New England Patriots Links 1/06/10 - Grab A Young Guy Week: Getting Playoff-Ready

Ian Rapoport notes there are 25 Patriots players who have never played a playoff game, but they're all being coached up by Bill Belichick and the veterans.

Fred Taylor called it "Grab A Young Guy Week," spreading impressions of the experience with those inexperienced. "Making sure you grab a young guy, making sure his focus is where it needs to be," Taylor said. "We need everyone. Just like the T-shirts we have, ‘Each One, Teach One, Teamwork is Contagious.’ You have to put that into work this week."

Bill Belichick talks about how much his game plan changes from playing a team in the regular season to playing them in the playoffs.

I think it's like your division games where you play a team twice a year. Every game is different. Those games can be ... One game's 41-40 and the next one is 7-3. You just don't know. A lot of the players are the same, the matchups are the same. But the plays, what the other team's in when you call those plays, the situations in the game and all that, I think in this league you can play the same team three or four times a year and you'd get different games every time. We'll have to see how all that unfolds. You can watch the game. You can certainly get a feeling for the matchups and how different players compete against each other. But how this one will unfold, we'll have to wait until Sunday.

[On if he advises players who are going through the playoff experience for the first time.]

Well, we kind of went through it last week, going down to Houston. Houston needed to win that game to be in the playoffs. It was really a playoff game for them. It was that kind of atmosphere, loud stadium. It's that time of year where it's truly a one-game season. And that goes for all of us - veterans, however many times you've been in it, however many playoff games each of us have been in or not been in, it's now down to a one-game season - one loss and you're out. So as important as everything is during the regular season, it's all heightened now because there's so much at stake. I think that's really the main message for everybody. We all need to take heed of that regardless of whether we've been in the playoffs or not been in the playoffs. [You] leave no stone unturned, do everything that you possibly can to be ready to go, and perform your best this week, and worry about next week next week.

TEAM TALK

• Wild Card Weekend: Patriots host Ravens. Broadcast info, series history team info and more.
• Erik Scalavino notes Ty Warren is ready to go against the Ravens, plus Tuesday notes from Gillette.
• Tuesday Presser: Bill Belichick (18:23 min.) Plus Transcript.
• Ask PFW: What now without Welker.
• Patriots locker room quotes: Players comment on their upcoming playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
• Playoff Tickets: More than 100 tickets for Sunday's AFC Wild Card playoff game will be available to purchase through Ticketmaster Wednesday morning.

LOCAL LINK

• Adam Kilgore notes the Patriots are playoff neophytes this season, counting 23 players who might play Sunday but have never been on a playoff field.
• Ian Rapoport reports Wes Welker is presently seeking professional advice on his best options, and trying to stay positive. "His spirits are better than they were Sunday," Leland Welker said, "but he is still distraught about having to miss the playoffs."
• Adam Kilgore says Rodney Harrison expects a difficult recovery for Wes Welker, but thinks the Patriots will use his absence as motivation.
• Christopher Price gets Rodney Harrison's take on Wes Welker's knee injury and recovery.
• Mike Reiss lists ten things to know about the Ravens.
• Chris Forsberg lists five reasons Patriots fans should fear the Ravens.
• Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag, full of questions about Wes Welker and the playoffs.
• Karen Guregian notes the last time Fred Taylor played the Ravens he tore his ankle up pretty bad, but now he's rehabbed, refreshed and ready to roll.
• Mike Reiss looks at the percentage of snaps played by Patriots defenders throughout the season, noting that Brandon Meriweather topped the playtime chart at 95.5%.
• Kerry Byrne breaks down the AFC Playoffs, saying it's more wide open than you think.
• Mike Reiss notes the Patriots have made a move on their practice squad to bolster depth at wide receiver, signing Nick Moore.
• Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: Matthew Slater preparing and practicing for the offense this week; Dean Pees was back at work Tuesday; Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork are set to return to full action Sunday; Charley Casserly stands by his story that Tom Brady is playing with three broken ribs and will rebut Belichick's comments on his CBS pregame show Sunday.
• Mike Reiss notes the Patriots finished the season with 81 accepted penalties, which ranked as the seventh-fewest in the NFL. Twenty percent of those were in the first two games.
• Mike Reiss looks at snaps played by Patriots defenders in Sunday’s 34-27 loss to the Texans, noting the use of a four-man front.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tom Pedulla (USA Today) Despite problems, Patriots still kicking among NFL contenders.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Tom Brady tops Cadillac Williams for comeback player of the year.
• Tedy Bruschi (ESPNBoston) Edelman is no Wes Welker. "It will be interesting to see how [offensive signal caller] Bill O'Brien adjusts and targets other receivers. Plus (4:40 minute video.)
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Welker's worth not as simple as 123.
• Michael Silver (Yahoo! Sports) Harbaugh has successful followup.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Cincy might consider riot gear for Jets D.
• Kerry J. Byrne (Cold Hard Football Facts) Odd duck Rex Ryan delivers the goods.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) L.A. developers target Bills for relocation.
• Jay Mariotti (NFL Fanhouse) Integrity vs. Tanking? NFL has a problem.
• Luis Deloureiro (NY Times) The decade in quarterbacks.
• Rick Maese (Washington Post) Redskins and Mike Shanahan reach agreement: The Shanahan reign begins.
• Jim Trotter (SI) Source says Weis could be Chiefs next offensive coordinator.
• Jack Bechta (Nat'l Football Post) The biggest losers: Players who lose unrestricted free agency will take a hit.

VIEW FROM BALTIMORE

• Dan Connolly (Baltimore Sun) How good is Tom Brady right now?
• Mike Duffy (BaltimoreRavens.com) Joe Flacco under pressure: Flacco is hoping to take less hits and jumpstart the passing game.
• Ken Murray (Baltimore Sun) Cleaning up the penalties.
• Kevin Van Valkenburg (Baltimore Sun) debates with Chris Gasper (Boston Globe) over who has the advantage in the passing game.
• Cowherd and Coleman (Baltimore Sun) Weakened Patriots vulnerable to Ravens. (3:21 min. video).