Brady Leads Pats over Bills with Comeback
Buffalo QB Trent Edwards had one magnificent game yesterday against the New England Patriots, but ultimately the Bills were no match for the Pats, as Tom Brady led a powerful fourth quarter charge, helping the Patriots score 12 points in the final 2:10 of the game to trump the Bills with a 25-24 victory in Week 1 of regular season play. Brady threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns in his first full game in more than a year, connecting twice with tight end Ben Watson to lead the Patriots to the end zone.
While the Patriots are rejoicing a very close win over Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills last night, there was one setback during the game. Linebacker Jerod Mayo, last year’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, went down with a knee injury in the first quarter of last night’s game, hurt after tackling Buffalo running back Fred Jackson and ending his 16-yard run. In true fashion, the Patriots haven’t announced the depth of Mayo’s injury, but it was reported that he told a teammate his injury was “nothing serious,” and hopefully Mayo will be back on the field in no time.
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Seymour Finally Reports to Raiders
Richard Seymour sure didn’t expect to be traded to the Oakland Raiders last week as he was suddenly shipped from New England in exchange for a 2011 first-round draft pick, but that’s exactly what happened as the stunned defensive end and five-time Pro Bowler packed up and headed to the West Coast to make the shift from Foxborough to the Bay Area. After a weeklong holdout prior to making the jump to Oakland, Seymour is finally settled in with the Raiders, explaining his absence from Oakland last week by saying, “I’ve been really blindsided by the events that took place. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t understand what was going on. So when something happens, when you’re blindsided, you have to step back and realize what situation you’re in.”
After taking the time to relocate his family to the Bay Area, Seymour finally reported to practice with the Raiders over the weekend, even talking to the media while sporting a Raiders jersey with No. 92 on the front. “One thing I can assure Raider nation is I was [No. 93], I’m 92 now and 92 is ready to play some football,” Seymour said, “and I’m ready to kick things off on Monday night.” Seymour and the Raiders play the San Diego Chargers tonight in some Monday Night Football action, while the New England Patriots take the MNF slot against the Buffalo Bills tonight, as well.
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Patriots-Bills Preview
Are Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills ready to overpower the New England Patriots Monday evening in the first Monday Night Football game of the 2009 regular season, or will the Patriots tack up their 12th straight win against Buffalo? It’s all to come Monday night, and with Tom Brady leading the way for the Patriots everything could go just as planned for New England at Gillette Stadium for the upcoming Bills-Patriots showdown. No NFL team has ever won 12 straight games against a single other team, but the Patriots could soon become the first, as the Bills have lost the last 11, including eight straight games at Gillette, which is where Monday’s game will take place.
As for the specifics, look for the Patriots defense to either sink or swim, as key players Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison are all off the squad this year, and also look to Tom Brady to make his first regular season appearance in a year. The momentum is already building, and Brady recently said, “I’ve played a lot of games, so it’s not like it’s the first game of my rookie season, that type of excitement. I think there’s just an excitement for a new season and to see what kind of team we have and to see what kind of mental toughness we have and what kind of character we have.” For the Bills, the addition of T.O. has given all sorts of confidence to Buffalo’s offense, so look for Owens and QB Trent Edwards to make some magic on the football field. Stay tuned for results from the game!
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Pats Make Sly Moves with Quarterbacks
It’s becoming more and more apparent that the New England Patriots are after Philadelphia Eagles backup QB A.J. Feeley, as Feeley was released from the Philadelphia Eagles over the weekend right around the same time that the Pats chose to release Andrew Walter, one of two key backup quarterbacks behind Tom Brady. There has been speculation over the last couple weeks that New England might been shopping around for another backup to take the place of Matt Cassel, who will now start for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Walter’s release from the team was a great signifier that Feeley could soon be making his way to New England.
A.J. Feeley got squeezed out of the Eagles’ roster once Michael Vick was added to the lineup earlier this offseason in a surprise move, and of his release from Philly Feeley recently said, “My heart will always be real fond of Philadelphia because that’s where I got my start. It’s tough, but at the end of the day, besides playing on the field, there’s stuff that goes on upstairs [with management] that you have no control over. As a player, you can’t get caught up in that stuff.” Will A.J. Feeley become the new Matt Cassel under the reign of Bill Belichick this season? A deal is likely to play out soon if it’s going to happen at all, so stay tuned for more info on the quarterback situation in New England!
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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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