STEP IT UP!

By: Greg

Through out the season we will bring you players who need to step it up! Since we know that most of the Patriots roster reads our blog on a daily basis this will give the players who need to step it up a little bit of motivation. If the player who needs to step it up doesnt read the blog, could another player pass the info along to him....thanks.

STEP IT UP DERRICK BURGESS!

Where have you been? I havent even noticed you on the field. No where to be found. The Pats traded two draft picks for you and let go of Seymour because they thought you would be the pass rush they needed but the only thing you seem to do is rush off the field on running downs. Its been so bad that when I tried getting a picture of you online with the Pats all I could get is that blurry/small one to the left. So far you have 1 sack and 4 tackles, but did not do anything against the Jets or the Falcons. You need to step it up!!! In order for the Pats to succeed on defense they need a pass rush. They thought taking you out of the black hole would motivate you, well if that didnt maybe this blog post will. SO STEP IT UP or back to the black hole you go!

CB Whilte hurt after running away from two men in North Attleboro

By: Greg

Corner back Jonhathan Whilte was scratched from the game on Sunday, the reason why is because he was running from two men who approached him at his home and he pulled his groin.

From the Police report:

"On Sunday, September 27, 2009, the North Attleboro Police responded to the Cumberland Farms store in the Attleboro Falls area of town, after receiving a call from Jonathan Wilhite concerning suspicious activity. Mr. Wilhite stated that 2 subjects were in his parking lot when he arrived home, and one approached him on foot and yelled at him.
"Mr. Wilhite became concerned and ran to Cumberland Farms where he asked the clerk to call police. He did mention that he had pulled his groin while he was running. The matter remains under investigation by North Attleboro Detectives."

Game Balls: Fred Taylor and Brandon McGowan

By: Greg

Big win and big contributions from Fred Taylor and Brandon McGowan.

Offensive Game Ball: Fred Taylor

The Patriots knew they had to run the ball and they did more of it this week. With Maroney going down with an injury Fred Taylor stepped in a dominated on the ground. Everytime he touched the ball he was going forward and gaining yards. He gave the Pats a spark and momentum through numerous drives. Fred ended up with 105 yard on 21 carries and 1 TD. The TD was a big one at a key time in the game.

Defensive Game Ball: Brandon McGowan

Wait, Brandon who? Did you mean Merriweather? No. McGowan. McGowan was a dominate today. The one stat that shows you this is...1 catch for 16 yard from Tony Gonzalez. McGowan was personally responsible for covering Tony G for most of the game, with help. Tony had been dominating teams but today was absolutely shut down. Tony seemed upset after the game:

"[McGowan] was pretty much going with me with man [coverage] and pretty much anywhere I would go he got help," Gonzalez explained. "I had someone in my face playing man and as soon as I'd go in someone else's zone, they would just be waiting right there."

McGowan also came up with the huge forced fumble before the half to stop a big falcons drive. That gave the Pats momentum going into the half and they did not look back from there. He ended up with 5 tackles and 1 forced fumble.

Back Room Patriots Predictions

Two blogglers puts their money where their two typing fingers are.

Patriots vs Falcons +4.5. O/U 47

By Rocky:

I don’t know what kind of team the Patriots are right now because I don’t think they know. They don’t seem to have an identity, meaning something like, “we throw lots of touchdowns” or “we’re the team that plugs up the middle of the field.” Parodying the bratty rich kid who has just graduated college and has gone off to backpack through Europe, the Patriots are trying to “find themselves.” Someone throw them some special brownies and a Red Light District girl to help them find themselves. Much like that rich kid post-college, they are trying to skate through life and it ain’t working. But when will they gain a persona? Will it be on their actual trip to the Old World? Possibly, but I hope it comes sooner, like this Sunday-sooner. I hope they decide they are the “shut down Matt Ryan-to-Tony Gonzalez team” this weekend. But more so I’m counting on Brady finally clicking. Remember when we were "The Patriots, Brady’s team?” That was nice. Irregardless I think our D can’t hold the Dirty Birds down and the Over hits.

By Mahk:

Pats win in a close game. Matt Ryan leads the Falcons on a late drive to make the score more respectable.


Blauhg Decision:

Falcons +4.5 and the Over It will be close and it will be crazy–crazy like a Belichick. The Patriots get decked in the temple early and then…

Medic: "How many fingers am I holding up?”

Pats: “Two.”

Medic: “How many Super Bowl rings do you own?”

Pats: “Three.”

Medic: “Son, can you remember your name.”

Pats: “The Patriots?”

Medic: “Are you sure?”

Pats: “Yeah The Patriots, Brady’s Team.”

Medic: “Welcome back.”

-30-

Mahk's Lock of Week 3

By J.R.

Mahk J.R. (pronounced in regions other than New England like "Mark J.R.") is our numbers guy. By "numbers" we mean gambling and by "our guy" we mean our guy–for the blog and if we need a tip to make rent. He provides the same service for you loyal readers here, and you don't even have to buy him a beer or a Jager Bomb, though you'd love to after following his advice.

The Mahk Lock of the Week is: Lions +6.5

The Leos haven't won in forever and a day but Sunday that all comes to an end. The Deadskins can't get out of their own way on offense. Last week they outlasted the Rambos in a game that put football back about 70 years. Leos have shown some fight in the first two games and will give their fans something to cheer about for the first time since Matt Millen was fired.Take the Leos plus the six and the hook at home.

Lions 23 - Redskins 20

Lock it up.
















The Deadskins at least brought football back to the early 90's.

Game Preview: Patriots vs Falcons

By: Greg

Matty Ice and the potent Falcons come to the razor this weekend for a big early season matchup. Win and all is forgotten at 2-1, lose and the New England Region goes into panic at 1-2. The Falcons have one of the best offenses in the league which spells doom for a young Patriots defense but the Falcons have a average defense in which can be score on.

Keys to the Game

1. Containing Tony Gonzalez- Tony G is one of the Top 3 Tight Ends in the league and is on the same page as Matty Ice. The linebackers and safeties are going to have to key on Tony G. especially in the Red Zone.

2. Keeping John Abraham and the Rush off Brady- Matt Light vs Abraham is a big match up. If Light can keep Brady clean and give him time, Brady can step into his throws and get his timing down.

3. Stuffing the Run Game- Micheal Turner is a bowling ball. Wilfork and the Front Seven need to clog holes so Turner doesnt bowling ball down into the Pats secondary.

4. Have a run game- On the other hand the Patriots need to establish a run game. Fred Taylor has look good when running the ball but he just does not get enough touches. Maroney and Morris can also run the rock. If the Pats can balance out the run and pass they can keep the defense guessing. It will also set up 3rd and short rather than 3rd and 10. The Falcons have a very bad run defense, this is the week to get on the run.

Players to watch

Offense- Matty Ice- Being a BC Fan, I am of course a Matty Ice fan. Ice will be a star in this league, Brady like. If Ice is hott the Pats are in trouble. He will pick on the secondary of the Pats and most likely put up big numbers.

Defense- Chris Houston- Randy Moss was shut down last week but this week he gets a break. Chris Houston is no Revis. Houston will get picked on, will he be up for the challenge? I dont think so. Look for Randy to have a bounce back game.

MVPs of the Game

Offense- Fred Tractor Taylor- Feed the Truck. Tractor Taylor will have a huge game. The Pats need to give him the ball 15-20 times this week against a weak rush defense. Tractor Taylor will have over 80 yards with 1 golden TD.

Defense- Derrick Burgess- Wake up Derrick, this is your week to get after Matty Ice and show us why the Pats traded for you. I sense a big game out of Burgess. He will be working against a so so pass blocking line. In order to win the game the Pats need to put pressure on Ice.

Prediction- Pats 28 Falcons 24-

The Running Game brings the Pats a victory.

Patriot Playback: Whats Wrong with the Patriots?

By: Greg

ESPN's NFL Live breaks down what they think is wrong with the Patriots and what they can do to fix it.



I agree that the Patriots need to start running the ball more. Fred Taylor has been effective and can keep defenses off balance. They need to pound the rock against a weak run defense in the Falcons.
Also Wes Welker is a huge key. If he plays Brady can always dump it off to the Waterbug in the slot.

Patriot Playback: Patriots on Hard Knocks

By; Greg
Found this gem and its hilarious. Child Please! This is a segment on when the Patritos were playing the Bengals on hard knocks. It shows BBs soft side. A must watch. If you dont...CHILD PLEASE!

Patriots trade for another Burgess

By: Greg
Being thin at inside linebacker the Patriots have traded for one from the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots got Prescott Burgess, an ILB but mostly played special teams for the Ravens. Prescott is a second year player from Michigan. In two years he has 8 tackles in 10 games, mostly all on special teams. The Pats are not giving up much in the deal, a seventh round pick.
Burgess will give the Patriots some depth at the inside. But look for him to just be mostly a special teams player who will give insurance.
"Whenever they come to me, I'll be ready for it," Burgess said.
"I don't think anything is complicated [coming from] the Baltimore Ravens, they run just about everything," "I'll just play football. I think I can catch on real fast."
BB thinks that Burgess can add versatility, which he loves in his linebackers.

"He played outside [at Michigan], inside at Baltimore and also played in the kicking game, so he has some versatility. He gives us a little more depth at that position," Belichick said.

Oh yea and by the way he will wear number 93.....

New England Patriots Blog

Recap: Game 2 vs Jets

By: Greg

Not a fun day to be a Patriots fan yesterday. They did not only lose but got totally out played in the second half. The Jets absolutely dominated the Pats in the second half, not letting the Pats score. Brady looked out of sync. The special teams was horrible. Too many stupid penalties. Losing to the Jets= not a good feeling for the rest of the day.

Does anyone else find it hard to watch football after the Pats lose? I started to watch the four oclock games but couldnt. Ok now on to the bad and good....

The Bad

Tom Brady- Brady looked jumpy in the pocket, his timing was off and so was his accuracy. For all those of you who thought the 2007 offense would be here, we have a while to wait.

Joey Galloway- He looked very good in the first half but a few dropped balls and missed routes hurt the Pats offensive flow in the second half.

Randy Moss shut down- Revis was my player to watch on defense and he shut down Randy, holding him to 4 catches. I dont know if he will face a better cover man than him all season.

Stalled Drives- The Pats had way to many chances in the first half inside Jets territory but could not take advantage of them. In my opinion they need to run more. Taylor had 8 carries for 48 yards, not too shabby. If they mix more run with pass, drives will be more successful.

Yellow Flag- A bunch of special teams penalties and a few un characteristic delay of game by Brady kill the Patriots. BB will fix.

The Good

Julian Edelman- He step up big in place of Wes Welker. In his first game action this season Edelman looked like a veteran. He had 8 catches for 98 yards. When they get Welker back, they will be able to go four wide with the two waterbugs in the slots.

Defense- For the most part the defense was solid. They shut down the run and limited the pass. A few mistakes were made in the secondary but when you only allow 16 pts you should win the game.

Quotes:

Brady- "We controlled the first half. We just didn't get the ball into the end zone when we had the opportunity. At halftime it's 9-3, if we get the ball into the end zone it's a significantly different game. That's a couple of weeks in a row that we're failing to get the ball into the end zone, so that's an issue that we're dealing with and that's something that we've got to correct."

BB - "Well, it was a tough loss like it always is in the division. Give the Jets credit. They did a better job than we did today and I don't really think there is a whole lot more to say about it,"

Kerry Rhodes- "I don’t know we did a good job on defense today," said Rhodes. "Even when they had drives, we were able to get them of the field. They got down there a couple of times, when you hold them to three... If you hold the Patriots to three, you are doing a good job."

Chris Baker "This is Week 2," said Baker. "We're 1-1, we'll go back to the drawing board, get ready for Atlanta. There's a long way to go."

Next week the Pats get the Falcons....

Preview Game 2: @ The J-e-t-s

By: Greg

"We dont just want to win, we want to embarrass them"- Rhodes, Jets Safety

""I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick's rings," Buddy Ryan, Jets Coach

''We're going to be playing this game like it's the Super Bowl,'' - Kris Jenkins- Jets DT

"Talk is Cheap"- Tom Brady

It is on, its on, its on. Jets v. Pats is a game fans look forward to every year but this year is even more special with all the stuff that is coming out of both ends of Jets players and coaches. With that being said the Jets defense looked really good last week and the Patriots looked shaky until the fourth quarter.

Keys to the game

1. Rough up Dirty Sanchez-The Patriots need to hit Dirty in the mouth and rattle the rookie QB. If they can get to him early in the game and fluster the rook then the Patriots will be in the driver seat. If Dirty gets into a rhythm and gains confidence it spells doom for the defense.

2. Contain Leon Washington- Leon in my opinion is my most dangerous guy on the offense. The Patriots struggle with little Running Backs and Washington is just that. If the Pats can contain him in the running and passing game with guys like Guyton, it will be a big lift for the Pats.

3. Bring back that loving feeling. Ohhhh that loving feeling. And by loving feeling I mean Tom Bradys rhythm with the Patriots wide receivers. Brady looked tentative in the first three quarters but turned it on in the fourth. The Pats need that kind of loving feeling to get the offense clicking.

4. Stop the blitz. Buddy Ryan wants to make out with Blitzing defense. Its all he does. The Jets blitzed the most times in the league last week and look for more of that this week. The Pats need to keep Brady off his back. Look for quick screens, reads and passes to Welker in order to combat this blitz.

Players to watch on the Jets

Last week my guy to watch was Leodis McKlevin "Very athletic CB who returns kicks" and we saw how that worked out for the Pats. Lets see if I can work my magic and reverse jinks the Jets.

Offense: Leon Washington- RB- Threat to take it the distance every play. Pats have had problems with him before. He will make plays, just hope they are limited.

Defense: Darell Revis CB- One of the most underrated CBs in the league. He is on the level of Nnmandi Ohsojnfdknadf of the Raiders. He can flat out cover. He will be on Randy most of the game, look for him to quiet Randys numbers.

MVPs of the Game

Offense: Wes Welker- The Waterbug is going to be used and used often. The Jets love to blitz so the dump off and quick passes will be in play. Look for the water bug to have over 10 catches for over 100 yards.

Defense: Gary Guyton- Guyton needs to step up and fill in Mayos spot on the defense. Guyton will be keying on Washington and he has the athleticism to stay with Washington. Guyton needs to step it up.

Prediction: Patritos 24 Jets 20

Back Room Patriots Predictions

One bloggler puts his money where his two typing fingers are.

Patriots -3.5 at Jets. O/U 47

By Rocky

J.R. refused to answer calls and e-mails to file his gambling report on the Patriots/Jets game this week because, well, he's a Jets fan. And I believe he is scared. The Jets D looked good and Sanchez appears serviceable so Vegas only set the line at 6.5 but gambling trends have dropped it down to 3.5. I'll takes it, thank you New Yorkers who still have income disposable or other! I can't begin to explain what happened against Buffalo on Monday Night, I can only point to my previous post where I said I don't like playing on Monday Night, even if it were against the Tuskers. How did the Patriots go from being talked about having a more potent offense than 2007 to being given back three spread points during the week? Wake up it's Week 2 no season has been won or lost yet (looking at you, Packers and Raiders, respectably). I predict the Pats will take it to the house a few times at Giants Stadium and Belichick will–obviously–welcome Sanchez in the league with or without Mayo. I don't see the scoreboard being lit up by the Jets and don't think the Pats have enough time to score 48 points so I'm also going with the Under.

Blauhg Decision:

Pats -3.5 and the Under at (baring a playoff in which the Jets are seeded higher) their final contest at Giants Stadium. Wait...J.R. is going to be in attendance. Take the Pats, giving the points, parlay that with the under and J.R. being ejected from Jets Stadium. "J-E-

Mahk's Lock of Week 2

By J.R.

Mahk J.R. (pronounced in regions other than New England like "Mark J.R.") is our numbers guy. By "numbers" we mean gambling and by "our guy" we mean our guy–for the blog and if we need a tip to make rent. He provides the same service for you loyal readers here, and you don't even have to buy him a beer or a Jager Bomb, though you'd love to after following his advice.

The Mahk Lock of the Week is: Titans - 6.5

Every year all the major sports publications have the Texans going to the playoffs and every year they finish around .500. After getting embarrassed last week by the Jets, the Texans flaws were exposed. The Titans lost hard fought defensive battle to the Steelers last Thursday. In their first game at home and having a long week to prepare the Titans beat the Texans for Air McNair.

Titans 23 - Texans 9

Lock it up.

Disclaimer: J.R. once went to visit his uncle in Houston and while watching a Texans game he was ejected from the stadium. His account to come...













Even in cooler racing Andre Johnson falls behind.

Jets say they want to EMBARRASS the Patriots

By Greg
Update: Thank you Neil for correcting me. It was Anthony Smith not Ryan Clark..opps. See what happens when you trash talk the Pats you get forgotten.


Do you remember Anthony Smith? Yea, hes the Steelers safety who guaranteed victory over the Patriots two years ago and then got burnt for a couple TDs while the Patriots rolled onto an easy victory. Well Blaugh fans we now have a new Ryan Clark, his name is Kerry Rhodes.

Kerry Rhodes (pictured on the left) who played safety for the Jets says they are not just going to win but embarrass the Pats.



“Not just go out there and try to win, try to embarrass them," said Rhodes. "Try to make them feel bad when they leave here. We don’t want to just beat them. We want to send a message to them, ‘We’re not backing down from you and we expect to win this game, and it’s not going to be luck, it’s not going to be a mistake.’ ”



Not a smart idea Rhodes. Look what happened to smith and the Steelers. Brady will attack Rhodes just like he did Smith. Just putting fuel on the fire. Oh and by the way maybe you want to stick to modeling.



New England Patriots Blog

Mayo out 6-8 weeks, Pats Considering signing Derrick Brooks

By: Greg

The Pats got a big blow to their defense when rookie of the year Jerrod Mayo went down. After he went down you could see a big hole in the defense. Well that hole will be there for another 6-8 weeks. He has a grade 3 mcl sprain, which is the worst sprain you can get. With Mayo out, Gary Guyton filled in.

Whats going to happen for the next 6-8 weeks?

Guyton will get the start at middle linebacker, which is a big down grade from Mayo. Adalius Thomas will have to move inside for the most part. This hurts the Patriots pass rush because when Thomas gets to paly the edge he crates havoc on the QB.

The Patriots also are rumored to sign FA Derrick Brooks. Brooks is a MLB and former defensive player of the year. He was let go from the Buccs earlier in the year. Many teams are inquiring about him and now the Pats are on the band wagon.

In his last season Brooks recorded 73 tackles and one pick. He could be a solid addition to the Pats. He is a smart LB with tons of experience, a kind of line backer BB loves. If he signs, that could put Adalias Thomas back on the outside where he preforms the best.

UPDATE: Derrick Brooks signs with....ESPN. He will not be a Patriot

New England Patriots Blog

Game Balls: Ben Watson and Brandon Meriweather

By: Greg

Wow what a game. Every week we will bring you who we think deserved the game balls, 1 on offense and 1 on defense. Feel free to add your two cents and your two gameballs.

Offensive Gameball: Ben Watson- 6 catches 77 yards 2 TDs

Watson went from being on the cusp of making the team to driving the Pats to their first win. Watson had the final two TD catches on pretty much the same route. Both balls were good passes but not easy to hang on to when you have safeties coming to take your head off. Watson stepped his game up and could be a huge down field weapon this year with teams keying on Moss and Welker.

Defensive Gameball: Brandon Meriweather- 8 tackles and one HUGE Strip

Big players step up in big games in big situations. This is exactly what Brandon did. He made the strip (and not Woods as the announcers were saying) to win the game. A heads up play when the Pats needed it. Kudos to little guy Gostowski for running down field and recovering the ball. On defense he seemed to be all over the field, the Pats need him to play like that for their defense to be sustainable this year.

Recap of the game is on its way....

New England Patriots Blog

Back Room Patriots Predictions

Two blogglers put their money where their two-typing fingers are.

Latest Line: Patriots -11.5, O/U 47.5

Rocky:

While The T.O. Show is listening to MJ in his crappy headphones, probably to "Wanna Be Startin Something," the Bills will be warming up the bus (see below). Take the Over. Also if you can find someone to give you an "if bet" on this, take it: If Owens scores, he will shed one glove and end zone moonwalk.

J.R.:

As he is running off the field at the end of the game T.O. Tweets, "I can't believe that the Pats beat us 35-10! That Tom Brady is a real handsome guy though." Lay the 11 and the hook (ed note: 11.5 points) and take the Pats. Dick Jaruon may want to call J.P. Losman back after this one.

Blauhg Decision:

Take the Pats with the Points, the Over and get your keys ready to tell the Bills to warm up the bus:

ITS TIME! Week One Preview: MNF vs Bills

By: Greg

Its been a lonnnnng time since we have seen the Patriots play in regular season game. Its been an even loonger timer since seeing Tom Brady play in a regular season football game. Well today is the day. Put your favorite jersey on, grab your wings, pizza and beers and park your seat on the couch.

Keys to the game

Brady and his timing- Brady wont be the same as he was in 2007, I am sorry he wont, at least not for a few games. He hasnt played a regular season game in over a year. His timing will be off but just how much off. If Brady can get into an early rhythm, this spells blow out. If not the Pats could be in a battler

Does T.O. show up?- T.O. will play but how effective will he be. Hes on the down side of his career and hasnt played much in the preseason because of an injury. But it is MNF so that means a big stage for T.O. Will he be sloppy and start yelling at his Offensive Coordinator and QB or will he relish the lime light and put on a show.

Will the secondary toughen up?- Last season the Pats secondary was one of the worst in the league. If that happens this year, the Pats will not be super bowl champs. Tonight is day one for them to prove them selves. They face a good receiving core with T.O. and Lee Evans leading the way. Will the youngins step up and mature? Which veteran CB will make a statement and be the leader of the secondary?

Which RB will get the most carries- Fred Taylor looks like he will be the starter but who will get the most touches. Dancing with the Stars Maroney needs to hit the hole and if he does he can be a great RB but if he doesnt he will find him self on the bench. Will the Law Firm (Green_Ellis) and/or Straight ahead Sammy Morris see any playing time?

Players to watch on the Bills:

Offense- Fred Jackson- Last December Jackson filled in for Marshawn Lynch and will do the same tonight. He had over 150 yards in that meeting and the Pats were loading the box. Hes a tough straight ahead runner. If the Pats can contain him, they will win the game.

Defense- L. McKelvin CB- Very athletic CB who returns kicks. He will either play Moss or Galloway. He can make plays but if hes on Randy I feel bad.

MVPs of the Game:

Offense- Randy Moss- If the preseason was any indication of what might happen this season, Moss looks to be the one of 2007. Moss will have a huge game tonight.

8 catches, 110 yards, 2 TDs

Defense- Vince Wilfork- In order to stop the run Vince will need to take on a few blockers and stuff the front. While his stats might not be eye popping, if you see a low Yards per rush for the bills you know Wilfork is getting it done.

3 tackles, and a lot of stuffed holes.

Prediction: Pats 31 Bills 17

Pats' Season Preview: Who will put up the most struggle?

By Rocky

What's Randy Moss doing? Is he saluting? Nope, he's shading his eyes to help him peer off into the horizon. Here's a look forward into the Patriots' season.

Once Herm Edwards was asked how many games his team would win. He got mad and answered with a question of his own: why would any coach go into a season admitting that he thought his squad would lose any? (The Jets didn’t do so hot that year.)

We feel the same way as Herm—and feel that he is best suited in a suit for ESPN or warming up for Tony Robbins at a self-help seminar—but we figured that we would rank the games hardest-to-easiest. So consider this a degree of difficulty scale en route to 19-0. Graded from roll-over-and-die to cakewalk:

1st. Week 15 Sun, Dec 20 @ Buffalo
By now Terrell Owens has named Ryan Fitzpatrick the starting quarterback, made Dick Jauron do some coaching (this is a bad thing) and bludgeoned four cheerleaders to death.

2nd. Week 11 Sun, Nov 22 vs. NY Jets
After 3,342,781 “Dirty Sanchez” jokes—including it once turning up as a headline in the New York Post—the poster boy goes all Chuck Knoblauch.

3rd. Week 2 Sun, Sep 20 @ NY Jets
The element of surprise! makes this one tougher than the game later in the year. Should be a good press conference, hopefully some sportswriter will bring Rex Ryan a crow to eat.

4th. Week 16 Sun, Dec 27 vs. Jacksonville
Tory Holt misses Marc Bulger. Maurice Jones-Drew misses Fred Taylor. Jack Del Rio’s "keep chopping wood" mantra turns six seasons old–when's the tree going to fall?

5th. Week 7 Sun, Oct 25 @ Wembley vs. Tampa Bay
Lord Byron Leftwich will have a difficult time playing on kidney pie. Barring even a resurrection of General Cornwallis the Patriots will not get beat by the red coats.

6th. Week 14 Sun, Dec 13 vs. Carolina
“So what do you call this act?” “The Panthers.” This team is a joke.

7th. Week 9 Sun, Nov 8 vs. Miami
The 2008 Dolphins are like the guy who buys his girlfriend diamond earrings on their first Valentine’s Day together, if he can’t best it next year he ain’t getting none from her. Can they up the ante on The Wildcat? This time around do they have a Tiffany’s necklace in their blue box, I mean, bag?

8th. Week 13 Sun, Dec 6 @ Miami
“OK he took me out to dinner and gave me a crappy bracelet. Maybe when I go to his house later he is going to surprise me?” Nope.

9th. Week 8 BYE
There are shiny marble floors to slip on and stone hot tub steps to stub your toe on at the Patriots’ homes that are more dangerous than the above teams.

10th.Week 1 Mon, Sep 14 Buffalo
Home opener where most of the pressure is on the other team’s star? Awesome. I just don’t trust Monday nights that much, I distrust them just a little more than marble tiling.

11th. Week 17 Sun, Jan 3 @ Houston
The Texans might be a great team…next year. The pieces are there but still not too much of a threat.

12th. Week 3 Sun, Sep 27 Atlanta
Matty Ice may be the most symmetrical QB but he’s no Tom Brady.

13th. Week 5 Sun, Oct 11 @ Denver
I’m not sure they won’t be as bad as most think. How about we totally freak McDaniels out and hand-off on every down in the first half, deal?

14th. Week 6 Sun, Oct 18 Tennessee
Played the Steelers pretty tight. But then again we are built differently than the, ugh, defending champs.

15th. Week 4 Sun, Oct 4 Baltimore
I like the core of this squad but I think this early in the season they miss Rex Ryan handling the D.

16th. Week 10 Sun, Nov 15 @ Indianapolis
New coach but has Peyton even noticed? Look for the Colts to pipe in crowd noise but phone in the running game.

17th. Week 12 Mon, Nov 30 @ New Orleans
This will be the highest scoring game in the history of football. Look for Drew Brees and Brady to combine for 1,000 passing. There isn’t even going to be a game clock; whichever quarterback’s arm falls off first loses the game.

-30-

Mahk's Lock of the Week

By J.R.

Mahk J.R. (pronounced in regions other than New England like "Mark J.R.") is our numbers guy. By "numbers" we mean gambling and by "our guy" we mean our guy–for the blog and if we need a tip to make rent. He provides the same service for you loyal readers here, and you don't even have to buy him a beer or a Jager Bomb, though you'd love to after following his advice.

The Mahk Lock of the Week is: The Aints -13

This week I am going to keep it short and sweet. The Aints' defense will feast on a horrible Leo's offense lead by Matthew Stafford. On the other side Drew Brees will pick apart a weak Detroit secondary. I could go on here but you get the picture. Pussy Cats start the year off 0-1 and you start the year off with a few more dollars in your pocket.

Aints 44-Leos 13

Lock it up.











The Lions' new, new helmet design.
art from.

Patriot Playback: CBS Sports previews Pats vs Bills

By: Greg

Patriots Playback is where the Blauhg searches videos that are interesting enough to pass on to our F.O.Bs. We are here to please. In this session of PP, CBS Sports previews monday nights game. Press play, listen and surf the internet-no need to watch these ugly mugs.



Cliff Notes: They like the Pats to win....

Love Letter sent to Seymour

By: Greg

There has been a lot of confusion on what is happening with the trade of Richard Seymour. Why isnt he showing up (duh he doesnt want to play in the black hole of a franchise)? What happens if he doesnt show up? When does he have to show up? Whose on the hook if he doesnt show up?

Well now Seymour received an ultimatum and must show up with in 5 days. The Raaiiiiders sent Seymour a "love" letter stating: please please show up to our crappy crappy team, we wont win games but we got some cool looking fans to look at. And if you dont show up in five games well then you are suspended, maybe for the year and by the way your contract will be ours for next year. So not only will you sit out a year but the following year you wont be able to hit free agency and you will be a raiiiider again.

I dont blame Richard for not wanting to go to the Raiiiders. However, now he pretty much has to show up in five days or be suspended for the year. He would then give up free agency next year. From what I hear Seymour is the Raiders problem now so the Pats are not on the hook for anything.

New England Patriots Blog

Richard Seymour Traded for a Raiders first round pick

By: Greg

Richard Seymour has been traded to Da Raiiiders for a 2011 first round pick. WOW. A very very surprising move. While many of you are thinking what the hell are the Patriots doing??? I think this was a great move. Now you are thinking what the hell is G-reg thinking. Listen to me and Ill sway you my way.

First off Richard is 30 years old. In his last three years he has had 4, 1.5 and 8 sacks respectively. His play will decline in the coming years. Second his contract is up next year and they do not have enough money to sign him, Mankins and Wilfork. Honestly he is the third best player out of those three players. So the Pats were going to lose him any way why not get value and great value for Seymour. Third we just picked up Derick Burgess from Da Raiiders who can step in right away and play Seymours pass rushing end. Plus the Pats other two ends, Ty Warren and Jarvais Green are starters in this league and pretty damn good ones.

Another reason why this trade is great is Da Raiiiiders SUCK, and they suck badly. So next year when they suck again and go 4-12 the Patriots will receive a top 5 pick for a DE who they were going to lose anyway.

With all that being said Seymour is a great player, he will be missed. He was a great leader which with the loss of Tedy might be the biggest thing the Pats are losing in this trade. Someone needs to step and fill this leadership void.

I feel like I have been saying/posting this a lot lately (Brushci, Harrison and now Seymour), Thank you for all you have done for the Pats!

The Baconater traded to the Saints, release Alex Smith and get TE Micheal Mitchell

By: Greg

With cut day here, the Pats need to make decisions on many players to get the roster down to 53 players. There was a log jam at TE, four guys and three spots. The Patriots saw that teams had intrest in David "Baconater" Thomas and thought why not get value for a guy instead of just releasing him. The Baconater was probably not going to be cut by the Pats but he probably had the most value in a trade.

The Patriots have traded David Thomas to the Saints for an undisclosed draft pick in 2011. It would most likely be a 4th, 5th round pick which is good value for a second string TE. More to come on the actual round.

In his career Thomas has 21 grabs for 261 yards and a TD. Also one BIG late hit penalty vs. the Colts, douhh!

The Tight End movement (sounds dirty) does not stop there.....

The Pats have also traded for TE Micheal Matthews from the G Men for an undisclosed draft pick (I am sure not more than a 6th or 7th).Matthews seems to be more of a blocking TE than a pass catcher, he only has 8 catches in 32 games.

And the action does not stop there....

The Patriots have released Alex Smith, whom they traded for this offseason. Smith did not perform as well as they expected in preseason so they owned up to their mistake and got rid of him.

New England Patriots Blog

QB Andrew Walter to be cut.

By: Greg

ESPN is reporting that back up QB Andrew Walter has been told he is going to be released today. This again is surprising news considering they just cut Kevin Oconnell. The move means that Brain Hoyer has won the back up job.

Walter was picked up from Da Raiiiiders in August and was the top guy to be the back up to Brady. He went 5 of 9 for 62 yards with no touchdowns in the preseason and did not see any action last night when Brian Hoyer brought the Patriots back from 21 down to victory. Hoyer went 18 of 25 for 242 yards with a touchdown in the game.

This leaves the Patriots with only two QBs on the roster. Now they can do two things here. They can stay with two QBs, with a very very inexperienced QB backing up Brady and have Julian Edeltheman as an emergency QB. If Brady were to go down (plllleaseee no!) the Patriots would be in trouble. This option however gives the Patriots an extra roster spot for either another TE (Watson and Alex Smith), another RB (Law Firm and Morris) or another LB.

The other option is to go after a veteran QB and bring him in as the back up. Guys that have been rumored are AJ Feeley, Damon Huaurd, Tavarias Jackson, ect. This would give the Patriots insurance if Brady went down. We will find out soon enough....

New England Patriots Blog

Preview Preseason Game 4 vs G Men

By:Greg

The annual preseason vs the Gmen kicks off tonight. The game where little to no starters play, hardly any beer is sold and there is more of a family atmosphere at the Razor.
Tom Brady and most of the starters will likely been holding clip boards and looking for hotties in the stands while the 2nd, 3rd and 4th string guys are fighting for jobs.

The first job to look at tonight is Tight End. Chris Baker seems solidly in the first team with his performance in camp and preseason games. Meanwhile Ben Watson, Alex Smith and David "Baconater" Thomas will be battling for the second and third spots. Many teams including the Iggles are watching this battle and whoever is cut will be picked up right away. My prediction is that Alex Smith gets the boot, but i can see Ben Watson with his injuries being let go too. See who gets the most playing time tonight and that will most likely tell you.

Another thing to watch is the back up QBs. Kevin Oconnell was cut making Andrew Walter the back up and Brian Hoyer 3rd. I want to see what these guys have to offer if anything happens to Brady and also if there is any thing in the future to look forward to.

Linebackers- who will step up and take Bruschi's spot and which linebacker who would have been cut will now make the team. Watch for Paris Lenon, Rob Ninocovich (sp) and Shawn Crable. Most likely only one of these guys will make the team.

Running Back- Will the Pats keep both Ben Jarvis Green Ellis and Sammy Morris, I hope. Or will they let one go.

Punt Returner- Will they let Chung get another chance, and do we trust him? Does Edeltheman resume duties?

The best thing about this game is that the regular season is right around the corner and we get to watch the real thing in a little over a week. Get ready for some football!

New England Patriots Blog

Tedy Bruschi's greatest highlight of all...

By: Greg
This clip might be Tedy's best highlight of all. When I first saw this piece on Bruschi I teared up. Bruschi was and is a role model for young ins and its things like this which show you what he is all about.
Yesterday during his press conference he said he will be staying in the area, he lives in North Attleboro. So I am sure we will see more of Tedy and all the great things he does.
Now get a box of tissues and press play.....


New England Patriots Blog