Pats Re-Sign Warren

According to a report out of ESPN.com, the New England Patriots have inked a new deal with veteran defensive end Ty Warren.  The deal is reportedly for 35 million dollars over five years, with 18 million of those dollars guaranteed.  The deal replaces the two years left on Warren’s original rookie contract, worth substantially less than this new deal, and keeps him in a New England Patriots uniform through 2011.

The talented Warren, still only 26 years old, has already proven to be worth the number 13 pick the Patriots used on him in the 2003 NFL draft.  Warren is considered one of the premier defensive linemen in the NFL, showing lots of versatility at his position.  The Patriots have now locked him down for what will most likely be the bulk of his very best and most productive years in the league.  Kudos to the Pats for getting this deal done so early.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 17, 2007 - Post a comment

Brady Taking Keeping Arm Rested

The Boston Herald is running yet another article detailing Tom Brady’s new preseason passing regimen.  Brady, 30 this season, has begun throwing less passes in practice, in an effort to keep his arm fresh throughout the entire year.  Now before you start getting upset at Brady for being a diva, it bears noting that he is certainly not the only veteran superstar in the NFL to get such special practice treatment, and that many other players pamper themselves far more during the preseason and during practice.  The most notable preseason absentee would have to be reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson of the Chargers, who doesn’t even suit up in the preseason at all.

Brady is throwing less passes in practice in an effort to save his arm strength for the entire season.  Reports state that Brady felt he was losing velocity in his passes late last year, and hopes to avoid the same fate this season.   Brady is not the first QB to take on a lighter practice load for his throwing arm later in his career.  No one questions his accuracy or quarterbacking abilities.  As Brady gets older, his endurance will be the most important thing for everyone to keep an eye on.

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

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

Harrison Hopeful Entering Second Season with Repaired Knee

ESPN.com is running an extremely well-written and interesting article detailing the return from a severe knee injury by Patriots safety Rodney Harrison.  Harrison suffered a brutal knee injury in a game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL.  Harrison spent the better part of the next year rehabbing his surgically repaired knee back to functionality, and is hoping that his second year after the surgery (generally the year in which those who undergo said surgery show the most improvement) he can get back to shutting offenses down if they try to go over the middle against the Pats.

Having Harrison back at full strength, or even something close to it, would be another huge boost for the Patriots.  What Harrison offers on the field is certainly nothing to scoff at, but what he offers as a presence and team leader, both on the sidelines and in the locker room, in unquantifiable.  Harrison is one of Bill Bellichick’s favorite players, which should tell you an awful lot about what type of intensity he brings to his profession.  If he’s trolling the field for New England this year at anything remotely close to 100%, other teams had better watch out.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 15, 2007 - Post a comment

Pats Won’t See More of Young in Preseason

According to a report in The Tennessean, Vince Young will not see extra playing time in the Titans game versus the New England Patriots this week.  There was speculation that since Young did not play in the first preseason game, he might see a few extra snaps in the next game, but Titans coaches have veoted that, much to the chagrin of Titans fans who have tickets to that particular preseason battle. Young missed the first game for violating a team rule during training camp.

For those fans out there who enjoy Young’s unique quarterback style, this is not exactly great news.  For New England, it would usually be good news to hear that Vince  Young will not be in the line-up when you have to play his team, but in the preseason, I’m sure the Pats were hoping to get as many looks at Young as possible.  The preseason is certainly a time for scouting and dissecting other teams, and some extra playing time for VY would have been quite advantageous for the Pats.  However, Titans coach Jeff Fisher is no dummy, so the Pats will only be seeing Vince Young for the first few sequences of the first quarter.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 14, 2007 - Post a comment

Patriots Lose Preseason Opener

In their first pre-season game of the year, the New England Patriots lost 13-10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  In the most useless of all the preseason games, Tom Brady took snaps for two offensive possessions, Randy Moss didn’t play, and fans didn’t really get much of a chance to see the highly-touted New Patriots Offense we’ve been hearing so much about.  However, what they did get to see were a bunch of guys who probably won’t make the team beat up on a bunch of guys who probably won’t make Tampa Bay’s roster either.

I love preseason football for that reason.  If you’re a diehard fan like myself, you find  yourself watching the games and constantly saying “Who is that?” after every play, especially in the second half.  The Patriots definitely threw a bunch of guys out onto the field who will never see playing time once the games actually matter.  The Bucs did the same though, with Jeff Garcia only seeing action on two 3-and-out offensive possessions.  Look for competition to heat up as we move closer to the regular season, though.  And smile.  It’s football season again.

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

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

Up-and-Coming Linebacker Making Headway

MVN.com is reporting that a little-known Patriot 2006 acquisition has been making big waves at training camp.  Linebacker Pierre Woods, and undrafted free agent signed by the Patriots before the last season for their practice squad, has won the Pats’ award for best offseason condition program, thus earning him a parking spot very close to the stadium.  His hard work may have also earned him a new spot on the team, one working with special teams with some possible rotation time on defense as well.

Woods has been drawing praise both from teammates, who enjoy his presence and demeanor both on the field and in the locker room, and from coaches, who are calling him one of the hardest-working and most-improved players from last season to the present.  Bill Bellichick is a big fan of players who will work hard and conform to his system, so don’t be surprised if you start seeing Pierre Woods out on the field more and more often as time goes by.

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

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

Patriots Kicker Ready for Season to Start

The Sun Chronicle is running an article today on Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski.  Gostkowski is following in the footsteps of perhaps the most famous kicker in football history, Adam Vinatieri, who has kicked more game-winning field goals than any other kicker before him.  It’s not very often that there is talk of a kicker actually having big shoes to fill, or having to play in the shadow of the kicker who came before him, but that is exactly what Gostkowski heard going into last season.  Those are some pretty big shoes to fill for any kicker, much less a rookie heading into his first year in the NFL.

Gostkowski had a very good year for the Patriots, stepping in and scoring 103 points (mark it, fantasy football freaks).  He may not yet have fully taken the place of the beloved Adam Vinatieri, but Gostkowski has certainly formed his own path, and is a talented kicker in his own right.  While Patriots fans may lament the kicker that got away, the fact of the matter is that their extra points and field goals are certainly in good hands - or, in this case, feet.

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

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

Pats Acquire Wesley

According to dailysouthtown.com, the New England Patriots have acquired Dante Wesley from the Chicago Bears for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2008 NFL draft.
The Patriots gain a special teams speed specialist they desperately needed in return for a late round draft pick.  This deal seems to have worked out well for both sides.  The Patriots will look to get Wesley into camp and integrate him into their special teams coverage before the beginning of the season.  Look for him to make a solid impact early on kickoff and punt coverage.

The trade leaves the Bears searching for an extra “gunner” - a player expected to be the first downfield to cover punts and kick returns - before the start of the season.  The Bears will look to their own roster to find a player to replace Wesley.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 8, 2007 - Post a comment

Tedy Bruschi Writes a Book

ESPN.com is running a segment from Tedy Bruschi’s new book, “Never Give Up,” detailing the turn of events in which Bruschi learned he had suffered a stroke.  Bruschi wrote the book with the aid of Michael Holley.  For anyone who was unaware, Bruschi sate out most of the 2005 season after suffering a stroke, only to return to his linebacker duties far ahead of schedule last year.  His story is truly inspiring to anyone who was ever suffered the effects of even a mild stroke.

The excerpt is a chilling account of what it’s like to experience the effects of a stroke over a sustained period of time.  Since football players, especially linebackers, live their lives in a state of nearly constant paint, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Bruschi and his wife initially thought very little of the problems he was experiencing.  However, the fact is, Bruschi could have easily died or at the very least experienced very real chronic brain damage, and is extremely lucky to still be playing football.  Hopefully his story will serve to help others who feel the same set of symptoms better assess their issue, as early treatment of a stroke can be one of the surest ways to minimize its damage.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 7, 2007 - Post a comment

Brady Exceeded Expectations

ESPN.com takes an interesting look back at the notes that an NFL scout had written about several quarterbacks who went on the have NFL careers. Akili Smith, Cade McNown, Ryan Leaf, Marc Bulger and Tom Brady all had very different NFL experiences, and came out of college drafted in different spots, with very different expectations. As you might have guessed, some of the QBs with the biggest potential ended up having the most disappointing NFL careers.

For example, Len Pasquarelli noted that Akili Smith had some great physical skills that led him to believe that he could succeed in the NFL. By comparison, Tom Brady was one of the most un-athletic QBs in his notebook. Yet if you look at how each QB turned out as an NFL player, you would find that Brady has had, by far, the most successful career of any one in his draft year. With the possible exception of Brett Farve, he is the most decorated QB in the NFL currently, and will be leading a team this season, with another big chance at getting back to the Super Bowl.

If you would like to see Brady further distance himself from the pack, then you can get New England Patriots tickets at StubHub.com.

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


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