SB Nation User Blog: jctsai12

Bill Belichick mic'd up

jctsai12 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:54:34 -0000

NFL videos have posted a 5 minute "highlights" clip of the Dolphins/Patriots game from this past weekend. Listeners can hear Bill's demeanor throughout the game, and the coaching he gives individual players on the sideline.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-films-sound-efx/09000d5d8141e444/Sound-FX-Bill-Belichick-mic-d-up

I really enjoyed listening to this piece. Of course the jokes go that Bill is a football knowledge robot with no emotion, but when you hear him on the sidelines you can see that he works on building the trust and relationship with his players just like every other coach in how he addresses them.

At the end of the film, you get to hear him talk to both Tony Sparano for a brief post-game handshake, and then to Jason Taylor. Far from the handshake-shunning, poor sport misconception some people have of him, you can really see the respect he has for Taylor (and probably just a little bit of yearning that he was a Patriot).

Bruins inquire about Forsberg?

jctsai12 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:29:52 -0000

Over on ESPN.com, Pierre LeBrun's NHL blog cited that a number of GMs inquired with Forsberg's agent Don Baizley about the availability of the 36-year-old forward.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4642932&name=lebrun_pierre

"I've had some discussions with Don Baizley on him and we had people scouting him last week," Chiarelli told ESPN.com, confirming his interest in Forsberg. "It's something that we certainly would look at exploring."

Other teams being mentioned as possible suitors are the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Vancouver Canucks. Forsberg's camp says that despite the discussions, he has not yet decided on his playing future. He has had a number of ailments throughout his professional career, though when healthy he was a pivotal part of the Colorado Avalanche's Stanley Cup winning teams.

Multiple Reports: Julian Edelman has a broken arm

jctsai12 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:22:54 -0000

Multiple on-line sites, including ESPN.com, NESN, are citing a report from the Boston Herald that WR Julian Edelman suffered a broken arm in New England's win over the Titans.

http://www.nesn.com/2009/10/report-julian-edelman-has-broken-arm.html

Don't know how to react to this other than to say, "Man, this sucks." Given Galloway's play this season, I don't think keeping him on the roster even in light of this made a whole lot of business sense, but it does leave the team thinner at receiver. Fortunately both Moss and Welker appear to be going full speed right now, but I wonder if we'll see more roster moves in the coming days to adjust to this development.

Chad Ochocinco and Bill Belichick pre-game fun

jctsai12 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:12:35 -0000

Chad Ochocinco and Bill Belichick pre-game fun

Chad and Bill greeting each other and goofing off a bit prior to their 2009 pre-season matchup. A warmer side of Bill not often shown by the networks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uK1ohDvDog

Posanski: "Is Eric Mangini the worst coaching hire ever?"

jctsai12 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:34:34 -0000

Posting this on a hometown board is too easy, but I can't resist. Joe Posanski has a column up on SI.com about whether or not our "beloved" ex-Patriots' coordinator Mangini is the worst hire the Browns could have made.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/09/29/mangini/index.html?bcnn=yes

I cannot stand what Eric Mangini has done to the Browns, the team of my childhood. I cannot stand the lack of respect he has shown for the team's history, the Mickey Mouse game he plays with quarterbacks, the amazing knack he has for getting his players to not play hard for him or the stupid fines he hands out like he's Principal Vernon from "The Breakfast Club."

Objectively, I'd have to say that there have been far worse hires, even after he elaborates that "worst coaching hire" doesn't necessarily equate to "worst coach." Still, call me bitter, but I can't help but smile reading this column, even as I feel sorry for my friends who root for the Browns.

Report: Dolphins' Pennington out for year

jctsai12 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:42:04 -0000

According to ESPN.com (citing insider sources), Chad Pennington has suffered a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder and is expected to miss the rest of the 2009 NFL season:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4512011

This is a significant development in the race for the AFC East title, as New England still faces Miami twice and will need to adjust their defensive preparations for the new QB situation on the Dolphins' team. Will we see Miami run the wildcat offense more frequently now, or will Chad Henne step in and work from the same playbook as Pennington?

On the personal side, this is Pennington's third major injury, and there's some speculation he may hang up the cleats. Always a shame to see a competitor have to bow out earlier than they want and not on their own terms, especially a guy who has been as hard a worker as he was. Even as the quarterback for two long-standing division rivals, he's been a classy guy who is tough to hate.

Savard expected to play in Game 7 vs. Carolina

jctsai12 — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:50:41 -0000

According to ESPN.com, Marc Savard is probable for Game 7 of the Bruins/Hurricanes series this Thursday night.

From source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?id=4162348

"Coach Claude Julien said afterward that Savard is fine and it was his decision to send Savard back to the locker room. Boston led 4-1 when Savard was hurt."

Glad to see this. It looked like one of those unfortunate hockey collisions where legs get tangled up, and hopefully it was just a bad charley horse.

John Clayton praises Patriots' 2009 draft

jctsai12 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:03:15 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=4102721

John Clayton has posted his "10 things we learned from Day 2 of the 2009 NFL draft" writeup on ESPN.com. In it, he has high praise for the Patriots' ability to look to the future and build strength for upcoming draft years.

Key quotes:

"Although the New England Patriots lost executive Scott Pioli, coach Bill Belichick still runs one of the most efficient drafts in football."
"To be honest, I thought the Patriots won the day."
Even after the Patriots' trade of Hobbs, they remain overloaded at cornerback with Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Terrence Wheatley, Jonathan Wilhite and second-round choice Darius Butler.

Lucic facing suspension

jctsai12 — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:22:04 -0000

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hnicplayoff/2009/04/bruins_could_be_without_lucic.html

According to this site (and several others), Lucic's penalty against Maxim Lapierre at the end of Game 2 vs. the Canadiens was changed from a game misconduct to a match penalty, which triggers an automatic suspension until the commissioner rules on the action.

From my viewpoint, certainly not the best of outcomes for the Bruins. After the Habs got away suspension-free for their Game 1 cheap shots (Lapierre going after Kessel after a goal, Kostopoulos swinging an elbow at Hunwick in the closing seconds), there seems to be some injustice to it all, but it's the rule. I'm sorry that we'll miss his physical presence if he is indeed suspended, but we still have guys like Stuart and Kobasew who are really stepping up the gritty play this series.

Panthers deny Peppers trade rumors

jctsai12 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:39:55 -0000

From ESPN.com: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3988198

Apparently the Carolina Panthers have gone on record saying Peppers trade talks have not yet occurred with the Patriots or any other NFL team. Because Peppers has not yet signed his one-year franchise tender or gotten an official offer from another team, the Panthers are technically prohibited from shopping him by the rules of the existing collective bargaining agreement.

Peppers himself (with his agent) is allowed to negotiate with other teams, but Carolina may not do so.