Legendary Bruschi to Retire

The New England Patriots have been making all sorts of cuts lately, but one cut they weren’t about to make was that of linebacker Tedy Bruschi. The 13-year Patriot, after playing sporadically in New England’s last three preseason games, has chosen to retire, set to make the announcement in a news conference this morning. Bruschi, a 36-year-old inside linebacker, has played in five Super Bowl games with the Patriots, three of them championships, and has been one of the most crucial leaders for the team over the past several years. Al Michaels on NBC’s Sunday Night Football broke the news about Bruschi’s retirement last night, and NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, a former teammate of Bruschi’s, commented on the situation, saying, “A terrific football player, a great friend of mine, one of the hardest-working guys that I’ve ever been around, a tremendous leader in that locker room, a guy that was an integral part of that 2003-2004 Super Bowl run that we had.”

Bruschi, a one-time Pro Bowl player, made his start with the Patriots in 1996, when he was selected by Bill Parcells as the New England Patriots’ third-round draft pick out of Arizona. Since then, the hardworking linebacker has helped build the dynasty of the Patriots, and although his status in ‘09 has been wishy-washy at best for the last several months, Bruschi will most certainly not pull a Brett Favre, opting instead to stay retired from the team that gave him life 13 years ago.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 31, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats vs. Skins

The New England Patriots battle the Washington Redskins tonight at FedEx Field, and the Pats are looking to improve upon their 1-1 record so far in the preseason, working out the preseason kinks while getting Tom Brady back in the business. The Patriots have some tough teams on their list of preseason competitors including the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, so tonight’s matchup against the Redskins should be an easy battle, should things go New England’s way.

In terms of what to look for in tonight’s game, Skins QB Jason Campbell has been at the forefront of attention lately, especially for his 1-for-7 performance last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Redskins have had their work cut out for them so far this preseason, already playing the Ravens and Steelers and next the Patriots, and this week’s game will test the patience and skill of the team - especially Campbell’s. “Right now it’s more negative than it is positive,” Campbell recently said in response to his troubling play. “Everybody wants to talk about 1 for 7. C’mon, there have been games when I’ve been 20 for 23, almost. So 1 for 7 is definitely something I’m not concerned about.” We’ll see who’s concerned about what once tonight’s game plays out.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 28, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Re-Sign Robert Ortiz

Wide receiver Robert Ortiz has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a few teams in the NFL since his original inception into the league in 2006, and yesterday the 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver signed with the New England Patriots once again, marking his second time in two years. Ortiz signed with the Patriots in 2008 during the offseason but was waived before the start of training camp, then joining the San Francisco 49ers for a short stint before being released by them, as well. He also spent time in the ‘09 offseason with the Patriots before being released on July 23, 2009, but yesterday Ortiz once again re-signed with the team, perhaps more permanently this time.

Robert Ortiz spent his college career playing at San Diego State and joined the San Diego Chargers as a rookie free agent in 2006. He was waived before the start of the ‘06 season and then joined the Seattle Seahawks for training camp in ‘07, where he was also waived before the regular season started. This year, Ortiz hopes things will be different, though he’s got a lot to prove in the next few weeks. The receiver has been watching the Patriots’ preseason intently, though, saying that over the course of the Pats’ last two preseason games, “I was rooting for these guys all the way through. I got to watch my [training camp] roommate Julian [Edelman]. I got to root for him when he ran that punt back, so I was hyped about that. I was just staying close just in case [the Patriots] brought me back. I know what they did, and I’ll be able to jump right in and blend right in.”

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 27, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Make Last-Minute Moves to Secure Roster

The New England Patriots were involved in a few crucial deals yesterday that, most importantly, sent offensive lineman Russ Hochstein to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Hochstein, a versatile player for the Patriots who began his run in New England in 2002, played in 91 games over the last seven seasons, and now he’ll join former teammate Le Kevin Smith in Denver playing for former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who will make his head coaching debut this season with the Broncos.

In other Patriots news, injured ‘09 draft pick Tyrone McKenzie finally reached a deal with the Patriots, signing a reported four-year, $3.124 million deal with New England that involves a $631,000 signing bonus. McKenzie was the Pats’ third-round draft pick this year out of South Florida, already out for the season with a torn ligament in his right knee. To make room for McKenzie, the Patriots also made a move cutting Tank Williams, an injury-plagued safety who missed the entire 2008 season with a knee injury, which he suffered in the preseason opener.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 26, 2009 - Post a comment

The Roles of Patriots Receivers

For Pro Bowl wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker, 2009 is just another year to dominate on the football field. Moss and Welker both are leaders on and off the field, and the two have once again been tapped to ready a backup crew of less-experienced players for action this season. For New England this year, backup wideouts Greg Lewis and Joey Galloway are sure to be crucial parts of the Patriots’ depth, and perhaps those two and other rookies will have something to learn from the Patriots’ top dogs, who have seemed to have almost perfected their style of play.

Bill Belichick recently talked about Moss’ leadership and the team’s offensive communication, saying, “They [Moss, Brady, other WRs] talk a lot about different techniques and how a certain defender plays and how to play against him - those types of things. Again, I think that was reflected last year when Randy was elected captain, not because of his playing ability, but because of his leadership and the way he interacts with his teammates and supports [them] - not just the receivers but also the defenders. They talk about it, too… It’s a healthy relationship and it’s one that we try to encourage. I think we get a lot out of them. Players are good about that. They are good about helping the younger players, but they’re also good about working with each other on different strengths and weaknesses and techniques that can be beneficial to our team.”

Patriots fans will get to see this teamwork in action next this Friday, when New England battles the Washington Redskins in week three of the preseason.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 25, 2009 - Post a comment

Contract Extension Still a Waiting Game for Wilfork

Vince Wilfork and the New England Patriots are still pretty far from working out a contract extension that will keep the nose tackle a Patriot after his six-year contract is up at the end of this football season, and tension is high as ever as the 2009 season gets underway. The problem with working out another contract with Wilfork is that Patriots owner Robert Kraft is concerned about the changing of a collective-bargaining agreement, but even with labor uncertainly (including a potential lockout in 2011 and no salary cap in 2010) Wilfork is getting a little antsy - and rightly so.

“It has been frustrating,” Wilfork said. “But you are hearing it from the horse’s mouth, I have not heard anything from my agent, which to me means there has been no progress. There are 31 other teams in this league and you see a lot of deals getting done. Matt Cassel, Eli Manning and Albert Haynesworth all got new contracts. The labor situation affects everybody, not just the Patriots… On the other hand, the Patriots have a lot of guys up at the end of the year, so they are in a tough position. I see both sides of the issue.” Nevertheless, Wilfork’s patience will continue to be tried as he awaits his future in the NFL.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 24, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Bow to Bengals in Preseason Matchup

The loss won’t count against the New England Patriots’ record, but Tom Brady and Co. fell to the Cincinnati Bengals last night in a sloppy preseason game, giving the Pats more to work on as training camp comes to a close and the regular season looms in the very near future. In last night’s game against the Bengals, Tom Brady made a short cameo just long enough to get knocked down twice, once by Keith Rivers and once by Robert Geathers, and backup quarterbacks Kevin O’Connell and Brian Hoyer couldn’t quite make up the one-point difference the Patriots were down from after Brady left the field, ultimately taking New England to a 6-7 loss against Cincinnati.

While there was nothing overly impressive about the Patriots last night (Bill Belichick went as far as to say, “We were pretty sloppy in every area of the game,”) there was one highlight of the night: Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who filled in for ailing kicker Shayne Graham and kicked the extra point after a touchdown, giving the Bengals the 7-6 lead over the Patriots. Of his kicking cameo, Ochocinco said, “‘Esteban’ Ochocinco is back, the most interesting footballer in the world. Everyone has to remember, I’ve always said that soccer is my No. 1 sport. I think Ronaldinho would be proud of me right now.” As for the Patriots, there’s always next time.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 21, 2009 - Post a comment

What Does Brett Favre Mean to the Patriots?

Earlier this week, it was announced that quarterback Brett Favre has un-un-retired, joining the Minnesota Vikings for the 2009 football season. This immediately threw team predictions off for the year, as Favre will now take the lead in front of an injured and inconsistent pair of QBs (Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson) for the Vikes, but will Favre’s arrival in Minnesota be big enough to make a difference to the top teams in the league (i.e. Giants, Patriots, Colts)?

When it comes to the New England Patriots, we say no. With Tom Brady back on the field and looking as strong as ever, the Patriots don’t need to worry about an aging quarterback like Brett Favre and a mediocre team like the Vikings. The Tom Brady factor is high, and especially because the Pats are AFC East contenders, and so it won’t much matter that Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are back in the saddle with the NFC North. Perhaps Minnesota now has a shot at stealing the NFC North, as the team could prove to be a contender with the Bears, Lions and Packers, but when it comes to the Patriots, especially since the Pats don’t even play the Vikings in the regular season this year, Brett Favre is old news.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 20, 2009 - Post a comment

Rex Ryan Adds Fuel to Pats-Jets Fire

He’s been nothing but obnoxious since landing in New York earlier this year,  but now New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is just plain annoying. He’s taken all sorts of stabs at the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick since his arrival in New York (”I’m not here to kiss his rings,” he said of Belichick earlier this offseason,) and yesterday Ryan made another notorious slip-up, fueling the fire that started months ago. Pats head coach Bill Belichick is known for scouring quotes on the internet and using them as motivation for his players, and Rex Ryan has given the team plenty of ammo to use this season, adding even more yesterday by saying, “When I said that about Belichick, I’m just letting him know I’m not intimidated by him. He has the same position as I have. We’re both head coaches in this league. He just happens to have a helluva lot of Super Bowl rings and I don’t have a win. I understand that. But again, we’re not going to tiptoe our way through this thing. You don’t line up and beat a Bill Belichick-coached team by tiptoeing in there. We’re just going to be ourselves. I’m going to be myself. That’s just the way it is.”

After explaining this, Ryan gave the media more to report on, bringing another round of fire by saying, “How much motivation are they going to get by putting a quote from me on the wall saying that I believe in my football team. That I’m not going to be intimidated by a coach or anyone else. If that’s where you’re going to draw motivation from, hell, we’ll probably kick your (butt). I mean if that’s the case.” Ouch. Look out, Jets - the Patriots are officially out to get you and your loudmouthed coach, too.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 19, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Send DE Smith to Denver

In a deal perhaps completing the New England Patriots’ transaction earlier this month made for defensive end Derrick Burgess from Oakland, the Pats have traded their ‘06 sixth-round defensive end Le Kevin Smith to the Denver Broncos. In this recent deal, the Broncos have received Smith and a 2010 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a fifth-round 2010 pick that will go to the Patriots, who are expected to send the pick to the Raiders to complete the earlier Burgess deal.

Le Kevin Smith, a 6-foot-3, 308-pound defensive end and former Nebraska Cornhusker, served as a backup for the Patriots over the last two seasons, making cameos in 28 games in his time with New England. Of his new job with the Broncos, Smith’s agent Adisa Bakari said, “The 3-4 defensive end requires a special technique and special athlete. It requires the size of a defensive tackle and the agility and athleticism of a large defensive end. It’s hard to play the 3-4 without one. It’s why those guys go so high in the draft. Le Kevin is athletic enough to play the end and strong enough to play over center.”

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 18, 2009 - Post a comment


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