Trevor price on the Jim Rome show talking about TFB.

"I would rather stab you in the face than talk to you right now."

If only he played safety, too.

“In my stance, I kind of smelt some boo boo."

Not what you want to hear, ever.  Less so if you're a Dallas tailback, I guess.

Today, The Boston Globe's Steve Silva has posted a look back at the Patriots, asking "which team was your favorite?"  

Silva begins with the 1974 team starring Jim Plunkett and works his way to the 2010 incarnation, picking 11 standout teams.  One thing that struck me in looking back was how many good players got away from us in the old days: Plunkett, Mike Haynes, Irving Fryar -- just to name a few.  I'm by no means an expert on Patriot teams that pre-date me, but I always enjoy looking back.

The Patriots had a 14 year history by the time Silva's first notable team came along in '74, but there's a reason for the lingering sense -- even today -- that we are lately risen from the dustbin.  The regional memory of football Patriots in New England goes back to 1960.  And most of those teams stunk.  The Boston Patriots of 1964 finished 10-3-1 but out of the playoffs.  The '63 Pats won the division at 7-6-1 (better than the '10 Seahawks!), beat Buffalo in the Divisional round but lost to Sid Gillman's Chargers in the Championship game.  Those teams featured longstanding Patriot greats like Babe Parilli and Gino Cappelletti, but other than those two years the old Pats were the very picture of mediocrity.

We didn't have the New England Patriots until 1971, though.

I was born in 1973.  My granddad put a little red football in my crib; I literally cut my teeth on football.   But I didn't really become conscious of the game until I was about eight years old or so.  Follow me over the jump: let's reminisce together about my favorite Patriot teams.  

I invite you to share your memories in the comments.

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As reported by The National Football Post:

The New England Patriots have agreed to terms with veteran free agent defensive tackle Louis Leonard, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation. ... The 6-foot-4, 325-pounder has 33 career tackles and one sack. He has two tackles in two games this year with the Carolina Panthers. ... Leonard, 26, signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State in 2007 ... [where] he recorded 68 tackles and 6 1/2 sacks.

Signing another journeyman DT, with Pryor, Wright and Brace all banged up may be an indicator that one or more of them is done for the duration.  Keep an eye on the IR list to see if anyone pops up there. All three of those guys have been quality contributors this year and it would be a disappointment to lose them heading down the stretch and into the playoffs.

The better news could be this is an indication that McCourty's injury is in fact not serious.  With the Patriots already perilously thin at Corner, it would seem unlikely for them to pick up anyone other than a DB unless Devin is A-OK.

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In spite of having one of the youngest (and statistically most permissive) defenses in the league, New England sits atop its division, its conference and the league with an 11-2 overall record.

New Patriots on offense, this year:

Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Danny Woodhead, Alge Crumpler.

The Patriot offense leads the league in scoring, with 379 points.  The next nearest is Indy with 347, 32 points behind -- which is about what New England scores per game (31.6). 

Tom Brady leads the league with a 109.5 passer rating.

New England ranks #1 in Football Outsiders Team Efficiency rankings.

The Patriots offense is #1 in FO Efficiency.

The O-Line is ranked #2 in Run Blocking and #6 in Pass Protection.

Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis holds the #2 DVOA ranking and the #3 DYAR ranking (he's an undrafted free-agent).  By Football Ooutsider's analysis, he is more productive and currently a more valuable asset than Adrian Peterson or LaDanian Tomlinson (for example).

Danny Woodhead is the best running back in the league among those with 20-99 rushes, according to FO.

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez (both rookies) are FO's #3 and #4 Tight Ends, overall, league-wide.  That's more value than Jason Witten, Tony Gonzales, Todd Heap, and Jeremy Shockey (among many others).  Only Vernon Davis (a five year veteran) and Antonio Gates (an eight year veteran) rank higher.

None of these statistical compilations take into account today's 36-7 handling of the Bears, at Soldier Field, in driving snow and freezing cold.  In that game, Brady passed for 369 yards and two touchdowns (and no interceptions) against the third best defense in the entire league.  Green-Ellis ran for over four yards per carry against the #2 run defense in the league.  Wes Welker and Deion Branch each had 8 receptions and over 100 yards receiving; five other Patriots caught at least 2 passes.  Did I mention it was snowing and blowing?

New England has not committed a turnover in five straight games. 

According to Steve Young, Belichick is running an offense derived from Bill Walsh's West Coast philosophy, but at a higher level of refinement and perfection than Walsh, Montana and Young himself ever attained.

So my message to the media and fans of other teams is this:  It is time to stop talking about Bill Belichick as a defensive genius, and start talking about him as an offensive genius.

Should the Patriots win their fourth Lombardi trophy, it will then be time to start talking about him as the greatest coach the game has ever produced.

Before the game, I wrote a bit about the Patriots' youth movement, particularly on defense.  While the comments degenerated (elevated?) into a discussion on the lingo of cricket, the general consensus seemed to be that the Pats were considerably less experienced than the Jets.  This lack of experience, some thought, would be our downfall.

Needless to say, this was not the case.  The newest class of Patriots performed very well on both sides of the ball. Follow me over the jump for a look at how our rookies made out:

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Game of the Week!  Game of the Year!  GAME OF THE CENTURY!!!!  

What's really going on here?

The way the media has been pitching this game, it’s been "The insurgent Jets seek to upend the long-reigning Patriots!"    The Patriots have been AFC Champions seven times in the last ten years -- the class of the Division for what seems like an eternity.  They are the team of the internet, that's for sure.  In cyber-time, we've known these guys for aeons.  

Certainly, the marquee names on the Pats' offense and defense have been around a while.  Vince Wilfork has been in the NFL for seven years; Tom Brady is an eleven year veteran.  When we look across the line of scrimmage through the lens of mass media we see Mark Sanchez, the Jets QB, a toddler at 2 and Darelle Revis leading the defense with only four years under his belt.  Rex Ryan has only been guiding his franchise since January of 2009, whilst Belichick has had the helm in New England since the year 2000.  

But while the franchises may be stacked that way, the Patriots are the junior team on both sides of the ball and although organizationally the Jets lead the upstart charge into Foxboro to unseat the old guard, it is the Patriots who have cobbled together a group of young Turks to hold off Rex Ryan's army of veteran mercenaries.  

Come over the jump and we'll dig into the facts.

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Hey all.  Don't feel like I have the juice to throw up a front page marker any time I feel like it any more, but I thought I'd make a parking lot for anyone who wants to hang out, pop a few beverages and watch 2 of our AFC rivals battle it out.  The hated and the slightly-less-hated in the New New Jersey swamp-pad.  Grab a beer and come on in.

I may have mentioned this.

In any case, given that hatred, I must say this pleases me to no end.  It's utterly tasteless, just so you can't say I didn't warn you.

Hollis Thomas? Wonder if he's related to Adalius Thomas... From The Onion:

In an effort to avoid physical exertion, strenuous activity, and standing up, slothful free agent Hollis Thomas told several NFL general managers Friday that he would prefer to try out for their teams over the phone.

Art imitates life ... or something.

The last time the Pats played the Saints, New England escaped with a 24-17 victory in Foxboro.  This highlight vid from NFL films features a lot of old friends who aren't around anymore: Branch, Vrabel, Wilson, Davis just to name a few.  The Saints look different, too.  No one will mistake Aaron Brooks for Drew Brees, for example.  No rest for the weary -- not this week, anyway. 

Use this space for jibber-jabber, if anyone's up watching the Monday night tilt between Tennessee and Houston.  They hate each other, and are treating us to a glimpse of playoff-level intensity.  Keep an eye on Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, as we'll be facing them the last week of the year -- a match that might have implications for playoff seeding.

Got a chance to see this one in person.  We were very far away, but here are some quick hits and general impressions.

First, our offensive line is very banged up.  Vollmer missed four or five series at the end of the first half.  Mark LeVoir filled in for him (and absolutely crushed cornerback Donald Strickland -- you could hear the helmets crack in the upper deck -- if anyone Tivoed it, please post!), but it was clear that we're in dutch if we don't have a healthy Sebastian Vollmer.  Protection suffered.  Dan Connolly started for the injured Stephen Neal.  Nick Kaczur got banged up pretty good late in the game -- his knee I think.  He gutted it out and I was impressed because I don't think he should have been walking on it, much less playing football.  Hopefully he and Matt Light and Vollmer will all be serviceable for the Saints game.

Almost, but not quite, this far away.  Using the field lights at the bottom of the image, count 3 stanchions from the right, then down three rows of seats. They must've known I write for electronic media.

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These two original AFL franchises will meet for the 101st time this week, with the Jest holding a 50-49 advantage; there has been one tie.  The Patriots have played the Jets more than any other team in their thirty-nine year history.  Over that time, emotions around the game have rolled up and down from indifference when either team was irrelevant, to something like sympathy as the formerly moribund Patriots found their way to the 2001 Super Bowl and offered hope that the AFC East might find its way back to the elite.  For myself, however, any hint of fellow-feeling was erased by a 2007 trip to the Meadowlands for opening day.  So let me set this on the table:

I hate the Jets.  I hate the team.  I disdain their fanbase.  I will make no bones about it.  This is nothing like the "hate" I have for the Colts.  The Colts you can respect.  The Steelers, you can respect.  The Jets are beneath contempt.  They are the worst of New York, the dregs of the tri-state area and a blight on the face of the AFC.  In Rex Ryan they have found their apotheosis: a loud-mouthed ass who yaks when he wins, whines when he loses, and generally shows his ample hind-parts every time he goes out in public.  Their fans have no relationship with reality, no sense of propriety and zero class.  If this starts a full-fledged flame way, fine.  I don't care.  Don't blame MaPatsFan, who knows better than me. 

I can compartmentalize, though.  I have much respect for Kris Jenkins (injured).  Leon Washington is a threat (injured).  They have a very serious offensive line, led by Alan Faneca, Jason Ferguson and Nick Mangold (who deserves more credit as a top-shelf center).  But the stink that surrounds this franchise is not the fault of the fens which surround it, but rather the barely animate homunculi which drag themselves from the mire to gibber in brainless orgy at the direction of a scabby inebriate whose single lesson in spelling fails to take hold in the webby, vacant brain-pans of those idiots bound by habit alone to drool on this "franchise" in their borrowed stadium.

So no.  I don't like the Jets very much.

File this under "thank god they kept it in-house."

Noted graphic artist Ken Carbone took a shot at redesigning three of what he felt were the worst graphic designs on NFL helmets.  Number three?  The "Flying Elvis" of your New England Patriots.  Now, I've never been a fan of the new design.  I'm very partial to old Pat Patriot, ready to snap the ball and rip off your face.  But Elvis is so significantly better than what this professional dreamed up that it makes me glad to have him.  Peter Fonda would be quite at home in this, but man!  What a horrible football helmet.  Just horrible.

Follow the link to Fast Company and read the universal panning this design gets in the comments.  (Including some valid insight into what being a patriot means up New England way.)  I can't say that any idea I'd come up with would be an improvement over what we already have, but I goddamnguarantee you that it'd be a huge improvement over this...this...monstrosity.

via Fast Company, KSK

A clear and cold late December afternoon in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.  The sun struggled all day to bring the temperature above the freezing mark, and by game time the barometer rests around forty -- a fine football day.  The bundled crowds assemble in the face of a light southerly breeze as Johnny Unitas, black high-topped cleats and buzz cut in place, warms up along the sidelines.  Baltimore is in a fight for playoff positioning, trailing Miami by half a game in the standings in the regular season's final week.

The 38-year-old Unitas was nearing the end of an unrivalled career.  He had been dueling for starts with Earl Morrall all season, but there was plenty of gas still in the tank. 

The previous year marked the merger of the upstart AFL with big-brother NFL. The storied Baltimore franchise had been called to play the low-rent league frequently as a member of the new AFC East.  In 1970, they defeated Boston in the first-ever meeting, 27-3, with Unitas throwing 3 touchdowns.  In 1971 the Patriots became "New England," but the early results were much the same.  Baltimore had walked all over the Patriots in brand new Schaffer Stadium back in October, 23-3.  The lone Patriot score was a Charlie Gogolak field goal, courtesy of a 19 yard interception return by Patriots defensive back John Outlaw who picked Earl Morrell in the second quarter.

Here now in December, the 10 - 3 Colts had the Dolphins in their sights and 5 - 8 New England firmly in the rearview.  Across the field from Morrall and Unitas, two kids in their early 20's were stretching for the kickoff: a speedy receiver from Stanford named Randy Vataha and his old college quarterback, rookie Jim Plunkett.

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I normally wouldn't bother to lay out a piece that takes rebuking a pundit as its jumping-off point.  But what's the point of blogging if not to vent your spleen from time to time? 

There's no game so perfect that Dan Shaughnessy won't take a leak on it in an effort to make himself seem relevant.  Sunday's win was no gem, but rather than simply celebrating the beauty of Brady-to-Moss, Shaughnessy can't help but throw a few barbs at Randy, apparently because he doesn't like talking to the press.

He comes off as rude, ridiculous, self-important, and difficult.

Why not take a look in the mirror, Dan?  'Cause that sounds like a sportswriter I know.

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Back in early October, New England squeaked out a home win over the Ravens when a Joe Flacco pass bounced harmlessly to the turf off the chest of his receiver.  Looks like the Colts had their Baltimore.

This past Sunday in Indianapolis, Texans' kicker Kris Brown missed a field goal as time wound down.  The miss preserved a Colts' home victory in which Peyton Manning had to engineer yet another late-game scoring drive to overcome a furious Houston rally.  After taking a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter, Indy surredered 17 unanswered points and the lead.  Manning engineered an 8-play 60-yard drive midway through the fourth to go ahead and they survived with Brown's miss to keep their record pure.

Just as New England has hit the serious part of the year, so has Indy -- or what passes for it.  Their early season schedule ranks as the easiest in the AFC and the Colts have treated it accordingly in racking up the wins.  Nevertheless, losses have been suffered.  Indianapolis will play host to New England with many of its most important players holding down the fort in the infirmary.

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"The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second."

-- Coach Tony D'Amato, "Any Given Sunday"

The inches we need are everywhere sound bite  

Every week, there are plays that waste inches and plays that scoop them up.  Over the course of the game, thousands of variables collide and the outcome of the game could turn on any one of them.  A holding call, an offside penalty.  A broken shoelace, an angle of pursuit just a little too acute.  A pass an inch too slow.

Watching the game, we see these moments go by.  Sometimes you know they're big; often they fade into the background of a great win or a heartbreaking defeat. 

Without question, the most prodigal of inches are penalties -- particularly mental errors that threaten to swing momentum.  When your team commits a gaffe like that, the hero of the moment can be the teammate who grabs those yards back with a great individual effort.  The hero of the moment may not make the cover story, but his colleagues will know the game turned on his timely work. 

Despite some great individual performances by marquee players, this week's moment belongs to Stephen Gostkowski.

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Big-time divisional tilt, and the Pats performed when they had to.

Miami rolled out a couple of wrinkles to the catPhish this week, and it had an effect.  A second quarter, 5 play, 80 yard touchdown drive had New England running around like a bunch of peewees, and a Joey Haynos reception from Ronnie Brown after what had been a tough goalline stand landed another 7 in the 'Phins ledger.

Pat White momentarily confused the lads, lining up at QB but running the old option (and taking a shot or two for his trouble).  New England was having enough trouble setting the edge that they ultimately moved Big Vince out over stud LT Jake Long.  It worked, sort of, but it didn't help the pass-rush much. 

Speaking of the pass rush, it was still anemic.  We can't seem to get pressure unless we bring a big-blitz.  Pat Chung had one sack and one sick hit that doubtless helped Henne forget a little more of his childhood.

The Patriots, for their part, unveiled a recommitted Laurence Maroney who ran with a will and a punishing style that we've been longing to see.  The line was opening holes and LOMO was finding them. Twice in the fourth quarter we started inside our 15.  On the first series, Maroney and BJGE hammered us out to the 48 before we lost momentum.

That brutalizing was the key to escaping the box on the second deep-startng drive, as the 1st play was a play-action pass to Randy Moss for 17 yards that moved him into 17th all-time in career receiving yards.

Speaking of Mr. Moss, he had a couple of beautiful plays today against surprisingly game rookie corners.  One was a peach of a one-hander down near the goalline -- a 37 yard reception that had us seeing 2007.  The second was a no-soup-for-you special on a crossing route where he stiff-armed the defender and ran away for a 71 yard score.  That TD moved Moss into 6th all-time.  So a good day for Randy.

Henne made a real game of it, as his receivers dropped two catchable balls on Miami's 2nd-to-last possession (stupid penalties reared their ugly head throughout -- a glaring jump on the o-line at the end ruined what should have been a satisfying clock-killer of a drive).

All in all, an uneven day from the boys in blue.  Great to see us running hard (24 for 109).  The run defense was adequate considering the foe, but the defensive backfield got fooled a few times. I'm guessing Joey Porter will be blaming the officials, but I don't think he had a single tackle on the day.  What's wrong J-Peezy?  Nothing to say?

Key Late Games: Nuthin', really, until Pittsburgh and Denver kick off tomorrow at 8:30 (MNF).

Here's a thread for communal jibber-jabber:

It's a balmy 66 degrees and sunny at Gillette Stadium today, as your 5-2 New England Patriots prepare to host the 3-4 Miami Dolphins, a fierce intra-division rival who is playing better than its record.  Beer is cold, crowd is hot.

The Dolphins will let you score.  Well, they won't let you, but teams do seem to rack up the points on Miami.  Even teams with rookie quarterbacks who ultimately lose.  Miami allows just over 25 points per game, good enough for 23rd league wide and a tie with Jacksonville.

Their D ranks 18th overall when adjusted for strength of schedule.  Not horrid, I guess, but not scintillating either.  Since playing Buffalo, the Phins have surrendered 27, 46 and 30 points (Jest, Saints, Jest).  But the question tonight isn't "how good is Miami generally," but rather "How good will Miami be against New England?"  On paper, at least, the answer is "not good."

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Well friends, we're in it now.  With the bye week in our rear-view, the true meat of the schedule is here.  In what promises to be an absolutely brutal five week stretch, New England will face, in order: Dolphins, Colts, Jets, Saints and Dolphins.  If that doesn't look like a sphincter-clenching run through the briar patch of the AFC, then you must know something about football that I don't.  Or you're clueless and at this point I'm prepared to go with that.  Other than the Steelers, the Pats will have played the class of the Conference by the time all is said and done, plus the best the NFC has to offer.  Right now, we're 1-1 against better teams, with a squeaker over Baltimore and an overtime heart-breaker at Mile High (I hate playing in Denver).

High School, college or pro, the best teams discipline themselves to focus on only the next game.  It is for the fan to agonize and prognosticate over what the future holds.  But that's all part of the fun and the media are more than happy to help us along.  Below the fold, I've swiped wholesale Tim Graham's first half/second half graph, analyzing the relative strength of schedules for the AFC East.  Under the heading of "it figures," the 'Phins have the easiest road the playoffs.  The hardest row to hoe belongs to your New England Patriots.

Take a gander, but this week we face the first game of our annual series against Miami.  Since that's what's on the menu, let's get out our tartar sauce and lobster bibs and look at how to catch some Phish.  Part I is a look at the Dolphins on offense and some of the challenges they pose. 

(Note: Part I may also be the only part I get to, as I need to be on the road this weekend.  But if it isn't, I'll be taking a look at the Miami defense in Part II.)

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Homegrown in Wormtown, Pats watchers looked forward to Springfield and Worcester product Ron Brace (by way of Boston College) making a big splash as a highly rated rookie.  But while Brace has progressed, it is the unheralded rookie from Kentucky, Myron Pryor, who finds himself keeping the line warm for starters as the Patriots most reliable new substitute.  With Jarvis Green about to go under the knife, the spotlight turns to shine more directly on the quiet kid from Louisville.

Pryor is low-slung at six-feet-one, and carries a solid 310 pounds.  Belichick has described him as "kind of stocky."  Yeah Bill, he's stocky.  Pryor's size makes him nearly a matched set with all-league noseguard Wilfork, or it would if the 6-2 Wilfork were anything close to his listed 325.  If Vince Wilfork is 325 pounds then I'm an Abercrombie torso model (I'm not).  Active for 6 of the Patriots' 7 games so far (all but the opener with the Bills), Pryor has accumulated 9 tackles (5 solo) and a forced fumble -- very solid numbers for a second-string rookie.

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Just to get it all out of the way up front: I know it's an amateur clipset and there's nothing scientific about it. But I'm going to ignore that and use it as one piece of evidence from a field of evidence that includes what I saw while watching Ginn on television in his college days and what I've seen of him (and his soon to be revealed former teammate) since they've entered the pros.

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