Replacing Mike Vrabel
The New England Patriots have their work cut out for them this season, especially as some of the team’s best players from 2008 will not be returning to play at Gillette Stadium this year. The two heavy hitters that have left an obvious hole in the Patriots’ lineup are, of course, Rodney Harrison and Mike Vrabel, who have moved on to other endeavors outside of New England. Expected to fill the void of Vrabel’s tough outside linebacker position this year are linebackers Pierre Woods and Shawn Crable, both of whom are veterans with the Patriots and should be able to help take over where Vrabel left off.
Mike Vrabel was traded earlier this offseason in a surprise move that sent both he and QB Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs, and when asked about the shocking trade, quarterback Tom Brady recently said, “I’m not surprised by anything anymore. It’s part of the game. It’s part of the league. I know Mike is happy to have a job. We’re all happy to have a job. Like I said, Mike is a great friend of ours. We miss him, and I know he misses us. But if we ever play Kansas City, we want to beat the crap out of him.” For now, that means sizing up both Woods and Crable to take his place.
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A Coaching Career in the Cards for Bruschi?
New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is in the last year of his contract for the team he’s played with since joining the NFL in 1996, but that doesn’t mean the football dream is ending for this 36-year-old superstar. Bruschi has been mum when asked about his plans for after next year, saying he’s taking it one season at a time, but the 14-year Patriots linebacker has now revealed what may be in the works after he retires from the league: coaching. An obvious transition from playing, Bruschi has entertained the thought of coaching football after retirement, saying, “I know I can coach. I know the game. I’ve been in it so long. It’s just going to be a matter of what I do when I’m done. It’s a passion of mine. I know I love football. I know I want to be in it. Let’s just see what I’ll be doing.”
Perhaps as a precursor to what’s to come, Bruschi set up a youth football camp earlier this week, hosting his second Kids Football Clinic at Gillette Stadium on June 30. The camp was for children ages seven to 14 in the Foxborough area and featured help from Pats linebacker Jerod Mayo, tight end David Thomas, safety Ray Ventrone and kicker Stephen Gostkowski, with former QB Scott Zolak also helping out with instructing.
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Spotlight: Greg Lewis
When it comes to the new batch of New England Patriots this season, not all of the newly-acquired players are rookies. One player in particular that Bill Belichick took under his wings for the ‘09 season is Greg Lewis, who was released earlier this year by the Philadelphia Eagles. Lewis spent the last six seasons in the NFL with the Eagles, and his transition to the Patriots this offseason has been a big adjustment for the receiver, who will compete with the newly-signed Joey Galloway to take the spot of Jabar Gaffney, the former Patriots’ wideout who left the team earlier this offseason for Denver.
He’s no rookie, but Greg Lewis is back to learning the basics - of the Patriots’ offense, anyway. Lewis recently spoke of his learning plan for the offseason, saying, “I’m picking it up day by day, just like everybody else that is pretty much new here. Just learn as much as you can each day, and try to implement it on the field, and get into your book in the evening and try to carry it over.” Lewis has already proven himself at the Patriots’ OTAs and minicamp last month, and he’s still got the team’s upcoming training camp to get more comfortable.
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Cassel and Welker Reunite
Wes Welker and Matt Cassel made a mean pass-catch combo last year for the New England Patriots, but now that Matt Cassel has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, the two aren’t spending much time together. Last weekend, however, Cassel and Welker reunited to bring an annual youth football camp to New England, teaming up through Welker’s 83 Foundation to put on a free football camp for 360 at-risk children ages five to 12. The annual football camp was a huge success, and Welker said, “Looking at it from when I was younger, this is like a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity that a lot of kids wouldn’t have that opportunity. So, getting to have this camp for them, it’s fun for me. A lot of times when you do paid camps, the kids don’t appreciate it as much as these kids. They really appreciate it, and they really kind of grasp onto you and they’re very grateful for what you’re doing.”
Former New England linebacker Larry Izzo, now a New York Jet, also helped out with the camp and pledged his allegiance to return to the event next year. Cassel, Welker and Izzo may be playing for different teams this upcoming season, but the three got to spend some quality time together last weekend for a good cause, as, after all, “We’re just trying to inspire these kids through athletics and positive role models. And that’s what we’re trying to be today: just a positive role model to all these kids and let them know that somebody’s here for them.”
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Return of the Brady-Moss Power Duo
Randy Moss is sure glad his football-throwing counterpart Tom Brady is back for the 2009 NFL season. Moss, perhaps considered the Patriots’ most potent receiver, teamed up with Brady to create one of the most dynamic duos in the entire league in 2007 after he was acquired from the Oakland Raiders, and Moss’ many records in ‘07 were undoubtedly helped along by the chemistry he had with Brady. Moss’ record 1,493 receiving yards in 2007 put him at the top of the league, and his 23 touchdown passes the same year made him one of the top receivers of the NFL, as well, leaving great hopes for the future. After Brady’s early exit from the league last year, however, Moss had to adjust to the passing style of Matt Cassel, but now that Brady’s back, the two offensive superstars can get on with their record-setting ways.
So far at training camp, Moss and Brady seemed to get back into the rhythm that they had in ‘07. Cornerback Terrence Wheatley went as far as to say, “I swear they make up routes on the fly some of the time. They’ve definitely got a chemistry going. They know how to work off of each other, and they see things that I wish I could see. It would make my job easier, that’s for sure.” Here’s to hoping Tom Brady and Randy Moss can make a repeat of ‘07 in ‘09!
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Patriots Sweep ESPN.com All-Decade Honors
It’s ESPN.com’s All-Decade week, and the New England Patriots are dominating the pack for top honors. In awards announced today from the network (team, coach and MVP), the Patriots have taken them all, with coach Bill Belichick named as the all-decade coach for leading the Patriots to three Super Bowls and four AFC championships since 2001. Also because of this feat, the Patriots were named as the all-decade team in the league, while quarterback Tom Brady took the honors as MVP of the decade.
NFL general managers, coaches, scouts and players alike all put their opinions into the honors, and Belichick made a statement reflecting on the honors of being the coach of the decade in the NFL, saying, “It’s definitely an honor when you consider the other great people that are involved in that - Coach Cowher (Pittsburgh Steelers), Coach Shanahan (Denver Broncos), Coach Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) - a lot of great coaches there. It’s certainly an honor to be place among the coaches of that time.”
Perhaps Bill Belichick’s most genius decision to date was replacing QB Drew Bledsoe with Tom Brady back in 2001 after Bledsoe was injured in a game against the New York Jets. Brady proved his worth and was soon named the starting QB for the Patriots, and that move was perhaps Coach Belichick’s best decision yet. Dolphins DE Jason Taylor commented on Brady, ESPN.com’s MVP of the decade, saying, “The guy’s just a winner. He knows how to win, period. He’s got the talent. But everybody at this level has talent. Maybe he does have a little more God-given ability than some others, but between the ears he’s as good as they come.”
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Bruschi Contemplates Retirement, But Not Too Hard
The 2009 football season will be a significant one for Tedy Bruschi, a 36-year-old linebacker for the New England Patriots. The 14-year player is entering the final year of his contract and has a lot to think about concerning retirement over the next year, but that doesn’t mean Bruschi is letting these thoughts come between him and the game he loves. When recently asked if he was considering retirement when his contract expires at the end of this season, Bruschi said, “I have to give them everything I have this year and only think about what’s next. I’m going to prepare myself for this season, only think about this season, and when the season is over, which is a long ways away, then you think about delving into those decisions.”
Tedy Bruschi has been a fan favorite of the New England Patriots since 1996, when the linebacker was drafted out of Arizona by the Patriots in the third round of the NFL Draft (86th overall). Bruschi has played through numerous injuries and even came back into the league after suffering a stroke in 2005, becoming one of the most recognized and respected players in the entire NFL.
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Tom Jr. on the Way?
Three weeks ago, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady addressed the media’s questions regarding wife Gisele Bundchen’s pregnancy with the words, “One [kid] is enough. I’ve got dogs. That’s all I need.” One may be enough, but it seems as if another is on the way anyway, as People magazine reported this week that Bundchen, a high-fashion Brazilian supermodel, is indeed carrying the couple’s first child (Brady already has a son, Jack, with former girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.) Brady, Bundchen and their families have been refusing to comment on the situation, trying to make their lives as private as possible, but in doing so the famed figures are also leaving gossip astir.
Rumors that Bundchen is pregnant have been talked about for some time now but further exploded this week as the supermodel was seen wearing loose-fitting tops during runway shows at Sao Paolo Fashion Week, perhaps covering up that speculated baby bump. The article in People said that Brady and Bundchen’s first child is due in early 2010, and only time will tell whether or not the rumor is true that Tom Brady has child No. 2 on the way. Stay tuned for more!
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Jim Nance to Join Patriots Hall of Fame
Jim Nance, a former fullback in the AFL and a standout for the Boston Patriots in the ’60s and ’70s, is officially the newest member of the team’s hall of fame, voted into the position last week after a panel of 19 secured his mainstay status with the Patriots. Nance is the 14th Patriot to be inducted into the hall of fame, and CEO and Chairman Robert Kraft backed the team’s decision to honor Nance’s induction, saying, “I am glad that the fans selected Jim Nance for this honor. Like so many others, he was one of the reasons I became a Patriots fan. He was an attraction. He brought fans to the games and that was very important in building a loyal fan base. Four decades later, we still have many season ticket holders who became fans of the Patriots in the 1960s because of players like Jim Nance. The fact that he still holds some prominent rushing records 38 years after his playing career speaks volumes.”
Nance was sent to the Patriots in the 19th round of the 1965 AFL Draft after playing for Syracuse, and his induction to the Patriots Hall of Fame comes in succession after John Hannah, Nick Buoniconti, Gino Cappelletti, Bob Dee, Jim Lee Hunt, Steve Nelson, Vito “Babe” Parilli, Mike Haynes, Steve Grogan, Andre Tippett, Bruce Armstrong, Stanley Morgan and Ben Coates, respectively.
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Will Patrick Chung See Play Time in ‘09?
There are several top-notch rookies the New England Patriots scooped up in the 2009 NFL Draft, and the time is almost upon us when the nation will see whether or not these rookies have adjusted from college ball to the intensity of pro ball. One of these said rookies who has been expected to do great things on the football field this year is Patrick Chung, the standout safety from Oregon who was picked as the 34th overall selection in this year’s draft. Chung has been working alongside James Sanders at safety during the Patriots’ scheduled OTAs, and so far although not much talk about the rookie has been going on, he’s still a top contender to see play time this season.
If Patrick Chung wants to see valuable time on the football field in 2009, however, he still has to battle starters James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather for the position. Meriweather’s absence from some of the Patriots’ recent practices has given Chung, the 5-foot-11, 212-pound rookie, valuable time practicing with Sanders, and while the safety position has some tough players lining up to get on the field, it’s only inevitable that Chung will soon enough become a starter.
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