Blog-Links: December 31, 2007

A great read breaking down the Patriots season since their loss in the 2006 AFC Championship game.

Season was exciting, and perfectly unpredictable - by Mike Reiss

Breakdown of how the Patriots finished off the season statistically.

Final stat check - by Mike Reiss

Points scored: 1st (589, 38.6 per game)

Points allowed: 4th (274, 17.1 per game)

Turnover difference: 3rd (plus-16; 31 takeaways, 15 giveaways)

Third-down offense: 2nd (92 of 191, 48.2 percent)

Third-down defense: 4th (63 of 187, 33.7 percent)

Red-zone offense: 2nd (72 possessions, 50 TDs, 69.4 percent TD rate)

Red-zone defense: 27th (41 possessions, 24 Tds, 58.5 percent opponents TD rate)

Waiting in the wings...

The Patriots opening game of the playoffs will be Saturday, Jan. 12, at 8 p.m.

Top Seeds: Patriots, Colts, Cowboys, Packers

Saturday, Jan. 5
Washington at Seattle (NBC, 4:30 p.m.)
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Sunday, Jan. 6
N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay (Fox, 1 p.m.)
Tennessee at San Diego (CBS, 4:30 p.m.)

Personally I wish the Colts had played out last night and that the Browns made it into the playoffs. I understand though that the Colts had nothing to play for, and that the Browns' hurt their own destiny of making the playoffs.

Based on how the season ended, I like Washington (on the road), Jacksonville (on the road), NY Giants (on the road) and San Diego (at home). Except for the San Diego game, all of these are tough picks and could go either way! Not sure how hurt Tennessee QB Vince Young is yet.

Not the only team in the record setting business

Colts WR Reggie Wayne completed 12 receptions for 87 yards in tonights game before being pulled for the night. Wayne played just long enough to surpass Patriots WR Randy Moss for the receiving yards title. Coincidence? *smile* Dungy was giving Wayne the chance to become just the 16th player in NFL history with at least 1,500 in a season. "When you get that close to a milestone," Dungy said, "it would be nice to do. It would be a well-deserved thing."

Passing Yards
1. Tom Brady NE 4806 (50 TDs)
2. Drew Brees NO 4423
3. Tony Romo DAL 4211
4. Brett Favre GB 4155
5. Carson Palmer CIN 4131

Rushing Yards
1. LaDainian Tomlinson SD 1474 (18 TDs)
2. Adrian Peterson MIN 1341
3. Brian Westbrook PHI 1333
4. Willie Parker PIT 1316
5. Jamal Lewis CLE 1304

Receiving Yards
1. Reggie Wayne IND 1510
2. Randy Moss NE 1493 (23 TDs)
3. Chad Johnson CIN 1440
4. Larry Fitzgerald ARI 1409
5. Terrell Owens DAL 1355

Still Believe!

Although the Patriots went 16 - 0 regular season, there are still those out there that don't believe they can go 3 - 0 through the playoffs based on their current level of play in games (don't confuse offensive play vs. defensive play).

Info by David Yudkin
In 2001 they won 8 games by 10 points or less
In 2003 they won 11 games by 10 points or less
In 2004 they won 7 games by 10 points or less
In 2007 they've won 5 games by 10 points or less (so far)

The road to the Super Bowl could be as follows:
Steelers or Jaguars @ HOME
Colts @ HOME
Cowboys or Packers in ARIZONA

The Patriots have beaten three of the five teams listed already once this season. Jacksonville could be a scary match-up out of the bunch.

Regular Season:
Jets 38-14
Chargers 38-14 (playoff bound)
Bills 38-7
Bengals 34-13
Browns 34-17
Cowboys 48-27 (playoff bound)
Dolphins 49-28
Redskins 52-7 (playoff bound)
Colts 24-20 (playoff bound)
Bye
Bills 56-10
Eagles 31-28
Ravens 27-24
Steelers 34-13 (playoff bound)
Jets 20-10
Dolphins 28-7
Giants 38-35 (playoff bound)

2007: Good Year for New England Sports

Red Sox Baseball: American League Champs, World Series Champs

Patriots Football: AFC East Champs, Go 16 - 0, Playoff bound

Celtics Basketball: Currently 26 - 3

Revolution Soccer: Runner up in the MLS Championship game

BC Eagles College Football: Eleven wins, something no BC team had accomplished since 1940, a division championship, an eighth straight bowl win

Something had to be sacrificed...sorry BRUINS!

Looking forward to 2008!

Blog-Links: December 30, 2007

It's Sweet 16 - 0 for Historic Patriots - By Christopher L. Gasper

Pats Play: Ups and Downs - by Mike Reiss

Bill's reaction - by Mike Reiss

Tom's Take - by Mike Reiss

Randy Reacts - by Mike Reiss

'72 Dolphins react - by Mike Reiss

Pats chatter - by Mike Reiss

Patriots Record Setting Night!

Passing Touchdown Record: Tom Brady

Receiving Touchdown Record: Randy Moss
Highest Scoring Team: 589

Undefeated Season: 16 - 0

I love that the Giants came to play tonight! It makes all of these records more meaningful, than just gift wrapped records by players sitting out week 17! As many have said already though, without a Super Bowl win, 16 - 0 just will not cut it this season. Seems so strange to say!

Tainted Season? 16 * 0

No way! 16 - 0!

Week 1 of the NFL 2007 season started the Patriot season at the Meadowlands with Spygate. Week 17 ended the Patriot’s season at the Meadowlands with a perfect 16 – 0. How will history view the Patriots perfect season though?

Due to SPYGATE, the NFL fined Coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the New England Patriots $250,000 plus a first round draft pick in the 2008 NFL draft (harshest penalty handed out in the history of the NFL). By doing this, Goodell branded the Patriots as cheaters. Bill Belichick’s take on Spygate was that he “misinterpreted” the memorandum that was sent out by the NFL. This was a costly misinterpretation!

There were also accusations by other teams (Lions, Packers) that this was not the first time the Patriots had tried to video tape signals. Everyone came out of the woodwork with his or her opinions on Spygate, from outrage (Tony Dungy) to acceptance (Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long). The NFL tried to gain control of the situation at the beginning of the season by confiscating all of the video tapes kept by the Patriots. The NFL felt the Patriots gained no competitive edge by the tapes and destroyed them. Many felt it was wrong to destroy the tapes without letting the public see what was on them first. It smelled of an NFL cover-up. All of this cast the Patriots in a bad light. Should all of their previous success this decade have an * placed next to it? Only sports historians in years to come will be able to answer this one.

What Spygate really did was cause the Patriots to play with a chip on their shoulders! That is always a bad thing! Players like Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi were outraged that people felt they had cheated. If there were any questions still lingering about how well these Patriots players can perform, you only have to point back to this season.

Does Spygate taint the 16 - 0 Record? Not to this Pats fan!!!

Onto the Playoffs!

BTW, I still like QB Trent Green comparing Belichick to the megalomaniacal Marine played by Jack Nicholson in the movie "A Few Good Men." "Belichick is sitting there, and you know he is getting peeved that he is even in there -- the audacity to bring him in and question him," Green said, laughing. "The visual I have is that eventually Belichick kind of snapped and said, 'You're darn right I [did].' "

Brady and Bruschi chime in

QB Tom Brady's view of tonights game:
Brady has made it clear the only record he cares about is 16-0. "If you take any energy away from that as a goal, then you're really not doing yourself or your team any justice," he said. "Maybe when you look back at the end of your career you look at those things and it's a cool thing to have, but everything I've experienced in the NFL and the greatest moments I've had is not when you throw five touchdown passes. It's when you win championships."

Tedy Bruschi's view of tonights game:
"To be undefeated in the [16-game] regular season is something that has never been done before. When you're faced with that, it's a challenge and you want to face that challenge and achieve it. I think that will all be in the back of our minds, and of course all the attention to this game, being on three different networks. But how do we win the game? We have to focus on the Giants and what we have to do to stop them."

Vince Lombardi:
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score? *SMILE*

2008 NFL Draft - Eighth Pick Overall to the Patriots?

This looks like how it will end up once week 17 is in the books. This pick from the 49ers actually looked to be a top four pick earlier in the season if it was not for San Francisco's surprising wins against Arizona and Tampa Bay. Both of these games easily could have (and should have) been losses for the 49ers.

In the Arizona game, the 49ers sacked Kurt Warner, which forced a fumble recovered by Tully Banta-Cain in the end zone to win the game. Neil Rackers had missed the winning field goal earlier in the game.

In the Tampa Bay game, Gruden benched many of the starters in the second half of the game, since they were already going to the playoffs. In the end, the Bucs failed to convert on their two-point try that could have tied the game. Thanks for nothing Chucky!

Had this ended up being a top four pick, I think the Patriots would have tried to trade out of it. At pick eight though, there is a good chance that ILB James Laurinaitis could still be available (I am assuming both DE Chris Long, and OT Jake Long will be gone by this pick). I could see the Patriots drafting Laurinaitis instead of trying to trade this pick away. Laurinaitis would be an ideal replacement for Tedy Bruschi, who is nearing the end of his career.

Undefeated VS. Perfection

There is talk about the Patriots having the Perfect Season, but Coach Bill Belichick has repeatedly said there is no such thing as a perfect game and has been quick to keep his team humble via humble pie!

RB Kevin Faulk:
"He comes in every week and lets us know pretty much straightforward the mistakes that we've made, the things that we've done as a team that we have to correct," said Faulk. "And it's legitimate stuff where you really have to be like, 'Wow, if we play like this next week, we're going to lose.' "

CB Ellis Hobbs:
"That's why he's our leader," cornerback Ellis Hobbs said recently. "That's why he's our coach, because he shows us this is how you win. This is how you go into the next game. The whole just kind of distasteful looks he gives is just a sense of being focused, and that he's staying focused on the task at hand."

QB Tom Brady:
"I really feel you can have a perfect record. I don't know if anybody's perfect," said quarterback Tom Brady. "I haven't experienced that. We all make mistakes, and we all try to learn from them and try to work hard to achieve [our] goals."

My Take: 16 – 0 will be nice, but without a Super Bowl win on top, it will just end up being another footnote in the history of the National Football League.

Patriots Tidbit

Caught this one on a discussion board

If the Bucs give up more points this weekend than the Patriots, the Patriots will finish the year with both the No. 1 scoring defense and the No. 1 scoring offense for only the third time in NFL history, joining the 96 Packers and 72 Dolphins in accomplishing such a feat.

I checked this one out closer on NFL.com. The Bucs and Pats are tied at 239 pts allowed. The Steelers are at 242, Colts at 246, and Seahawks at 247. This race still seems a little too close to call!

GO PATS!

Oh Giants, come out and play!

It looks like the Pats vs. Giants game might not be a meaningless game after all if the Giant players have a say in the matter. Many felt the Giants have nothing to play for, and would rest many of their players, giving the Patriots an easy win week 17.

QB Eli Manning:
"We want to see where we stand. Right now, our mindset is we're going to play the whole game and we're going to play to win," Eli Manning said. "It's not a must-win game, we're already in the playoffs, but we still see it as an opportunity against one of the best teams in the league to see if we can execute our game plan."

WR Plaxico Burress:
"No one in here is screaming 'Let's rest,' I can tell you that," Burress said after practice Wednesday. "Guys want to play. It's the last regular-season game and its home. Guys won't want to sit down."

Note: Burress needs only 59 more receiving yards for the fourth 1,000-yard season of his career (He was 12 yards short of the mark last season).

RB Brandon Jacobs:
"I expect to get out and play and try to win the game," Jacobs said. "Coach Coughlin said we're going to play to win the game."

Note: Jacobs is only 58 rushing yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards for the first time in his three-year career.

QB Tom Brady:
"They're very talented, definitely Strahan and Osi should take the weekend off," Brady cracked. "I'd rest them, I know that, definitely would not play those two. I'm lobbying for that. Coach Coughlin, if you're listening, definitely rest those guys [laughter]."

My take: The Giant really do not have anything to fight for in this game except pride in stopping the Patriots from going 16 - 0. If the game stays close, I think the starters continue to play. If the game gets out of hand early, you might see the Giants start pulling their players. You have to remember this is a home game for the Giants, and a few of their players are close in setting some personal season records as well. The players want to play! They have to keep their eye on the playoffs though.

The 2008 New England Patriots table has been set

Here is how the New England Patriots schedule is shaping up for 2008:

Home Games:

• Bills
• Broncos
• Cardinals
• Chiefs
• Dolphins
• Jets
• Rams
• Steelers

Road Games:

• Bills
• Chargers
• Colts
• Dolphins
• 49ers
• Jets
• Raiders
• Seahawks

My Take: Four road games to the West Coast? (Chargers, 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks) Here is hoping the NFL schedules some of these games back to back so the Pats are not zigzagging back and forth across the US all season!

Bill Belichick as Santa Claus?

Patriots go for the Perfect Season...You just have to love this picture!

"Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, something new comes along,” Belichick chuckled. “It’s a pretty funny and strange use of technology. I doubt there are many kids out there dreaming about their pictures on magazine covers quite like that but I’ll take it as a compliment that someone decided to turn me into Santa Claus.”

What’s on the line for the Patriots week 17?

Here are four records I think will be broken week 17.

Undefeated Season: Against the 10-5 playoff-bound Giants, the 15-0 Patriots on Saturday will seek to become the first NFL team to run the table and finish the 16 game regular season undefeated. The last time this was done was the when the Miami Dolphins went 14-0 in 1972 (shorter season).

Passing Touchdown Record: Quarterback Tom Brady (currently with 48 TDs this season) is in position to break Peyton Manning’s NFL record of 49 passing touchdowns in a single season (set in 2004)

Receiving Touchdown Record: Wide Receiver Randy Moss (currently with 21 TDs this season) is in position to break Jerry Rice’s NFL record of 22 receiving touchdowns in a single season (set in 1987).

Highest Scoring Team: With six points, the Patriots will become the highest scoring team in one NFL season, breaking the Minnesota Vikings’ total points of 556 (set in 1998).

Best of all, the NFL has arranged with broadcast television partners CBS and NBC for an unprecedented three-way national simulcast of the NFL Network telecast of Saturday night’s game…the bad part is that BRYANT GUMBEL will be on all three of them! lol

What's a blog, anyway?

OK, this will be my first attempt at doing a blog. What is a blog though and what am I getting myself into?

The definition of a blog (short for weblog) is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Well I can check off the online part as completed. Since this is my first entry, I guess will have to work harder on the frequently part! In addition, since no one knows I am doing a blog yet, I guess I will have to work on the general public consumption part as well. Only time will tell if I become a successful blogger (i.e. one who blogs).

Looking deeper into blogging (i.e. the act of keeping a blog), it is a frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and web links. Chronological means in order, and I definitely have the habit of jumping around on various topics. If it enters my mind, it could end up in my blog. You been warned! LOL Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject. I have decided to dedicate my blog to information about the New England Patriots, the National Football League, and Fantasy Football. I think that will give me plenty of subject material to write on. I know it is late in the football season, but better later than never!

Just a little about myself and my Blog name. I was born in Massachusetts in 1967 and learned two things at an early age: Hate the Yankees, and hate the Jets! LOL Yes I am a true blue New Englander...I moved to Pennsylvania in 2001, but still support my New England Teams!

Disclaimer: I am not part of the Patriots Organization nor am I the Commissioner of the National Football League (yet!). That means that my blog will contain the regurgitation of others news and notes that are reported on the World Wide Web (credited of course), with my own personal spin on subject matter.