Patriots Eye Colts as Week 10 Looms Overhead
The New England Patriots scraped by the Miami Dolphins to pull out a win in Week 9 of the NFL’s regular season, but the Pats hardly have any time to recuperate, as they’ve already got the Indianapolis Colts on their mind. The longtime rivals meet up in Week 10 at Indy’s Lucas Oil Stadium, and this AFC battle is one that’s sure to be a Week 10 highlight.
This weekend’s Pats-Colts matchup will be on even playing ground, and the Patriots might even have an advantage going into the game, as the 8-0 Colts are missing several top players including Bob Sanders, Adam Vinatieri, Marlin Jackson and Anthony Gonzalez. The Colts have secured two pretty ugly wins over the last two weeks against the 49ers and Texans, and this blue-and-white team should prove a good match for the 6-2 New England Patriots, who have won their last three games in a row against the Titans, Buccaneers and Dolphins.
What’s to come this Sunday as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, two of the league’s top quarterbacks, face off in the Sunday night game of the week? It’s all to come this Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (EST), so stick around to find out!
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Pats Stop the Wildcat and Soar over the Dolphins
The New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins in a 27-17 battle yesterday in Week 9 of the NFL’s regular season, and perhaps the most significant part of the Patriots’ win yesterday was the fact that New England has proven it won’t be fooled again by the tricky wildcat. The Patriots were down after the first half of the game with the Dolphins leading 16-10, but the Patriots came back strong after halftime, with kicker Stephen Gostkowski sealing the deal in the final minute of the game by booting a 40-yard field goal that put the Pats ahead 10 points, making it impossible for Miami to make a last-minute comeback.
Tom Brady went 25-of-37 for 332 yards and one touchdown in yesterday’s game, and Randy Moss’ six catches for 147 yards and one touchdown made him the game’s most valuable receiver, and Laurence Maroney’s other touchdown helped win the game, as well. The red-hot Patriots have now won seven games in a row, and they hope to keep the momentum flowing as the AFC East competitor now gears up for a Week 10 game against the still-undefeated Indianapolis Colts. Stay tuned for that game, as it’s sure to be the thriller of the week.
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Patriots-Dolphins Preview
Miami’s Ronnie Brown returns to face an old foe this Sunday as the New England Patriots go up against the Miami Dolphins in a Week 9 AFC East showdown, but the Fins have more to prove this year than last, when they unveiled their powerhouse of a wildcat play against the Patriots and came out with a 38-13 win. This year, the Patriots will not be surprised by the crafty play, and with Tom Brady back at the helm this Pats-Dolphins showdown is sure to be an entirely different matchup than last year’s.
Brown, a Miami running back who helped the Fins unleash the wildcat last season, is looking to put a dent into New England’s armor again this weekend, but do the Dolphins have what it takes to keep it fresh and beat the 5-2 Patriots? The wildcat is no secret anymore, but of Sunday’s game Brown said, “It’s not about New England versus the wildcat. It’s about the Miami Dolphins versus the New England Patriots and how we can get a win. Whatever it takes - running the ball, throwing the ball, however we get a win, I don’t care.”
So the wildcat won’t be the dominant factor in Sunday’s Pats-Fins matchup, but it is still a significant feature of Miami’s offense, and the Patriots will once again go up against it this weekend as they strive for another win.
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Thomas Confronts Strike Talk
Rumors are swirling right now about a possible postseason strike in the NFL, and that’s been all the buzz this week as the football realm - and, of course, the media - try to sort things out. Talk of a union strike has come up as the result of the NFLPA’s failed attempt to hash out negotiations over a new labor deal at the start of the uncapped year in March 2010, and this so-called strike would likely happen at the end of the ‘09 regular season, when most teams would normally be looking at the playoffs.
While the strike is pretty unlikely to happen, New England Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas had some words to say about the strike rumor being, well, a rumor. “To be blunt, it’s a flat-out, bald-faced, capital-letters lie,” Thomas told Yahoo! Sports. “We’re not the ones who are interested in not playing. We want to play. We’re not going on strike.” The linebacker continued with his tongue-lashing talking about the strike and its supposed action around playoffs, saying, “That’s when, as a player, you want to play the most. You want to go to the Super Bowl and you have four weeks to get there. You think we want to stop that? That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard.”
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Patriots Look for Depth at Running Back
The New England Patriots keep improving as the regular season of the NFL wears on, but a number of injuries have begun to slowly seep into the cracks of the team’s stellar season - especially on the team’s offense. The position in question now is at running back, as Sammy Morris has been out with a knee injury and Fred Taylor’s ankle surgery leaves the Patriots dipping into their reserve. Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis have stepped up in the position recently, but are these three players enough to get the job done?
Apparently not, as the Patriots have spent the week working out a number of running backs including Maurice Hicks, Marcus Mason and Thomas Brown, but perhaps there’s another available back that the team hasn’t looked seriously into yet: Edgerrin James. The former Indianapolis Colt was recently cut by the Seattle Seahawks for being too expensive and not explosive enough to make a difference in the team this season, but perhaps Edge could find a home in New England soon. James has the potential to do some great things rushing for the New England Patriots should he get the chance to bring his running game into New England, but is he still too expensive for the Patriots to pick up and does his age (31) play a factor in his worth? We’ll soon see how it all plays out!
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Injury Strikes Pats’ Defensive Line
There’s a good chance that there might be a hole in the Patriots’ defensive line this weekend, as it’s been confirmed that eight-year defensive end Jarvis Green had to have knee surgery last week following New England’s game against Tampa Bay in London. The Pats have largely stayed mum on Green’s injury, only confirming that the DE did indeed go under the knife during New England’s bye week.
While the extent of his injury is yet unknown, Jarvis Green will most certainly miss this week’s game against the Miami Dolphins. This might not be a devastating development for the Patriots, but it might affect the team should Green miss the Pats’ Nov. 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Green is expected to be replaced by five-year veteran Mike Wright while in recovery, and rookie Ron Brace could be activated in Green’s absence, as well. As far as a game plan, Wright recently said, “It’s tough to lose any player on the defense. We’re going to let Jarvis handle his business and we’re going to take care of what we can on the field.” Watch for the Patriots to take care of business this weekend as they play the 3-4 Miami Dolphins at home this Sunday.
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A Look at the AFC East after Week 8
The New England Patriots had the chance to watch some of the division’s other teams play yesterday as the Pats took the week off with a bye, and they were probably pleased with what they saw around the AFC East during Week 8 action. Even with a bye week, the Patriots were able to pull away from the pack around their division thanks to a battle between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins improved their record to 3-4 by beating the Jets 30-25, and the Buffalo Bills came to a 3-5 record after falling to the Houston Texans 31-10. This makes New England’s 5-2 record good enough for first place in the AFC East, and the Patriots hope to keep that spot on the top of the division as they go into the second half of the regular season.
Next week, the Patriots continue their quest to rule the AFC East when they take on the Miami Dolphins at home, but Tom Brady and Co. should be rested enough by next weekend to take Week 9 easily before gearing up to go against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts in Week 10, when they’ll travel to Indy’s Lucas Oil Stadium.
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Spotlight: Vince Wilfork
When analyzing the New England Patriots’ defense, one of the first players always mentioned is the hulking Vince Wilfork, a 6-foot-2, 325-pound defensive tackle who has been doing great things for the Patriots ever since he was drafted into the league as a first-round pick out of Miami in 2004. Wilfork is in the last year of his contract and has yet to sign another with the Patriots, but judging from his absolute value to the New England defense, he’s about to land a lucrative deal with the team he’s been a part of for his whole pro football career.
At 28 years old, the next contract Wilfork signs will perhaps be the most important of his career, as it will likely be the one he sees at the apex of his career. Known as one of the best nose tackles in the NFL, Vince Wilfork is a hot commodity on the football scene, but even with all the pressure mounting to strike a deal, Wilfork says he’s just taking things one day at a time. “The final year of my contract is this year. Whatever happens, happens after that,” he recently said. “I’ll move forward. That’s one thing I can say. I will move forward, but for right now, that’s the last thing on my mind - contract talk and all that. That’s what I pay my agent for. If he has a problem, he has my number. I just try to focus on doing my job and how we can get better as a team. That’s basically my mind frame as of now.”
Wilfork, who initially signed a six-year contract worth $18 million in 2004, has shown the Patriots he wants to stay with the team but isn’t willing to mess around for long when it comes to his contract. He has been clear on that, even sitting out of New England’s voluntary OTAs this spring. What will come next in his story? We’re certain he’ll be a Patriot after all is said and done, but stay tuned to find out!
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Brady Named AFC Offensive Player of the Month
Just a day after New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather was announced the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his on-field contributions in last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium, another Patriot has also been given an award of a similar caliber. That player is Tom Brady, who has just been announced the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
This is the third time Brady has won the award, having taken the honors of AFC Offensive Player of the Month in both September and October of 2007. This award for Brady comes after the all-star quarterback had a record-breaking game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6 of regular season play, posting five touchdown passes en route to the Patriots’ 59-0 win. Those five TD passes have helped Brady accumulate 12 touchdown passes on the season, which puts him in first place for passes in the AFC and second overall in the NFL. Brady has also been setting other records for the Patriots, having last week thrown his 26th 300-yard game, which ties Drew Bledsoe’s record for the most 300-yard games in franchise history.
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Meriweather is AFC Defensive Player of the Week
Following last weekend’s 35-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New England Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. The safety helped the Patriots’ defense hold the Bucs to just seven points in last week’s game at Wembley Stadium, and he deserves credit for snatching two interceptions in the first six minutes of playtime. Meriweather returned the first interception 39 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Brandon Meriweather’s distinction as this week’s AFC Defensive Player of the Week (for Week 7) makes him the first defensive player on New England’s roster to take home the award since Asante Samuel did so in Week 12 of the 2007 season. His Player of the Week honor also marks the Patriots’ third AFC Player of the Week award this season, as Tom Brady was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in both Week 1 and Week 6 of play this year. Brandon Meriweather more than proved his worth during last week’s Patriots-Bucs game, and he’ll most certainly be appreciating the bye week the Patriots are coming into for Week 8.
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