Been There, Done That, Bought the Tee-Shirt

10.24.2008

Been There, Done That, Bought the Tee-Shirt
Brady Recovering Nicely from Antibiotics; rehab not compromised

Remember in Spring Training when it was discovered Curt Schilling had a degenerative right shoulder condition and his doctor told the All-Star pitcher that surgery was his best option? If Schilling had the surgery, his season would have been over but the Red Sox team and their doctors decided on a different approach. Instead of having their star pitcher undergo surgery and be lost for the season, the Sox thought rest and rehab would be best. The situation exploded into a front-line war between Schilling and the Red Sox management. In the end Schilling abided by the Sox wishes and ended up having the surgery anyway a month into the season, thus ending his season.

So New England fans, we have seen this before. For Tom Brady, it is a no win situation. He went to the surgeon his family wanted him to go to and wound up with an infection. We like to think things would be different he went with the Patriots doctors but, fans, we have seen this play out just eight months ago. Say he went to doctors the Pats wanted him to have the surgery and still got an infection, we would all be saying the same thing.

Brady going to a different physician does not change the fact he contracted an infection in his left knee. I’m not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one but I do know that infections from surgery are not all that rare. Because it happened like this, you ask the question would it have been any different if Brady stayed in Boston and had the surgery here? It might have but infections are always possibly when it comes to going under the knife.

Like in the Schilling situation, there is no use crying over spilled milk. What is done is done. It is what it is. Now Brady and the Patriots have to move forward instead of dwelling on the past. Brady should fly back to Boston to let team doctors have a look at his knee to decide the next course of action. The Patriots have invested a lot of money into this guy and they want to know what they are up against and which direction they need to turn to.

One doctor out of Cincinnati, Dr. Tim Kremcheck, told WEEI’s Dale and Holley yesterday “that’s not good” upon hearing the reports of Brady’s staph infection in his knee following surgery. He went on to say next season is questionable for the Pats franchise player and possibly, worst case scenario, the start quarterback’s career might be in jeopardy.

“What will probably have to happen is that they will have to go in, remove everything–including the screws, everything—because everything has to be sterile and clean for (the repair) to take,” Kremchek, whose specialized ranges from arthroscopic shoulder scopes to total knee joint reconstructions and replacements, told WEEI.

It may sound grim but the famous orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews of was consulting on the case with Brady’s surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Andrews confirmed what Kremchek told WEEI yesterday that saving the ligament graft from the infection was the most important piece of the puzzle. The renowned Alabama doctor told the Los Angeles Times that from what he heard from ElAttrache, Brady was “winning the battle” and responding nicely to antibiotics and should not compromise his recovery from the injury that occurred in Week One of the NFL season.

Hopefully rehab will go well and he will be back for the 2009 season but if there is a slight blip in the recovery process you know the Patriots and their fans will re-hash the fact Brady went outside the organization for his surgery; thus, will re-create the “Schilling Controversy” all over again. So for right now Pats fans sit back let Brady continue on his road to recovery and root for Matt Cassel to lead the Patriots this season

On Any Given Sunday

Miami just has New England’s number. The last time the Pats lost a regular season game was against the Dolphins back on December 10, 2006 at Dolphins Stadium. I vividly remember sitting in the Buffalo Wild Wings off Route 140 in Westminster, Maryland watching the Dolphins dismantle the Patriots in a 21-0 shutout.

Although the majority of people were picking the Pats to walk away the easy victory today, it was not surprising. Miami has always played the Patriots tough and they did it yet again on Sunday but there is one thing as a Pats fan you can not do. You can not blame Matt Cassel.

“[The Dolphins] did everything a lot better than we did,” Bill Belichick said in his post game press conference. “They out played us. The out coached us.”

Cassel was not the reason New England lost. Sure his 61 completion percentage did not help the Pats, the real reason they lost was the same reason they won last week. It was their defense. Here is my mea culpa for the day, I did not watch the entire game. But I had a very good reason. I was up in South Hadley, Massachusetts watching the McDaniel Green Terror women’s golf team shoot their lowest round of the season on the second day of Mt. Holyoke’s two-day invitational.

When I popped my head into the clubhouse to check on the score of the game, an all too familiar grin was on Belichick’s face. It was the same face that I saw on McDaniel’s coach Mike Diehl’s face, riding around watching the Lady Terror for 18 holes. (Congrats to Elyse Massa, Amy Glock, Val Saucier, Nicole Cristy and Jennie Weiner for the lowest McDaniel single day total of 349 since Spring 2005 in Kutztown.) For both the Green Terror and the Patriots there were many highlights but there were far too many lowlights.

One of those highlights came on special teams where Ellis Hobbs averaged accumulated 237 yards on six returns for an average of 39.5 yards a carry, setting a new Patriots record. Now here is the lowlight, those were on kick-off returns. It is a pretty safe bet that any time a team has six returns off kick-offs, they probably are not going to win.

The best coaches are the “Yes, but coaches.” These types of active-positive coaches do not just acknowledge where their team faltered but also where their team succeeded in the form of a “yes but” statement. Belichick did this in his post game press conference regarding the Patriots dominance on special teams behind one of Hobbs returns for 81 yards.

“Certainly dominated on offense and defense I thought,” Belichick said. “We were competitive in the kicking game but that was about it not on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.”

As a team when you only get the ball for 28 minutes of the game, it makes a cold, hard statement about your defense. The Pats can not expect to win if there defense is not at the top of their game. They will have a week to sit on this game as they head into their bye week before coming out on Sunday October 5 to face the San Francisco 49ers in the Bay Area.

“Try to be better for San Francisco,” Belichick said in his Monday afternoon press conference. “Correct mistakes on this one and put it to rest.” Because “on any given Sunday.”

Don't they ever learn?

What’s this? More material for the Patriots to put on their locker room bulletin board?

Miami Dolphins linebacker and representative loudmouth, Joey Porter finds himself on the Pats bulletin board once again. It seems as if we can not go one year without Porter opening up his big mouth. The Pats are all too familiar with the linebacker’s antics while with the Steelers in the playoffs and after last year’s asterisk’s comment regarding SpyGate. Doesn’t this guy ever learn?

Four days before the Pats host the last-place Dolphins at Gillette, Porter took some time out of practice to take a few cheap shots at quarterback Matt Cassel. He told ESPN blogger Tim Graham, “I just know he’s not Tom Brady. So if it’s not Tom Brady, it shouldn’t be that hard.”

Where to begin? That is the ultimate question. First, where is the logic in Porter’s statement? Secondly, thanks Joey I did not know Cassel was not Brady. Thank you very much for clearing that up for me. I would be lost without you. (Note the hint of sarcasm.)

And third, tell that to the Jets. New York fans were salivating at the idea of facing the sans-Brady Patriots would be a walk in the park and it would be their shot at redemption from last year, but they were harshly snapped back to reality by Adalius Thomas and the defense. If Porter thinks this Sunday’s game is going to be a cake walk, let me remind him that his Dolphins lost to the same Jets in their first game of the year.

According to Porter, the Dolphins are going to “treat [Cassel] like you treat a back-up.” This is their first mistake: thinking of Cassel as a back-up instead of a starter. Bill Belichick did not become a successful head coach treating opposing teams different. In the eyes of Belichick, every team is the Colts, every quarterback is Peyton Manning. Why? Because, it is cliché, “on any given Sunday” anybody can beat anybody.

Miami’s second mistake: letting Porter open his mouth to an ESPN reporter.

The Pats are the best team at playing the “Us vs. Them” card and using these one-liners as motivation. When the entire league accused them of cheating last year, the Pats only became the first undefeated team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins and were one win away from eternal glorification. Now, with Brady lost for the rest of the year, the national media called the Jets the team to beat in the AFC East, thus putting the chip was right back on the beast shoulder.

For the second consecutive year, Belichick does not have to re-create a “Disrespect” straw man like he has done in past years. Already feeling slighted why would a player from a winless team, come out and hurl more insults towards a team that handles it by doing all their talking on the field on Sunday? It makes no sense. So I end this blog with a Brady quote: “Well done is better than well said.”

Pats defense stifles Favre and Jets offense, Cassel gets his first win as a starter

Yesterday’s Patriots-Jets game was a nice metaphor for the 2008 Presidential election. While the Jets trotted out the football equivalent of John McCain, in Brett Favre, Matt Cassel was making his first start since being a high school senior in Southern California. The long-time back-up quarterback has taught the nation that “inexperienced” is not a synonym for not ready.

Cassel proved all the doubters and football experts wrong as he executed the Patriots offense to a 19-10 victory over the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.

“It’s never about the doubters. It’s always about the belief in yourself,” he told reporters from the podium we are used to seeing Brady standing before at the end of a game.

He did what was asked of him, he managed the game, played smart and minimized mistakes. One way of keeping the Jets from scoring is to keep the ball out of Favre’s hands by controlling the clock. The Patriots offense kept the Jets offense off the field for over half the game. Cassel connected with wide out Wes Welker seven times for a total of 72 yards – 165 overall.

On this day, he was better than his more experienced counterpart. While Favre might have thrown one more touchdown pass, Cassel was able to minimize the damage. He did not take any unnecessary risks and took three sacks instead of, possibly, air mailing a ball into the hands of a Jets defender, like his compliment in gang-green.

“A lot of people didn’t expect [us] to do much today,” head coach Bill Belichick said in his post-game press conference. “These guys came in with a lot of determination.”

The Pats defense, specifically the front seven, were the biggest reason why New England won the game. Knowing they did not have Brady to bail them out, the defense attacked Favre and the Jets running backs like a pack of feral dogs searching for food. Rodney Harrison described the defense the best.

“Until last year we weren’t an offense that came in and scored 38 points a game,” he told reporters in the locker room. “So we know how to win close games. We know how to fight and claw.”

But by far, the play of the day came in the fourth quarter, with New York on their own 23-yard-line. Adalius Thomas not only sacked Favre but also brought down his running back Leon Washington for a 20-yard loss.

Looking like something from the opening credits of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” Thomas burst into the Jets backfield on second and 10, grabbed the nine time Pro-Bowler’s jersey and began to spin him down. But Favre was not going down without a fight. Washington tried to help his quarterback but apparently forgot the consequences of when the little guy tries to tackle the big guy. Thomas brought down both Favre and Washington but not before New York lost an additional 10 yards. At the end of the day we learn, the Patriots are still the school-yard bullies.

Timeline Adalius Thomas's Sack of Brett Favre (and Leon Washington)

1. Adalius Thomas enters the backfield. Leon Washington attempts to block Thomas.

















2. May I have this dance? Washington is not going to stop Thomas.....














3. .....so he spins both of them down for a 20-yard loss.














(Photos are from the AP)

My Two Cents: The Lose of Tom Brady

Losing the face of the franchise barely seven minutes into the start of the 2008 season is a tough and bitter pill to swallow. But I am reminded of a saying “that which does not kill us, only makes us stronger.” Life as a New England Patriot just got a bit harder with Brady’s absence but it does not mean the season’s over. Take a look at the three top things to expect with Matt Cassel under center.

Do not expect Matt Cassel to be Tom Brady

Matt Cassel is Matt Cassel. He is not Tom Brady. Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay put it best after he was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Red Sox in the Manny Ramirez deal. “They’re not asking me to step in and play above and beyond everyone’s expectations. They’re asking me to be me.” So Pats fans don’t put added pressure on the 26-year-old QB.

Belichick and Veterans Need to Step It Up

To supplement the loss of Brady, the Pats defensive front seven need to step up their game. Cassel is not a bail bondsman, he can not bail the team out like Brady did last year at against the Ravens and it starts with Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Tedy Bruschi and the young Jerod Mayo.

During his seven years in Minnesota, Randy Moss made quarterback Daunte Culpepper look like one of the elite QB’s in the league. So in this time of crisis, Moss must become a leader on this Patriots team. Just as he did in the first week of the season, Cassel can throw the ball up in Moss’s direction and because of the wide out’s height and athleticism, Moss will come down with the ball the majority percent of the time.

But it is not just limited to the players. How can you expect the players to step up their own game if the coach does not do the same? Bill Belichick has to let the players know they are going to “stay the course.”

The “Fatal Flaw”

With the biggest flaw on this team now being the quarter back position, many teams such as the Colts, Steelers and Chargers will try to take the ball out of Laurence Maroney’s hands and put them in Cassel’s. They will want to make Cassel beat them.

After watching Boston College Eagles in their first two games of the season, I have come to the conclusion that the Patriots 2008 campaign is going to be similar. Although Cassel played very well against the Kansas City Chiefs, they are the professional equivalent of Kent State. Unlike Georgia Tech last week in the Eagles home opener, Kent State was unable to exploit the fatal flaws in the Eagles game.

If Cassel is able to “minimize the damage” and with one of the easier schedules in the NFL, I could possibly see the Patriots going 10-6, maybe 11-5.

Sox Spring Training

Since Sox Spring Training started. I will be writing very sparingly in the PatriotsNation blog only because the Sox season is starting up and I'm doing some things over there. Over the next couple of days I will be commenting on Randy Moss not being franchised and what the Patriots need to do get back to the Super Bowl next year (i.e. get a Corner because Asante Samuel is gone).

Although I'm thinking the Pats should go after Jamie Silva from Boston College ;)

RED SOX NATION
http://sawxblog.blogspot.com

A few things to consider when watching the game tomorrow....

Multi-Sport Athletes

Exercise and Sport Science major Stephen Gostkowski was not just the place-kicker for the Memphis Tigers he was also a pitcher for the Tigers baseball team…Patriots special teams player Kelley Washington was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1997. While with the Marlins single A affiliate, the Kane Country Cougars, his teammate was Sox pitcher Josh Beckett…Quarterback Tom Brady was drafted in the 1995 MLB Draft in the 18^th round with the 507 pick overall by the Montreal Expos. The Expos picked Brady 55 picks ahead of the 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell, who was taken in the 20^th round 562 overall by the New York Yankees…In high school, wide receiver Randy Moss was named “West Virginia’s High School Basketball Player of the Year” and his teammate was Miami Heat point guard Jason Williams

The Nerds

At Iowa State, cornerback Ellis Hobbs, III was an Art and Visual Communications major and says he would be a Walt Disney Company animator if it were not for football…While at The Ohio State, linebacker Mike Vrabel was a Pre-Med major…Kyle Brady is a Civil War history buff even visiting the famous battle sites of Gettysburg and Antietam.

All in the Family

Back up quarterback Matt Cassel’s is not the only professional athlete in the Cassel family. Matt is the middle child of three with older brother Jack and younger brother Justin. Jack is a pitcher for Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros while Justin is a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox’s single A affiliate Winston-Salem Warthogs…The father of Jabar Gaffney, Derrick, played eight seasons with the New York Jets from 1978-1987. Also Jabar’s cousin is Philadelphia cornerback, Lito Shepard…Wide Receiver Randy Moss’s older brother, Eric Moss, had a brief stint as an offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings in 1997.

Family Feud

Good thing Patriots linebacker, Adalius Thomas, and Giants defensive end, Justin Tuck, will not be on the field at the same time. The two defensive players are cousins.

Big Foot and the Heartbreakers

Patriots defensive end, Richard Seymour, does not just have the biggest foot on the team wearing a size 17 shoe but also plays the trombone. Seymour could start a small band with fellow defensive player, Tedy Bruschi, and third string tight end, Stephen Spach. Bruschi is an accomplished saxophone player while Spach has credentials on the guitar and bass guitar.

Thank you, Asante

Cornerback Asante Samuel’s first name means “Thank-you” in Swahili and his high school team was thankful to have him before the last game of his senior season. Ten minutes before Samuel’s last high school football game, the starting quarterback was injured, Samuel stepped in the role and threw two touchdown passes.

The Cowboy

Pats left guard Logan Mankins spent his childhood on a 10,000-acre cattle ranch where he and his father were a prize-winning cattle roping team.

What number is it Teddy? Eight!

Pats receiver Donte Stallworth (#18) is part owner of the Miami restaurant “O” with former Celtic Antoine Walker, who wore #8 while with the Celtics.

The Boston College Connection

Patriots center, Dan Koppen and Giants right guard Chris Snee were both members of the 2002 Boston College Eagles offensive line.

Giants Head Coach, Tom Coughlin, was at the Heights from 1981-1983 as BC’s quarterbacks coach before leaving to be the wide receivers coach in Philadelphia, Green Bay and New York. Coughlin would return to Chestnut Hill to become the Eagles Head Coach from 1991-1993.

Originially from Cambridge, Giants assistant offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo was an assistant of Coughlin’s at BC when Coughlin was the Head Coach in 1991-1992.

New York’s strength and conditioning coach Jerry Palmieri was the Eagles Director of Strength and Conditioning during the 1993-1994 season.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Giants, John Mara, is a Boston College alum (1976) with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in marketing.

(Quick facts courtesy of the New England Patriots Media Relations department.)