Gearing Up for Pittsburgh

It’s no big secret that the 8-3 Pittsburgh Steelers have been more than a little shaky this year. They’ve lost to the Eagles, the Giants and the Colts, succumbing to pressure from big games. The Steelers have also struggled to squeak by teams like the Browns, Ravens, Chargers and Jaguars, further proving their instability. As this Pittsburgh team readies itself for Sunday’s matchup against the New England Patriots, however, the Pats realize they will not easily walk over the Steelers for a Week 13 win.

This Patriots-Steelers matchup will likely be one of the best and most even matchups of the week, as the tough Pittsburgh defense takes on a red-hot Matt Cassel and his mighty offense. Who will come out on top? The Patriots are coming off two very strong performances against the Jets and the Dolphins, and Cassel’s 400+ yards in each game will surely be a threat to Pittsburgh. Looking at the two teams’ history, the Patriots have also won six of the last seven meetings with the Steelers. Stay tuned for this monumental game on Sunday as New England’s Bill Belichick tries to win his 150th win as a head coach.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on November 26, 2008 - Post a comment

Pats-Seahawks Swapped for Ravens-Skins

The NFL is pulling rank, and New England fans are on the bottom of the current heap. Following a solid performance where thousands of diehard Patriots fanatics watched New England beat up on the Miami Dolphins, New England was ecstatic, but next week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks might just end up being one that many fans miss because of flex scheduling.

December 7’s Patriots-Seahawks game was originally scheduled to be the Sunday night game on NBC, but earlier this week the NFL announced that the matchup will take the backseat to the Baltimore Ravens-Washington Redskins game, which will now replace the Pats-Seahawks game on national television. The New England game that was supposed to be at 8:15 p.m. EST will now take place at 1 p.m. EST, and the Redskins game will take its place in the Sunday night slot. This decision isn’t so much because of the Patriots as it is the Redskins and Ravens, who are both 7-4 and in contention for the playoffs race. This game may be a more important one for the playoffs, but not necessarily one that will draw in a bigger audience for Nielsen ratings. Regardless, Patriots fans with regular cable will just have to hope their game gets priority over the other Sunday games!

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on November 25, 2008 - Post a comment

Cassel, Patriots Stomp the Dolphins

The Matt Cassel-Randy Moss combo was up and running in yesterday’s Patriots-Dolphins matchup, and the duo was an unstoppable force in New England’s big win over Miami. Avenging the loss they suffered back in September, the Patriots dominated the field to win 48-28 over the Dolphins, not letting that Miami Wildcat play get the best of New England once again.

Matt Cassel showed his improvement in the best of ways in yesterday’s game going 30-of-43 with 415 yards, his second back-to-back game with more than 400. Cassel became the first quarterback in the team’s history with two straight games throwing more than 400 yards, also the first QB in the league to do so since Tennessee’s Billy Volek in 2004. Randy Moss added to this excitement with three touchdowns and 125 yards, tying Indianapolis’ Marvin Harrison for the second in the league at 100-yard games, racking up his 59th. Pats receiver Wes Welker also chalked up more than 100 yards, and despite a fourth quarter melee between Miami linebacker Channing Crowder and New England tackle Matt Light, followed by a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct attributed to Miami’s Joey Porter, the Patriots still won the game in style, making up for their September loss in the only way they know how.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on November 24, 2008 - Post a comment

Patriots-Dolphins Preview

The Patriots travel to Miami this weekend to avenge their September loss to the Miami Dolphins, and this second round of Pats/Dolphins action is more important than ever to the standings of the AFC East. Currently sitting at a tie for second in the division, New England and Miami will battle it out for a 9-2 record and second place honors this Sunday at Dolphin Stadium.

Last time the two teams met, New England just couldn’t stop Miami running back Ronnie Brown, who scored five touchdowns and had 113 yards rushing to contribute to the Dolphins’ 38-13 win over New England at Gillette Stadium. The so-called “Brown-out” whipped the Patriots back into place in their following games, but now the Pats get a chance to redeem themselves. Look to Matt Cassel to be more of a defining figure in this game than at the teams’ last meeting, as the quarterback has greatly improved and is coming off a 400-yard throwing game against the Jets. Also watch for Miami’s Wildcat plays, which last time included a single-wing offense on six different plays. The Dolphins are searching for their fifth consecutive win (for the first time since 2005), and the Patriots are looking to keep their heads above water in the AFC East race, so stay tuned for results!

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on November 21, 2008 - Post a comment

Round Two with the Dolphins

Last time the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins met this season, the Dolphins put a damper on New England’s 22 game winning streak. The Patriots’ third game of the regular season without Tom Brady was a tough one for the team, whose quarterback looked a little more than unstable and went only 131 yards on 19 completions and contributed to New England’s 38-13 loss. Now, so late in the season, the Dolphins and the Patriots meet again, so what will change in this weekend’s matchup?

First of all (and perhaps not to the Patriots’ advantage,) injuries have ensued since the teams last met. Key Patriots players Adalius Thomas and Rodney Harrison will both sit this game out, just weeks after playing the Dolphins the first time around. In New England’s favor, however, the team will not be caught by surprise again at Miami’s offense, which came up with plays like snapping the ball directly to a running back six times in the previous Pats/Dolphins game. Matt Cassel also looks like a much better quarterback than the one we saw back in September, and all of this will put more positive attention on the Patriots’ offense and a lot less stress, as well.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on November 20, 2008 - Post a comment

Singing the Praises of Undrafted Players

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is one heck of a coach. He had faith in Tom Brady when the #199 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft went in for quarterback Drew Bledsoe after an injury in 2001, and, similarly, he had faith in the little-known Matt Cassel after Brady was injured this season. A fan of the underdog, Belichick keeps his eye on undrafted talent as a key to his team’s roster, and this season it’s really been paying off for the Patriots.

When it comes to undrafted players, every team has about 13 per roster. Considering each team only gets to choose about seven out of around 1500 draft picks in the NFL Draft each year, these undrafted players become a crucial part of teams’ lineups, especially because of the teams’ salary caps. For the Patriots, undrafted ballers Larry Izzo and Wes Welker have proved Belichick’s strategy over the past several years, as linebacker Izzo has been to three Pro Bowls and led in special-teams tackles in seven of the last nine seasons, while wide receiver Welker currently leads the NFL with 72 receptions this season, setting a franchise record for 112 last season. The Patriots’ newest undrafted superstar, however, is BenJarvus Green-Ellis, a running back out of Mississippi who joined the team as an undrafted free agent last May.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on November 19, 2008 - Post a comment

Mayo for Defensive Rookie of the Year

Jerod Mayo was the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, coming to New England out of Tennessee, where he started 26 of 32 games for the Vols. His addition to the team marks the first time the Patriots have picked up a linebacker in the NFL Draft before the fifth round in eight drafts. Bill Belichick took a risk on taking Mayo in the first round, but now the Patriots’ head coach is rejoicing his pick for the rookie linebacker, as Mayo has proven his strength and ability with the Patriots this season. The latest headline for the linebacker? His 20-tackle performance in last Thursday’s Patriots-Jets matchup. Mayo has started every game next to Tedy Bruschi, one of the best players in the NFL, and last Thursday Mayo proved his worth in the running of the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, already setting a record as the only Patriots linebacker to reach 20 tackles in one game (since 1994, at least.) Mayo currently leads the Patriots with 85 tackles, ranking him second in the entire NFL behind Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson.

Mayo is up against Rams end Chris Long, Redskins safety Chris Horton, Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib, Dolphins end Kendall Langford and Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton for Defensive Rookie of the Year, but Mayo’s stellar performances may put him in the early lead of the pack.

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

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on November 18, 2008 - Post a comment

More Uncertainty Looms around Cassel

The New England Patriots aren’t sure what to do with Matt Cassel. At the beginning of this season after Tom Brady got hurt, several fans doubted Cassel’s ability to hang with the best of the league. Quickly following his last few performances (especially considering last week’s game when he threw for 400 yards,) however, speculation is beginning to arise again – this time, though, it’s talk about what to do with Cassel after this season.

At the end of the season, Cassel will be a free agent, and this brings about complications with the expected return of Tom Brady. Cassel has improved drastically since his first NFL start earlier this season, and now questions are looming with whether or not to franchise the quarterback, and also if New England can afford to keep him around. Cassel will go into next year’s draft as one of the league’s most desirable quarterbacks on the market, and if the Patriots want to keep him around they can expect to drop anywhere between $10 and $12 million up front, which New England can’t afford, especially with Brady back in the game. Look to San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Detroit and the New York Jets to keep their eye on Cassel, as all of these teams will be in search of a quarterback come next season.

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

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

Patriots Fall Short in Thursday Night Game

The New England Patriots faced the New York Jets last night in one of the most exciting football games of the season. The Pats just fell short of winning the game, losing to the Jets in overtime as a field goal from Jets kicker Jay Feely gave New York a three-point finish over the Patriots in overtime. Just because the Patriots got edged out of last night’s game, however, doesn’t mean this mighty New England team doesn’t have anything to celebrate.

It was a Brett Favre/Matt Cassel showdown last night, and even though Favre pulled through in the end for the Jets, Cassel didn’t let it go down easily. Performing in his best game of the season at Gillette Stadium, Cassel went 30-for-51 with a whopping 400 yards, easily a record for him so far. This put Favre’s 26-for-33 with 258 yards to shame, and Cassel didn’t stop there. The New England quarterback had a few crucial throws and even a few runs in last night’s game that even Tom Brady would be impressed with, and he ended the night being the first quarterback since 1970 to complete a game with 400 yards passing and 60 yards rushing. This, for the formerly-unknown Matt Cassel, is an incredible feat.

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

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

Patriots-Jets Preview

Thursday night football is back for the NFL, and tonight the Patriots will meet the Jets once again this season. Last time the two teams met (Sept. 14), the nation saw Matt Cassel start for the first time in his NFL career, and the Patriots led the way winning 19-10 while sacking New York quarterback Brett Favre twice. The game put New England atop the AFC East with a 2-0 lead, and tonight’s game will once again determine who sits on top of the division, as both the Patriots and the Jets are tied for first in the AFC East with 6-3 records.

Both the Patriots and the Jets have rearranged their lineups since the last time they saw each other on the turf, and the most recent buzz surrounding New England is Adalius Thomas’ broken arm. Thomas left last week’s game against Buffalo with a hurt left forearm, and he will not come back into the Patriots’ lineup anytime soon. Subbing in for Thomas in the meantime is former Glenville High School linebacker Pierre Woods, who is in his third season with the NFL and will make his first start in the league tonight. Check back for results from the game!

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

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


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