The Big 3 Questions of the New England Patriots Off-Season posted by Mike Dussault
A week later I emerge from the darkness. I think I've made peace with the New England Patriots fate in 2007. It was a great season that came just short of being the greatest of all time. I can live with that. The Pats gave us more great wins than anyone else this season, just not the greatest. So it's time to reload. Here's the biggest questions for the off-season.
1. Linebackers and Secondary - The biggest weakness is shoring up the defense. This is the second year in a row that the Pats D has fallen apart at the worst possible moment.
- Kiss Asante Samuel goodbye. I think it's a long shot the team is willing to give him what he wants.- Will Bruschi, Seau, Harrison decide to hang them up? Seau is the strongest possibility. Regardless the Pats could use some youth at the position. Eric Alexander had a solid year on special teams but gave no indication that the Pats think he's a future starter.- Will Randall Gay resign? He was the nickel-back for the Pats for his first healthy season since his rookie year. He was picked on by Eli Manning, but he's still a starter with multiple years experience with the Pats. The New York Jets (who else?) could take a shot at him.
2. Figure out the Wide Receiver Situation - here's what the Pats did last off-season: Tom Brady wasn't happy with his receivers so they went out and got a bunch of athletic guys and signed them to basically one-year deals with multi-year options (Wes Welker the only one getting a long term deal). They threw Moss, Washington, Gaffney, Reche Caldwell, and Stallworth into the mi... [read more]

Belichick's an Eccentric Genius, What Do You Want From Him? posted by Mike Dussault

I can't believe the amount of hate that has been thrown at Bill Belichick all week. Yes the New England Patriots were outcoached by the New York Giants but give the guy a break for leaving the field one second early. Is this really even news? Everyone knows that the field at a Super Bowl quickly becomes a circus after the game is over (well maybe New York Jets fans don't but I think even they can probably imagine it). He just wanted to get out of there. I'm amazed that people are really concerned about this and it's really just a shame that it's stuff like this that gets counted as controversy against the Hoodied one.

Belichick is concerned with one thing: winning football games. He makes no apologies about that. The media wants every NFL coach to be Dick Vermeil. Emotional, verbose, a father to his players, not afraid to tear up when the moment strikes him. Sorry folks, this isn't Bill Belichick. He knows that the media can be a disease to putting together a winning football team. They take rumours and speculation and use them to divide professional sports teams. They take quotes out of context ("I play when I want to play") to serve the stories they want to write. So Belichick cuts them off at the knees by limiting any information that is disseminated to them. In David Halberstam's Education of a Coach he describes how much time and thought Belichick puts into his press conferences. He anticipates what he will be asked and knows exactly how to put a stop to any attempt to create controversy.&nbs... [read more]

"Spygate" Might Really Equal Watergate posted by Dan Tress
When the "Spygate" story first broke in September, I thought it was
one of the stupider, more overblown stories in a long time.
A disgruntled former employee (Jets coach Eric Mangini) accuses his
old boss (Patriots coach Bill Belichick) of cheating after the Pats
beat the Jets 100-0, as if he had actually just noticed some guy
standing on the Patriots' sideline with a camera, recording the Jets'
defensive signals. So it was obvious right from the beginning that not
only had the Pats been doing it for a while, but considering how
little effort they put into hiding it, most likely they weren't the
only guilty team in the league (a notion further supported by the memo
the NFL sent out reminding everyone how illegal it was).
So when the media spent weeks acting like it was this huge story, I
mostly ignored it. But now as it's becoming clear that the NFL's
investigation was at best lazy and at worst a huge cover up, we may be
on the verge of a legitimate story as big in the sports world as
Watergate was in the real world.
If former Pats assistant Matt Walsh, who the NFL didn't even talk to
in September, confirms the report that the Pats taped the Rams walk
through the day before the Super Bowl, it will immediately and
completely discredit one of the greatest (and considering how hard it
is for an NFL team to stay good these days, I would call it the
greatest) dynasty in sports history, even with the Super Bowl loss.
It would mean that every time we thought Belichick had coached ci... [read more]

Spygate's Back... and Patriots Haters Won't Like What the Commish Has to Say posted by Mike Dussault

Welp, it's two days before the Super Bowl and what a shocking coincidence that Spygate is back in the news. Isn't that just amazing? Arlen Specter kicked it off this morning by requesting NFL Commish Roger Goodell to explain why the confiscated tapes were destroyed, though he claims he intially made the request just before the New England Patriots played the Philadelphia Eagles this season (another coincidence?) but the NFL didn't respond.  So here it is today in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/sports/football/01nfl.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

Finally Roger Goodell came out in his press conference today and directly answered questions about Spygate and what he had to say is not good if you're a Patriot-hater and convinced the Pats Super Bowls are tainted. He said that there were about six video tapes coming from late in the 2006 season and 2007 preseason (um, not the super bowl seasons FYI), all showing the same kind of stuff as the tape that Jay Glazer of FOX managed to get of the New York Jets game. Here are some other interesting quotes from the commish:

“I don’t think it taints their accomplishments,” Goodell added. “I think what they did this season was certainly within the rules, on a level playing field.”

And as to why he destroyed the tapes: “I believe it was helpful for us in making sure my instructions were followed closely, not just with the Patriots but by every other team,” (i.e. if any other tapes pop up he... [read more]

Plaxico Burress Predicts 23-17 Victory For Giants posted by Mike Dussault

23-17 is what Plax thinks the final score of Super Bowl 42 will be with the New York Giants beating the New England Patriots. First off, as I've said many times I don't understand why people feel the need to make predictions (including stupid bloggers like myself). I understand that Plaxative is confident in his team, and rightly so I think that the Giants need to go into this game EXPECTING to win if they are to have any chance at all. My problem is with the score he picked.

First of all the Patriots have not been held under 20 points all season long. Yes they've been close a couple times (a 20-10 win over the New York Jets and the 21-12 win over the San Diego Chargers) but both of those games were in inclimate weather. Given normal game conditions (not to mention PERFECT game conditions that the Pats will have in Arizona) the Pats are almost a shoe-in to put up over 30. If the Giants could hold Brady, Moss and the most explosive offense in NFL history to two touchdowns and a field goal they would absolutely deserve to win. If Plax is predicting only 23 for the Giants they are going to have a really hard time winning this game. That's two touchdowns and three field goals. As a Pats fan I'd take that right now. When you play the Patriots you can't bring knives (Field Goals) to a Gun (touchdowns) fight. They will need at least 28 and probably closer to 35 to even make this thing competitive.... [read more]

I HATE TOM BRADY posted by Daniel Jacobson

I wrote the following article during the 2005 season for my campus newspaper. It is still very true today and I think most people will get a kick out of it. And just for the record, I am a Raiders fan.

 

I absolutely, positively hate the New England Patriots. I hate their logo, I hate their quarterback, I hate their owner and their stadium is named after a razor company. I hate them. And worst of all they win too damn much; they’ve become the Yankees of football. But I’m not here to talk about the Yankees, that’ll just open up another can of worms.

 

Hate is the best form of admiration, not imitation. Quarterback Tom Brady has everything a man could possibly ask for. But I’m tired of hearing his so-called “Cinderella” story. Of how he was selected in the sixth round in the NFL Draft, of how he jumped rope as a kid to keep his feet quick, and now how he reminds former NFL coach and current broadcaster, John Madden, of Joe Montana.

 

Let’s review: Brady has three Super Bowl rings, a very hot girlfriend in Bridget Moynahan and enough money to feed all the hungry children in Ethiopia. I hate him, but remember hate is the best form of admiration.

 

Owner and business tycoon Robert Kraft is an extremely rich man who day-by-day reminds me more and more of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. He sits up in his owner’s box in Gillette Stadium with his fancy suit and does absolutely nothing wrong. His lack of poor behavior bothers me even more; I mean he’s actually a good guy. He ... [read more]

Tom Brady's High Ankle Sprain-Gate: The Perfect Non-Story to Keep Distractions Limited posted by Mike Dussault
Tom Jackson appeared almost upset today on ESPN's NFL Countdown. He was convinced that New England Patriots QB Tom Brady is not injured and the Pats are playing games with the media and trying to use  the leaked photos from last week to their advantage. I happen to agree with him. All year the Pats have been victims of weekly controversies. Rightly so on some weeks (Spygate - San Diego Chargers, Rodney Harrison HGH - New York Jets), not so much on others (Run Up the Score Gate - Washington Redskins , Randy Moss Hurt-My-Finger Gate - Jacksonville Jaguars). 
The point is that this week the Patriots are CONTROLLING the controversy, instead of playing the victim.  They kept Tom Brady completely isolated from the Press. We know for sure he didn't practice at all on Thursday and missed at least the first portion of practice on Friday. Brady's street clothes and white sneakers were laid out in front of his locker in an almost theatrical way. Then today, just as the controversy was starting to die down another report in the Boston Herald comes out saying Brady was seen "limping" around Boston earlier in the weekend. The fires are relit. Is it true? Maybe is Brady actually really injured? Every player seems 100% confident and completely unconcerned about Brady's chances of playing in the Super Bowl. But this is the controversy that won't die, and it's almost conveniently taken any kind of spotlight off of Randy Moss, (whose lawyer will be in Florida tomorrow for the hearing on "H-M-F Gate").
The Patriots have done a good job in p... [read more]

Mr. Rogers' New Neighborhood? posted by Macklen Jackson

Today the news broke that the Detroit Lions are looking to move Shaun Rogers via trade or release and, while I do not understand or agree with their decision, the Jets must try to acquire the seventh year defensive tackle.

 

Just by looking at his 2007 stats, it’s easy to see him as an upgrade to the Jets’ current D-line. Rogers had 39 tackles, 7 sacks, and one interception (which was returned for a touchdown). The Jets’ starting front three accounted for a mere 10.5 sacks with their nose tackle, Dewayne Robertson garnering only 4 of them. Robertson also had 57 tackles to his name; even though that’s more than Rogers, Robertson benefited from the 3-4 scheme the Jets run, while Rogers was in a 4-3 and had to split tackles with three others on the front line.

 

Rogers was the leading sacker on his own D-line, and he could contribute astronomically to a Jets defense against which everyone likes to run the ball. Shaun Rogers would add such a dominant presence to their pass rush that teams would run the ball against them even more consistently than they already do. Now, on a third and three, opposing teams would normally spread three wideouts and go play-action. But if there’s a serious threat to the passer, more teams would check into a run and the Jets could stack the box with a safety. Kerry Rhodes is a good run defender, but seldom gets to exhibit his run stop talent because he is needed further back from the ball.

 

But, losing Robertson’s talents isn’t the only way to incorporate the likes ... [read more]

Call me a homer, I believe Randy Moss posted by Mike Dussault
It seems like there hasn't been a single week this season for the New England Patriots where they haven't had to face some kind of controversy. Rodney Harrison HGH suspension gate (New York Jets). Handshake gate (Indianapolis Colts). Spygate (entire NFL). Run up the score gate (Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, etc.). Vince Wilfork fell into me on purpose gate (Buffalo Bills). It's been a never ending stream of media hype every week, with Skip Bayless on ESPN always vehemently arguing the asinine side every argument. So this week some girl in Florida files a restraining order against Randy Moss. At first people weren't sure if it was Patriots Star receiver Randy Moss. It might've been another Randy Moss. But no, it was in fact the wide receiver who holds the NFL record for TD grabs in a season, #81 in your program but #2 (to Tom Brady) in your heart, Randall Gene Moss.
Randy comes out yesterday morning and talks with the press at length. I've followed the Pats really hardcore for about three years. This is the longest I have ever seen a player stump from their locker. He said that he told Belichick, and BB said to focus on football. But I am sure BB also gave him permission to give a vehement denial to the press. 
Today word from the accuser's lawyer comes out that she injured a finger, but it was neither CUT nor BROKEN. Moss lawyer claims that she hurt it during "Consensual Horseplay". She never claimed that she hit her. So, that's where we stand. Sounds alot to me like she stubbed her finger, saw a chance... [read more]

A Look Back: New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers 2006 AFC Playoffs posted by Mike Dussault

It was one year ago that I had my greatest experience as a New England Patriots fan. I thought I would share an essay I wrote below about it.

When the Patriots defeated the New York Jets in the Wild Card game it meant that they would travel to San Diego for the next round - two short hours from my house. I told myself I would be willing to spend three hundred dollars on a ticket.  Sunday night I did a preliminary search of eBay and the brokers. If I had to pay $175 for a regular season nosebleed what would it be for a playoff game? I found a ticket for $240 in the very last row of Charger Stadium. If nothing else, I would get that one. But then I heard that the San Diego Chargers were releasing a bunch of single tickets to California residents only on Ticketmaster at noon the next day. Fans from Boston were outraged, but for me it was a chance to actually get a ticket that wouldn't put me into negative checking. 

I’d pretty much resigned myself to the fact that getting a ticket like this on Ticketmaster would be nearly impossible. It would require my ultimate focus. The next day at work I told no one to bother me. I brought up five Ticketmaster screens and began refreshing every few seconds precisely at 11:56. At noon the tickets popped up and I scrambled to enter the code of random letters like Agatha8. No luck with one. Incorrect letters on another. The guy who works next to me said he was having no luck either. Another incorrect letter. Then… success. I got a ticket. I clicked to confirm and buy the ticket and… Ticketmaster crash... [read more]

Jets fan given time to amend Pats suit (AP)

A federal judge has given a New York Jets season-ticket holder more time to amend a lawsuit that seeks millions from the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for "deceiving customers" by videotaping opponents' signals. The lawsuit by Carl J. Mayer, filed in September, was due to be dismissed June 30 because of a lack of activity. [read full article]

Posted Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:32:47 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports

Cross resigns as Jets president (AP)

Jay Cross resigned as president of the New York Jets on Tuesday after eight years with the team to accept a position as president of Related Hudson Yards. The Jets also named Mike Tannenbaum executive vice president-general manager, Matt Higgins executive vice president of business operations and Thad Sheely executive vice president of stadium development and finance. [read full article]

Posted Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:46:55 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports

Jets TE Baker unhappy with contract (AP)

Chris Baker isn't happy with his contract, and he made sure everyone knew it on the first day of the New York Jets' mandatory minicamp Thursday. "If the situation was better, of course I'd want to be here," Baker said, "but the way things are right now, I really don't have the desire to be out here right now at this moment." Baker, who has asked to be traded, is disgruntled because he insists the... [read full article]

Posted Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:58:28 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports