Actually, don't hold the Mayo...bring it on.

Kudo's the Pats rookie Jerod Mayo for snatching the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Mayo is a speedy, heady and hard-working linebacker who made a ton of tackles this year. His impact was evident. The kid is going to be the new Tedy Bruschi. Mark my words.



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Keep Matt and release Tom?

Considering the fact that Matt Cassel is healthy and Tom Brady is supposedly not healing as he should be from a knee injury, do the Pats sign Cassel and release Brady?

Statistically, Cassel had Tom Brady type year. He's five years younger. He's quicker outside of the pocket. He's physically bigger and at times has appeared to be tougher than Brady on QB scrambles (do you think Brady would have gotten the first down on that fourth down play yesterday?).

Oh man, this off season is going to be an interesting one. Read more!

Year of what ifs

11-5 doesn't get you into the playoffs so I ask:

- what the hell is up with the play calling of the Jets?

- will Brady be able to return in 2009?

- are the d|Dolphins legit?

- why couldn't the Jags step up?

- is Scott Peoli headed elsewhere?

- what is to happen of young Matt Cassell?

- has the tide turned in NE sports where it is now all about the Bs and Cs?

I am boycotting the NFL playoffs.

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How Irony Plays A Role In Professional Sports

Irony plays out in professional sports. Take these few nuggets from today's NFL story lines:

- Wideout Randy Moss needs just 11 yards receiving to pass Buffalo legend Andre Reed for ninth place on the NFL's all-time list. Moss enters today's game with 13,188. The Pats face Buffalo today in a must-win game.

- When do you ever remember Patriots Nation rooting for the J E T S Jets Jets Jets?

- Chad Pennington can kill two birds with one stone today by beating the team that dumped him for an aging QB and at the same time, stomp out the playoff dreams of all Patriots fans.

- The 2008 Lions could make history today...by going 0-16. No team has ever been THIS bad and could be forever enshrining in the Hall of Fame in Canton for being the football equivalent of the Bad News Bears.

So stay tuned today folks. Lots of story lines to follow today. Who will win? Who will capture the AFC East? Who will get their redemption? Will a losing team get a win? Will Matt Cassell extend the longest job interview in employment history? Read more!

I never understood why...

...fans have the urge to rush on to a field, whether it be baseball or football.

Did you hear what happened to Junior Seau yesterday?

Talk about crazy.

However, when the do rush the field, it makes for great YouTube content.

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Two sports articles worth a read this morning

As you're sitting around your house, apartment or condo this morning watching the fresh white flakes hit the ground on the sidewalk outside, give the following two articles a read, especially if you're a Boston sports fan.

These are two pieces of two sports figures in Boston - one current and one former - that show the human side of sports.

There stands Paul Pierce. The Celtics forward, once the seeming embodiment of what Jordan sneeringly called "New Jack players"—underachieving and self-involved, persona non grata with the national team after leading it to its implosion in 2002, bearer of a contract that will pay him $18,077,903 this season—is hunched over. He's a wreck. Havlicek hands him the trophy, and Pierce dips his head onto the legend's right shoulder. Pierce lifts his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, and it suddenly becomes clear that we're witnessing a rare moment in modern sports: not market-tested, not spun, close to pure.

Read the rest here from SI.

Shifty receiver Deion Branch has made moves far better than this one. So have his Seahawks.

The former Super Bowl MVP held out of the New England Patriots [team stats]’ minicamp in June 2006, then all of training camp. He racked up almost $600,000 in fines from the team until his forced trade to Seattle in early September of that year.

Read the rest about Deon here. Read more!

What's wrong with the Patriots

Ok, now that the Pats are on the verge of not making the playoffs (I'm still hoping they will pull it off), I think I need to address what I think is wrong with the team. It really comes down to two things...

...giving up big third down plays and turn overs.

If you look at the games that they have lost, specifically the Miami and Pittsburgh, you'll see how those two reasons added up to marks in the L column vs. W column.

Check out Mike Reiss' outline of one of the big runs the Steelers had on the Pats on soggy Sunday:



It's amazing how small one on one battles impact a game. As Mike puts it, the Pats lost too many one on one battles and ended up losing the war - the same way they did against the Colts, Jets, Miami and the Chargers.

The Pats need to get younger on defense. They need speed and strength. However, they need heady players like Jerrod Mayo. Strength is one thing, but strength in the head is just as important.

Deep down I know that this isn't the Pat's year. They need to retool on defense and aren't going to do it by signing previously retired players.
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Pats vs Colts, Cover It Live

Pretty cool post over at Reiss' Pieces about the Cover It Live service which Globe reporters will be using during Sunday nights game:

Hoping to enhance the user experience, Boston.com will experiment with a different form of live blogging during Sunday night's Patriots vs. Colts battle in Indianapolis. The format, pioneered by a company called Cover It Live, allows our football writers to better interact with readers during the game, while disseminating information faster given its instant-messenger like format.

Pretty cool if you're a football but and are into the whole social media thing. Read more!

Report: Morris to miss 2-3 weeks

Seems as if the Pats are going to be REALLY thin in the running back position for a couple more weeks. Great.

Report: Morris to miss 2-3 weeks:

Writing on NFL.com. Adam Schefter reports that according to a league source, running back Sammy Morris, who suffered a knee injury Monday night against Denver, is expected to be sidelined 2-3 weeks.

According to Schefter, running back LaMont Jordan also aggravated his calf injury Wednesday and is unlikely to play Sunday for the third straight week.

That means the Pats will face the St. Louis Rams Sunday with just three healthy backs in Kevin Faulk, Heath Evans and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

(Via The Point After).

Great. Just great. Read more!

Someone Take Al Davis Out To Pasture Please

You have got to be kidding me. Al Davis needs to do the world a favor and put a bullet in his head. Take him out to pasture. He's done.

From the Boston Herald:

In a gathering following the press conference in which he fired his head coach Lane Kiffin, Raiders owner Al Davis accused the Patriots of tampering with regard to Randy Moss, who they acquired in a trade from Oakland during draft day last season.

Davis started by answering a question as to why the team would part with the receiver, claiming Kiffin didn’t want Moss.

Rambled Davis: ’What’s his name knew he could run, he’s a friend of Belichick’s. Mike Lombardi. Mike sold what’s his name, Belichick, on the idea that he could run. They tampered with him. I remember Bob Kraft saying that he had to look him in the eye and all that. They went down and worked him out, he could run. He’s their team, of course, with the quarterback."

(Via The Point After.)

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Can we just leave 18-1 alone please?

Check out this Letterman/Chris Rock interview. Go to about :47 in the piece where he's talking about Hilary losing to Obama, just like the Pats lost the Giants.

Ouch. Thanks Chris. I appreciate revisiting what amounts to be a kick in the groin.

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Patriots hangover cure: Sox playoff berth

Nothing better than a playoff berth to take care of a Cassel hangover.

Just when the we were all about to jump off the Tobin Bridge because of the Sons of Bill and their butt-whooping loss to the Fins, the Sox reel us all back in with hopes of back to back World Series parades.

And oh yea, the Sox are retiring Johnny Pesky's number. The guy is a class act. Nice to see him get the recognition. The guy is a Sox fixture in the same lore as the Green Monstah. Read more!

Joey Porter: shut your pie hole and man-up

Tired of players like Joey Porter mouthing off. Just shut up and play the game.

Doesn't he understand that when he mouths off, he's basically speaking for the entire organization? Just shut your pie hole Joseph and man-up. Read more!

#80 on the field, #1 in your hearts

Seems as if Troy Brown, one of the most loved Pats in recent years, will be retiring finally. The guy was an incredible asset for us and contributed to the rise of the dynasty. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the game Troy. Can't wait to see you on TV, analyzing your peers.

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Theo, Hot Coffee and Colored Leaves

Fall, by far, is my most favorite time of year. The weather gets crisp. Baseball steams ahead towards the playoffs. Football is just getting underway. And all eyes are on New England as the leaves on the tree turn various shades of orange, red and yellow.

Today is one of those "it feels like fall days." Specifically, here's why:

Red Sox are in the hunt for a playoff run. They are one game out of first and have trailed the DRays most of the year. They had the opportunity last night, but just couldn't muster up one more run. Also, looks like Theo is going to get a raise. Good for him. The guy has been the mastermind behind all the moves the Red Sox have made since the 2004 season and his hard work has paid off in the form of two championship parades (and being in position to possibly go back to back this year).

I was feeling some hot coffee this morning so headed to D&D. I'm not a Starbucks kind of guy. I find the menu to be too intimidating. I can't pronounce venti without it sounding like something I caught while waiting in the doctors office. I typically would get an iced coffee, but because of the crispness in the air, I decided to go with hot. Good call on my part I think. It hit the spot. I hardly drink hot coffee when the weather is warm so by ordering a hot coffee today, I think we're moving into long pant weather vs. cargo shorts and T's.

I have a couple trees on my property and I can already see the transformation in color. It's not a ton of color change, but I can see on the fringe of some leaves that the process is starting.

Next thing you know, we'll be shoveling out cars from underneath two feet of snow. That's ok though, because at that point, we'll have already celebrated the Sox back to back championships, will be watching the Pats and the Sons of Cassel int he playoffs, hoisting banner #17 to the rafters (reference to the Celtics championship just in case any of you were sleeping at the wheel), and hoping that the Bruins step their game up and get with the Title Town program. Read more!

Pats vs. Jets: The Cassel Era Begins

So the Patriots beat the Jets today in what was the start of the Matt Cassel era or the let's see if the world will end because Tom Brady won't play in 2008 season.

Well, the first challenge has been met. Brett and Co. go down in flames. The defense and special teams was a big part of the win just as much as Cassel's handling of the offense was. It wasn't pretty, but they got the win.

Here are my take-a-ways and concerns after game two:

- Cassel does look good at the helm. He looks better at the shotgun, i.e. the 2001 offense. When he does his drop step offense, that's when I would see a huge defensive push.

- I noticed a couple sideline shots of Moss and it looked like was kind of peeved that he didn't get more balls. He was open on a few occasions and Cassel missed him. However, there was one play in the 3rd quarter where Moss blew by the corner and was wide open. Cassel threw to him but it was slight under thrown. Moss bounced the ball off his chest, incomplete. Brady would have thrown that in stride and it would have been six.

- For all the trash talk about our D, they are looking pretty good. They played smart D today and stayed within their scheme and kept the scrambling Farve at bay. Seymour looks great and Adalius Thomas also looks beasty.

- The one concern I take away from the game is the offensive line and their blitz protection. Too many times Matty boy was rushed, sacked or knocked around when the Sons of Mangini would throw more than the front three at the Pats big boy's O-Line.

Overall, I'll grade the offense with a B+ (because we got the win, but blitz protection was weak), special teams an A+ (no returns, field goals good, etc.) defense an A- (the jets were able to run the ball when they wanted to), and overall A- (we got the win, but there are a number of things that will need to be worked on.

My thinking is that the Pats will still make the playoffs, looking at a 12-4 or 13-3 record. The team we have to worry about in the AFC East is the Bills. They are also 2-0 and are winning convincingly.

Up next: Miami. Read more!

Thoughts on Tom Brady and "the injury"

I was at the game on Sunday and gasped with 60,000 other Pats fans when Brady was on the turf and wasn't getting up. Seeing him hobble off and not return for the rest of the game was a concern and I knew that he would be out maybe a week or two. Little did we know that the injury was far worse. You see, while at the game, you don't have the luxury of multiple replays so we couldn't tell what happened.

Now that I've seen it over and over again, I'm not going to get into whether or not it was a cheap hit. Simply put, injuries are part of the game. It's up to the coach to field a 53-man roster that is solid from top to bottom. Players have to play. Coaches have to coach. It's as simple as that. The team that executes the best wins.

With all that said, let me revisit my Patriots prediction now that the injury has happened.

I still think the Pats are a playoff team. They have a fairly weak schedule that looks a lot stronger now that Brady is not at the helm. Every team will look tougher because they are going to smell blood in the water and look to kick the Pats when they are down. With all that said, however, Cassel was trained within this offensive scheme. He's not a rookie by years in the leagues sake, but is an untested QB that has only thrown a handful of regular season passes. It's going to come down to his confidence and offensive plays that he feels comfortable with. Additionally, the team has to support Cassel just like the team did with Brady took over for Drew back in 2001. Confidence breeds winning.

People must not forget that the Pats strive off of being the underdog. They feed off being considered down and out. They rise above all the BS and somehow, someway, just win.

My confidence in the team under Cassel is very similar to what it was when Brady took over. I knew that we had a good team and that this young kid just needed a shot. Now, I'm not saying that Cassel is Brady, but as a fan, it's my job to have faith in the team, have faith in the coaching staff and have faith in the guys that line-up every week.

So what that said, I welcome the Matt Cassel era with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. At the same time however, I welcome in the Cassel era with a slight chip on my shoulder thinking that this is a great opportunity for the team to really shut everyone up, especially all the morons that were happy to see the league's MVP go down.

Go Pats. Read more!

Patriots 2008 Season Prediction

We are nearly 24 hours away from the 2008 Patriots season opener. As a near-season ticket holder (I don't have seasons, but I pretty much go to all the games because of family connections, other sources, etc.) I'm very much looking forward to the 2008 redemption season. I don't have dreams of them going undefeated during the regular season (though it would be nice to finish up what they were supposed to do last year). I do, however, have dreams of them winning a superbowl. Here's what I think the Pats will do this season:

Chiefs - win
Jets - win
Dolphins - win
Bye
49ers - win
Chargers - loss
Broncos - win
Rams - win
Colts - win
Bills - win
Jets - loss (Favre shocker)
Dolphins - win
Steelers - win
Seahawks - win
Raiders - win
Cardinals - win
Bills - win

Divisional Playoffs - Jags - win
AFC Championship - Charges - win
Superbowl - Dallas - Win
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Sports on the mind this morning

I haven't done one of my all-sports round-ups in a while and the fact that I'll be headed to Fenway tonight for my first Sox/Yankees games in a long time, I'd figured I would pump one out now. So here goes.

Celtics
I was very disappointed to see Posey leave and go to the Hornets. He was a big part of the championship. What I find interesting though was the spin the team put on the Tony Allen signing. The PR machine for the Celtics are saying that Tony is going to have a break-out year. He's 100% healthy, he started to turn the corner at the end of last year, etc. Not sure about all that, but we'll see. Once you have a knee injury, you never really fully recover. I think the team will be overall improved from last year believe it or not. I say this because of the free agent signings they've had as well as this draft class. Repeat? Looking pretty good.

Patriots
See the story in the Globe the other day about Tom Brady basically taking it easy during this training camp? I guess the golden boy can do no wrong. He's his own PR machine.

In terms of the team itself, I think the Pats could possibly run the table again. Have you seen their schedule? The toughest games on the docket are the Colts and Chargers on the road, both teams we've beaten on the road in previous years. They've also signed a number of key defensive players and recently a journeyman running back that just might turn some heads this season. And oh yea, don't forget about Sammy Morris who was on a tear at the start of last year, but was injured. I don't want to be too aggressive, but I really think that this team is much better than last year's team overall. The biggest reason is because of the improvements the team has made on defense. Also, don't overlook the fact that Dom Capers will be helping out the D-backs this year. The guy is a defensive wizard.

My Prediction: 17-2 (yes, that's a Superbowl victory with two regular season losses)

Bruins
Don't fall over and kick the bucket because I'm writing about the Bruins. I've been following their off season moves and have been somewhat impressed. The biggest news in this department I think is the parting of ways with Glen Murray. I'm a big Murray fan. He's a gamer. He's a proven scorer but has had a rough go at it over the last couple of years. The brass decided to buy him out and the GM explains it here. I'm not in agreement with him, but I do agree that the team needs to flow with this new direction and really purge all the old-school type Bruins players. Let's get new talent in here. Get the young kids flying around and bring back some of the rough and tumble style of hockey that win's championships. I'd love to see how the city would react to a surging Bruins team in the playoffs. The bandwagon would get really stuffy quick. (See the Celtics championship this year).

And oh, did you see that the Bruins have the "Ice Girls" now? Are you serious? Talk about a marketing tactic.

Red Sox
We are now at the part of the season where all games count (yea, I know that they ALL count), but is when people start paying attention because it's the only game in town (the Pats will soon take care of that thankfully). With the Sox two games behind the DRays for 1st in the division and the Skankees right on our heels, Red Sox Nation is starting to panic. We've lost two out of three to the Sons of Steinbrenner over this weekend and come into tonight's game with the fear of getting swept (I'm subsequently going to tonight's game and will post something after this as to where my seats are).

We're also dealing with yet another Manny situation. He's been in the habit of taking himself out of the line-up over the past couple weeks and his teammates are getting tired of answering questions about him and his antics. See the Dustin Pedroira comment when asked about Manny. That's (and other similar comments by the team) is a tell tale sign that they are tired of his crap. Will the Sox make an effort to keep Manny? Is it worth all the hassle? From a offense perspective it is. I would suggest that the team think about trading him at the deadline to get a truck full of players with talent. Who's not going to entertain trade talks with Manny being involved? Just trade him to the National League please. I don't want him in pinstripes of he becomes a free agent. You just KNOW he'd love to play in NY and come back to Fenway and absolutely murder us. He's that type of player or should I say, he's that type of Clemens. See him chatting with PayRod yesterday? Here's a gist of their conversation:

PayRod: "Hey man, keep doing what you're doing. Get your numbers. Then get paid."

Manny: "I hear ya man."

PayRod: "Then you come to the Yankees. You'll be closer to where you grew up. You'll love it here. Yea, the media is just as bad as it is here in Boston, but because there is so much other stuff going on in the city, you sort of get lost in it. You only get into the problems if you start cheating on your wife and especially if you're shagging a global music icon who's nearing retirement more so than the glamor runway. But, hey man, it's all good."

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Ben "Winter" Coates elected into Pats HOF

Nice to see big Ben Coates get elected into the Pats Hall of Fame. He was a beast on the field and a fan favorite.

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