11/26/2009

Pats have thrived against defense led by Saints’ coordinator
FOXBORO — With five days to go until the New England Patriots’ Monday-night matchup with New Orleans, the Saints’ high-scoring offense has received a great deal of attention.

11/25/2009

Patriots journal: Kraft, Belichick give thanks
FOXBORO — Thanksgiving is a day of reflection for most people, and it was at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday as well, when both team owner Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick took a few moments to share some thoughts.

No one calls them the Aints any more
It seems like at least once a season the past few years, the New England Patriots find themselves in a showdown of (temporarily) epic proportions, a game in which the Pats or their opponent or both are undefeated, and which promises to draw major viewers to one of the NFL’s broadcasting partners.

Patriots journal: Third-quarter offense shoots blanks
While there’s no doubt that the Patriots’ offense has been getting off to a hot start in recent games, a troubling trend has popped up: they aren’t scoring in the third quarter.

11/24/2009

Patriots’ eyes are on the Saints, not the playoffs
After the Patriots lost to the Indianapolis Colts two Sundays ago, it seemed their path to one of the two AFC first-round playoff byes and the chance to play at least one postseason game at home suddenly had a sizeable roadblock dropped in the middle of it.

Patriots journal: Second time around, Belichick grabbed Welker
FOXBORO –– Leading up to the 2004 draft, the Patriots did their due diligence when it came to the Texas Tech players who would be available come April, as they do with players from schools across the country.

11/23/2009

Patriots bounce back from Indy loss with total rout of Jets
At 7-3, the Pats are two games clear of the Dolphins, who have the same 3-1 AFC East record as New England.

Talking points: Revis keeps Moss in check once again
FOXBORO — Darelle Revis won his battle, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a Jets loss in the latest Border War.

11/22/2009

Patriots-Jets pregame analysis
Oh, where to begin? This week’s edition of the Patriots-Jets rivalry seems to have more storylines than a midday soap opera — there’s Randy Moss versus Darelle Revis, cryin’ Rex Ryan, the shine dulling on the Sanchise, the additions of Wes Welker and Jerod Mayo after both missed the Week Two meeting, whether the Pats will have an Indy hangover… the list goes on.

In Patriots locker room and around the NFL, concussions no longer out of mind
FOXBORO — From the time most professional football players begin playing the game — and for many, that is at a very young age — they are taught to believe that the sport requires a warrior mentality, and that nearly any injury can and should be played through.

Up Close With: Patriots defensive back Kyle Arrington
FOXBORO — After the Patriots’ win over the Dolphins two weeks ago, there may not have been a happier player in the locker room than Kyle Arrington.

11/20/2009

Brady on target to have second-best season ever with Patriots
FOXBORO – This likely isn’t a phrase that’s uttered too often in regards to a quarterback with three Super Bowl rings, a supermodel wife, bulging bank account and is considered one of the best ever at his position, but:

Patriots journal: Weakness now is strength
FOXBORO — Kevin Faulk has become a key part of the Patriots’ offense, the guy who always answers the call and rarely gets enough credit for his contributions.

11/19/2009

Jets’ Ryan humbled as he talks of matchup with Patriots
FOXBORO — When Rex Ryan strode to the dais on Wednesday, he brought with him a box of Kleenex.

Patriots journal: Brady says Belichick ‘cursed out’ team after Indy loss
FOXBORO — While many NFL teams enjoy “Victory Mondays” — when players get the Monday after a win off, Bill Belichick gave his players Monday off this week despite their loss against Indianapolis.

11/16/2009

Colts 35, Patriots 34: Mistakes doomed Patriots before Belichick's gamble
The fourth-down call got all of the debate after the game, but it wasn't really the fourth-down call that got the Patriots on Sunday night.

Patriots-Colts Talking Points: Springs and Warren are late scratches
INDIANAPOLIS — The New England Patriots played much of the first half of Sunday night’s game with the Indianapolis Colts with a nickel look on defense — utilizing five defensive backs.

11/15/2009

Polian has built the Colts from the bottom up
As much as fans of the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts may be loathe to admit, the two franchises do share some things in common: outstanding quarterbacks, near-annual playoff runs, strong ownership.

Patriots-Colts pregame analysis
WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL

Up Close With: Shawn Springs
FOXBORO — From nearly the moment he arrived at Gillette Stadium after being signed to a free-agent deal this year, Shawn Springs endeared himself to his new teammates through humor.

11/13/2009

Patriots will count on physical play to counter Colts’ Dallas Clark
FOXBORO — Dallas Clark has gashed many a defense over the past two-plus seasons, as the Indianapolis Colt has become one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the NFL.

Patriots Journal: Dan Connolly prepares to step in –– and squat down –– to Dan Koppen’s role
FOXBORO — Dan Connolly laughs as he says Tom Brady doesn’t know his backside very well yet, but he’s going to become pretty familiar with it.

11/12/2009

Caldwell keeps Colts on the consistent path
FOXBORO –– If you hadn’t heard much about Jim Caldwell before January, it wouldn’t be that surprising. He had spent the previous seven years as quarterbacks coach of the Indianapolis Colts, but most folks believe that Peyton Manning is his own coach and coordinator anyway.

Patriots Journal: Colts have made the most of their one dimension
FOXBORO –– In the first few games of the season, there was a great deal of talk about the Patriots’ offensive imbalance –– too many passes and not enough running.

11/10/2009

McGowan loves football, and it shows
FOXBORO — Brandon McGowan grew up in Jersey City, N.J. And Orono, Maine, is nothing like Jersey City.

Patriots journal: Moving Wilfork gives defense a different look
FOXBORO — When the Patriots lined up on defense against the Dolphins, something looked a bit off about the defensive line, and not just because Jarvis Green wasn’t on the field.

11/09/2009

Patriots journal: Porter follows up a mouthy week with a quiet game
FOXBORO — You can’t always judge a player’s performance by his statistics, but for someone who talked so much before Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game, Miami linebacker Joey Porter sure had a quiet game.

Pats 27, Dolphins 17: New England tames Wildcat and takes control of AFC East
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots weren’t as crisp on offense as they’d been in recent games, and defensively they didn’t do as good a job against the Dolphins’ Wildcat offense as they would have liked.

Jim Donaldson: Dolphins didn’t learn their lesson with Moss
FOXBORO — Rookie cornerback Vontae Davis already had one interception and had his eye on another as he ran down the right sideline alongside Randy Moss.

11/08/2009

Pats’ lineman Pryor overcomes ADHD
FOXBORO — The fact that Patriots rookie defensive lineman Myron Pryor has gone from unheralded sixth-round draft pick to regular contributor for the sixth-ranked defense in the NFL is accomplishment enough.

Up close with . . . Wes Welker
FOXBORO — Some things are all about timing or the best situation at the right time.

Analysis: Patriots have the edge in most categories
No one has to tell the Patriots what is at stake in Sunday’s game against the Dolphins: through Miami is 3-4, all three of their wins have come against AFC East foes. New England, meanwhile, is 1-1 in division play and can ill afford to take a second loss if it is going to reclaim the title it had a stranglehold on from 2003-07, but which Miami claimed last year on a tiebreaker.

11/07/2009

Patriots wary of Ginn’s returns
FOXBORO — How do you win a game in the NFL and score 30 points when you have only 104 yards of total offense?

Patriots journal: Belichick says Moss is smartest receiver he’s seen
FOXBORO — Bill Belichick poked a little fun at himself but also shed a little light on what makes Randy Moss an exceptional receiver on Friday, giving fascinating insight into one of the best wideouts in NFL history.

11/06/2009

Pats’ Mayo says patience is key in defending against Wildcat
FOXBORO — When the Miami Dolphins unveiled their now-infamous Wildcat package against the Patriots in Week Three last season, it was certainly something New England had not prepared for.

Patriots journal: Porter says refs have different rules for Brady
FOXBORO — Apparently, giving Joey Porter credit for holding back a bit during his Wednesday conference call with New England reporters was premature.

11/05/2009

Dolphins’ Porter can’t hide hate for Patriots
FOXBORO — Joey Porter tried. He really did.

Patriots journal: Tougher competition is coming
FOXBORO — The Patriots played the NFL version of the junior varsity in the two weeks leading up to their bye, beating up on the Titans and Buccaneers by a combined score of 94-7 with the offense reminding many of the 2007 glory days.

11/03/2009

Declawing Miami’s wildcat still a priority for Patriots
With the amount of attention it seems the Miami Dolphins’ Wildcat offensive package receives, you’d sometimes think they invented the forward pass, not simply popularized the single-wing formation that has been in use for decades.

11/01/2009

On the bye week, a look at this year’s distinctive Patriots
The New England Patriots players are away on a bit of a fall vacation, enjoying their three-day bye weekend in places like Pittsburgh, where Leigh Bodden was inducted into the Duquesne Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, or Louisiana, where Kevin Faulk returned home to see his Louisiana State Tigers take on Tulane and spend some time with family.

Up close with Kendall Simmons
FOXBORO — For an offensive lineman, job requirement number one is being super-sized. These days, the men in the trenches routinely top 300 pounds.

10/30/2009

Self-scouting part of Patriots bye-week focus
FOXBORO – Without an opponent to prepare for, Bill Belichick has always taken advantage of the Patriots’ bye week by using two or three days to reinforce some fundamentals and improve his team.

Patriots’ Brady named AFC offensive player of the month
FOXBORO – While the fandom frets about Tom Brady’s performances coming off his knee injury – with many expecting a repeat of his off-the-charts 2007 season – the NFL seems to think QB12 is pretty close to the player he was pre-Bernard Polian.

10/29/2009

Patriots, for now, back to being beasts of East
FOXBORO — Some things are aberrations: For example, the 2008 AFC East title residing somewhere other than New England, where it has been held captive for six of the eight seasons since 2001.

Patriots Journal: Meriweather is staying humble
FOXBORO — Brandon Meriweather is starting to get noticed, though that’s not hard to do when you pull in two interceptions in one game, including one for a touchdown.

10/28/2009

Patriots must continue to play hard-nose, team football to reach goals
The New England Patriots are enjoying their bye week, sitting atop the AFC East with a 5-2 record and having thoroughly dominated their last two opponents by the combined score of 94-7.