Jason Taylor’s official release from the Washington Redskins is resurfacing NBC Sports rumor from earlier this week that Taylor may be making his way north to Foxboro. Taylor who is well known from his years as a dominant pass rusher in Miami and his stint on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” is known for having a strong personality that has in the past rubbed both teammates and team officials alike, the wrong way.
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Another Taylor Headed to the Patriots?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Cassell a Chief
Matt Cassel’s days as a New England Patriot are officially over as The Boston Globe now confirms that there is a trade in place to send the quarterback to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots compensation is not yet known but it is believed that the two team's trade yesterday that included the sending of Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs is also a part of the Cassell trade.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Busy First Day of Free Agency for Patriots
The Patriots wasted no time during the first day of NFL free agency by signing Fred Taylor to a free agent contract. Terms of the contract weren’t immediately available but The Boston Globe reports in the article that Taylor would be holding a 6:00 PM press conference to discuss the details of the signing. Taylor is the Jaguars all-time leading rusher and was forced out of Jacksonville as a salary cap casualty.
In other Patriots news, veteran linebacker and team leader Mike Vrabel saw his time as a Patriot come to a close when he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick. Vrabel whose presence in the Patriots locker room has been touted by many former and current players will leave Patriots fans with many fond memories probably none more so than his ability to switch from defense to offense and become a dangerous touchdown threat.
In other Patriots news, veteran linebacker and team leader Mike Vrabel saw his time as a Patriot come to a close when he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick. Vrabel whose presence in the Patriots locker room has been touted by many former and current players will leave Patriots fans with many fond memories probably none more so than his ability to switch from defense to offense and become a dangerous touchdown threat.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Wes Welker Wins Over Fans at Macy's
The Macy’s Downtown Location in cooperation with Sports Radio 850 AM WEEI hosted a public appearance yesterday by New England Patriots Wide Receiver, Wes Welker.
I had the opportunity to attend the event last night and even got to meet Wes Welker. I arrived to the event around 4:30 PM which was one half hour before the 5:00 PM start time. Welker arrived shortly after 5:00 PM and answered a few questions.
Welker, wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, displayed great appreciation to the approximately 250 fans who were in attendance. Welker seemed upbeat on the heels of his team’s 17-14 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. Looking back on his first season in New England, Welker said “I’m just happy to be on a…very successful team.” The pause to me seemed to indicate Welker was instinctively going to refer to the Patriots as a “championship team” but for obvious reasons he left that out. Welker appeared to me to be a friendly man who was hesitant to talk on the microphone but very gracious and charming when talking person to person.
Welker then went on to say that he had become a Red Sox fan since arriving in New England but that he hadn’t made it to a game yet.
At 5:30 PM, I made it to the front of the line and met Welker. After shaking his hand and thanking him for coming, I asked him if I could get an autograph for a friend who hadn’t been able to make it. I told him that “she might cry if she doesn’t get one.” Welker said “you would make her cry” and I shot back “no Mr. Welker I think it would be you that would make her cry.”
I then asked him about the recent retirement of Bobby Knight, the basketball coach of his alma mater, Texas Tech. Welker said “I was disappointed to read that.” I then said to him well I’m sure you are “no stranger to playing for a disciplinarian to which Welker laughed and said “no I am very familiar.” I shook Welker’s hand, said goodbye, and then moved away from the table.
Welker answered a few questions as I was making my way out of Macy’s. He said that he had been a soccer player growing up and “that I always saw myself playing that (soccer) when I grew up.” Welker said that the hardest hit of the previous season had come from a Giant in the Super Bowl but that “I can’t remember who hit me—I guess I’ll have to check the film.”
I had the opportunity to attend the event last night and even got to meet Wes Welker. I arrived to the event around 4:30 PM which was one half hour before the 5:00 PM start time. Welker arrived shortly after 5:00 PM and answered a few questions.
Welker, wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, displayed great appreciation to the approximately 250 fans who were in attendance. Welker seemed upbeat on the heels of his team’s 17-14 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. Looking back on his first season in New England, Welker said “I’m just happy to be on a…very successful team.” The pause to me seemed to indicate Welker was instinctively going to refer to the Patriots as a “championship team” but for obvious reasons he left that out. Welker appeared to me to be a friendly man who was hesitant to talk on the microphone but very gracious and charming when talking person to person.
Welker then went on to say that he had become a Red Sox fan since arriving in New England but that he hadn’t made it to a game yet.
At 5:30 PM, I made it to the front of the line and met Welker. After shaking his hand and thanking him for coming, I asked him if I could get an autograph for a friend who hadn’t been able to make it. I told him that “she might cry if she doesn’t get one.” Welker said “you would make her cry” and I shot back “no Mr. Welker I think it would be you that would make her cry.”
I then asked him about the recent retirement of Bobby Knight, the basketball coach of his alma mater, Texas Tech. Welker said “I was disappointed to read that.” I then said to him well I’m sure you are “no stranger to playing for a disciplinarian to which Welker laughed and said “no I am very familiar.” I shook Welker’s hand, said goodbye, and then moved away from the table.
Welker answered a few questions as I was making my way out of Macy’s. He said that he had been a soccer player growing up and “that I always saw myself playing that (soccer) when I grew up.” Welker said that the hardest hit of the previous season had come from a Giant in the Super Bowl but that “I can’t remember who hit me—I guess I’ll have to check the film.”
Monday, February 4, 2008
Super Bowl Thoughts
One has to take their hat off to the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. They were certainly the best team on the field during last night’s Super Bowl.
If you were a Patriots fan there are countless things you could look back towards as keys to the crushing defeat but I will choose to focus on one in particular. Late in the second quarter the Patriots faced a 4th and 13 from the Giants 31 yard line. The conventional wisdom would hold here that one should attempt a field goal. Regardless of whom your kicker is, a 48 yard field goal in warm, dry, conditions should and must be something your team can rely on.
But what Bill Belichick opted to do in this situation was to keep his offense on the field and try to pick up a first down. The Patriots were unsuccessful.
The Giants ultimately ran out the half with the Patriots leading 7-3. It didn’t seem like much at the time but with a final score of Giants 17, Patriots 14 it was all that separated the two teams.
Bill Belichick is still one of the greatest coaches in NFL history but to squander the chance at 3 points in what should have been a “no brainer” smacks of poor coaching. 4th and short yardage is difficult enough to accomplish but 4th and 13 within field goal range? I still can’t begin to imagine what he is thinking.
The Patriots overwhelming beginning to 2007 was sparked by a crushing playoff defeat at the hands of the Colts. Let’s hope a similarly deflating loss can serve as a catalyst to a great 2008.
If you were a Patriots fan there are countless things you could look back towards as keys to the crushing defeat but I will choose to focus on one in particular. Late in the second quarter the Patriots faced a 4th and 13 from the Giants 31 yard line. The conventional wisdom would hold here that one should attempt a field goal. Regardless of whom your kicker is, a 48 yard field goal in warm, dry, conditions should and must be something your team can rely on.
But what Bill Belichick opted to do in this situation was to keep his offense on the field and try to pick up a first down. The Patriots were unsuccessful.
The Giants ultimately ran out the half with the Patriots leading 7-3. It didn’t seem like much at the time but with a final score of Giants 17, Patriots 14 it was all that separated the two teams.
Bill Belichick is still one of the greatest coaches in NFL history but to squander the chance at 3 points in what should have been a “no brainer” smacks of poor coaching. 4th and short yardage is difficult enough to accomplish but 4th and 13 within field goal range? I still can’t begin to imagine what he is thinking.
The Patriots overwhelming beginning to 2007 was sparked by a crushing playoff defeat at the hands of the Colts. Let’s hope a similarly deflating loss can serve as a catalyst to a great 2008.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Thoughts From a Wild Weekend
Here are some thoughts from the NFL’s Wild Card weekend that saw the number of those with championship dreams cut from twelve to eight after the completion of four opening round games.
Watching Walpole High’s Todd Collins do battle with former Xaverian high school stand-out Matt Hasselbeck, I was immediately brought back to a Saturday night in September of 1994 where I saw Collins lead the Michigan Wolverines to a hardy victory over Hasselbeck and his Boston College Eagles. While then Collins was the proven starter and Hasselbeck was a back-up who reserved his passes for the occasional fake field goal , these roles have reversed with Hasselbeck, the younger but more experienced starter, leading his Seahawks to a 35-14 victory over Collins, the until recently, seldom-used, veteran quarterback.
The Redskins defeat brought to an end a story-book end to the season of both Collins and the Redskins that saw them win four straight games to qualify for the post season on the last weekend of the regular season.
This weekend also brought front and center the fact that the Seahawks are now led by Hasselbeck and no longer former league MVP Sean Alexander. Hasselbeck’s poise in the pocket and ability to throw to all areas of the field will make Hasselbeck a difficult challenge for Packers coaches to defend this coming weekend.
The real question coming out of Saturday night’s match up between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers is which offensive unit is the real Jaguars offense? Is it the effective offensive unit that displayed the ability to throw and run both during the first half and late drives in the forth quarter? Or is it the dismal sputtering unit that looked ineffective for most of the second half? The answer to this question will go a long way to determine whether or how much the Patriots win by on Saturday night.
For all those inclined to debate the merits of Eli Manning against his brother Peyton, Sunday served as a good measuring stick to use while examining this debate. While it will be difficult, some might say impossible, for Eli to top the record-breaking career of brother, Peyton, Eli took a small step towards earning the playoff stripes that have only come recently to older brother. Eli, pressured intensely throughout the first half, managed to keep his head in the game and make short range, precise, passes that ushered the Giants to victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon. Eli’s victory will help to further the merits of the selected few who predict similar career success for Peyton’s younger brother. Like most things in life, the answer to whether Eli will ever match or surpass his brother probably lies somewhere in the middle. What is unquestionable, however, is that it will take a Peyton-like performance of 2007 on Eli’s part to defeat the Cowboys this weekend in Dallas.
It was also apparent Sunday afternoon how difficult it must be for San Diego fans to foster realistic Super Bowl dreams in 2008. Gone is the home field advantage of 2007 which would have only required the Chargers to leave tropical Southern California to play in the Super Bowl. And in its place stairs directly in the face of the Chargers a date this weekend against the defending champion Colts and a potential trip to play the Patriots in Foxboro in the AFC Championship game. If Norv Turner and the bolts can pull this off than they will be truly worthy of the title champion.
Watching Walpole High’s Todd Collins do battle with former Xaverian high school stand-out Matt Hasselbeck, I was immediately brought back to a Saturday night in September of 1994 where I saw Collins lead the Michigan Wolverines to a hardy victory over Hasselbeck and his Boston College Eagles. While then Collins was the proven starter and Hasselbeck was a back-up who reserved his passes for the occasional fake field goal , these roles have reversed with Hasselbeck, the younger but more experienced starter, leading his Seahawks to a 35-14 victory over Collins, the until recently, seldom-used, veteran quarterback.
The Redskins defeat brought to an end a story-book end to the season of both Collins and the Redskins that saw them win four straight games to qualify for the post season on the last weekend of the regular season.
This weekend also brought front and center the fact that the Seahawks are now led by Hasselbeck and no longer former league MVP Sean Alexander. Hasselbeck’s poise in the pocket and ability to throw to all areas of the field will make Hasselbeck a difficult challenge for Packers coaches to defend this coming weekend.
The real question coming out of Saturday night’s match up between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers is which offensive unit is the real Jaguars offense? Is it the effective offensive unit that displayed the ability to throw and run both during the first half and late drives in the forth quarter? Or is it the dismal sputtering unit that looked ineffective for most of the second half? The answer to this question will go a long way to determine whether or how much the Patriots win by on Saturday night.
For all those inclined to debate the merits of Eli Manning against his brother Peyton, Sunday served as a good measuring stick to use while examining this debate. While it will be difficult, some might say impossible, for Eli to top the record-breaking career of brother, Peyton, Eli took a small step towards earning the playoff stripes that have only come recently to older brother. Eli, pressured intensely throughout the first half, managed to keep his head in the game and make short range, precise, passes that ushered the Giants to victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon. Eli’s victory will help to further the merits of the selected few who predict similar career success for Peyton’s younger brother. Like most things in life, the answer to whether Eli will ever match or surpass his brother probably lies somewhere in the middle. What is unquestionable, however, is that it will take a Peyton-like performance of 2007 on Eli’s part to defeat the Cowboys this weekend in Dallas.
It was also apparent Sunday afternoon how difficult it must be for San Diego fans to foster realistic Super Bowl dreams in 2008. Gone is the home field advantage of 2007 which would have only required the Chargers to leave tropical Southern California to play in the Super Bowl. And in its place stairs directly in the face of the Chargers a date this weekend against the defending champion Colts and a potential trip to play the Patriots in Foxboro in the AFC Championship game. If Norv Turner and the bolts can pull this off than they will be truly worthy of the title champion.
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