New England Patriots Links 2/03/10 - Welker's Surgery Successful
by Marima on Feb 3, 2010 11:00 AM EST
in News
26 comments
Monique Walker and Adam Kilgore report Wes Welker is okay after surgery yesterday.
Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker is "perfectly OK’’ after undergoing surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital yesterday to repair torn ligaments in his knee, said a person with knowledge of the surgery.
Welker tore both the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the regular-season finale against Houston Jan. 3. In the month since the injury, Welker has waited to have the surgery to allow his MCL to heal to protect against an infection.
Recovery time for the Patriots star slot receiver could be anywhere from 6-12 months. It does not appear likely that Welker will be ready to play in the 2010 season opener, although that has not been ruled out.
Bill Cowher believes even if the Indianapolis Colts win the Super Bowl on Sunday, the New England Patriots should be considered the best team of the past decade and scoffed at the idea the Spygate scandal had any impact.
"I think the decade still has to go to New England," Cowher said Tuesday at a CBS Sports news conference to preview the Super Bowl. "But the Pittsburgh Steelers went to a lot of championship games, won two Super Bowls. The Colts I'm not so sure within the last five years they haven't been the most consistent football team.
"But you go back to the body of work and the consistency, and I think New England CLEARLY is above everybody else. They never had that one down year. They've been on the brink from when they first won in 2001 until this past year they were in the playoffs. They've been the most consistent team.""The humility that they won with, that's what set them apart," Cowher said. "I learned a lot from their ability to respect an opponent every week, to not get caught up with it.
"I remember taking a lot from the way the New England Patriots handled success. To me, they epitomize that. How you handle success and not get caught up in it makes them role models."Cowher seems to absolve the Patriots for any wrongdoing [for spygate]:
"Listen, there's people stealing signals all the time before that," Cowher said. "You have ways to hide those things. We had wristbands for our defense. I remember trying to get offensive plays and see what the formations were. Everybody knows.
"You're trying to gain a competitive edge. Did that go beyond it? To a degree. Do I think that helped them win football games? No. You still have to go out and play the game. I still have a hard time believing that was a difference in a game."
Ian Rapoport reports Heath Evans and Randall Gay both credit their experience with the Patriots as valuable wisdom they both hope to share with their new team.
I think that’s why I was brought here," Evans, who tore his ACL in late October, said yesterday. "(Coach) Sean (Payton) wants better leaders, better character guys. It’s highly known Bill (Belichick) only brings in good guys in New England. What I learned from him was priceless. I’m constantly trying to dive into that memory bank that really benefited us in my four years there."
Evans harps on preparation, using his experience against the Colts and preaching, "If you don’t (prepare), they won’t just beat you, they’ll embarrass you."
He’s not alone. Saints cornerback Randall Gay was part of one Super Bowl winner, and his message has been simple.
"We’re not here to party," Gay said. "Maybe at the beginning of the week you party, but from now on, we have a job to do. Our goal isn’t to come to Miami to play in the Super Bowl. We want to win the Super Bowl. That was always the mindset of the Patriots."
26 comments | 3 recs |
Give Bill O'Brien Another Chance!
by The Hill on Feb 2, 2010 12:00 PM EST
in Opinion
46 comments
I officially apologize for being so hard on you, Coach Bill O'Brien. I judged your season upon the seemingly plain playcalling, which I thought were all your doing. I am posting in full support of you taking the helm as Offensive Coordinator for next season and we'll go from there.
A lot of us as fans jumped to conclusions due to the "vanilla play calling", as some of us called it. We went through some growing pains over some bad calls in dire situations, but I believe that you learn and move on. You had much harder circumstances to coach over than any of us knew of, with injuries to almost every single starter on offense at some point over the season (No, I will not blame you for the injuries to Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Matt Light, Steven Neal, Nick Kaczur, Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris or Fred Taylor).
To you, the other readers, I'll try and convince you to give Bill O'Brien another chance. I was one of the ones calling for his head and position, I admit that. However, I attempted to look at this from an objective point of view and came to the conclusion that it isn't fair to condemn him after one season. Especially not after one season of circumstances FAR out of his control.
More after the jump.
46 comments | 0 recs |
New England Patriots Links 2/02/10 - Six More Weeks of Winter But Only Four Weeks Until Free Agency
by Marima on Feb 2, 2010 10:32 AM EST
in News
9 comments
Mike Reiss reports DL Jarvis Green is looking forward to free agency and knows he will aggressively consider options other than the New England Patriots.
"Definitely this year, I'm going to experience the market," said Green, who set a career high with 12 starts in 2009. "I think for any player in their NFL career they need to experience that, and this will be my first time. I had the chance five years ago but I re-signed with the team, so this has been different for me, and it's been cool not being obligated to anyone but my family, my wife [Rakia] and kids [Terrence, Já Nya, and Toi]."
"Playing in a championship program, being with the Patriots, things I've learned here I could take with me -- the winning attitude, knowing how to win," he said. "That could go anywhere, and I think teams look for that in the quality of a player."
Christopher Price reports former Pats DB Otis "my man" Smith was named the defensive quality control coach in Kansas City on Monday.
It’s a safe bet that many folks in New England are happy to see Smith progress up the coaching ladder. Smith and Patriots coach Bill Belichick go back a long time — they first hooked up in 1996 when Belichick was an assistant in New England. Smith followed Belichick to the Jets the following season, and the veteran defensive back joined Belichick to New England when he became the head coach in 2000, where he spent three seasons with the Patriots.
In fact, his roots run so deep with Belichick that in May 2005 when he was ready to retire, he signed a one-day contract with New England before he decided to call it a career. "When I think about Otis Smith, a few things come to mind immediately: his incredible work ethic, the respect he earned as a result of the leadership he brought to the team and his production in some of our biggest games," Belichick said in a statement when Smith announced his retirement. "Otis helped the Patriots win a championship and he will always be respected and appreciated for that as well as for his professional approach to the job."
Bill Parcells participated in an NFL.com on-line chat with this nugget near the end.
Q: What is your biggest regret with regards to your coaching career?
Bill Parcells, Miami Dolphins: Hi Dan, probably having to leave the New England Patriots.
9 comments | 2 recs |
Pats Pulpit hits the 1,000,000 visit mark!!
by MaPatsFan on Feb 2, 2010 7:41 AM EST
12 comments
Somewhat of a milestone, Pats Pulpit hit the 1,000,000 visit mark last night. We're not the first to make it in the SB Nation network of blogs and we don't have the traffic some of the other sites have, but I'm very happy with the fanbase we've attracted at this little corner of the blogosphere: smart, intelligent fans wanting to discuss football with some semblance of maturity.
This can't be done alone; heaven knows you'd be sick of me in short order! I have had the pleasure of writing with a number of most excellent co-writers over the past few years. Sometimes it was to add counterpoint, sometimes to relieve a burden during troubled moments. All have contributed to the collective knowledgebase that is this site. While I hesitate to call any one individual out, I would be remiss if I did not thank our links guru, Marima, for tirelessly trudging through the internet on a daily basis. She has been with me since the very beginning and is one of the smartest Patriots fans I know as well as a valued colleague. Thank you, Marima.
I also want to thank all of the folks who visit and comment on a regular basis. My goal has always been to provide a place where we can learn from each other and the smart people that visit this site make that happen. Hats off to you all.
GO PATRIOTS!!
12 comments | 0 recs
Patriots' Randy Moss a slouch? Not so much
by MaPatsFan on Feb 1, 2010 8:20 PM EST
in Opinion
28 comments
It's easy to be negative, to be full of bravado in a sport like Football. About the only thing you have to watch out for is saying something asinine, vapid, and stupid. It will come back to haunt you. Forever. It takes about a nanosecond to find as much garbage on a person as you'd ever want.
Take one Darrelle Revis. He may be one of the best corners playing the game today, but he's a punk, plain and simple:
Jets CB Darrelle Revis declined to back off his assertion that Patriots WR Randy Moss is a "slouch" on Wednesday.
In an interview with the NFLN last week, Revis said that Moss and Bills WR Terrell Owens were slouches.
The Boston Herald asked Revis on Wednesday to clarify what "slouch" means.
"You know what a slouch means," Revis told the paper.
Revis' statements would be punk'ish even if it was situation normal. Maybe I should just adopt a liberal attitude and assume he's being an ass because he was "raised" that way, because his head coach is just as much of a punk and therefore, it's ok. Yes, it would be punk'ish if things were normal, but it's even MORE punk'ish in light of recent revelations about Moss' shoulder:
Wide receiver Randy Moss was diagnosed with a separated shoulder following the Patriots' season and that was the reason he did not play in the Pro Bowl, a league source said on Monday.
Moss had surfaced on the injury report with a shoulder ailment three days after the Patriots' 20-17 overtime loss to the Broncos on Oct. 11. He remained on the injury report because of the shoulder through Nov. 6, although he played through the injury.
Darrelle? Are you listening? That would be the sound of stones hitting your glass house. And that goes for every other miscreant who labeled Moss a malcontent and a slacker (Felger, that's you Michael). I'll be awaiting everyone's apology post haste and if you don't decide to pony up, shame on you.
One last thing: while Moss was supposedly "slouching" with his separated shoulder, he managed some fairly impressive stats:
Moss started all 16 games this season and finished second on the team with 83 receptions for 1,264 yards and a team-high 13 touchdowns. He played in approximately 85 percent of the team's offensive snaps, easily a team-high among receivers.
Man up, Revis, and apologize. Anything less is the ravings of a spoiled, little boy.
28 comments | 1 recs |
New England Patriots Links 2/01/10 - Mankins, Meriweather and Wilfork Enjoy Pro Bowl
by Marima on Feb 1, 2010 9:43 AM EST
in News
15 comments
Adam Kilgore offers some Patriot thoughts from the Pro Bowl Sunday.
Brandon Meriweather: "Anytime you get a chance to play with some of the best in the game, you have to embrace it. It's a dream come true for me. Ever since I was little, I've been watching this game, hoping that one day, I would get a chance to play with some of these guys and actually play in it. Now that I've got my chance, I'm just to embrace it and stay humble."
Logan Mankins: "I'm trying my do my best to represent [the Patriots.] The fans in Miami, they sure let us know that they don't like us down here."
Vince Wilfork: "It's always a good thing when you get all the elite players on one field in one place to come out and play a football game. It boils down to one thing, basically having fun and giving fans a chance to see everybody on the same field, the best of the best playing a football game. It's been fun."
Heath Evans writes his latest blog entry with this about Belichick:
Back to Coach Belichick … put it this way: Bill Belichick is hands down one of the Top 5 funniest people I know. I know the stonefaced head coach on the sideline looks anything but funny. I understand that his post-game hand shakes and interviews are the stuff of legend, but get to know the man and he will have you rolling for days!
When MySpace and Facebook first came out, coach Bill warned us to stay off of "YearBook and MyFace." Hopefully, that gives you guys a little insight into New England’s favorite coach.
15 comments | 1 recs |
Pro Bowl Open Thread: AFC vs. NFC
by MaPatsFan on Jan 31, 2010 7:09 PM EST
34 comments
Vince Wilfork, Logan Mankins, and Brandon Meriweather are representing the New England Patriots on this year's Pro Bowl squad. Announced at tonight's game will be the NFL's All Decade team. @realpatriots tweeted Coach Belichick, Tom Brady, and Randy Moss are on the list, too. Former Patriots Ty Law, Richard Seymour, and Adam Vinatieri garnered honors as well. I'll have more to say about that in the coming days but for now, let's enjoy the Pro Bowl!
34 comments | 0 recs
State of the New England Patriots Nation: Quarterback Situation
by The Hill on Jan 30, 2010 11:15 PM EST
in Player Profiles
43 comments
Tom Brady had a good year.
Tom Brady had a bad year.
Tom Brady was recovering from an injury.
Tom Brady will never be good again.
Tom Brady had time off to re-light his competitive fire.
Tom Brady does not care anymore.
Tom Brady is a handsome man.
No one's going to argue that.
Tom Brady had a statistically well rounded and successful season.
Tom Brady did not come through when we needed him most.
There's a lot to debate about Tom Brady and the State of our New England Patriots. Let's take a look at our current situation at quarterback and see how that will affect us heading into the off-season and next year.
43 comments | 2 recs |
A quick, personal tangent - back from the Windy City
by MaPatsFan on Jan 30, 2010 12:20 PM EST
29 comments
My apologies for not writing that much this past week. I was sequestered in a conference room with my boss and peers for the better part of the week. The "Big Guy" is from Plantation, FL so we were all excited when he decided to have a face-to-face. We quickly found out Schaumburg, IL was the destination. Half the team is from the Chicago area and it would have been more expensive to have the meeting in Florida. Oh well.
It was a mild disappointment for me, trading one cold weather area of the country (I'm about 10 miles south of the New Hampshire border) for another. It was, however, more than a mild discomfort for my warm weather counterparts, one from Arizona and the other from Texas. Comments like "What's this white stuff on my shoes" or "I never knew the zipper on my jacket went all the way up" kept the mood light despite the single digit temperatures. My favorite quip? "What's this?" as my Texas friend holds up an ice scraper for the car. Good times.
The Monday flight out from Manchester - Boston Regional Airport could have been a nightmare; rain in Manchester, NH as well as bad weather in Chicago could've landed me in Milwaukee. Luckily, things cleared up before we were diverted from O'Hare.
3 solid days in a conference room were offset by nights with friends from the area. Happy hour at the hotel and a full breakfast in the morning made the trip more bearable (sometimes it's the little things when you're traveling). The highlight of the trip was dinner and beverages at Schaumburg's Finn McCool's. Chatting with friends while sharing "Table Tappers" was a blast.
The flight home to Manchester Airport was anything but pleasant. The cabin was about 80 degrees and I was nursing a hangover. Turbulence-wise, we were ok until 10 miles from the airport. The landing was particularly rough. I'm sure the "South Shore Girl" (aka Marima) will tell me it's because I used a North Shore airport, that TF Green in Warwick, RI would've been a better choice. Maybe she's right.
It's good to be home, in my own bed, and surrounded by my own stuff. Some say business travel is "exciting". I say, "Give it a few more trips."
29 comments | 0 recs
The silliness that is the NFL's All-Decade Team
by MaPatsFan on Jan 30, 2010 10:53 AM EST
in Opinion
21 comments
The partial list has already been leaked partly because they're participating in the Pro Bowl. Those sitting out but still honored (Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeney, and Darren Sharper) have also been named. As of yet, not one Patriot. There's still time:
This decade's 53-player team will be comprised of two quarterbacks, four running backs, one fullback, four wide receivers, two tight ends, four offensive tackles, four guards, two centers, four defensive tackles, four defensive ends, six linebackers, four cornerbacks, four safeties, two kickers, two punters, two kick returners and two punt returners. Two head coaches have also been chosen.
The full list will be announced during the Pro Bowl, but there are a few Patriots that should come home with honors:
- Troy Brown - Is there any question as to the influence this man has had? Mr. Patriot has done everything but play offensive line. One of the most important Patriots of this decade, he's hard to ignore.
- Tedy Bruschi - The heart and soul of this team's defense, his stats aren't stellar, but he certainly led this defense to glory. Tedy certainly deserves the nod.
- Randy Moss - Not liking Randy is not an excuse for dismissing his accomplishments. Jerry Rice, with 20 years in the league, is only 49 TD's ahead of Randy at 32 years of age and 12 seasons under his belt. Not including Moss on this list would rank it as a total sham and worthy of the bit (trash) bucket.
- Adam Vinatieri - Even though he plays for that other team, Adam was a Patriot for a long time and helped solidify this decade's most successful football team as one of the greatest of all time. It takes a team to win a game, but it also takes incredible players to make plays when needed. 3 Super Bowls by 3 points, the "Snow Bowl", Vinatieri is the definition of the word clutch.
- Tom Brady - The NFL, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to include 2 quarterbacks on the All Decade team. Peyton Manning has already been chosen which, considering another will be added, I have no problem with. If there was only one spot, I'd say the NFL has a very "forgetful" view of the last 10 years. A 3-1 record in Super Bowls this decade should garner some respect, even if "Mr. Stats" is churning up the dome in Indy.
Did I miss anyone? Who's on your list? Is my list bogus? Let's hear it.
21 comments | 0 recs |
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Media requests: Please email patspulpit at gmail.com
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
