Patriots' Mayo wins defensive Rookie of the Year award

I guess no one is questioning taking linebacker Jerod Mayo at the 10th overall pick any more. Mayo was named the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year, earning 49 of a possible 50 votes.

Mayo, a quick and physical inside linebacker led the Patriots with 139 tackles this season. Mayo led the Patriots in tackles seven times, with five games of at least 10 stops. His best performance came in a 34-31 overtime loss to the Jets when he finished with 23 tackles, 17 solo.

"It definitely was a surprise [to come in and contribute so much immediately]. Those guys had won 18 games last season, so there wasn’t too much in my mind to improve on an 18-win team. But the opportunity presented itself to go in and play, [the coaches] had the confidence to put me in the game, and hopefully, I didn't disappoint." -- Patriots LB Jerod Mayo

"Jerod's done a lot for us. We've asked a lot of him and from Day 1 he's really been a well-prepared, very mature player who can do a lot of things: play the running game, play in the passing game, blitz, helps us in the kicking game." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

Pats could tag then trade QB Matt Cassel

What the heck are the Patriots going to do with Matt Cassel? Under normal circumstances, they'd probably say sayonara to the backup who emerged from Tom Brady's shadow and forged a borderline Pro Bowl season. But with questions persisting over the health of Brady's surgically repaired left knee, the Patriots find themselves in a bind. If the Pats let Cassel walk rather than pay him No. 1 money, they run the risk of having no starting quarterback should Brady suffer a setback. But if they put the franchise tag on him for roughly $12 million and Brady returns to full health, they will sport one of the most expensive backups in history at 10 percent of 2009's $123 million salary cap. Their other option would be to franchise and then trade Cassel and receive a return on their four-year investment in him rather than letting him leave for nothing. It's unlikely the sides would reach a long-term contract agreement, since barring a career-ending setback, Brady is the team's present and future QB and that's the end of that. -- Boston Herald

Patriots Scott Pioli Interested in Browns' job; McDaniels on the Radar

Patriots Scott Pioli Interested in Browns' job:

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has updated its initial report regarding the Browns' interest in Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli. As a Patriot fan, I would hate to lose Scott Pioli!

Scott Pioli, the New England Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel, is believed to be very interested in the Browns general manager job and is expected to interview for the position soon, multiple league sources told The Plain Dealer today.

The Browns have been granted permission by the Patriots to interview Pioli and could talk to him as soon as Tuesday. Pioli has also been contacted by either the Kansas City Chiefs or Detroit Lions and will interview for that job as well, a source said.

Josh McDaniels on the Radar for Browns' Head Coaching Position:

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is on the list of candidates that owner Randy Lerner is considering for the Cleveland Browns' head coaching vacancy, the Associated Press reports today.

McDaniels has roots in Ohio, as he was born in Barberton, Ohio and attended Canton McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio.

Patriots GM Pioli has interest from Browns

New England GM Scott Pioli is compelling to the Browns and other teams. He brings the sense of leadership, but is he finally ready to leave the NFL's model organization? Pioli worked in Cleveland under Bill Belichick in the early 1990s, and he is good friends with Tribe GM Mark Shapiro and Cavs GM Danny Ferry. The Browns believe Pioli would bring the same sense of stability to any NFL team that Shapiro and Ferry have delivered to their franchises. -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

Patriots vs Bills: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Final 2008 Edition)

Patriots Game 16: Patriots 13 - Bills 0

As a Patriots fan, it was awful to have to pin your play-off hopes on the Jets winning. I just could not cheer for the Jets…it just seemed so wrong! I decided I would just cheer against the Dolphins! In the end, the Jets let us Patriot fans down (you just knew they would!), and there will be no post season for the Patriots. I do tip my hat to the Dolphins though…what a difference a season makes. Represent the AFC East Proud!

The Good:

New England's special teams made the difference in a game played amid wind gusts of up to 55 miles per hour. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski connected on 2-of-3 field goals, while Punter Chris Hanson averaged 48 yards on four punts.

The Patriots won with a rushing attack that produced 168 yards and ate up 32 minutes of the clock.

In going 6-of-8 for 78 yards, Quarterback Matt Cassel's 12-yard completion into the wind to Wide Receiver Wes Welker on fourth down set up Running back Lamont Jordan's score. He also hit Welker for a 14-yard pass on third down in helping set up Gostkowski's 23-yard field goal that put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter.

Cassel also rushed three times for 19 yards and chipped in with a 57-yard punt late in the game. Note: It will be interesting to see what the Patriots do about Matt Cassel in 2009.

The Bad:

The conditions were so bad that the goal posts had to be centered three times before game time, and again in the second quarter before Gostkowski missed a 26-yard attempt. Another stoppage came in the third quarter, when referee Gene Steratore had his hat blown off and was forced to chase it 20 yards downfield in front of a cheering crowd.

The Ugly:

The Patriots were knocked out of the playoff picture Sunday afternoon when both the Dolphins and Ravens won their games (Guess not every team can be as lucky as the Philadelphia Eagles, who made it to the play-offs with a win over the Cowboys, and losses by the Bucs and the Bears). The Patriots have the same or better record than seven of the twelve-playoff teams.

Final Thoughts:

"I'm really proud of our team today. Going 11-5, winning the last four, coming here today, I thought we played well as a football team." -- New England Coach Bill Belichick

"As disappointed as we are that the season is over, I remain very proud of this team." -- New England Coach Bill Belichick

With one catch for 13 yards, Patriots WR Randy Moss upped his career total to 13,201 yards, moving to ninth in the NFL, 3 yards ahead of former Buffalo star Andre Reed.

The Patriots became the first 11-5 team to miss the playoffs since Denver fell short in 1985.

Brady behind on recovery schedule

Tom E. Curran, of NBCsports.com, reports today that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is behind schedule in his recovery:

Brady, who had the ACL and MCL in his left knee ripped in the first quarter of the season’s first game, is well behind schedule in coming back from the surgery performed in early October, the source said.

The problem began with the infection that set in soon after the Oct. 6 surgery performed by Los Angeles-based doctor Neil ElAttrache.

After the infection was detected, Brady went through six weeks of antibiotics and surgical irrigation of the infected area. The infection finally cleared but as it currently stands, both the ACL and MCL remain “loose,” the league source said. Meanwhile, scar tissue that built up in the knee as Brady’s body battled the infection is still present and might need to be surgically removed.

Bill has a Heart...

Tuesday is a regular day off for the New England Patriot players, but the Patriots have shuffled their schedule this week. Coach Bill Belichick had the players practice on Tuesday to give them Christmas off.

And you thought Bill was the Grinch!

Merry Christmas Everyone...

Will the Jets help the Pats?

According to a Boston Globe report, the Jets-Dolphins game on Sunday, as well as the Ravens-Jaguars game, have both been moved to 4:15 PM EST start times. The Patriots-Bills game will remain at 1:00 PM EST. What this sets up is the likelihood that, if the Patriots win, the Jets will already know if their season is over and therefore possibly reduce their motivation to beat Miami. A Ravens loss also puts the Jets in the playoffs, but the Ravens are at home against a weak Jacksonville team and are not expected to lose that game. In short, the season still comes down to how badly the Jets want to beat Miami and thus put the Patriots in the playoffs if they win at Buffalo.

Patriots vs. Cardinals: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 15: Patriots 47 - Cardinals 7

The Good:

Despite inclement conditions, Quarterback Matt Cassel completed 20-of-36 passes (55.6 percent) for 345 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, good for a 116.1 passer rating.

Wide receiver Wes Welker returned an Arizona punt 28 yards to the Cardinals’ 33-yard line, allowing the Patriots to begin their first offensive possession in Arizona territory and set up a 33-yard drive that ended in a LaMont Jordan touchdown and a 7-0 Patriots lead.

Arizona running backs Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower finished with 36 yards on 14 carries, while New England's backs totaled 170 yards on 37 carries, including New England's first two touchdowns by LaMont Jordan and 88 yards from Sammy Morris.

Wide receiver Randy Moss raced away with a 76-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from Matt Cassel on the first play of the third quarter as the Patriots extended their lead over the Cardinals to 38-0.

Brandon Meriweather recorded a strip-sack of Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart and Jarvis Green recovered for the Patriots at the Arizona 15 late in the third quarter.

The Bad:

The most trouble the Patriots seemed to have with the snow came when Welker was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for making a snow angel just beyond the end line after his touchdown as the Patriots jumped into a 28-0 lead with 1:52 left in the half. NFL definitely stands for No Fun League.

Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour left the game in the second quarter with a back injury and did not return, but the injury is not considered serious.

The Ugly:

Ummm, the Weather!


Final Thoughts:

"We are happy to win. Now, we have to get back at it and get back into the division against Buffalo next week. Whatever else happens, happens. There’s nothing we can do about that. We just have to do what we can do, which is win today and go out there and play well against Buffalo next week. A lot of guys played well. It’s hard to single anybody out today. We had a lot of guys step up all the way around in all three phases of the game. It was a real good team win." -- New England Coach Bill Belichick

"I’ve never played in snow before, so it was a first for me, but it actually was a lot of fun." -- New England QB Matt Cassel

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski set a Patriots single-season record with his 34th field goal, breaking the mark of 32 set by Tony Franklin in 1986.

Wide Receiver Randy Moss tied Marshall Faulk for sixth in NFL history with his 136th touchdown.

The Patriots won for the 12th consecutive time in December. New England is 10-0 at home when snow is falling at kickoff.

The Patriots have enjoyed tremendous recent success in cold weather and improved to 17-1 since 1993 when the kickoff temperature is 30 degrees or colder.

The Patriots scored 47 points today, marking their fourth game this season scoring 40 or more points, tying a Patriot team record.

Playoff Scenarios:

To earn a wild-card berth, the Patriots will need the Ravens (10-5) to lose to the Jaguars (5-10), or tie, at home in the season finale.

To win the AFC East, the Patriots will need the Dolphins (10-5) to lose to the Jets (9-6), or tie, on the road in the season finale.

Patriots get no help from the Ravens

It is not looking good for the Patriots, but there is still a glimmer of hope. The Ravens' 33-24 win over the Cowboys on Saturday night have definitely hurt the Patriots' playoff hopes. Had the Ravens lost, the Patriots would have earned a playoff spot with victories in each of their remaining two games. Now, the Patriots will need to win those two games (home vs. Arizona Sunday; at Buffalo in Week 17) and still will require some help to qualify for the playoffs because they now lose all tie-breakers.

Option 1: To earn a wild-card berth, the Patriots will need the Ravens (10-5) to lose to the Jaguars (5-10), or tie, at home in the season finale.

Option 2: To win the AFC East, the Patriots will need the Jets to lose or tie in one of their remaining two games (at Seattle on Sunday; home vs. Miami in Week 17) and the Dolphins to lose or tie in one of their remaining two games (at Kansas City on Sunday; at N.Y. Jets in Week 17). Since the Dolphins and the Jets play each other week 17, one should definitely lose. Here is hoping the Jets struggle on the West Coast.

Patriot fans, keep your fingers crossed.

Patriots vs. Raiders: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 14: Patriots 49 - Raiders 26

The Good:

WR Randy Moss caught two of Matt Cassel's career-high four touchdown passes in his first game against the Raiders since his trade to New England last season.

LaMont Jordan added a 49-yard touchdown run against his former team.

The Patriots became the first team this season to score touchdowns on its first four offensive possessions. Cassel threw TD passes to Kevin Faulk, Moss and Welker, with Morris also scoring on a 29-yard run.

Ellis Hobbs returned a kick 95 yards for another score, giving New England five touchdowns in the first 17:14 of the game.

Sammy Morris (117 yards, 14 carries, TD), LaMont Jordan (97 yards, 12 carries, TD) and Kevin Faulk (45 yards, 6 carries) lead a dominating running attack.

Receivers Wes Welker and Randy Moss team up for 12 receptions for 135 yards and three touchdowns.

Rookie cornerback Jonathan Wilhite recorded his first career interception when he picked off a JaMarcus Russell pass inside the Patriots’ 5-yard line in the second quarter.

Vince Wilfork blocked an Oakland extra point in the third quarter. The blocked extra point was the first by the Patriots since Oct. 6, 2002, when Tebucky Jones blocked an Olindo Mare extra point in the Patriots’ 26-13 loss at Miami.

The Bad:

Tight end Benjamin Watson can't hold on to the ball in the second quarter, as it bounces off his chest and leads to an interception.

The Ugly:

Kickoff coverage team Unit comprised of Heath Evans, Larry Izzo, Ray Ventrone, Kelley Washington, Mike Richardson, Lewis Sanders, Matthew Slater, Sam Aiken, Antwain Spann, Brandon Meriweather and Stephen Gostkowski surrenders a Justin Miller 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Final Thoughts:

"I just can’t say enough about Matt Cassel. I’ve been through that myself a couple years ago, I know what that’s like. I thought he did a great job in his preparation, his focus, and showed a lot of commitment to the team. He carried us a long way today. He deserves all the accolades he gets. It was a tough situation for him but he really stood up and met the challenge and played well in not the greatest conditions out there." -- New England Coach Bill Belichick

Matt Cassel's play helped keep New England (9-5) in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East with Miami and the Jets. The Patriots are also tied with Baltimore for the second wild-card spot as they try to make it back to the playoffs despite losing star quarterback Tom Brady to a season-ending injury in the opener.

Wes Welker, who had a franchise-record 112 catches in 2007, became the first player to have back-to-back 100-catch seasons with the Patriots and became the eighth player in NFL history to achieve the feat.

On a 14-yard reception from Matt Cassel in the third quarter, Randy Moss moved into the top 10 on the NFL’s all-time receiving yardage list.

The Patriots’ victory over Oakland was Bill Belichick’s 100th regular-season victory as Patriots head coach.

The Patriots improved to 22-2 in the month of December since 2003. New England has won 10 straight December games.

The Patriots improved to 9-5 on the season and have won at least nine games for the eighth straight season.

Matt Cassel threw four touchdown passes, setting a new single-game career high and tying the sixth-best single-game touchdown performance in team history.

Patriots vs. Seahawks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Patriots Game 13: Patriots 24 - Seahawks 21

The Good:

QB Matt Cassel directed his second career fourth-quarter comeback, helping to rally the Patriots to a 24-21 victory following a 21-13 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

Safety Brandon Meriweather ties for a team high with seven tackles, and surges up the middle for a strip sack, recovered by Richard Seymour, that seals the win.

Receiver Wes Welker totals a season-high 12 catches and totals 134 receiving yards, bouncing back from last week's performance against the Steelers when he was knocked out of the game in the third quarter on a Ryan Clark hit.

Linebacker Mike Vrabel plays every snap but one, finishes tied for a team high with seven tackles, and is the glue on a defense that lost starters Vince Wilfork, Tedy Bruschi and James Sanders in the first half.

RB Sammy Morris plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard scoring run to give the Patriots their first lead of the game with 2:44 left in the game.

Safety Brandon Meriweather caused a fumble on a blitz, stripping the ball from quarterback Seneca Wallace. Defensive lineman Richard Seymour recovered. The turnover will seal the win for the Patriots, 24-21.

The Bad:

The Seahawks total 134 rushing yards on 26 carries (5.2 avg.)

The Ugly:

Nose tackle Vince Wilfork (shoulder) Safety James Sanders (shoulder) and linebacker Tedy Bruschi (knee) left the game due to injury.


Final Thoughts:

"It was a great example of 60 minutes. I thought our team really did a good job of hanging in there today. We didn’t get off to a real good start, but they hung in there, they kept fighting. Just plugged away for 60 minutes and came out of there with a win." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

The Patriots (8-5) withstood injuries to three other defensive starters, a rare two-touchdown receiving day by former teammate Deion Branch and a 21-13 deficit early in the fourth quarter to improve to 21-2 in December since 2003.

Bill Belichick earned his 150th career win, including the playoffs, becoming the 17th head coach in NFL history to win 150 games

Wes Welker had 134 receiving yards, the highest single-game total by a Patriot this season.

On an 11-yard completion to Kevin Faulk in the fourth quarter, Matt Cassel exceeded 3,000 passing yards for the season, becoming the seventh player in Patriots history to throw for 3,000 yards or more in a campaign.

Veteran linebackers Junior Seau and Rosevelt Colvin each made their 2008 debuts on a second-and-six play with 13:43 left in the second quarter. Colvin was signed by the Patriots on Wednesday, Dec. 3 and Seau was signed on Friday, Dec. 5.

Pats need help to make the playoffs!

Some teams control their own post season destinies (Jets, Dolphins, Ravens, Colts, and Steelers). The same can not be said for the Patriots.

Even if the Patriots win all three of their remaining three games (at Oakland, vs. Arizona, and at Buffalo), they are not a sure thing for a playoff berth since the tie-breaking procedures under the following circumstances are not in their favor:

If the Patriots and Jets both win out to go 11-5, the tiebreaker goes to New York, which would own a better division record (5-1 to the Patriots' 4-2).

If Miami wins out to finish 11-5, they would hold the tiebreaker edge over the Patriots because of a better conference record. (That is actually the third tiebreaker in this scenario. The Patriots and Dolphins would have the same division record at 4-2 and the same record against common opponents at 2-2.)

If Baltimore wins two of three to finish 11-5, they would win the tiebreaker over the Patriots because of a better conference record.

If Indianapolis wins two more games to finish 11-5, they would own the tiebreaker since they defeated the Patriots head to head.

If Pittsburgh wins one of its final three games to finish 11-5, they would have the tiebreaker since they defeated the Patriots head to head.

For the Patriots to make the playoffs then, their only realistic bet is to run the table and pray for some help along the way.

From Surf to Turf: Welcome back Junior!

It seems improbable that a 39-year-old who hasn't played football for more than nine months could go from the sunny comforts of the beach to the cold brutality of an NFL field in a matter of days. But then, extraordinary feats are nothing new to Junior Seau.

The Patriots officially signed the 12-time Pro Bowl on December 5th, bringing him back for a 19th NFL season and his third with the Patriots. To make room for Seau on the 53-man roster, the Patriots placed linebacker Adalius Thomas (broken right forearm) on injured reserve, ending his season. The Patriots have suffered significant attrition recently at linebacker. They re-signed veteran Rosevelt Colvin Wednesday, and the position has been hit by injuries to Pierre Woods (jaw), Tedy Bruschi (sore knee) and Vince Redd (ankle), as well as Thomas.

Seau takes it all in stride: "I have no time to get all drama, I just don’t. I don’t want to go Oprah on you,” Seau said. "It is what it is. I was cutting up oranges for a cooler for [daughter] Cindy Seau and now I’m here putting on cleats. That’s life. You have to make adjustments and make them quick."

LB Colvin returns to Patriots

Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin inked a one-year contract with the Patriots this morning, according to a league source. Colvin, who played for the Patriots from 2003-2007, has been out of football this season after being cut by the Houston Texans at the end of training camp. He addresses a need at outside linebacker, where the Patriots have been without Adalius Thomas (forearm) and also had Pierre Woods leave Sunday's loss to the Steelers in the third quarter with a mouth injury. -- Boston Globe

Patriots vs. Steelers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Patriots Game 12: Patriots 10 – Steelers 33

Sorry, this weeks review really should be titled the Ugly, the Uglier, and the Ugliest! This game was the tale of two halves! The Patriots looked like they had control of the game, right up until three minutes before the half. After that, it was all Steelers, as the Patriots just kept turning the ball over...and over...and over!!!

The Good:

Considering the Patriots were playing the #1 Defense, the running attack was not too bad. RB Kevin Faulk led the team in rushing (73 yards, 6 carries) and receiving (48 yards, 7 catches). RB Sammy Morris was strong on the goal line (2-yard TD run) and finished with 45 yards on 10 carries (4.5 avg.).

On a 9-yard reception in the third quarter, Kevin Faulk moved past Irving Fryar into sole possession of fourth place on the Patriots’ all-time receptions list.

Linebacker Mike Vrabel showed solid hands with a first-quarter interception that setup the Patriots' only touchdown of the game.

The Bad:

WR Sam Aiken, whose primary role is on special teams, was flagged for two penalties in the kicking game, which hurt the team's field position.

QB Matt Cassel looked to be back to his old form, finishing 19 of 39 for 169 yards, with two interceptions and FIVE sacks

CB Deltha O'Neal cannot win the man-to-man match-up on two Steelers touchdowns, a 19-yard pas to Santonio Holmes and an 11-yard pass to Hines Ward.

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 27-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter.

The Ugly:

Amid dropped passes and turnovers, the Patriots could never get in a rhythm on offense. They finished 1-for-13 on third-down tries.

Leading receiver Wes Welker left late in the third quarter after being leveled by safety Ryan Clark. There was no update on his condition.

In the third quarter, Matthew Slater fumbled away a kickoff, setting up Roethlisberger's 11-yard scoring pass to Ward. Slater filled in for Ellis Hobbs, who sat out that play after suffering cramps.

QB Matt Cassel fumbled on a strip-sack by Steelers linebacker James Harrison and linebacker LaMarr Woodley recovered at the New England 26.

Steelers linebacker James Harrison registered his second strip-sack of the game by forcing Matt Cassel to fumble with 36 seconds remaining in the third quarter and James Farrior recovered for Pittsburgh.

QB Matt Cassel was intercepted by Steelers safety Troy Polamalu with 9:13 remaining on a pass intended for Benjamin Watson.

Lawrence Timmons intercepted a Matt Cassel offering with 3:27 to play and returned it 89 yards to the Patriots 1.

Final Thoughts:

Pittsburgh had not won in New England since a 24-21 overtime victory in 1997.

"You can't beat Pop Warner teams doing that." – New England Patriots left guard Logan Mankins

We had a lot of opportunities out there today. We weren’t able to take care of some of the ones we had. Pittsburgh took advantage of those. That was really the difference in the game, the turnovers.” – New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

“Rain is rain. Snow is snow. Sun is sun. It is all about who takes care of the football better out there and who is able to force turnovers better out there. They did a better job of that than we did.” – New England Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi

“I always say as a wide receiver your job is to get open, catch the ball and score touchdowns. … I put a lot of blame on myself because I think this team really looks to me to do my job week in and week out. – New England Patriots WR Randy Moss

NOTE: The Patriots (7-5) remain a game behind the New York Jets in the AFC East. They are tied with Miami in the division and trail Indianapolis and Baltimore by one game in the wild-card race.