SB Nation - Eric Alexander

Week 10: Wednesday Injury Report

shake n bake — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:19:44 -0000

The Wednesday report is mercifully short with 4 players injured and a day off. Unsurprisingly Anthony Gonzalez, Kelvin Hayden and Adam Vinitieri sat out injured. The very odd addition to the report is Jim Sorgi, who managed to injure his right shoulder in some way, despite not having played in 2 weeks. Getting the day off was Dwight Freeney. He was hobbled a bit after taking a chop block Sunday so I'll be watching for him on report tomorrow.

Colts.com link

A long list over on the Pats side. Missing practice were;

LB Eric Alexander (Groin), WR Julian Edelman (Forearm), DE Jarvis Green (Knee), C Dan Koppen (Knee) T Matt Light (Knee), S Brandon Meriweather (Foot), RB Sammy Morris (Knee) WR Brandon Tate (Knee), RB Fred Taylor (Ankle), DE Ty Warren (Ankle).

That's two starting linemen, a starting RB and one of his backups, both starting DEs, the teams 3rd and 4th WRs and a starting safety. That looks like the kind of report the Colts usually take into big games.

Oddly Randy Moss is listed both as sitting out practice for non-injury reasons, and as fully participating in practice with a shoulder injury along with Tom Brady (Right Shoulder), and Shawn Springs (knee).

Pats link

New York Jets Run Offense vs. New England Patriots Run Defense

John B — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:00:31 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

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It would be nice if the Jets could establish the run early and take a lot of pressure off their rookie quarterback. I think Bill Belichick will do whatever it takes to prevent that from taking place. The Pats will probably stick eight or even nine in the box to force the Jets to throw the ball. Mark Sanchez made the Texans pay and eventually forced them to respect his arm, which opened things late for Thomas Jones.

This is not a vintage Pats front seven, especially with Jerod Mayo sitting this one out. Mayo is vying with David Harris for the title of top young inside linebacker in the division. Mayo had 20 tackles on Thursday night in Foxborough back in 2008. That will leave Eric Alexander and Gary Guyton to man the inside. This leaves a pair of matchups as key. Nick Mangold against Vince Wilfork is always an elite battle. So will be Ty Warren against Brandon Moore and Damien Woody.

Jarvis Green is a quality starter, replacing the departed Richard Seymour at defensive end. The Bills broke some runs going after him. I wouldn't expect the Jets to test him much. Gang Green loves to run right to Warren's side, away from the left, where D'Brickashaw Ferguson's limitations in the run game are a factor. The Jets are going to challenge Wilfork and Warren, sending Tony Richardson and pulling Alan Faneca to the side often. If they can control the pair up front and hit the second level, there will be favorable matchups and opportunities for Thomas Jones to break big gains. This will force safeties Brandon Merriweather and James Sanders to call the box home. Merriweather and Sanders are going to spend time in the box, but if the Jets run effectively, Bill Belichick will have to play there more than they want. It will open up a lot for Mark Sanchez, and the rookie looks like he can exploit it. Of the outside linebackers, Adalius Thomas is very good against the run, but Tully Banta-Cain and Derrick Burgess are strongest against the run. Pierre Woods did have a big game against the Jets last season.

I expect Brian Schottenheimer to have a few tricks up his sleeve. Plenty of gimmick looks out of the Seminole formation and perhaps some run-pass options for Brad Smith to try and catch the Pats off guard. The Jets had some success out of an option look with Smith two years ago.

I'm thinking this game comes down to Mark Sanchez. I see the Pats doing everything they can to stop the run. If New York establishes the ground game early, it could be a really really fun day for the New Yorkers.

New England Patriots 53 man roster - some thoughts

MaPatsFan — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:04:36 -0000

by Stephan Savoia - AP

7 months ago: New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick looks over his rookies during football minicamp at the team's practice facility in Foxborough, Mass., Friday morning, May 1, 2009 (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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We stay with 2 QB's, LB is a bit weak, TE will be a position to watch, OL is stacked on the interior...let's break it down position by position (props to NESilver for his comment in this thread)

Offense: 25

QB: Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer (2) - Odd we keep only 2, but that could change when the season starts.
RB: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis (5) - Solid group.
WR: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis, Saim Aiken, Julian Edelman (6) - Break out the air raid sirens. Edelman looked like "Little Welker".
TE: Benjamin Watson, Chris Baker, Michael Matthews (3) - Like this group, Matthews is a big man which must mean "blocking TE". Baker has good hands which we haven't seen in NE TE's for a long time.
OL: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Nick Kaczur, Sebastian Vollmer, Rich Ohrnberger, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell (9) - Deep on the interior, Vollmer is the next stud.

Defense: 25

DL: Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, Jarvis Green, Ron Brace, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor (7) - Liking the depth, glad to see Pryor make the roster
DE/OLB: Derrick Burgess, Tully Banta-Cain (2) - Can you say, "4-3?" I knew you could. Here comes the pass rush.
LB: Adalius Thomas, Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton, Pierre Woods, Eric Alexander, Rob Ninkovich (6) - Might be considered a little thin, possibly why NE is experimenting with a 4-3.
CB: Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley (5) - Wheatley barely hung on to his spot. I hope a "shutdown corner" emerges.
S: Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Patrick Chung, Brandon McGowan, Matthew Slater (5) - Good group, although Slater will, most likely, be IR'd.

Specialists: 3

K: Stephen Gostkowski - What can I say? One of the best kickers in the league. A machine through the uprights and consistently boots kickoffs into the endzone.
P: Chris Hanson - Game changer. Massive hangtime and very good accuracy.
LS: Jake Ingram - Many laughed when Hoodie drafted Ingram. The rookie wins the long snapper battle.

Injured Reserve

OLB: Shawn Crable - Depressing. The dude can't catch a break.
RB: Chris Taylor
OL: George Bussey - Adds depth for next year.
LB: Tyrone McKenzie - Looking forward to seeing him inside for 2010.

Poll

What do you think of the roster?

Lovin' it!

524 votes

Too early to tell.

722 votes

Hate it.

66 votes

1312 votes | Poll has closed

Patriots LB Corps - time to worry?

MaPatsFan — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:39:56 -0000

via cache.daylife.com

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Now that Jason Taylor has decided to become a Dolphin once again, the "analysis" starts. You know, what will the Patriots do next? Are we weak at linebacker? Were we desperate, as Providence Journal's Jim Donaldson claims, to go after Taylor:

And what does it say about the status of the Pats’ linebacking corps that so many people were placing so much hope that the soon-to-be-35-year-old sack specialist would sign with New England?

Nothing good.

No. Donaldson's article reads a lot like a Dan Shaughnessy piece. That is, "I'll appear smarter than the other guy in the room by pointing out the negative stuff." I think that's where he's coming from, but it's hard to say. I, for one, believe a move for Taylor would've been business as usual for Belichick. He respects Taylor and is known for going after players who have given him fits when playing against them (Wes Welker, anyone?). In addition, picking up Taylor would've been a very shrewd move: we wouldn't have to face him twice a year.

Donaldson's reasoning for the negativity? Guys like Adalius Thomas were out with a broken arm and Shawn Crable was eventually IR'd. Oh, and Gary Guyton and Eric Alexander weren't drafted out of college. Here's what I think. I think we should listen to the smart people, like Nick Caserio:

One of the more direct questions came when Caserio was asked why the team didn’t draft an outside linebacker to address the team's struggles on third down last season [26th out of 32 teams] and fill the void left by Mike Vrabel's departure.

"I think we’ve got players on our team that we feel good about, between A.D. [Adalius Thomas], Pierre [Woods], we signed Tully Banta-Cain, Shawn Crable didn’t have an opportunity to play last year ... " he said, before noting that things could always change because the team doesn't play a game until September.

I'm choosing to take a "wait and see" approach with a "cautiously optimistic" overtone. If that isn't confusing enough for ya... Basically, I think there's talent on this team, but untested. I believe we'll be ok and, as Caserio says, there's a lot of time between now and September; you never know who might hit the wire.

Agree with Donaldson? Disagree? Wait and see?

Patriots changes by position: Inside Linebacker

MaPatsFan — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:29:39 -0000

[Editor's note: I've decided to split the inside and outside linebacker stories as the Patriots are carrying 13 linebackers at this writing]

Dang. I was so stoked to see Tyrone McKenzie possibly make it into the rotation. I was stoked for a number of reasons: a) Tedy Bruschi is in the last year of his contract and, at 36 on June 9th, he has nothing left to prove; he's given his heart (literally) and soul to this team, b) the thought of another strong ILB next to DROY, Jerod Mayo, had me fairly confident the Patriots had taken care of the "Linebacker Situation", at least on the inside, and c) Tyrone is such a good story - a standup, unselfish guy putting his mother and sisters ahead of his own career when they needed him most.

Tedy Bruschi - Tedy has 13 years in the NFL, all of them with the Patriots. A super rare accomplishment, he's been there every step of the way. When sidelined by a stroke, the haters immediately lept to the conclusion Bruschi's heart condition was related to steroid use. When Tedy's doctors found a hole in his heart, they were later proven to be wrong, looking entirely stupid in the process. One of our favorite Patriots, he could've easily rode off into the sunset and retired with full honors. Typical of the man, he couldn't turn the motor off and became an example to everyone. Whether or not he plays past 2009 is anyone's guess, but I, for one, am thankful for all he's given us. Breeewwwwwskiiiiii!!!!
Jerod Mayo - What is there to say? Our 2008 10th overall pick is exactly what we hoped for - talented, hard working, and a HUGE football IQ. Did I mention humble? When asked how he thinks he did last year, his response is, "I don't think I'll ever be satisfied." Belichick must've smiled from ear to ear when he heard that...never be satisfied. Jerod has, quite simply, never left Gillette Stadium this off season. If he's not in the weight room, he's watching film, looking for those things he needs work on and then fixing them. He's going to be scary.
Gary Guyton - Mayo was a rock and took on a very complex defense at an early stage in his career; Jerod played the most snaps of any defensive Patriot. However, as Tedy approaches the twilight of his career, we needed a rotation strategy and Guyton was it. Taking on various roles as a reserve and special teams guy, Gary could be counted on to fill a gap when called on. An UFA, he's a find, in my opinion, and will only get better.
Eric Alexander - Mostly a special teams guy and reserve ILB, Eric has been with the Patriots for four seasons. He's done what's been asked of him and has been a productive tackler. Knowing the system, he's an important reserve option for our defense.
Antonio Appleby - A rookie free agent from Virginia, Antonio may have a leg up on the other rookies; Virginia ran a 3-4 defense under former Patriots assistant, Al Groh. Getting...younger...at...linebacker. I like it!
Vinny Ciurciu - With four years at Carolina and one at Minnesota, Vinny was considered a special teams ace; he consistently ranked at the top of the heap for tackles. When called upon, he jumped in at MLB, ILB, and OLB. A real utility guy, it's always good to have someone on the team with his versatility.
Tank Williams - Dude, you know Tank is a Safety, right? Yep. That's what he's LISTED as. However, Tank is a rare safety/linebacker mix. He'll be widely used in special packages were they need that nickel or dime guy and I believe he'll lineup a few steps in between and behind the ILBs, prowling the middle and assisting on the edges when called for. I can't wait to see this; I've waited a year due to his season ending injury in 2008 and I'm incredibly psyched to see what Tank can accomplish.

Analysis

Typical Belichick, he adds youth and then adds experience to mentor the young guys. Jerod Mayo is a clear lock as an ILB starter. If he was unsatisfied with his breakout performance last year and is putting in the time he seems to be, he's going to be a monster on the inside. Tedy will rotate in and out, but I see his role diminishing; the younger guys need the reps and Tedy has given us enough. His presence will be huge on the sidelines and in the locker room. I believe Guyton and Appleby will vie for rotational duties at ILB. That is, unless we decide to sign Pisa Tinoisamoa. Jettisoned by the Rams, Pisa has six seasons under his belt and could add depth and experience at that position, similar to adding Bodden and Springs at CB.

Golden Nuggets 10/4/08

Fooch — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:52:21 -0000

We're a day away from yet another big game for the 49ers. The team is 2-2 and as with any early .500 team, there is cause of optimism and cause for pessimism. I remain optimistic, although the offensive line is not giving me a lot of reason to.

Heading into tomorrow's game I'm not sure how to describe my expectations. The Patriots were annihilated by the Dolphins but they're still coached by Bill Belichick and the hooded one had two weeks to prepare for the 49ers. I do not expect the 49ers to roll out a 38-13 victory, that's for sure.

We're only a quarter of the way through, but it's already been a loooooong season for Tully Banta-Cain. While nothing's guaranteed, I think it's safe to say he'll be active tomorrow given Manny Lawson's injury.

Speaking of injuries, nothing surprising in the injury report for this week. Lawson is listed as doubtful and all three Patriots mentioned Thursday (LB Eric Alexander, CB Lewis Sanders adn WR Kelley Washington) are all doubtful.

Last week Mike Nolan said he used a challenge because he wanted to call a timeout anyways and figured why not try and get a reversal. Mike Sando put together a breakdown of the use of challenges by Nolan and Belichick.

Adalius Thomas and Mike Nolan know each other pretty well from their time in Baltimore together. Probably why they tried to sign him last year (that and the fact that he's really good).

49ers offensive line a major concern: Thank you Captain Obvious.

Patriots scout.com site on 5 reasons the Patriots would lose tomorrow.

Brent Jones will be an honorary captain for tomorrow's game.

Jamie Martin didn't think there were any juicy theories about Mike Martz and SpyGate.

Coming off an ugly game against the Dolphins, the Patriots rush defense will have it all it can handle in Frank Gore.

This is good timing with Steve Young getting his jersey retired tomorrow.

A general look at the 49ers by a Massachusetts newspaper that thinks we're a team making progress.

Kentwan Balmer is one of nine 2008 first round draft picks not to make a start this season. Although he did get 20 snaps last Sunday and is slowly seeing his role expand.

Brief discussion about halfway down about potential trick plays by the 49ers. If they do decide to run some direct snaps like the Dolphins did, I really hope they use Michael Robinson or Arnaz Battle for them. Although apparently Frank Gore thinks he can throw the ball pretty well.