Pats set yet another record

ESPN.com is reporting that the New England Patriots have set yet another record.  This time, the Patriots have set a record as the biggest favorite in a road game ever in the NFL.  The Pats are 20-point favorites as they travel to Baltimore this weekend.  The previous record was 17 points, a 1976 spread favoring the Cowboys over the Seattle Seahawks.

Should anyone really be surprised?  The Patriots are 9-2 against the spread this year.  The only two teams the Patriots haven’t covered the spread against were the Colts and the Eagles.  I am frankly of the opinion that this Eagles game couldn’t have come at a better time.  I think that the Pats might have been working on autopilot, and this game woke the sleeping giant.  Not that I gamble or support illegal activity, but just looking at that spread, I think the Pats are going to destroy it.

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Patriots are Number One Again

ESPN.com released their weekly Power Rankings, and guess what?  The Patriots are still number one.  No, I know.  It’s shocking.  I didn’t believe it myself.  But apparently being the only team to remain undefeated at this juncture is the season is all it takes to stand alone on the top of the NFL mountain.  Other teams should take note.  The Cowboys and Packers will duke it out this week to determine who gets to be the lone 1-loss team in the league, further widening the divide between the Patriots and the rest of the NFL.

The Patriots have 20 different players who have scored touchdowns this year.  There are 11 other teams who have yet to score 20 touchdowns as a team, according to the good people at the Power Rankings.  That fact is nearly as astounding as it is silly.  Twenty players have touchdowns?  Really?  So much for maintaining that the Patriots are just the Brady-Moss show.  This team scares me in the best way possible.  I can’t wait for Monday Night Football this week.

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

Pats Place Colvin on IR

In what may have been the most jarring blow to New England’s season to date, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin had to be placed on injured reserve this week.  Colvin left the game with Philly and did not return, and while it appeared that he was being treated for an injury to his arm, the Pats listed his reason for being place on IR as a foot injury.  When asked about that later, Coach Belichick simply stated that if the announcement was a foot injury, then that was the story they’d stick to.

The Pats activated receiver Troy Brown.  The versatile player has excelled in a number of roles for the Patriots over the years, and is expected to make an impact down the stretch for the team.  They waived defensive lineman Kareem Brown and signed linebacker Chad Brown.  It remains to be seen if the injury to Colvin has an dire effects on the New England defense, but knowing the way these guys rally around one another, and they way they’re coached so well, I don’t see it being a huge issue.

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

Comparing 81s past and present

There’s a great article on ESPN.com right now comparing the Old Randy Moss to the New Randy Moss and the Old Terrell Owens to the New Terrell Owens.  I don’t want to give up the whole point of the article, but I think it’s a really interesting debate that showcases just how far these two highly troubled (and highly paid) journeymen have come to finally find their place in the sun.  It’s kind of an inspiring tale, really.

I prefer both the New Randy Moss and the New Terrell Owens, myself.  I think these two men have come a long way in terms of maturity, and it has shown with their play on the field.  I also must say that when comparing the two 81s to one another, I have to give the edge to Moss.  While T.O. is an amazing specimen, there really is just no one like Moss.  Moss can nearly literally fly.  Some of the jumps he makes are just spectacular.  I’ve never seen T.O. really do anything like the things I’ve seen Moss do.  He is really special, and it’s nice to see him finally on a team where he seems to fit.

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

Patriots Escape First Real Scare of the Season

The New England Patriots barely squeaked out a win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, in a game that absolutely flabbergasted everyone watching.  Here is Len Pasquarelli’s take on the game.  I was beside myself watching the Eagles make the Pats look absolutely mortal as they lost by only three and held Tom Brady to his first game with less than three touchdown passes.  The Eagles laid waste to my fantasy football team as well, and I am up by only five points heading into tonight’s MNF match-up.  Thanks a lot, Eagles.

Everyone seems very surprised by this, but we all missed one thing – Andy Reid.  Though Bill Belichick is a noted workaholic who allowed his marriage to crumble on his way to winning multiple Super Bowls, Andy Reid is a noted workaholic who has now watched two of his own sons be sentenced to prison time for drug-related offenses, and he still didn’t quit his job.  The man is likely the only other coach in the NFL who can match Belichick’s determination, and it shouldn’t have taken us off guard that his team was ready to play.  That being said, the Pats still won, and I’m glad they got this game out of the way before my FFB team starts the playoffs.

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

Standing Pat at Number 1

ESPN.com has released their weekly Power Rankings.  In many ways, not much has changed since the last time these rankings were released.  However, for some teams, the change has been drastic.  No change has been more dramatic or surreal than the drop of the San Diego Chargers, once again finding themselves on the outside of the top 10.  Other notable changes were the Packers (from 4 to 3), the Colts, (3 to 4) and the Texans, who jumped from number 22 to 17 after getting their starting QB and WR1 back from injury.

The Patriots remain, of course, at number one in the Power Rankings.  After making short work of the Buffalo Bills, was there any doubt where the Patriots would be this week?  They’ve been at number since they started just destroying people, and they’ve yet to relinquish their crown.  For anyone who didn’t see last week’s game, the Brady/Moss first half work was magical.  Start recording these games for posterity people.  Something very special is going on here.

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

Belichick Human After All

ESPN.com’s Elizabeth Merril is running a great E-ticket story claiming that Bill Belichick is a real human being.  While this may come as a surprise and shock to many of you out there, this story is actually held up as truth at ESPN.com.  They are defending the merits of such a story, claiming that such an obviously icy and evil man is actually a cute and cuddly teddy bear of a real person when you get him away from the cameras.  Okay, well maybe not cute and cuddly, or a teddy bear, but he’s at least a nice guy.  Allegedly.

All kidding aside, this is a great article.   It really showcases the man that so many people simply know as “The Hoodie” in a totally different light.  Bill Belichick has gained a bad reputation for putting on a very obviously fake veneer when speaking to the press, but isn’t it the man’s right to want his privacy?  It seems that Belichick is a very quirky and interesting man when you dig a little deeper.  I just don’t see why everyone has to know everything about him.  The man wants to keep his life private.  What’s wrong with that?

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

Maroney Finds the End Zone in Newest Patriots Win

The New England Patriots pasted the Buffalo Bills 56-10 on Sunday, back from their bye week with renewed fervor for destroying any opponent unlucky enough to cross their path.  In this most recent victory, Tom Brady threw for another five touchdowns, four of them to superreceiver Randy Moss.   The other two offensive touchdowns came on run plays, one of them to Laurence Maroney – his first of the season despite being New England’s feature back – and the other coming from Kyle Eckel.  New England’s defense also had a TD in the game.

This was a clinic, up and down the field.  There isn’t much you can say about these Patriots that hasn’t already been said.  I’m trying to keep the history talk to a minimum, because I don’t want to jinx anything, but this is certainly pretty special.  At this point, I know I’m not the only person who finds myself drawn to watch almost every play of each Patriots’ blowout just to see what these guys are going to do next.  These guys are on pace to break tons of records, and I’m loving it.

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

Maroney ready to shoulder the load this winter

The Boston Herald is running a story on Patriots running back Laurence Maroney.   In it, Maroney says he is ready to take on more responsibility for the offense, if they need it during the winter months.  This is the time of year when every elite team must have a great running game, as the elements come into play and begins to disrupt the pass attack.  Even with Tom Brady and his amazing corps of superhero wide receivers, the Pats will need more help on the ground from Maroney.

I don’t believe Maroney will have a problem putting a little more of the Patriots offensive burden on his back.  I also don’t think he’ll have to do very much more than he’s been doing already.  Tom Brady is a quarterback who has spent his whole career not just playing in the elements, but excelling in them.  I don’t foresee Randy Moss – the receiver who lit up Green Bay so many times on the Frozen Tundra – having a huge drop in productivity either.  So don’t worry Pats fans.  The team should survive the winter.

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

Lynch unlikely to play vs. Pats

ESPN.com is reporting that Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch may not be ready to play this Sunday when the Bills face the Patriots.  Lynch has yet to practice this week because of a badly sprained left ankle, an injury he suffered in the previous week’s game.  Lynch has been the top offensive talent for the Bills this season, and losing him is a big blow to the Bills.

As if the Patriots needed any help, now they will face the second best team in their hopelessly morose division with an even larger advantage.  It’s not like anyone would have picked the Bills against the Patriots under even optimal circumstances, but without Lynch, it’s hard to even say they stand a chance.  This one should be another blowout win for the Pats.

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

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