Moss Motorsports, LLC

According to ESPN.com, Randy Moss announced the formation of Moss Motorsports, LLC yesterday.  The New England Patriots wide receiver hopes to start his company racing trucks.  He has said that he wants to have a truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series by the end of this year.  The move would put Moss in the game in NASCAR, and would allow for possible further growth in the future into NASCAR’s other series.  Of course, the main even is the Nextel Cup, but that would be a bit further off in the future for Moss.

I believe this is a very shrewd business move for the wide receiver that could certainly pay solid dividends down the line in the future.  NASCAR’s inability to connect with the African-American community is well-documented, and if Moss can get involved and bring some of his spotlight to the sport, her could stir the interest of a demographic that has - up to this point - mostly shunned NASCAR.  If this works out for Randy Moss, he could find himself swimming in money.  Of course, if it blows up in his face, he stands to lose a pretty penny.
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Pats Hoping Their Draft Goes According to Plan

We covered the draft yesterday, and the New England Patriots had their basic average to above-average draft.  By now, fans of the Pats have come to expect such things.  The only glaring difference in this year’s draft was that the Patriots actually had a very high draft pick.  They managed to trade down and saved themselves a few million bucks, but overall, there are those who question whether or not the Pats have done enough to fill the holes left by their departing players.  To answer this question, the Boston Herald has a quick Patriots draft history lesson for their readers.

The draft cannot be truly judged until we see the players in action on an NFL field against legitimate competition.  The New England Patriots have made a habit of drafting players that translate well into the NFL and specifically into their system.  While some of these players may not seem like the top quality or highest-ranked at every position, the Patriots have made their name by finding the exact players that fit their team.  So while it’s fun to conjecture at the moment, we won’t really know if the Pats had a successful draft until the season begins.

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Grading the Patriots on the Draft

It seems it was another year, another great draft for the Patriots.  In case you’ve been living on the moon and missed it, the NFL draft happened over the weekend, and many a team has now picked their brand new superstars, or at least they hope they’ve picked their brand new superstars.  The draft is often filled with more busts than it has sure things, and this draft is sure to be no exception.  While it bears noting that it is legitimately impossible to say whether or not a draft is a success until many years down the road, that hasn’t stoped Mel Kiper Jr. over at EPSN.com from delivering his immediate post-draft grades for each and every team.  So let’s take a look at how the Patriots did on draft day.

Mel Kiper didn’t really like a lot of what the Patriots did, and he finally settled on a C+ for the team.  I would say they should probably have fallen in the B- range, but that’s just nitpicking.  The Pats should get a ton of productivity out of Jerod Mayo, an amazing young linebacker who will learn well from their veterans.  Kiper didn’t like their first pick at corner, but I must say that even as much as I respect Mel Kiper Jr., I have to give Bill Belichick the benefit of the doubt.  Other than that, the Pats seemed to draft mostly backups and role-players.

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Goodell Prepped for Worst in Spygate Scandal

I hate that I still have to report on this story.  It really bothers me that for some reason, this issue just will not die.  Spygate has been a thorn in the side of the Patriots since the beginning of the regular season last year.  It followed them around like a specter for the duration of the season, and just when you thought they had stepped out of the shadow of the scandal, the Walsh revelations hit at the worst possible time and may have served as a distraction for the Pats during the Super Bowl (sorry I had to bring that up).

Now it seems only fitting that this story about the fact that Roger Goodell is fully prepared to bring the hammer down on the Patriots if more new evidence is brought to light in the Matt Walsh interviews would become a story just before the NFL draft.  It feels like this issue seems to rear its ugly head at the worst possible times for the Patriots.  However, we can only hope now that Walsh is just liar, as the Pats have maintained from day one.  We can only now wait and see if there is any fallout from these new interviews.

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NFL Reaches Deal with Walsh

The Spygate saga refuses to die.  I must apologize, because I have certainly declared this story to be dead more than once, only to find later that I was indeed mistaken.  This story hasn’t been an issue for more than a month, now.  At least it seems as though the story was at the very least on the periphery of the public consciousness at most.  However, now it appears the story is a back, with these revelations that the NFL has reached a deal with former Pats video assistant Matt Walsh.  Walsh is expected to speak with NFL officials very soon.

No one yet knows exactly what Mr. Walsh will have to say, though there has been rampant speculation and conjecture as to exactly what he will say.  Walsh has insinuated that he was sent to tape the Rams before they faced the Pats in the Super Bowl.  He has even gone so far as to say that he still has the videos of the Rams’ walkthroughs.  If that turns out to the be the case, that could spell bad news for the Patriots.  However, there is no use in panicking until we actually hear what this Walsh guy has to say, since many people have pointed out that he’s not the most trustworthy of individuals.

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Patriots Sign Tight End

Pats Draft Conjecture

Oh the New England Patriots and their amazing web of mystery.  Many a journalist has found him or herself caught up in the tangles of silence and intrigue.  Rarely does this web become more enticing than at draft time.  During the draft, thanks to Mel Kiper Jr. and Co over at ESPN, everyone loves to throw around their ideas about who each team will pick.  However, it is never more difficult to prognosticate about a team’s draft direction than it is with the New England Patriots.  After weeks of hearing that the Patriots need a defensive player, this article now says the Pats may address O-line issues with the seventh pick in the first round.

For the record, I don’t believe this is true in the slightest.  I am reporting it because it is news, and that’s my job.  I report the news.  However, I totally disagree with this article.  I believe the Patriots will trade out of the seventh spot, because there isn’t going to be anyone available that they are willing to pay top 10 money.  The Pats will likely trade down and get a corner later in the first round.  The only way I see them using the seventh pick is if Darren McFadden slips out of the top five all the way to seven.  The Pats could also trade up just to spite the Jets, but that’s a whole other story.

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Patriots Travel Plans

I cannot wait until the NFL draft.  I hope, with the draft now only a few days away, that we will finally start getting some New England Patriots draft news around here.  I’m not just talking about the random blurb here or there about what the Patriots might do in the draft.  I’m talking about a full-scale in-depth NFL New England Patriots draft preview.  I would love to be able to link someone up to one of those.  However, given the way the Pats go about their business at all times, shrouding their entire operation in secrecy, there simply aren’t many of those draft stories to go around.
Instead, I am left to report that the New England Patriots may stay on the west coast next season when they play back-to-back road games very far from home.  While this would keep the players away from family for an extended period of time, it would also eliminate the jet lag associated with that much travel in such a short amount of time.  The Pats have two situations next season (SF Oct 5, SD Oct 12/Seattle Dec 7, Oakland Dec 14) that could warrant a change in plans.  It’s something the Patriots are looking into for the coming season.

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Pats Sign Punter Player

Ah, the New England Patriots.  They seem to float through the offseason like feathers on air.  This offseason so far, the Pats have had one of the quietest times in recent memory.  Aside from the last drudges of the Spygate scandal finally being laid to rest, the Pats have kept it pretty close to the vest.  Perhaps its the hangover from the Super Bowl loss.  Maybe the Pats are just exhausted from all the pressure they put on themselves last season.  Whatever the reason, the Pats are certainly keeping extremely quiet this year.

And that hush has led to stories such as this one, detailing the Pats signing a punter by the name of Player.  While I am glad that the Patriots signed a punter they believe can bolster their special teams play, I really wish the draft would get here already.  I know special teams is a big part of winning in the NFL and cannot be overlooked.  I know this.  I’m just saying that when I’m forced to write about the signings of punters, then your team needs somebody to get  DUI or date a supermodel or do something.  Throw me a bone, here.

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Bill Belichick is a Draft Day Genius

This article from the Boston Herald maintains that the Patriots are likely to draft based on value, not need in this year’s NFL draft.  While it seems like a lock that the Patriots would want to take a top-tier cornerback with their seventh pick to fill a void left by offseason departures of Asante Samuel and Randall Gay.  However, Bill Belichick does not ascribe to that theory of drafting, and it’s hard to argue with a man who has been the architect of many conference championships, playoff victories and Super Bowl runs as Bill Belichick.  When the man talks football, you need to listen.

So if the Pats don’t draft the top corner in the draft, don’t get bent about it.  It is easy to forget that when the Patriots drafted Richard Seymour, it was an unpopular choice among fans.  However, the guru that is Belichick knew what he was doing then, and he knows what he is doing now.  He will make a pick that might leave people scratching their heads at the moment, but I believe the man has earned the right to draft whomever he wants with the number seven pick.  You can almost bank on the pick becoming a perennial All-Pro.

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