Not surprisingly, the first question Tom Brady heard at today's Media Day was about his sprained right ankle, which he practiced on yesterday.
"My ankle feels good. My ankle feels great," he said. "I practiced a full day yesterday. I think we had one incompletion in practice. It feels great."
The NFL MVP said the bye week definitely helped.
"I'm glad we had the week off and I had the chance to rest a little bit. I really feel that by the game it's going to feel great, and there will be no issues. Not that I can run anyway, but hopefully I'll be able to skirt around some of those guys who are trying to tear my head off."
Randy Moss said he isn't worried about having his quarterback out there come Sunday afternoon.
"Me, personally, no," Moss said. "Tom is a warrior. I don't think that a high ankle sprain can keep him out of the game. Hopefully he's ready and I look forward to seeing him out there on Sunday."
Patriots Pro Bowl wide receiver Randy Moss only had a combined two catches for 32 yards in the Patriots two playoff games, but that doesn’t mean quarterback Tom Brady hasn’t been looking for him.
“He is always a part of the plan and a lot of our offense is based around what the defense is giving us,” Brady said. “If they dictate that they are going to try to take one person out of the game, they’ll do that. I thought San Diego played extremely well. I think Jacksonville did a good job. I am sure he was a big point of emphasis. I am sure the Giants will be a big point of emphasis, Randy will be a big point of emphasis for the Giants as well.
“I never lose track of him. I know that he works extremely hard to get open and I know that he is in the right place and he wants the ball. We have to find ways to get him the ball because he is an important part of this offense. If they choose to, as teams have done throughout the season, to put double coverage on him, then you have to find other places to throw and you have to hand the ball off.
“If they come out of the game and they feel like they stopped one player but the team won, I hope that, if that happens, great. But the goal is to win the game and they’re doing what they think is best to win and so are we. It is just a fine line. You don’t want to just throw it to somebody if he is covered with two or three guys. You have to find other guys to throw the ball to and we certainly have that luxury.”
Multimedia: Patriots Super Stories Part 1, Brady's Super Bowl legacy
This is the first edition in a six-part series by sports columnist Jim Donaldson. Jim, who has covered each of the Patriots' five Super Bowl appearances to date for The Journal (he'll make it six next weekend) looks back in these audio slideshows at each of the games, and his thoughts are accompanied by pictures from Bob Breidenbach, who has photographed each of the games. We'll get to the Super Bowl games themselves on Monday, but to start, here's Jim's presentation on Tom Brady, the Patriots' greatest Super Bowl hero. Click the play button below to see and hear the show.
INFDaily.com
Tom Brady wears a cast on his foot as he walks to girlfriend Gisele Bundchen's apartment in New York.
As expected, the paparazzi were waiting for Tom Brady when he returned to New York City with girlfriend Gisele Bundchen, and they may have revealed a little secret: a Brady injury.
This photo shows Brady with a walking boot on his right foot. The quarterback did finish Sunday's game against the Chargers.
During his weekly appearance on WEEI, Brady said, "I'll be ready for the Super Bowl."
Brady, 4 other Patriots voted to AP NFL All-Pro team
LaDainian Tomlinson and Randy Moss were unanimous selections to The Associated Press 2007 NFL All-Pro team on Wednesday. So was Tom Brady - sort of.
The league's Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year was chosen on each of the ballots from 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. One voter, however, split the vote at quarterback between Brady and Green Bay's Brett Favre.
Still, Brady was a runaway choice at the position, and was joined by four other unbeaten Patriots on the squad: Moss, tackle Matt Light, cornerback Asante Samuel and outside linebacker Mike Vrabel.
All but Moss made the All-Pro team for the first time; Moss was chosen as a Minnesota Viking in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
"Every week, we come in here on Monday and you win and everybody's excited, the plane flights home are great," Brady said, referring to what has been a historic season so far for the 16-0 Patriots. "It's been a lot of fun. To see what we've accomplished thus far is great. At the same time we realize that, as coach put it, there's another mountain to climb."
Easily scaling the All-Pro mountain were Tomlinson for the third time, and Moss. Joining Tomlinson, the league's leading rusher, were fellow Chargers Lorenzo Neal, who clears many of L.T.'s paths from his fullback spot, and cornerback Antonio Cromartie.
Cromartie's breakthrough season saw him lead the NFL with 10 interceptions.
"I should have had 13," he said. "This year, I think I proved a lot of people wrong, with everybody saying how my knee injury was going to affect me. I mean, I'm two years off of it. My biggest thing was proving everybody wrong."
Also with three players on the team were Dallas and Seattle. The Cowboys had linebacker DeMarcus Ware, tight end Jason Witten and wide receiver Terrell Owens; Ware and Witten were first-timers, Owens also was selected in 2000, '01 and '02 with San Francisco, and 2004 with Philadelphia.
"Any time you can be the best in the entire league, that's always a special moment," said Witten, who had 96 receptions and seven touchdowns this season. "There's a lot of great tight ends out there, so to be on the top of that list is nice."
The Seahawks had tackle Walter Jones, defensive end Patrick Kerney and linebacker Lofa Tatupu. Jones previously made All-Pro in 2001, '04 and '05; the others Seahawks were first-timers.
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren called Tatupu's three-interception day in a win at Philadelphia on Dec. 2 "one of the great games I've ever seen a linebacker have."
"Everybody has been instrumental in everything that I've been able to do," Tatupu said. "The D-line has been enabling me to get sacks, DBs staying on their guys so we can get back there and get sacks, or getting interceptions."
Joining Brady, Tomlinson and Neal in the backfield was Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook, who led the league in total yards from scrimmage with 2,104.
The rest of the offense had Minnesota guard Steve Hutchinson, Pittsburgh guard Alan Faneca, and Indianapolis center Jeff Saturday.
The other All-Pros on defense were Kansas City end Jared Allen, the league sacks leader with 15 1/2; Minnesota tackle Kevin Williams and Tennessee tackle Albert Haynesworth; San Francisco inside linebacker Patrick Willis, the only rookie on the squad; Indianapolis safety Bob Sanders, the Defensive Player of the Year; and Baltimore safety Ed Reed, making it for the third time.
The special teams players were Titans kicker Rob Bironas and 49ers punter Andy Lee, both newcomers to the squad, and record-setting kick returner Devin Hester of Chicago, who also made it as a rookie in 2006.
"It's been an incredible journey," said Bironas, who also played in the Arena Football League and arenafootball2 before making good with the Titans. "I didn't have any doubt in myself when I got started on this journey in high school. That was my dream to play in the pros, and I just kept pursuing it. I wanted to be one of the better kickers in the NFL, and this year I was able to do that."
In all, 15 AFC players and 12 from the NFC were chosen as All-Pros.
The question: Who was the one that didn't vote for Tom Brady for MVP?
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has identified Cooney, the founder of SportsXchange, an information provider for news organizations, as the one voter out of 50 who didn't select Brady as the league's most valuable player. Cooney chose Green Bay's Brett Favre.
UPDATE: Cooney appeared on WEEI this morning to defend his choice of Favre and insisted that statistics played no role in his decision. Here's a partial transcript of his defense:
"Our website isn’t a public website, provide information and analysis for professionals. So the concept that I was trying to produce some 15 minutes of fame or publicity for my website is moot."
"Last year at this time, the Green Bay Packers organization was a woebegotten group that had no concept, none whatsoever, of what was in its future in the year 2007, it was disheveled, the youngest team in the NFL. Merely by [Favre] announcing he was going to come back for another season, it gave them hope, it gave them spirit. This is just one guy. This was not Belichick, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, the offensive line and Tom Brady. One man. Understand that this is a distinctly individual honor... I take that to mean what single person was most valuable in determining the outcome of his team’s fortune in that given year."
What if the award was Most Outstanding Player and not Most Valuable, Cooney was asked.
"Your own fans have thrown a monkey wrench into that question. Among the 300 or so e-mails I received from New England fans, half of them said perhaps I should have voted for Randy Moss. There is no such dichotomy with the Green Bay Packers."
For the record, Cooney also voted for Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy for Coach of the Year, which Bill Belichick won.
Tom Brady won his second Associated Press postseason award today, claiming the league's Offensive Player of the Year.
Brady got 35 1/2 (out of 50) votes, while teammate Randy Moss received 12 1/2. Wes Welker even drew one vote, as did Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre.
In case you hadn't heard, Brady threw 50 touchdown passes this season, setting a new NFL record, and his 4,806 passing yards were third most all-time.
Moss was on the receiving end of 23 of those TD passes (a league record), and Welker caught a franchise-record 112 of Brady's 398 completions.
TB: Am I glad it’s Jacksonville? They’re a very good team. I said earlier today the teams that are in this position are the best teams in the league. There’s no doubt about it. There is a reason why Jacksonville’s playing this week and I think they do a lot of things very well, offensively, defensively and special teams. They play well. They match up well against everybody because they’re big and physical, but they have speed. They play their scheme very well and they’re very smart. It’s going to be a great match-up. I think everybody’s excited to play -- I know I am. [I’m] glad we’re playing at home and hopefully it’s Foxboro-type weather. We’re preparing hard. I think we got off to a really good start today and I hope we’re able to put our best out there.
Q: In your younger days as an NFL quarterback did you ever envision yourself being an MVP - coming within one vote of being a unanimous MVP?
TB: We set out a bunch of goals early in the season and I think I said the best part about playing quarterback here is I just have to do my job, show up every day and work hard just like everybody else. I think my job description is just a bit different than everybody else’s, but there’s a lot of satisfaction [in] knowing that I can just come out there and worry about myself and expect that everybody else is going to do their job. We’ve really - It’s been a fun season. There’s no doubt about it. Every week we come in here on Monday and you win and everybody’s excited, the plane flights home are great. It’s been a lot of fun. To see what we’ve accomplished thus far is great. At the same time we realize that, as coach put it, there’s another mountain to climb. We’ve climbed the mountain thus far, but we’re right back at the bottom with everybody else. We’re in the same position as Jacksonville, which is in the same position as Indy, which is in the same position as San Diego. We’ve got our biggest test ahead of us and it’s going to be very challenging, but I know this team is ready for it.
Q: What are your thoughts on winning the MVP?
TB: Like I said, we have a bunch of goals every year and I think myself, as a player, I’m just hoping to be the best quarterback that I can be for this team. I’m glad that’s led up to 16 wins. Individual awards haven’t been as important to me as the team goals and I’ve said that for a long time. While I’m very flattered to be honored in that way, I understand that my greatest satisfaction comes from winning games and being the leader of this football team. I take that job very seriously and I hope that translates into a win this week.
Q: You said hopefully it’s Foxboro-type weather. Does that mean you don’t worry about how the wind and the cold might affect the passing game that you guys have?
TB: Quarterbacks always worry about the wind and the rain. If you didn’t you wouldn’t be playing quarterback. The kicker and I joke, it’s like we’re the only two people that care, and offensive coordinators, because weather does play a factor and it’s played a factor in a bunch of playoff games so hopefully we’ll be prepared for whatever the weather might be. We’ve been outside in some windy days, some wet days, some snowy days and I think we’re conditioned for it. I’m sure it’ll be cold -- It’s a Saturday night in January.
Q: How much do you respect what Jacksonville has been able to do going into Pittsburgh twice, winning in bad weather? Just how much do you mind their toughness?
TB: That’s the strength of their team. They’re very tough, physically, mentally [and] they’re coached extremely well. Their scheme is a very disciplined scheme and I think they have players that fit that scheme. [They have a] big physical defensive line, with powerful linebackers with cornerbacks and safeties that all make plays and can all hit. It’s really centered around the fact that they are a physical team. They play in a very physical division, very similar to the Steelers. Those games came down to the end, the ones they played against the Steelers, and they found a way to win. [You] can understand that they play well under pressure as well.
Q: You got 49 out of 50 first place votes for MVP. What do you think you need to do to get that last guy to vote for you?
TB: Oh man. Like I said it’s - I’ve always just tried to go out there and do the best that I can do. I hope that’s good enough this week. They said that on the radio this morning too. The MVP and all that, it’s wonderful and I’m sure one day I’ll look back on that and be very proud of the fact that’s something you accomplished, but it doesn’t mean anything this week.
Q: What kind of carry over is there, if any, from the last two times you’ve played them?
TB: Well I know how good they are. I know the kind of team they are and like said they’re disciplined, they’re powerful and they hit hard. I remember last year I got knocked out the game for a play. [Matt] Cassel and I were joking about it this morning and on the film it’s funny, I run and I dive and I get hit. Next thing you see it Matt’s right on the sideline and he’s buckling his chinstrap up. He knew right way that he was coming in. I think the play got - I think there was a penalty on the play so he did get credited for a play but I’m hoping to not get knocked out of the game this weekend. Knock on wood.
Q: How important are the games that you’ve had to come back and persevere, how important do you think those are going forward?
TB: Those are always important. We’ve been tested on the road, we’ve been tested at home we’ve been tested in poor weather [and] we’ve had to overcome deficits late in the games. We’ve needed to put together critical drives in those games so hopefully we’ve learned from those, hopefully we can deal with some of the pressure. We know there’s going to be quite a bit of pressure this weekend. There’s pressure on us every week but it’s different in the playoffs because you realize you’re getting dressed - you’re going to bed Saturday night realizing that Sunday night, that could be it. You could be, you know, planning your vacations. That’s not a very good feeling, we’ve experienced that the last few years and those are games you remember, that sit with you for a long time. Hopefully we’re ready to persevere.
Q: Dating back to 2001 and Kurt Warner, I think, none of the guys that won the MVP award have gone on to win a Super Bowl and you played a role in kind of derailing a couple of those. Do you see a Tom Brady out there who could knock you off in this circumstance?
TB: I see - I think the thing and I said earlier today, there is anxiety before every game. You’re nervous, you’re anxious and you’re playing against the best opponents in the league and you just don’t know what the outcome is going to be, you really don’t. Part of what has made this season so fun and so successful is that we’ve gone into each week and there is never a guarantee. You see great teams all over the league losing and we [say], how did that happen? Fortunately that didn’t happen for us this year during the regular season. I sure as [heck] hope it doesn’t happen the next month. Anytime a team has done what we’ve done in the regular season I think that’s definitely a motivating factor for other teams to come in here and say ‘let’s be the team to beat them.’ We’ve played undefeated teams this year and that’s been a thrill for us. Whether it [is] Dallas or whether [it’s] Indy, when we played those teams, or the Jets to start the season -- I guess it’s always fun beating the Jets. It’s a thrill for us and for those teams and I know we’re excited for the challenge too. To see what we’ve learned throughout the course of the season and hopefully we can go out there and, like I said, use what we’ve learned and, like I’ve said, use that to our advantage [and] try to play better than we have at points in the last eight weeks.
Q: Do you do anything different to prepare for a physical team than more of a finesse team?
TB: You just have to understand - you have to understand the strengths of their team and you try not to play into them. There’s things they do particularly well and you try not to just line up and do those things, because you realize, God a lot of other teams have tried it but haven’t been very successful at it. I feel, as a team, we’ve always done a pretty good job of trying to figure out what those things are and we’re kind of chameleon-like in that we find ways to do things that we’re good at while disguising it as well. I hope that’s what we do this week. We’ll put together a game plan and I’m sure we’ll have a lot of confidence in the game plan, they’ll do the same thing and they’ll change things up quite a bit, understanding what they do well. We’ll try to feel it out throughout the first half and I’m sure there’ll be adjustments that are made but they’re a very good team. They do a lot of things very well so it’s not like you can go out and try to avoid everything. You just have to go out and try to execute very well.
Q: Have you been able to watch their offense and what has impressed you about [David] Garrard?
TB: I haven’t had a chance to watch much of there offense. I know the kind of year he’s had and he’s done a great job in his first year as a starter. It’s very impressive. It seems like he’s a great leader and the players really rally around him. That’s the mark of any good player and I know they can really run the ball they’ve got Maurice Jones-Drew, who’s a California kid, and Fred Taylor, who’s a great player too. They do a lot of things well, like I said. Offensively they can really control the ball, run the ball and make plays when they need it and that was evidence by what you saw against Pittsburgh Saturday night.
Q: Can you explain Jabar Gaffney’s increase in stats over the second half of the season?
TB: He’s had a great role on this team since he got here in the bye week last season. He was a starter by the end of the year, played really well in the playoffs. [He] came here earlier in the season [and] fought for a job. He can really do a lot of things. His position versatility is extremely important to us. He can play in the slot, he can play outside, he can do a lot of things very well. He can - He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s got good hands, he’s big enough to go against small defensive backs and he’s quick enough to go against big defensive backs. He’s a very smart player and I think he provides a lot of flexibility within our scheme to put him in positions where we find we can get mismatches.
Q: Why has Wes Welker been so important to this offense?
TB: He’s like 5’6” so I guess it’s easy to miss him out there. He can hide in the grass out there. He’s been a great player since he got into the league. I remember watching him on film last year for Miami [and] realizing what a talent he was and when I heard we were getting him I knew he’d be a perfect fit. It doesn’t surprise me at all that he’s tied for the league lead in receptions as basically a slot receiver. 112 is an impressive total and he does a lot of things well. He’s very quick, he catches the ball well and like you see he turns these really short passes into medium type gains. There’s four- or five-yard completions that turn into 12 or 15 yards -- Those are really hidden stats. It’s not like you need to throw a 15-yard in-route to gain 15 yards to Wes. You can get him the ball underneath and he can make guys miss. He’s been doing that all season. He’s fun to have out there, brings a lot of energy and he’ll be a critical factor in the game, I’m sure.
Tom Brady's record-setting regular season earned him the NFL's most valuable player award.
Brady is the first Patriots player to earn NFL MVP honors; Gino Cappeletti and Jim Nance won AFL honors in the 1960s.
"As I have learned over the course of my time with the Patriots, the most meaningful accomplishments are always the ones I have celebrated with my teammates,” said Brady after learning of the MVP announcement. “I am certainly proud of the success that we have enjoyed so far this season. I consider myself extremely fortunate to play for an organization like the New England Patriots. The Kraft family, Coach Belichick, and all of my teammates and coaches have created a winning tradition that we all are proud to be a part of. For that I am most thankful."
Brady became the first quarterback in league history to throw 50 touchdowns in a season, breaking the record of 49 set by the Colts' Peyton Manning in 2004.
Tom Brady was today named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the fifth time this season he has gotten the honor. It was also the 10th time a Patriots player won an AFC weekly honor during the course of the regular season (Randy Moss won twice, and Ellis Hobbs, Mike Vrabel and Asante Samuel each won once).
Brady completed 76.2 percent of his passes for 356 yards in Saturday night's regular-season finale against the Giants, throwing his 49th and 50th touchdown passes, the first quarterback in NFL history to have a 50-TD season.
Tom Brady now has 48 touchdown passes this season, tying him with Dan Marino for second-most in a single season. In 1984, Marino also threw for 48 touchdowns.
The Sporting News has selected Patriots quarterback Tom Brady as its Sportsman of the Year, calling him the "perfect pick" for their annual award.
From the press release:
“Tom Brady has given us one of the greatest seasons in NFL history,” said Sporting News Sr. Vice President/Editorial Director, John Rawlings. “You can’t help but admire what he has accomplished – even if much of the NFL world has suddenly turned anti-Patriots.”
The Patriots wouldn’t be the Patriots – and the NFL wouldn’t be the NFL – without Tom Brady.
The Sportsman of the Year issue hits newsstands on Dec. 24.
Limited Participation
G Stephen Neal - shoulder
S James Sanders - knee
LB Mike Vrabel - thigh
TE Benjamin Watson - ankle
Full Participation
QB Tom Brady - right shoulder
*This is Sanders' first appearance on the report this season; Neal did not play last week against Pittsburgh, and Yates is one of the players (with Russ Hochstein) responsible for filling in for him.
For the Jets:
Limited Participation
TE Chris Baker - back
WR Laveranues Coles - ankle
WR Jerricho Cotchery - finger
TE James Dearth - foot
WR Justin McCareins - thigh
DL Dewayne Robertson - knee
Full Participation
QB Kellen Clemens - thigh
TE Joe Kowalewski - shoulder
WR Brad Smith - back
Tom Brady has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after his 32-for-46, 399 yard, four-touchdown performance against Pittsburgh on Sunday. Brady's 399 yards were second-most in his career and most ever in a non-overtime game.
This is the ninth time this season a New England player has won one of the weekly AFC awards -- Randy Moss (twice), Ellis Hobbs (special teams), Mike Vrabel and Asante Samuel have also been honored.
Q: What did you think of that lateral play for the touchdown?
TB: That's the first time that's worked in weeks. It doesn't work against the scout team-they've seen it, but we've been practicing it. I told Randy [Moss] that I guess he expected me to throw it on the ground. That was not the intention, but he made a great play to pick it up and get it back to me. I just barely got enough on it and it was a big turnaround in the game for us.
Q: How much does it help when Wes Welker produces like he did tonight?
TB: It always does. It always does. He's always a big part of the plan. I thought he played really well, made a bunch of huge catches. He made that huge third and one on our first scoring drive. He played well all night, caught the last touchdown on the post. He really played well.
Q: It seems like defenses are jamming Randy Moss at the line more. Does that affect how much of a factor he is?
TB: Sometimes they get good jams, that's part of being a good defensive back. I think if you ask our defensive backs, 'What's the best way to play receivers?' [It's] to be physical. Sometimes you're physical and it looks great. Other times, you miss and he was able to create space for himself. He's got great quickness for a guy his size, but sometimes they make pretty good plays, too. When he gets off clean, he's usually into his route, up on those safeties and makes it tough on them. He works extremely hard and we'll continue to find way to get him the ball and, obviously, he had a huge impact on the game tonight.
Q: Was that touchdown [to Jabar Gaffney] to start the second half a shot across the bow at the Steelers?
TB: No, we just try to execute on offense. That's what it comes down to. Good execution overcomes a lot of things. I think the last few weeks, we haven't necessarily executed as well as I thought we were capable of. Tonight was better, but I still think we let some plays out there. But, you know you're going against the first-ranked defense in the league and that's what it takes.
Q: Was it intentional that Gaffney's touchdown went in Anthony Smith's direction.
TB: No, he just ended up being in the right place at the right time.
Q: It looked like Randy Moss returned a pretty tight spiral to you. Do you have to wait before you set and threw downfield?
TB: Nah, I've got good hands… You know, as a quarterback you catch the ball quite a lot while you play catch so I'm lucky I didn't drop that. He made a better throw to me than I did to him.
Q: It looked like you got into it a little bit with their players in the first half. Do you care to elaborate on what you said?
TB: There's always just a little jawing. I don't care to repeat what I said.
Q: Can you give us a hint of what it was?
TB: I don't care to repeat it, especially if my mother reads it. She wouldn't be very happy with what I said.
Q: What do you put into players guaranteeing victory?
TB: It comes down to execution. You've got to come out and as soon as the ball is kicked off you've got to execute your plays.
Q: Are you at all surprised to see a player doing that?
TB: Yeah, he's a good player. I think he was trying to motivate his guys and I think him saying, 'We've seen the best receivers in the league.' Maybe that's their opinion, but hopefully we can go out and execute our offense. No matter what you say during the week, it comes down to execution.
Q: After you've wrapped up the division and home-field advantage, does going undefeated at all enter the picture in your minds of things to accomplish this season?
TB: 14-0 means something to me. I think that's about as far as I would go.
Q: Did it mean anything extra to have those plays on Anthony Smith?
TB: I think the receivers get more motivated than the quarterback. I think I'm kind of aware of that whole defense and just happened to be… Like I said, we happened to have those plays on him. He's the one that's got to go back to his team. Other than that, we're just going to move on and try to go out there and play great against the Jets.
PATRIOTS CLINCH FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF BYE
By virtue of their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers today, the Patriots have clinched a first-round playoff bye for the fifth time since the current NFL playoff format was implemented in 1990. New England has earned first-round byes in 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2007. If the Indianapolis Colts lose to Baltimore tonight, the Patriots would also clinch the top seed in the AFC and homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. If the Colts defeat Baltimore, the Patriots can clinch homefield advantage with a victory over the New York Jets next week.
500 POINTS FOR THE SEASON
With Tom Brady's 2-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker in the third quarter, the Patriots' season point total stood at exactly 500 points scored, marking the first time an NFL team has broken the 500-point mark since the 2004 Indianapolis Colts scored 522 points. New England finished the game with 503 total points this season. The 2007 Patriots are the 11th team in the 88-year history of the NFL to break the 500-point mark. The 1998 Minnesota Vikings hold the NFL record with 556 points scored.
PATRIOTS RAISE SEASON TD TOTAL TO 65
Following four touchdowns today, the Patriots have scored 65 touchdowns this season, a total that ranks seventh in NFL history. The 1984 Miami Dolphins hold the all-time record with 70 touchdowns, following by the 2000 St. Louis Rams (67). Four teams have scored 66 touchdowns in a season, most recently the 2004 Indianapolis Colts.
BRADY'S 45 TOUCHDOWN PASSES ARE THIRD HIGHEST NFL SINGLE-SEASON TOTAL
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes to raise his season total to 45 touchdown passes. Brady's 45 touchdown passes are the third-highest single-season total in NFL history, trailing only Peyton Manning's NFL-record 49 touchdown passes in 2004 and Marino's 48 scoring throws in 1984 Brady's 45 touchdown passes have eclipsed the Patriots' old single-season mark of 31, set by Vito "Babe" Parilli in 1964. Brady has thrown 45 touchdowns and just five interceptions so far in 2007.
NFL SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN PASS LEADERS
Player Team Year TD
Peyton Manning IND 2004 49
Dan Marino MIA 1984 48
Tom Brady NE 2007 45
Dan Marino MIA 1986 44
Kurt Warner STL 1999 41
BELICHICK RECORDS 100th VICTORY AS PATRIOTS HEAD COACH
Bill Belichick recorded his 100th overall victory as Patriots head coach today. Since being hired by the Patriots prior to the 2000 season, Belichick has now recorded 88 regular-season victories and 12 playoff wins for a total of 100 victories. He is one of four current NFL head coaches to win 100 or more overall games with their current team, joining Washington's Joe Gibbs (168 wins), Denver's Mike Shanahan (130) and Tennessee's Jeff Fisher (117). Belichick has an overall coaching record of 137-84 (.620), including a 124-81 regular-season mark and a 13-3 playoff record.
MOSS'S 19 TOUCHDOWN CATCHES ARE SECOND HIGHEST NFL SINGLE-SEASON TOTAL
With two touchdown receptions in the first half, Randy Moss caught his 18th and 19th touchdown passes of the season, recording the second highest single-season receiving touchdown total in NFL history. Moss's 19 touchdown catches this season trail only Jerry Rice's NFL record total of 22 in 1987. The 19 touchdown receptions set a new career high for Moss, topping his 17 scoring catches in 1998 and 2003 while with the Minnesota Vikings.
NFL SINGLE-SEASON RECEIVING TD LEADERS
Player Team Year TD
Jerry Rice SF 1987 22
Randy Moss NE 2007 19
Sterling Sharpe GB 1994 18
Mark Clayton MIA 1984 18
Randy Moss MIN 2003 17
Randy Moss MIN 1998 17*
(Six others tied with 17 touchdown receptions)
*-NFL Rookie Record
BRADY RECORDS FIFTH GAME WITH FOUR OR MORE TOUCHDOWN PASSES IN 2007
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes, marking his fifth game of the season with four or more scoring throws. Brady's five games with four or more touchdowns tie the third highest total in NFL history, trailing only the six games with four or more touchdown passes by Peyton Manning in 2004 and by Dan Marino in 1984. Brady's five games with four or more scoring passes tie Donovan McNabb's 2004 total, Marino's 1986 total and Brett Favre's 1996 total.
MOSS SETS TEAM RECORD FOR MOST OVERALL TOUCHDOWNS IN A SEASON
With his first touchdown catch of the day, a 4-yard reception from Tom Brady, Randy Moss set a new Patriots record with his 18th overall touchdown of the season, topping Curtis Martin's previous record of 17 touchdowns in 1996. Moss added a 63-yard scoring grab in the second quarter to raise his season total to 19 touchdowns. All 18 of Moss's touchdowns have come via receptions. In 1996, Martin had 14 touchdowns via rushes and three via receptions.
PATRIOTS SINGLE-SEASON OVERALL TD LEADERS
Player Year TDs Rush Rec. Ret.
Randy Moss 2007 19 0 19 0
Curtis Martin 1996 17 14 3 0
Curtis Martin 1995 15 14 1 0
Corey Dillon 2006 13 13 0 0
(Five others tied with 13 overall touchdowns)
GAFFNEY HAS CAREER HIGH YARDAGE
Jabar Gaffney set a career high with 122 receiving yards on seven catches, including a 56-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Gaffney's previous career high was 109 receiving yards, achieved while playing for the Houston Texans against Chicago on Dec. 19, 2004. The 100-yard receiving game was the second of Gaffney's regular-season career. He also has two 100-yard games in three career playoff contests, all with the Patriots in 2006.
BRADY HAS SECOND HIGHEST YARDAGE TOTAL OF CAREER
Tom Brady totaled 399 passing yards against Pittsburgh, completing 32-of-46 passes (69.6 percent) with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 125.2 passer rating. The 399 passing yards are the second highest of Brady's career, trailing only his 410 passing yards in a 41-38 overtime win over Kansas City on Sept. 22, 2002. Brady's 399 yards are his highest career total in a non-overtime game. Including today's yardage total, four of Brady's top five career single-game yardage totals have come this season. Against Pittsburgh, Brady recorded his sixth 300-yard passing game of the season and the 21st 300-yard game of his career.
BRADY PASSES 4,000-YARD MARK
With a 4-yard completion to Wes Welker in the third quarter, Tom Brady exceeded 4,000 passing yards for the season, marking the fourth 4,000-yard passing season in Patriots history. Following that completion, Brady had 4,001 yards on the season. He finished the game with 4,095 passing yards, a total that ranks third in team history. Brady has accomplished the feat for the second time in his career, having also exceeded the milestone in 2005 (4,110 yards). Drew Bledsoe also exceeded 4,000 passing yards two times in a Patriots uniform (4,555 yards in 1994 and 4,086 yards in 1996).
TWO COMPLETIONS OF 50 YARDS OR LONGER FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2001
The Patriots completed two touchdown passes of longer than 50 yards, marking the first time since 2001 that the Patriots have had two completions of 50 yards or more in the same game. Against Pittsburgh, Tom Brady hit Randy Moss for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter and later completed a 56-yard touchdown toss to Jabar Gaffney in the third quarter. The last time New England completed two passes of 50 yards or longer in the same game was on Oct. 21, 2001 at Indianapolis, when Brady threw a 91-yard touchdown pass to David Patten and Patten threw a 60-yard scoring pas to Troy Brown.
WELKER BREAKS 90-CATCH MARK
With an 11-yard reception in the fourth quarter - his 90th catch of the season - Wes Welker recorded the fifth 90-reception season in Patriots history. He joins Troy Brown (101 receptions in 2001 and 97 receptions in 2002), Ben Coates (96 catches in 1994) and Terry Glenn (90 receptions in 1996) as the only players in Patriots history to achieve the feat. Welker finished the game with 93 receptions this season, a total that ranks fourth in team history.
MOSS PASSES 1,200-YARD MARK
On his 63-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, Randy Moss passed the 1,200-yard receiving mark for the season, becoming the second player in Patriots history to achieve the 1,200-yard receiving plateau. Following that catch, Moss had 1,212 yards on 78 catches in 2007. Moss joins Stanley Morgan (1,491 yards in 1986) as the only players in franchise history to achieve the feat. Moss has exceeded the 1,200-yard receiving mark for the seventh time in his 10 NFL seasons and has achieved the milestone for the first time since gaining a career-high 1,632 receiving yards in 2003 with Minnesota.
MOSS RECORDS 54th CAREER 100-YARD RECEIVING GAME
With 135 yards on seven catches, Randy Moss has recorded his eighth 100-yard receiving game of the season and the 54th 100-yard receiving game of his career. Moss's 54 career 100-yard receiving games rank third all-time, trailing only Jerry Rice (76) and Marvin Harrison (59). Stanley Morgan holds the Patriots single-season record with nine 100-yard receiving games in 1986. Moss's 135 receiving yards are his third highest total of the season, trailing only his 183 yards against the New York Jets on Sept. 9 and his 145 yards against Indianapolis on Nov. 4.
MOSS CATCHES 63-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS
Randy Moss hauled in a 63-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead. The reception was Moss's longest of the season, topping a 55-yard grab at Indianapolis on Nov. 4. It was also Moss's fourth catch of 50 yards or longer this season and was the 33rd reception of 50 yards or longer in his career. The 63-yard touchdown was Moss's 11th touchdown catch of 60 yards or longer in his career. It was the second longest reception of the season for the Patriots, trailing only a 69-yard scoring pass from Brady to Donte Stallworth at Dallas on Oct. 14.
PATRIOTS HELD ON OPENING POSSESSION
New England did not score on its opening possession for just the second time in 13 games this season. The only other game this season in which the Patriots did not put points on the board on its first offensive possession of the game was at Indianapolis on Nov. 4. On their 13 game-opening possessions this season, the Patriots have scored eight touchdowns, three field goals and have punted twice.
STEELERS BECOME FIRST PATRIOTS OPPONENT TO SCORE ON OPENING POSSESSION
The Patriots allowed the Steelers to convert a 23-yard field goal on Pittsburgh's first offensive possession of the game. The points were the first of the season that New England has allowed on an opponents' opening possession of the game. Entering this week's game, the Patriots were the only NFL team not to allow an opponent score on their opening possession. Jacksonville entered the week ranked second by allowing nine points on opponents first drives.
QUICK HITS
-Vince Wilfork stuffed Willie Parker in the backfield for a 2-yard loss in the first quarter.
-Chad Jackson returned a kickoff 39 yards in the first quarter, marking the fifth kickoff return of 35 yards or more by the Patriots this season.
-Jarvis Green sacked Ben Roethlisberger for a 9-yard sack in the first quarter. The sack was Green's fifth of the season, a total that ranks second on the team.
-Vince Wilfork sacked Roethlisberger for an 8-yard sack in the third quarter. The sack was Wilfork's first of the season.
-Adalius Thomas sacked Ben Roethlisberger for a 2-yard loss in the fourth quarter. The sack was Thomas's fourth of the season.
-James Sanders recovered a Steelers fumble on a punt in the second quarter. Sanders pounced on the ball after it his Pittsburgh's William Gay, giving the Patriots possession at the Steelers' 34-yard line.
-Rodney Harrison batted away a pass intended for Santonio Holmes in the end zone on third down in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Harrison combined with Richard Seymour to stuff Hines Ward for no gain and keep the Steelers out of the end zone.
HOT WHEN IT'S COLDThe Patriots have enjoyed tremendous recent success in cold weather and are 21-3 since 1993 when the kickoff temperature is 34 degrees or less. Today's kickoff temperature was 34 degrees. New England has won 16 of its last 18 games when the kickoff temperature has been 34 degrees or colder. Tom Brady is 23-2 as a starter when the temperature is less than 40 degrees.
PATRIOTS GAMES 34 DEGREES OR COLDER SINCE 1993 (21-3)
Sorted by Temperature
Date Opp. Temp Notes W/L Score
01/10/04 TEN* 4 Wind Chill -10 W 17-14
01/23/05 at PIT* 11 Wind Chill -1 W 41-27
12/26/93 IND 19 Wind Chill -1 W 38-0
01/07/06 JAX* 24 Clear and Calm W 28-3
12/21/96 at NYG 24 Wind Chill 17 W 23-22
01/01/06 MIA 25 Wind Chill 20 L 26-28
01/16/05 IND* 25 Snow W 20-3
12/14/03 JAX 25 Wind Chill 16 W 27-13
01/19/02 OAK* 25 Snow W 16-13 ot
12/05/05 NYJ 26 Light Snow W 16-3
12/10/95 NYJ 26 Wind Chill 12 W 31-28
01/12/97 JAX* 27 Wind Chill 11 W 20-6
12/07/03 MIA 28 Wind Chill 17 W 12-0
12/11/05 at BUF 30 Light Snow W 35-7
12/26/04 at NYJ 30 Wind Chill 21 W 23-7
12/20/03 at NYJ 30 Wind Chill 20 W 21-16
11/05/06 IND 31 Clear and Calm L 20-27
12/24/00 MIA 31 Wind Chill 22 L 24-27
01/02/05 SF 32 Wind Chill 27 W 21-7
01/18/04 IND* 32 Light Snow W 24-14
11/16/03 DAL 33 Cloudy and Calm W 12-0
11/26/95 at BUF 33 Flurries W 35-25
12/09/07 PIT 34 Cloudy and Cold W 34-13
12/16/01 at BUF 34 Wind Chill 25 W 12-9 ot
12/12/93 CIN 34 Wind Chill 23 W 7-2
*-playoffs
That Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss touchdown was noteworthy for several reasons:
It was Brady's 42nd TD of the season, fourth-most all-time for a single season.
It was Moss' 18th TD reception of the season, a new career high, and ties him for second-most in a single season. It also sets a new Patriots single-season record. Curtis Martin had 17 touchdowns (14 rushing, three receiving) in 1996
After completing that touchdown to Randy Moss to put New England up 7-3, Tom Brady had some words for Steelers' Anthony Smith, he of the we will win guarantee. As Brady jawed, linebacker James Harrison came up behind him and bumped him.
Brady continued to talk to Smith as he backed off the field.
Limited Participation
S Rashad Baker - ankle
QB Tom Brady - right shoulder
G Stephen Neal - shoulder
DL Ty Warren - thigh
*This is the first report of the week for New England, as they did not practice yesterday. Brady was the only player on the team's last injury report, last Friday.
For the Steelers:
Did Not Participate
S Troy Polamalu - knee
Full Participation
RB Najeh Davenport - foot
*Polamalu was not on yesterday's report; WR Hines Ward, who did not practice yesterday (coach's decision), is not listed today.
What is your first impression of Pittsburgh? The same blitzing Pittsburgh Steelers that you’ve faced in the past?
They blitz us. They blitz us quite a bit. Their style is pretty much the same. They’re a good defense, obviously, the best in the league according to the statistics and if you ask them they’ll tell you that. It’s going to be a great challenge for us, so hopefully we go out and play well.
What did you think of the bold prediction by their corner back [Anthony Smith]?
Coach always says we do our talking on Sundays. I’m glad they feel that way. I hope they feel that way. I hope they do, I hope they feel like they can win. I’d hate for them to come in here and feel like they can’t win any games. We’ll see, we’ll see who comes out ahead on Sunday.
Is it fair to say that it might be talked about a little bit this week? It might find its way on a wall somewhere? [Anthony Smith’s victory guarantee]
I’m sure yeah. We heard about it, I think everybody on the team has heard about it. It always comes down to who plays better. Well done is always better than well said -- that’s been the motto of this team.
What do you know about Anthony Smith?
I didn’t know who he was until we started preparing for them. He’s a young player and it’s obvious that [there are] guys that we’ve played in the past that we really respect on that team, Deshea [Townsend], Troy [Polamalu], Aaron Smith, Casey [Hampton] -- those guys aren’t the ones that say it. It’s a great challenge for us we’ve had a great history with them, we’ve played some very meaningful games and they’re a great team. They’re really well-coached both offensively and defensively. I just hope we play well.
Do you consider the source when you hear things like that?
I don’t know if we’ve ever come out and predicted victory or anything and we’ve won a lot of games. Whether you predict it or not, he’s got to show up on Sunday and try to guard us, play his role, do his job and we’ve going to try and make it hard for him.
Are the Steelers are doing anything differently on defense with Mike Tomlin as head coach?
Not really, not really. To me it looks like it’s the same defense, the same group of guys, same style. They blitz a lot. It’s the same blitzes. It’s the same style of play that they’ve played in the past. They always seem to play it well. I think their players are very comfortable in their scheme and I think they have players that really play their scheme well. It’s a challenge to run it. It’s a challenge to throw it, it’s a challenge to protect and get open. It’s a lot of man coverage from the outsides. We all have our work cut out for us.
What needs to improve offensively going forward?
It’s a team-wide thing and I think we all need to focus on doing our job the best we can. Not to try to correct everybody’s mistakes, we all have our own mistakes we need to correct. I need to throw the ball better, make better reads, make better protection calls and lead a bit better. I think for each of us we need to look at ourselves individually and try to make improvements for ourselves. If we do that, collectively as a team there will be improvements. We’ve won these games, it’s been exciting to win them, it was a great game the other night but at the same time you realize we made mistakes in the game that we need to correct.
Is everybody kind of refreshed after a day and a half?
Oh yeah. Can’t you see the bright and sunny faces in here? It’s a long season and I think there’s moments when you feel a little drained and moments when you feel really reinvigorated. Going into my eighth year I really felt like every year, “OK, I have it a little more figured out this yea,” and you just realize it’s a grind. Everyday you come in here you’re coming in to work hard and give everything you’ve got. When you give everything you’ve got and it’s Monday, Tuesday morning at four in the morning you are drained but you find a way over the next day and a half to prepare yourself and come in here bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to get to work. There is no better team for us to be excited about than the Steelers and the challenges they present. There’s been a lot of excitement in our locker room. We’re back home playing in front of our crowd and hopefully we play the best game we have all season.
Along those lines, every team goes through the long grind of the season, but how much easier is it for this group to get back their energy back with your record being what it is and knowing that you’re playing for something?
I think you’re always playing for something. Whether you’re 12-0 or 0-12 you have a lot of reasons to be motivated and I think we’re motivated by playing a team that presents a lot of challenges for us. We’ve got to play our own style of game, understanding what they really do well and understanding what we need to do well. It’s a very motivated group we have. [We’ve] got some veteran players that try to work hard and take the coaching and we’re coached very hard around here. I really hope we’ve listened to what has [been] preached this week and can go out there and show it on Sunday.
They are number one in a lot of different defensive categories, but particularly in pass defense. What do you guys have to do to operate at your optimum level against their pass defense?
Yeah, they play the run well. They play the pass well. I think they create disruption with their front and they get to the quarterback and push the pocket. They’ve got some guys who can really rush. It’s a lot of man coverage on the outside and they’re on those guys tight and you’ve to find ways to get open. You don’t have all day. That’s the hard part. It’s a little bit of a challenge.
Coach Belichick talked a lot about Ed Reed last week. What do you see out of Troy Polamalu? How does he affect the Steelers defense?
He really sets the tone for them. In the times that I’ve played against him, he always makes a huge impact on the game. He’s very aggressive and he’s always focused on the ball and he can really make a lot of plays. He’s a really explosive athlete. We have to account for him on every play. Every week, we’re facing guys that are the best in the league and he’s… I don’t think there are too many players better than Troy.
Have you seen more and more creative ways each week in trying to bring pressure against you?
It’s different. I think different teams have different styles. For example, Baltimore blitzed 17 times so it wasn’t a big blitz game. They dropped a lot of guys into coverage. Every team looks at different ways to approach us and some want to cover, some want to pressure. Some want to play man. Some want to play zone. It’s probably based on what they do well and what they think they have to do to stop us. I think I know how to defend us, but I think I know how you wouldn’t defend us, too, so we’ll see if they’re right.
Well, along those lines, how do you defend against you guys?
There’s your chance. You’ve got to study the film, buddy. You’ve got to study the film.
Seriously though, you set the standard so high in the first 10 games, but the last two games do seem a little bit different from the passing production standpoint. Has there been a difference? Is it because of what teams are trying to do against you? What’s been the deal in terms of what you’ve seen in the passing game?
Well, I don’t think we’ve been executing as well. I think that’s what it comes down to. We’ve been playing good defensive teams that don’t give you a lot of opportunities, or much margin for error. When you get those opportunities, you have to take advantage of them so we’ve got to play better.
BALTIMORE – Tom Brady’s eye-popping pace has slowed a bit, but he’s still getting some impressive marks.
Last night, he had his 40th and 41st touchdown passes of the season, making him just the fourth player in NFL history with at least 40 TDs, following Peyton Manning, Dan Marino (who did it twice) and Kurt Warner.
Brady also got his 27th career fourth-quarter comeback win, and second in as many weeks. He is also now 29-5 in games where the final margin is a touchdown or less.
More Brady numbers:
He’s 46-16 on the road; 34-2 on artificial turf; and 42-8 on games played Thanksgiving or later.
*****
Randy Moss caught Brady’s first touchdown pass of the night. It was Moss’ 17th scoring catch of the season, tying his career high. Moss also had 17 as a rookie with Minnesota in 1998 and again in 2003.
With four catches last night, the 10th year veteran has 751 for his career, the 25th player in league history to hit that mark.
Moss has 1,129 yards receiving on 75 catches this season.
*****
New England recorded its 12th win of the season last night, just the fourth time in franchise history the Patriots have enjoyed a 12-win season. All four years – in 2003 and ’04, they had 14 wins, and in 2006 – have been with Bill Belichick as head coach.
*****
The win over the Ravens was the 99th win for Belichick as coach of the Patriots; he will become the first coach in team history to hit the century mark when New England wins again.
*****
New England has won all four of its meetings against the Ravens since the team moved from Cleveland in 1996. This was the Patriots’ first-ever trip to M&T Bank Stadium.
Tedy Bruschi is the only player to have appeared in all four games; Troy Brown was among the Patriots’ inactive players last night.
*****
New England is now 42-8 after Thanksgiving since 2001, the best late-season mark in the NFL.
*****
Last night’s announced attendance was 71,382, the largest crowd ever at M&T Bank Stadium.
BALTIMORE -- It was Tom Brady's worst game of the season.
Statistically, at least.
Completing just 18 of 38 passes, for 257 yards and two touchdowns, Brady was sacked three times, for 21 yards in losses, and threw his sixth interception of the year, leaving him with a season-low rating of 76.3 for the game.
"We have to execute better -- run better routes, throw better passes, make better catches, block better," said Brady, sounding remarkably, and unfortunately, like coach Bill Belilchick.
The Patriots appeared about to go down to their first defeat when Brady was stuffed on a fourth-down sneak at the Baltimore 30 with 1:48 to go. But the Pats were given a second chance when the officials ruled that Ravens coach Brian Billick had called a timeout from the sidelines just before the snap.
"I heard the whistle blow and stopped," Brady said, with tongue planted firmly in cheek. "I would've made the first down if the whistle didn't blow."
The Patriots came close to blowing the game, but the bottom line _ as Brady pointed out _ is that they didn't.
"We made a lot of plays under pressure," he said, "and that's what we needed to do down the stretch."
That Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss touchdown was the 40th TD pass of the season for Brady, making him just the fourth player in NFL history to throw for that many scores in a season, joining Peyton Manning, Dan Marino and Kurt Warner.
It also was the 17th touchdown reception of the year for Moss, tying his career high, which he has done two other times previously, including his rookie year with Minnesota.
The Patriots have released their Friday injury/participation report, and only one player is on it (guess who?) - Tom Brady, probable, right shoulder.
Much like last week, when Jarvis Green practiced only on Friday and played Sunday, Kevin Faulk (thigh) missed Wednesday and Thursday's sessions but practiced today and has been removed from the list.
Transcript: Tom Brady's Wednesday press conference
Are you happy to have Troy Brown back?
It’s great. It’s great to see him. I know he’s excited. He’s been working very, very hard. [He’s] played a long time and it’s great to have him up and available. I sure hope he makes a big impact on the team. He always does, just with his leadership, his ability to bring people together and he always has positive words. He’s a great leader. He’s a great teammate and everybody loves having Troy Brown.
Because Troy has been around so long and he knows what to expect, does that make it easier for him to come back and produce?
Yeah, and he’s been in our offensive meetings however as long the season has been going on. Even though he hasn’t been out on the practice field, he’s been keeping up with the meetings and so forth. I know he’s excited and he can do a lot for us. He can play receiver. He can play DB. He contributes on special teams. He really does whatever this team needs.
The Ravens are a team, like the Eagles, that you aren’t that familiar with. Talk a little bit about the Ravens.
Yeah and I think you’re right. It’s a team that we haven’t played in a bunch of years. They’re very experienced and very battle-tested. They were one of the best teams in the AFC last year. We really have our work cut out for us. It should be a fun week. It’s a great defense that we’re facing, led by a bunch of great players on that defense in Ed Reed and Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs and they can all really play - Bart Scott. It’s a very challenging defense to face. I know that hopefully we can present those same challenges to them, but on a Monday night, that’s kind of what that teams live for.
Tedy Bruschi said after Sunday night’s game that he anticipates more tough games like that this time of the year. Do you agree with that?
I think you have anxiety before every game. You sit in a locker room just before you run out and really it’s the unknown. You just don’t know the way the games are going to go. You always hope for the best and you try to prepare for everything and, really, however they play out, whether you win 56-10 like in Buffalo, or this past weekend when it came down right to the end, you have to really be mentally tough and prepare for both. I think you always prepare for the tough ones and if it ends up not being as close as expected then you deal with that, too. That’s a good thing to deal with, but we’re always expecting whatever is the team’s best performance and what they’re capable of. Really, that’s what we expect.
Bill Belichick raves about Ed Reed --
He wants to adopt Ed Reed.
Yeah, he does.
It’s going to be Ed Belichick.
How does [Ed Reed] change what you look at in terms of their defense?
I know he coached him at the Pro Bowl last year and I think, as a defensive coach, you look at a player like that who’s such a game-changer. [Belichick] coached Lawrence Taylor and he knew what the impact on the game that Lawrence Taylor had when he was coaching. I think Ed Reed is similar, in different ways, but [he’s] really a game-changer. He’s a ballhawk. He covers so much ground back there. He’s really smart. He’s really aware. He loves football. He’s got all the great qualities of a great defensive player. I tell you, he better run after the game is over because Coach is going to try to bring him back on the plane with us if he could.
Personally, do you like the games that are close as opposed to the games that are really out-of-whack like some of the games you’ve had?
Yeah, we’ve had some games that in the fourth quarter haven’t been much of a game, not like this last one. I think we’ve showed some mental toughness in Dallas and in Indianapolis and [against] the Eagles, where we’ve been down the second half you have to find ways to make plays under pressure and I think this team has done a good job -- Whether we’re up or down we’re focusing on doing our job. A lot of it is composure and poise and it’s tough environments you’re playing in. Two of those games were on the road with the crowd really into it and we found ways to pull it out in the end. Anyway, the goal is to win. That’s what we approach every week as and, whether you win by 30 or you win by three, you’re trying to win the game. Everyone was happy we won this last game and it’s really going to be a challenge for us to get to 12-0.
Are you sick of all these night games?
I’m tired of them. I look around at all these tired faces today and I think everyone is just dragging a little bit. You don’t get home until late and it feels like you’re always trying to get caught up throughout the week so I’m glad we’ve got the extra day. It’s not a Sunday night game so it’ll be a long week this week I’m sure. Four days of practice, we can use each and every day of that to get ready for this team and, hopefully, put our best out there.
Is it a disadvantage for you guys because you’re like bats, you don’t the see light of day because you’re always playing at night --
(Laughs.) That’s the first I’ve heard of that.
And you’ve got so many in a row that it’s got to be tough.
It is and you play when they tell you to play and I think most guys in the NFL, you love Monday night games. The fun part about Monday night is just before the game at 8:00 when you’re ready to go out there and the bad part is about 11:30 as soon as the game is over. It’s fun to play on Monday night, but I think most guys would love to play Sunday at 1:00, every single week. That gives you the most time to let your body rest and your mind to get focused on those weeks ahead. Coaches love it because they get - on the Monday night games they get the extra day to practice you, which a lot of the older players don’t like so much. But we play when they tell us to play.
What are some of the particular challenges this defense poses to you?
They challenge you in a lot of ways. I think they have very athletic pass-rushers. They have a bunch of different packages that they run with different types of D-lineman that have different abilities. Some rush the passer. Some play the run really well. They get you in a lot of long-yardage situations. I think they’re very creative with what they do up front and [you] just can’t go to sleep on them. If one guy isn’t focused and concentrating and their job, it’s going to be a negative play. A guy like Ed Reed, or Ray Lewis, or Bart Scott, or Chris McAlister, they’re all looking to make interceptions. Not only that, they’re trying to return it for a touchdown. They’ve got a bunch of play-makers and we’ve got to be able to focus on every play and make sure we’re really aware of what they’re doing so we can really stay on track.
FOXBORO – Asante Samuel got things off to a rousing start for the Patriots last night, intercepting the Eagles’ A.J. Feeley on the third play of the game and returning the pick 40 yards for a touchdown.
The interception was the 21st of Samuel’s five-year career, tying him for 10th in New England history with Don Webb. Ty Law and Raymond Clayborn are tied for the franchise lead with 36 each.
Samuel now has six interception returns for touchdowns in his career, including an NFL record-tying three in the postseason. His three regular-season return TDs are third-best in team annals.
*****
Tom Brady’s season-long streak of games with three or more touchdown passes came to an end last night, as he threw just one against the Eagles, but the quarterback still found a way to get into the record books this week.
By throwing for 380 yards, Brady passed 25,000 yards for his career, making him just the third quarterback in Patriots’ history to do so, after Drew Bledsoe (29,657) and Steve Grogan (26,886).
With 39 touchdowns this season, Brady is still on pace to throw 57 for the season.
He also:
- Led New England to a fourth-quarter comeback win for the 26th time in his career;
- Upped his record to 28-5 in games where the margin of victory is seven points or less and 19-4 when the margin is four points or less;
- Is 21-3 when throwing for more than 300 yards;
- Is 33-2 on artificial turf;
- And is 41-8 on Thanksgiving or later
*****
By scoring 31 points last night, New England now has 442 points for the season, setting a new single-season franchise record.
The previous team record of 441 points was established in the 1980 season, when the Pats went 10-6.
*****
Randy Moss’ 11-yard reception in the second quarter was the 744th catch of his 10-year career, putting him 25th all time in NFL history.
Moss passed Andre Rison (743 receptions) to move into the top 25. Jerry Rice had a record 1,549 catches in his 20 year career.
*****
Wes Welker’s 13 receptions tie the franchise record for catches in a non-overtime game. Both Deion Branch (at San Diego, Sept. 29, 2002) and Terry Glenn (at Cleveland, Oct. 3, 1999) had 13-catch games with New England.
The single-game team record is Troy Brown’s 16 receptions on Sept. 22, 2002 in an overtime win against Kansas City.
*****
Patriots’ receiver Jabar Gaffney and Eagles’ cornerback Lito Sheppard are cousins, and spent most of their early football years as teammates.
Gaffney and Sheppard both attended Raines High School in Jacksonville, Fla., winning a state title in their first season together, and both played at the University of Florida.
Gaffney’s father, Derrick, also attended Florida, and played in the NFL with the Jets.
*****
With a touchdown on its first possession of the game, New England has scored points on its opening drive in 10 of 11 games this season.
It was only against the Colts that the Patriots did not score on their first possession.
*****
New England boasts the best home record in the NFL since 2002 (the year Gillette Stadium opened) as well as the best home defense in the league.
The Patriots are 41-9 at Gillette, just ahead of the 40-10 mark Indianapolis has at the RCA Dome over the last five-plus seasons.
They also allow just 15.64 points per game to the opposition over those 50 games, ahead of the 16.26 points Baltimore gives up to visitors to M&T Bank Stadium.
First-time visitors to the Stadium are 4-23, with New England winning 19 of the last 20.
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The Patriots are now 26-4 against NFC teams since 2001, a run that includes their three Super Bowl wins.
It also includes a current streak of 10 straight which began on Oct. 9, 2005 against Atlanta. New England’s last loss to an NFC team was in the second game of the 2005 season, 27-17 in Carolina.
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Last night was the first time New England has hosted Philadelphia in a regular-season game at Gillette Stadium, and the first time the Eagles have traveled to Foxboro since Nov. 29, 1987, a 34-31 overtime win for Philly.
The teams’ last three regular-season meetings were in the City of Brotherly Love, in the 1990, 1999 and 2003 seasons.
With the Eagles’ near 20-year streak without a Foxboro visit now ended, the Carolina Panthers now have the longest period of not playing in New England, at 12 years. The Panthers will visit Gillette in 2009.
Carolina, Arizona, Atlanta and St. Louis are the four remaining teams who have not visited Gillette Stadium since it opened in 2002.
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The inactive players for the Patriots were: Matt Gutierrez (third quarterback), receiver Chad Jackson, safeties Mel Mitchell and Eugene Wilson, guards Wesley Britt and Billy Yates, and defensive linemen Le Kevin Smith and Kareem Brown.
For the Eagles: quarterback Donovan McNabb, safety Quintin Mikell, running back Tony Hunt, guards Max Jean-Gilles and Scott Young, and defensive linemen Kimo von Oelhoffen, Victor Abiamiri and Montae Reagor.
FOXBORO -- Asante Samuel became the 20th -- that's right, 20th -- New England player to score a touchdown this season when he returned an interception 40 yards for a score in the opening minutes against the Eagles.
He joins Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Benjamin Watson, Sammy Morris, Donte Stallworth, Kyle Brady, Tom Brady, Kyle Eckel, Ellis Hobbs, Mike Vrabel, Willie Andrews, Matt Cassel, Rosevelt Colvin, Heath Evans, Kevin Faulk, Jabar Gaffney, Randall Gay, Laurence Maroney, and Adalius Thomas in getting into the end zone for the Patriots.
The NFL record for most players scoring in a season is 21, shared by the 2000 Denver Broncos and the 1987 Los Angeles Rams.
FOXBORO -- Of the Patriots' 207 net yards in the first half, only 13 came on the ground, and 12 of those were on a scramble by QB Tom Brady. The Pats' only "real" carry was a 1-yard TD plunge by FB Heath Evans.
The Patriots released their Friday injury/participation report, and only one player was listed: Tom Brady.
Brady, as he has every week for more than four seasons, is listed as probable-right shoulder. He is listed as having limited participation in practice today.
Jarvis Green, who practiced this afternoon for the first time this week, has been removed from the report.
For the Eagles, quarterback Donovan McNabb (ankle, thumb) and safety Quintin Mikell (knee) are listed as doubtful and did not practice; tackle William Thomas (illness) did not practice and is questionable; receivers Jason Avant (groin) and Kevin Curtis (thigh), safety Brian Dawkins (thigh), guard Todd Herremans (knee), corner William James (foot), and linebacker Takeo Spikes (hamstring) all had full participation and are probable.
Curtis and Spikes are new additions to the report.
The Patriots held practice this morning, and have a shortened participation report:
Did Not Participate
DL Jarvis Green - ankle
Limited Participation
QB Tom Brady - right shoulder
**Adalius Thomas (did not participate, team decision), Stephen Neal (limited participation, shoulder) and Eugene Wilson (limited participation, ankle) were on yesterday's list.
UPDATE
For the Eagles:
Did Not Practice
QB Donovan McNabb - ankle, thumb
S Quintin Mikell - knee
Limited Participation
T William Thomas - illness
Full Participation
WR Jason Avant - groin
FS Brian Dawkins - thigh
LS Jon Dorenbos - abdomen
G Todd Herremans - knee
CB William James - foot
DT Mike Patterson - ankle
RB Brian Westbrook - knee
** Thomas was upgraded, as he did not practice Wednesday; also, linebacker Omar Gaither (back) is removed from the list.
Did Not Participate
DL Jarvis Green - ankle
LB Adalius Thomas - team decision
Limited Participation
QB Tom Brady - right shoulder
G Stephen Neal - shoulder
S Eugene Wilson - ankle
**Despite returning to practice for the first time in a month, Eric Alexander (knee) is not on the list; also note that Kevin Faulk (concussion) and Laurence Maroney (foot) are not on the list.
For the Eagles:
Did Not Participate
QB Donovan McNabb - ankle, thumb
S Quintin Mikell - knee
T William Thomas - illness
Full Participation
WR Jason Avant - groin
FS Brian Dawkins - thigh
LS Jon Dorenbos - abdomen
LB Omar Gaither - back
G Todd Herremans - knee
CB William James - foot
DT Mike Patterson - ankle
RB Brian Westbrook - knee
Injuries to both Kevin Faulk and Laurence Maroney in Sunday's game with Buffalo seemingly left the Patriots precariously thin at running back, but today Maroney said that he's not injured and expects to be available this Sunday against the Eagles.
As for Faulk, who suffered a first-half concussion, he said he'd like to play Sunday but if he doesn't, "you can't be mad about it because it's your health."
Tom Brady did not hold his customary Wednesday press conference.
In his chat, Bill Belichick spoke of the respect he has for Philadelphia coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, and noted that while their scheme is pretty much what it has been since that pair has been with the Eagles, it is a varied system with experienced players.
Belichick praised the Eagles' offensive line (he said right guard Shawn Andrews is the best offensive lineman the Pats have seen this season) and their red-zone defense, which is ranked third in the league.
Practice is being held outdoors today, and we'll give an update on who is and isn't there.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- With a New England Patriots victory clearly in hand late in the game Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills, the unbeaten Monster of the AFC East continued to do what it has done all season -- score.
Late in the game the Patriots decided to go for it on a fourth-and-two situation and scored to go up 42-7.
That's when the rude comments started from the Bills fans, calling Brady and his teammates not the nicest of names.
“We hear everything,” Brady responded with a big smile. “It’s not the worst word I’ve ever heard, and I’ve said plain worse than that. Coach says he puts us out there to score every time we touch it, so that’s what we’re trying to do and I think that’s the job description for every offense in the NFL. You score because you’re not out there to punt. . . If our fans ever called us that, then I would be pissed."
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The first thing Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did after yesterday’s dominating win over the Buffalo Bills was kiss Myra Kraft.
The young stud planted a huge one on the cheek of his boss’s wife before heading into New England’s locker room where the song “Another One Bits the Dust” was blaring.
The feeling of affection is surely reciprocal because Brady is becoming the best quarterback in franchise history, and he took another step toward immortality last night. He completed 31 of 39 passes for 373 yards, including five touchdowns. With his six-yard TD pass to Randy Moss with 6:33 remaining in the second quarter, Brady surpassed former Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan with 183 career touchdown passes to become the franchise leader in that category.
It took Grogan 16 seasons to reach that plateau. It has taken Brady only seven.
Even though Brady is not one to talk about individual accomplishments, he did say it was an honor to be put in the same category with someone with Grogan.
“We have a great history of players for the Patriots,” said Brady. “Every time we take the field (at Gillette Stadium) we see the banners of the history of our team and the players who led the way for us. Hopefully we make those guys proud. I follow in the footsteps of a great quarterback myself in Drew Bledsoe, who taught me how to play quarterback in the NFL. . . Every time I’m around (Grogan) I think he’s a great person. He’s a great representative of the Patriots organization.”
Brady wasn’t alone last night in the history-making class.
First-year teammate and wide receiver Randy Moss caught 10 passes for 128 yards, including four touchdowns. When he grabbed his first TD of the night – a 43-yard reception to give New England a 14-0 lead with 8:04 remaining in the first quarter – he set the new Patriots’ single-season record with his 13th touchdown reception to surpass former receiver Stanley Morgan, who caught 12 in 1979.
Moss wasn’t done.
He finished with three more touchdown catchers to set another franchise mark, the single-game touchdown record of four. It was the first four TD game in team history. Moss is also the first Patriots player to grab at least three TD passes since Ben Coates accomplished that feat on Nov. 26, 1995.
And, it’s only November.
“I’ve never been a fan of records,” said Moss. “I learned at a young age that records are made to be broken, and I’ve never lived for my name in the record books. We have a goal, and that goal is to still be playing in January.”
Every week the Patriots’ offense continues to impress, and yesterday was as a dominating performance as they scored a season-high 56 points. In fact, the scored seven times on their first seven possessions.
So, Moss was asked if he has ever been a part of an offense this dominating, and he quickly pooh-poohed the question for good reason.
“The ’98 Vikings still hold the record for most points in the season,” he answered from first-hand experience.
That record of 556 points by Minnesota in 1998 may not last too much longer as the Patriots have scored 411 in the first 10 games of this season.
Earlier Sunday afternoon, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens caught eight passes for 173 yards, including four touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 28-23 victory over Washington. Moss said he saw the performance, but that didn’t give him any more motivation than he already had heading into his game Sunday night.
“Yeah, I saw it,” he said. “But I don’t get into that. I have a job to do and that’s for me to block and catch balls. To go out there and try to duplicate another receiver, that’s not my game and I’m not going to do that.”
It was a record-setting day for the New England Patriots, one that ended with a kiss. The next time Brady kisses something immediately after a game, it could be another Vince Lombardi Trophy. Then, of course, he’ll pass it over to Moss.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – For Tom Brady, making history has become a near-weekly event this season, and he went into last night’s AFC East matchup with the Bills with a chance to make even more.
With five touchdowns against the Bills, Brady now has 185 in his career, passing New England Hall of Famer Steve Grogan for the franchise career record.
In 16 seasons, Grogan threw 182 touchdowns. Brady is playing his eighth season and seventh as a starter.
Brady also extended his NFL record for consecutive games with three or more passing touchdowns to 10 games; against the Colts, he broke the record of eight games that he was sharing with Indy’s Peyton Manning.
More Brady numbers:
* He is on pace to throw a league-record 61 touchdowns against just six interceptions;
* He is now 32-2 on artificial turf;
* 45-16 on the road;
* 21-2 when the game-time temperature is 40 degrees or below;
* 20-3 when throwing for more than 300 yards;
* 71-3 when leading at halftime and 75-2 when leading after three quarters;
* 47-1 when is passer rating is 100 or better.
*****
One other team record went down last night, as Randy Moss scored four touchdowns, breaking the tie he had with Stanley Morgan after the Colts’ game for the single-season record for receiving touchdowns.
Moss now has 16, passing the record of 12 Morgan set in 1979. With six games to go, he is one away from tying his personal best of 17 scores, which he did in his rookie year, 1998, and in his final season with the Vikings, 2003.
The 30-year old also has a chance to break the single-season league record of 22 TDs, set by Jerry Rice in 1987. Moss is now on pace for 26 touchdowns.
Moss also topped 1,000 receiving yards for the season last night, making him the first Pats’ receiver to do so since Troy Brown in 2001 (1,199 yards on a franchise-record 101 grabs). Moss finished the night with 10 catches for 128 yards, giving him 66 catches for 1,052 yards (15.9 yards per catch).
It is the eighth 1,000-yard season in Moss’ 10-year career.
*****
New England established a new franchise record for total touchdowns in a single season last night, pushing its total to 54 with the eight-TD performance against the Bills.
The previous record was 52, set in 1961 and 1980. The NFL record for most touchdowns by a team is 70, set by the 1984 Miami Dolphins. The Patriots are currently on pace to shatter that record, with 86.
*****
Laurence Maroney's first quarter touchdown was his first of the season, but he is the 19th different player to get into the end zone for New England this season; the league record is 21, set by the 2000 Denver Broncos and 1987 Los Angeles Rams.
*****
The Patriots have now won nine straight games against Buffalo, the team’s third-longest regular-season win streak against an opponent.
Their longest win streak against the same opponent is 11 games, also over the Bills, from Jan. 2, 1983-Dec. 20, 1987. New England beat San Diego in 10 straight meetings from 1973-2001.
*****
Before last night, Buffalo’s record on Sunday Night Football was a league-best 5-0; Green Bay and Philadelphia are both 5-1 under the Sunday night lights.
*****
New England is now 33-9 against the AFC East since 2001, the best intra-divisional record in the NFL over that time – the Steelers are second, at 32-12.
The next best record in the AFC East belongs to the Jets, who are 20-22 in division play over the last six-plus years.
*****
Last night’s game inactives for the Patriots: Matt Gutierrez, third quarterback; safeties Eugene Wilson and Mel Mitchell; linebacker Eric Alexander; offensive linemen Stephen Neal and Wesley Britt; and defensive linemen LeKevin Smith and Kareem Brown.
For the Bills: Gibran Hamdan, third quarterback; running back Marshawn Lynch; tight ends Tim Massaquoi and Ryan Neufeld; linebacker Leon Joe; offensive lineman Christian Gaddis; and defensive linemen Copeland Bryan and Jason Jefferson.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. _ Bill Belichick’s name will never show up on the final score sheet.
But after the New England Patriots completely dismantled the Buffalo Bills 56-10 Sunday night at Ralph Wilson Stadium, every Patriots player gave their coach more props than usual.
With New England’s victory, the team is 10-0 in 2007 and things could only get better with the way the Patriots are playing, and with the way Belichick is coaching. In fact, during his eight-year tenure in New England, his ability to get the most out of his players has been quite obvious.
This season, however, it’s clear more than ever.
After the Patriots defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Colts, New England enjoyed a bye last weekend with Belichick giving his players five days off to do whatever they wanted. But, when they returned to Gillette Stadium last Monday, they were put through one of the toughest weeks they’ve had this season in order to prepare for last night’s game.
According to Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss, the coach gave the team a huge slice of humble pie.
The unbeaten record didn’t mean much. The complete dominance its shows every week didn’t mean much. Belichick wanted to make sure the Patriots weren’t getting too far ahead of themselves. After all, it’s only November.
“I’ve always known coach Belichick to be a hell of a coach,” said Moss. “I consider him the greatest coach ever, but I really didn’t expect the week of preparation he put us through. I’ve never been through that, so for us to come out and win this game the way we did is actually something to really smile about."
Moss said it was a hard week mentally and emotionally, something he’s never experience in his career.
“He really put us through it,” added Moss. “Coming off the bye week, and me not knowing what to expect, he tore our heads off Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It was just a big week, an emotional week.”
Moss, and the rest of the players in the cramped quarters of the visitor’s locker room at Ralph Wilson Stadium, said the coach placed a lot of emphasis on making sure the team was prepared.
“He didn’t want us to be satisfied by being 9-0 and coming off a bye week,” added Moss. “He put it to us this week. I have to commend him on that because not many head coaches will bit down hard, and put their team through the work he put us through this week. It surely paid off.”
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who always points out that the coach’s preparation is what allows New England to be so successful every Sunday, definitely made it a point after Sunday’s game to press it even further.
“He sets the tone for us,” said Brady. “He’s a great leader for us and he has high expectations, and when we don’t play up to those expectations in practice or the game, he let’s us know.”
Brady felt the team responded well to Belichick’s demeanor leading up to Sunday’s victory. He treated the team like it was 0-9 and not 9-0. For the players to respond so positively to Belichick’s philosophy the way they did is pretty amazing given this day and age of professional sports.
With such a big win on Sunday, the players are expecting much of the same this week.
“He doesn’t change his tone too often,” said Brady. “That’s just the way he coaches. There’s never anything that’s good enough, and after a well you get sick of it [saying] ‘enough coach.’ We take beating after beating after beating, but a lot of it helps us prepare and a lot of it puts us in the right frame of mind to go out there and play well each Sunday. It’s been 10 weeks and we have 10 victories, which is great.”
With the Bills now in the rear-view mirror, the Patriots have turned their focus to the Eagles.
“I hope we play up to his expectations,” said Brady.
Seriously, though. The team is 10-0 and is on pace to complete a historic season. What
