PatsBlog: A Patriots Blog

BREAKING NEWS 6:00 PM

 The Patriots have placed linebacker Rosevelt Colvin on injured reserve.  To fill Colvin’s roster spot, the Patriots resigned linebacker Chad Brown.  Colvin is out with a foot injury, suffered in Sunday night’s game.  The injury will force Junior Seau into the starting lineup for the first time this season.  Seau has been seeing a few less snaps recently, it will be interesting to see how he fills in.  The great thing about having Junior on the field more will be the energy that he provides.  Seau, is underrated for what he does in terms of team chemistry.  Nonetheless, it will be very tough moving on without Colvin.

Also, the Patriots have activated receiver Troy Brown.  It will be great to see Troy back in action.  However, to make room for Brown, the Patriots released defensive lineman Kareem Brown.  The release of Brown makes Brandon Meriweather the lone remaining rookie from the 2007 draft class (Oscar Lua and Mike Richardson are on IR).  If Brown clears waivers, he will be signed to the practice squad.

I also would like to send out my best wishes to Sean Taylor’s family.  Taylor was one of the best safeties in the game, and he will really be missed.

A couple of months back, I wrote an article titled, “Maroney is the Man.” Looking back two months later, it almost seems as if Maroney is NOT the man.

After successive injuries, Laurence Maroney missed back-to-back-to-back games. And since he came back, his role has been greatly diminished. Although he has scored his first two touchdowns of the season in back to back games, he hasn’t been getting the reps he is used to. Instead, he is getting limited carries, splitting time with Kevin Faulk.

Then, Sunday night against the Eagles, Maroney didn’t even take a snap in the first half. Not one! This came one week after getting only six carries after a mysterious ankle injury. So that brings up the question, why isn’t Maroney getting playing time?

After the game on Sunday, Belichick said that he runs the offense based on whatever will score him the most points. But lets be honest, how often do we buy into what Belichick has to say?

I’ve been wondering if Maroney could be in the dog house. There has been rumor that he hasn’t been running with all of his vigor, and I wonder if that could be a factor in his limited playing time.

Keep in mind that Laurence Maroney is one of my favorite players on the team. However, I am beginning to wonder if he is the running back of the future. I wonder if Belichick would prefer to limit his carries, and have him split time with somebody else, say, Darren McFadden.

If it was up to me, I would run Maroney 20 times a game, but the decision is up to Belichick, and it is starting to look like he doesn’t believe Maroney (aka Kool-Aid and Lomo) can fit that role.

The following is a paraphrase from every major sports resource: 

The world is ending!  There is a blueprint to beating the Patriots!  The Patriots aren’t going to win the Superbowl!  The Eagles showed the Patriots whose boss!  The unbeatable can be beaten!

In all honesty, this is what was going on after Sunday night’s 31-28 victory over the Eagles.  I guess everyone that said these things are right, the Eagles really did show how the Patriots can be beaten with an unexpected vict-

 Wait a sec!  The Eagles didn’t win, did they?  Last time I checked, the Patriots dominated the ball on offense, didn’t turn the ball over, and forced three turnovers on defense en route to a narrow victory.  But according to every media outlet in existence, there is now a “blueprint” to beating the Patriots.  Oh really?  I don’t see anything in the loss column as of yet.

 So for every panicking Patriots fan out there; calm down.  The Patriots haven’t lost yet, and they even won when they played their worst game of the season.  And for everyone who thinks there is a blueprint to beating the Patriots, you can calm down as well, because as far as I can see, the Patriots haven’t been defeated this season. 

Sure, you can create a blueprint for a project, but completing that project is an entirely different task. 

 That doesn’t mean that this game didn’t have any importance.  Believe me, it did.  The Patriots learned that they cannot slack one bit.  The average NFL team would have been enthralled with the way the Patriots played, however, the Patriots were down just a little bit from their performance, and it showed.  The Eagles did everything they could, and they gave the Patriots a challenge.

 With five weeks left, things are going to get real interesting.

With the Buffalo Bills loss to the Jaguars, the Patriots have clinched the 2007 AFC East division title.At 10-0, the next best team in the AFC is the Colts at 8-2.  So, the magic number for 1st seed is four, because the Patriots have the head-to-head victory.  So, the Colts need to finish a full game ahead to place first. Since the Patriots will likely finish with the 1st seed, I have to wonder, if it comes down to a meaningless final couple of weeks, will Belichick go for undefeated, or will he play the backups? 

First , I’m sorry I haven’t updated the site in the while, I’ve been having problems with my internet connection lately. It’s back up, so I should be posting at least once per day from here on out.

Last week, against the Bills, both Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk went down with 1st half injuries. Although they didn’t seem serious, they looked like nagging injuries, that could hold them out for a week or two, or at least make them game time decisions. However, unexpectedly, both showed at practice this week, and both will play in the game.

Although Evans and Eckel played well in last weeks rout, it’s better to have our #1 and #2, so that the Patriots can control the ground, against a strong Eagles defense.

This is from Elizabeth Merrill, on ESPN.  It is really an interesting look on Belichick, and although lengthy, I suggest you read the whole thing.  Here is a snippet:

So now Belichick was asking another favor from his friend, and Ingraham agreed to play the party on one condition: if Belichick agreed to sing one song himself.

“There was a pause on the phone,” Ingraham says.

“What do I have to sing?” Belichick asked. Ingraham said he’d come up with something.

Another pause. “OK,” Belichick finally said. “But it’ll be my song.”

He decided on The Clovers’ 1959 hit “Love Potion No. 9,” rehearsed in a guest house and dabbled with props. Belichick got up on the stage, belted out the 2-minute tune, and swigged from a flask — non-alcoholic, of course — for effect.

His three children were stunned.

“He brought down the whole house,” Ingraham says. “He was so into it. Anyone who thinks this guy is cold, stiff, calculating, I wish they could’ve seen that performance. It’s as human as we can be. He was up there on a stage, entertaining, smiling, not under the influence of anything but ginger ale. It was a fabulous moment that anyone who was there will never forget because this was the guy at his happiest, with his friends and family playing rock ‘n’ roll.”

Ah, but memories are all they have. After the show, Belichick had all video of the performance confiscated.

This is From Yahoo! Sports:

The NFL may have concluded that the Indianapolis Colts weren’t cheating against the New England Patriots on Sunday, but one of their own security guards is allegedly telling a different story according to WBZ-TV in Boston.

A day after some unusual sounds were heard during the Colts-Patriots broadcast Sunday, the NFL issued a statement saying what sounded like simulated crowd noise at the RCA Dome was actually created by the CBS production crew, not the Colts.

But WBZ Photojournalist Bryan Foley says an unidentified RCA Dome security guard told him Sunday that the Colts do enhance the crowd noise.

“He said, ‘I don’t know if you know this, but they actually pick up the crowd noise and pump it back through the P.A. (public address system)’”

This is all screwed up…  To the Patriots, Colts, Dolphins, and the entire NFL, can’t you just play the game the way it’s supposed to be played?

From the Boston Herald:

”He would absolutely, positively be interested in coming back to play for the Patriots,” Feldman said of the 32-year-old back. ”When Sammy Morris got injured, he kind of got an inkling, he got the idea something may happen down the road. So he started working out a couple weeks ago to get in shape so that if an opportunity presented itself, he’d be ready to take advantage of it.”

Dillon, let go by the team after last season, is a free agent. He is semi-retired, but has fielded offers from other teams. None have been to his liking.

”Corey has had opportunities to join a number of teams, but he always told me the only team that he’d ever come back for, would be for the Patriots,” Feldman said.

When asked if there had been any communication with the Patriots since Morris went down to injury in the Dallas game, Feldman refused comment. No surprise there.

My guess is that Belichick and Pioli don’t want Corey back, but I’m glad to see that Corey would be willing to return.  He would be strongly desired with Maroney oft-injured, Morris out, and Faulk… playing his role (as always, you know… he should be called Mr. Reliable).

Well, I know it seems to early to talk draft, but with San Fransisco becoming frequent losers, I’m starting to get overly excited at the possibility of a top 5 pick.  Here’s what I’m thinking:

Round 1, Pick 5: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas

Although we have Laurence Maroney, there is LT-esque potential in McFadden.  Darren is a rare breed in the NFL, and would make an amazing addition next to Laurence Maroney in the backfield.  Next year, the Pats would give Maroney about 20 carries, with McFadden 10-15, and in 2009, it would be an even split.  We would have the potential for two 1000 yard backs, and insurance if either of them ever went down.  Other possibility: James Lauranaitis, LB, Ohio State (would fit more of a need [youth at linebacker]).

Round 2, Pick 64: DeJuan Tribble, CB, Boston College

Cornerback is an obvious need for this team, and Tribble has the potential to be a star in this league.  Will he be around here?  If he is, will he fit within the Patriot’s system?

Round 3, Pick 96: Bo Ruud, LB, Nebraska

Ruud has a lot of talent, and fits a need at linebacker.  He could very possibly be around he, and could be a potential candidate to replace Bruschi inside.  The question is, can he fit into the 3-4?

Ah… the latest cheating accusation.  Yahoo! reports:

The NFL is looking into allegations that the Indianapolis Colts piped in noise during the game Sunday between the Colts and the Patriots. The charge comes after Patriots President Jonathan Kraft became the latest NFL team executive to accuse the Colts of the distracting tactic that is against the rules.

“We’re aware of it and we’re looking into it,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday. “It may just be the TV feed from CBS, but we’re checking it out.”

Observers at the game said there seemed to be a “skip” in the sound during the game Sunday, which the Patriots won 24-20. That might confirm the long-held suspicion among many people in the NFL that the Colts play loud crowd noise to help distract opponents when the other team is on offense.

“We’re aware of the accusations, but there has never been anything to substantiate it,” Aiello said.

A Patriots spokesman said Monday the team plans no formal protest to the league.

Kraft approached NFL Vice President of Security Milt Ahlerich after Kraft and his parents, Patriots owners Bob and Myra Kraft, left the Patriots locker room after the game.

Kraft was angry as he told Ahlerich the league needed to look into the allegation. Ahlerich is the same person who confiscated a videotape made by the Patriots during a game against the New York Jets in Week 2 that led to the Spygate controversy.

In addition, New England quarterback Tom Brady also commented on how loud it was in the RCA Dome.

“I don’t know how you measure levels of being deaf, but we couldn’t hear anything out there,” Brady said.

I don’t think it matters all that much from a Patriots perspective, but on a league scale, it’s a big deal.  I the NFL’s two powerhouses are both found to be cheaters, that will mean there are real issues with the league.  By the way, I think this is a bigger deal than the Patriots’ incident, because this incident would directly affect every single game played at the RCA dome.