far, and that he has nothing to prove to anyone outside of the Patriots’ locker room. “I just go out there and play for the guys in this locker room,” Thomas said. “Those are the guys that go out and work with you. I’m not here to try to prove a point. I’m trying to go out there and do my job and my job is to go out there and be where I’m supposed to be and make a plays when it’s my turn to make plays. That’s what you go out there to do.” Thomas said that he is getting more comfortable in the Patriots system every day. “You get more and more comfortable every time [you take the field],” Thomas said. Last season Thomas set career highs with 11.0 sacks and 106 tackles while starting every game for Baltimore.
Posted by Rob Lee September 16, 2007
Sammy Morris scores in 4th quarter
Posted by Mary Murphy FINAL: Patriots 38, Chargers 14BY SHALISE MANZA YOUNG FOXBORO – Well at least we can assume the San Diego Chargers weren’t cheating. And if they were, it might be time to fire their spy. Because for all the talk about Sunday night being a revenge game for the Chargers against the New England Patriots, they didn’t exact a whole lot of it against the team that upset them in the playoffs on their home field eight months ago. If anything, the Patriots were out to prove that their win at Qualcomm Stadium in the AFC Divisional round wasn’t luck or a fluke. And that everyone who thinks they need to cheat to win is wrong. New England dominated from the opening snap of the game, getting a 38-14 win in their 2007 home opener at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots won the coin toss, Ellis Hobbs brought the opening kickoff out to the 31-yard line, and from there Tom Brady was at his surgical best, methodically picking apart the San Diego defense and putting all of his weapons on display. For the second straight week, New England scored on their first drive. Brady went to tight end Benjamin Watson on the first two snaps, for gains of nine and six yards. Then Randy Moss had back-to-back catches totaling 13 yards. After an incompletion, Kevin Faulk displayed great blitz pickup on linebacker Stephen Cooper (a Massachusetts native and UMaine product), giving Brady ample opportunity to find Wes Welker for a 34-yard pickup. On the next play, Watson was as lonely as the stinky kid in the cafeteria in the right side of the end zone to put New England on the board. But it wasn’t just on the offensive side of the ball that the Patriots exerted their will on the defending AFC West champions. The Chargers’ first play from scrimmage – a pass from Philip Rivers intended for rookie receiver Craig Davis, ended up in the hands of Rosevelt Colvin. As they staked their way to a 24-0 halftime lead, the Patriots’ offensive game plan was pass-heavy, basically taking the Chargers’ stellar front seven out of the equation. In the opening 30 minutes, Brady went 17-for-23 for 193 yards, with two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Colvin, whom the Chargers accused of standing outside their locker room and chanting “the lights are out now!,” a reference to Shawne Merriman’s sack dance, after New England’s playoff win, did a lot more talking last night. And he did plenty to back it up. In addition to the first-play interception, he also strip-sacked Rivers twice, with one of those fumbles recovered by defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. After helping Mike Vrabel and Ty Warren finish off a fourth-quarter sack, Colvin lingered on top of Rivers, and the two continued to have words for a few more moments. Adalius Thomas also got in on the act, showing off his basketball skills, plucking a high Rivers pass out of the air and toting it 65 yards for the longest interception return touchdown of his career. But New England’s standout play wasn’t just in pass defense. The team held reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson to just 43 yards on 18 carries, just 2.4 yards per attempt. In the first half, San Diego was 0-for-4 on third down, foreshadowing Bill Belichick’s notion earlier in the week that if you could get the Chargers to third down – the ‘Bolts were the best team in the league on first- and second-down last year – you can have success against them. For the game, the Chargers were 2-for-7 on third down (28 percent). With Tomlinson, who earlier in the week took a jab at New England, claiming the team lives by the motto, “if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying,” stymied, the Gillette Stadium crowd took great glee in letting him know just what it thought of him as the night wound down. In their own way, the Patriots let the Chargers know how they feel about them too.
Posted by Art Martone Moss scores again
Posted by Mary Murphy Thomas Touchdown
Posted by Mary Murphy Belichick welcomed
Posted by Mary Murphy The Hooded One feeling the loveHey all -- Bill Belichick -- resplendent in his grey cutoff hoodie with long sleeves underneath -- was just flashed on the JumboTron here and received a brief but rousing ovation from the Gillette crowd that's filtering into the stadium. Belichick raised his arm to acknowledge the fans.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Game inactivesThe list of inactive players has just come out, and New England will be without offensive lineman Stephen Neal, who was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury that he suffered in practice this week, and defensive lineman Mike Wright, who is battling a knee injury. Tight end David Thomas (foot), who was not listed on the injury report, is inactive. For the Patriots: 3QB Matt Gutierrez For the Chargers: 3QB Charlie Whitehurst
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Belichick not going anywhereHey all -- For the past couple of years, Bill Belichick's contract status has been as closely guarded as the so-called nuclear football. But with the coach under fire and whispers that his videotaping episode might lead to his departure from New England, somehow the organization's best-kept secret has been leaked. espn.com's Michael Smith reports that Belichick's contract with the Patriots has been extended through 2013. It is unclear, Smith writes, how long the extension is and when Belichick's previous contract was set to expire. It's a savvy p.r. move for the team to let this information get out; this week, the N.Y. Post wrote that team owner Robert Kraft felt the spying charge was "the last straw." So it's six more years of the hoodie... shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Welcome to Gillette StadiumHey all -- We are here at Gillette Stadium, where the Home Opener is less than three hours from getting underway. As expected for the first game of the season in Foxboro and with this being such a big game on so many levels, traffic was a bear. The lot we can see from our spot -- the one between the north end of the stadium and Route 1 -- is packed, with dozens of pop-up canopy tents mixed in among the parked cars. There's not any player activity yet on the field, just security personnel and television types dotting the perimeter of the surface. We'll have more updates as the game gets closer. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 14, 2007
Robert Kraft statement on Patriots' punishmentFOXBORO – Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement today on the punishment that New England received as a result of the videotaping scandal -- $750,000 in fines and the loss of a first round draft pick in 2008. “This has been an extremely difficult week for our organization,” Kraft said in the statement. “The most troubling part for me, personally, is the impact these actions have had on our fans. We have spent the last 14 years developing and building a franchise that people could embrace and support. The loyalty of our fans has been the most rewarding aspect of owning the team. I am deeply disappointed that the embarrassing events of this past week may cause some people to see our team in a different light. NFL policy states that, “videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game.” Goodell believes that Kraft was unaware of Belichick's action, but determined that penalties should be imposed on the club because, “Belichick not only serves as the head coach but also has substantial control over all aspects of New England's football operations. His actions and decisions are properly attributed to the club,” Goodell said in a statement released by the NFL. "I believe that coach Belichick always tries to do what is best for the team and he is always accountable for his decisions,” Kraft said in his statement. “He has been a very important part of what our organization has accomplished over the last seven years. In this case, one of his decisions has resulted in a severe penalty for our franchise. He has paid a heavy price and so has our organization. He has apologized for his actions. I accept his apology and look forward to working with him as we move forward.” Belichick said in a press release about the fine, “I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight’s ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologized to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career. “As the commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week’s game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress.” Kraft hopes that the incident won’t taint the Patriots’ image. “It has been a distinct privilege to be involved in the National Football League since 1994. I am passionate about the league because it represents the ultimate in competition,” Kraft said in his statement. “To this end, the integrity of the game and competition between the 32 teams is of paramount importance to me. Whenever the commissioner believes that the integrity of the league’s competition is compromised, he must act decisively to protect it. “In addition to our fans, I also feel for our players. I know how hard our players work and prepare for every game and their accomplishments speak for themselves. I look forward to returning all of our focus and energy to the field."
Posted by Rob Lee Patriots: third most-valuable franchiseHey all -- Forbes magazine, which comes up with lists for just about everything money-related (unfortunately, we haven't made any of the lists -- yet), this week released its 2007 valuation of NFL franchises and the Patriots ranked third. Forbes lists New England's value at $1.199 billion, behind Dallas ($1.5 billion) and the Washington Redskins ($1.467 billion). Surprisingly, the Houston Texans are fourth at $1.056 billion. According to the magazine, the team had revenues of $255 million last year. The bottom of the list? The Minnesota Vikings, valued at "just" $782 million. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young AP video report on Belichick and cheatingView the AP's report on the NFL and Patriots Coach Bill Belichick.
Posted by Peter Phipps Friday injury reportThe Patriots' injury/participation report for their last on-field practice before Sunday's home opener with San Diego is a bit smaller than it was yesterday... Limited Participation in Practice G Stephen Neal (shoulder) - questionable Full Participation in Practice QB Tom Brady (right shoulder) - probable TE Kyle Brady, DL Jarvis Green, WR Randy Moss and TE David Thomas have all been removed from the list. If Thomas did take part fully in practice, it could mean that he's ready to see his first game action of the year after sustaining a broken foot during offseason activities. For the Chargers: OUT Did Not Participate in Practice Full Participation in Practice
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Jim Donaldson: Belichick unwilling to admit fault
By JIM DONALDSON FOXBORO, Mass. - It is what it is. That's one of Bill Belichick's favorite, fall-back clichés. He didn't say anything remotely as pertinent or insightful yesterday at his first, post-punishment press conference. The media wanted to talk about the $500,000 personal fine he'd incurred, the first-round draft choice he'd cost the team in 2008, and the $250,000 the franchise had been fined for, in the words of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Belichick's "calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid long-standing rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field." Belichick wanted to talk only about the San Diego Chargers. He wouldn't even read aloud the written statement he'd issued Thursday night, in which he said: "I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight's ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to Patriots fans…" Even in writing, however, Belichick wouldn't acknowledge that he was entirely wrong, adding: "My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect." You be the judge: As recently as Sept. 6, a memo sent to NFL coaches and general managers by Ray Anderson, the league's executive V.P. of football operations, stated "Videotaping of any type, including but not limited to taping of an opponent's offensive or defensive signals, is prohibited on the sidelines, in the coaches' booth, in the locker room, or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game." How is that open to misinterpretation? And how should we interpret Belichick's unwillingness to say - to actually speak the words, not simply hand out a written statement - ``I was wrong. I'm sorry?" It is what it is. What this unseemly, unsportsmanlike incident is, is shameful, egregious (hence the severe penalty issued by the league), costly, and disappointing. What is particularly disappointing is that Belichick had a chance yesterday to look human, rather than like the cold, calculating automaton he so often appears to be. How simple it would have been to read yesterday morning the statement he had released Thursday night. How nice it would have been to actually hear him say the words: "I accept full responsibility. I apologize." Instead, he figured a handout would get him off the hook. It was not unlike his hastily scribbled note saying he had resigned as "HC of the NYJ" at that most awkward, uncomfortable, downright bizarre press conference seven years ago at which it was announced he was turning down Bill Parcells' offer to succeed him as coach of the Jets. Belichick did that because he wanted to come to New England, where he has had remarkable success, winning three Super Bowls in four years between 2001 and 2004, five division titles in six years - last four in a row, and reaching the conference championship game again last year. Remember the famous line from the popular book, and movie, Love Story - Love means never having to say you're sorry? Apparently, winning three Super Bowls also means never having to say you're sorry. Perhaps he hopes that, if his Patriots look as impressive tomorrow Sunday night in beating the Chargers as they did in routing the Jets last Sunday, that's what fans will focus on, rather than his transgressions. Perhaps he's hoping that team owner Robert Kraft, who has made a point of taking the high road since saving the franchise in 1994, suddenly will start sounding like Raiders owner Al Davis and simply say: "Just win, baby." "There's nothing I can do about the past," said Belichick, who clearly wants this tawdry incident to fade away as quickly as possible. But it's not going to go away. He can ignore, but he can't erase, the stigma of what he did, the stain he has brought to the reputation of the franchise. It still will be a focus of attention at next year's draft, when the Patriots will have to forfeit their first-round pick because of what Belichick did last Sunday. And there is, in fact, something he could have done about it yesterday: He could have truly apologized. He could have actually said, rather than merely write, the words: ``I'm sorry."
Posted by Mike McDermott What they're saying across country about Belichick and the PatsSHADY BRADY AND BILL BELICHEAT
While Parker's opinion is a little over the top -- it's catchy, though -- it's not all that different from what you're reading all over the Web today. Here's what some of them are saying . . . I TOLD YOU NOT TO: Old friend Tom Curran says Belichick was punished so harshly by comissioner Roger Goodell because he ''was warned -- along with 31 other head coaches -- not to do something. And he went ahead and did it anyway.'' (NBCSports.com) Still, Curran thinks the penalty wasn't as bad as it could have been. He also looks at others -- Tom Brady, Robert Kraft, Eric Mangini -- whose reputations took a hit in this episode. IT COULD HAVE -- SHOULD HAVE -- BEEN WORSE: Peter King of SI.com thinks Belichick got off easy. His colleague, Don Banks, agrees. Also in agreement is ESPN.com's John Clayton . ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: Clayton also answers some frequently asked questions about the incident. NEW IMAGE: Banks believes the incident has tarnished the Patriots' legacy. TAKING IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL: SI.com's Dr. Z (Paul Zimmerman) puts forth the notion that the Patriots have brought cheating to a new level in the NFL. WE DON'T LIKE YOU: Foxsports.com's John Czarnecki thinks a dislike for Belichick played into the punishment.
Posted by Art Martone One fan's suggestionJust got a voice mail from a Patriots fan named Jan from Jamestown -- for privacy purposes, Jan, I won't mention your last name -- who thinks all the fans attending Sunday night's game should bring video cameras to the game, tape the signals, and make some money by selling the tapes to the Patriots and Chargers. I have to admit, I laughed at the suggestion. It can't happen, because video cameras aren't allowed inside Gillette Stadium, or any other NFL venue for that matter, presumably for reasons such as this. (It doesn't mean people don't sneak them in, as the proliferation of You Tube videos from NFL games prove, but you're not supposed to.) But it's a fun suggestion. Thanks, Jan.
Posted by Art Martone Perfect attendanceHey all -- Once again there was perfect practice attendance, as the Patriots are holding their session inside Gillette Stadium in shorts and shells. Media access, as almost always, consisted of stretching and some special-teams work.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Projo PatsTalk with Shalise Manza Young: Moving forward after a punishing weekClick here to listen to today's edition of projo PatsTalk with Shalise Manza Young. The topics: the league's punishment and whether it's appropriate; how much losing a draft pick will hurt; the fans' mixed reaction; the next time the Jets come to Foxboro; how the players avoid distraction; stopping LaDainian Tomlinson; and how Randy Moss will fare against San Diego. Here are some excerpts from Shalise's comments. On fan reaction: "There are some people, who are diehard Patriots fans, that one of their mottoes is 'In Bill we trust,' and they figure if he's doing it, everybody else must be doing it too. People are really upset with Eric Mangini, because they feel like he ratted out his old boss ... but by the same token, Mangini might have just been doing what Bill taught him to do -- you do anything you can to gain an edge. And there are some Patriots fans who think, 'I'm all for this team, but I want everything we do and every success we have to be totally legitimate.' And there are fans out there who definitely are embarrassed by this." On the next time Bill and Eric meet: "I think as well-documented as the first four handshakes have been, I don't even know if there will be a handshake in the next game, because I dont think Bill Belichick will forgive this one anytime soon." Moss against San Diego: "I think Randy will be a target again. Of course, after the performance he put on last week, he'll get a little more attention [from San Diego], but as we saw on that 51-yard touchdown catch that he had last week, it doesn't matter if you have two or three guys on him, he's going to find a way to beat you. ... And the other person I think could have a big game is Wes Welker. I think if the Chargers try to take away the run, then you could see a lot of dink-and-dunk to Wes Welker over the middle, short routes, and maybe Kevin Faulk as well in that situation."
Posted by Mike McDermott Fallout FridayHey all -- In the latest chapter of the Story That Has No End, Bill Belichick addressed the media this morning and deflected question after question about the sanctions handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, if his team and his own legacy have been tainted, and why he did it in the first place if he stood to gain no advantage in the Jets game. The best question came from colleague Jim Donaldson, who asked Belichick if he can pay his $500,000 fine in installments or if it has to be a lump-sum payment. The coach did smile a bit when he heard the question. Every query -- even Jimmy's -- was met with one of a few answers: "It's doesn't matter, it's already happened"; "We've moved on to San Diego"; "All my energy is on the Chargers"; "It's behind us and we're moving on." In the locker room, several players avoid questions by stationing themselves at the games table -- Asante Samuel, Eugene Wilson, Billy Yates, Rosevelt Colvin, Matt Light, Dan Koppen, Russ Hochstein and Logan Mankins were all engaged in either dominoes or backgammon -- while Donte Stallworth, Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson amused themselves playing tape basketball, shooting a ball made of medical tape into a large trash can about 16 feet away. Practice squad receiver C.J. Jones likely had the best idea: he was stretched out on the floor in front of his locker taking a nap. Defensive back Chad Scott, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on the first day of training camp, walked through the room shaking his teammates' hands and walking without a noticeable limp. Practice access is at around 12:10 p.m., and we'll file a report shortly after. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 13, 2007
Statement from Bill Belichick regarding penaltiesPatriots head coach Bill Belichick has released this statement through the team: “I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight’s ruling. Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career. “As the Commissioner acknowledged, our use of sideline video had no impact on the outcome of last week’s game. We have never used sideline video to obtain a competitive advantage while the game was in progress. “Part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them. My interpretation of a rule in the Constitution and Bylaws was incorrect. “With tonight’s resolution, I will not be offering any further comments on this matter. We are moving on with our preparations for Sunday’s game.”
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Punishment rendered: loss of draft pick tied to playoff appearanceNFL commissioner Roger Goodell has levied his punishment on Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in light of the finding that the team used an illegal video camera to tape New York Jets' coaches in an effort to steal defensive signals. Goodell has ruled that Belichick personally must pay a $500,000 fine, and the club must pay $250,000; also, if New England reaches the playoffs, it must forfeit its 2008 first-round draft pick. If the team does not make the postseason, it must forfeit its second- and third-round picks. The first-round pick the team could lose is its own; the Patriots also hold the 49ers first-round pick in 2008 after a draft-day trade this year that sent one of New England's two number ones to San Francisco. In a letter to the Patriots, Goodell wrote, “This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field." NFL policy states that “no video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches’ booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game” and that all video shooting locations for club coaching purposes “must be enclosed on all sides with a roof overhead.”
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Patriots, Belichick fined $750,000 and lose draft choicesThe Associated Press reported Thursday night that the National Football League has fined coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots a total of $750,000 and will force the team to forfeit ''multiple draft choices'' as a result of their illegal videotaping of the New York Jets' defensive signals during last Sunday's game.
Posted by Art Martone Martone: It was illegal, and the Pats did it anywayChuck Knox, a head coach in the NFL for 22 years, called it “a whole lot about nothing.” Paul Spicer, a defensive end for the Jaguars, called for a $2 million fine, the loss of second- and third-round draft choices, and for the offenders to be banned from participating in the playoffs. We’ll call those the extremes in the case of The People — in this case, the National Football League and the American sporting public — vs. Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. When deciding on punishment, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came down far closer to Spicer’s position than Knox’. On the surface, it resolves the question that no one seemed to be able to get their arms around this week: What, exactly, did the Patriots do last Sunday? The answer: Something pretty serious. But in what way? Was it in whatever competitive edge they gleaned from having video assistant Matt Estrella tape the Jets’ defensive coaches flashing signals on the sidelines? There’s obviously something to be gained; the Patriots wouldn’t have done it otherwise. But what? “You have to wonder how much all this really would help,’’ Lions general manager Matt Millen told SI.com’s Paul Zimmerman. “If you’ve done your film study, you should have a pretty good idea, from the personnel on the field and the tendencies they’ve shown, what [defense the other team is] going to be in.’’ “New England realistically may have been able to catch one or two plays from doing that and they could’ve had somebody in the press box getting the same information,’’ former Atlanta Falcons general manager Ken Herock told ESPN.com’s Jeffri Chadiha. “And what you’re actually talking about is one or two plays out of about 60 snaps a game. That really isn’t a great advantage.’’ It sounds like a lot of risk for very little reward. Especially since, as Chadiha quoted one AFC general manager, “the bottom line is that it’s illegal.’’ To quote a popular Internet phrase, we have bingo. It’s illegal. It’s illegal and the Patriots did it anyway. And they did it even though they allegedly got caught with their hands in this very same cookie jar – with this very same video assistant -- last November in Green Bay. “We all get the same memos from the league each season telling us what we can’t do,’’ said that AFC general manager. The Pats chose to ignore it, again . . . and that, we can assume, is why their wrists are being bludgeoned with an anvil instead of slapped with a feather, which would seem to be a more appropriate response from Goodell for this particular crime. After all, from all the comments around the country in the last few days, it’s clear that – in strict football terms – Knox is right. Yes, it’s nice to know what the other team is doing. Yes, it can be helpful. No, from everything we’ve heard, it’s not really going to tip the balance of a game in any significant way. One insider said it was nothing more than a nuisance, easily thwarted by having multiple coaches flashing phony signals but just one more (meaningless) element that had to be accounted for in game planning. But “the bottom line is that it’s illegal.’’ And the disconcerting theme that kept recurring in accounts from across the country is that most NFL teams consider this – cheating, bending (and sometimes breaking) the rules, acting as though the NFL policies don’t apply to them – to be the Patriots’ M.O. Coaches like the Jaguars’ Jack DelRio, the Lions’ Rod Marinelli and the Bengals’ Marvin Lewis swapped stories of mysterious equipment breakdowns in Foxboro. Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward talked of how the Pats seemingly knew all his team’s plays in the AFC championship game several years ago. When the Bucs beat the Pats in the 2000 season opener, one Tampa Bay assistant said he was told by a Pats’ assistant that his team’s victory was all the more impressive because “we knew what you were going to do on every play.” Some of it is jealousy, to be sure; it’s a natural response to any team that’s won as often as the Patriots have over the last six years. But Goodell’s penalty – as stern as anything that’s ever been handed down by a NFL commissioner – suddenly lend credence to stories that, just last week, would have been dismissed as sour grapes. How owner Robert Kraft will respond to this is an interesting question. Kraft and his family have carefully molded the team’s squeaky-clean image and that image – coming on the heels of the Rodney Harrison suspension – is now shattered. Additionally, Kraft has become one of the NFL’s top powerbrokers and he can’t be happy about how his team is being perceived in the league’s boardrooms. Former colleague Tom Curran, now the national football writer at NBCSports.com, noted that Belichick included “ownership’’ in his statement of apology Wednesday, which “acknowledges there’s probably a pretty [angry] owner somewhere in Foxboro.’’ He’s not any happier today, you can be sure. Of course, whether he’s mad because the Pats broke the rules or because they got caught . . . that’s another question we can’t really answer. The only person who can really shed light on this is Belichick, and we know he won’t. As our own Jim Donaldson wrote yesterday morning, Belichick can be “insightful, informative and even enjoyable” on topics he enjoys discussing, but is “boring and, on occasion, boorish” in most of his dealings with the media. He’ll have to address the issue again today – indeed, he promised he would when the league ruling came down – but if you’re expecting more than his usual monotone clichés, designed to say and reveal nothing, you’re probably expecting too much. This, after all, is a topic we can be sure Bill Belichick does not enjoy discussing, In the past, however, Belichick and the Patriots have always been able to dictate the terms of the public discourse. Their incredible on-field success has given them that luxury. It’s a luxury that, thanks to their own behavior, they no longer have.
Posted by Art Martone Chargers Thursday participation reportIt would appear that tight end Antonio Gates has gotten better -- yesterday, he did not participate in practice at all due to his back, but today he had full participation. And Shawne Merriman (Achilles), who had limited participation yesterday, also was a full participant today... The complete list: OUT Full Participation
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Channel 5: Belichick to receive $500,000 fine, Patriots to lose two draft choicesMike Lynch of Channel 5 in Boston -- who also hosts Patriots All Access -- is reporting that Bill Belichick will be fined $500,000, which he must pay personally, and the Patriots will be forced to forfeit two high draft choices, perhaps as high as first- and third-rounders, as their penalty in Videotapegate. The penalty is different than the one reported earlier on SI.com by Peter King and Don Banks, but it is consistent with the severe discipline King and Banks said would be meted out in the case by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. As SI.com also said, Lynch said the penalty would be announced Friday.
Posted by Art Martone SI.com: Belichick may be facing two- or three-game suspensionSI.com's Peter King and Don Banks are reporting that the NFL is mulling suspending Bill Belichick for two or three games, and taking away a "first-day" draft choice -- possibly a first-rounder -- as penalty for the illegal videotaping last week in New York. They also say a decision is expected Friday.
Posted by Art Martone Thursday's injury reportThree players -- tight end Kyle Brady (team decision), wide receiver Randy Moss (team decision) and guard Stephen Neal (shoulder) -- were added to the "Limited Participation in Practice" portion of the Patriots' injury report today. The four players who were listed yesterday as limited participants -- quarterback Tom Brady (right shoulder), defensive lineman Jarvis Green (shoulder), tight end David Thomas (foot) and nose tackle Mike Wright (knee) -- were listed again today.
Posted by Art Martone The Pats' new logo...This came to our inbox this morning via a friend who shall remain nameless, but it has made the rounds and is now on profootballtalk.com...
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Another tense press conference with BelichickHey all -- It was another tense press conference with Bill Belichick today, as the fallout from the videotaping scandal continues (we'd use "camera-gate," but a reader has complained that it's cliched...). Belichick was peppered with more questions about the charges, including whether he'd heard anything from the league on punishment (not yet), whether it's a common practice to try and steal signals, and several trying to get him to clarify portions of the statement he made yesterday. He was asked again to elaborate on his "interpretation of the rule" and if his apology covered the Patriots' customers -- the fans -- and on all counts he referred to the statement and said he'll have more when a decision is rendered by the league. In between, he talked more about LaDainian Tomlinson, who will hold for Stephen Gostkowski's kicks and the inconsistency in the kicking game, and the issue of putting radio receivers in the helmets of defensive players. Belichick feels there are "pros and cons" to the helmet issue, but logistical problems -- who wears the radio helmet? what happens if that player is not on the field? -- have to be sorted out to make it possible. As for the holders -- Matt Cassel seemingly lost his job after fumbling a snap against the Jets, and punter Chris Hanson held in the fourth quarter -- Belichick said you always need to have two holders, just as you need a backup at every position. He didn't say which player might be holding on Sunday. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Thursday: perfect attendanceIt is a gorgeous day on the practice field today, with the players in full pads. Once again, everyone is present and accounted for; we're watching the receivers make one-handed catches and Tom Brady saying that anyone who misses owes him 100 pushups. Donte Stallworth missed one, but we don't see any push-ups just yet....
Posted by Shalise Manza Young "Stop spreading those rumors around...""...stop spreading the lies..." Coincidentally or not, this 80s hit from Timex Social Club (thanks, Danny!) was playing in the weight room as we media types were exiting the locker room today. The first line of that song?? How do rumors get started? They're started by the jealous people... Which is exactly what some of the players believe is fueling this whole deal: New England's success. As Chad Brown noted, there were some unflattering things said about the 49ers in their heyday in the 80s. Donte Stallworth, Heath Evans, Junior Seau and Rosevelt Colvin were players drawing big crowds today, and the players continued to stress that their focus is on the Chargers and little else. Colvin said there are much bigger problems in the world to worry about than whether or not the Pats used a video camera to gain an advantage. Rookie Kareem Brown was wearing a bright white number 5 Celtics jersey, showing some love for Kevin Garnett. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 12, 2007
Del Rio implies more wrong-doing by PatsHey all -- Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio -- who openly said his players should have speared Tom Brady after the Jags' game with New England last season -- was in front of a microphone again today and implied that that Patriots messed with his team's radio system during the 2005 playoffs. "Our coach-to-quarterback system mysteriously malfunctioned the entire first half," Del Rio said today. Jacksonville was flagged for two delay-of-game penalties in the first 20 minutes of that game. Jags defensive end Paul Spicer said yesterday that the Patriots should lose a second- and third-round draft pick, be fined $2 million, and that the NFL should "do like the NCAA and kick them out of the playoffs or something. Put them on probation; they can't go to no playoff games. Roger Goodell has definitely enforced some new rules. He's been hard on players. Now let's see how hard he's going to be with a team." Spicer acknowledged that players and teams have been trying to gain advantage for years, but that the Pats' alleged videotaping is over the line. The NFL is reportedly investigating the number of radio frequencies the Patriots were using during Sunday's game with the Jets. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Chargers injury/participation reportThe Chargers' first report of the week: OUT Did Not Participate in Practice Limited Participation in Practice Full Participation in Practice
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Video: Belichick's statements on tape on tapeCoach Bill Belichick's statement to the press today about the video-cheating allegations was brief -- but not so brief that it wasn't captured on video itself. Take a look at this report on the incident from the Associated Press.
Posted by Andrea Panciera Hobbs named AFC special teams player of the weekHey all -- Ellis Hobbs' record-setting 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on Sunday against the Jets earned him AFC special teams player of the week honors. It is Hobbs' first PotW honor. Randy Moss and his nine-catch, 183 yard performance was nominated for offensive PotW, and Mike Vrabel was nominated for defensive PotW.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young CORRECTION: Wednesday injury reportThe Patriots have just released their first injury/participation report of the week. The following players had limited participation: QB Tom Brady (right shoulder) * Jarvis Green is an addition to the list; safety Rashad Baker (hand) was removed. The Chargers have not yet submitted their report.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young The nation weighs in on the Patriots controversyHere's a quick sampling of what some commentators from outside the New England area have to say about the Pats controversy: On Yahoo Sports, Dan Wetzel says that the Patriots' behavior is simply a product of the NFL system, one which has long rewarded questionable and downright despicable behavior for the sake of winning. ESPN's Matt Mosley uses the uproar to write about the "most famous spy in league history," former Rams and Redskins coach George Allen, who "basically convinced everyone in the league he was spying on them even though no one ever truly nailed him." Ray Ratto of CBS Sportsline says he is disappointed in the Patriots mainly because videotaping the other team's signs is such "Little League parents stuff." Writing in the New York Post (which ran the back page headline "Snoop Dog" along with Belichick's picture), Serby today gave the New Yorker's view of what the Patriots' punishment should be, assuming they're found guilty. A couple samples: play Sunday's game over, and change the venue of the second meeting from Foxboro to East Rutherford. That would be fun.
Posted by Mike McDermott Jim Donaldson: In video-gate, image and deeds both matter
FOXBORO, Mass. - It's all in the delivery. Ron Meyer was a lovable rogue, a gridiron version of Buddy Cianci. In Meyer's mind, rules were made to be broken. Or at least bent. As he showed at Southern Methodist, which wound up getting the "Death Penalty" from the NCAA for repeated violations, some of which occurred under Meyer's watch, when, with Eric Dickerson and Craig James combining in what was catchingly called the "Pony Express" backfield, the Mustangs became a national power. So it hardly was a shock when, on a snowy day in mid-December of his first season coaching the Patriots in 1982, Meyer waved a plow on to the field in the fourth quarter of a game against the Dolphins to clear a space for kicker John Smith to boot what proved to be the only points in a 3-0, New England upset. And then denied any knowledge of doing so. "I was just waving at the kicker to kick it through," Meyer at first insisted, when asked why he had been running down the sideline, toward the plow driver - Mark Henderson, a convict on work-release from Walpole State Prison - waving frantically. Finally, though, with the smile of a small boy caught with his had in the cookie jar, Meyer came clean. "I waved him on," he acknowledged. "I wanted him to brush off the snow." Miami's legendary coach, Don Shula, wanted to boil Meyer in oil. "It's hard for me to think," said Shula, hot under the collar, even though he had just come in from the cold, "that anyone would take pride in doing that. I believe there's a rule in the book dealing with unfair acts. The thing that disturbs me most is (Meyer) taking pride in what he did. This is the last thing you'd want to see in pro football. The officials never should have let it happen. The official nearest me said he didn't see the guy come out until it was too late." The infamous Snow Plow incident, now long a part of Patriots lore, was, if not exactly illegal, certainly unethical. Meyer, after initially trying for plausible deniability, wound up opting for credibility. You, the listener, knew he wasn't telling the truth. But Meyer knew that you knew, and you knew that he knew you knew, and so that somehow made it all right. It became a pleasantly amusing game between coach and media in which many of his statements were made with a figurative wink, a knowing nod, and a charming smile. Such is not the case with the current Patriots coach, Bill "Stonewall" Belichick. He is cold and calculating, which have been among the keys to his considerable success, but not at all warm and fuzzy. Which means he doesn't handle situations such as the one he faced today very well. With the controversy of "SpyGate" whirling around him - the Patriots appear to be on the brink of losing a draft choice for illegally videotaping the hand signals of Jets coaches along the sidelines at Sunday's season opener at the Meadowlands - Belichick had to be looking at today's meeting with the media with even more distaste than usual. The man absolutely abhors "distractions," - especially with a team like the AFC West champion Chargers coming to town this weekend - and this incident has become a distraction with a capital "D." The team's media relations department did its job today with the efficiency of a Tom Brady, skillfully preparing a statement from Belichick in which the embattled - if not exactly embarrassed - coach apologized "to everyone who has been affected, most of all ownership, staff and players," and then said he would not comment further until after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced what action, if any, would be taken against the Patriots. That said, Belichick wasn't going to take any questions from an understandably inquisitive media. Oh, he was asked several times about Sunday's incident, but he kept falling back on his prepared statement, and then kept asking if anyone had any questions about this weekend's game - a reprise of last January's AFC playoff semi-final. The statement was well-conceived, and exactly what Belichick should have said. From a team standpoint, he should not have said anything else afterwards. But, throughout his career, his relations with the media have been contentious, rather than congenial. Except on topics he enjoys - football history always is a favorite; and so is football strategy, as long as it has no bearing on the current game - he can be insightful, informative, and even enjoyable to listen to. Most of the time, however, he is boring and, on occasion, boorish. In what seems an odd contrast, the flashy Meyer actually is quite a humble man, while Belichick, who takes pride in prowling the sidelines on Sundays in somewhat scruffy attire seemingly suited to a Saturday morning game of touch, conveys an air of arrogance. Belichick knew the rule. He broke it, not innocently or inadvertently, but knowingly and deliberately. So, while Meyer's antics were amusing, and easy to forgive, the feeling after Belichick left today's gathering was that he and the Patriots deserve whatever punishment is meted out, and shame on them. It's all in the delivery.
Posted by Mike McDermott Patriots players speak on videotaping scandalSeveral players were asked inside the locker room about their feelings on the Patriots videotaping scandal. Here is what some of them had to say. “Whose fair share is it to say that it was a disadvantage for the other team or whatever,” Patriots running back Kevin Faulk said. “Who’s to say that nobody else is doing it but at the same time, it’s nothing that we can control.” "I think everything has been stated pretty much by Bill and the other guys on this team,” Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel said. “I think that if we start focusing on what happened last week, we are going to be in big trouble and we got a big test with LT and the boys coming in. They are as good as advertised.” “My feelings are still the same, as far as myself and my teammates, we have nothing to do with that,” Patriots defensive back Ellis Hobbs said. “As far as Bill, he’s made his statements and he’s handling it so there you have it.” Some players were asked if they thought the Patriots image would be a harmed because of the scandal. “Anything can tarnish it,” Faulk said. “You talking to me right now can tarnish it by writing what you put in the paper but at the same time, that’s not going to tarnish what we do on the football field as a football team.” “We can’t really control [how] people outside of the organization feel,” Patriots linebacker Larry Izzo said. “To quote the head coach, it is what it is.” The players said that they aren't embarrassed by the scandal. “Are we embarrassed? No it didn’t have anything to do with that victory on Sunday so I’m not embarrassed," Hobbs said. "I’m proud of the fact that we are 1-0 and we are moving in to week two." “I don’t feel embarrassed for anything that we do,” Vrabel said. “I think we go out and try to prepare as players. We work hard and we put a lot into it year around and we try to go out and win the game.” None of the players said that the scandal is going to be a distraction.
“It’s not a distraction really, we are getting ready for the Chargers,” Izzo said. “We are preparing and I think we got a lot of guys that have the focus that it takes to prepare and that’s what we are going to be doing all week.” “This no different then any other work week in my mind,” Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light said. “I’m going to do the same things I’ve done my whole career to prepare for this game and be ready to play on Sunday.”
Posted by Rob Lee Perfect attendanceNew England has taken the field for its first session in preparation for its game with San Diego on Sunday night, and every player on the active roster is present and accounted for. Though it has not been officially announced, Chad Brown is back with the team and David Herron, claimed off waivers from Minnesota last week, has been released.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Bill Belichick press conferenceHey all -- The Patriots released the statement from Bill Belichick just before the coach took the podium for his daily press conference, and he didn't add much more to it when he got in front of the microphone. "First of all, I think everyone has a copy of the statement I made. Really, until there's a ruling from the league, there isn't anything more I have to add to that. So, we're moving on to San Diego...." The first couple of questions were centered around camera-gate, and Belichick repeated that he had said all he would say about the situation for right now. Asked if he was embarrassed, he replied, "Are there any questions about San Diego?" After a few moments of silence, a voice came from the back of the room: "How are you going to shut down LT (LaDainian Tomlinson)?" Belichick actually smiled with the comment, and there was some laughter in the room. For the next 10 or so minutes, Belichick talked about Tomlinson and the Chargers' running game, Antonio Gates, and whether San Diego looks radically different under new head coach Norv Turner. Belichick commented that you basically know what you're going to get with a Turner-coached offense, and that overall it's a mixture of ideas from the new coaching staff mixed with ones from Marty Schottenheimer's regime. After all, San Diego was 14-2 last year in the regular season. In the locker room, most players said they didn't know anything about camera-gate, and that they were simply getting ready to face the Chargers. The line of the day came from (of course) Ellis Hobbs, when asked if he thought the scandal would be a distraction. “I just had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some Doritos so I’m not too distracted right now,” Hobbs said. “This is my lunch break. When we go out there and practice, we are not thinking about any of those things. Our main focus is to get out there and to prepare in the best way possible for the San Diego Chargers. That’s all we are worried about. There aren’t any distractions.” Peanut butter and jelly and Doritos. Yum. shalise The media workroom was packed with reporters from every local media outlet, ESPN, USA Today, NBC Sports and others.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Belichick apologizes over video controversyBill Belichick has released a statement through the Patriots' media relations department: "Earlier this week, I spoke with Commissioner Goodell about a videotaping procedure during last Sunday's game and my interpretation of the rules. At this point, we have not been notified of the league's ruling. Although it remains a league matter, I want to apologize to everyone who has been affected, most of all ownership, staff and players. Following the league’s decision, I will have further comment.”
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 11, 2007
NFL: No official decision madeHey all -- This is what we've written for the Journal concerning "camera-gate": A spokesman for the National Football League Tuesday night denied ESPN and NFL Network reports from earlier in the day that the league had found the New England Patriots guilty of violating league rules by taping defensive signals during Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. Greg Aiello, NFL senior vice president of media relations, said there had been no official determination made and that the Patriots had not been notified of any decision, nor has head coach Bill Belichick been summoned to league offices in New York City for a Friday meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell. “There’s no decision. When there is one, it will be communicated to everyone properly,” Aiello said. Asked if the league had or will make a phone call to the team, Aiello replied, “I’m sure there’s been many. It’s standard procedure: if you’re looking into a matter, you have to (talk to) both sides.” NFL security officials confiscated a video camera and tape from New England video assistant Matt Estrella during the game; Estrella was on the Patriots’ sidelines while he was taping New York’s signals. League rules prohibit teams from using video recording devices in the coaches’ booths, on the field or in the locker room during a game. Also Tuesday, NFL Network reported that “more evidence was pouring in” to link New England to videotaping signals. Aiello said the league had nothing further to report when asked if more teams had leveled accusations against the Patriots. Both the ESPN and NFLN reports said that Goodell was considering sanctions against the Patriots, which could include losing draft picks, fines and/or suspensions. Former Houston Texans general manager and current CBS analyst Charley Casserly was the first to report on the Patriots’ alleged use of videotaping last season. In December, Casserly said on the network’s pregame show that the Pats had been warned by the league about having a team official in coaching gear standing on the sidelines with a video camera during one of their first four games of the season. He did not specify which game, though New England’s first four opponents last year were Buffalo, at the Jets, Denver and at Cincinnati. When asked about Casserly’s December claim, Belichick replied, “Why don’t you go talk to Charley Casserly? He seems to have all the answers on everything, so why don’t you ask him?” More recently, Green Bay has stepped forward and said that it removed a Patriots’ official – believed to be Estrella – from Lambeau Field during New England’s 35-0 November win over the Packers last year. The Boston Herald wrote that a member of the Packers’ security staff saw the official videotaping Green Bay defensive signals and relaying them to the Pats’ staff using his own hand signals. The official was asked to leave the field, which he did, but allegedly continued to film and send signals from the tunnel. It was then that he was removed from the stadium. Detroit and Buffalo have also reportedly complained about similar incidents in their games against New England last year. The Patriots won all three games (two against the Bills). Estrella is in his third season as a full-time video assistant; the New Bedford native currently lives in Fall River. According to the Patriots’ media guide, his job is to assist video director Jimmy Dee and assistant video director Fernando Neto in editing game and practice tapes for use by team coaches, scouts and players. A message left at Dee’s residence seeking comment was not returned.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Jim Donaldson: Accusations make you wonder about Bill BelichickYou have to wonder about Bill Belichick. You have to wonder why he’s decided to go from being the second coming of Vince Lombardi to the second coming of Maxwell Smart. Or Maxwell Dumb, as the case may be. Because, if the Patriots did, as ESPN reports, violate NFL rules on Sunday when they videotaped defensive signals by the New York Jets’ coaches, that’s just plain stupid. And you have to wonder about all that, too. You have to wonder what Robert Kraft, the Patriots’ image-conscious owner, will say if it turns out that Belichick not only studies film of opposing offenses, defenses, and special teams, but also of other coaches signaling to their players — footage taken in clear violation not only of the spirit, but also of the letter, of NFL rules. You have to wonder how this latest episode will affect the until recently squeaky-clean image of the Patriots, which has become increasingly tarnished of late. Last season, Belichick’s name was dragged through the tabloids when he was named as the “other man,” in a New Jersey divorce case in which the estranged husband claimed his wife, a former employee of the New York Giants when Belichick was a defensive assistant, had a long-running relationship with the coach. It wasn’t long after that Pats’ fans found out that star quarterback Tom Brady, the all-American boy, had fathered a child out of wedlock with actress Bridget Moynihan, with whom he’d recently broken up — moving on to statuesque supermodel Gisele Bundchen. That was followed this spring by the acquisition of talented but troublesome wide receiver Randy Moss. Only last week it was learned that popular safety Rodney Harrison would miss the first four games of the season after admitting he had taken HGH, a banned, performance-enhancing substance. And now, it appears, the Patriots have a spy-cam. So you have to wonder. You have to wonder if, when Belichick wasn’t drawing up plays while growing up in Annapolis as an only child, he was watching Candid Camera. You have to wonder why, instead of having David Halberstam write a book about him, Belichick didn’t opt for John Le Carre, author of such best-sellers as The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Although Belichick claims to be a big fan of Bon Jovi, you have to wonder if his favorite song isn’t Johnny Cash’s “Secret Agent Man.” You have to wonder if, when he isn’t watching game film, Belichick’s favorite movie is The Spy Who Loved Me. Speaking of which — do you suppose one of the Patriots will be changing his jersey number to 007 for Sunday night’s game against the Chargers? And what are the chances that, given his apparent proclivity for undercover operations, Belichick now will forsake his frayed, graey hoodie for a trench coat trenchcoat and felt hat? One thing you most certainly do not have to wonder about is that the coach knew all about what was going on. It’ll be interesting, at today’s press news conference at Gillette Stadium, to see if Belichick pleads the fifth, or whether he plays the Sgt. Schultz role and insists: “I know nothing.” Which would be disingenuous at best, and dishonest at worst. Because it’s all but impossible to believe that Belichick was ignorant of what, according to ESPN, citing league sources, Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella was doing Sunday at the Meadowlands. Estrella is described in the Patriots media guide as being “in his fourth season with the Patriots and his third year as a full-time video assistant. In his current position, he assists Jimmy Dee and Fernando Neto in editing game and practice tapes for use by the coaches, scouts, and players.” Believing Estrella was acting on his own initiative is tantamount to believing that Matt Guitierrez Guttierez gets to call his own plays. It’s hard to believe that anything even remotely related to football takes place in the Patriots organization without the knowledge — and stamp of approval — of Belichick. You have to wonder why he’d do that, why he’d go from X’s and O’s to cloak and dagger. Why, when blessed with the most talented team he has had in his eight seasons in New England, he would stoop to such surreptitious and slimy skullduggery. And this isn’t the first time either. The Patriots were accused of similar activity last year at Green Bay. Now you have to wonder what highly principled owner Bob Kraft will say about this latest incident. -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Art Martone Report: NFL determines Pats broke rulesESPN is currently reporting -- though it has not been officially confirmed -- that the NFL's investigation into "camera-gate" has led to a decision that New England did break league rules during their season-opening win over the Jets. This is a breaking story, and we will keep you updated when we find out more. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young LT strikes againHey all -- Remember after the San Diego playoff game, when LaDainian Tomlinson said the Patriots' shenanigans after their playoff win over the Chargers "start with their coach"? Of course you do. Well, LT and Coach Bill supposedly kissed and made up at the Pro Bowl this year, where Belichick led the AFC squad. Apparently, Tomlinson either forgot about the truce or just wants to start another beef with the Patriots. During a press conference yesterday, Tomlinson was asked about the Jets' charge that New England was trying to steal defensive signals, and he said... "I think the Patriots live by the saying, 'if you're not cheating, you're not trying.' I think they live off that statement and nothing surprises me really. I'm not surprised because you keep hearing the different stories (and) people complaining about the stuff that they do. You know, so I’m not surprised." So, basically, LT is saying he's not surprised. We got that. While at times it is infuriating for us media types who cover the Pats to hear a steady stream of "they're a good team, we respect them, blah, blah, blah," before every game, these are times when we see why that tactic is used. If you say the same thing about every opponent -- whether they be 1-0, 11-2 or 2-9 -- no one can be insulted or find bulletin-board material. And on a personal not, I'd like to thank Tomlinson for providing me with my "dope of the week." shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 10, 2007
Locker room wrapHey all -- It was a fairly quiet locker room today, with Ellis Hobbs, Ty Warren, Heath Evans and Benjamin Watson garnering much of the attention. Hobbs' record-setting kickoff return was still a hot topic, but the players were also asked about the story, first reported by scout.com and then by espn.com, that the Patriots have been accused of stealing the Jets' signals during Sunday's game. Hobbs took offense to the notion that his team may have cheated. "We put too many hours in as individuals, as a team, to go out and cheat. In no facet, shape or form did we cheat," he said. The espn.com report says that a video camera and tape were confiscated by NFL security on Sunday from a Patriots' employee who was on the New England sideline. The unnamed employee allegedly was pointing his camera at the New York defensive coaches who were sending signals to their players on the field. This story is developing, and we'll see what happens. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Pats-Jets on NFL ReplayHey all -- The NFL Network will replay Sunday's Patriots-Jets game for "NFL Replay" on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. with exclusive material from NFL Films cameras. The game will be condensed in a 90-minute format; at 10:30 p.m, Washington's overtime win over Miami will be aired.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Interesting findHey all -- I was on the 7:30 a.m. Continental flight from Newark to Boston this morning, and while flipping through the in-house magazine came across a full-page ad. The headline on said ad? "Choose Life - Grow Young With HGH." The rest of the ad, styled like a legitimate article, went on to describe why people should take human growth hormone -- "Like a picked flower cut from the source, we gradually wilt physically and mentally and become vulnerable to a host of degenerative diseases, that we simply weren't susceptible to in our early adult years." "Only the lucky and rich" have previously been able to take HGH, the ad says, because it costs $20,000 a year. According to the ad, even beloved astronaut John Glenn takes HGH. It goes on to tout something called GHR -- we're guessing it's growth hormone replacement, but we've scoured this dang thing and see nothing specified -- and says it is a "natural releaser, has no known side effects, unlike the synthetic version, and has no known drug interactions. Progressive doctors admit that this is the direction medicine is seeking to go, to get the body to heal itself instead of employing drugs. GHR is truly a revolutionary paradigm shift in medicine." To be honest, I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with all of this. HGH has been pushed to the forefront (for me, anyway) since the Rodney Harrison situation came to light and when I saw this ad in the magazine, all I could do was chuckle. The NFL wants to banish HGH and the rest of the world wants to embrace it since it seems to be the one thing everyone's been looking for: the fountain of youth. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Monday with BillHey all -- We have just wrapped up with Bill Belichick, who had his morning-after press conference in the wake of yesterday's 38-14 pasting of the Jets. In true Belichick style, the coach emphasized that his team still has a lot of work to do, and that yesterday was just a starting point. Some other items from the chat: * Ryan O'Callaghan's use as an eligible receiver was more because the Pats wanted another blocker than O'Callaghan potentially catching a ball. Asked if the big O-lineman has hands, Belichick deadpanned, "he has two. ... But they're not game-tested." * Using Junior Seau as fullback on Heath Evans' one-yard score was Seau's idea. Belichick said the veteran approached him in spring and told him that if they ever needed a fullback, he could do it. The coach said Seau is good for the job because as a linebacker in a goal-line situation, his job is to find the hole and stop the ball carrier. As a fullback, his job is to find the hole -- and meet a linebacker. * Challenging the call after Evans' first goal-line push was not called a touchdown was a case of having nothing to lose. It was just before the two-minute warning, Belichick didn't plan on using the timeouts he had left, and he and the coaches in the booth thought there was a good chance it was a score. Even after looking at the tape this morning, Belichick said, he still isn't sure that it wasn't a touchdown. * Punter Chris Hanson held for Stephen Gostkowski's last two kicks, something Hanson has prior experience with. Belichick said the staff will "maybe talk about" having Hanson remain as holder, a job Matt Cassel has held since the end of last season. Cassel either lost his job after fumbling the ball on a first-half field goal try or got hurt on the same play. The locker room won't open until around 3:30 p.m. and we'll have more after that. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Projo PatsTalk: Reviewing the opening day winFor the first time, we're offering projo PatsTalk, which today features Shalise Manza Young's look at the Pats opening day win.
Posted by Pam Cotter September 9, 2007
FINAL: Patriots 38, Jets 14
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Patriots did nothing Sunday afternoon to curb the enthusiasm of those who think they're Super Bowl-bound this season. Opening the season on the road against their biggest division rival, the Patriots employed every one of their offensive weapons, new and old, to perfection as they steamrolled the Jets, 38-14. New wide receivers Randy Moss (9 catches, 183 yards, 1 touchdown) and Wes Welker (6 catches, 61 yards, 1 touchdown) accounted for 15 of Tom Brady's 22 completions. Returning running back Laurence Moroney ran for 72 yards and newcomer Sammy Morris added 54. Old hands Benjamin Watson and Heath Evans scored TDs on a short pass reception and run, respectively. And Ellis Hobbs tore the heart out of the Jets and their fans with a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown -- the longest return in NFL history -- at the start of the second half, turning a 14-7 lead into a 21-7 advantage and turning the momentum irrevocably into New England's favor. Statistically, the game was just as one-sided as the score. The Pats rolled up 431 total yards to 227 for New York, and had the edge in every category. There'll be more to come from Shalise Manza Young and Jim Donaldson in New Jersey, and it'll be posted to the site as soon as it arrives. Meanwhile, get the game summary from Projo Stats and vote for the player of the game.
Posted by Art Martone Saving Pennington EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With victory apparently out of reach, the Jets have decided to protect QB Chad Pennington, replacing him with second-year man Kellen Clemens. -- Jim Donaldson
Posted by Jim Donaldson Hanson holds E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With Matt Cassel having fumbled the snap on the Patriots' previous field-goal attempt, in the first half, punter Chris Hanson came on to hold for Stephen Gostkowski's 22-yard field goal that gave New England a seemingly- commanding, 31-14 lead with 6:51 left in the game.
Posted by Jim Donaldson Pennington back -- with a bangEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- His right foot and ankle heavily taped, Jets QB Chad Pennington returned to the lineup the next series after limping off the field following a sack by Jarvis Green and capped a 9-play, 70-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard TD pass to Laveranues Coles. It's things like that earn a QB the respect of his teammates. -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Pats first TD driveEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Patriots' crack media relations crew noted in its halftime notes that the Pats' 91-yard, 12-play TD drive on their first possession of the game marked the first time New England had scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the season since 1997, when they drove 73 yards in 7 plays for a TD against the Chargers, Ben Coates hauling in a 4-yard scoring toss from Drew Bledsoe. -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Futile PursuitEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Randy Moss's first touchdown for the Patriots was a joy to behold. First, he zoomed past the would-be bump of cornerback Darrelle Revis. He then blew by linebacker Jonathan Vilma and, with safety Erik Coleman and cornerback David Barett in futile pursuit, he hauled in a 51-yard scoring toss from Tom Brady, capping a 5-play, 85 drive that put the Patriots ahead 28-7. -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Pennington hurt
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chad Pennington hopped to the sidelines, where he slammed his helmet to the ground in disgust, with 10:26 remaining in the third quarter, after being sacked by Jarvis Green. Pennington's right foot and ankle were caught and twisted under him when he was hit from behind by Green. It was the fourth time -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Record-setterEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Ellis Hobbs' 108-yard touchdown return of the second-half kickoff is the longest in Patriots' history. That said, I've never understood why yardage out of the end zone counts. I mean, if a receiver catches a ball five yards deep in the end zone on a pass from the 30-yard line, then, using the same logic as on kickoffs, shouldn't that be a 35-yard TD catch? -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Details of Samuel deal
Hey all -- A league source has confirmed the terms that got Asante Samuel to sign his one-year franchise tender: If Samuel plays at least in 60 percent of the defensive snaps or New England wins 12 games, the cornerback will not be franchised again next year. This also shows that the deal Samuel received was indeed better than the one that Lance Briggs got from Chicago. Briggs, the Bears' franchise linebacker, reported to camp after getting $1 million up front and a promise that if he played in 75 percent of his team's defensive plays, he would not be franchised again in 2008. -- SHALISE MANZA YOUNG
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Watson dilemmaEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- After Chad Pennington went 6-for-6 for 68 in the Jets' second-quarter scoring drive, Tom Brady came right back with a 9-play, 73-yard TD march that featured a couple of fine catches by Randy Moss. The scoring pass, however, was a 5-yarder to tight end Ben Watson that demonstrated the problems defenses will have guarding Watson on the goal line. He was too quick for the Jets' all-pro linebacker Jonathan Vilma. But, if NY tried to cover him with a DB, the 6-3, 255-pound Watson may have been able to jump over him to make a catch, or simply screen a smaller player off the play with his body.
Posted by Jim Donaldson So far, so very, very, goodEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Randy Moss has made a very good first impression in his first game wearing a New England uniform. On the Pats' scoring drive just before halftime, he blew past cornerback Justin Miller to make one catch, then came back and leaped over Jets corner David Barrett to haul in a 22-yard reception. At halftime, Moss has 4 catches for 87 yards. -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Good hands, peopleEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - How'd you like Matt Cassel's impersonation of Tony Romo? The importance of the holder, and the snapper, seldom are appreciated until they mess up. And now the Jets, instead of trailing, 10-0, are in Patriots territory midway through the second quarter, looking for a game-tying touchdown. -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Sublime to ridiculousEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ Yesterday morning at 10:30, I was watching the Corps of Cadets parade crisply across The Plain at West Point to the strains of stirring marches played by the U.S. Army Band. This morning at 10:30, I was inching through the parking lots outside Giants Stadium, inhaling the fumes of alcohol stoves and alcohol-fueled Jets fans chanting ``J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!" The ambience of college football is just SO much better than pro football. The caliber of play in the NFL makes up for that, though -- especially when the Patriots put together an opening drive like the textbook (or, perhaps, playbook) 91-yarder they just strung together in grabbing a 7-0 lead 10 minutes into the game. There's all sorts of construction going on as the early stages of building the new Jets-Giants Stadium is underway. That led to a great line this morning by Journal photographer Mary Murphy, who wondered: "Do you suppose they'll dig up Jimmy Hoffa?" -- JIM DONALDSON
Posted by Jim Donaldson Samuel not startingAsante Samuel did not start the game, as New England went with Ellis Hobbs and Randall Gay at corner instead. Samuel did come on the field on third down, as did Junior Seau, spelling Tedy Bruschi.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young No one else was available??Hey all -- We are having quite the chuckle up here over Danny Aiello's rendition of the National Anthem. We love him as an actor, but as colleague Mark Farinella points out, Aiello looked like he should have had a martini in one hand and a cigar in the other as he did his Tony Bennett-styled version. He punctuated his song with "Go Jets!!"
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Warming upHey all -- The Patriots and Jets have taken the field in uniform for warmups, and the seats are starting to fill up here at the Meadowlands. Randy Moss is in uniform for his first time as a Patriot, and Asante Samuel has donned the blue-and-silver as well. The weather here is currently 84 degrees with 47 percent humidity and winds blowing from the southwest at 10 mph.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Game inactivesFor the Patriots 3QB Matt Gutierrez For the Jets: 3QB Marques Tuiasosopo
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Welcome to lovely New JerseyHey all -- Good morning and Happy Opening Day, since I know many of you consider this day to be akin to Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, depending on where your faiths lie). We have had quite the adventure since arriving here yesterday, but we have finally gotten to our seats in the Meadowlands press box. On our way into the building, we saw N.J. State trooper escorting a limo to the stadium, and who stepped out of the black stretch? Bob Kraft. On the field here, there's a few players getting warmed up, including defensive backs Asante Samuel, James Sanders, Willie Andrew, Eugene Wilson and Ellis Hobbs. That group is stretching in one of the end zones. Kelley Washington, Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney are catching short passes from an assistant, and Le Kevin Smith is being stretched by former teammate and rookie strength coach Don Davis near the Pats' bench. We'll check in with more soon. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 8, 2007
The exemption has been lifted!Hey all - The Patriots have announced that they have lifted the NFL's roster exemption they were granted for Asante Samuel, activating him for tomorrow's game with the Jets. Because he reported to the team so late, New England was given an exemption for the cornerback that was set to expire on Monday. There was no corresponding move because the team was already one under the roster limit after cutting Reche Caldwell on Monday. The team also made several other roster moves, activating linebacker Corey Mays and defensive lineman Santonio Thomas off the practice squad; to make room for them on the 53-man roster, corner Tory James and tight end Marcellus Rivers were released.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 7, 2007
Friday injury/participation reportPatriots fans, breathe easy -- though Tom Brady is once again listed as having "limited participation" in practice today, he is probable to play in Sunday's game. And Kyle Brady and Randy Moss, both listed on yesterday's report, are not on today's. Under the NFL's new injury/participation reporting, on Fridays teams must designate whether players are probable/questionable/doubtful/out, as the old reports did. Probable means there's a virtual certainty the player will play; questionable means there's a 50/50 chance he will play; doubtful means there's a 75 percent chance he won't play. PATRIOTS Limited participation Full participation JETS Limited participation Full participation
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Questions and answers with cornerback Asante SamuelThe New England Patriots have until tomorrow at 4 p.m. to activate cornerback Asante Samuel for Sunday's game versus the Jets. Samuel answered a few questons today at his locker. Here are some of them. Will you play Sunday? How do you feel physically? Do you feel behind? Do you feel you could contribute in some way if you play? How much of a load have you taken on in practice? Do you have good memories of facing the Jets? Do you feel different now physically than you did at this time last year? Do you notice a difference between being in good shape and being in football shape? Any picks in practice? Does it feel good to be back? Was it tough for you not being here? Can you talk about the Jets receivers and how tough they might be?
Posted by Rob Lee Perfect attendance. againHey all - Three days of practice for the Jets, three days of all hands on deck for the Patriots. Once again, players were in shells and shorts and it is quite the warm day here in Foxboro.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 6, 2007
Moss, Kyle Brady added to Patriots injury reportHere's the latest breakdown. Note the league has changed the categories on the report to reflect participation in the previous week's practice sessions. Randy Moss and Kyle Brady have been added to the "limited participation in practice" category (they were not on Wednesday's report), as has Tom Brady, who yesterday had been listed on the injury report under "full participation in practice." Limited Participation in Practice
Posted by Mike McDermott Perfect attendance againWe're just off the practice field, and for the second straight day, every eligible player was on the field, which clearly bodes well for the season opener. The players are in shells and shorts today.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Thursday wrapHey all -- The Patriots announced their captains for the coming season today, and there are some familiar names and some new names on the list. Special teams ace Larry Izzo will serve as captain for the seventh consecutive season -- every year he has been with New England. Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi have been voted as captain for the sixth straight year, and Mike Vrabel will serve for the third straight year. There are three players serving for the first time: Ty Warren, Kevin Faulk and Junior Seau. Last night, Warren said it was an honor to be chosen by his teammates; Faulk, who theoretically is taking Troy Brown's spot (Brown is on the PUP for at least the first six weeks of the season), didn't think about the idea that he was supplanting Brown. "I hadn't thought about it like that; I have so much respect for Troy. When I was a rookie, he was the guy I looked up to, just trying to emulate him," Faulk said. Seau, who was a captain for more than a decade with San Diego, said in the New England locker room, being captain is not about politics or resume -- it's about respect.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 5, 2007
Week 1 injury reportThe first injury report of the season has been released. The NFL has tweaked the injury report a bit for this year, with categories now including "limited participation in practice" (LP) and "full participation in practice" (FP). For New England, the following players were LP: DL Mike Wright (knee) QB Tom Brady (right shoulder) is on the list, but was listed as FP, meaning he took his full reps. For the Jets, players that were LP: CB Andre Dyson (foot) Players that were FP: TE Joe Kowaleski (finger)
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Wednesday wrapHey all -- We apologize for being tardy with our posting today; sadly, the only excuse we can offer for the lateness is that Wednesday is Pizza Day here at Gillette, and we chose pizza and chatting over blogging. Please don't hold it against us. Anyway, it was a busy day here at the Razor, with conference calls with Eric Mangini and Thomas Jones on the docket, as well as Bill Belichick, locker room time, and practice access. Supersub Jarvis Green, who will likely start in Richard Seymour's stead this week against the Jets, drew a lot of media attention, as did Mike Vrabel and Heath Evans. As much of a straight shooter as there is, Vrabel gave an interesting (or great, depending on your point of view) answer when asked if recently-cut Reche Caldwell, who reportedly visited with the Jets yesterday, could give New York some sort of an advantage when it came to inside info on the Patriots. "Reche barely knew our offense, so I know he doesn't know our defense. That's the end of that question," he said, drawing laughs from the large crowd at his stall. Friends Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel, like they were on Monday, were camped at the game table playing dominoes, with Ellis Hobbs an interested observer. Laurence Maroney -- he of the nickname Kool-Aid and impressive wheels -- was wearing a bright-red sweatshirt with the Kool-Aid man's face on it. Asked where he procured such a garment, Maroney feigned ignorance. (As for his wheels, we neglected to mention that last week. Maroney was getting to Matt Light's Celebrity Shootout in Burrillville as we were leaving, and he pulled in in an all black Hummer H2. The rims were an insane 35 inches. Wagon wheels really. We did some looking on the internet to see how much those run, and our best guess is north of $60,000. Just for the rims and tires.) With Jones being new to New York, Belichick said the coaching staff studied the running back's video from his time in Chicago. "That's the best exposure we have to him. He carried the ball a lot for Chicago the last couple of years. We definitely watched him (with the Bears)," Belichick said. We'll be back after the first injury report of the season is out around 4 p.m. One thing we can be nearly certain of is that Tom Brady will be "probable-right shoulder." shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Perfect attendanceHey all - We've just been kicked off the practice field, and can reoport that the Pats had perfect attendance for today's session. That means that defensive lineman Mike Wright and safety Rashad Baker returned to the field. We'll be back shortly with the day's wrap. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 3, 2007
Worth readingHey all -- I'm sure many of you already read Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column on si.com every Monday morning, but if you don't, or you haven't yet today with it being a holiday (for some people ;-)) take a look. Offensive lineman Ross Tucker, who spent time with New England in camp at one point, but spent the bulk of his career with Washington and Buffalo, has a first-hand account of what it's like to be cut. It's well-written and really interesting. But what caught my interest most was Tucker's confession that what he'll miss most about football is the violence. He recounts being a member of the Redskins' wedge in their third preseason game with Baltimore and hitting a rookie linebacker so hard the young player suffered a shoulder injury and concussion. Tucker was glad it wasn't him. But he had suffered a "stinger" during warmups for the game and the lingering pain from the pinched nerve that he felt after giving the hit was "one of the best bad feelings I've ever had." And this is from a journeyman offensive lineman, someone who doesn't get to administer that many hits. Just something to think about in light of the Rodney Harrison situation. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Caldwell releasedHey all -- The Patriots have confirmed an earlier report that wide receiver Reche Caldwell was released. The 28-year old, five year veteran was the Pats' leading receiver last year, with 61 catches for 760 yards and four touchdowns.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Tom Brady transcriptHey all -- Tom Brady chatted with the media for the first time P-JET (that's pre-John Edward Thomas, his baby boy), and here is the transcript of that, as supplied by the Patriots' media relations department: Q: Tell us about the birth of your child and what it’s like to be a father. TB: I’d like to just say that there are a lot of those questions and I’m sure you want answers, but I’m really here to talk about football and that’s why I’m here. That’s why I come in here every week. I hope you guys respect that. I have a lot of great thoughts on it, but I’d really prefer to share those with my family and my loved ones. It’s a wonderful thing as I’m sure all the parents out there know already. I’m ready to talk football. Q: What’s it like preparing for the first week of the season? TB: It’s exciting. It’s exciting to finally be back on the way for real and after eight long months of the offseason and training camp to finally have our focus directed back on a regular season opponent. It’s exciting for all of us. We had a very good day of work yesterday. It’s an extremely difficult team to prepare for and at the same time we know this team better than we know any other team in the league. This is the fourth time we’ve played them in 20 games so we’ve seen every game for the last 20. They’re very well coached and I think it’s another year in that system for those players. It’s a difficult scheme and I think all the players really understand what their coach is trying to get across. It’s on the road and it’s opening day. It’s going to be a great environment for football so our players should be prepared. Like I said, I think we’re all excited about it. Q: Do you feel the absence of Randy Moss from practice will affect his performance during the regular season? TB: He’s going to be a big part of this offense so the more we have him out there, the better it’s going to be for this team and he’s been working extremely hard to get back. We’ll see what he can do. I think all those guys in there need to be prepared and be prepared to go as long as they can. We’d love to have everybody out there, it’s just we have to see the circumstances. Q: There are a lot of similarities between your defense and the Jets’ defense. Does playing against your defense help you to prepare for the Jets’ defense? TB: Well, I don’t know if that’s really the case. I think maybe in style they’re kind of the same, but what they do and what our defense does is very, very different. This is a pressure defense when you watch our game from last year. In the last 22 plays of the game, they pressured us on every play. Almost for every play of the first quarter-and-a-half, they pressured us. It’s a pressure defense. They get after the quarterback. They try to confuse you scheme-wise and they blitz everybody. It’s a 3-4 defense so that’s a similarity, but in terms of the way they call the game it’s a little bit different than what we saw in training camp. But at the same time, we’ve played these guys a bunch to know what they do and what they want to do. Q: Is it tough to prepare for a defense like the Jets who do so many different things? TB: Definitely. Any time that you face a team that can do as many different things are they do schematically, you have to be prepared for everything because really you don’t know what they’re going to do and you try to prepare for everything. I’m glad it’s the first week of the year and we’ve had a few days of practice to get out there and try to practice everything but you really don’t know how it’s going to play out until you’re out there. You want to have enough in each phase of the game that if something’s working you stick with it and if something’s not working you can get away from it. That’s a big part of it so there’s probably extra preparation that goes into a week like this, more so than other defenses that we face. Q: Does the season opener mean something more to you? TB: Oh yeah, the season opener. Once you get the schedule, you’re looking at that one, especially the Jets. Q: Are you disappointed by the suspension of Rodney Harrison? TB: I think everybody wishes that he were playing, but that’s not the case. He’s dealing with it and the team’s dealing with it and we’ve got to find a way to move past it. Any time you miss a good player like that it strains other parts of the team, but hopefully we have enough good players to make up for it. Q: Are there unique challenges in trying to bring in so many talented new parts to the offense and having them fit into the system? TB: I think that’s a challenge and really any time you bring together a team there are new things that happen, new things that you don’t account for. I was trying to put together this offense with the plays we want to run. You’d love to have the players out there that are going to be running them because you can get a pretty accurate assessment of what you’re trying to do. It really wasn’t the case and that’s because it’s just not the way it played out in camp with injuries and so forth so a lot of that is going to have to be on the run. We’re going to have to try to catch up as fast as we can. We’d love to have a lot of those kinks worked out in the first four weeks of training camp instead of the first four weeks of the season. I think one thing we’ve proved over the years is it’s a long time down the road, but as the season progresses, we do really identify what we do well and we stick to those things. There’s going to be a little bit of process to do that. As long as the guys are committed to coming out here and working hard and buying into what we’re trying to do, the process goes pretty well. Q: Do you think Randy Moss needs time out there to learn the offense or has he been able to pick things up during films? TB: It affects people differently. It depends really on the individual basis how aware you are as a player. A lot of guys can learn things on the chalkboard, some guys can’t. Some guys have to go out there and do things and see things in order for it to really stick. Randy, as a veteran receiver, he seems to pick up things pretty well. I’m sure there’s going to be mistakes that he won’t make twice. But as a veteran player and someone who’s been as successful as he has, it’s usually for a reason. Q: There are a couple of tight ends and receivers that have missed substantial parts of training camp. Does being away from the practice field in training camp put guys behind schedule? TB: I think the same sort of thing. These guys are going to have to take the game plan, to take it to the practice field, to have great awareness in the meeting rooms. You really try to work out the kinks as best you can before you get out there. But you’re right. It puts pressure on those guys because now there’s really no room for error. There’s not much time. I mean, we’re pressed now. We know when we’re playing and we’ve got a limited amount of time before that day comes. We’d like to make as many mistakes as we can in practice so the mistakes don’t come up during the game. Q: Is there added pressure on an offense, knowing that you’re without players like Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour? TB: I think in a lot of ways as an offense it is. Coach always says, “We put you out there to score. We don’t put you out there to go three plays and punt the ball.” It’s your job to put points on the board so it’s always what we’re trying to do as an offense, to control the pace of the game, to control the tempo and then be productive when we get down into the red zone. You’re right, when you’re missing key players on defense you’d love to be, every time you’re getting the ball, we’d love to get out there and score. That’s what we’re going to try to do, which is no different from any other week, but it probably comes back to get you if you don’t when you lose Hall-of-Fame-type players on the other side of the ball. Q: Do you think Donté Stallworth is ready to go? TB: Donté is another guy who missed significant time and he’s worked very, very hard to get back and be healthy and understand what we’re trying to do and how we do things. I think he’s doing a good job of it. He’s another guy that we’re going to rely on to get the ball to this year and if he could just continue to make improvements with everybody else, it will be a pretty good offense. Q: I heard you talked to Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon after Saturday’s game. TB: How’d you know about that? I think everybody looked at that situation at Virginia Tech. I was watching a lot of that game and the excitement of the fans and the school to be back on the field and represent Virginia Tech in a really positive. I thought [Glennon] did a great job leading the team and I just conveyed my thoughts in watching the game. It looks like he’s a great young quarterback.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Monday attendanceAs reported a few minutes ago, Randy Moss and Asante Samuel are at practice today. David Thomas, fresh off the PUP, was also on the field. For Moss, it was the first time he's out there since Aug 1; for Samuel and Thomas, it is their first practice of the year. Players not spotted: Reche Caldwell, who reportedly has been cut; Rashad Baker, nursing a broken hand, and Mike Wright.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Moss, Samuel at practiceRandy Moss and Asante Samuel are both out here at practice. More in a bit.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Monday morning wrapHey all -- As you can expect, it has been an interesting morning on many levels here, as the Rodney Harrison story loomed large over the proceedings. Though Harrison begged the media in his Friday night conference call not to badger his teammates about his four-game suspension, it was inevitable that there would be questions. Bill Belichick was first to face the firing line, and in his opening statement called Harrison's situation "unfortunate." "His statement, his comment (on Friday) was pretty thorough. I don't have anything else to add to that. It's unfortunate and we'll see him when he gets back in four weeks," Belichick said. In the locker room, it was not the ghost town that we expected (like the day Deion Branch was traded). James Sanders, the likely candidate to fill in for Harrison, would not talk much about his mentor, except to say, "we can't wait to get you back, we love you, we cherish what you did for this team" and his return is anticipated. Junior Seau, who has been a teammate of Harrison both in San Diego and here, echoed Sanders' thoughts, but didn't want to be asked about it more than once: "We all love Rodney and we hope everything goes well for him." Asked for more thoughts, the linebacker replied, "We're not talking about Rodney, we're talking about the Jets." Randy Moss also granted a few minutes (now this was starting to seem like a diversion, especially since Tom Brady had his weekly press conference today...) and sounded like a man who will be on the field this week: "I want to play. Will I play? I don't know," he said, indicating that his month-long absence was more babying him than anything else. "That was the approach - to fix and heal my leg and not have it linger. Me and the guys in the training room got well-acquainted." And for those fans chomping at the bit to see him in uniform, Moss feels your pain. "I'm as excited as they are. When I get out there, I will be ready to play," he said. Brady did take to the podium, and did address the loss of Harrison. "I think everybody wishes he were playing, but that's not the case. He's dealing with it and we're dealing with it. We have to find a way to move past it," he said. Practice access is at 12:55 p.m. We'll report on who's out there shortly after that. shalise
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Pats movesHey all - The Patriots have just announced several roster moves: TE Marcellus Rivers was re-signed LB David Herron was claimed off waivers; the rookie had been cut by Minnesota And players signed to the practice squad are: WR Bam Childress
Posted by Shalise Manza Young September 1, 2007
Roster lookHey all -- This was our first time taking a stab at the 53-man, and we gotta say, we're pretty proud. Had a feeling Corey Mays and Garrett Mills were gone, and letting Vinny Testaverde go (for now, at least) in favor of Matt Gutierrez makes a lot of sense (not that Bill and Scott care what we think). Anyway, here's what your New England Patriots' roster looks like at this moment: QUARTERBACKS: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez. Fact that may only interest me (thanks, Peter!): all three are from Northern California. RUNNING BACKS: Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, Heath Evans WIDE RECEIVERS: Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Kelley Washington. Troy Brown and Chad Jackson are on PUP. TIGHT ENDS: Benjamin Watson, Kyle Brady, David Thomas OFFENSIVE LINE: Matt Light, Stephen Neal, Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Nick Kaczur, Ryan O'Callaghan, Russ Hochstein, Billy Yates, Wesley Britt DEFENSIVE LINE: Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Jarvis Green, Mike Wright, Le Kevin Smith, Kareem Brown. Richard Seymour is on the PUP. LINEBACKERS: Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Rosevelt Colvin, Junior Seau, Pierre Woods, Eric Alexander, Larry Izzo. DEFENSIVE BACKS: Rodney Harrison, Eugene Wilson, James Sanders, Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Brandon Meriweather, Randall Gay, Mel Mitchell, Willie Andrews, Tory James, Rashad Baker. Eddie Jackson is on the PUP. Harrison is serving a four-game suspension. SPECIALISTS: Stephen Gostkowski (placekicker), Chris Hanson (punter), Lonie Paxton (long snapper).
Posted by Shalise Manza Young Testaverde, C. Brown biggest cuts; Seymour to PUP, D. Thomas off PUPFinally the Patriots have released their transactions for the day, and quarterback/sage Vinny Testaverde and linebacker Chad Brown are among the biggest names to get released. Also, the team has placed Richard Seymour on PUP, moved tight end David Thomas off PUP, and as expected, have placed rookie Oscar Lua on injured reserve. The full list of those released: DB Larry Anam We'll have more in a few minutes.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young No word yetHey all -- Just wanted to let you know that we are waiting word on the Patriots' cuts almost as impatiently as you probably are. The deadline passed more than a half hour ago and we haven't gotten the email yet...
Posted by Shalise Manza Young |
Journal photo / Mary Murphy
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 |
RSS feed
|
CATEGORIES Adalius Thomas
|