Deadline Passes With No Samuels Signing

Not that it’s at all surprising, but ESPN.com has reported that the New England Patriots have failed to sign franchise player Asante Samuel to a long term contract.  What this means in the long term is that you probably won’t be wearing that Asante Samuel jersey you bought to Patriots games next year.  What it means in the short term is absolutely anyone’s guess.  Samuels has said he won’t show up to play until week 10 of the NFL season.  Whether or not he follows through on that threat remains to be seen.  It’s been reported that Samuels has softened that stance in recent days.
I think that overall this is a good move for the Patriots. I’m all for not letting a player - or his agent - muscle you around.  And the Patriots have always had a “team first” mentality.   And of course, all of this becomes a moot point if Samuels shows up, plays his butt off in a contract year, and then leaves.  I believe he will show up for camp.  I think he’ll play this year, make good money for his position, win one more Super Bowl, and then run off and make a ton of money playing football in another city.
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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 17, 2007 - Post a comment

Check out the Patriots Training Camp

It’s just about time. Can you smell it in the air? Even though we’re more than a month away from the beginning of the regular season, NFL fans can almost feel the football boiling in their blood. It’s a Pavlovian tick we all know too well. Training camps are about to start. Yes, soon teams will be suiting up and getting down with 2-a-days, full contact drills, and everything else that makes the first real practices of the year so special. And we all know what comes after Training Camp. Soon we’ll be enjoying our first looks at the new rookies and other players who need some time to learn a new offense or defense during the preseason. We’ll know if the Colts can repeat, if the Raiders are still MIA, and if Calvin Johnson is really the second coming or not. Or at least, we’ll think we know, until the regular season starts (Sept. 7th are the first games, in case you weren’t aware).

And of course, our good friends at espn.com have every team’s camp covered. In preparation for the camps, ESPN had a couple of their esteemed analysts take the time to make sure that their readers knew exactly what was going down at every team’s camp. They have locations scouted, tips for seeing your team, and even a few ideas for other things to do while you’re on vacation to see your team practice.

Their rundown of the Patriots Training Camp gives a few highlights of what’s going down in Foxboro this year. As far as NFL training camp cities go, there isn’t much to do or see. If you’re a Pats fan who lives somewhere other than Boston, then there are certainly some good tips for flying into the area, and of course Foxboro is very close to Boston, so you’ve always got plenty to do. And while some people you know may scoff at the notion that you’re taking time out of your life to watch grown men practice a game, those people obviously don’t know what it means to be a true football fan. So go ahead and hit up the link, see what your team is up to, and tell your boss you’re going to need some time off. Because while the world doesn’t actually stop for football, it very well should.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 16, 2007 - Post a comment

Patriots in Top 10

ESPN.com’s daily list of the top 10 teams at each position continues today, with ESPN ranking the top 10 offensive lines in the National Football League.  The teams are ranked based on how the units play together, how may yards a team averages per rush, and how few sacks they allow.  As any Houston Texans fan can tell you, a quality offensive line is an integral part of any winning team, and if your line can’t keep your quarterback protected or help open holes for your running backs to run through, then your team is most likely in for a very long season.

The Patriots were named number six on the list, placing them ahead of teams like the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears, but behind the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts and AFC West teams the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers.  This is yet another top ten mark for the Super Bowl favorite New England Patriots.  The Pats once again have one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL and by adding some top-tier receivers for Tom Brady down the field, the Patriots are most certainly going to be extremely dangerous next year.   The best thing about this offensive line corps is their youth.  This group is very young and, despite their already high rank, still improving, making the Pats a scary team for years to come.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 13, 2007 - Post a comment

Former Coach Headed for a Retrial

ESPN.com has reported that current Notre Dame head football coach and former New England Patriot offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss will be headed back to court.  After the coach’s first trial was declared a mistrial that he would settle with the two doctors with whom he embroiled in a heated negligence case.  Weiss has charged the that two doctors allowed him to bleed internally for 30 hours after a gastric bypass surgery, and that their lack of proper monitoring caused him to go into a coma for two weeks.  Weiss nearly died.

Anyone who actually thought Weiss would settle obviously doesn’t know much about the man.  First of all, Charlie Weiss doesn’t need or want a pile of money from these doctors.  Charlie Weiss has plenty of his own money and doesn’t need to go around suing people for more.  Secondly, Charlie Weiss is a real character guy.   He’s not doing this for money.  He’s doing this because he truly believes that these two doctors made an error that could have proved fatal in his case and if he’s going forward with this lawsuit, he’s doing so because in his heart he truly feels that he must do everything in his power to ensure they aren’t given the opportunity to make the same mistake again.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 12, 2007 - Post a comment

Patriots New Receiving Corps Gets High Marks

Espn.com has released it’s list of the Top 10 receiving corps in the NFL going into the 2007 season and the New England Patriots have been named the Number Six receiving corps in the entire NFL.  Teams that edged out the Patriots were (in order from 1-5) the Colts, the Cardinals, the Rams, the Bengals, and the Lions.  This should come a as a pleasant and welcome change for Patriots fans, who last year were treated to one of the most lackluster receiving corps in all of football.  This year, at least, Tom Brady will have some big names to get the ball to downfield.

I can’t say I totally disagree with this list, but I can say that placing the Lions ahead of the Patriots is mindless, sensationalist crap.  Yes, Calvin Johnson is awesome.  Yes, Mike Martz loves the deep bomb.  Yes, the other receivers for the Lions are good as well.  However, to put them ahead of a set of receivers headlined by the Calvin Johnson prototype in Randy Moss is absolutely deplorable.  Yes, the argument could be made the Moss has perhaps lost a step, but if we’re going to judge people based on what they’ve done, Moss has achieved and overachieved (and yes, underachieved last year) in the NFL.  Until Johnson does the same, I just don’t see how you give the Lions the nod over the Pats.  If you need another reason, I’ll give it to you - Lions QB = John Kitna.  Patriots QB = Tom Brady.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 11, 2007 - Post a comment

Brown Returning to Patriots

Espn.com is reporting that all-time Patriot leading receiver Troy Brown will be returning to the Patriots for one more season.  Brown, who has been rehabbing an injured knee, will return to a very different receiving corps than when he left.  At age 36, there were some who were wondering if New England would in fact welcome Brown back to the team.  Brown has 15 seasons as a New England Patriot under his belt so far.  He also swapped positions last year, playing defensive back after the team was beset with injuries.

In a league not known for showing favor to its aging stars, this is a nice gesture from a team and coach not at all famous for being big-hearted.  Brown has given a decade and a half of his life to the Patriots organization, and it’s nice to see the brass in New England allowing him to stay - and therefore, later leave - on his terms.  Who knows if Brown will ever be the same after this particular knee injury.  At his age, the odds are against it.  And with the overhauled receiving corps in New England, it’s not clear how much actual time he’ll get on the field.  But his leadership and wisdom are still absolutely invaluable to the team, and it’s nice to see them treat Brown with the dignity he deserves.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 10, 2007 - Post a comment

Brady named Number 2 QB on ESPN.com List

ESPN.com’s Scouts Inc. has released their NFL breakdown of all NFL teams’ quarterback situations, and the top 10 selections are available as a free insider preview. Peyton Manning’s Super Bowl victory finally seems to have propelled him past Tom Brady on the pundits’ depth chart. Up until now, the knock on Manning was “couldn’t win the big one.” Now that he’s won the big one, everyone has jumped on the Peyton bandwagon.

I can’t say I fully agree with this practice. First of all, I think, and have thought for a long time, that Peyton Manning is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. I don’t even think anyone else is remotely close. However, I just don’t see what has changed now. What happens if Peyton and the Colts lose to the Patriots in the playoffs and the Pats go on to win a fourth Super Bowl? Is Tom Brady the best QB in next year’s rankings? The fact is, Tom Brady is a smart quarterback who has benefited by playing for the best coach in the NFL right now - someone who may go down as one of the best ever - and Peyton Manning is the perfect QB who has spent his entire career playing on teams with badly run defenses. They’re pretty much apples and oranges, and continuing to shuffle them in the “who’s the best” argument just sort of showcases the “What have you done for me lately?” approach to sports punditry.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 9, 2007 - Post a comment

Former Pats Player Beats Odds

Former Patriots running back Robert Edwards, a promising rookie in 1998 who should be entering his 10th season in the NFL were it not for a rather extremely horrible twist of fate, has defied all the odds and is playing football again.  Edwards was injured in a rookie flag football game during his first NFL offseason, tearing up his left leg, both ligaments and arteries, to the point that doctors thought they may have to amputate.  No one knew if Edwards would ever walk again, much less play football.  However, nearly a decade later, after being shunned by the NFL, Edwards continues to defy the odds, playing in the CFL.

Edwards’ story is one that rings all too clear, especially in light of the ongoing issues between former NFL players and the Players Association over how injured ex-NFLers are treated.  Edwards production in the CFL has been stellar, and he’s happy just to be competing, and a story of a man who almost lost his leg coming back and continuing to play the game he loves is surely inspiring and heartwarming.  Edward deserves all the accolades he receives.  He is truly a fighter with the heart of a champion.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 6, 2007 - Post a comment

Tom Brady Named to List of 10 Most Indispensable

Espn.com NFL Analyst Jeffri Chadiha has created a list of the top 10 most indispensable NFL Players, and New England Patriot Tom Brady is number two. The list is basically comprised of the 10 men in the NFL who, if they became injured, would wreak havoc on their respective team’s ability to compete at same level. Other players on the list, to give you a frame of reference, are Peyton Manning (Colts), Larry Johnson (Chiefs), and Michael Vick (Falcons).

Anyone would be a fool not to agree that Tom Brady is absolutely integral to the Patriots’ success, though I’m not sure if he’s more valuable than say Michael Vick (ranked 7th) is to the Falcons, who are an absolute mess on both sides of the ball.  However, I believe last year quieted a lot of the talk about Tom Brady just benefiting from the New England system, and having superior athletes all around him.  He basically carried the New England offense last year.
You can buy all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 5, 2007 - Post a comment

Patriots Heavily Favored in Preseason Mags

It’s that time of year again.  All the NFL season preview magazines have come out, and USA today was nice enough to break it all down for you, just in case you’re too cheap to actually run out and buy the magazines.  Then again, considering how many of the magazines were dead wrong in their Super Bowl predictions last year, with many of them picking the Panthers to go all the way to XLI, with a few actually picking them to win it outright.  We all know how well that turned out.

This year, predictions heavily favor the New England Patriots.  The Pats are picked to get to the Super Bowl by every major preseason mag but one. If last year is any indication, the Patriots can look forward to going 8-8 on the season.  Except, I kinda get the feeling that’s not going to happen.  Besides the Patriots, the two names being batted around from the NFC to reach the big game are the Cowboys and the Saints.  The only other team picked to come out of the AFC is the Ravens.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on July 3, 2007 - Post a comment


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