New England Patriots Links 9/10/12 - Ridley Runs Circles Around CJ2K in Pats 34-13 Win Over Titans

Mary Paoletti says Stevan Ridley never dreamed he'd get 21 carries in New England's 2012 debut.

"When you have days like today when you're running the ball well, you can definitely feel it. But there were some runs that were there and some that weren't. The coaches just did an exceptional job of finding the ones that were doing well and they just kept calling them until they stopped them. The offensive line was just blocking and getting on people. There was bodies on bodies and I just had to hit my creases and run.

"I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I was just the player that I was and out there playing ball."

"It's been a dream come true, to be out there playing on a Sunday," Ridley said. "I'm blessed to just get out there and play. 21 carries, that's a higher number than what I was expecting, but I'm okay, I came out of the game injury free, and that's all I can ask for. I'm just grateful that my team did a good job for me."

"I think it's a little bit better than I envisioned," he grinned. "We have to get better every week and improve, we can't be satisfied. I'm not satisfied. I'm going to enjoy this win today and the game that I had today but we have to get back to work on Monday. That's how we live and breathe around there and that's how we're going to get it. We have a stepping stone to work with."

Field Yates highlights Tom Brady's appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show this morning.

The quarterback joked that a "scratched nose" wouldn't be enough to keep him out of the game considering the fact that offensive guard Logan Mankins played the 2011 season with a torn ACL.

"You talk about mind over matter, and love and mental toughness that goes into playing game, and certainly he's the guy that sets the tone for the whole offense, and that entrie offensive line group, they never complain," Brady said of Mankins. "And they just keep going out to battle, and you've got a guy like Logan who's got an injury that every single other person that I've ever known misses the year, and he has a Pro Bowl season. His toughness, his attitude, what he brings to our team in terms of his work ethic and his attitude is really unmatched. Its really a great example for all the guys on our team, both the young guys and the veterans, your commitment to the team, and really it takes precedent over what you may feel on a daily basis. He's as tough as they come."

TEAM TALK

• Post Game Notes: Patriots 34 Titans 13 - Records set, milestones reached and trends continued.
• Post Game Quotes: Patriots and Titans.
• Post Game Pressers: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
• Patriots Today - Wrapping up the Patriots win. (3.40 min. video)
• Locker Room Uncut - Hear from the winning locker room. (2.39 min. video)
• Sun Life Postgame Show with Adam Jones. (2 hour program)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss reacts to the Patriots win over the Titans and tells us what it means.
• Mike Rodak sees improvement from the offensive line in the opener.
• Karen Guregian writes about the Patriots finally having the playmakers on defense that they've so sorely been missing.
• Mike Reiss reports from LP Field after the Patriots' impressive 34-13 season-opening win over the Titans. (1.44 min. video)
• Karen Guregian says that after their first miscue, the Brady-to-Lloyd show was actually quite good, and quite effective when it mattered.
• Tom E. Curran reviews his Patriots-Titans preview. So to speak.
• Mike Reiss notes the presence of two new difference-makers on defense: Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower.
• Christopher Price tells us what we learned Sunday: Chandler Jones gives the defense something to dance about.
• Daniel Marks picks his play of the game: The 1-2 punch of the Chandler Jones-Dont'a Hightower strip & sack, scoop & score.
• Kirk Minihane points out the key moment: Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower combining for a 2nd-quarter TD.
• Mike Petraglia highlights Vince Wilfork's post game remarks. "I think we'll do some special things." Me too, Vince.
• Ron Borges writes Stevan Ridley made it clear that while running the football may be out of favor in the NFL, it still works.
• Mary Paoletti says Stevan Ridley never dreamed he'd get 21 carries in New England's 2012 debut.
• Field Yates reviews the first half of the Pats game and offers some additional observations.
• Mike Reiss charts the snaps played by offensive skill-position players and wonders about Welker's reduced workload.
• Mike Reiss takes a look at the snaps played by Patriots defenders and notes how quickly Chandler Jones has earned the confidence of the coaching staff.
• Jeff Howe says about the only thing that went wrong yesterday was Rob Gronkowski's whiffed spike attempt.
• Chad Finn finds a few firsts in a performance so thoroughly entertaining that next Sunday's matchup with the Cardinals already feels much too far away.
• Mike Reiss gives us his 3 up and 3 down for the Patriots.
• Christopher Price tells us what went right and what went wrong in Sunday's roll-over of the Titans.
• Mary Paoletti posts her Best and Worst from Pats-Titans.
• Dan Duggan picks his Best and Worst from Sunday in Tennessee.
• Tom E. Curran lists the superlatives for the 2012 Patriots.
• Mike Rodak grades the Patriots with high marks in their opener.
• Kirk Minihane states the Patriots are everything the Red Sox aren't.

NATIONAL NEWS

• NFL Game Center - New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans. Recap, stats, analysis and highlights.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Pats roll over Titans, as Chris Johnson gets bottled up.
• James Walker (ESPN) AFC East on Forbes list.
• Peter King (SI) MMQB: Manning, Griffin steal show with stellar performances in Week 1.
• Don Banks (SI) Snap judgments: Week 1.
• Chris Burke (SI) First down, fourth down: The good and bad from Week 1.
• Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) NFL Sunday game notes.

VIEW FROM TENNESSEE

• Jim Wyatt (The Tennessean) Tennessee Titans lose to New England 34-13.
• Teresa M. Walker (Titansonline.com) Mistakes cost Titans in season opening loss.
• John Glennon (The Tennessean) Tennessee Titans struggle vs. Patriots' offense.
• John Glennon (The Tennessean) Chris Johnson has his worst game yet, carrying 11 times for only 4 yards.
• Jim Wyatt and John Glennon (The Tennessean) Titans unhappy with replacement refs.