SB Nation User Blog: Marima

Patriots Friday Injury Report

Marima — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:24:43 -0000

Patriots Friday Injury Report

QUESTIONABLE
DL Vince Wilfork (foot)
DE Ty Warren (ankle)
WR Sam Aiken (shoulder)
LB Tully Banta-Cain (shoulder)
WR Julian Edelman (forearm)
DE Jarvis Green (knee)
T Nick Kazcur (shoulder)
G Steve Neal (ankle)
DL Myron Pryor (chest)
RB Fred Taylor (ankle)
TE Ben Watson (knee)

PROBABLE
QB Tom Brady (rib, right finger, right shoulder)
CB Leigh Bodden (thigh)
CB Shawn Springs (knee)

New England Patriots Links 12/18/09 - Patriots Looking For A Win In The Wind Sunday

Marima — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:38:19 -0000

Remember last year's "tilt" in Buffalo in December?

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Christopher Price lists what to watch for on Sunday against the Bills, besides Randy Moss' every move.

The weather. Playing in Buffalo in December has always been a crap shoot. Last season, it was 55 mph winds and goal posts on an angle. New England attempted just eight passes in the 13-0 win over the Bills. It’s not supposed to be that windy this time around, but weather.com is calling for flurries with highs in the 20s on Sunday. Yikes. Wide receiver Sam Aiken, who played in Buffalo from 2003 through 2007, shakes his head at the memory of playing late-season games at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

"I just remember that wind, coming up over the top of the stadium in the right-hand corner," Aiken said. "It’s ridiculous."

Laurence Maroney. When it comes to stopping the run, the Bills are the worst team in the league — Buffalo allows an average of 170.5 rushing yards per game. Fred Taylor didn’t practice on Thursday, which likely means he’ll be a scratch on Sunday. And if it’s typical Buffalo weather, that should give another opportunity to Maroney for a big day. The running back is coming off his second-best performance of the season, posting 94 yards in the win over Carolina. If the Patriots give him the ball 20 or more times on Sunday, things appear to be set up very nicely for him to reach the 90-plus yard mark in back-to-back games for just the third time in his career.

TEAM TALK

Erik Scalavino Return to Buffalo is special for Sam Aiken. Plus, Thursday news and notes from Gillette.
Patriots-Bills Injury Report for Thursday.
Quotes from the New England locker room, from the media access portion of Thursday's practice.
Belichick Breakdown: Patriots vs. Panthers (3:48 min. video) Watch how Randy Moss helps the Patriots offense even when he doesn't catch the ball.
Patriots Today: Round 2 with the Bills, Thursday Practice notes. (10:54 min. video)
Patriots All Access: Friday night at 7pm on WBZ-TV and at 8pm on Patriots.com. Sights and sounds from the sideline and locker room victory over Carolina; Scott Zolak sits down with Bill Belichick to talk about the new-look Bills and break down the Bills' big-play offense; Steve Burton talks with Sebastian Vollmer.
Patriots Charitable Foundation hosted over 250 kids from Salvation Army centers throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island at Gillette Stadium for the 17th annual Children's Holiday Party.

LOCAL LINKS

Ian Rapoport notes Jarvis Green has been impressive filling in for Richard Seymour, hardly coming off the field.
Christopher Price feels the Patriots will be getting a special effort from the Bills, and they aren't expecting any gifts like they received in the season opener.
Mark Farinella discusses on how the weather affects the Patriots practice preparations.
Glen Farley reports the Patriots are still blown away by their windy win over the Bills last December in Buffalo, with the officials halting play to adjust the tilting goalposts and Gostkowski's kick stopping mid-air and veering sharply to the right.
Mike Reiss notes the Patriots have been prepping for a December game in Buffalo.
Monique Walker notes that injuries, as well as the play of rookie OL Sebastian Vollmer, has forced the Patriots to be creative in working him into the offensive line rotation.
Mike Reiss and Tedy Bruschi hosted on online chat yesterday. Check out the transcript for some terrific insight and answers.
Ian Rapoport talks about the Shawn Springs-Terrell Owens 10th matchup reunion.
Shalise Manza Young focuses on Harvard grad Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: The death of Bengals receiver Chris Henry hit home in every locker room yesterday including the Patriots; Shawn Springs says it will be a special feeling to return to Buffalo; BenJarvus Green-Ellis declined to reveal details of his conversation with Randy Moss on the sidelines Sunday; The O-Line hasn't allowed a sack on Brady in its second consecutive game.

NATIONAL NEWS

Tedy Bruschi (ESPNBoston) Bruschi's Breakdown: The Patriots need to come together Sunday in Buffalo. (Plus 30 second video.)
Tim Graham (ESPN) Beating Patriots would be Bills' Holy Grail.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Bills given little chance versus Pats. Jenny Dell previews the New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills game with the AccuScore report. (40 second video)
Tim Graham (ESPN) reports CBS Sports color commentator Dan Dierdorf is showing the Buffalo Bills significant respect against the New England Patriots.
Michael David Smith (Wall St. Journal) Welker's been historically good, which is possibly bad. As Mr. Welker's slice of the pie gets bigger, the team's overall scoring output is smaller.
Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Moss dodges reporters. Florio wonders why the media covering the Patriots hasn't forced Moss to be accountable to the press.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Incognito accepts Mitchell's criticism.
Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Week 15 Picks: Pats over Bills 23-12.
Sam Farmer (LA Times) Once-mighty teams find themselves defenseless.

VIEW FROM BUFFALO

Mark Gaughan (Buffalo News) To get competitive, Bills need more elite players.
Allen Wilson (Buffalo News) New Bills lineman Incognito defends his play.
BuffaloBills.com Bills focus: Still the same old Patriots. (4:17 min. video)
Jim Kelly (BuffaloBills.com) Injuries Bills' biggest detriment.

New England Patriots Links 12/17/09 - Patriots Will Meet The New (and improved?) Buffalo Bills

Marima — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:49:55 -0000

Vince Wilfork warming up in the freezing cold.

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Bill Belichick responds to a question about trying to be more focused on getting the running game going.

You know you guys have seen us play before and there's time where we've run it 30, 40 times. And there are times where we've thrown it 40 times, or 25 straight plays or whatever it is. Our philosophy offensively is to try to move the ball and score points. Whatever plays those are - if they contribute to that end result, then that's good; if they don't, then we'll try to find something that will. To me, it's not about runs or passes, or which player has stats or what player doesn't have stats, it's about the team moving the ball, not turning it over and ultimately scoring points. That's our job on offense. However that happens, if it's happening, it's good. If it isn't, then we need to find a better way to do it.

Karen Guregian reports Vince Wilfork left the field twice with an ankle injury Sunday, and continues to be dedicated and loyal even without the new contract he craves.

Many athletes probably wouldn’t have bothered, or risked further injury, but that’s not Wilfork. Even in a contract year, he went back out there and gave it a go. Maybe that’s why fans adore and appreciate him so much. Maybe that’s why he’s currently leading all AFC interior lineman with 221,195 votes in the latest Pro Bowl tabulations released by the NFL.

Along with being a force at his position, along with taking on double teams, he always plays hard and he’s always willing to play hurt.

Wilfork did not practice yesterday and was not seen in the locker room, but he did make an appearance Tuesday night at Ira Toyota in Milford to promote Toys for Tots.

The good news was Wilfork did not show up in a wheelchair, nor was he on crutches. By one account, he did walk with a bit of a limp. He did his best to reassure those in attendance he would do what was necessary to be able to play Sunday in Buffalo in a key AFC East game against the Bills. Wilfork signed every autograph and mingled for hours, talking shop and promoting positive feelings about the Patriots, even if those are in short supply at the moment.

TEAM TALK

Erik Scalavino Warren on Wilfork, Brady on Moss; Wed notes from Gillette.
Wednesday Pressers: Tom Brady (11:40 min video), Bill Belichick (24:24 min video) Plus Transcripts
Wednesday Conference Calls: Bill Belichick and Kevin Faulk Transcripts.
Wednesday Conference Calls: Perry Fewell and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Patriots locker room quotes following Wednesday's practice.
Patriots Today: Brady, Buffalo, Wrap-a-Pat and more. (11:52 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

Karen Guregian and Ian Rapoport report the ESPN duo of Greg Cosell and Merill Hoge examined the coaches' game film and conclude that Randy Moss is no quitter and never even took one play off. Take that Bob Ryan.
Shalise Manza Young says new Buffalo' coach Perry Fewell has had a positive impact on the Bills.
Ian Rapoport notes the Patriots have simplified their defense and the players felt the difference.
Christopher Price reports that many New England defenders said there were fewer intricacies in the defensive scheme Sunday, cutting down on the communication issues that had been dogging them.
Michael Vega is aware of the man-shortage on the Patriots defensive line.
Kerry Byrne says that despite their recent struggles, T om Brady and the Patriots can win the Super Bowl.
Albert Breer notes Buffalo coach Perry Fewel sidestepped the question of Moss's effort last Sunday.
Albert Breer talks with Bill Belichick about his experience going through an interim coach situation back when Belichick was with Detroit in 1976.
Mike Reiss notes Bills' DE Aaron Schobel has more sacks against Brady (12 in 15 games) than any player in the NFL.
Albert Breer gets in touch with ESPN analyst Merril Hoge to talk about Randy Moss's performance and Hoge was quick and emphatic in his defense of Moss.
Mike Reiss looks at the weekly Patriots penalty leaderboard, noting false starts were the most common penalty.
Glen Farley (Brockton Enterprise) Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick learned his trade while playing for Silver Lake's Murphy.
Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: Bills have a new coach and a new look since Week 1; Injury updates - Brady, Wilfork and Warren all sat out yesterday; Press focus is still on Moss taking plays off and the team's support of him; Burgess felt good about getting his first sack in five games against Carolina.

NATIONAL NEWS

ESPN Report: Bengals' WR Chris Henry dead at 26.
ESPN analyst Merrill Hoge, a critic of receiver Randy Moss in the past, defends his performance in the New England Patriots' 20-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Video.
Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Despite Drama, Pats still a playoff team.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Bills' captain irate over Incognito move.
Aaron Wilson (Nat'l Football Post) Bills LB Kawika Mitchell rips Incognito, calls him a bum.
Tim Graham (ESPN) An early look at AFC East MVPs. Wes Welker tops the list so far, with Darrelle Revis, Ricky Williams, Thomas Jones and Vince Wilfork trailing.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Kevin Faulk says Patriots were vulnerable all along.
Dom Bonvissuto (SI) NFL Playoff projections: Week 15.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Buffalo Bills claimed nasty guard Richie Incognito off waivers from the St. Louis Rams. Incognito is known as one of the NFL's dirtiest players committing 11 personal fouls since 2006.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Larry Izzo not ready to call it a career - yet.
Johnette Howard (NBC Sports) Colts, not Pats, best-run franchise in NFL: Indianapolis' consistancy has survived coaching change, injuries, departures.

VIEW FROM BUFFALO

Mark Gaughan (Buffalo News) Incognito claimed off waivers; Mitchell is no fan.
Sal Maiorana (Rochester D&C) Buffalo Bills' defense to face test with Wes Welker.
Don Bates (BuffaloBills.com) Bills eager to end Pats streak.
Rochester D&C Bills might face local TV blackout Sunday against New England.

Week 15 Power Rankings

Marima — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:10:22 -0000

Cold Hard Football Facts ranks them 7th (+3): Last week: 20-10 win vs. Carolina. Loafing malcontent Randy Moss has seven drops in 120 targets; tough-as-nails gamer Wes Welker has six drops in 136 targets.

WEEI ranks them 9th (+3): Randy Moss and Bill Belichick had a “good talk” following the disciplinary action that was taken after Moss showed up late last Wednesday. This is according to Belichick during his appearance on The Big Show Monday. Unlike Adalius Thomas and his coach, Moss and Belichick have a good, open line of communication, and that is one of the reasons I believe Moss isn’t dogging it or giving less than 100 percent. Also, when was the last time we heard Belichick criticize another team? There’s no way he would have done that if he thought Moss wasn’t giving his all.

The Sporting News ranks them 9th (+2): This season has been more controversial and less successful than they planned.

ESPN ranks them 9th (+2): After his halfhearted effort against Carolina, Randy Moss should put on a show in Buffalo.

USA Today ranks them 9th (+1): Shaky team isn't inspiring confidence for a playoff run.

National Football Post ranks them 9th (nc): At this point in the season, the Pats will take wins anyway they can get them—especially with the Dolphins and the Jets on their heels.

Don Banks at SI ranks them 10th (+1): OK, time for us to all take a breath and step back from the round-the-clock Randy Moss analysis. I haven't liked the looks of his effort the past two weeks, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt because it's the holidays. We're all pretty quick to assign motives and assume we know what's going on in somebody's head, when obviously we don't. If Moss goes into the cold of Buffalo this week and has himself a big game -- no easy feat at this time of year -- all can still be forgiven in Pats-land. As I recall, Moss usually finds sufficient motivation when T.O. is lining up for the other team.

Fox Sports ranks them 10th (-1): In the entire decade, there have never been as many player-related controversies as there have been this season. That said, Randy Moss' teammates are surely not too worried about their notorious wideout and allegations that he quits on plays. Like that's news. Let's not go overboard and take Chris Gamble's bait: Moss entered last weekend as the NFL leader in receiving yards for the season. One off game is not a Roland Emmerich flick (director of Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012 ... get it?).

Yahoo! Sports ranks them 11th (nc): Is Bill Belichick channeling Rex Ryan – and if so, is there any way he can keep doing it?

What If Sports ranks them 11th (nc)

ProFootball Weekly ranks them 11th (nc): Thank God for Welker.

CBS Sports ranks them 11th (nc): They just seem off, even when they win. And now they're in a race for the division title with Miami and the Jets. They can't afford a stumble.

Peter King ranks them 12th (-1): "This is the flattest game I've ever done,'' Tony Siragusa said from the field on the FOX telecast of Panthers-Pats. Another failed fourth-down call, Randy Moss looking like he wished he was anywhere but there, no tight end getting open, Steve Smith whipping corners ... I know there are no ugly wins, but this win was exceedingly unattractive. I'll say this: It's a good thing the Patriots have Tom Brady -- even in a season where he's been mortal half the time -- or their season would be over this morning.

AVERAGE RANK: 9.83 (+.79)

New England Patriots Links 12/16/09 - Adalius Thomas Gets a Good Wrap

Marima — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:21:24 -0000

Titus Adams (left) and Adalius Thomas get all wrapped up in the 'Wrap a Pat' portion of the New England Patriots charitable foundation/Salvation Army Holiday party at Gillette Stadium yesterday.

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Adalius Thomas earned points with Robert Kraft and especially the kids, who adorned he and defensive lineman Titus Adams in gift wrap as part of the "Wrap-a-Pat" portion of the evening. Great photos of the event here.

"It was a little crazy being wrapped up with Titus. He's a little claustrophobic. I'm a little claustrophobic. I found out he's a lot more claustrophobic than I am," Thomas said earlier this evening. "But it was very interesting to see the kids do that. I don't know how much paper it was but that was a lot of paper. I could have used some of that. I need to wrap some gifts when I get home."

"Any time when it's about the kids, nothing else really matters. It's a game that we're playing," Thomas said. "That's truly what it is. But these kids are dealing with the game of life, which is a lot more important than football. You come out here, you try to put a smile on their faces, and hopefully they forget about any problems they may have or anything they may be going through. So if you can come out and lend a hand, spend a piece of your day and give them something to remember for a lifetime, I think that's a great trade-off."

Bill Belichick talks up Bills' WR Terrell Owens and if he's still the same threat he's been in the past.

Well, yeah. Ask Jacksonville, ask Miami. He does a great job on the vertical deep routes. He's obviously big and fast and he can go up and get the ball. But he's also very good on the underneath routes, like what happened last week on a catch-and-run play where he caught the ball underneath, broke a couple tackles, and got the ball in the end zone. He's dangerous. He made a nice play there against Kansas City, but he's also made nice plays down the field. They try to get him the ball underneath. They did that against us in the first game for a 20-something-yard gain, whatever it was.

So he's a guy that can hurt you in a lot of different ways - deep, intermediate, run after the catch. He had a real nice play that got called back against Miami. He had a real nice play where he took a reverse and they had him in the backfield for about a 10-yard loss, and he ended up gaining about 10, 12 yards on the play and broke three or four tackles along the way. I think he's still got plenty of skill.

TEAM TALK

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills - Broadcast info, series history, team connections and more.
Ask PFW: What's up with A.D., Moss?
Tuesday Conference Calls: Bill Belichick (13:19 min.), Dean Pees (9:09 min.), Nick Caserio (7:52 min.). Plus Transcripts.
Patriots Today: Run game, playoff picture and more. (11:35 min video)

LOCAL LINKS

Mark Farinella employs a lonely voice of reason regarding the press and its biased treatment of Randy Moss. Plenty of players have bad games without getting crucified, including Matt "turnstyle" Light and Tom "Channing Crowder isn't a Patriot?" Brady. But Moss is never allowed the luxury of a bad game or a slump without the old story lines resurfacing.
Chris Gasper catches up with former Patriot WR Troy Brown, who weighs in on Moss and Thomas. Brown believes Moss has too much respect for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to dog it.
Mike Reiss offers ten things to know about the Bills.
Karen Guregian looks for Brady to go to Moss early against the Bills, even though Buffalo has the NFL’s worst-ranked defense against the run.
Albert Breer sees the Patriots shifting to a running game.
Chris Gasper asserts Wes Welker is the MVP of the 2009 Patriots.
Adam Kilgore looks at the fan portion of the Pro-Bowl voting and notes some of its silliness.
Jeff Howe says winning doesn't cure everything, but a win over Buffalo on Sunday might.
Mike Reiss reports Jarvis Green has seen a heavy workload after missing three games following knee surgery. His four tackles and one sack earned him a game ball Sunday.
Albert Breer offers his final thoughts on the week that was.
Christopher Price answers his weekly reader mailbag, with Randy Moss and Adalius Thomas topping the list. Price believes Moss has too much respect for Tom Brady to dog it and thinks the WR is hurting.
Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag overflowing with questions, comments and concerns regarding the Patriots eventful week.
Mike Reiss notes Greg Gumbel (play-by-play) and Dan Dierdorf (analysis) will call Sunday's game between the Patriots and Bills, which is the 100th in the series between the teams.
Ron Borges issues his week 14 Report Card, granting a top grade to Welker and not much else.
Steve DeOssie issues his week 14 Report Card, saying it's a good thing they were playing Carolina.
Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: Robert Kraft provided some kind words for both Adalius Thomas and Randy Moss at yesterday's Salvation Army/Patriots holiday party at Gillette Stadium; James Sanders shared the team lead with seven tackles Sunday; Belichick sung the praises of T.O., whose team the Pats will be facing this week; Nick Caserio believes Laurence Maroney is evolving into the type of running back the team envisioned when it drafted him in 2006.

NATIONAL NEWS

NFL Network The Coaches: Belichick defends Randy Moss. (3:39 min. video) Mike Martz and Steve Mariucci defend Bill Belichick's defense of Randy Moss. Nice.
Allen Wilson (Buffalo News) Patriots' commitment called into question.
Nolan Nawrocki (Pro Football Weekly) Moss' effort reflects bigger Patriots problem.
Jeremy Lundblad (ESPN Stats & Information) Statistical guide to the New England Patriots' problems.
Allen Wilson and Ian Rapoport (Sporting News) Patriots vs. Bills Preview.
Rodney McKissic (Buffalo News) Bills' rookie safety Jairus Byrd has nine interceptions for the season.
Don Banks (SI) Draft redux: Re-projecting the 2009 first round Draftt based on season-to-date performances.

Game Ball Winners from Sunday

Marima — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:26:49 -0000

Game Ball Winners from Sunday

Dan Connolly -- Starts at right guard in place of Stephen Neal and is an important part of the team's 185-yard rushing effort, which includes some big inside runs.

Kevin Faulk -- Running back gets it going on the ground, with 58 yards on 10 carries, effectively running draw plays while also running behind a lead-blocking fullback at times.

Jarvis Green -- Veteran defensive end sees his playing time spike, as he hardly leaves the field and totals four tackles and a sack.

Logan Mankins -- Mainstay on the line starts at left guard and is an important part of the team's 185-yard rushing effort, which includes some big inside runs.

Wes Welker -- Receiver finishes with 10 catches for 105 yards and helps bring life to the Gillette Stadium crowd in the third quarter after taking a big hit and popping back up.

New England Patriots Links 12/15/09 - Patriots Have Randy's Back; Adalius Thomas Ratted Out The Story

Marima — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:48:26 -0000

Don't worry man, we've got your back.

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Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Defends Randy Moss' character.

So, yes, the Panthers did take Moss out of the game. And, yes, he did look lethargic on a certain number of plays. But to say that he quit on his teammates? No, I’m not buying that.

Did he play poorly? Sure he did, and just like the other members of that team, he will be corrected when they turn on the film today in their meeting rooms—but that is all that I see in play after this story has come out. And, I am going to listen to Brady and Belichick when it comes to judging his character as a teammate because, like you, I am not in those meetings, on the practice field or in the locker room with a player that still demands respect from a defensive standpoint—and causes opposing players to mouth off to the media even after a loss. Because we can’t pretend to know what is being called in that huddle, just as we can’t pretend to know what route is supposed to be run as told on the chalkboard in the Patriots meeting rooms.

Ty Warren was asked by WEEI's Michael Holley how the news about the discipline got out, and Warren replied that Adalius put it out there himself (at the 6.35 min. mark). Warren also mentioned that fellow-late-comer Gary Guyton returned to Gillette Stadium that night to watch film.

Bill Belichick talked about what happens when a guy like Sam Aiken is out of the lineup.

If you lose a core player in the kicking game, like Sam was inactive yesterday - he’s really a starter on four teams. It isn’t always the same person that replaces him on each team, it can be a combination of different things and that was the case yesterday. That’s always a challenge on special teams; if you take one guy out, you’ve lost him on at least four teams. Sometimes if he’s involved in the field goal and field goal rush situations, it could be more than that.

It’s a lot different than on offense or defense where it’s just that position on offense or that position on defense. It rolls into multiple positions in the kicking game and then you usually don’t have the same person where you just can’t do it, you don’t have enough people. It’s just like offense: you can’t have a backup right tackle, a backup right guard, a backup center. You’ve got to have one guy that backs up multiple positions and that’s true in the kicking game, too. One guy is out, that means 'you’re in on this team’, 'he’s in on that team’, 'you’re in on another team’ and it really challenges your depth.

That’s one of the real challenging parts of being the special teams coach and even as a head coach - trying to put the roster together when you have a player like that who has a role on offense and is a core player in the kicking game. That’s a lot of jobs.

TEAM TALK

Erik Scalavino says Wes Welker was the spark plug in Sunday's win, plus Monday notes from Gillette.
Monday Presser: Bill Belichick (22:18 min. video)
WEEI Patriots Monday: Tom Brady (24:15 min.), Chris Baker (6:30 min.), Sammy Morris (9:20 min.), Ty Warren (13:35 min.), Bill Belichick (11:10 min.) Q&A Transcripts: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Patriots Today: Overcoming Carolina, highlights and analysis. (13:05 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

Karen Guregian writes Randy-bashing was all the rage yesterday, but his coach and his team are staunchly in his corner.
Mike Reiss reports a feisty Bill Belichick came out swinging at his press conference Monday morning. It's memorable because Belichick is the anti-Ryan 99.9% of the time, either showering praise on the opposition or simply taking the football high road.
Mike Reiss points out how Tom Brady and Kevin Faulk both defend Randy Moss and deflect criticism of effort.
Christopher Price reports the consistant locker room support for Randy Moss, his character and his effort.
Bill Reynolds says Moss can answer critics with a return to All-Pro form.
Gerry Callahan feels Bill Belichick gave Randy a pass because he has no other choice besides hoping the real Randy Moss shows up for the last three games of the season.
Ian Rapoport notes ESPN analyst and former Minnesota WR Cris Carter feels something happened to Randy Moss mentally to be on the field in that state.
Ian Rapoport notes WR Jerry Rice rips Randy Moss. What a surprise.
Robert Lee reports rookie Sebastian Vollmer has improved to where he is already arguably just as good, if not better, than veteran tackles Matt Light and Nick Kaczur.
Ian Rapoport says LB Pierre Woods is happy with his role on special teams, but enjoyed getting the start on defense Sunday against the Panthers.
Mike Reiss looks at the snaps played by offensive skill position players and the positional groupings utilized by the Patriots in their 20-10 win over the Panthers.
Mike Reiss looks at and analyzes the snaps played by Patriots defenders in the Panthers win, noting Banta-Cain, Meriweather and Mayo played every one.
Mike Reiss breaks down the three-man rotation at OT in Sunday's win.
Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: Adalius Thomas ready to move on from a bad week; Belichick admitted Brady’s availability really was a gametime decision; Rob Ninkovich filled in for Thomas on passing downs against the Panthers and was rewarded with a contract extension; Matt Light will only play Left Tackle, Sebastian Vollmer can rotate; Patriots gained 185 yards on the ground Sunday with Baker and Watson blocking.

NATIONAL NEWS

Eric Edholm (Pro Football Weekly) Brady, Belichick appear firmly in Moss's corner.
John Czarnecki (Fox Sports) The day after: What's eating Randy Moss?
Charles Chandler (Charlotte Observer) Patriots question Panthers, not Moss.
Scott Fowler (Charlotte Observer) Belichick can't handle the truth.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Big move: Belichick stands up for his boys.
Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) 'Fragile' Moss threatens to set back Patriots.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Jerry Rice rips Randy Moss for zero effort. (26 second video clip)
Michael Silver (Yahoo! Sports) Thanks to New England's run at perfection two years ago, we're no longer bombarded by the '72 Dolphins.
Dennis Dillon (Sporting News) Super Bowls don't matter, Colts are team of the decade. Ask any Colts' player if he'd trade a few of those regular-season victories for another SB win and you'll have your real answer.
Judy Battista (NY Times) With a chance at undefeated records, the Saints and Colts must weigh the value of perfection against resting for the playoffs.
Pro Football Weekly Steelers in midst of Super collapse.

Bill Belichick Defends Randy Moss, Dismisses Panthers' Post-Game Talk

Marima — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:33:32 -0000

Bill Belichick spoke to the media during his weekly Monday Presser, and here's what he had to say to reporters' persistent questions about Randy Moss.

Q: A couple of Carolina players accused Randy Moss of quitting yesterday. Do you agree with that assessment and how do you respond to that?
BB: My response would be that’s a lot of conversation coming from a team that just lost another game.

Q: To be direct, were you satisfied with Randy Moss’s effort?
BB: Look, I said the same thing about everybody on the team. Could players have played better? Could coaches have coached better yesterday? Sure. Randy Moss has been one of our most consistent players since he’s been here. His production’s been pretty good and I think you certainly see that they way other teams defend him, that they must have an awful lot of respect for him, too, which I do. We can sit in here every week and talk about somebody who didn’t have big stats. ‘So what happened this week?’ You could pick out somebody every week on the team that didn’t have big stats – somebody in the running game, somebody in the passing game, somebody on defense. Everybody can’t have high stats every week; it’s impossible. We can always pick out somebody that doesn’t have them and say, ‘What happened to them?’

Q: Are we chasing this misconception when we say, ‘Randy Moss dogged it’?
BB: You can say whatever you want. That’s your job. Say whatever you want.

Q: I’m asking the expert…
BB: I just told you that I have a lot of respect for Randy. I think he’s one of our best players. If you watch other teams defend him, watch other teams play against him, they think the same way, other than these two guys [Chris Gamble and Chris Harris] from Carolina after they lost another game. I guess they don’t think that way, but they haven’t won a lot of games now.

You know how I feel about stats. Really, stats are for losers. Final scores are for winners and that’s really what it’s about. When we had games when I was with the Giants and we couldn’t hold Gary Clark to under 200 yards pass receiving and some of those were wins. That’s the bottom line.

The media dog has it's teeth firmly sunk into the "Randy Moss is a lazy-ass receiver" bone and won't let go.

The truth is that no one knows what's going on with Moss - how he feels mentally and physically - except the people who know him best and are involved in his daily life. Moss doesn't talk with the media (gee, I wonder why) but that doesn't stop writers from speculating and conjuring up some pretty distasteful scenarios - he quit on the team; he's getting back at Belichick for sending him home; his feelings were hurt and he can't concentrate; he's the same-old-Moss that 'plays when he wants to play'; he's jealous of Welker getting most of the receptions; he's bringing down the team; he's fragile...etc... What is clear is that none of them are willing to give the future Hall of Famer the benefit of any doubt.

If Randy Moss truly were a locker room cancer, a dogger, or a guy that doesn't give it his best shot during practices and games do you really think Belichick would be keeping him on the team or be defending him so vigorously? Are he and Tom Brady so blinded by Moss's raw talent that they can't see what appears so blatantly obvious to every single media member from here to Oakland? Personally I don't think so and will err on the side of his teammates. I think the reporters should lay off a bit, step back, and maybe rethink the running storyline it has pursued since Randy Moss came to New England - unless they're the ones too stubborn, too pouty, or too lazy-ass to change.

New England Patriots Links 12/14/09 - Patriots Not Perfect, But Good Enough

Marima — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:43:24 -0000

Kevin Faulk runs in untouched for a first half TD.

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Peter King (SI) You've got to like Tom Brady trying to put the pressure for the Patriots' performance down the stretch on his shoulders.

"Put it on me,'' he said over the cell phone on his way home from Foxboro on Sunday evening. "That's where I want it -- on me.'' You asked for it, you got it. We talked for maybe 15 minutes, and I'd have thought he'd be exasperated by a few things -- Moss, how poorly they were playing across the board the last month, the fourth-down-conversion problems, the Adalius Thomas fiasco. But no. Brady was ridiculously optimistic. "It's like a heavyweight fight,'' he said. "A boxing match. We just gotta keep fighting. We're not the same team as we were last year or the year before, but I haven't lost faith in us at all. It's just that our margin of error is so small.'' Whereas in 2007, Brady had a couple of professional receivers, Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney, as his third and fourth wideouts after Moss and Welker, now he's got the green Aiken and Julian Edelman (who's been hurt consistently).

New England's 8-5, a game ahead of the Jets and Dolphins, with the Bills, Jags and Texans on the schedule to finish up. Not too hard, not too easy for the old Patriots, but for these Patriots, where everything comes hard? "We're 7-0 at home,'' Brady said. "We just put up 470 yards of offense against a good defense in Miami. We got the best coach in history. Shoot, once the playoffs start, if we're fortunate enough to make them, anything can happen. We were 18-0 and didn't win the Super Bowl. You never know. Don't lose faith in us.'' When I got off the phone with him, I thought: That's what he's going to say to his team this week.

Tom Brady shares what he was saying to Randy Moss on the sidelines.

Yeah, I mean, it's frustrating as a player when you're - you know, he was frustrated in himself and the situation and it's just something you've got to fight through. He keeps fighting through it and you have those days where it's not all great, but you keep lining up and you keep going up. You've just got to keep fighting. I think that's the message I always try to convey to everybody. I mean, if you're a quarterback, you throw picks, you throw bad balls. If you're a receiver, you drop balls. If you're a running back, you fumble balls. You know, it's just part of the process and it's about making the next one a good one and not making the next one another bad one because you're a little bit down in the dumps.

TEAM TALK

Game Notes: Patriots vs. Panthers. Team and player milestones reached and records set.
Post Game Pressers: Bill Belichick (7:02 min.), Tom Brady (6:09 min.), Wes Welker (5:15 min.) Plus Transcripts.
Post Game Quotes: Patriots and Panthers.
Erik Scalavino notes the Patriots owned the second half for a change.
Erik Scalavino Derrick Burgess discusses his Wednesday dismissal, plus Friday notes from Gillette.

LOCAL LINKS

Adam Kilgore recaps Sundays win over the Panthers, and the Welker hit that resuscitated the lifeless Patriots out of their first half stupor.
Ian Rapoport says the Patriots dug out in time, bouncing back from a distracting week to win.
Shalise Manza Young writes that this Patriots team still has a lot of questions despite the 20-10 win.
Mike Reiss focuses on the spirited play of Wes Welker.
Karen Guregian notes Wes Welker called out his teammates last week backing it up on the field with a stellar performance.
Albert Breer reports Wes Welker was spectacular again on Sunday -his 10 catches for 105 yards accounting for more than half of Brady's 192 passing yards.
Jim Donaldson concurrs that Wes Welker is a producer on the field and an inspiration to his teammates.
Steve Buckley lauds Kevin Faulk for his fired-up play on the field and for ~~slapping the team silly~~ the pep-talk that sparked the team at half-time.
Christopher Price lists his ten things we learned from yesterday's win.
Bob Ryan concludes the days of style points are gone. They're all going to be like this from now on.
Dan Ventura calls the Ben Watson TD the play of the game, as the play to the TE in the end zone was a change from an entire drive that toggled between passes to Welker and handoffs to Maroney and Faulk.
Adam Kilgore gauges the effect of Bill Belichick's discipline in today's Patriots victory.
Chris Forsberg notes that after laboring through the first half, Brady was proud of his team's resilience.
Albert Breer talks about Randy Moss shutting it down yesterday.
Mike Reiss reports Tom Brady defends Randy Moss. Good for you Tom.
Ron Borges massacres Moss for his M.I.A. act, and lists his Bests and Worsts from Sunday.
Adam Kilgore notes Shawn Springs was back in action.
Monique Walker says Brady was on a quest for his teammates yesterday, challenging them to focus and keeping them from being frustrated.
Albert Breer offers five quick hits to wrap up the victory.
Mike Reiss lists his Who's Up and Who's Down from Sunday's win.
Boston Globe Patriots Notebook: Personnel shifts on defense helped the Patriots hold the Panthers to the third fewest points-allowed this season; Vince Wilfork left the game twice yesterday with a foot injury; Junior Seau took a handful of snaps in place of Gary Guyton again; Gostkowski's 47 and 48 yard FGs pushed his point total over 100 and his career FGs to 100; Kevin Faulk pumped up his teammates yesterday with his TD and his energy; Sebastian Vollmer did a fantastic job in his first game back stopping Julius Peppers.

NATIONAL NEWS

NFL Game Center: Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots. Recap, stats, analysis, highlight videos.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Dolphins, Jets stalk vulnerable Patriots.
Tim Graham (ESPN) Some illuminating Moss stats. Eight of 11 Brady interceptions were intended for Moss.
Tim Graham (ESPN) NBC Studio analysts Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison and host Dan Patrick discussed Patriots WR Randy Moss' dubious performance in a 20-10 victory over the Panthers in Gillette Stadium.
Peter King (SI) MMQB: Fourteen things you need to know on the heels of Week 14 in the NFL.
Don Banks (S)) Snap Judgments: Assessing the chances of AFC wild-card contenders.

"He’s got a lot of heart," coach Bill Belichick said. "He’s a heck of a football player. He shows up...

Marima — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:35:52 -0000

"He’s got a lot of heart," coach Bill Belichick said. "He’s a heck of a football player. He shows up every day to work. I know he’s been banged up, but he fights through it, returns punts, catches the ball, blocks. He goes into the corner after the puck, too. He’s not just scoring goals; he’s going in there and digging it out in the corner.

"He’s a tough football player. He reminds me a lot of another slot receiver [Troy Brown] that we had here for a longtime, kind of the same way."

Bill Belichick Praising Wes Welker