New England Patriots Links 8/13/09 - Patriots vs. Eagles

Mike Reiss notes the friendship between Bill Belichick and the head coach of the Eagles Andy Reid.

"Bill Belichick and I are good friends and we like to get after each other, even in preseason, whether its ones vs. ones, twos vs. twos or threes vs. threes.  I think I'm one up on Bill in the preseason series.  Unfortunately, he's got three [Super Bowl] trophies on me."

Christopher Price offers Five Things to Watch for Thursday night.

How Tom Brady moves in the pocket. When it comes to No. 12, they’ll be plenty of stuff worth keeping an eye on -- how he reacts to rushers, his timing with his receivers (old and new) and his ability to keep up with the overall game speed.

But one thing in particular that needs to be noted Thursday is what he does while in the pocket. One of the things that make Brady a truly great quarterback is his ability to sense pressure while in the pocket, and to move subtly from side to side to buy himself that extra second or two in an attempt to find a receiver. On Thursday, after almost a year away from the game, will he still have that same sixth sense when it comes to detecting pressure while in the pocket?

Shalise Manza Young reports that outside of those still on their rookie contract and a select few veterans, there are no players signed past the 2010 season.

And there has been little movement on discussions to extend the contracts of key players Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins, Stephen Gostkowski and Richard Seymour, all of whom have contracts expiring after this season. Tom Brady’s deal runs through 2010.

After hearing Robert Kraft speak on Wednesday it appears it may have been by design that so many contracts end in either this year or next.

"There are going to be rules in place and we don’t know what those rules are," Robert Kraft said. "And we don’t want to put ourselves in a position to be penalized when we don’t know what those rules are."

TEAM SHOTS

• Patriots vs. Eagles - broadcast information, series history and team connections.
• Patriots Today Previewing Pats - Eagles; roster-spot competitions. (9.37 min. video)
• Fred Kirsch, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Patriots Football Weekly,will debut his blog "Kirsch Words" this Thursday.  Read his commentary and notes as he blogs before, during and after the game tonight.

LOCAL SHOTS

• Ian Rapoport says the Boston Herald has learned Tom Brady will start tonight's game against the Eagles.
• Ian Rapoport Patriots vs. Eagles:  Five things to watch.
• Jeff Howe says Patriots open Preseason Thursday with many unanswered questions.
• Christopher Price links to the Philadelphia area news to check out what they're saying about us.
• Chris Gasper feels QB Kevin O'Connell may have the inside track for the backup job, but he's been inconsistent and at times inaccurate in camp.  Exhibition games should help make the choice a bit clearer.
• Ian Rapoport notes that with a knack for acrobatic receptions in practice, WR Terrence Nunn is hoping for a chance tonight to show Belichick he's a Patriot.
• Mike Reiss points out one area where the Patriots beat out every other team last year - Fewest false starts.  He lists the top five teams and worst five teams in that category.
• Globe 10.0 Bob Ryan and Chad Finn debate whether Patriots coach Bill Belichick has worked his team too hard during training camp, given 15 full-pad practices over the first 22 sessions, three shorts-and-shells, four walkthroughs and one day off.  (2.42 min. video)
• Jeff Howe notes former 'Fragile Fred' helps Maroney shed similar label.
• Chris Gasper Patriots Notebook: Vonnie Holliday is interested in the Patriots but left without an offer; Kevin Carter has an offer but is deciding if he wants to play or retire; Hobbs and Lewis will be playing their former teams tonight.
• Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Greg Lewis back in Philly; Jonathan Kraft notes Brady will be perfectly confident tonight, even if the fans hold their breath; Belichick won't say how long starters will play tonight.
• Mike Reiss is in Philly and will not host his online chat today, he's serving us leftovers from last week instead.
• Dennis and Callahan hosted Patriots COO Jonathan Kraft on WEEI yesterday morning. (19.22 min. audio)
• Neil Keef notes Boston's new sports radio station, 98.5 The Sports Hub, WBZ-FM, is set to debut today at 1pm.  I turned it on this morning and was instantly hooked by Gil Santos voice in a broadcast of Super Bowl XXXVIII.
  

LONG SHOTS

• Albert Breer (Sporting News) For Brady, final stage of rehab begins Thursday.
• Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) Brady's rehab therapist says Pats quarterback is ready.
• The Sports XChange With Burgess joining Thomas and Pierre Woods, Belichick has a legitimate three-man rotation on the outside, something that was a staple of the New England defense in its best days when the names on the depth chart were Mike Vrabel, Willie McGinest and Rosevelt Colvin.
• Ross Tucker (SI) Assessing season-ending injuries and their lasting effects on teams.
• Associated Press (Sporting News) Brady ready to get back in NFL game.