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

Nance, Sullivan to Enter Pats Hall of Fame

This Thursday, August 20, the New England Patriots will play their next preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium. The Pats will attempt to better their preseason record in Thursday’s matchup against the Bengals, but the evening will also be important for another reason - Thursday is also the day that AFL MVP Jim Nance and founder Billy Sullivan will be inducted into New England’s hall of fame. Nance and Sullivan will be inducted into the team’s hall of fame prior to Thursday’s game against the Bengals, and the ceremonies will take place outside the Hall at Patriot Place in the Patriot Place Plaza, with a pre-game reception held before the game from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hall at Patriot Place.

Jim Nance was a Boston Patriot from 1965 to 1971 (a New England Patriot in 1971) before playing one season with the New York Jets, and the iconic fullback was a two-time AFL all-star selection and the AFL MVP in 1966. Billy Sullivan was the original owner of the Boston Patriots franchise from the team’s start in the AFL, heading the team until 1988, when Victor Kiam bought the team as the New England Patriots of the NFL.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 17, 2009 - Post a comment

Brady’s Return Trumped by Eagles’ Announcement

Tom Brady threw two touchdowns last night in his first game back after sitting out the whole of last season, but the New England Patriots’ 27-25 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in yesterday’s preseason opener was trumped by news of the return of Michael Vick, who signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with a one-year team option above $5 million with the Eagles yesterday. He didn’t play in last night’s preseason game against the Pats, but Michael Vick will be immediately permitted to partake in practices and workouts with Philly, even allowed to play in the final two games of the preseason.

While news of Michael Vick’s upcoming run with Philadelphia is all that Eagles had on their minds by the end of last night’s Pats/Eagles matchup, Pats fans had all eyes on Tom Brady, the man in shining armor back on the football field. “There’s no place I’d rather be,” said Brady of playing ball. “This is the place where I probably have the most fun and enjoy it the most. A preseason game doesn’t have quite the feel of a regular-season game, but to be out there on the field with my teammates and celebrate after a win, and the bus ride home… those are the things you probably enjoy the most.”

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 14, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats vs. Eagles Tonight!

It’s time for Joe Banner and his Philadelphia Eagles to put their money where their mouths are. That’s right, tonight marks the first night of preseason NFL action, and the New England Patriots will tackle the opening game of the preseason against the Eagles tonight in a 7:30 (EST) matchup. The hard-hitting Patriots are out for blood already against the Eagles, especially considering the pompous comment that Eagles owner Joe Banner recently made (”I feel this year we have the best roster in the league.”) Will Banner and his Philadelphia team back up this bold claim, or will the Tom Brady-fronted Patriots stomp all over the birds? We’ll soon find out!

On the list of things to look for tonight is, of course, the return of Tom Brady, which promises to be everything and more that Pats fans have been waiting on for the past year. The battle for backup quarterback is also on tonight, as Brian Hoyer and Andrew Walter vie for the job at No. 3 and Kevin O’Connell tries to solidify his stay at No. 2. On the other side of things, the Patriots’ defense will try to stop Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson if the top Eagles players partake in this preseason extravaganza, so stay tuned to see how tonight’s opening preseason game plays out!

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 13, 2009 - Post a comment

The Return of Tom Brady Draws Near

The day that New England Patriots fans have been waiting on for months has finally come around, and tomorrow the Pats will kick off their preseason opener in a game against the Eagles in Philadelphia. The big buzz surrounding tomorrow’s preseason matchup is regarding whether or not Tom Brady will play in his first game since last year’s season opener, and speculation has been astir as to if and how much the nation’s favorite quarterback will play tomorrow. Recently asked if he’d be ready for the season, Brady said, “Yeah, I’m ready, I think everybody’s ready. We’ve had a good camp, guys have been working real hard trying to do what coach Belichick’s asked. It will be nice to go out and play the Eagles. They really gave it to us last year (in the preseason).”

Squelching rumors as to if he’s fully healed, Brady continued, “I’m expecting to play. There’s no reason why I wouldn’t. I’ve been out here and doing everything. It’ll be nice to get out there and play some football.” We’re guessing Brady won’t be playing the whole game tomorrow, but look for him to throw some passes and prove that he’s back and better than ever.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 12, 2009 - Post a comment

Pats Fans Could Win Tickets for Life

Massachusetts residents and fans of the New England Patriots now have the chance of a lifetime - quite literally. The New England Patriots and the Massachusetts lottery have just announced a partnership in the form of an instant ticket game that includes the chance to win Patriots season tickets for life, and this current endeavor could generate millions of dollars for cities across the state. Lottery tickets are available throughout the state for $5 each and feature 10 tickets worth $1 million, 4,250 VIP Pats ticket packages and also team merchandise. Some second-chance drawings will also be presented with drawings for five pairs of season tickets for life, and this giant ordeal is projected to gross $151 million overall if 30 million tickets are sold, with $116 million being returned in prizes.

This past May, NFL owners across the country approved a rule making it legal for NFL teams to partner with local lotteries, and the New England Patriots are not the only football team to take advantage of state lotteries. The Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets are other teams around the league who have taken part in instant lottery games. The New England Patriots are also not the first Massachusetts sports team to offer instant lottery game tickets, as the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics have both been selling sports-themed tickets throughout the state, as well.

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Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 11, 2009 - Post a comment


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