Chris Forsberg reports Tom Brady superimposed a photo of his locker as a background when he came to the podium for his weekly Q&A with the media.
"Now we're both satisfied," Brady joked to the media, referring to an ongoing disagreement over whether he should address the media in front of his locker or in a press conference room.
It's been a struggle for Brady to keep coach Bill Belichick, locker neighbor Randy Moss and the media happy this season during his weekly confabs. Brady initially started at the podium, reverted to his locker after a Week 2 loss to the Jets, then came back to the podium last week, saying Moss had seen enough clutter. "I'm getting yelled at by [coach Bill] Belichick for doing it," said Brady. "But Randy's had enough of the people at his locker."
Bill Belichick asked about how he stops a game from snowballing.
I think when you are in games that come down to a couple plays it comes down to which teams make those plays. Honestly, most teams are in those kinds of games about every week. There might be a few that you have that aren’t like that, but for the most part we’ve played nine games – 4 preseason games, 5 regular season game – I would say every game has pretty much came down to the last possession. We’ve won some of them; we’ve lost some of them. You look at a lot of other teams...Look at the team we played last week – it’s the same thing with them. Tennessee – that’s pretty much the way it is in this league: last couple possessions, last three or four minutes in the fourth quarter. If things happen a certain way at that point in time then that affects the outcome of the game. When you get to that point or the process of getting to that point [and] you make a few more plays than your opponents do, you come out on top. If they make a few more plays than you do, they come out on top. I don’t think that’s any big secret.
Vic Carucci (NFL.com) The post-game handshake and good sportsmanship.
I'm getting a little tired of all of the ultra-close monitoring that goes on regarding post-game handshakes, especially where New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is involved. Do we really need to see head coaches shake hands or hug to confirm they are good sports? At their best, they almost always look awkward and staged, with the coaches struggling to find each other through a forest of players, stadium/team staffers, photographers, and reporters for an exchange that hardly seems worth the trouble.
I was in the Broncos' locker room Sunday when Belichick stopped by for a private congratulatory moment with McDaniels, the former Patriots offensive coordinator, after the Broncos' OT win against New England. Although there were no cameras around, it really should have sufficed as a satisfactory display of sportsmanship.
TEAM TALK
- Erik Scalavino Pats are 'buddy-buddy' again with Seau; Wednesday practice notes.
- Patriots-Titans Injury Report and practice participation.
- Wednesday Press Conferences: Bill Belichick (15.35), Tom Brady (16.52 min.), Junior Seau (13.15). Plus Transcripts.
- Titans Conference Calls: Jeff Fisher (10.13 min.), RB Chris Johnson (7.56 min.) Plus Transcripts.
- Patriots Today: Seau makes another return. (10.38 min. video)
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Commissioner Goodell addresses Cable case, labor negotiations.
LOCAL LINKS
- Mike Reiss offers his 10 quick-hit thoughts on the Titans. Reiss previews the Pats-Titans game (1 min. video). Pats see this as a dangerous Titans team who will be playing desperate.
- Ian Rapoport says the Patriots are very aware of Titans RB Chris Johnson, the fastest player in the NFL. Here is a look at Chris Johnson’s season, along with how the Pats have done against opponents’ top RBs.
- Mark Farinella notes how Bill Belichick makes giants out of the 0-5 Titans.
- Shalise Manza Young reports that once again Junior Seau answers the call to duty. "On and off the field, the best thing I do is I lean on Bill Belichick," he said. "He has a plan."
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Christopher Price analyzes where Junior Seau fits with Pats defense.
- Michael Vega catches LB Junior Seau's comments in his official return to the Patriots. "I trust the coach and the ownership and the coaches in this organization,’’ said Seau, "and I have a lot of love for the players in the locker room. That’s the reason why I wanted to come back to only one team.’’
- Mike Reiss thinks the Seau signing could mean more 3-4 for the Pats.
- Karen Guregian says give Seau a group of young players and he’ll lend them the experience of 20 years in the league. Jerod Mayo knows if guys are smart, they’ll cling to Seau like a magnet, watch his every move, and listen to his every word.
- Mark Farinella noted Junior Seau said getting his number 55 from LB Derrick Burgess would probably cost him a few dinners. Burgess took Tyrone McKenzie's number 53 while he's on IR.
- Mike Reiss reports that when Brady arrived at the stadium at 6:45 a.m. Junior Seau was already in the weight room in a full sweat. "Attitude is everything with Junior. He's a great professional and shows great leadership. He's a playmaker. I'm glad he's back on the team."
- Mike Reiss notes the Patriots are just one of three teams, along with Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, to use the shotgun on more than 50 percent of their plays.
- Boston Globe Patriots Notebook: Brady knows his unit needs more precision; LB Rob Ninkovich is thrilled to have Junior Seau as his new locker mate; Titans' head coach Jeff Fisher comments on their pass rush without Albert Haynesworth; some poor journalists from England tried to get Belichick's thoughts on the London game two weeks from now. Tsk. tsk.
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Boston Herald Patriots Notebook: Sebastian Vollmer ready to fill in for Matt Light if needed; Belichick 'feistily' disputed the notion that the Titans could be overlooked because of their 0-5 record; Seau explains his "Buddy, Buddy" nickname.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Michael Lombardi (Nat'l Football Post) Fixing Brady's problems. Like a pitcher, Brady has lost his strike zone.
- The Huddle (USA Today) Mike Pereira clarifies 'fishy' taunting penalty against Brandon Meriweather.
- Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Pats early struggles beg the question: What's wrong with Brady?
- Nolan Nawrocki (Pro Football Weekly) Scouts Notebook: OLB Adalius Thomas.
- Inside the NFL: Cris Collinsworth, Warren Sapp, Phil Simms and James Brown debate whether Tom Brady is still the caliber of player he was before his injury. (1.49 min. video)
- Week 5 Playbook: Patriots miscues. Mike Mayock analyzes the key Patriots miscues that led to the Broncos' comeback victory. (3 min. video)
- Barry Jackson (Pro Football Weekly) Harrison, Dungy candid with opinions.
- Shutdown Corner (Yahoo! Sports) The absurdly premature playoff picture: Week 5. Pats in as a wildcard.
- Matt Snyder (NFL Fanhouse) Colts need more Super Bowl titles to immortalize Manning era.
- Greg Bishop (NY Times) In NFL, parity is taking a turn for the worse.
VIEW FROM TENNESSEE
- Gary Estwick (The Tennessean) Ex-vol becomes model Patriot: Jerod Mayo carries on proud tradition.
- Jim Wyatt and Gary Estwick (The Tennessean) Pats coach thankful to ex-Titan for start. Floyd Reese helped him get on track in NFL.