SB Nation User Blog: NESilver

ESPN: NFL fines New York Jets and Eric Mangini

NESilver — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:25:18 -0000

ESPN: NFL fines New York Jets and Eric Mangini

The NFL has issued a total of $125,000 in fines against the New York Jets and former coach Eric Mangini for the team's failure to list quarterback Brett Favre's arm problem on injury reports last season.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson levied fines of $75,000 against the team; $25,000 against general manager Mike Tannenbaum; and $25,000 against Mangini, now the coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Mangini coached the Jets during Favre's one season in New York before he was fired after the team collapsed down the stretch.

Last week, Tannenbaum admitted the club should have listed Favre, who had a torn biceps tendon, as "probable" on the injury report for the last four or five games. Favre said the Jets knew of the injury, which required offseason surgery.

O'Callaghan claimed by Kansas City Chiefs

NESilver — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:30:26 -0000

O'Callaghan claimed by Kansas City Chiefs

Former Patriots offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan has been awarded to the Kansas City Chiefs on waivers.

The Browns also put in a claim on O'Callaghan, but the Chiefs had priority based on having the worse record in 2008.

Former Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli is in his first year as Chiefs general manager, so he has a background with O'Callaghan, a 2006 fifth-round draft choice in New England.

Christopher Price: Nunn, Willingham on Pats’ Practice Squad

NESilver — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:16:55 -0000

Christopher Price: Nunn, Willingham on Pats’ Practice Squad

Multiple outlets are reporting that wide receiver Terrence Nunn and cornerback DeAngelo Willingham have been signed to the Patriots’ practice squad. Nunn was in camp with the Patriots this preseason and had eight catches for 133 yards in the preseason, while Willingham was released by the Cowboys after spending portions of training camp with Tampa Bay and Dallas. A rookie out of Tennessee, Willingham has made 80 tackles, intercepted three passes, defended eight passes and forced two fumbles in 26 games with the Volunteers.

Mike Reiss leaving Boston Globe for new site ESPNBoston

NESilver — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:42:36 -0000

Mike Reiss leaving Boston Globe for new site ESPNBoston

Today, a well-known but unexpected player entered the fray. And did it ever land an important piece.

Mike Reiss, the Globe and Boston.com's prolific NFL writer, is departing to join ESPNBoston, the sports network's second city-specific site as it attempts to strengthen its national brand with a local online presence in the nation's largest and most passionate sports cities. The site will launch Sept. 14, an ESPN spokesman confirmed.

"Adding Boston to ESPN's local-sites network is a natural fit for our goal of serving sports fans," said Jim Pastor, senior vice president for ESPN business divisions. "It is one of the nation's premier sports towns and home to one of the strongest and most passionate fan bases in the world."

Adam Schefter: New England trades OL Russ Hochstein to Denver Broncos

NESilver — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:31:49 -0000

Adam Schefter: New England trades OL Russ Hochstein to Denver Broncos

Denver and New England at it again. This time the Broncos acquire offensive tackle Russ Hochstein from the Patriots for late-round 2010 pick.

Program Alert: NFL Network's Total Access

NESilver — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:52:51 -0000

Program Alert: NFL Network's Total Access

Watch Total Access at 6:30 PM (EST) for a feature on Pats training camp tonight.

Reiss' Pieces: Seymour Among Injured Players to Return

NESilver — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:34:21 -0000

Reiss' Pieces: Seymour Among Injured Players to Return

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots have concluded their full-pads afternoon practice (3:45 p.m.) and it was marked by the return of several injured players, including defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

In addition to Seymour, defensive end Ty Warren and outside linebacker Shawn Crable were activated off the physically unable to perform list, practicing for the first time in training camp.

Ten Patriots for 2009: No. 2, LB Adalius Thomas

NESilver — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:02:41 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

6 months ago: New England Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas (96) chats as he stretches during football practice in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, May 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Browse more photos »

You've probably heard it all offseason. "The Patriots need a better pass rush." There are questions as to who will be up to the task of replacing Mike Vrabel after he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs along with Matt Cassel for a second round pick. Along with our secondary, this is probably the biggest perceived weakness for our New England Patriots. They made no moves in the draft to pick up an outside linebacker, and while they pursued Jason Taylor and Derrick Burgess, we've seen no action in that regard ever since (Taylor, as we all know, chose to return to the Miami Dolphins). So who steps up to get after the quarterback?

Number 2 on our list: Adalius Thomas.

Okay, so he's not directly replacing the spot Mike Vrabel occupied this season. I know that. Vrabel's old spot will likely go to Pierre Woods or one of the other OLB candidates competing with him. However, if it's getting after the quarterback we're talking about, why is everyone ignoring Adalius Thomas?

He was injured after nine games last year (technically ten, but his injury came in the beginning of that Buffalo game). He was one of many players to land on the Injured Reserve list, so was it any wonder that our pass rush was lacking? After playing mostly inside linebacker in 2007, he was a force to be reckoned with in "The game that shall not be mentioned" on the outside, and he had gotten five sacks last year up until he was injured. Those five sacks came in a limited rushing role because he was dropping into coverage a lot (most likely because of our secondary problems and to help Mayo/Guyton as they progressed), which leads me to my next point.

Thomas is our most versatile player on defense. He can play inside and outside linebacker. He can set the edge, rush the passer, drop into coverage, all of it. After Tom Brady, I would argue that he was the next most important player we lost to injury last year. When healthy, the guy hardly ever left the field. With Adalius Thomas back, and Mayo and Guyton hopefully much improved playing in coverage, the pass rush should see improvement. Whoever plays SOLB in place of Vrabel does not need to be a pass-rushing demon, just solid and consistent. As Bill Belichick would say, "just do your job."

And if you need a friendly reminder for what Thomas is capable of, just ask Brett Favre and Leon Washington.

via assets.nydailynews.com

Ten Patriots for 2009: No. 3, WR Joey Galloway

NESilver — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:22:25 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

6 months ago: New England Patriots wide receiver Joey Galloway (13) runs from one drill to another during practice at the team's football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Tuesday morning, June 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Browse more photos »

The 2007 season brought us the highest scoring offense in NFL history. This was due in large part to our revamped wide receiver corps, headlined by the acquisitions of Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Donte Stallworth was essentially a one-year rental and was gone after that season, and after 2008, we lost Jabar Gaffney when he departed to the Denver Broncos with former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. To fill the void left by their departures, we traded a 2009 fifth rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles for Greg Lewis and drafted wide receiver Brandon Tate in the third round. We also signed...

Number 3 on our list: Joey Galloway.

People may be skeptical about this pickup, and they aren't without their reasons. After all, Joey Galloway isn't exactly young anymore (are those gray hairs I'm seeing on his beard?). He's 37 years old and he's coming off a season where he only had 13 receptions for 138 yards because of injury.

But what if he's the outside threat we've been looking for to line up on the opposite side of Randy Moss?

As professional athletes get older, it's common for them to lose their speed. Except, all we've been hearing about is how fast Galloway is, even at his age. Peter King is among those who think Galloway could have an impact here in New England (although King says he's 38 years old; he won't be until November):

"Funny to think of in this way, but the key to a great offensive season for New England might actually be the fleet Galloway, who I'm told is running in the 4.4s even at 38. Imagine splitting a healthy Galloway and Moss wide to either side, with Welker in the slot and a good receiver like Kevin Faulk in the backfield. There are going to be some tough coverage assignments for a defense with those receivers playing as a group."

Michael Irvin recently did a nice video breakdown on NFL Network (starting at 4:33) of the experience Galloway brings to the table, comparing his route running to Jabar Gaffney and the way he sold his break better than our former wide receiver did (not too surprising, given that Galloway has been a #1 wide receiver for most of his career). Michael Irvin probably knows a thing or two about running routes.

Randy Moss and Wes Welker have two years of experience under their belts now in the New England offense, and they've both been hyping us up a little describing how much better they can be. Teams know how dangerous these guys are, hence they'll be drawing plenty of double-teams. This could leave Galloway with single coverage, where he can use those kind of moves to get open for Tom Brady. An interesting fact about Galloway is that he's never won a playoff game in his fourteen-year career. How much do you want to bet he's dying to win one here on the Pats?

So what do you think, Pats fans? Are we expecting too much from a 37 year old wide receiver? Do you see Greg Lewis receiving more of the snaps? Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

NFL Network - 32 in 32: New England Patriots

NESilver — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:43:45 -0000

NFL Network - 32 in 32: New England Patriots

NFL Total Access examines the Patriots busy offseason and what to expect in 2009.