New England Patriots

Well that happened. 

From the very first play from scrimmage, it was obvious: These aren't your dad's Patriots. (If you dad was a Pats fan two years ago.) Ray Rice took the opening hand-off 83 yards to the endzone to put the Ravens up 7-0 en route to embarrassing Bill Belichick's Patriots 33-14.

Continue reading "WTF of Wild-Card Weekend: Ravens ..."

(9-7) Baltimore Ravens at (10-6) New England Patriots
1:00PM ET CBS

After a deep playoff run last year, the Ravens struggled to find consistency this season on the defensive of the ball, much to everyone's surprise. Running back Ray Rice has the ability to pound the ball as well as catch passes out of the backfield for sophomore QB Joe Flacco. Receiver Derrick Mason hasn't been as dependable in recent weeks, but he still managed another 1000-yard season. Tight end Todd Heap caught 6 touchdowns this season, second on the team. Keep an eye on wide-out Demetrius Williams, who might be Flacco's best downfield threat. On defense, safety Ed Reed should be healthy enough to play after nursing a groin injury for part of the regular season. Ray Lewis is as demonstrative as ever, but that defensive line featuring Haloti Ngata and Trevor Pryce will be the biggest factor in whether Baltimore can pull off the upset.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Wild-Card Sunday"

(9-7) Houston Texans 34 
(10-6) New England Patriots 27

The biggest injury of the weekend is clearly the loss of Wes Welker for the Pats. For those of you screaming that Belichick shouldn't have been playing his starters, Welker was injured on the first drive of the game without being contacted. It could have happened warming up. His loss will leave QB Tom Brady without his favorite receiver and plenty of double coverage for Randy Moss. For the Texans, congratulations are due for the first winning season in franchise history, but they couldn't sneak into the playoffs. Regardless, QB Matt Schaub, who led the league in passing yards, gives them hope for the immediate future.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 17"

(10-5) New England Patriots at (8-7) Houston Texans

If the Texans are going to make their first ever playoffs, they need losses from two of the following three teams: the Jets, Ravens, or Broncos. Matt Schaub has taken great strides to become a top signal-caller this season and he'll be staring at a weak New England secondary today.  The real question is how long the Patriots will feel like playing. Tom Brady says he expects to play the entire game, but I'm not convinced. Perhaps a half, but anything beyond that would be foolish. Bill Belichick's Pats aren't playing for anything other than the 3 or 4 seed, so unless they prefer to play San Diego I don't envision more than a half for Brady, Welker and Moss. Houston should get the win unless Belichick has a second coach-fart this season. 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 17"

(7-7) Jacksonville Jaguars at (9-5) New England Patriots

Anyone want to place a bet as to what Jaguars team we'll going to see on Sunday? They're so wildly inconsistent (backed up by their 7-7 record) that I can't possibly see them stringing two wins in a row to end the season. The Patriots would secure a three or four seed with a win, ensuring them a home game to start the post-season. Bill Belichick's defense will have a stiff challenge trying to slow down the Jacksonville ground attack, but they'll get the win thanks to Brady and the offense.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 16"

(8-5) New England Patriots at (5-8) Buffalo Bills 

Don't look now, but the rest of the AFC East is catching up to the Patriots. If Bill Belichick's squad loses another road game (which they've done consistently this season) and Miami or the Jets win, the Pats will fall out of the division lead and risk a playoff berth entirely. In a up-and-down season in Buffalo, this could be a signature win to carry them over into next year.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 15"

(8-5) New England Patriots 20
(5-8) Carolina Panthers 10

The game was meh, the drama afterwards was fantastic. All this talk about Randy Moss "giving up" and quitting on the field is nothing new. It's just new to New England. Benching Adalius Thomas is exactly what I expected from Bill "Control Freak in a Hoodie" Belichick. They're certainly not the elite team everyone expected them to be.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 14"

(4-5) New York Jets at (6-3) New England Patriots

Speaking of last Sunday night, how incredibly furious are the Patriots going to be? As if they needed any extra excuse to pound on a division rival that beat them earlier in the year and then yapped about it to anyone that would listen. Since that win the Jets have gone completely south and are just trying to get keep pace with the 5-5 Dolphins. New England still holds the reins on the division and have a great shot at 11 or 12 wins. Look out New York. I'm just warning ya. 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 11"

(9-0) Indianapolis Colts 35
(6-3) New England Patriots 34 

So much to say about this wondrous, wondrous game. When the Colts were down 31-14 in the second half, I’ll admit I thought the game might be too far out of reach, even for Peyton Manning. But Bill Belichick’s idiotic call to go for it on fourth and 2 from his own 29 was too much of a gift for Manning to send away! That just says “My defense won’t stop them from 70 yards out so I might as well only give him 30 yards. Maybe I’ll get the ball back quicker.”  

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 10"

(6-2) New England Patriots at (8-0) Indianapolis Colts 

For teams that aren’t in the same division, these two sure play a lot! I love this rivalry, and it gets the national spotlight tonight on Sunday Night Football. Manning’s Colts have been undermanned for what seems like all season and there will be no difference tonight. Their secondary is banged up and missing key performers Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson, so covering Wes Welker and Randy Moss downfield will be a daunting task. Still, they’ve got Peyton Manning and they’re at home. So they have a chance. A lot of folks are picking the Patriots to walk away with a victory, but I’m still not convinced their defense will hold up against Manning’s onslaught.  

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 10"

(3-4) Miami Dolphins at (5-2) New England Patriots

If Miami loses this game, any shot of taking the division for a second straight year is lost. New England will be squarely in the driver’s seat as Tom Brady gets more acclimated to the speed of the game again. Doesn’t bode well for the rest of the AFC East. Still, Miami has another chance to turn some heads with a strong performance. I expect to see some new Wildcat tweaks against the team Miami used as the guinea pig for the formation a year ago. To Miami's Joey Porter: we all knew Tom Brady had his own set of rules way before you said it. Thanks for arriving late to the party, motor-mouth.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 9"

(4-2) New England Patriots 59
(0-6) Tennessee Titans 0 

I was so excited to see my first snowy game of the year, but I got this ugly blow-out instead. I don’t care what Jeff Fisher says, the Titans gave up in this one. And who could blame them? It was 45-0 by halftime! The fact the Patriots didn’t get to 70 should be a moral victory for them even after Belichick brought in the back-ups. I think it’s safe to say Tom Brady is back. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 6"

(5-0) Denver Broncos 20
(3-2) New England Patriots 17 

Yes, this was a shocking overtime victory for Denver. Yes, I was simultaenously rooting against the Broncos and the Patriots. Yes, Tom Brady had a bad game. Yes the Broncos now have to be considered one of the best teams in the AFC. Yes, Josh McDaniels' post-game crowd-pumping was refreshingly genuine. Let’s just move on already. I feel sick.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 5"

New England Patriots (3-1) at Denver Broncos (4-0) 

Drama! The Patriots’ former QB coach and O-Coordinator Josh McDaniels welcomes his mentor Bill Belichick into Mile-High for an AFC showdown that could place his Broncos among the conference’s elite. Against Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, Denver’s defense will meet its biggest challenge so far this season. Without running back Fred Taylor, the Patriots will struggle on the ground, forcing Brady to air it out against Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey, and the Denver secondary. Lucky for him he has Randy Moss and Wes Welker as receivers. This is without question the game of the weekend.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 5"

(3-1) New England Patriots 27
(3-1) Baltimore Ravens 21 

Okay, so has everyone gotten the “don’t touch or breathe on Tom Brady’s legs” memo? Ray Lewis, you can complain all you want about bad penalties or ball spots; it still doesn’t change that fact that your defense let Tom Brady get fourteen points in the second quarter. You’re 3-1; it wasn’t the AFC Championship game. Man up and take the loss.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 4"

  
Bunk.

(2-1) New England Patriots 26
(2-1) Atlanta Falcons 10 

Regardless of their wide receiver troubles (Brady yelling at them was fun), New England racked up plenty of yards on the ground on their way to beating a solid Falcon squad. Moss caught another ten passes for 116 yards while veteran Fred Taylor rushed for 105 yards. If this Patriot offense can find balance, look out. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 3"

Atlanta Falcons (2-0) at New England Patriots (1-1)

Matt Ryan has a chance to prove he’s an elite quarterback this Sunday, and there’s no better way to do it than to out-duel Tom Brady. The Patriots are struggling on defense, but Wes Welker’s return to action should do wonders for Brady and their underneath passing attack.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 3"

Shocker. Holding down Tom Brady and the Patriots to three field goals? That’s impressive. Rex Ryan’s defense is the real deal, but let's hold off on putting Mark Sanchez in the hall of fame. There’s still time, but things have to get right in Bean-town if the Pats want to win this division.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 2"

New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0)

Jets safety Kerry Rhodes says his team wants to “embarrass” the Patriots. We’ll remember that when Randy Moss, Wes Welker or Joey Galloway is burning you for a score. Honestly, no one needs to give Bill Belichick’s team more bulletin board material. With rookie QB Sanchez facing an exotic Patriot defense, this one could be over early.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 2"

New England Patriots 25, Buffalo Bills 24

That’s why they’re the Patriots. Despite being down 11 points with only four minutes to go, Tom Brady found a way. Randy Moss caught 12 balls for 141 yards, proving that he’s still a difference maker. Still, I don’t think Belichick wanted Brady to throw 53 times.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 1"

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

On Monday Night, the T.O. show heads into New England for what could be a slaughter in the first quarter. Dick Jauron and the Bills fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert less than a week ago after a dismal offensive performance in the preseason. The first team offense only scored three points in its 15 series in those four games. Buffalo’s no-huddle offense moved the chains, but couldn’t reach the endzone. Newly promoted OC Alex Van Pelt must find a way for QB Trent Edqards to get newly acquired receiver Terrell Owens the ball 83 times a game or there will be a blow-up by week four. Buffalo’s defense is solid if nothing else, but Tom Brady and the Pats will carve them up.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 1"

-Staying in the AFC East, the New England Patriots stockpiled picks like there was no tomorrow, taking 12 players in the ’09 draft. They even accumulated multiple picks in NEXT year’s draft. Unfortunately, the way Bill Belichick operates, only four or five of these incoming players may actually make the team. Sorry guys.

Continue reading "Chicago Bears Draft Day Two: Angelo ..."

Arizona Cardinals (8-6) at New England Patriots (9-5)

Even though the Cardinals have already clinched the NFC West title, beating the Patriots would be a much-needed confidence boost. No one is respecting the Cardinals anymore, as they’ve been hammered in multiple games by legitimate playoff contenders. New England is in a dog-fight in the AFC East, and could be on the outside looking in come playoff time. Only two teams will make it out of the AFC East, so Bill Belichick has to keep his veteran squad on point. With the Jets and Dolphins playing 2 and 3-win teams this weekend, New England has the tougher road to hoe.

Continue reading "Joey A's Opening Drive: Week 16"

Pittsburgh Steelers 33, New England Patriots 10

New England has been teasing its fan base with outrageous offensive output and an opportunistic defense the past few weeks. That ideal shattered last Sunday against the Steelers, as Matt Cassel was sacked five times, picked off twice, and was made to fumble twice. They may still be in the playoff hunt, but maybe Tom Brady is as valuable to the Patriots as we think. Pittsburgh got back to running the ball, racking up 161 yards and averaging 4.7 a carry. At 9-3, the Steelers are going to be a dangerous team in the playoffs, especially if they get to play at Heinz Field.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 13"

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) at New England Patriots (7-4)

In one of the best games on tap this weekend, the physical Steelers will try to flex their muscle against the finesse Patriots. Running back Willie Parker is listed as questionable, but fully practiced on Thursday and Friday, setting up his much-anticipated return to a sloughing Pittsburgh ground game. He’ll be called on to pound an aging Patriot front seven. New England has stayed in the playoff and division hunt without Tom Brady thanks to Matt Cassel’s shockingly solid play at quarterback. A win over the Steelers would return them to the best of the AFC and give more questions as to resigning Cassel, especially if Brady isn’t ready to start next year.

Continue reading "Joey A's Opening Drive: Week 13"

Building a Cassel

By Dayne A. Duranti  

There is a big ugly bandwagon speeding through New England right now. 

It is a rotten old cart of a wagon, filled with bulbous faced drunks and scoundrels. They slug down their swill and they sing  

Continue reading "Building a Cassel"

New England Patriots 48, Miami Dolphins 28

Two straight 400 yard passing games for Patriots QB Matt Cassel in key divisional contests have all but ensured he’s going to be snared in the off-season for big money. The Patriots are now at 7-4 and in the thick of the AFC Wildcard hunt. Miami’s road to the post-season has gotten significantly more difficult with the loss, putting them behind the pack at 6-5. Despite their troubles, the ceiling in Miami has increased exponentially this season. Chad Pennington looks to be a stable presence in their huddle for the foreseeable future.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week Twelve"

New England Patriots (6-4) at Miami Dolphins (6-4)

Shockingly, the Patriots are 6-4 without Tom Brady. Matt Cassel has filled in admirably and will surely cash-in this off-season. Tom Brady better be healed up for 2009, or the Patriots may have quarterback troubles. A win in this division match-up will not only keep them in the running for the division title behind New York, but for the AFC wild card slots as well.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Twelve Preview"

Week eleven was insane, featuring some last second wins, exciting divisional match-ups with major playoff implications, and some unexpected blow-outs. Here’s week eleven’s Final Drive!

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week Eleven"

The NFL institutions that we have all been able to count on like the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts have slipped into mediocrity due to injuries. 

Continue reading "All Good Soldiers"

New York Jets (6-3) at New England Patriots (6-3)

The Jets and Patriots are meeting for the second time this season, but now the winner will occupy first place in the AFC East. The Jets aren’t the same team that fell to New England in week two. Brett Favre has an improved control of the offense, Thomas Jones is tearing up the turf, and the defense is in the top third of the league. Beating the Patriots in Gillette Stadium would confirm their legitimacy.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Eleven Preview"

New England Patriots 20, Buffalo Bills 10

I’ve been waiting to dance on the grave of the Patriots all season since Brady went down, but they simply aren’t dying. Matt Cassel has proven to be a serviceable NFL quarterback, fronting an offense that scores enough points to win. New England has fought through numerous injuries, but losing linebacker Adalius Thomas for the season could hurt more than any other. Still, at 6-3 with a game coming against the Jets (whom they are tied with in the standings), the Patriots are in a position to take control of a surprisingly tough AFC East.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 10"

Buffalo Bills (5-3) at New England Patriots (5-3)

With the Bills, Patriots, and Jets tied for the lead at 5-3 and the Dolphins sitting at 4-4, the AFC East has become one of the most exciting divisions in football. The Bills have fallen off sharply after a 4-0 start. The obvious reason has been turnovers. With 11 turnovers in their three losses, Dick Jauron’s strategy should be clear. Protect the ball and play solid defense, and his team will win.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Ten Preview"

New England Patriots (5-2) at Indianapolis Colts (3-4)

These two teams are perfect examples of what injuries can do to an offense. Without Tom Brady, the

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week 9 Preview"

Patriots fans... don't miss this event! 

Heath Evans, starting fullback for the New England Patriots will be appearing at an autograph signing event on Saturday, November 15th from 2 PM - 4 PM.  Heath will meet fans and sign autographs.  Photographs will be permitted.

Continue reading "Heath Evans appearing at an autograph ..."

Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is a game. Now that St. Louis is on a two-game winning streak against the NFC East, they have to be taken seriously by wildly inconsistent New England. Jim Haslett has his team playing inspired football, and the NFC West is always up in the air, no matter how good Arizona seems right now. It’s a significant match-up for the Rams, because if they can take advantage of an aging defense by wearing them down with Steven Jackson, a third win could be theirs for the taking. Jackson has gotten more productive under Haslett, and quarterback Marc Bulger is reaping the benefits. He has shown why former coach Scott Linehan never should have benched him. He is accurate and on-time when he gets protection from his offensive line. With a solid running game to threaten defenses, Bulger will continue to pick defenses apart.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Eight Preview"

New England Patriots 41, Denver Broncos 7

This game featured another pair of teams that can’t show any consistency whatsoever. The first few weeks of the season Denver appeared to be a great offense that rarely turned the ball over matched with a defense that couldn’t stop anyone. With 13 turnovers in their last four games, their offense has regressed tremendously, along with quarterback Jay Cutler.  They handed possession to the Patriots five times, and never took it away. No team in the NFL can overcome a minus five turnover differential. The real problem for Denver has been holding onto the ball, as they fumbled three times in this one. Your young gunslinger quarterback is going to throw interceptions every now and again, but fumbling this consistently is just a joke. It got worse for Denver with the loss of the Bailey brothers on defense, as corner Champ injured his groin and linebacker Boss hurt his knee. That means an already suspect defensive unit is without two of its best players. If Denver can’t curb their turnover problems, they might not even be able to maintain first place in a disappointing AFC West.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 7"

Denver Broncos (4-2) at New England Patriots (3-2)

I only have one question for Broncos v. Patriots: Whose defense can actually make a play? Jay Cutler and the high-flying Broncos are anxious to make up for their loss to Jacksonville. They have good news as well, for rookie stand-out wide receiver Eddie Royal is probable after missing last week. Tony Scheffler and Brandon Stokley are still questionable, so the Denver receiver corps is only minimally healthier. It might not matter against a Patriot secondary that got torched by the Chargers’ average wide-outs. Cutler threw a costly interception versus the Jaguars, which is what the New England defense is hoping for this time around. If he can eliminate his turnovers, look for a points bonanza by Denver. They might need it if their defense can’t pressure Matt Cassel into mistakes.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Seven Preview"

San Diego Chargers 30, New England Patriots 10

This game clearly revealed these teams’ true identities. San Diego is a talented team on both sides of the ball, and they excel at the big play. New England is old on defense, and Matt Cassel is no Tom Brady. Philip Rivers hit Vincent Jackson 48 yards deep on the first play from scrimmage and the Chargers never looked back. They dominated this game, and never was it more evident than their defensive goal line stand as the Patriots were attempting to get the game within one score. Even without a dominant LaDainian Tomlinson rushing performance, the Chargers had no problem pulling themselves back up to .500, only one game behind the division leading Denver Broncos. Charger defensive tackle Jamal Williams penetrated the Patriot offensive line all night, wreaking havoc in the backfield on running plays as well as on Cassel drop-backs. New England’s secondary was exposed as corner Deltha O’Neal was a favorite victim of Philip Rivers’ precise passing. Bill Belichick better figure out his quarterback situation or his Patriots may not even sniff the postseason.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 5"

New England Patriots (3-1) at San Diego Chargers (2-3)

Who knows what we’re going to

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Six Preview"

Well, the Patriots certainly looked human on Sunday. Scoring only 19 points, their offense didn’t come close to resembling the juggernaut of last season. If you were Eric Mangini and the Jets, there was no better possible situation to ask for coming into this game. The Jets had Brett Favre and an improved defense, while New England had Matt Cassel and an aging defense. Unfortunately, the Jets couldn’t make the Patriots pay for settling for field goals most of the game.

Continue reading "Patriots win it Ugly"

New England Patriots (1-0) at New York Jets (1-0)

Quite possibly the most interesting game on the schedule, Brett Favre welcomes the Brady-less Patriots. The Jets are going to look to establish themselves as the team to beat in the AFC East, which is wide open. New England needs to find a way to run the ball, as Matt Cassel isn’t going to attempt thirty-five passes from the shotgun formation.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Two Preview"

Any who knows me is aware of how much I dislike the New England Patriots.

Well, maybe dislike is a weak word. I loathe them. Their players are regarded as indentured servants, they treat the injury report like it’s a Tom Clancy novel, and they are so over-covered by the sports media that my TV gets upset when it shows Tedy Bruschi. And it all starts with their sneaky media-toying genius of a coach. Or is he? (Well, he’s definitely sneaky and loves to toy with the media, but is he a genius?)

Continue reading "Was it Belichick or Brady? We’ll ..."

I have never claimed to be an expert when it comes to predicting outcomes of football games, although last year I nearly predicted the exact final score of the Super Bowl while hitting on seven of my nine prop bets. (My prediction was 26-17, the final was 29-17.) For whatever reason I had a very good feel for that game. This year's Super Bowl, however, remains a mystery to me. Part of the reason I am having trouble getting a good feel for this game is that I am a bitter Jets fan and I can't stand either team. I'm finding it difficult to put my personal feelings aside and look at the game objectively. I think right now I am as close to objectivity as I am going to get, and with that being said, here is my official Super Bowl XLII prediction.

Continue reading "Super Bowl XLII Prediction"