Bruschi Joins ESPN as Analyst
Proving he was no flash in the pan for the New England Patriots, the retired Patriots linebacker and NFL hero Tedy Bruschi has struck a deal with ESPN, becoming one of the network’s NFL analysts for the 2009 football season. Bruschi will now provide insight on ESPNBoston.com, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio and other ESPN programs, continuing to leave his mark on the football realm even though he’s not suiting up for New England anymore. The longtime Patriot made a statement yesterday regarding his new position off the football field, saying, “I’m very excited to be joining the ESPN team. I hope to bring my passion and knowledge for the game as an analyst just as I did as a player. I look forward to the national exposure of covering the entire league while also having the opportunity to stay close to my roots here with ESPNBoston.com.”
Bruschi retired earlier this offseason after playing 14 seasons with the New England Patriots, and this San Francisco, CA native was part of three Super Bowl championships for the Patriots, playing on five of the six Patriots teams to make it to the Super Bowl. Bruschi’s involvement in 189 regular-season games is a record high for any linebacker in New England Patriots history, and Patriots fans are sure to be thrilled at Bruschi’s newest endeavors with ESPN.
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Pats Make Roster Moves, Surprise Cuts
WR Greg Lewis and DL Richard Seymour are no longer suiting up in Patriots red and blue, as both players were released from the ranks of the New England Patriots over the weekend. Lewis, traded to the Patriots from the Eagles this past March after playing six seasons in Philadelphia, lost the job at No. 3 receiver to Joey Galloway and was released this weekend, while teammate Richard Seymour has reportedly been traded to the Oakland Raiders for a 2011 first-round draft pick. The Seymour deal is not completely worked out yet as the lineman has yet to report to Oakland, but Raiders coach Tom Cable told reporters over the weekend, “We have attempted to make a deal. There are some issues still between him and the Patriots that are being worked out [and we're] hoping that will be resolved as quickly as possible.” There’s speculation that Seymour may not report to Oakland because he’s unhappy about the trade, but nothing is certain about the deal just yet.
In other news, when the Patriots released Greg Lewis they also picked up another player - rookie defensive back Bret Lockett. New England acquired Lockett, a former free agent out of UCLA, off waivers from Cleveland, and the team also picked up a plethora of practice squad players over the weekend, including defensive linemen Titus Adams, Adrian Grady and Darryl Richard; offensive tackle Patrick Brown; wide receiver Terrence Nunn; quarterback Isaiah Stanback and cornerback DeAngelo Wilingham.
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Hoyer Leads Pats to 38-27 Win over Giants
Most of New England’s starters didn’t touch the football last night in the Patriots’ final exhibition game of the preseason against the New York Giants, but the backup players still fighting for a position on the team’s roster proved their worth, coming up with a 38-27 victory over the Giants with rookie Brian Hoyer leading the way for the Patriots. Hoyer took all the snaps last night as veteran backup QB Andrew Walter remained on the sidelines, and the former Michigan State quarterback went 18-of-25 with 242 yards and a touchdown, giving the Patriots some momentum to come into the regular season with.
It’s still hard to say whether Hoyer or Walter will become Tom Brady’s backup as No. 2 this season and if the Patriots are even searching for another veteran to fill Matt Cassel’s void, but that’s not the only position in question in the days leading up to the start of the regular season. The Patriots are also loaded at running backs, and it’s yet unclear whether New England will keep all of their backs including Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Green-Ellis was the star of last night’s show against the Giants, but that may not necessarily mean much once the roster starts being trimmed.
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Former Patriot Stephens Dies at 43
John Stephens, a fierce running back who was the Offensive Rookie of the Year for his play with the New England Patriots in 1988, died Tuesday night after his truck lost control in a one-vehicle accident on Highway 169 in Louisiana, leaving his legacy in the football realm to be celebrated while the public mourns his death. Stephens, who hailed from a small town in Louisiana called Spring Hill near the Arkansas border, overcame a less-than-glamorous childhood to rise to fame with the wide world of football, setting records at Northwestern State University before joining the NFL as the Patriots’ first-round draft pick in 1988. The 17th overall pick ran for 1,168 yards in his rookie season, taking four touchdowns on the way, and even earned a starting position for the AFC in the Pro Bowl the same year. “He had a fantastic rookie year,” said Andre Tippett, Patriots executive director of community affairs. “For that period of time that he had success as a running back, there was nobody better.”
Stephens also played linebacker during his NFL career, and after leaving the Patriots in 1992, he spent time in Green Bay, Atlanta and Kansas City before retiring from the league in 1993. John Stephens will be remembered for his toughness and agility on the football field, and his goodwill off the field will be remembered, as well.
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O’Connell Heads to Detroit as Brady Prepares for Regular Season
There’s much astir with quarterbacks around the NFL right now, and the newest pawn in the QB game is Kevin O’Connell, the backup quarterback released from the New England Patriots earlier this week. As the Patriots continue watching backup QBs Andrew Walter and Brian Hoyer develop, O’Connell begins on a quest of his own, having accrued bids from four teams already since his release from New England. The Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and New York Jets have all placed waiver claims for Kevin O’Connell, but he was ultimately awarded to the Lions, whose QB status right now is murky at best with the injured Daunte Culpepper (foot) and Drew Stanton (knee).
As for Tom Brady, the famed No. 12 was back at practice yesterday, having recovered from a “sore shoulder” suffered thanks to Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Just because he’s practicing again, however, don’t expect Brady to play in the Patriots’ final preseason game tomorrow against the New York Giants. “I would expect that the players that played more against Washington will probably play a little less against the Giants,” Bill Belichick recently revealed. “Some of the players that didn’t play as much against Washington will play more against the Giants.”
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The Scoop on Patriots Quarterbacks
New England Patriots fans watching last week’s game against the Washington Redskins cringed during a tense moment in the second quarter when Tom Brady came crashing to the ground Friday night after getting hit hard by the Skins’ Albert Haynesworth and landing on his throwing shoulder. The crushing sack was enough for Brady to grab his shoulder and spend the rest of the game rotating his arm and stretching it, causing speculation to stir on whether Brady’s 2009 season will start off like 2008 did. While the Bill Belichick camp is still being vague on the status of Brady’s arm, however, it’s largely been written off as a “sore shoulder,” pretty much dismissed for now.
Yes, Tom Brady is still expected to start in the Patriots’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 14, but one New England quarterback who won’t be in attendance for the kickoff to the ‘09 regular season is backup QB Kevin O’Connell, who was released by the Patriots over the weekend. The second-year player out of San Diego State was largely expected to be second in line to Tom Brady this year, but his shaky preseason performances led the team to reevaluate its stock of quarterbacks, opting to release O’Connell and keep the recently signed Andrew Walter and undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer on the roster. The Pats are said to be scouring the market for a veteran backup, and there’s been talk of New England courting Eagles backup A.J. Feeley, who now could be expendable thanks to Philadelphia’s acquisition of Michael Vick, depending on when Vick will be able to play in the regular season. Stay tuned as the quarterback situation gets settled.
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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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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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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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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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