Projo Pats Blog

Week 11: Friday injury report - only Taylor out, 13 questionable for Pats

The Patriots have posted their practice report for the day, and the requisite estimation of likelihood that injured players will be available. Without further ado...

Out
RB Fred Taylor - DNP, ankle

Questionable
WR Sam Aiken - LP, hip
LB Eric Alexander - LP, groin
TE Chris Baker - LP, shoulder
LB Tully Banta-Cain - LP, groin
NT Ron Brace - LP, ankle
WR Julian Edelman - LP, forearm
DE Jarvis Green - LP, knee
C Dan Koppen - LP, knee
LT Matt Light - LP, knee
RB Sammy Morris - LP, knee
RG Stephen Neal - DNP, head
LB Rob Ninkovich - DNP, knee
DE Ty Warren - LP, ankle

Probable
QB Tom Brady - FP, right shoulder
DB Shawn Springs - FP, knee
TE Benjamin Watson - FP, back

For the Jets:
Out
LB Vernon Gholston - DNP, hamstring

Questionable
S Jim Leonhard - LP, thumb

Probable
DE Shaun Ellis - FP, knee
WR Brad Smith - FP, quadricep
LB Bryan Thomas - FP, toe

FP - full participation, LP - limited participation, DNP - did not participate

Browns-Lions game blacked out in Detroit

DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Lions' home game against the Cleveland Browns will be blacked out on local TV.

Lions spokesman Bill Keenist confirmed Thursday the team did not sell 7,000-plus tickets that were available the previous day.

The game featuring two 1-8 teams will be not be shown on TV in the Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw-Flint and Toledo, Ohio, markets.

Detroit has sold out two of its five games at Ford Field this season: its home opener and a game against Pittsburgh in which Steelers fans might've outnumbered Lions fans.

The Lions drew just 40,857 fans the last time they were at home -- their smallest crowd in two decades -- and had just 40,896 fans watch their lone win against Washington.

Week 11: Friday practice peek - Green, Banta-Cain return

The Patriots held today's practice inside Gillette Stadium, with the players in shells (soft pads) and sweats.

Jarvis Green (knee) and Tully Banta-Cain (groin) returned to the field, which meant that there were three players not present during the media access window: Fred Taylor, Stephen Neal and Rob Ninkovich.

Dumb Question of the Day

This comes courtesy of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which, on its website, asked this question of its readers regarding the undefeated Saints:

"Would it be better for the Saints to lose a game in the regular sason, regroup, and then try to run the table, or are you in favor of a run at history -- trying to become the first team ever to go 19-0?

"You tell us -- will the pressure become too much to win them all, or can the team handle it?"

There were some people (fools? idiots?) asking the same question about the Patriots in 2007.

It's never good to lose a game. And who says that losing once, rather than not at all, gives a team a better chance of winning the biggest game of all -- the Super Bowl?

It's never worse than when a team's only loss occurs in the Super Bowl, as was the case with the Patriots two years ago. But the Pats lost that game because they couldn't stop the Giants from driving 83 yards to the winning touchdown in the final minutes, not because "the pressure" got to them.

Sometimes, I just shake my head and wonder what people possibly can be thinking.

Week 11: Thursday participation report (updated with Jets report)

New England removed Randy Moss (not football related) and Gary Guyton (illness) from the list:

Did not participate
LB Tully Banta-Cain - groin
DE Jarvis Green - knee
G Stephen Neal - head
LB Rob Ninkovich - knee
RB Fred Taylor - ankle

Limited participation
WR Sam Aiken - hip
LB Eric Alexander - groin
TE Chris Baker - shoulder
NT Ron Brace - ankle
WR Julian Edelman - forearm
C Dan Koppen - knee
T Matt Light - knee
RB Sammy Morris - knee
DE Ty Warren - ankle

Full participation
QB Tom Brady - right shoulder
CB Shawn Springs - knee
TE Benjamin Watson - back

For the Jets...
Did not participate
LB Vernon Gholston - hamstring
S Jim Leonhard - thumb

Limited participation
DE Shaun Ellis - knee
WR Brad Smith - quadricep

Full participation
LB Bryan Thomas - toe

Week 11: Thursday practice peek - Moss, Warren return

The Patriots are back on the upper practice field at Gillette Stadium for today's practice, which is once again being held in shells and sweats.

Not spotted today: Jarvis Green, Tully Banta-Cain, Stephen Neal, Rob Ninkovich and Fred Taylor.

Randy Moss, Ty Warren, Sam Aiken and Gary Guyton, all of whom did not participate on Wednesday, were on the field today.

Week 11: Wednesday practice report

A lengthy list for the Pats...

Did not participate
WR Sam Aiken - hip
LB Tully Banta-Cain - groin
DE Jarvis Green - knee
LB Gary Guyton - illness
WR Randy Moss - not injury related
G Stephen Neal - head
LB Rob Ninkovich - knee
RB Fred Taylor - ankle
DE Ty Warren - ankle

Limited participation
LB Eric Alexander - groin
TE Chris Baker - shoulder
NT Ron Brace - ankle
WR Julian Edelman - forearm
C Dan Koppen - knee
T Matt Light - knee
RB Sammy Morris - knee

Full participation
QB Tom Brady - right shoulder
CB Shawn Springs - knee
TE Benjamin Watson - back

For the Jets
Did not participate
LB Vernon Gholston - hamstring
S Jim Leonhard - thumb

Limited participation
DE Shaun Ellis - knee
WR Brad Smith - quadricep

Full participation
LB Bryan Thomas - toe

Pats-Colts delivers big numbers for NBC

The Sunday Night Football game has been the most-watched Sunday show every week so far this season, and the Colts' come from behind win against the Pats was no different: 22.4 million viewers tuned in to the game.

It is the second straight week over 20 million viewers watched SNF, and the fifth time this season.

New England-Indianapolis is second behind the Week 2 Giants-Cowboys NFC East showdown, which also served as the grand unveiling of Dallas' new stadium in terms of viewership this season -- that game drew 24.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched prime-time NFL game in a dozen years.

Week 11: Wednesday practice peek

As November days go, today is a gem, and the Patriots are on the upper practice fields behind Gillette Stadium getting in their first day of work on the Jets (aka Super Bowl II).

There were nine players not spotted during the media access window: Fred Taylor, Rob Ninkovich, Gary Guyton, Stephen Neal, Randy Moss, Sam Aiken, Ty Warren, Tully Banta-Cain, and Jarvis Green.

Sammy Morris and Matt Light were both on the field -- a much more positive sign than their presence at last Friday's session, since Wednesdays and Thursdays are more strenuous and involved than Fridays.

One other note: Isaiah Stanback has apparently changed his number to 15 from 9.

Week 11: Wednesday at Gillette - Belichick has cursed...cried? Maybe

As expected, it is a busy day here at Gillette Stadium, as all manner of media -- local, New York and national -- clogged the Pats' locker room and media workroom to (try to) chat on all things "The Call" and the Jets.

One of the New York reporters brought up Rex Ryan's tear-filled Monday meeting with his players after the Jets' loss to Jacksonville to Bill Belichick. Belichick initially gave his stock "I'm just focused on getting ready for the Jets" answer, but when asked if he has ever cried in front of his team, Belichick was pretty funny.

"In 35 years of coaching, I think I've covered most all of the bases. I think I swore once too," he said, drawing big laughs from reporters.

Belichick, of course, is known for being a little...let's say profane sometimes, if something isn't done right in practice or in the film room.

In the locker room, Tom Brady was back in front of his locker for his weekly press conference, which Randy Moss isn't a fan of. Moss and Brady are locker neighbors, and as it is physically impossible for 60 people to stand only in front of one three foot wide stall, there's always overflow in front of Moss' locker.

But Brady said that getting back to work is the best elixir after a loss, and all of the players were eager to start preparing for their AFC East foes.

Also chatting today: Dan Koppen, Junior Seau, Brandon McGowan, Jonathan Wilhite and Kevin Faulk.

Faulk received kudos from many of the Pats' beat writers for facing the music after Sunday's game. After asking for a few moments in the Lucas Oil Stadium locker room to compose himself, he spent several minutes answering questions about The Call -- something not many of his teammates did. But that's the kind of guy Faulk is, the one you can always count on, on and off the field.

Tequila sues Chargers linebacker Merriman

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Reality TV star Tila Tequila filed a lawsuit against San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman alleging domestic violence.

Attorney Cyrus Nownejad told the Associated Press that Tequila was seeking $1.5 million in damages.

Merriman was arrested by sheriff's deputies on Sept. 6 after Tequila signed a citizen's arrest warrant accusing him of battery and false imprisonment at his suburban home. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis declined to charge Merriman.

Merriman told the AP in an e-mail that he hadn't seen a copy of the suit. The attorney for the three-time NFL Pro Bowl player didn't immediately return a call seeking comment on Tuesday.

Tequila, whose real name is Tila Ngyuen, alleges assault, battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She said that when she tried to leave his house, Merriman grabbed her by her arms. When she tried to break free, Merriman shook her like a rag doll, the suit said.

Merriman threw her onto a couch, hurting her neck, jaw and back, then choked her until she almost passed out, the suit alleges.

Tequila said in the lawsuit that Merriman had a short temper, used drugs and humiliated her because of her bisexuality.

The lawsuit includes two exhibits of photos, including photos purporting to show bruises on Tequila's arms and neck.

Merriman said after his arrest he was trying to keep Tequila from leaving his home because she appeared to be intoxicated and denied harming her.

Tequila is best known for "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila," which ran for two seasons on MTV. The bisexual dating show featured men and women vying for Tequila's affections. She has also modeled for Playboy and other men's magazines.

Brady is on cover of GQ's Men of the Year issue

A few odds and ends:

***Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports says that the worst call of the final 2:08 on Sunday was made by the head linesman, not Bill Belichick.

***Belichick's bumble reminds Michael Silver of a call made by Cincinnati's Sam Wyche in 1987.

***Jerome Bettis says Belichick's decision and the Pats' loss means that New England is no longer the bully in the rivalry with the Colts.

***Should the Patriots have let the Colts score right away, which would have left Tom Brady with 80 seconds to drive down the field? Advanced NFL Stats crunches the numbers.

***Finally, Tom Brady will be on the cover of GQ's annual Men of the Year issue. In the article, Tom reportedly talks family, football and fashion.

Report: Jets' Ryan breaks down in tears over loss to Jags

T-E-A-R-S! Tears! Tears! Tears!

I wonder what those clowns in the stands at the Meadowlands think of their boy Rex Ryan now?

In the wake of the Jets disastrous loss to Jacksonville on Sunday, Mark Cannizzaro of The New York Post reports that Ryan "delivered an impassioned speech to his players that was so emotionally charged it brought him to tears.''

If losing to the Jags made Rex cry, what kind of emotional shape is he going to be in after Sunday's game in Foxboro?

Titans owner fined $250,000 for obscene gesture at Bills fans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- NFL fines Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for making obscene gesture at Bills fans.

Adams apologized Monday for making an obscene gesture to Buffalo fans while celebrating Tennessee's victory over the Bills.

WTVF-TV reported Adams extended two middle fingers while in his luxury suite. The Tennessean newspaper reported Adams also was seen making the gesture again on the field after Sunday's game.

The 86-year-old Adams issued an apology a couple hours later apologizing for getting caught up in the excitement after the 41-17 victory.

"I do realize that those types of things shouldn't happen," Adams said in a statement. "I need to specifically apologize to the Bills, their fans, our fans and the NFL. I obviously have a great deal of respect for Ralph Wilson and the history we have shared. I also understand there will probably be league discipline for my actions and I will accept those."

Adams and Wilson are original owners from the American Football League, and Sunday's game was a legacy game with both teams wearing throwback uniforms. Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, and their teams share a history of emotional playoff games,including the Music City Miracle in January 2000.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was at the game Sunday after having breakfast with Adams.

The league said Monday that Goodell left Adams' suite at the end of the third quarter and spent the fourth quarter sitting with fans in the end zone before leaving the stadium.

Players have been fined for the NFL for making such a gesture. San Francisco kicker Joe Nedney was fined $7,500 in October 2007, and Michael Vick was fined $10,000 and donated $10,000 to charity in 2006 while playing in Atlanta.

"The league holds us as players to a higher standard, so to have an owner flip the bird not once but twice the league has to hold him to the same standard if not more," Bills safety George Wilson said Monday. "He's at the top of the heirarchy. If you don't hold him accountable, then you're questioning the integrity of the system."

Buffalo defensive tackle Marcus Stroud saw footage of Adams on TV but didn't care.

"He owns that team and Mr. Wilson owns our team. That's about the gist of it, as far as it goes with me. It's not like he can come down and strap up and put on any pads or anything like that. It doesn't bother me. If that's what he wants to do, go for it," Stroud said.

Two Words for Rodney Harrison

David Tyree.

Those are the two words.

David Tyree.

That's the name that will forever haunt the Patriots.

Pats fans had never heard of David Tyree before the final minutes of Super Bowl XLII. Now, his name will forever live in New England sports infamy.

The Patriots were a few ticks over two minutes away from making NFL history, from beating the New York Giants to complete a perfect, 19-0 season and win their fourth Super Bowl in seven years.

Tom Brady had just given the Pats the lead with a touchdown pass to Randy Moss and, following the kickoff, the Giants were 83 yards away from the end zone, needing a touchdown to win.

All the Patriots, with Harrison at safety, had to do was stop them.

They couldn't do it, in part because Tyree made a spectacular catch with Harrison hanging on him that kept the game-winning (for the Giants), season-spoiling (for the Patriots) drive alive.

Harrison -- considered by many to be the "dirtiest player in the league" -- wasn't rough and tough enough to prevent Tyree from hanging on to a ball that was perched precariously atop his helmet.

Those are things that haunt you.

It may have been one of the things that, at least subconsciously, influenced Bill Belichick's highly-controversial -- and spectacularly unsuccessful -- decision Sunday night to have Brady and the offense try to pick up a first down on 4th-and-2, rather than punting the ball away to Peyton Manning and the Colts.

"You have to trust and believe in your players," the outspoken Harrison, who's now a televison commentator, opined afterwards. "You cannot give Peyton Manning the opportunity on the 30-yard line to drive the ball and score a touchdown. This was the worst coaching decision I have ever seen Bill Belichick make."

It couldn't have turned out worse. But that doesn't mean it was a bad decision.

Harrison saw first-hand how Peyton's baby brother Eli, shredded the New England secondary in the waning minutes of Super Bowl XLII.

Harrison had to remember how, in the final two minutes of the 2006 AFC Championship Game at Indianapolis in 2006, Peyton Manning took the Colts 80 yards to the winning touchdown, erasing an 18-point, first-half deficit and capping the greatest comeback in a conference title game in NFL history.

And Harrison saw Sunday night how quickly and easily Manning moved the Colts downfield and into the end zone on a pair of 79-yard drives in the fourth quarter that got Indy back into a game that should have been over after the Patriots opened up a 31-14 lead early in the final period.

Belichick trusted Brady could pick up two yards in two downs. He believed Brady and the offense could pick up two yards on fourth down.

Belichick knew very well that, as Harrison said, he couldn't give the ball back to Peyton Manning.

If Belichick didn't trust his defense, didn't believe they could stop Indianapolis, then Harrison, of all people, ought to understand why.

In Rodney's case, two words should serve as a reminder: David Tyree.