Randy Moss Ready to Step up

According to an article in the Boston Herald, Randy Moss is awesome.  I know that’s not a news flash, but the article is really well written and mostly focuses on the fact that Moss is great at reading defenses.  And honestly, if you’ve watched him play football, especially early in his career, you know should already know how great he is at carving defenses up.  Randy Moss is going to eat the competition alive next year.  Mark my words.

I don’t care if he’s had attitude problems in the past.  Randy Moss v. Bill Belichick - Double-B wins every time.  Bill Belichick would win a staring contest with a brick wall.  He’s basically told New England’s best corner to screw himself during the whole holdout ordeal, and he won’t hesitate to berate, bench, and cut Moss if he needs to. Period.  Moss wants a Super Bowl ring.  This is his best shot.  He’s got an amazing QB throwing him the football.  I can’t freaking wait for this season to start.

You can buy all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Thomas Should be fine in New England

There’s a great article from the Boston Herald, written by John Tomase, talking about ex-Raven and current Patriot Adelius Thomas, who will enter his first Training Camp as a Pat very soon.  The article addresses the perception that ex-Ravens tend to underperform after leaving Baltimore.  It raises some great points and has some wonderful facts in it.  It’s really a very solidly researched and well-written article and I’d recommend it not just to Pats fans, but sports fans in general.

As a writer, I tip my hat to Mr. Tomase, who obviously put in a ton of time compiling his list of players who have left the Ravens and gone on to be productive elsewhere.  The Pats drew some heat for giving Adelius Thomas such a big contract when he’s going to be turning 30 soon, especially since they signed him away from Baltimore, a team known for their front office competence and acumen. However, the record does indeed show that many ex-Ravens go on to be very productive for their next team, so I don’t believe it’s quite time for Patriots fans to be getting upset just yet.  But if he starts getting injured during camp, you might want to start getting nervous.

You can buy all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Former Pats Coordinator on Hot Seat with New Team

Espn.com’s John Clayton decided to sound off today about Romeon Crennell, the Patriots former defensive coordinator, being on the hot seat with the team he now coaches, the Cleveland Browns.  Crennel of course has had trouble improving the Browns, and his teams have gotten off to slow starts the past two years, digging themselves into holes that were nearly impossible for the Browns to get out of.  If the Browns don’t improve their record substantially this year, Crennel may find himself out of a job.

Yeah yeah.  It’s really a story about a the Browns.  But it’s the offseason and it was a slow news day for the Patriots, so sue me.

Back to Crennel - am I the only person who thinks this is completely bogus?  It’s not like the Browns were the the Carolina Panthers at the beginning of the 2006 season.  Nobody was looking at them and saying “Man, these guys are really poised to make a run,” were they?  Did I miss that?  They just finally picked up a young man they believe will be their franchise quarterback in Brady Quinn, and they’ve got a few other pieces finally falling into place, but how can someone really expect a coach to come into a situation that is at best, broken, and at worst in need of full explosion and building from the ground up, and expect him to just start putting wins together like magic?  The Browns organization isn’t exactly the paragon of football perfection, people.  So get off Romeo’s back and let the man do his thing.  Because honestly, it’s not like somebody else was going to do any better with that piece of crap team you’ve been fielding recently.

You can buy all your New England Patriots tickets (and Cleveland Browns tickets) at www.stubhub.com. 

Patriots holding Pat with Samuel

In Jeffry Chadiha’s 3 and Out today, he weighs on on the Asante Samuel situation, saying that the Patriots should basically allow Asante to stew for as long as he likes.  Factually speaking, I have to agree. He makes the point that the Patriots have a history of winning with fill-in players, and that Samuel actually was one of those fill-in players at one point.  The Patriots have the best coach in football by light years.  The idea that they will have to give someone a fat contract to win is absolutely laughable.

I have no idea what Samuel hopes to accomplish.  His options are either to report, play, achieve, and then get the big money contract he wants either from the Patriots or another team, or sit out, piss off his already terrifyingly intense coach, probably a lot of his teammates, then try to get playing time after game 10 to show the rest of the NFL he’s still got it?  Come on.  What is wrong with NFL players?  Are they so removed from reality that they can’t see this is a no brainer?  They’re like children throwing tantrums.  This is actually dumber than the Lance Briggs debacle, because Samuel is butting heads with Bill Belichick, and there’s no way any human on earth wins a war of wills with that man.

You can buy all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Jackson’s Rehab Going Well

According to a report today on boston.com, Chad Jackson’s ACL injury is healing nicely.  So nicely in fact, that Jackson may in fact be ready to play in the Patriots’ season opener.  Jackson injured his knee during the AFC Championship game last year against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts, and the time between his injury and the beginning of the season would generally mean he would head directly for the injured reserve list.  But word is that both the Pats and Jackson would like that to be a last resort.
The real question now becomes “Does New England need Chad Jackson?”  They loaded up at wide receiver in the off season.  Jackson’s rookie year was uneven at best, but the fact remains that he could very well dodge the injured reserve list.  Of course, he could also very well end up not making the team and just become another NFL casualty.  His future will most likely hinge upon how things shake down in spring training.  And Jackson is not expected to be 100% for any of spring training. So take from that what you will.

You can buy all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Patriots Eyeing CB from Georgia

According to a report from the Boston Herald, the Patriots have taken a look at Paul Oliver, a cornerback out of the University of Georgia, who will be available in the supplemental draft. The Pats are still attempting to decide how to best resolve the issues they’re having with holdout corner Asante Samuel, who leaves quite large shoes to fill on the team.  Oliver could become an absolute steal for the Patriots if they get him, as the young man has first round skill, but decided for his own reasons not to fully declare for the NFL draft, leaving the door open for him to return to Georgia.

After being declared academically ineligible for next fall, Oliver’s coach recommended he at least test the waters in the supplemental draft.  Though the academic problems might raise some concerns for some teams, last I heard there weren’t midterms in the NFL.  On top of that, the Patriots have already shown quite a willingness to take chances on players who have a few red flags (i.e. Randy Moss) in the offseason if it means it brings them closer to another title. At the very least, if the Pats do take him, and he does play, it will make for an interesting subplot.

You can buy all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com. 

Patriots Sitting Rookie

Brandon Meriweather is riding the pine even before the season starts, according to the New England Patriots web site.  But it has nothing to do with a lack of effort or a discipline problem.  Rather, Meriweather is injured and the Patriots are taking their time bringing him back.  The Patriots will need Meriweather at corner if indeed Asante Samuel makes good on his claim to hold out after being franchise tagged.  After rookie Chad Jackon’s train wreck season last year, the Patriots are reluctant to bring another rookie back early from an injury.  Considering Jackson had only 13 catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns in an injury-plagued rookie season, you can hardly blame them.  The story was pulled from the Boston Globe.
The fact of the matter is, unless Bill Belichick has been abducted by aliens and replaced with a big wuss, there is absolutely now way Asante Samuel is getting anything more than the one year franchise deal the Pats have already put on the table.  No player is bigger than the team.  The whole New England system of winning is based on that fact. With as much talent as Meriweather has, coupled with his ability to play corner, New England has no choice but to rest the kid until he’s ready. The problem is, the longer they rest him, the less time he has to learn the defense.  The Pats are obviously hoping he’ll be ready in a little over a month, when training camp starts.

You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.  

Flunky Not Necessarily a Junky

Meriweather may not have to fill in for Asante Samuel after all. University of Georgia’s Paul Oliver flunked out, and is now ineligible for NCAA play. Now he’s looking for a new home on professional turf. Oliver is scheduled to show NFL scouts what he’s made of today on his home field in Georgia. His performance today will indicate his chances with the July 12th supplemental draft. But some of you may be wondering if the Pats really want a flunky.

To his credit, Oliver did stay in college for a senior year to continue working towards a degree. This is despite his consistently closing down intense NCAA competition such as Sidney Rice and Calvin Johnson, proving himself to be a possible contender for the NFL draft after his junior year. The fact that he could have declared for the NFL draft then, but didn’t, is a sign that he has the potential to be a dedicated player, willing to go the extra mile. Besides, previous Bulldogs Richard Seymour and Benjamin Watson could always be Oliver’s study buddies if he joins the Patriots squad. Get your New England Patriots tickets from StubHub.com and cross your fingers for a killer cornerback.

Brown Still Not a Definite

Patriots veteran Troy Brown is currently in New England limbo. This time it’s not money as it was with the Saints two years ago. This season, we’re gauging potential recovery time on a torn patellar tendon in his knee. At least, that’s as much as we can speculate about the private Brown who managed to keep to himself in the off-season. But he has said, “My intention is to play. That’s what the deal is. We’ll see what happens. I’m not writing anything in stone but my intentions are to play.” Well, that just sounds like the non-committal talk of a veteran thinking about his 700 inch plasma TV and how sweet retirement might be.

And let’s not forget the raging receiver squad we’ve got kickin’ now. With newcomers Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth, and Kelly Washington combining powers with Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, and Chad Jackson, it’s a little surprising that Belichick already has his pen out for Brown. “I expect Troy to have a role with us this year as far as I’m concerned,” Belichick commented. “He is part of the plan for next season.” Alright, step your game up Brown and we’d love to have you back. Stay up on the action. Get your New England Patriots tickets from StubHub.com.

Sammy the Viking

Looks like Asante Samuel’s holding out for a bigger dollar sign may land him in Minnesota. There is speculation (only speculation thus far) that the Vikings and the Patriots may trade their cornerbacks; Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield for New England’s Samuel. Neither team seems to be ecstatic about the trade. It would be more like putting a band-aid on a minor scratch.

Both teams are hoping that each player’s discontents would be squelched through their respective transfers. But don’t forget, Samuel is the guy with “Get Paid” tattooed on his chest. This can either indicate that he’ll acquiesce and get back in the game, or he simply won’t be happy wherever he lands up at this point. Winfield could be good for the Pats though. He’s a hard-hitting, true tackler with a significantly smaller price tag than Samuel. The Pats should either take Winfield on and see what he can do, or give Meriweather ample recovery time, so he can fill the slot. Sorry Sammy baby. Make sure you support our Pats. Get your New England Patriots tickets at StubHub.com and gear up for victory.

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