Cursed To First - Sox and Pats forever.

Dazed and confused by Patriots non-moves

I have to say I'm surprised. I understand that the Patriots don't have the luxury of resting on laurels this off-season after their defeat just seconds from the 19-0 finish line; I understand that a coach as perfectionistic as Bill Belichick will feel he has to re-tool as much after a Super Bowl squeaker as he would had the team not even made the playoffs. But some of the Patriots' moves (or, rather, non-moves) have really surprised me.

I knew Asante Samuel would drop the Pats like a bad habit after his acrimonious off-season last year, but Rosie Colvin? I love Tedy Bruschi as much as the next person, but why does he warrant resigning if Colvin does not?

On the offensive side, I could've predicted�role-players�like Kyle Brady looking elsewhere for an expanded role or more money. But Donte Stallworth? And silence on Randy Moss?

I�hope Brent is right and that the Patriots can develop Chad Jackson to fill Stallworth's role, but I'm�less optimistic that they can. Stallworth was a solid� situational weapon for Brady �and his yards after catch were tops on the team. If Chad Jackson could've done that, why didn't he the times he was in the game?

You could argue that strategically, the�Patriots focused in their approach too much on the offensive side of the game last year, especially earlier in the season, and were punished for doing so when the offense was rendered a non-factor during the Super Bowl loss. Still, I fail to see how�dumping Stallworth and possibly dumping Moss makes the team stronger in the places they got beat in the Bowl. Call me naive, but I thought that was the idea.

I'll miss you, Rosie Colvin

The year was 2003; the month, July. We hadn't gotten more than six feet from our air-conditioned vehicle on our journey over to the practice fields at Gillette Stadium before it became clear that the sun was not kidding around that day.

It beat down just as�mercilessly onto the metal bleachers next to the field as it had on the expanse of parking lot, turning them into pancake griddles for our tender behinds, acting like some leather-skinned sun-bunny's reflector screen to coat us all over with rays of blasting heat. My friend and I would spend the day watching the newest edition of the Patriots strutting their stuff, in between dripping sweat and guzzling water while developing blistering sunburns.

In the hazy heat of that afternoon I remember one new player in particular standing out--a defensive back�wearing a regular practice jersey pulled up to show a red undershirt underneath. I noticed him because in drills that lined up the defensive players against the offensive players, he got into the face of No 12, over and over again, with seeming ease. At the time, it made me worry about our pass protection. Now, I realize that was just Rosie being Rosie.

The problem is that before we could see him in action that year, he went down with an injury to his hip that required extensive rehab. He's also been frequently injured since, which is currently the consensus guess as to why the Patriots have released him. I guess I can see that, but I think we've lost a key veteran presence when many other key veterans are going to be lost for similar reasons or retirement this year as it is. And I hope�he doesn't wind up with any team we have to face too often, because I still remember that hot summer day in 2003 and how easily he reached�No. 12.�

In general, about the team and what's happening to it, I can only echo what Jamie said:�"the big question now is what exactly Belichick and Co. have in mind as it relates to the defense." Patriots fans just have to hope there's a method to the madness--comfortingly for us, we can look back at the team's track record so far and know that there usually is.

Patriots riddled with question marks for 2008

With the number of questions that the Patriots face in the wake of their Super Bowl loss to the Giants, I'm amazed people are still even bothering with...what should we call it? Belichick Left the Field a Second Too Early-Gate?

Here are a few that have occurred to me when football finally wormed its way back into my brain after a good week or so of trying to block it out.

Please note: none of these questions will address all the Congress / NFL investigation stuff, which I'm not going to get into any more until more information comes out.

1.�What's the game plan for next season, Coach? After the Patriots lost to the Colts in the 2007 AFC Championship Game, Belichick went on the warpath with his players about conditioning, endurance, and staying mentally committed through 60 minutes of football. These improvements created a perfect regular season, but the Patriots looked flat and the offensive line completely physically overmatched in the Super Bowl. Was the idea sound, and the execution not up to par in the end? Or did the perfect regular season take a toll? How do the Patriots regroup strategically and what can they learn from this experience, similar to the way they learned from the loss to the Colts?

2. How do we fill the holes? As Jamie already wrote, the Patriots have a slew of players eligible for free agency now that the season's over. Some of them are also eligible for retirement, and it's hard to ignore how the median age of the defense has crept up. The Patriots have traditionally shunned building through the draft for the short-term; will that philosophy be modified this year to get a youth movement going? At this juncture the Patriots would do well to follow the example of the Red Sox, and focus on developing more young talent for the next generation of Patriots football. In the meantime, the most crucial free agent question: does Asante stay or go?

3. What's the future for Tom Brady? It's clear opponents have determined that eliminating Brady is the key to defeating the Patriots. It's also clear that given the unanimous enmity the league seems to feel toward the Patriots, most teams will have no problem at least attempting to re-enact the Giants' blitzing performance when next they line up against the Pats.

Meanwhile, Brady has already racked up nagging injuries including shoulder separation, knee sprains, ankle sprains and a sports hernia. He's mobile in the pocket but not a scrambling quarterback; it's easy to say the Patriots should just get some better offensive linemen, but that unit already has veterans, Pro Bowlers and Super Bowlers alike--it's tough to figure how it�could be built better. Rather, rebalancing the offensive strategy to focus a little less on the pass might take some of the heat off Brady and improve his longevity in the league, but it's easy to see why the Patriots had no time for that idea this year with the way Brady was playing earlier in the season. So do they clip Brady's wings a bit or do they risk losing him too early, and for good?

Brady's also up for a contract extension and bump in pay, though he is signed through 2010, and the Globe points out his contract situation, regardless of which way the Patriots decide to go,�"would affect�all other offseason planning."

4. Where can we find the next Adam Vinatieri? There were, in retrospect, a number of questionable coaching decisions that affected the outcome of the Super Bowl, but none stands out more than the decision to go for the end zone rather than a field goal kick on 4th and 13. Mike Reiss points out that this decision in turn may have been influenced by�a lack of confidence in Stephen Gostkowski:

Belichick explained that there was thought given to the field goal, but he ultimately felt the kick was too long. In making that decision, he likely was factoring in Gostkowski's body of work this season, that his season-long field goal was 45 yards. Gostkowski had just one attempt from 48 yards or longer this season, a miss against the Steelers.

At the time Vinatieri was let go, the thought was that the Patriots shouldn't have so much of a dependency on the kicker; that they wouldn't get too far�relying on clutch three-pointers and instead should push for a�more solid lead.

But�with the exception of the first part of this past regular season, the Patriots have succeeded by focusing on each opponent�without looking ahead, and by doing just enough to win; this was also true of the Patriots throughout the latter half of this season. When you're playing a finesse game, three-pointers add up: the Patriots had won each of their Super Bowls by three points and lost this one by three.��

5. What's the post-mortem on the Randy Moss experiment? He behaved like a model prisoner this year...except for that little restraining-order debacle leading up to the AFC Championship Game. He broke records as a wide receiver during the regular season...and was a moping non-factor in the Super Bowl. Versatile targets like Donte' Stallworth and Wes Welker proved just as valuable for Brady this year, and they're going to want vastly less money. Which way do the Patriots go?

We're in uncharted territory as Patriots fans; it feels like the upward trajectory of the last five or so years is tapering off, and now the age of the team's best players, what proved to be a fallible game-planning / coaching strategy somewhere along the line, SpyGate and Handshake-Gate and Ankle-Gate (Pats Edition), leave the Patriots at possibly the most crucial impasse of the decade. How the team regroups from this loss, what kind of 'humble pie' the coaching and personnel staffs will be feeding themselves this spring, and how the team is built this year will play a big part in the future of the franchise for years to come.

Madden Predicts Winner

Well, we're finally mere hours away from the most hyped regular season game of my 25 years of existance. The Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots are meeting in Indy in what could determine who gets homefield advantage this postseason. While both quarterbacks are the marquee players in this rivalry, I believe there are 5 other keys to the game, besides our beloved Brady and the stat-padding Manning (hehe, had to throw that in).�I also look to Madden for my game prediction.

1. Runningbacks - My guess is that both teams want to keep the opposing offense off the field. In order to do so, they will each try and get their running game going. This is no easy task usually against these defenses (Indy has improved in run defense since last year), but with both geared up to stop the pass, holes may open up that the runningbacks MUST exploit. I feel the team with the best rushing attack will win the game. The Patriots need to take the mittens off and really start using Laurence Maroney. Why else draft him in the first round unless you expect him to step up for games like this?

2. STOP DALLAS CLARK - This tight end is the bane of my existence. In the AFC Championship Game, Manning repeatedly looked to his tight ends, namely Mr. Clark, against the tired New England linebacking core. I believe Dallas Clark was the main reason the Pats signed Adailius Thomas in the offseason, and it will be his job to either stop this guy from catching the ball or plant Manning on his backside.

3. Stop the Out-Route - Manning-to-Wayne on the out near the sideline is something the tandem do quite often. They will hit this pattern repeatedly if the Pats (Ellis Hobbs if Marvin Harrison plays and is occupied by Asante Samuel) allow it. In the playoffs, the Colts resembled the Patriots offense of old: much more of a dink-and-dunk with the occasional big play rather than going for big play after big play. And it worked. Stop the out. That's you Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Samuel.

4. Keep Brady Upright - The offensive line has been stellar giving Brady time this year to check down to his 2nd and 3rd options, or hit Moss for the big play. They must continue to give Brady time and contain Dwight Freeney. That's you Matt Light. If he has the time to make his reads and hit his check-downs, the Patriots win. Conversely...

5. Pressure, Pressure, Pressure - Watching old Pats/Colts games on NFL Network (I love you NFL Network!!), the Pats had the most success when they were able to rattle Manning and throw off his timing. They don't necessarily need to sack Peyton, just rush him to make quick decisions, which will hopefully lead to bad decisions. This is especially important early on in the game, as it affects Manning throughout the�rest of the game. New England's secondary is finally as good as it was in the glory years, in my opinion, and they should be able to hold up their coverage long enough as long as there's a good pass rush.

Finally, my prediction for the�Game of the Year (until the playoffs). In order to be as accurate as possible,�I did what any responsible sports prognosticator would do: consult Madden. No, not John Madden, the jolly, stuttering announcer we all love to hear go�ga-ga over Brett Favre. But his electronic alter ego, Madden Football 2007. At the final whistle, the Patriots were victorious, winning 49-0. Brady threw for about 300 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to Wes Welker and 1 to Ben Watson, back from an ankle injury. Peyton Manning was picked twice, both of which were returned for TDs by Mike Vrabel and Rodney Harrison. Laurence Maroney ran for 2 TDs.

Kidding aside, I obviously do not expect the game to resemble anything close to that (but wouldn't that�be great Pats fans?). I feel it will be a shootout, with the Pats coming through in the end. I'm wishy washy on picking the Pats, but I just can't pick against them here.

Final Score: Pats 38, Colts 34

Tom Brady will continue his streak of throwing at least 3 TD passes..

Laurence Maroney rushes for over 100 yards (finally) and one score.

Colts will lead 34-31 in the 4th quarter, Belichick goes for a TD on 4th down instead of kicking a field goal for the tie and is successful, sealing a win.

Seymour returns to practice

Good news for Patriots fans: Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour returned to practice today and could be eligible to play this Sunday, or the following week at Indy. Having Seymour in the lineup would be a huge boost to a defense that has struggled a bit as of late against the run. Washington comes to town this week with two tough runningbacks in Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.�

Just keeping an eye on the injury report, safety Eugene Wilson did not participate in practice with an ankle inury, along with TE Ben Watson (ankle) and RB Sammy Morris (chest). Notable names removed from the injury report are RB Laurence Maroney, LB Adalius Thomas, G Stephen Neal, CB Randall Gay, and WR Donte Stallworth.

Patriots and Belichick sued by Jets fan

A disturbing article at Yahoo Sports about Carl Mayer, a consumer lawyer and Jets fan, filing a $184 million class-action law suit on behalf of Jets season ticket holders.

Mayer's attempt to obtain the money is based on Belichick and the Patriots being fined for using a video camera on the sidelines during Week 1's game versus the Jets.

Belichick was fined $500k and the team $250k for improper use of video equipment.

Mayer's lawsuit states the issue of the Patriots video taping had been discovered by other teams as well and therefore there is history of breaking the rules.

So where does the $184m come into to play? Mayer claims that Jets fan have been duped by Belichick since he joined the Patriots. Therefore every game the Patriots have played versus the Jets is consumer fraud.

If indeed Mayer truly believes this, then he also believes Jets Coach Eric Mangini was part of this effort and therefore also creating consumer fraud. Mayer's lawsuit should also include Mangini.

Football is a sport and is there for entertainment. Did Mayer enjoy watching the Jets whether they were winning or losing? Was it not great for him and other Jets fans when the Jets were the AFC East Champions and made it to the playoffs and the defending Super Bowl Patriots were at home watching is on television?

Why do lawyers do this sort of thing? For Mayer if his concern is consumer fraud and public interest, then hopefully he is doing it pro bono. Otherwise it appears he is doing it for his own name recognition at the national level and lining his own pockets.

Now wait just a darn minute.

No sooner am I giddy about the Patriots' offensive brilliance and defensive solidity in the preseason contest with Carolina than two weeks blink by in a whirlwind of Red Sox tragedy and triumph, work intensity, wedding errands, meetings and endless planning, and next thing you know we're talking about Troy Brown AND Richard Seymour on the PUP list, Rodney Harrison admitting to using HGH, and�Randy Moss still nowhere near the field. My father has taken to saying things like, "Well, there goes that undefeated season now."

Oh, come off it. You'd gotten a little cocky, too. We all had. And if the health and / or suspension status of everyone was still the same as it was two weeks ago, we all still would be. I was personally preparing a downright schmoopy post for this blog about looking forward to what was sure to be a classic Patriots season, and beginning to grow nostalgic for everything from cheering through my scarf in a driving snowstorm to the smell of charcoal briquettes in the cold. And the Patriots had even started to return to their familiar role as my security blanket and the bearer of my sorrows when everything in�the world of the Sox turned to crap, a role they have borne patiently and steadfastly for�the better�part of a decade.

I'm not saying they still can't be, and I still believe this Patriots season has the potential to be an astounding one. My confidence in the Patriots system and its roster depth has far more historical track record to back it up and far more�all-time-classic success stories under its belt than any such belief I have in the Red Sox; in that way I am actually a better�fan when it comes to my football team,�less inclined to doubt and criticize, and panic when the chips fall where they may. �

But this Rodney Harrison thing.

I have been known to take a hard-line view on matters relating to performance-enhancing drugs in both the sports I follow. I wish to God there had been some way to prevent Barry Bonds, whom I consider both a terrible person and an unconscionable cheater, from breaking Hank Aaron's record, and I have gone on record wondering aloud how many federal juries Jason Giambi has to admit he cheated to before he's prevented from continuing to play baseball. And through it all I have fully acknowledged that this particular Angel of Death may one day visit itself upon one of my own, and dreaded the day it would.

There are just two considerations that prevent Rodney Harrison from being dead to me--the fact that he used HGH in order to try to fight his way back from injuries the last two seasons, and the fact that the alleged dates of his use don't happen to taint any Patriots championships. After some thought, I did decide�that warrants at least some consideration as an important difference between the case of Harrison and those who took substances while healthy in order to inflate individual career numbers or give themselves a totally artificial advantage.

But I'm also mad at him. Or, more like mad because of him.� I wish he hadn't felt like he had no other option.

And I'm�mad at him, in a weird way, for taking himself away from me as one of my unassailable, unvarnished favorites, turning into a guy I whose name I have to preface with a disclaimer or defend to fans of other teams, even more than early in his tenure with the Pats when he still carried a reputation as a dirty hitter. For taking himself away from his younger teammates as the reformed headhunter, the squeaky-clean veteran who has found Jesus and Bill Belichick and is there to tell you you best recognize the Patriots way, Junior. I may still find a way to reconcile my affection for him against my stance on performance-enhancing drugs, but he will never be quite the same totally righteous guy to me again.

Those other guys can eventually come back from their injuries. The Rodney Harrison I've known and loved unconditionally�through all the ups and downs of the last few�years, probably not so much.

Attack of the PUP

There are only a few early reports out about this so far, but it has been announced that the Patriots have placed Troy Brown, Chad Jackson, and...gulp...Adalius Thomas TE David Thomas*�on the PUP list.

I've been told this is a family blog, and I need to keep my potty mouth confined to my own place, so I really can't put down here my first thoughts on hearing the news about Troy Brown.

Nobody appears to know why these players have been put on the PUP. My dad mentioned this when I called�him hyperventilating about the ongoing Red Sox-Yankees contest.

"I think Troy's got 'old'."

________________________

* I should know better than to try to post about football while also flipping out about a Sox-Yankees tilt. Thanks to alert reader Jameros for setting me straight.

On the continued absence of Randy

"...if he misses a week of camp��that�ll be another post."

Well, here we are. And Randy Moss has missed a lot more than a week of camp. He's missed camp and the first preseason game for the Pats, and the speculation is he'll probably miss next week as well, if not the entire preseason at this point.

Does this mean anything? The Pats are so tight-lipped, as always, that Boston's major media outlets have had to turn to former coaches of his on the Raiders for speculation as to what might happen with Moss from here on.

The consensus among observers is that the injury to Moss is a hamstring strain. It has all the typical signs--injured while running, iced with great haste, and a long, slow recovery. Hamstring injuries tend to take longer than many other injuries to heal, and if an athlete returns to work too soon, the risk of recurrence is also high. Moss's long absence is another piece of evidence as to the nature of his injury.

News from experts on that front is not encouraging, either: typical return to functionality with a hamstring strain, depending on its severity, can be between three weeks and six months. Add to that the fact that the Patriots are sure to want to err on the side of caution with this new acquisition, and at this point�I'm starting to wonder if we'll see No. 6 on the field in Week 1.

I'm not sure if there's a connection here, or if I'm reading too much into things. But I seem to recall a mini-pattern, if you will, of big Patriots acquisitions being sidelined their first season. First it was Rosevelt Colvin in 2003; the hype around his arrival couldn't have been more intense. I also remember becoming very aware of his uncanny ability to get to the quarterback when I went to training camp that year. But that season, he injured his hip badly early on, and missed all but two games.

The very next year, it was Benjamin Watson. While Colvin was a veteran when he was signed by the Patriots, Watson was a rookie, a much-vaunted first-round pick�at that. Watson�injured his knee and played just one game that season.

So on the one hand, you have two veterans, if you include Moss, and one rookie. Not much of a pattern there. But it's also curious to me that the most hyped Pats newcomers of the past four seasons have all seemed to end up hurt, early on, and that every one of them had a leg injury.

Moving from one team or playing environment to another means a drastic change in environment, a change in training staff, and for some, a change in routine. It could be that the bigger the hype around his arrival, the more a newcomer wants to push himself right away--and maybe some of these guys push themselves right over the edge.

Or could it be related to the Patriots organization in some way? Is it something about the training staff here? Something about the facilities the players use? Something about coaches' decisions about who to play and how? Is it some from Column A and some from Column B?

Like I said, I may be looking for patterns where there are none. But if Randy Moss becomes another one of these big-splash guys who ends up effectively red-shirted for his first season, I am definitely going to start to wonder.

"We are all set at left tackle in the Music League"

As we look toward our first pre-season game, I know it's the new additions to the team that I'm supposed to be most excited about. But around this time of year, it's usually all the old faces I'm most interested in seeing again. Of course, the usual fan favorites--Bruschi, Brady, Troy Brown, and Coach Belichick. And for me, there's one other guy on the Patriots that often stands out above the others despite hardly ever getting his name on the marquee: Matt Light.

Offensive linemen in general don't get the credit they deserve for their intelligence and abilities. Linemen in general don't get that credit, or the credit they deserve for their role in the game. This is a truism that's been drummed into my head by my father, a former offensive line coach (who is of course not biased at all). In my house, it's not "skill position", it's "so-called skill position."

So I am naturally predisposed to give an offensive lineman a second look, but Matt�Light has earned my affection�entirely on his own merits. I believe it was his exaggerated beard and wild hair�during the Pats'�Super Bowl run in 2003, combined with the fact that he walked off the team bus at Gillette Stadium after the Super Bowl that year�carrying the�Lombardi Trophy, still rockin' the beard, and wearing a fuzzy white bathrobe.

It was clear from those things that�Matt Light was a colorful guy. But what really cemented him as one of my favorite players has been his regular appearances on the morning show�I listen to on WAAF out of Boston. He has a sharp wit and a hysterical, sometimes self-deprecating�sense of humor, but best of all, he's also multitalented. So far he's limited to one publicly performed musical work, but it is a doozy. It's called "The Mustache Song" and you can listen to it here.

This morning it was linemate Dan Koppen�who called in to the show while I was listening. Immediately after he called the phone lines filled up with requests for the Mustache Song.

Meanwhile, Koppen also revealed that Light is working on a new song for this season. "We are all set at left tackle in the Music League," was how he put it. It was also mentioned that Matt was the cover boy (well, back-cover boy) of the Boston Herald today, and much was made of his hair once again (see photo above).

This was my official first warm and fuzzy Patriots moment of the season. And it wasn't because of Randy Moss, Brandon Meriweather, Donte Stallworth, or Adalius Thomas, but good old No. 72, Protector of Brady's Blind Side, Grower of Hair and Singer Extraordinaire.

Maybe not everyone shares my tastes to quite that extent, but in this quiet pre-season week, remember: offensive linemen are deserving of your love. If their musical stylings don't charm you, then if�only because they're they only thing between Tom Brady and certain death once the season starts, and because their job is light years harder than it looks.