New England Patriots Links 8/23/10 - Preseason Midpoint Brings Optimism, Concern

Tom Brady on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Show this morning revealed he hates the Jets and refuses to support them by watching 'Hard Knocks.'  He also remembers his first training camp:

“I called my agent a couple of weeks into training camp. We had John Friesz and Michael Bishop and Drew [Bledsoe] obviously on the roster. This was two weeks into camp … I said [to agent Steve Dubin], ‘I think I want to buy Ty Law’s condo.’ He said, ‘What are you talking about? The final cuts are in three weeks, you don’t even have any money.’ I said, ‘Don’t even worry about that.’ I forgot how much it was. I probably had 20,000 bucks to my name. Ty brought me over there. I was a little rookie sucker he wanted to sell his house to. I did end up doing it before the final cutdown. [Dubin] said, ‘Are you sure you’re going to be around.’ I said, ‘Don’t worry, of course I’m going to make the team,’ without much hesitation. When I think back to that, we kept four quarterbacks that year. … I don’t think that was the smartest real estate move I’ve ever made.”

Asked if he ever received acknowledgment from Belichick that he was doing well, Brady responded: “I’ve played with Belichick for 10 years, and I don’t think he’s ever said we’re doing good. We beat the Redskins a few years ago. He said. ‘That was a decent job the other night.’ We won by 50 points.”

Karen Guregian notes Thomas Dimitroff discusses how Bill Belichick handles losing players like Nick Kaczur.

"I never doubt the recoverability and resilience of a Bill Belichick-coached football team," Dimitroff said last week. "The impressive thing about the Patriots, and Bill, and the way he approaches things, is that he’s really dialed into his personnel and their abilities. If someone gets hurt, he knows the next person to come in. He’s always very adept at making sure he has the right person to come into that spot."

Kirk Minihane talks Top 10 Quarterbacks in NFL history.

(Aside: All it took was two preseason games for the "Brady has gone Hollywood" crowd to sneak quietly out the back door, huh? What a bunch of dopes... And most of those guys don't even believe what they are saying -- they just want ratings and page views and phone calls. It's a lot easier to call a guy a sellout or question his manhood than it is to admit that you have no idea what you're talking about.  But Brady? This is a guy risking a helluva lot by playing this preseason. I'm not sure if I were Brady's agent I'd be OK with him on the field until a contract was in ink. I don't know, I understand he's rich and famous... but it has to bother Brady that Kyle Orton and Sam Bradford will make more money than he does this year.)

TEAM TALK

• Erik Scalavino reports the Patriots are beginning their post-camp transition to regular season.
• Preview: New England Patriots vs. Saint Louis Rams. Broadcast info, series history, team connections and what to look for.
• Patriots Today - Welker's return highlights victory. (5.56 min. video)
• Locker Room Uncut - Reactions after win over Falcons. (3 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Chris Gasper thinks the early returns from the Patriots 'are encouraging and suggest that a changing of the guard in the AFC East isn't going to happen without a street fight.'
• Tom E. Curran looks at the questions still dangling halfway through preseason.
• Albert Breer says the Patriots offense is still forming its identity.
• Albert Breer kicks the tires on newly acquired guard from Atlanta Quinn Ojinnaka.
• Albert Breer examines the growth of the Patriots running game, saying the offense that became overly pass-happy in the last few years seems to be getting its physical edge back.
• Christopher Price notes the Patriots are leaning on a running back rotation through preseason and the results have been good.
• Mike Reiss feels that a focus on the running game is creating a complete offense for the Patriots.
• Karen Guregian points out the Pats have started to get opposing defenses off-balance.
• Christopher Price looks at how often each receiver has been targeted so far and what sort of numbers they've posted through two preseason games.
• Ian Rapoport reports Nick Kaczur underwent surgery aimed at relieving persistent back pain, and may be out for the entire 2010 season.
• Mike Reiss offers some quick-hit thoughts from the Patriots and around the NFL.
• Mike Reiss cleans out his notebook with some quick-hit thoughts on a day off for players.
• Mike Reiss notes that the New England Patriots' strong start to the preseason has surprised some football analysts and some fans who follow the team.
• Mike Reiss takes a field trip to solicit the opinions of Patriots fans. The result? Optimism is high.
• Tom E. Curran tackles the problem with Asante's rant.
• Karen Guregian updates her 53-man roster prediction. All teams have to cut their rosters from 80 down to 75 players by August 31st.
• Ian Rapoport rewinds the Patriots win over the Falcons with coach Bill Belichick.
• Mike Rodak reviews the Pats-Falcons preseason game and offers some additional observations: First Quarter, Second Quarter, Third Quarter and Fourth Quarter.
• Christopher Price offers some further review of Patriots vs. Falcons.
• Mike Reiss looks at the snaps played by Patriots defenders against the Falcons.
• Mike Reiss breaks down special teams play in the Pats-Falcons game.
• Monique Walker details Brian Hoyer's journey from Michigan State to Foxboro. Hoyer says Tom Brady has been "huge for [his] development," a good teammate and a good mentor.
• Ian Rapoport notes QB Brian Hoyer was wearing the same knee brace as Tom Brady and Wes Welker, merely as a precaution at Brady's suggestion.
• Mike Reiss focuses on Devin McCourty as a more physical corner and a willing tackler.
• Ian Rapoport Thinks DE Ron Brace has begun to change some minds.
• Robert Lee reports with his second season off to a shaky start, Ron Brace hopes he can rise up to expectations.
• Jeff Howe says Rob Ninkovich gives the Patriots a versatile option at long snapper.
• Albert Breer reports Rob Gronkowski has two brothers also fighting through NFL training camp.
• Karen Guregian wonders if anyone is catching tight end fever.
• Albert Breer checks in on the rest of the Patriots' division rivals in preseason action.
• Boston Globe: A fan's guide to the 2010 Patriots.
• Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Belichick tempers the enthusiasm over the reemergence of the running game; Belichick is treating the preseason weeks, schedule-wise, like the regular season; Asante Samuel engages in revisionist history; The play where Wes Welker appeared to get drilled in Atlanta looked worse than it was.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Tim Graham (ESPN) Best duo: T.O.-Ochocinco or Moss-Welker? Is this even a question? Includes a spirited debate by Michael Smith and Skip Bayless. (5.37 min. video)
• Tim Graham (ESPN) A look at Wes Welker's ongoing recovery.
• Ross Tucker (SI) Logan Mankins squabble with Pats points to troubling trend: A failure to communicate.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB: Vikings' Childress has no regret after begging Favre to come back.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Review of Jets-Panthers field goalathon.
• Tim Graham (ESPN) Observations from Dolphins-Jaguars.
• Sean Leahy (USA Today) St. Louis Rams QB Bradford could get call to start against New England.
• Andrew Brandt (Nat'l Football Post) Inside the Revis talks: Part II
• Donald H. Yee (Miami Herald) A case for privatizing college football. Tom Brady's agent speaks out.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Ochocinco tweet leads to scrutiny of NFL drug testing program.
• Doug Farrar (Yahoo! Sports) The Favre mantra: Do as I say, not as I do.