Tag: New England Patriots (Page 44 of 72)

      Patriots ruin Richard Seymor’s life, trade him to Oakland

      September 7, 2009 /

      The New England Patriots obviously have no soul.

      There’s just no other explanation as to why they traded defensive end Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a first round pick in 2011.

      From the Boston Globe:

      The stunning trade came just eight days before the Patriots open their season against Buffalo on “Monday Night Football.’’ The trade of the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end leaves just four players that have been with New England for all three of its Super Bowl championship seasons (2001, 2003, and 2004) – Tom Brady, Matt Light, Kevin Faulk, and Stephen Neal – while, in the short term, weakening the team’s pursuit of another title by breaking up one of the NFL’s elite defensive lines.

      This was the final season of the lucrative, $30-million-plus contract extension Seymour received in 2006, the last time he was entering the last year of his contract. He was set to make $3.685 million in base salary and carry a cap charge of $9.79 million this season.

      While my joking in the intro of this post would make it seem like I disagree with this move, I actually think it’s a brilliant trade for the Patriots. Seymour is still incredibly effective, but he can’t seem to stay healthy and his play has fallen off in recent years. Plus, he’s in the final year of his contract and there was no guarantee that a) Seymour would re-sign with the Pats and b) New England would even want him back at an inflated price.

      For as bad as the Raiders have been since their Super Bowl trip in 2002, the Pats could wind up picking in the top 10 come 2011. So not only did New England wind up getting a first round pick in exchange for Seymour, but they also found a trade partner that is notorious for picking high in drafts. (I realize there’s no guarantee that the Raiders will be bad in 2011, but if recent history is any indication, they should be picking near the top of the draft in two years.)

      For Oakland, Al Davis definitely upgraded his talent on the defensive side of the ball. But Seymour won’t be a difference maker on a team that is incredibly devoid of defensive playmakers outside of Nnamdi Asomugha and Kirk Morrison.

      NFL

      Long-time Patriot Tedy Bruschi to retire

      August 31, 2009 /

      After 13 seasons in the NFL, New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi has decided to hang ‘em up.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I’m 36 years old,” Bruschi said at a news conference. “Your body doesn’t heal as quickly.”
      Bruschi’s performance declined last year and he was playing with the second unit on defense this summer. He missed much of training camp with an undisclosed injury but played in two of the team’s last three exhibition games.
      Coach Bill Belichick, usually stoic, choked up as he discussed Bruschi.

      “How do I feel about Tedy Bruschi?” Belichick said. “He’s a perfect player.”

      Bruschi’s reaction?

      “That’s something you’ll never hear during your career,” he said as he and Belichick laughed. “To have him say that to me is probably the best compliment he could ever give me.”

      Over his career, Bruschi compiled three Super Bowl rings, five 100-plus tackle seasons and was a Pro Bowler in 2004. He also won the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year Award after suffering a stroke in February of that year.

      Leadership doesn’t show up on the stat sheet every Sunday, but Bruschi certainly led the team in that category almost every year he played in New England. He was the consummate pro and his success after in ’05 was inspirational considering he thought he was done playing after the stroke.

      Comment fodder: Is Bruschi a Hall of Famer? I would say he probably comes up just short of that honor, but he’ll definitely go down as one of the better players in Patriots history.

      NFL

      Rex Ryan: ‘I’m not intimidated by Bill Belichick.’

      August 19, 2009 /

      Jets head coach Rex Ryan isn’t afraid to speak his mind and apparently isn’t afraid to take a couple swipes at a rival head coach who has three Super Bowl wins on his resume either.

      From 670 The Score:

      Ryan said during a radio interview a few months ago that he didn’t come to New York “to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.” He explained Tuesday what he meant, and might have provided more bulletin board material.

      “When I said that about Belichick, I’m just letting him know I’m not intimidated by him,” Ryan said.

      “He’s got the same position I have. We’re both head coaches in this league. He just happens to have a hell of a lot more Super Bowl wins. I don’t have a win. I understand that, but we’re not going to tiptoe our way through this thing.

      “You don’t line up and beat a Bill Belichick-coached team by tiptoeing in there.”

      Comments like these are exactly why Jets players have come to love and respect their new head coach. It’s hard not to want to play for a guy who isn’t afraid to speak his mind and let the proverbial bullies of the AFC East know that he and his team won’t be intimated.

      That said, Ryan has yet to win a game, while Belichick has compiled 153 victories, three Super Bowl titles and is a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year winner (2003, 2007). While Ryan’s attitude is brash and refreshing, he probably should be a bit more diplomatic in what he says in his first year.

      Belichick has a way of humbling fellow head coaches and while he’ll never play the quote game with Ryan through the media, I’m sure he has taken stock of what Ryan has said.

      NFL

      Brady outstanding in return to live action

      August 14, 2009 /

      It was only one preseason game, but Tom Brady put the rest of the AFC East on notice: He’s back.

      In his first game action since tearing his MCL and ACL in Week 1 of the 2008 season, Brady completed 10-of-15 passes for 100 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the Patriots’ 27-25 win over the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night.

      More importantly than his stat line, Brady exhibited command in the pocket and seemingly had no trouble with his restructured knee. After a pass interference call on Randy Moss set up a touchdown to Chris Baker on New England’s second offensive possession of the game, Brady engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive right before half that culminated in a nine yard TD pass to Baker to give the Pats a 21-6 lead. On the drive, Brady scrambled for a key first down on a third-and-one, which offered further proof that his knee is holding up after months of rehab.

      Again, it was only one preseason game and it’ll be interesting to see how Brady’s knee responds the morning after playing. But all indications are that he’s completely healthy and that New England’s high-powered offensive attack is ready to keep opposing defenses coordinators up at night again.

      NFL

      Daily Six-Pack: NFL Preseason Thursday

      August 13, 2009 /

      Four games are on the Week 1 NFL preseason schedule tonight and there are some interesting headlines to follow. Below are six quick-hit thoughts on tonight’s action.

      1. Brady returns to live action
      The last time Tom Brady took a snap in a live NFL game, he tore both his MCL and ACL after suffering a season-ending hit in Week 1 of the 2008 season. Brady returns to action tonight and will start against the Eagles in Philadelphia. He probably won’t get more than a series or two, but if everything goes well, it’ll be yet another promising sign that Brady has recovered from the devastating knee injury that almost ruined his career.

      2. Is Flacco in store for a major sophomore slump?
      Reports out of Baltimore haven’t been promising for second-year quarterback Joe Flacco, who has struggled in the passing game thus far in training camp. He apparently has struggled reading defenses, is missing open receivers and has thrown a high number of interceptions. The Ravens would like to open the playbook more in Flacco’s second year, but if his struggles carry into the preseason, then the team might have to scale back his responsibilities and once again make him more of a game-manager like he was as a rookie.

      3. How will the T.O.-less Cowboys look?
      During the offseason, one of the main reasons the Cowboys cut toxic (but highly productive) receiver Terrell Owens was so that quarterback Tony Romo wouldn’t have any distractions entering the 2009 season. Dallas wants Romo to step up and be more of a leader both in the locker room and on the field and it would appear that the 29-year-old’s career is at a crossroads. One preseason game in Oakland isn’t going to answer whether or not Romo is ready to become the leader that Dallas wants him to be, but it’ll be interesting to see how well he gels with his receivers without T.O. commanding his attention. Apparently Romo and Roy Williams are finally starting to get their timing down.

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