Patriots-Dolphins Preview
Miami’s Ronnie Brown returns to face an old foe this Sunday as the New England Patriots go up against the Miami Dolphins in a Week 9 AFC East showdown, but the Fins have more to prove this year than last, when they unveiled their powerhouse of a wildcat play against the Patriots and came out with a 38-13 win. This year, the Patriots will not be surprised by the crafty play, and with Tom Brady back at the helm this Pats-Dolphins showdown is sure to be an entirely matchup than last year’s.
Brown, a Miami running back who helped the Fins unleash the wildcat last season, is looking to put a dent into New England’s armor again this weekend, but do the Dolphins have what it takes to keep it fresh and beat the 5-2 Patriots? The wildcat is no secret anymore, but of Sunday’s game, Brown said, “It’s not about New England versus the wildcat. It’s about the Miami Dolphins versus the New England Patriots and how we can get a win. Whatever it takes - running the ball, throwing the ball, however we get a win, I don’t care.”
So the wildcat won’t be the dominant factor in Sunday’s Pats-Fins matchup, but it is still a significant feature of Miami’s offense, and the Patriots will once again go up against it this weekend as they strive for another win.
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Thomas Confronts Strike Talk
Rumors are swirling right now about a possible postseason strike in the NFL, and that’s been all the buzz this week as the football realm - and, of course, the media - try to sort things out. Talk of a union strike has come up as the result of the NFLPA’s failed attempt to hash out negotiations over a new labor deal at the start of the uncapped year in March 2010, and this so-called strike would likely happen at the end of the ‘09 regular season, when most teams would normally be looking at the playoffs.
While the strike is pretty unlikely to happen, New England Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas had some words to say about the strike rumor being, well, a rumor. “To be blunt, it’s a flat-out, bald-faced, capital-letters lie,” Thomas told Yahoo! Sports. “We’re not the ones who are interested in not playing. We want to play. We’re not going on strike.” The linebacker continued with his tongue-lashing talking about the strike and its supposed action around playoffs, saying, “That’s when, as a player, you want to play the most. You want to go to the Super Bowl and you have four weeks to get there. You think we want to stop that? That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard.”
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Patriots Look for Depth at Running Back
The New England Patriots keep improving as the regular season of the NFL wears on, but a number of injuries have begun to slowly seep into the cracks of the team’s stellar season - especially on the team’s offense. The position in question now is at running back, as Sammy Morris has been out with a knee injury and Fred Taylor’s ankle surgery leaves the Patriots dipping into their reserve. Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis have stepped up in the position recently, but are these three players enough to get the job done?
Apparently not, as the Patriots have spent the week working out a number of running backs including Maurice Hicks, Marcus Mason and Thomas Brown, but perhaps there’s another available back that the team hasn’t looked seriously into yet: Edgerrin James. The former Indianapolis Colt was recently cut by the Seattle Seahawks for being too expensive and not explosive enough to make a difference in the team this season, but perhaps Edge could find a home in New England soon. James has the potential to do some great things rushing for the New England Patriots should he get the chance to bring his running game into New England, but is he still too expensive for the Patriots to pick up and does his age (31) play a factor in his worth? We’ll soon see how it all plays out!
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Injury Strikes Pats’ Defensive Line
There’s a good chance that there might be a hole in the Patriots’ defensive line this weekend, as it’s been confirmed that eight-year defensive end Jarvis Green had to have knee surgery last week following New England’s game against Tampa Bay in London. The Pats have largely stayed mum on Green’s injury, only confirming that the DE did indeed go under the knife during New England’s bye week.
While the extent of his injury is yet unknown, Jarvis Green will most certainly miss this week’s game against the Miami Dolphins. This might not be a devastating development for the Patriots, but it might affect the team should Green miss the Pats’ Nov. 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Green is expected to be replaced by five-year veteran Mike Wright while in recovery, and rookie Ron Brace could be activated in Green’s absence, as well. As far as a game plan, Wright recently said, “It’s tough to lose any player on the defense. We’re going to let Jarvis handle his business and we’re going to take care of what we can on the field.” Watch for the Patriots to take care of business this weekend as they play the 3-4 Miami Dolphins at home this Sunday.
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A Look at the AFC East after Week 8
The New England Patriots had the chance to watch some of the division’s other teams play yesterday as the Pats took the week off with a bye, and they were probably pleased with what they saw around the AFC East during Week 8 action. Even with a bye week, the Patriots were able to pull away from the pack around their division thanks to a battle between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins improved their record to 3-4 by beating the Jets 30-25, and the Buffalo Bills came to a 3-5 record after falling to the Houston Texans 31-10. This makes New England’s 5-2 record good enough for first place in the AFC East, and the Patriots hope to keep that spot on the top of the division as they go into the second half of the regular season.
Next week, the Patriots continue their quest to rule the AFC East when they take on the Miami Dolphins at home, but Tom Brady and Co. should be rested enough by next weekend to take Week 9 easily before gearing up to go against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts in Week 10, when they’ll travel to Indy’s Lucas Oil Stadium.
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Spotlight: Vince Wilfork
When analyzing the New England Patriots’ defense, one of the first players always mentioned is the hulking Vince Wilfork, a 6-foot-2, 325-pound defensive tackle who has been doing great things for the Patriots ever since he was drafted into the league as a first-round pick out of Miami in 2004. Wilfork is in the last year of his contract and has yet to sign another with the Patriots, but judging from his absolute value to the New England defense, he’s about to land a lucrative deal with the team he’s been a part of for his whole pro football career.
At 28 years old, the next contract Wilfork signs will perhaps be the most important of his career, as it will likely be the one he sees at the apex of his career. Known as one of the best nose tackles in the NFL, Vince Wilfork is a hot commodity on the football scene, but even with all the pressure mounting to strike a deal, Wilfork says he’s just taking things one day at a time. “The final year of my contract is this year. Whatever happens, happens after that,” he recently said. “I’ll move forward. That’s one thing I can say. I will move forward, but for right now, that’s the last thing on my mind - contract talk and all that. That’s what I pay my agent for. If he has a problem, he has my number. I just try to focus on doing my job and how we can get better as a team. That’s basically my mind frame as of now.”
Wilfork, who initially signed a six-year contract worth $18 million in 2004, has shown the Patriots he wants to stay with the team but isn’t willing to mess around for long when it comes to his contract. He has been clear on that, even sitting out of New England’s voluntary OTAs this spring. What will come next in his story? We’re certain he’ll be a Patriot after all is said and done, but stay tuned to find out!
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Brady Named AFC Offensive Player of the Month
Just a day after New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather was announced the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his on-field contributions in last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium, another Patriot has also been given an award of a similar caliber. That player is Tom Brady, who has just been announced the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
This is the third time Brady has won the award, having taken the honors of AFC Offensive Player of the Month in both September and October of 2007. This award for Brady comes after the all-star quarterback had a record-breaking game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6 of regular season play, posting five touchdown passes en route to the Patriots’ 59-0 win. Those five TD passes have helped Brady accumulate 12 touchdown passes on the season, which puts him in first place for passes in the AFC and second overall in the NFL. Brady has also been setting other records for the Patriots, having last week thrown his 26th 300-yard game, which ties Drew Bledsoe’s record for the most 300-yard games in franchise history.
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Meriweather is AFC Defensive Player of the Week
Following last weekend’s 35-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New England Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. The safety helped the Patriots’ defense hold the Bucs to just seven points in last week’s game at Wembley Stadium, and he deserves credit for snatching two interceptions in the first six minutes of playtime. Meriweather returned the first interception 39 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Brandon Meriweather’s distinction as this week’s AFC Defensive Player of the Week (for Week 7) makes him the first defensive player on New England’s roster to take home the award since Asante Samuel did so in Week 12 of the 2007 season. His Player of the Week honor also marks the Patriots’ third AFC Player of the Week award this season, as Tom Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in both Week 1 and Week 6 of play this year. Brandon Meriweather more than proved his worth during last week’s Patriots-Bucs game, and he’ll most certainly be appreciating the bye week the Patriots are coming into for Week 8.
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Patriots Prepare for Tough November Schedule
The New England Patriots had no trouble beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend at London’s Wembley Stadium, but what will November bring for this 5-2 AFC East team? Looking at the Patriots’ schedule for the next several weeks, it looks like November will be significantly tougher for New England than October has been. This month, the Patriots have improved their record by beating the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Bucs, falling only to the Denver Broncos. Next month, however, the Patriots face two still-undefeated teams: the Indianapolis Colts (Nov. 15) and New Orleans Saints (Nov. 30).
The Patriots also play the Miami Dolphins (Nov. 
and New York Jets (Nov. 22) in November, but it’s the Saints and Colts that the team has to be ready for. New England’s longtime rivalry with Indianapolis is sure to get even hotter this year as the Pats and Colts square off at Indy’s Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Pats are also on the road when they play the Saints in New Orleans at the Superdome. Always one to play things down, Bill Belichick commented on the next several weeks for the Patriots, saying, “We know the whole second half of the season really has a lot of challenges from week to week.” Keep it locked in Patriots nation to see New England rally in the second half of the regular season!
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Patriots Trump Buccaneers at Wembley
The New England Patriots had to travel all the way to London to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a good beating over the weekend, as Tom Brady and Co. soundly thumped the Bucs 35-7 at the historic Wembley Stadium in front of more than 84,000 football fans. The sold-out stadium was roaring with excitement for the American football teams playing at Wembley yesterday afternoon, and the Patriots couldn’t be happier that the Week 7 game was nothing but fantastic for the team.
Regardless of where they played yesterday’s game, the Patriots were back to their old selves as Tom Brady went 23-of-32 for 308 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Of playing at Wembley Stadium, a rarity for NFL teams, Brady said, “It was like a Super Bowl, all the flashbulbs going off and the fans waving their flags for the first five minutes of the game. You don’t see that too often. It was obviously very exciting for the fans and it’s a privilege for the players to come over here and enjoy that experience.”
The Patriots have a bye this week, giving them some much-needed rest and the chance to knock jetlag before coming back onto the football field in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins at home.
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