How many of you out there feel Welker is risking his spot on the Pat's roster by not signing his franchise player tender? We all know BB hates guys that hold out and with the additions at wideout I think he is asking for trouble. There is no doubt he is far more valuable to the Pats than any other team in the NFL so I don't think the free agent market would be as kind to him as maybe he thinks it would. What are your thoughts?

Its epic! Its weekly! Its a caption contest! Its time for #11!

Ok, heres the deal: I'll try and put one of these up each week. Each thread will contain two pictures, which it is your job to caption. Caption them with anything - a description of what you think is going on in the picture, what the people are thinking, or anything else you can come up with that would be funny. Avoid using obscene language. If its funny people will rec your caption, which is how the contest is decided. Three winners will be named, based on most rec's per caption: Winner, Runner-Up, and Honorable Mention. In the event if a tie, all tied winners will get credit. The prize will be getting your name posted on all future NCSEWCCs.

Basically just like any other caption contest.

Please rec this post so that it doesn't fall off with all the boring off-season stuff.

Please take a moment to rec other people's posts. Hopefully you were going to do that anyways.

So with that aside, here are the pics!

LAST WEEK'S WINNERS:

Wetfeet and Indy pats fan - 4 rec's each, Winners.

Marima - 3 rec's, Runner Up.

JonnyNYC, SlotMachinePlayer, Indy pats fan and ISN - 2 rec's each, Honorable Mentions.

ALL TIME WINNERS:

SlotMachinePlayer.........Feb 25th, 2011/Week 1.1

Lythos/Wetfeet...............Mar 3rd, 2012/Week 2

SlotMachinePlayer........Mar 10th, 2012/Week 3

Wetfeet............................Mar 17th, 2012/Week 4

MaPatsFan.....................Mar 25th, 2012/Week 5

Wetfeet............................Mar 31st, 2012/Week 6

Phoenixrizin...................April 8th, 2012/Week 7

JonnyNYC/ISN..............April 14th, 2012/Week 8

Marima...........................April 21st, 2012/Week 9

It was late-April. The draft was underway, and the Seahawks shocked the world by reaching for Bruce Irvin over every other DE/OLB in the draft. Then came the New York Jets who had a number of needs. Chief amongst them was Right Tackle, Safety, and DE/OLB. The Jets did what the Jets do- the best marketing maneuver.

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Free Agency is dwindling down. The Draft is over. So now....hurry up and wait. For training camp and PRE-SEASON games. YEAH!

There's a lot of time to speculate and postulate. A lot of time to predict roster spots, new formations, who will be a break out player, a come back player, etc. For my money...er my post, I'd like to see if we can get a consensus on who the most interesting man in camp to watch will be. I bet it's not this guy

Could it be one of these guys?

Lets discuss!

This is the time of year when free agency is quiet and the draft excitement/disappointment has died down. This is the time when NFL fans everywhere spend their time analyzing the roster and making pointless but intriguing roster predictions. Instead of clogging up the regular threads, I created this one to let everyone discuss the rosters.

To start off...here's mine.

QB (3) Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett
RB (4) Danny Woodhead, Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Spencer Larsen
WR (7) Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Brandon Lloyd, Matthew Slater, Julian Edelman, Deion Branch, Donte Stallworth
TE (3) Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Daniel Fells
C (1) Dan Koppen
G (4) Dan Connolly, Brian Waters, Ryan Wendell, Robert Gallery
T (3) Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder, Marcus Cannon
DE (5) Brandon Deaderick, Jonathan Fanene, Jake Bequette, Trevor Scott, Chandler Jones
DT (3) Vince Wilfork, Myron Pryor, Kyle Love
ILB(4) Brandon Spikes, Dane Fletcher, Donta Hightower, Tracy White
OLB(4) Jerod Mayo, Bobby Carpenter, Rob Ninkovich, Jermaine Cunningham
CB (5) Devin McCourty, Ras-I Dowling, Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard, Sterling Moore
SS (2) Sergio Brown, Steve Gregory
FS (2) Patrick Chung, Tavon Wilson
ST (3) Stephen Gostkowski, Danny Aiken, Zoltan Mesko

Total players: 53

Mankins is on the PUP list.

On the Bubble: Ochocinco, Barrett, Ebner, Tarpinian, Gerard Warren

Also, I think we need another tackle. Obviously, this is going to be controversial because I have 7 WRs - but that's because Slater really is an ST player.

Jason LaCanfora reports that Terrell Suggs has a ton ACL after working out in Arizona and might miss the entire season.

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www.tommyoftheweek.com

WEEK TWENTY-TWO SUPER BOWL VS. NEW YORK GIANTS L 21 - 17

hey kids- well, the patriots lost the super bowl. three months later, it still sucks to say that, but i think i’m ready to let it go. i took this loss way too personally, even though i know it had nothing to do with me. after four years of un/underemployment and working my ass off to keep my head above water, watching mediocrity and momentum triumph over teamsmanship, talent, and good old fashioned hard work felt an awful lot like a statement about the way america operates. still, as bill belichick would say, it is what is it. come september, the george w. bush of football will go back to playing the same way he has since his daddy threw a fit on draft day and pulled strings for that plum job in new york, and tom brady will go back to playing like one of the best quarterbacks the game has ever seen. at least there’s that.

speaking of our fearless quarterback, he broke yet another record during this super bowl, throwing 16 consecutive completed passes in the third quarter. maybe that should make me feel better, but it’s cold comfort – as is knowing he looked like this while i was crying under the couch.

in i heart wes welker news, i do, in spite of a downright lackluster game and several dropped passes that are old news by now. it’s more concerning that this is the second super bowl in which the team has appeared with wes on the roster – and the second we’ve lost! still, the pats put the franchise tag on wes, so it looks like i’ll be hearting him for at least another season. i’m not feeling it so much right now, but something tells me i’ll come around. this will help.

i’m not sadistic enough to rewatch this game, and the box score backs up no memorable stand-out performance to claim the final totw of the season. it doesn’t seem right to award the tommy of the super bowl to its namesake by default, and i won’t. some time around march, mom bumped into another pats fan in portland and asked him if he was still heartbroken. she said he just shrugged and said, “nah. roll on, tommy!” the great thing about being a patriots fan, even with a broken heart, is knowing he will. so the final tommy of the season is awarded to tom brady – for rolling into the fifth super bowl of his career with one of the worst defenses in the nfl – and for playing with the leadership, competitiveness, and general roguish charm that defines him right down to the last second. it;s been one hell of a ride, tommy. roll on.

and that caps off 2011, kids. the good thing about a stupidly-late final tommy of the season is that you only have to wait four more months for your next one! that also gives you lots of time to practice your happy patriots thoughts. see ya in september – and go pats!

With the death of Junior Seau being considered a suicide I wanted to comment about this. I will leave the effect of tackling and possible TBI (traumatic Brain Injury) to experts but I can add to or create a better understanding of suicide.

There are currently multitudes of people including former Patriot teammates who are grieving and will feel sad, angry, and guilty. These individuals will be upset that Junior did not come to them with the issues that lead to this tragic decision. We all would want those close to us to confide in us and many of us would go to great lengths to help our friends and loved ones.

The military is currently going through a horrific rash of suicides and as a member of this profession; I have been briefed and been to many classes on suicide. Couple this with my Degree in Social Work and I am in a unique position to lend some information on the topic. The military and the NFL are similar in many regards; both are hyper masculine where weakness is hidden and suppressed. For Junior this is coupled with being a Samoan, a culture steeped in masculinity and the images of tough hard men. In both of these professions men are mislead to believe that they must endure emotional pain and heart ache alone and that seeking mental health is a sign of weakness. The military is trying desperately to combat this idea and instead build a culture where mental wellbeing is considered as important as physical health and training. There is a long way to go toward this and I feel sure the same is found in professional sports specifically the NFL.

I feel sure many of those who will read this are involved in youth sports and I encourage everyone to change this mindset. I liken it to getting a sprain or a break physically. You can suck up sprains and even minor breaks as seen by Gronkowski. You cannot however suck up a compound fracture of a leg or arm as these are serious injuries that cannot be played through. Mental health but be seen as the same and there is a dramatic difference between the normal “blues” associated with say losing the superbowl for fans and players and significant depression where an individual sees no future hope.

The main indicators of suicide are often a dramatic change in not only mood (might just be the blues) but rather a change in overall personality. If your bubbly Family member is suddenly the Grinch for a significant period something is probably seriously wrong. In some instances, your grumpy old man becoming a bubbly smiling person can also be an indicator that something might be off. The most important this is that you trust your gut or your instincts. If people make morose or dark humor about them dying this is a clear indicator that suicide is being at the least thought of if not outright considered while someone giving away important possessions is an urgent indicator.

Finally, if you have any gut feeling or have an inclination that someone you know and love might be in a rut that might lead to suicidal thoughts or intents, ask them. Junior likely would be alive if someone had asked him if he was thinking about hurting himself (this is not an indictment of anyone close to him and I do not know the specifics of his situation). You do not have to know the right things to say after you ask, just ask. If the loved one says they are thinking about it, talk to them and insist they seek immediate help and do not leave them from this point forward until they see professionals trained in these situations.

Suicide always bothers me and I feel deep compassion for the Seau Family. I hope that this subject becomes more openly talked about in our society as often those who take their own lives do not deeply want to do this, they are simply doing the only thing they can to end suffering that is often merely fleeting in nature. I hope none of us have to confront friends or loved ones about suicide but if you do, I hope this provides some modicum or confidence that you are doing the right and honorable thing asking the question.

Welcome one and all to the OTA - Off-Topic Activities or Open To Anything or Oughtta Talk Alot or Open Thread All!. The best place to not discuss football at Pats Pulpit.

This is a thread for anyone who would like to enjoy some pleasant conversation that may or may not be football related. This is a place where some of us can get to know each other a little bit better, and on a slightly different level than other places on the site. A thread that may contain at times humorous dialogue, quotes, pictures, or anything else that might entertain. Remember to have a good time! But also please remember to keep it somewhat clean. We'd prefer innuendo over gory details.

Rules

All the rules are based on this: Have fun, but don't keep other people from having fun.

a) Don't troll each other, or attack other members. You learned this in kindergarten.

b) If a picture is NSFW (Not Safe For Work), do not post it as a picture. Instead post it as a link.

c) Be kind to newbies, and help them fit in. Remember to share your crayons.

d) If someone asks you nicely to steer clear of a topic, find something else to talk about.

e) Any and all other SBN and PatsPulpit rules apply. In other words, this ain't Vegas.

Rec this thread, so it stays atop the most rec'd fanposts. Unrec it when another thread is made.

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The post-draft hysteria has died down by now, but the Patriots can never avoid the controversy. Think back to past years. Mayo a reach in 2008. Multiple Reaches in 2009. McCourty in 2010. Ridley in 2011. And now? Tavon Wilson, DB out of Illinois in 2012. The pick left almost all Patriots fans (including yours truly) scratching their heads. Who is Tavon Wilson? Mel Kiper didn't even have him in his draft notes. Initially, the reaction was anger. This guy is UDFA level? Slowly more information leaked out. Multiple teams had him in for visits. Still, even if he was capable of playing like a second-rounder, multiple teams had him graded as a seventh-rounder. Even one of the supporters of the pick, NFL scout Chavous told the Herald that he had him as a fourth-rounder.

Some fans have offered that the Patriots panicked because the Chargers or another team was interested. I just don't see the Patriots making a knee-jerk reaction.

So why did the Patriots take him so early? I have two possible answers.

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