Brady’s Ankle Injury Won’t Affect Offseason Workouts

It’s been a couple of month’s since Tom Brady’s famous ankle made the blog, but it would appear it is that time again.  According to ESPN.com, Tom Brady’s ankle injury is not expected to keep him out of any of his offseason workouts. I don’t know exactly which extremely thorough journalist actually asked the question of the Patriots about a 3-month-old ankle injury, but I applaud that reporters dedication to the story.  Tom Brady’s ankle was a huge star this winter.  However, with everything else that has happened in the NFL since Tom Brady injured his ankle, it would be easy to just let this story go away.

But not ESPN.  They will not allow Tom Brady’s ankle to languish in the abyss of wannabes and has-beens.  Tom Brady’s ankle was photographed by paparazzi no more than 3 months ago wearing a stunning walking cast.  The ankle in question was even photographed all over New York City with famed supermodel Gisele Bundchen around the holidays.  Then, the ankle loses the Super Bowl, and the media just forgets about it, like Tom Brady’s ankle never mattered.  But Tom Brady’s ankle matters, people!  And if ESPN doesn’t talk about Tom Brady’s ankle, who will?

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

Watson Won’t Comment on Surgery

The Patriots are known for being tight-lipped.  When things happen to the Patriots, it seems like no one ever wants to talk about it.  When they win a game, they smile and say all the right things.  When they lose a game, they frown and say all the right things.  And in the rare instance that an actual problem does befall the team, they generally ignore it in the hopes that it will go away.  And generally, it does.  So when I saw this story about the fact that the Patriots aren’t commenting on tight end Benjamin Watson’s ankle surgery, I wasn’t particularly surprised.

The Patriots aren’t going to comment on this because they don’t have to.  The fact of the matter is that many players have undergone surgeries this season to repair their basic wear and tear injuries that occur throughout the season.  i don’t expect this injury to Watson to hinder his ability to catch footballs once the season starts, nor do i expect it to slow him down much.  The Patriots will continue to go about their business as the always have.  They will be quiet.  They will be very standoffish.  And they will be extremely good.
You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Moss #1 Among Active Receivers

We went over this yesterday, but it’s bears repeating.  It’s just that time of year in the NFL.  It’s the time of year when there isn’t very much going on, so ESPN.com likes to do silly things to pass the time and fill news space.  One of the things they like to do very much is make lists.  The good people at ESPN.com are very good at making lists.  The great thing about lists is that you can do them as a group, so it looks like lots of people are working very hard all at once in the office.  Another good thing about lists is that they can turn out to be very long, so it looks like lots of work was done.

This new one is a list of the best active receivers in the National Football League right now.  And, to no one’s surprise, Randy Moss tops ESPN.com’s list of the best active receivers.  Apparently setting all kinds of ridiculous records on your way to a Super Bowl appearance is a good way to quiet all those “Randy Moss has lost it” rumors.  This is a really interesting list, and not just because Randy Moss is at the top of it.  I would recommend to any sports fan - especially those sports fans who find themselves rabidly obsessed with all things football.

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

Moss #2 Receiver

It’s the offseason, in case you hadn’t noticed.  It is still that dead period between free agent moves of actual importance and the all-important NFL draft.  As such, the good journalists all over this country are forced to come up with nonstories about basically nothing.  They give us retrospectives, lists, and any multitude of of other stories that only half-pertain to what is going on with the world of the NFL, be they write-ups on possible pre-draft needs, low level free agent signings of men who might not even make the cut of your team, answers to grumbling players, or just plain lists of all time greats.

This particular article falls in the last category.  Straight out of ESPN.com, we have a story detailing the greatest Wide Receivers of all time.  Of course, Jerry Rice tops that list, as he still represents the pinnacle of achievement at his position. However, number 2 with a bullet is Randy Moss, with his exceptional skill and apparently plenty of gas left in the tank, is the only player on the list with even the remotest of chances of catching Jerry Rice.  And he will do it in a Patriots’ uniform.  Of course, he’s going to need that Super Bowl ring to really help his cause.
You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Pacman the Patriot

In case you haven’t been reading the news lately, allow me to bring you up to speed.  Pacman Jones is an NFL player who has made headlines mostly for the wrong reasons.  He has been involved in multiple altercations involving strip clubs - one of which involved a person being shot and paralyzed outside a Las Vegas strip club - to the point that the NFL finally had to suspend him from all things football for an entire year.  During that time, Pacman did his best to stay out of trouble.  And now, Pacman is about to be reinstated by the NFL.

This feel-good story doesn’t end there, though.  The Titans - Pacman’s current team - have added further intrigue to this situation by shopping Pacman to any interested parties.  This all pertains to the Patriots because it would appear that Pacman might want to become a Pat.  After the image rehab New England did to Randy Moss, perhaps Pacman is thinking some of the good vibes of the Patriots will rub off on him.  I think the Pats could afford to take a chance on the troubled star, but I think the Cowboys will probably pay him more money.

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

New England Patriots 2007 Season Stats Breakdown

Probably the most memorable stat for the New England Patriots this past season was 18, the win total and the infamous chant of all the insanely happy anti-New England fans out there who reveled in the collapse of a perfect season on the biggest stage in sports. However, let’s move on to some of the better numbers that the Pats put up over the course of the year.

The New England offense gained 6,580 all-purpose yards and scored an amazing 589 points, both the best-in-class in the NFL. They were similarly number one in passing yards and passing touchdowns, thanks to record-breaking seasons by Randy Moss and Tom Brady. Rushing was not nearly as effective, although when you’re that good through the air, why bother handing it off? The Patriots were a mere 15th in the league in total rushing yards in 2007. They got things done in the red zone, though, accruing 17 rushing TDs, good for 5th in the NFL.

Defense was not the bright spot for the Pats, though they were certainly not miserable on that side of the ball. Two glaring stats stink up an otherwise excellent overall ranking list. The Patriots were ranked 18th in the NFL in allowing passing TDs (23 on the season) and they allowed 4.4 yards per carry on the ground, the 26th worst in the league. Blame it on the older linebackers?

To get New England Patriots tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Pats Shore Up Cornerback Situation

The New England Patriots have addressed their depleted cornerback corps this week.  The Pats signed veteran corner Fernando Bryant to a one-year contract.  Bryant is the kind of smart veteran player the Patriots love. He should be able to pick up their system relatively quickly and make an impact on the field.  At the very least, he will give the Patriots a chance to at least field a competitive set of cornerbacks every time they take the field, at least until injuries start to pile up.  However, the Pats would do themselves a favor to continue looking for a solid corner in the draft.

While the Patriots are still going to be a top-tier team in the NFL next season, it is unlikely that they are able to recreate the magic of last season.  It would be difficult for any team to go undefeated two seasons straight, but when you lose the kind of talented players on defense that the Pats have lost, that makes it ever harder.  Compounding the problem is the fact that the Pats haven’t really replaced their lost players with new players of the same caliber.  While they will still compete for the top spot in the AFC, things will be a little different for the Patriots in 2008.

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

Patriots Have their Eye on a Buckeye

According to reports out of the Boston Globe, the Patriots have their eye on Vernon Gholston.  They apparently put Gholston through a private workout for a few hours yesterday.  Gholston is a versatile player who would become a linebacker in the Patriots’ system.  He would play opposite fellow Buckeye Mike Vrabel, who would undoubtedly take Gholston under his wing so to speak.  Gholston was a standout defensive player for Ohio State and is considered one of the best players in the draft this season.  He would be a great fit for the Pats.

This is what makes New England so good.  This team nearly completed the unbelievable dream season last year, and yet here they are, only months later, looking for the exact right fit for their draft. Not only are they looking to bolster their aging linebacking corps (a definitive need within the organization), but they are also looking to get a player who will immediately develop a camaraderie with one of their veteran defensive leaders.  What better way to get a young player to buy into your system than to have it taught to him by a fellow alumnus?  The Patriots are geniuses.

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

Pats Move Meriweather

You know I say it all the time. It’s a terribly slow time of year in terms of football news. To be honest, whether you’re a pro or college team, right now making the news is not entirely a good thing. It seems lately that the only teams making big news are the teams who are signing big time free agents, and if your team is signing big time free agents, then you’re likely attempting to get better because you weren’t the best last year. Or, you might be making news for other unsavory affairs (like losing half your defense or being embroiled in a cheating scandal, just to cover the two Super Bowl teams), which is never good either.

The Patriots are no exception, and this day their extremely poor cornerback situation is making news. It appears the Patriots may be inclined to move Brandon Meriweather from safety to corner. Meriweather dealt with some issues last year, being moved from corner to safety midseason. However, it appears the Pats will now move him back to corner, to help their extremely shorthanded secondary. The Pats may even look to the draft for another smart, athletic cornerback to bolster their reserves, as the players on the depth chart at the moment will likely not get the job done next season.
You can get all your New England Patriots tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Bucs Sign Former Pat

With the Patriots apparently busy practicing underground in secret (or perhaps resting and enjoying their offseason), they certainly aren’t doing anything to make news.  It seems Bill Belichick is content to just go about his business and prepare for next year’s Super Bowl (if you don’t think the Pats are going to all but kill themselves to make up for last year, you’re crazy), rather than focus on the past or even speak about SpyGate anymore.  And yes, with SpyGate finally seeming to fade off into a non-story, the Patriots just aren’t making much news these days.

So we are stuck with this story about the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed former New England safety Eugene Wilson to a one-year contract worth $1.8 million.  New England selected Wilson in the 2003 draft, and he has been a veritable rock for the Patriots.  However, New England felt the need to go in a different direction. The Bucs signed Wilson to a one-year tender, apparently not ready to take a long-term chance on the veteran player.  However, if Wilson can prove his worth, he will likely see a better deal come his way next offseason.

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

Pages (3): [1] 2 3 »