A Side of Football with that Mayo

Rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo dominated opposing offenses like it was his job while playing football in college for Tennessee, and the 6-foot-1, 242 pound force of power hasn’t had much trouble fitting in with the big boys of the NFL, either. The 10th overall pick of the 2008 draft, Mayo was the earliest linebacker pick from any draft during Belichick’s tenure at New England. He’s already nailed up 30 tackles for this season, coming in second on the team to Rodney Harrison and his 34.

Mayo has been catching the attention of fans, players and coaches all across the spectrum for his remarkable skills in his rookie season, and along with the whole NFL world watching the linebacker comes a strong parallel to the last rookie linebacker to take a running start in the league: Patrick Willis. A second-year linebacker for San Francisco, Willis came into the NFL last year from Ole Miss as an 11th overall pick to the 49ers, finishing the season as the NFL’s rookie of the year while also being the only rookie on the Associated Press All-Pro squad. Willis is 6-foot-1, 240 pounds (sound familiar?), and if Mayo’s NFL career will be anything similar to Willis’, the Patriots will be basking in the glory of their standout linebacker.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on October 17, 2008 - Post a comment

Jarvis Green Successful On and Off the Field

It’s no surprise that linemen love food, and New England Patriots’ defensive end Jarvis Green has recently taken the revelation one step further than just an amateur hobby. Green, a Louisiana native and seven year veteran for the Pats, recently opened a restaurant in his hometown of Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Named the Capitol Restaurant, Green’s newest investment is named after the town being the capital of Louisiana in the 1800s. The Capitol Restaurant is set to specialize in seafood and other delights including a massive selection of appetizers, build-your-own burger, seven hot wing sauces and po-boys. While the restaurant is Jarvis Green’s first investment of the type, the defensive lineman also owns a liquor store on his alma mater LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge named Green’s Purple and Gold, and he has founded the Jarvis Green Foundation, as well, which helps single mothers in New Orleans and also aids victims of Hurricane Katrina.

When he’s not busy bettering his home state of Louisiana, Jarvis Green can be found pounding the turf at New England’s Gillette Stadium. The defensive end has started 31 of 94 games in six NFL seasons, locking in 236 tackles and 25 sacks.

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

Improving That Passing Game

As football season wears on some trends are overly noticeable, and as fans and critics alike evaluate the New England Patriots, there’s just one glaring flaw that shines through: the big-play factor. It’s no surprise that ever since Tom Brady’s injury left him watching the season from the sidelines the Pats’ offense has gone in a downward slope, but New England has taken two huge losses that may have been prevented had there been more long passes completed in the team’s offensive game.

Even if Matt Cassel isn’t as experienced as Brady, he’s got Randy Moss as a right-hand man so some magic should be waiting there to be exploited. So far, Cassel’s longest throws have been 66 yards and 51 yards – both to Moss (one in the team’s season opener and the other against the 49ers.) The team shouldn’t rest on Cassel’s shoulders, but it needs him to pick up the pace. In Sunday’s game against the Chargers, Cassel was 22 for 38 with 203 yards, enduring an interception and getting sacked four times. If New England wants to regain its reign in the NFL, this big-play roadblock should be addressed. Luckily, we’re talking about the Patriots, and they always make time for a comeback.
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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on October 15, 2008 - Post a comment

Blue Skies Ahead for Brady

Despite losing to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday in Week 6 of the regular season, the New England Patriots have something to be happy about. In a media heyday at Junior Seau’s restaurant in San Diego this weekend, Patriots owner Robert Kraft answered questions, including some of those concerning New England quarterback Tom Brady, who underwent surgery last week in Los Angeles for an ACL injury.

According to Kraft, who confirmed rumors of Brady’s surgery at LA’s Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, Brady’s surgery went well and according to plan, and the quarterback was even in good spirits following the procedure. The star quarterback will return to Boston soon to start the long road to rehabilitation, and he is expected to return next season in full force.

Brady’s knee injury came in the first quarter of the team’s season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the quarterback has been out of commission ever since. Matt Cassel, a quarterback out of USC, has taken over QB duties in the absence of Brady, and will continue to throw for New England while Brady recovers from his season-ending injury.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on October 14, 2008 - Post a comment

Injuries Hinder Week 6

It wasn’t just Philip Rivers’ three touchdown passes that gave the Patriots a swift kick to the rear last night as Week 6 came to a close for Sunday night, San Diego towering over New England 30-10. Sure, the Patriots may have faltered a bit in San Diego during parts of yesterday’s Patriots-Chargers matchup, but for the most part New England just got outplayed. While speculation will continue to arise in the days to come, it can’t be ignored that part of the Patriots’ devastating loss yesterday was undoubtedly due to the revolving door of players being swept into and out of the lineup as various Patriots exited the game with injuries.

The unspeakable injury in yesterday’s game was that of Tom Brady, who accompanied his team to the West Coast but not to San Diego as he underwent surgery in Los Angeles for his ACL tear last week. That injury has been looming over New England’s head all season, but five other Patriots paid their dues to the sidelines yesterday, as well. First up are running backs Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan, who were both injured before last night’s game; also taking turns on the sidelines yesterday were Jarvis Green, Ellis Hobbs and Nick Kaczur. Hobbs was the only one who came back into the game after leaving injured.

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

Patriots-Chargers Preview

Two football dynasties meet this weekend in a showdown at Qualcomm Stadium, where the down but never out New England Patriots (3-1) take on the struggling San Diego Chargers (2-3) in Southern California. These two AFC powerhouses have had unexpectedly disappointing seasons so far, with the Pats’ QB Tom Brady sitting the sidelines and the Chargers, well, just not performing like they used to. This New England-San Diego matchup has been looked forward to since the 2008-2009 schedule was released, and fans just might get the thrills they have been expecting from this weekend’s game.

The Patriots have eliminated the Chargers from the past two postseasons, beating them last year in a heartbreaking 21-12 game in New England for the AFC championship game. Blood-thirsty for revenge, the Chargers will have to step up their game this weekend to beat the Patriots. Taking home field advantage, the Chargers are slightly favored to win this weekend (according to OnlineSportsHandicapping.com,) but this week’s matchup will undoubtedly be one of the top games of the week to watch. The Patriots-Chargers Week 6 game is the Sunday night game this week, so stay tuned as Matt Cassel and the New England Patriots defend their image in San Diego.

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

Patriots Serve Up More than Football

When it comes to the NFL and football season, sometimes deeper fulfillments are overlooked for that big Monday night game. The New England Patriots, however, are doing their part to give back to the community, taking strides away from the game of football to put a focus back on charitable happenings. While speculation concerning New England quarterback Tom Brady and his team staying mum on rumors of his ACL surgery (did he have it Monday or not?) going round and round in the news this week, other important events have been left out.

Take the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, for example. Using their power as NFL icons to propel a community-wide organization, the Patriots have teamed up with Shaw’s Supermarkets and the Greater Boston Food Bank to support local Kids Café programs throughout New England. According to the Whitman Times, the Kids Café program the Patriots are helping out with will go to provide nutritious meals for at-risk or low-income students after school every day. All month long, Shaw’s shoppers can buy paper helmets with either a $1 or $5 donation, and along with the donation comes the chance to win Patriots prizes like VIP tickets and autographed memorabilia.

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

Jordan on Injured List

It’s been an up-and-down season this year for the New England Patriots in terms of injuries, and running back LaMont Jordan has been added to that long and ever-changing list of recovering soldiers on the football field. Taking an excruciating hit to the leg when tackled by San Francisco’s Aubrayo Franklin in Sunday’s game against the 49ers, Jordan was sidelined in the second quarter of the game, returning out of uniform for the second half.

The former Raider had already had five carries for 16 yards when he went down with the left leg injury, but thankfully the Patriots are plentiful on the offensive running side. While Jordan hobbled off the field during Sunday’s game, New England had Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and Laurence Maroney to rely on; each of the aforementioned Patriots ran the ball at least four times in the first half of Sunday’s game. At a press conference Monday, New England coach Bill Belichick downplayed Jordan’s injury, announcing it looked to be a quick heal. This is all good news for the Patriots, who are spending the week in Northern California before heading down south to San Diego for Sunday’s game against the Chargers.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on October 8, 2008 - Post a comment

A Week on the West Coast

They may not be welcomed with open arms after beating San Francisco’s own 49ers last weekend, but the New England Patriots are extending their stay on the West Coast, spending the week at San Jose State while gearing up for next week’s matchup against the San Diego Chargers. By remaining on the West Coast after playing at San Francisco last week, the Patriots hope to eliminate jetlag, able to stay on Pacific Standard Time instead of bouncing back and forth between Eastern Standard Time.

Resting up today at a hotel in Silicon Valley, the Patriots will be back at it tomorrow at San Jose State, which has a stellar workout complex (thanks to a donation from Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia.) Along with the time change, the New England team also hopes to eliminate other post-game distractions by staying in California for the week; namely, media coverage back home. The Pats will take this week to regroup, and spending the week at San Jose State seems like a mini training camp, where the players can bond and take a break from the day-to-day grind on their home field.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on October 7, 2008 - Post a comment

Pats Sail by 49ers 30-21

The New England Patriots won the franchise’s first-ever game at San Francisco yesterday, soundly thumping the 49ers 30-21 in a game answering to their loss against Miami two weeks ago. The Pats were back to their normal selves in San Francisco, dominating possession and, thereby, control of the game. There was no shortage of star players in yesterday’s game, as every competitor seemed on top of his game: Matt Cassel had 259 yards passing, Randy Moss had an incredible 66-yard touchdown catch and Kevin Faulk made a game-changing score on a direct snap, to name a few.

Although Cassel got sacked five times, he still ended up being 22-of-32, connecting with Moss on a few occasions to bring the ball down the field. Stephen Gostkowski also helped the Pats with three field goals, including one for 49 yards with 4:42 left in the game. The one low point for New England in yesterday’s game was LaMont Jordan’s leg injury in the second quarter, but overall this worthy Patriots team was a totally different team than the one that got stomped by the Dolphins in Week 3. Next up: San Diego.

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


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