Ian Rapoport talks with Darrelle Revis on Radio Row about his Pro Bowl experience of being coached by rival Bill Belichick.
"No, it wasn’t [weird]," Revis said. "Because I had (Eric) Mangini. Mangini comes from where Belichick comes from. But I’ll tell you, Belichick’s not a bad guy. He’s not. He wants people to work hard, and play great football."
As for his own not being here, Revis said, "I mean, we have a lot of positive things this year, but the icing on the cake is being here and winning it. That would’ve made us very happy, but it just shows you how tough it is to get to the Super Bowl and to actually win it."
Ian Rapoport notes former Rams coach Dick Vermeil had this to say to 98.5 The SportsHub's Felger & Mazz about spygate:
"I don’t know if everyone was doing it, but everyone might’ve had a method of trying to do it," Vermeil told 98.5 FM. "Maybe he did it better than everyone else. OK? And I’ll tell you this: In all honesty, I’ve coached as a head coach 15 years and an assistant four years, I know some things that have been done in the National Football League and I could document them, if I wanted to, that are far worse than that ever came close to being."
John Madden talks about the Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award.
"The offensive line doesn't always catch the fans' attention, so Prilosec OTC and I created this award to recognize the guys who provide the critical run blocking and pass protection," said John Madden.
"All season long, these guys proved they had the mental and physical toughness that enabled the Patriots offense to put up impressive numbers on the ground and in the air."
TEAM TALK
- John Cockrell Friday Out-Takes: Goofus and Gallant.
- Patriots O-Line wins Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award.
- Paul Perillo reveals the PFW All-Opponent team, made up of players from the clubs the Patriots faced during the season.
- Patriots Today - Pro Bowlers' thoughts on Belichick. (3.13 min. video)
- PFW in Progress - 2/03/11 Edition (2 hour audio). Tom Brady being named AP Offensive Player of the Year, Bill Belichick being named AP Coach of the Year, as well as a variety of other awards various Patriots are in the running for. Plus, we'll discuss the CBA and recent comments Roger Goodell made concerning Bill Belichick.
LOCAL LINKS
- Ian Rapoport talks up the award-winning Patriots O-Line that allowed just 25 sacks of Tom Brady and BenJarvus Green-Ellis to run for over 1,000 yards. Dan Koppen hopes to see Matt Light and Logan Mankins return next year.
- Mike Reiss notes Dan Koppen still feels the sting of the Patriots' playoff loss to the Jets and says he might have to watch it to put it to rest.
- Kirk Minihane explains why Roger Goodell has only himself to blame for feeling 'deceived'.
- Greg A. Bedard reports that if things go the union's way, players like Logan Mankins and Peyton Manning could immediately become unrestricted free agents.
- Mike Reiss talks about Logan Mankins and the franchise tag.
- Christopher Price reports the uncertainty around the franchise tag could create confusion for Logan Mankins and the Patriots.
- Ian Rapoport notes Ron Brace is slated to appear on Rachael Ray's Fourth Annual Super Bowl Recipe playoff today. He had a good time grilling steak on the show.
- Mike Reiss wonders if the Patriots will regret letting 6th round pick OL Ted Larsen go.
- Mike Reiss gets Torry Holt's opinion on Patriots WR Taylor Price after watching him in training camp.
- Mike Reiss reports Robert Kraft arrived in Dallas for Roger Goodell's "State of the League" news conference today.
- Mike Reiss chats with NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt about the strength of this year's Draft.
- Ron Borges reports that according to NFL Players Association attorney Jeffrey Kessler yesterday, players now receive a smaller share of total gross revenues than they did in 2006.
- Mike Reiss offers the transcript of his weekly online chat.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Tim Graham (ESPN) John Madden names Patriots top O-Line.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Was vote for Belichick misguided? First Take says "No." (2.50 min. video)
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Gronkowskis a band of NFL brothers. (4.42 min. video)
- Ira Kaufman (Tampa Tribune) Former Patriot Ted Larsen could be new face of the Bucs.
- Tim Graham (ESPN) Playing the field: How NFL surfaces rate.
- Martin Fennelly (Tampa Tribune) No one wins when NFL labor talks pit millionaires vs. billionaires.
- Paul Daugherty (SI) From sordid to stupid, Super Bowl excess often can be unbearable.