A Season To Remember

Posted by Adam Hart December 29, 2008 at 1:19 am

A devastating injury in Week 1 of the NFL season — every football fan in New England would have told you that the Patriots stood no chance of making the playoffs. But did anyone listen? No. Read more

Another One Bites the Dust

Posted by Mike Giardi December 15, 2008 at 2:17 pm

The Patriots are not a great team. Heck, they might not even be a good team and yes, this is coming from the guy that had them pegged as a possible AFC rep in the Super Bowl. But I’m a sucker for this story. The amount of adversity they have overcome this season is bordering on the ridiculous. It happened again yesterday. They lose both Matt Light and Gary Guyton in the opening half, and neither returns. Just add them to an impressive list:

Tom Brady

Adalius Thomas

Rodney Harrison

Tedy Bruschi

Laurence Maroney

That’s a partial list of players on the IR, not including Pierre Woods, third-rounder Shawn Crable or Tank Williams. The Pats have also lost Lamont Jordan for 8 games, Stephen Neal 6, Lewis Sanders 5 and both Sammy Morris and Ty Warren for 3. Pretty heady list, and I question if anyone else in this league could go through that and still be thickly in the playoff hunt. But the Patriots are. That makes this season almost as rewarding and impressive as anything they’ve done in the Belichick era.

So will they be playing in January? Yeah. I think they run the table and get the help they need, be it in the division or with another Ravens loss. Can they do damage once there? Not unless Belichick can pull a Christmas Miracle with his defense. Those guys still can’t stop anybody, especially when it matters. But that’ll be the focus for another day. Today, I’m just enjoying what the Pats have done to get to this point.

Apparently, Boston is a sports town for video

Posted by Ted McEnroe December 11, 2008 at 3:25 pm

Our friends over at Boston.com - whom we feed a steady diet of video to supplement their own stuff - have just released their list of the Top 20 videos on Boston.com for 2008. And apparently people like to watch sports here. The top 4 videos are all sports-related. OK, a couple of them are *marginally* sports-related… but they are still all sports-related.

At the top of the heap - Bob Ryan’s hard-hitting investigation into Gino - whose dancing on the scoreboard at Celtics games is about the only reason not to beat the traffic when the C’s are rolling to another 30-point win.

Tom Brady takes #2 and #4 on the list - with his “We just have to regroup and come back stronger” (and accept the fact that we are now an NFL trivia answer) post-Super Bowl XLII news conference at #2, and the clip from TMZ that showed Tom, Gisele and his soft-casted foot in New York CIty after the AFC Championship game at #4.

At number 3 - another Celtics clip… a little victory parade action after championship number 17, as covered by the fine people at NECN.

And technically, the number 5 clip is sports-related, but I have a hard time accepting bodybuilding as a sport, especially when the bodybuilder in question is former Boston firefighter Albert Arroyo.

And where are the Red Sox? Well, Manny being Manny and all, they just barely made the list, with Dan Shaughnessy’s commentary on Manny (where he said the Sox were fed up with him and would do pretty much anything to dump him) coming in at number 20.

So, About Cassel…

Posted by Adam Hart November 24, 2008 at 5:35 pm

Anybody else remember the preseason? A time when Tom Brady took zero snaps and Matt Cassel made the talk radio lines burn up with anger. Oh, oh! And then remember when nobody wanted him to make the team. Yeah, we were wrong. Read more

Pats v Jets: A Retrospective

Posted by Adam Hart November 16, 2008 at 10:51 am

Looking back at the best game of the season, one painfully sarcastic comment at a time. Only because there is no game this Sunday and we need some New England football in our day. Read more

NFL Picks, Week 7

Posted by Mike Giardi October 18, 2008 at 12:33 pm

I apologize for my failure to post Week 6 picks. The only excuse is - as always - that I’m an idiot. Anyway, let’s get to this week’s selections…without further adieu.

Denver at New England (-3) - After watching Matt Cassel double clutch more than a 16-year old trying to get his learner’s permit, I can’t possibly pick the Pats in good conscience. And while I’m grumbling, wouldn’t it be nice for that defensive front 7 to make some plays? I’m just saying…Broncs, 24-14.

Indianapolis (-1) at Green Bay - Now Peyton Manning and Tom Brady can compare post-surgical knee infections. Good times. Colts, 27-21.

Dallas (no line) at St. Louis - Romo or no Romo, the Cowboys take care of Jim Haslett’s Rams. But I ask you this: how soon before T.O. starts griping about his contract or touches now that Roy Williams is on the other side? Over/under is set at three weeks. Cowboys, 21-17.

San Diego at Buffalo (-1) - The Chargers finally looked like a legit team last weekend. Of course, it came against the Patriots. Bills, 20-17.

Minnesota at Chicago (-3) - Kyle Orton’s actually had a couple of decent passing games. Could I have been wrong about him? Not a chance. The only thing worse than Orton in this game is the Vikes Gus Frerotte. Bears, 21-15.

Detroit at Houston (-9 1/2) - It will take the Lions at least three more years to get out of their Matt Millen-induced hell. Texans, 31-14.

New Orleans at Carolina (-3) - You know of my affinity for Drew Brees. It is well-documented. However, no one wins on the road in this division. That’s fact. Panthers, 28-24.

Tennessee (-8) at Kansas City - Larry Johnson is suspended. Tony Gonzalez is ripped that he didn’t get traded. Great job GM Carl Peterson and Head Coach Herm Edwards are doing there in Kansas City. (Editor’s note: “I’m Housin” the remix done by Rage Against the Machine, is tremendous.) Titans, 20-17.

Pittsburgh (-9 1/2) at Cincinnati - T.J. Housamazzilli (championship…) said Ryan Fitzpatrick could be a star in this league. Two weeks, and I’m not seeing it Housh. Steelers, 24-17.

Baltimore at Miami (-3) - I thought long and hard about taking the Ravens on the road. Then I remembered Joe Flacco is their starting QB. Fins, 17-16.

San Francisco at NY Giants (-10 1/2) - Think Plaxico Burress smiled when his teammates got bombed in Cleveland the other night? What a jerk. By the way, Ellis Hobbs agrees with my assessment. Giants, 45-21.

Cleveland at Washington (-7 1/2) - I teared up when the Browns won one for Romeo. Do I smell a Cleveland resurgence? Nope. Redskins, 27-23.

Seattle at Tampa Bay (-10 1/2) - This game gets you excited, doesn’t it? The intrigue grows even more now that Seneca Wallace will start at QB for the Hags. He was great at Iowa State. Bucs, 21-14.

Are Pats Terrific Without Tom?

Posted by Mike Giardi September 7, 2008 at 10:41 pm

A huge blow to the Patriots title hopes today with news that Tom Brady has suffered a severe injury to his left knee. Several outlets reporting that Tom Terrific has torn his ACL, which means his season is - barring a miracle - over.

As I was driving home from the game, still not sure what the news would be regarding Brady, I was thinking how lucky we’ve been to witness his rise from 6th rounder with an outside shot of making the team to a 3-time Super Bowl-winning QB and reigning NFL MVP. I can’t think of any athlete that I’ve covered that I have enjoyed watching more. He makes good teams great, and great teams special. There are few you can say that about.

His absence was noticeable today, as you would expect, and I’m saying that while acknowledging that Matt Cassel wasn’t all that bad. But I tell you where I notice the biggest difference: accuracy. Brady puts the ball in the right spot consistently; Cassel, despite hitting 13-of-18, doesn’t.

After that 98-yard drive for a score, the Pats had two poor offensive possessions and Cassel takes a lion’s share of the blame. He missed David Thomas on a crossing route on the first of these series, instead choosing to go deep down the sidelines to Randy Moss. Two problems with that. One, Moss was doubled. Two, he threw the ball toward the middle of the field, helping bring the safety that much more into play.

On the following set, Cassel should have been picked off by Patrick Surtain. The 4th year signal caller had locked on to his receiver (memory fails me on who it was) and Surtain just baited him, pretending to play off before jumping the route. It clanged off his hands, which was a lucky break but one that will get scrutinized in films. Finally, in the second half, Cassel could have hooked up with Wes Welker on a touchdown, but instead of throwing the ball toward the sidelines, he threw the ball back to the inside. That negated the step Welker had in single coverage. In fact, the closest to catching that ball was the DB, not Wes. Obviously, Cassel will have to make better throws, or the Pats highly skilled outside threats will be negated by his inability to get them the ball. Just another reason to miss Number 12.

Light, Brady present at practice

Posted by Reiss' Pieces August 25, 2008 at 1:56 pm

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots are holding their afternoon practice on the lower field behind Gillette Stadium, and one of the first things that stood out was left tackle Matt Light's return to on-field workouts.

Light has not been seen at a non-walkthrough practice since the opening week of training camp. The offensive line, which has been hit with a string of injuries, has been one of the team's most pressing issues.

Quarterback Tom Brady, who is nursing a sore right foot, is also present for this practice, which is being held in shorts and light shoulder pads (shells).

Media Movement All Over The Place

Posted by Bruce August 15, 2008 at 8:30 am

Last night we learned about the changes at the Globe, which included Tony Massarotti moving over from the Herald, and Chad Finn earning himself a sweet promotion.

This morning, David Scott has more on the move, but also reports on new hires at weei.com, which include Jeff Goodman, Alex Speier and wait for it…Ron Borges.

Ron Borges? 

Seriously? Ken Powers wasn’t available? Mike Barnicle turned them down? Patricia Smith wasn’t interested?

My interest and enthusiasm in their new venture just sunk considerably. They were doing things right all the way up until that point. Michael Felger, Rob Bradford, Goodman and Speier are all relatively young guys who understand how things work in the new age of sportswriting. For the most part they have a fresh perspective on things, and don’t stir up stuff just to get noticed (well, except for Felger.)

Borges throws all that out the window. The quotes from Dennis and Callahan in Scott’s piece are just nauseating. Yeah, I’m sure Bill Belichick is shaking in his shoes at the thought of Borges back in Foxboro. That’s provided of course that he knows how to get there. He hasn’t been seen down there in a long time, even before his (wink wink) retirement from the Globe.

I had high hopes for this new weei.com. Borges just about kills it for me. You hire him, you lose your credibility. Simple as that.

Bad move, guys.

——————————
The Red Sox hitters are surely sorry to see the Texas Rangers pitchers leave town. Boston finished off the sweep of the Rangers with a 10-0 victory at Fenway Park last night. The Red Sox scored 37 runs in 3 games off the Rangers…

Globe beat reporter Amalie Benjamin has the game story. Jeff Horrigan has the Red Sox continuing their hot hitting since the Manny Ramirez trade. Paul Kenyon has the Red Sox finishing off their roundup of the Rangers. Jeff Goldberg has Daisuke Matsuzaka once again letting the runners on, and once again not letting them score. Bob Stern has the Red Sox pounding the Rangers one more time. Garry Brown has more on the demolition at Fenway. Phil O’Neill has another big inning leading the way for Boston.

Tony Massarotti has David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis proving to be a formidable 3-3 combination. Barbara Matson has Ortiz especially sorry to see the Rangers go. Ortiz has regain his power stroke in this series, and even enjoyed an early departure last night. Still, I can’t help but remember the reaction from the media when Pedro Martinez left the ballpark early after a start. I’ve got absolutely no problem with Ortiz (or Pedro) going home early, but it’s interesting to note the difference in reaction. Steven Krasner analyzes the lack of success by the Rangers pitching in this series. Massarotti says that the Blue Jays will provide a much stiffer test for the Boston bats.

Marty Dobrow has a minor league notebook in the Globe, and examines a rash of oblique strains in the Red Sox organization. Rich Thompson’s minor league notebook has Bartolo Colon on the road back to the majors.

Benjamin’s notebook has Jon Lester trying to help out Clay Buchholz. Horrigan’s notebook has Dice-K once again walking a tightrope last night. The ProJo notebook has more on Matsuzaka. Goldberg’s notebook says that Kevin Youkilis is making a case for league MVP. Brown’s notebook has Paul Byrd getting ready for his first Red Sox start tonight. O’Neill’s notebook also makes the case for Youkilis as AL MVP.

Patriots

Over on Patriots Daily, Scott Benson examines whether the Patriots can or will carry five running backs on their roster.

Christopher L. Gasper has a look at the Patriots signing of veteran safety John Lynch. Christopher Price has more on the Lynch signing. Carolyn Thornton says that Lynch could end up being a big presence in the Patriots secondary. Eric McHugh thinks Lynch should fit well here. Jennifer Toland writes that Lynch could fill the void left by Tank Williams being placed on IR. Mark Farinella looks at this year’s carbon-dated addition to the Patriots roster.

Karen Guregian says that adding Dom Capers to the coaching staff might be the best move the Patriots made in the offseason. Thornton has rookie QB Kevin O’Connell doing all he can to learn from Tom Brady. Guregian has more on the rookie learning how to play the position in his first NFL camp. Farinella has a look at Kenny Smith, who gets a feature written about him for the second day in a row. Thompson has punter Chris Hanson secure in his role with the team.

Price tells us what to watch for during Sunday night’s game. Ian M. Clark has a Ruud family reunion on tap for Sunday night. Mike McMahon looks at former Boston Patriot Daryl Johnson going into the Morgan State Hall of Fame.

Gasper’s notebook has Jason Webster getting close to returning to action for the Patriots. Guregian’s notebook has more on the signing of Lynch. Toland’s notebook has Dean Pees talking about some of his young players on defense. McHugh’s notebook examines the impact on he safety depth chart that the Lynch signing will have.

Misc

Steve Bulpett and Marc J. Spears report on the Celtics signing first round pick J.R. Giddens.

Spears also has the United States’ men’s basketball team taking care of business with Greece yesterday.

Mark Blaudschun has a media column on NBC Sports reporter Bob Neumeier. Neumy mentions that WEEI wasn’t “fair” in their contract offer to him, which is why he left his show with Dale Arnold.  

Brady Not Like You or I

Posted by Mike Giardi August 11, 2008 at 3:04 pm

The Patriots did very little in their morning walkthrough. They started working on special teams, then did some 11-on-11 work, followed by 7-on-7’s. Tom Brady was present at practice, but I’m pretty certain he didn’t throw one pass, at least not like you see on Sundays.

Rather, Tom Terrific threw everything underhanded. And let me tell you this, he was spot on. That’s why he’s Tom Brady and the rest of us aren’t (unless you’ve stolen his ID, named you first-born after him or came from a traditional Irish family).

Richard Seymour drew quite a media swarm after the session, and you can tell that’s he’s feeling so much better about his health, especially in light of his fairly impressive performance in Thursday’s preseason opener.

“Just being able to run around on the field and not have any concerns about limping or gimping or something like that. it was just fun to run around and feel young.”

 Head Coach Bill Belichick agrees that Seymour is building on a terrific offseason.

“He’s way ahead of where he was last year…he’s done well. Its good to have him out here.”

Third-year linebacker Pierre Woods also drew both cameras and writers alike. Woods got a load of reps versus the Ravens, and, like the collection of younger linebackers, seemed to acquit himself quite well. It helps that the Michigan product has a firmer grasp on the playbook. Still, he’s not getting cocky. I asked him how difficult is it to pick up this defense? His response: “My first year, my head was spinning. Second year, head was spinning. Third year, head is still spinning. It doesn’t stop. Its always something new.”

Guess that explains the mindset for Jerod Mayo and Shawn Crable, among others. Now you may have noticed, after Crable recorded that first-half interception Thursday, that Woods damn near killed him. But apparently, the rookie should have considered the source and known that hit was coming.

“He know how it is. When we was in school, I was always energetic. When he makes a play, when anybody makes a play, I’m happy for ‘em…hopefully I don’t hurt him or nothing like that.”

Crable was out at practice today, so it’s safe to say that he’s alright. But next time he may want to be more careful…

Finally, the Pats flipped tackles at today’s workout. Wesley Britt was over on the left side and Nick Kaczur was back on the right. The inside trio, from left to right, remained the same: Mankins, Koppen and Billy Yates. Matt Light was at the walkthrough, but didn’t participate.

 

 

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