New England Patriots Links 11/27/09 - The Stuffed Edition

Ex-Saint LB Rob Ninkovich compares Sean Payton with Bill Belichick.

"No, I wouldn’t say they’re similar," Ninkovich said, breaking into laughter. "No. They’re not similar at all."

According to Ninkovich, Payton has a bit of an edge to him.

Belichick?

"Coach Belichick, I’ve never really seen him lose his cool," Ninkovich said. "There aren’t too many coaches out there who are very even-keeled, who can hold themselves the way he does. It’s pretty impressive how he holds himself on the sidelines, to not get angry. He just seems the same all the time. So it’s impressive how he can do that."

Bill Belichick passes along "his Thanksgiving wishes to all of you, the fans, the players' families and everybody that has to put up with us through the year."

It's a great time for all of us to be thankful, especially those of us with the Patriots. We have a great situation here. It's a great opportunity. I appreciate the Kraft family giving me an opportunity to be the coach here. We certainly have outstanding facilities, and support and everything to work with. Robert [Kraft] talked to the team this morning, I thought he put the day in a good perspective - or tomorrow, as it would be. It's a good time to reflect and be appreciative and take at least one day out of the year to do that, we probably should take every day.  Anyway, with that being said, we are onto New Orleans.

Tom Brady answers if the team has been able to pin down the reason why in the three losses, they have been outscored 47-10 in the second half.

Yeah, I think playing 60 minutes of football. I mean, I think that's what every team's looking to do in the league: to play consistently over the course of every play, every series, every punt, every kickoff, every offensive series, four-minute, two-minute, the situations. You have to be sharp. You have to be on it. The momentum changes can happen very quickly and once you lose the momentum it's like playing a different team when you go back out there for the next series. It's important when you have a team that's reeling, that you keep piling it on so they don't ever have an opportunity to come back, like we did against Tennessee. We just kept scoring and scoring. By that time, OK, the game's over, but we just had some games this year where we haven't done that and the team has gotten back into the game and then we're the ones that are trying to claw back at the end. Believe me, it's something that we're all focusing on and something that's brought to our attention on a daily basis by our coach, so we're going to try to please him aside from pleasing ourselves.

TEAM TALK

• Erik Scalavino notes the Patriots won't have it easy in Big Easy, plus news and notes from Wednesday's practice.
• Wednesday Pressers: Bill Belichick (23 min.), Tom Brady (15 min.), Sean Payton Conference Call.  Plus Transcripts.
• Patriots locker room quotes about the upcoming game.
• Patriots-Saints Thursday Injury Report.
• Patriots All-Access Tonight at 7pm on WBZ-TV in Boston.  Scott Zolak gets Bill Belichick's take on the undefeated Saints.  He also breaks down the Saints weapons on the Belestrator.
• Patriots Today: Pats get primed to face the Saints.  (9:26 min. video)
• Belichick Breakdown: Patriots vs. Jets.  Coach Belichick breaks down the top plays of the game.  (3 min. video)
  

LOCAL LINKS

• Shalise Manza Young notes the Patriots have thrived against defenses led by Saints coordinator Greg Williams.
• Adam Kilgore asserts the Patriots need to make a loud statement.
• Karen Guregian reports former Saint Rob Ninkovich is glad to be a Patriot.  In New Orleans he was being groomed as a long-snapper, a position he wasn't interested in.
• Ian Rapoport sees the New Orleans Saints on pace to outdo '07 Patriots.
• Mike Reiss says Tom Brady and Drew Brees have a lot in common - work ethic, leadership and results.
• Michael Vega notices that unmistakably Gary Guyton has been a plus.
• Ian Rapoport points out Saints safety Darren Sharper already has three interceptions returned for touchdowns this season.
• Christopher Price says the Patriots offense is seeking a cure for it's second-half struggles.
• Kirk Minihane compares the Patriots 2006 receiving core (Reche Caldwell, 35 year old Troy Brown, Doug Gabriel, Bam Childress, and Chad Jackson) with today's.
• Mike Reiss looks at the Patriots' leaders in special teams tackles (based on coaches' film review).  LB Pierre Woods has the most with 12.
• Mike Reiss looks at the team penalty situation heading into Week 12, and notes Tom Brady's individual penalty history.
• Jim Lazar kids about Belichick getting all teary-eyed talking to the team about his last trip to the Louisiana Superdome for SB XXXVI and makes his Week 12 Picks.  Pats over Saints 31-24.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Adam Duerson (SI) Game of the Week: Patriots at Saints.  Three things you should care about.
• Gil Brandt (NFL.com) Elite QB duel between Brady-Brees leads Week 12 matchups.
• Jason Feller (NFL.com) Patriots are one of four squads set for difficult road wins.  Pats have won their last 6 MNF games.
• Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Players Picks Week 12.  Pats over Saints 34-29.
• Peter King (SI) Week 12 Pickoff.  Saints over Pats 37-33.
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Week 12 Picks.  Picks Pats by a FG 34-31.
• Pro Football Weekly Insider: Belichick always has been unconventional.
• Pat Fitzmaurice (ProFootball Weekly) Ten most intriquing players of Week 12.  Welker number 2.
• Sporting News The ABCs of QBs:  NFL's best in five key categories.
• Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) Threat of perfect season becoming more common.
  

VIEW FROM NEW ORLEANS

• Nakia Hogan (Times-Picayune) New Orleans Saints have four players from 2007 New England Patriots.
• Peter Finney (Times-Picayune) Archie Manning curious to see New Orleans Saints try Bill Belichick.
• Jeff Duncan (Times-Picayune) Saints must avoid getting psyched out this week.
• Nakia Hogan (Times-Picayune) Saints' Drew Brees in elite company with Patriots' Tom Brady.