Everyone's favorite "Youngest Player in the NFL" is on the slate for Pepsi Rookie of the Week.  He's up against:

LaGarrette Blount of the Bucs - 15 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown (team lost)

Jimmy Clausen of the Panthers - 13/19 for 141 yards and a touchdown (team won)

Kendrick Lewis of the Chiefs - Two interceptions versus the Rams (team won)

Arthur Moats of the Bills - 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks versus the Dolphins (team lost)

versus

Our own rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots (much cheering) -

who had one carry for 16 yards and 4 receptions for 31 yards and two touchdowns (the team, as you know, won)

Oh, and it's rumored that Aaron Hernandez makes a hell of a fondue, so there's another reason to vote for him. ;)

Here's the link:

http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=rookies&module=HP_cp3_package

Go vote!

Sports equipment chain Modell's apparently played a little joke on its customers - they had our own New England Patriots wunderkind running back Danny Woodhead pose as a store employee to sell his own Woodhead - branded New England Patriots gear.

Danny did pretty well, and there's plenty of hilarity ... I'll reveal a bit after... the jump, along with the YouTube link.

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According to Bob Kravitz at IndyStar, Indy players Robert Mathis and Reggie Wayne are having some difficulties with their contracts.  However, neither have let that interfere significantly with their contribution to the team; both have shown up for training camp.

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Albert Breer of the Boston Globe suggests that the Rams will be paying rookie Sam Bradford somewhere in the neighborhood of $45-50 mil, guaranteed.  This means a player who has never seen an NFL down will be, for the time being, the highest paid QB in the league.   Breer speculates that Brady, who stands to make $3.5 mil this year but is in the last year of his contract, may have his eye on proceedings. 

If Bradford busts, he would make the JaMarcus Russell deal look paltry by comparison.  Rookie pay-scale or rookie salary cap?  What say you?

Our New England Patriots are apparently meeting with a member of the CFL's British Colombia Lions later today.

  6'2", 245 pound defensive end Ricky Foley led the CFL with 12 sacks this past season.  He's also meeting with the Jets, Packers, and the Rams...  read more about it here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Packers-Rams-Jets-want-CFL-sack-leader-?urn=nfl,217347

and here:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bostonnew-england-patriots/post/_/id/4674689/cfl-defender-foley-to-visit-with-patriots

Thing is, after reading his total stats (http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/618) for the last several seasons, I'm admittedly a little underwhelmed.  Is his spectacular breakout year a result of a wish to move to the NFL?  Will he continue to be a force with which to be reckoned once he's introduced to the offensive lines here?  Is he going to be Haynesworth-esque prior to signing the big fat contract, or post?

Lots of questions.  The man goes from 7 tackles, 15 special teams tackles (CFL lists as "STT"), and 4 sacks last year to 51 tackles, 2 special teams tackles, and 12 sacks.  A change in utilization of the player, a boost gleaned of experience, or an eye on an NFL contract? 

So here's the perception, which is supposedly reality:  The Patriots are 8-5, can't win on the road, are banged up, the defense is tissue-paper thin.  Moss is giving up, Brady is off, Belichick is trying to do too much / has forgotten how to coach, yada yada yada...

Here's my fantasy: this is all part of the plan.  Two years ago the NFL juggernaut New England Patriots wore themselves down to nothing, allowing a 10 - 6 Giants team (which had gotten red-hot at exactly the right time- no offense meant to them or theirs) to best them in the Superbowl.

Suppose Hoodie (now that he has Brady back and could make this work) has decided to play a season-long "rope-a-dope" with the NFL?  Conserve the better plays, make questionable 4th down calls, have the defense look young,  bothered, confused.  Label Moss and Thomas as malcontents.  Focus the media away from the team.  Win just enough games to make it into the playoffs. 

Think on it- teams would overlook the Patriots.  They'd watch film so vanilla they'd have to have espresso parties to stay awake.  They'd host our team already looking ahead to the next round of the playoffs.

Then, the gloves are off, and our hosts watch that game from their living rooms.  Belichick has crafted not a trap game, but a trap playoffs.

Injuries notwithstanding, there'd be a brand new team, one they hadn't counted on, one for which there existed no film.  They'd be caught, pants around ankles, scrambling to make sense of the 'new' New England Patriots... too late.

Fantasy, I know.  I guess it's my way of reconciling the current situation to what I'd love our team to be. 

Doesn't matter.  I'll still keep cheering.