Former Pat to Play for Texans

The New England Patriots released Roosevelt Colvin earlier this offseason, mostly due to his injury issues during the 2007 season.  Colvin had played for the Pats since 2003 and was a favorite among the fans, mostly due to his contributions during the two seasons the Pats won the Super Bowl while he was a part of the team.  However, the problems of an aging linebacking corps made Colvin expendable, and he and his chronically-injured foot sought employment elsewhere.  Today, it is being reported that Colvin will play for the Houston Texans next season.
While terms of the contract were not disclosed, it is being reported that Colvin has agreed to sign with the Texans.  He has passed his physical, which would lead us all to conclude that any lingering effects from his injured foot have faded into oblivion.  At age 30, Colvin is not likely to be the one-man wrecking crew he was when played in Chicago and in his early days at New England, he should provide a welcome compliment to Mario Williams in Houston.  The Texans just picked up a very solid veteran if Colvin can stay healthy.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 16, 2008 - Post a comment

Patriots Sign Free Agent, Release a few Rookies

According to reports out of Boston, the New England Patriots re-signed linebacker Eric Alexander a couple of days ago.  Alexander was an exclusive-rights free agent.  He is a solid role-player for the team and is especially productive on special teams.  He signed on with the Pats a few years back as one of their undrafted diamonds in the rough and has paid dividends ever since, making his way all the way up to the active roster.  The Pats also cut three rookies, all of them signed on as undrafted free agents.  Here’s hoping they can find some other employment soon.

As I said yesterday, things seem to be getting back to business as usual in Boston.  The Patriots are going back to simply being one of the best-run organizations in the NFL now that the whole spring/summer of scandal is behind them.  They now seem more in line with organizations like the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers.  This is the company they should be keeping.  The New England Patriots are one of the very best teams in football, and it’s high time that they started reminded everyone exactly why that’s true.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 13, 2008 - Post a comment

Brady Clears Air

Last week, Tom Brady had some remarks that confused a few reporters.  I didn’t really feel this story merited the red flag treatment it’s gotten in other media outlets, as the idea that a high-ankle sprain could legitimately affect a professional athlete from one season to the next was ludicrous to me.  However, some people took Tom Brady’s comments about limited mobility in camp because of his injury last year to be literal.  This has prompted Brady to set the record straight.  For anyone who is concerned, Tom Brady is fully recovered from his injury last season.

This story just speaks to the tension in the aftermath of SpyGate.  The media seems to be taking every little quote like it might be the end of the world.  They seem to still be in “the sky is falling” mode.  However, it appears to me that the Patriots are back to business as usual in their offseason, so it might be time for the local print media to chill out.  The scandals have subsided - at least for now.  Furthermore, there is no evidence leading anyone to believe there will be more scandals.  The Pats are ready to put the past behind them and focus on the future.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 12, 2008 - Post a comment

Fire Still Burns in Bruschi

35-year-old Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is showing no signs of slowing down, neither physically nor mentally. Bruschi was recently quoted saying he knew within 48 hours after the Super Bowl that he was going to return for the 2008 season. Bruschi has two years remaining on his current contract with the Pats and it appears he’s prepared to honor that commitment. Bruschi is entering his thirteenth NFL season, all spent with New England.

Bruschi’s decision to come back this year is a major plus for the Patriots. He is unquestionably the heart and soul of that defense. His stats don’t scream Probowler but he seems to make more plays in big spots than any other defender in the league. Just when you think he’s having an off game in the playoffs, he picks off a pass or sacks the quarterback and forces a fumble. The Patriots, ranked number one in ESPN.com’s preseason power rankings, are the favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLIII, mostly due to their potent offense. But don’t underestimate the importance of the Pats defense, or Bruschi’s importance to it. It’s hard to imagine that this is a guy who suffered a stroke in 2005.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 11, 2008 - Post a comment

Hobbs Making Progress

Lost in the shuffle of the Patriots insane offseason so far is the fact that cornerback Ellis Hobbs had two surgeries at the end of last season.  His first surgery repaired a torn labrum in February.  Then in March, for an encore he went under the knife to deal with a sports hernia that had been bothering him for who knows how long during the actual season.  While Hobbs has been progressing nicely in his workouts and such, but he stopped short of saying he’ll be ready for training camp.  After both those surgeries, can you blame him?

Hobbs needs to focus on getting back out on the field.  While there are certain teams and certain times on and during which it would be to a player’s disadvantage to miss any part of training camp, Hobbs has two things going for him.  One, there is no doubt that he played with a torn labrum and sports hernia, which is something akin to being a Norse God walking the earth.  These things are not lost on Bill Bellichick.  Also, the Pats aren’t exactly locked and loaded at corner, which means that Hobbs isn’t likely to lose his spot.  He should make sure he’s 100% recovered before returning to action.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 10, 2008 - Post a comment

Pats have No Comment

In what has become a recurring theme for the team this offseason, the Patriots have no official comment on the Kaczur situation.  Well, that’s not totally true.  The Patriots have gone on record as saying that the troubled offensive lineman will be remaining with the team.  However, they offered absolutely no insight as to whether or not Kaczur would be disciplined by the team.  The NFL has yet to announce any disciplinary action toward Kaczur, but there are those who have made the assumption that punishment will be doled at out at some point.

Kaczur is lucky to be on such a team of loyal and classy individuals.  While much has been made of the Spygate incident, the fact remains that no one has yet been able to uncover some sort of pattern of behavior here.  The Patriots were only a short time ago considered to be the gold standard for any team in the league.  They will take care of this quietly and privately, as they take care of all their issues.  Kaczur, no matter what happens to him, can rest assured that the Patriots will not be throwing him under the bus anytime soon.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 9, 2008 - Post a comment

New England Rated High on O-Line

The New England Patriots, on almost every list imaginable, rank very highly.  As the cream of the NFL, this is where they belong.  Indeed, before the recent smear campaign against the Pats began, they were the NFL’s golden boys, practically perfect in every way.  As anyone in football will tell you, great teams are built on the foundation of great trench play, and the New England Patriots are no exception.  That’s why I shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Pats’ offensive line was rated #3 by CBS.com in their rankings of every offensive line in the NFL.

There is a good reason Tom Brady doesn’t miss starts.  Sure, he’s a tough guy and all, but he will be the first person to tell you that his ability to play his position begins and ends with his offensive line.  While they have been much-maligned after their poor performance in the Super Bowl last season, the Pats offensive line is still one of the very best in the National Football League.  They are sure to come out this year with a renewed fire as they attempt to rip back through the NFL on their way to that elusive fourth Super Bowl victory.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 6, 2008 - Post a comment

Former Pats Linebacker Sees the Texans

Former Patriots linebacker Roosevelt Colvin had a meeting with the Houston Texans recently, according to reports out of ESPN.com.  The former Patriots player was released due to some injury issues that kept him sidelined for most of last season, but Colvin hopes to play again elsewhere.  The Texans are putting Colvin through all the normal tests and physicals that any player undergoes.  While there are definitely concerns about injuries to Colvin, he is only 30 years old.  The Texans are interested in adding someone with Colvin’s pass rush ability, provided he can still get it done.

The Pats managed to avoid making many headlines today.  It seems these guys can’t buy a break this offseason.  They have endured all manner of horrible news stories as it pertains to Spygate and many other scandals.  In the end, nothing seems to have stuck, and the Patriots have moved on.  They kept their noses to the grindstone and their heads held high the whole time, and now it seems the team can finally move forward.  Here’s to wishing Colvin all the best of luck in his new career, and the Pats the best of luck in their new season.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 5, 2008 - Post a comment

Boston Globe Links Kaczur to Investigation

One of the strangest seasons in recent memory for the Patriots just got a little bit stranger.  Actually, the offseason got a lot stranger for the Patriots, who must now contend with the Boston Globe’s assertion that New England offensive lineman Nick Kaczur helped the DEA bust a drug dealer recently.  The story from the Globe cites a few sources (all of them somehow related to the defendant in the court case in question) who claim that Kaczur wore a wire and helped the DEA bust Daniel Ekasala, alleged drug dealer supplying Kaczur with Oxycodone.

While on the surface this might seem like a really bad story for the Patriots, I don’t think it is at all.  Even if all of this did actually happen, all that means is that Kaczur helped the proper law enforcement officials nab a drug dealer.  I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.  I hope that Kaczur has dealt with his addiction, as Oxycodone is a very dangerous drug.  That is, of course, if this story is true at all.  It remains to be seen whether or not all of this story, some of this story, or none of this story turns out to have any merit whatsoever.  This is the Boston Globe, and their recent history with sports scandals is not great.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 4, 2008 - Post a comment

Backup QB Winning Praise

It isn’t easy being the backup QB in New England.  Tom Brady doesn’t exactly miss games.  He’s as close to an automatic start as anyone in the NFL, and the position of “backup quarterback for the New England Patriots” is often ridiculed as the job of a glorified clipboard holder and play-caller.  However, this is professional football, and things happen.  And though the backup QBs in Boston have not been called recently, there is nothing stopping them from having to play at the drop of a hat.  With that in mind, backup quarterback Matt Gutierrez takes his job very seriously.

At this point, Gutierrez is the third-string quarterback for the Pats, which means that even if (God forbid) Tom Brady couldn’t go, he would have to continue to stand on the sidelines and watch some other backup take the spotlight.  But that doesn’t stop Gutierrez from being the first one on the field for every practice - not to mention the last one to leave.  This type of dedication does not go unnoticed by the coaching staff.  Don’t be surprised if you see Gutierrez making a contribution somewhere very soon in the NFL.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 3, 2008 - Post a comment


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