A place where Haters Gonna Hate and Skaters Gonna Skate. Bringing you biased reports on Boston University hockey and other nonsense. We blog a thorough game of hockey. E-mail us at baystateroadsports@gmail.com or follow us on twitter @bsrs_blog
Superfans need not read past here.
The team goes through the first of its two roster cutdowns this week as the roster must be trimmed from 80 to 75 today. This is only a minor cut down as twenty two more players will be released by Saturday to make a complete 53 man roster. 8 are eligible to signed back to the practice squad if they pass through waivers. These roster spots will be up for grabs in the preseason finale Thursday against the Giants and can be influenced by the rash of injuries the Patriots have been suffering from as of lately. If any regulars go onto injured reserve, this will open more roster spots for younger players to earn to replace them. Possible season ending injuries include offensive lineman, Nick Kazcur(back), defensive lineman Ron Brace(ankle), cornerbacks Leigh Bodden(leg) and Terrence Wheatley(lower body injury).
Sorry for the delay as moving back into school this weekend put a delay on this recap.
This was by far the worse the Pats have played. They got outplayed by the worse team in the NFL last year in all three phases of the game. There were few bright spots on this night as the coach was clearly disappointed with his teams' play. Here a few positives to take from the game though
1. Rob Gronkowski- Gronk showed why the team made his the 42nd overall pick with one touchdown and numerous athletic plays
2. Brady to Moss- The connection was still there as the duo connected on a 68 yard touchdown in the third quarter
3. Wes Welker- Continues to make strides coming back from a very serious knee injury
4. Brandon Tate- 97 yd kickoff return to start the game seals his spot on this team.
5. Alge Crumpler- Made a great catch in the second quarter and has become a leader on this team that lacked it last season.
Here is a few of the negatives(there are too many to count)
1. Roughing the passer penalties on TBC(Tully Banta-Cain) and Brandon Spikes- Both penalties kept drives alive for the Rams and are dumb penalties on a team that prides themselves on being smart.
2. Running backs- The running game did not exist as Sammy Morris lead the attack with 5 rushes for 12 yards. Not what you are looking for.
There is much more to hit on negative department but I will try to stay positive with this team as the look to bounce back against the Giants Thursday in New York in their final pre season game.
Look for a special teams special(part 3) and a 53 man roster prediction in the coming days....
Whats up! I am back in the Bean ready for another semester/year of college. Like Redd pointed out, we got a countdown going on for this shit. I hope you are all ready for another season of NCAA hockey and awful comments motherf*cker.
The Red Sox cut into the Rays and Yankees shared AL East lead last night with a 3-1 victory over the Rays in Tampa. The victory was propelled by a strong outing from Lester ( 7 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 10 k's and 5 walks), as well as 2 homers from his battery mate Victor Martinez. The Sox played a solid 9 innings last night, highlighted by a nice put-out of the Speedy BJ Upton (McDonald to Martinez) to preserve what was then a 2-1 lead.
The Sox win, coupled with a Yankee loss at the hands of the White Sox, leaves Boston 4.5 games back of both NY and Tampa in the AL East and AL Wild Card. As August winds down, it appears the AL East and AL Wild Card will be another autumn dogfight. Us Boston fans can only hope our Sox can find a way to win big games down the stretch, starting with these next two games against Tampa Bay. For if the Red Sox were to miss the playoffs this year, you can be sure every talking head in Boston will be pointing to the major injuries which have riddled this team all year. But at some point you have to accept that injuries are part of the game. We currently are tied for the 4th best record in baseball this season, and own better records than a majority of the various division leaders. We've accomplished this even without the aid of Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis (as of late). So to blame it on injuries is to ignore the great baseball currently being played by unheralded no-names such as Darnell McDonald and Bill Hall. Let's just hope they can keep it going and up-end our AL East brethren...
10 Days until classes start
40 Days until the first exhibition game against the University of Toronto
54 Days until the opener against UMass
102 Days until the first BC Game
230 Days until BU is crowned the 2011 NCAA D1 Champions
So here is the breakdown of what happened in the Patriots second preseason game. The first offense looked very effective once again with Brady looking sharp( 10/12 85 yds 1TD). Backup Brian Hoyer also looked good and seems like he will hold onto to the topbackup spot behind Brady. Hoyer is competing rookie Zac Robinson for the backup spot.
Here are some others winners/losers from the night.
Winners:
1. Rookie tight ends- Both Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski had touchdown receptions making cases to see serious time in the regular season. They look to see lots of action as the Pats attempt to run the ball with more consistency.
2. Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor- Both had 20+ yard TD runs as they look solidify roster spots over young back Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis
3. Wes Welker- Just stepping on the field was a win for Welker who played six plays and had two receptions for 20 yards.
4. Tyrone McKenzie- The second year man looked good in extended playing time at linebacker.
5. Young Corners- Jonathan Wilhite , Terrence Wheatley, and Kyle Arrington all looked good as they deflected passes and Wilhite had a pick late in the first half.
Losers
The team played well as a whole so I am getting nit picky here but I do what I want
1. Brandon McGowan- Got juked out of his shoes on the lone Falcon TD.
2. Randy! Moss- Moss obviously was high for this game and that was evident as he missed a block on a wide receiver screen which Welker got blown up on. Put this one on the coach as Moss obviously is too high to block. Don't blame Randy blame the ganja.
Young American golfer Dustin Johnson was screwed out of the opportunity to win the PGA Championship Sunday on the 72nd holes as he was assessed a two stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker that didn't exist. Johnson was called for grounding his club in a bunker, which resulted in a two stroke penalty and him missing the playoff by those two strokes. Johnson was outside of the ropes when the penalty occurred. Johnson did not even think that it was a bunker and was very confused when approached by officials. The golfer hit his second shot from the gallery where patrons had been walking all day so he obviously did not think he was in a bunker as they typically are inside the ropes. This is a low blow call by the PGA. This is a dumb rule to begin with. First, if the bunkers outside ropes are not maintained who gives a fuck if you ground your club before the shot. It is not like he played lift clean and place. It a rule which I am sure was broken more than once during the week but may not have been called. The only reason they could enforce the rule here was that CBS had HD views of him grounding his club which had no effect on his shot. Johnson could not never get back the chance to win his first major.Johnson has had tough luck in majors this year but has had strong finishes in the last three. He took the lead into the final round of the U.S. Open before shooting 82 and then had a top 15 in the British Open before the PGA which he finished in a t5 with this call. He would have been in a three way playoff with Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer(aka Hitler). Kaymer eventually won in a three hole playoff. Johnson may not have won anyway but just having that chance is all the guy could ask for. Let the golf determine the winner not some bullshit rule.
Other local sports notes:
-Patriots defensive end Ty Warren and WR Torry Holt go on injured reserve. Warren is obviously the bigger of these two injures as he was a key in the front seven of the Patriots. He is suffering from a torn labrum and will have surgery in the next week out in Colorado. Holt, who was becoming a longshot to make the roster, will have possible career ending surgery on his knee. Holt has had a stellar career and is 11th all time in receptions.
-Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia returns to the lineup tomorrow night from a broken foot. Pedroia gives the Sox a much needed spark they need to make a push for the playoffs. They currently sit 5.5 games out of the division and the Wild Card.
-46 days until the exhibition opener against University of Toronto for our BU Terriers.
Here is a quick breakdown of the game with some guys that stood out in positive and negative ways.
Winners: 1. Julian Edelman-Guy stole the show tonight with six catches for 90 yards along with two solid punt returns 2. Tom Brady/first offensive unit- The unit looked good overall putting 10 first quarter points on the board. Brady was effective going 5/8 for 67 yards, with 30 of it going to Moss. 3. Brain Hoyer- The second year backup looked good behind Brady and lead the offense up and down the field on numerous occasions. 4. Brandon Spikes- Spikes lead the team with 8 tackles and seemed right at home in the Patriots defense. 5. Pat Chung, Terrence Wheatley- These two young second round picks had 7 and 6 tackles respectively and stood out in a positive way as they looby for playing time in the secondary. 6. Zoltan Mesko- The rookie punter put three inside the 20 and still had a solid 43.8 YPP average. 7. Devin McCourty- Had two kickoff returns over midfield
Losers:
1. Jonathan Wilhite- It seemed like he got his name mentioned for the wrong reasons tonight. He missed some tackles 2. Darius Butler- Butler still looks to be a starting corner but had a costly illegal contact on a fourth down in the second quarter. 3. Kick off coverage team- The Saints had a 97 yard return for a touchdown in the third which will not be acceptable to the hooded one. You can't say the backup coverage unit was in either because it is made up of back ups. Brady and Moss don't cover kicks.
Here is a look at what to for the Patriots' first of four preseason games this August. The Patriots wrap up three days with the defending champ Saints. The team finishes up two days of joint-session practices today and make final preparations for the game tomorrow night.
The starters for both teams only figure to play one series or two tomorrow night. Wes Welker is questionable to play at all as he continues his rehab from a serious knee injury suffered only 7 months ago. Brady looks to play one series or two along with Randy Moss. Key defensive players will not play out of the first quarter(Vince Wilfork,Jerod Mayo,Brandon Meriweather). Throughout the pre-season, there are some position battles to look at as players fight for spots on the team and spots throughout the team. Here are some key battles to look at.
1. Starting Running Back- The main question here is can Laurence Maroney win the job for himself. The easy answer would be no and accepting that Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris will see some serious time too. People do forget though that Maroney is only 25 and Belichick would prefer he become the featured back by himself. That would leave the veterans in supporting roles that they could thrive in along with third down back Kevin Faulk. Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis looks to earn a spot on the squad as Maroney,Morris, Taylor and Faulk all figure to make the team easily.Green-Ellis needs to beat out fellow young backs Chris Taylor and Thomas Clayton.
2. 3,4,5 Receivers- The top two receivers are very set on this team as Randy Moss and Wes Welker are two of the best in the game. The third,fourth,and fifth receivers are up for grabs between second year men Brandon Tate(UNC)and Julian Edelman(Kent State), rookie Taylor Price(Ohio),Torry Holt, Sam Aiken,and Matthew Slater. Veterans Aiken and Holt are being pushed in camp by the young guns Price Tate and Slater who all look good. Aiken usually makes the team for his special teams but that varies from year to year. Many in camp have been saying that Holt looks old and has been dropping alot of balls so these jobs could easily go to the young guys. Edelman is a lock to make the team after his performance late last season.
3. Tight End- This seems to be a fierce battle between veteran AlgeCrumpler and rookies Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. These three seem set to make the team but their order on the depth chart.
4.Left Guard- This is Cry Baby's(Logan Mankins) job if he signs the damn contract he is offered. Otherwise it comes down to Nick Kazcur who is injured currently and backup Dan Connolly(SW Missouri State).
5. Right defensive end- Gerard Warren is the projected starter here but Damione Lewis and Myron Pryor will challenge for the position and see significant playing time along the line.
6. Inside linebacker- Gary Guyton is the returning starter but has been injured throughout camp so it looks like rookie Brandon Spikes will win the job but both will see time to start off the season until Spikes grows and matures a player in Belichick's defense. Jerod Mayo is obviously the other inside linebacker here.
7. Outside linebacker- Tully Banta-Cain is one clear cut starter at one side but the other side is a toss up between rookie Jermaine Cunningham and Rob Ninkovich. Both will see time as the team searches for a pass rush.
8. Free Safety- Brandon McGowan v. James Sanders. McGowan is more of an linebacker/safety hyrbrid while Sanders is ball hawking center fielder who likes to jack people up.
These are the big battles for positions throughout the team. More battles for roster spots will develop through the preseason as the roster gets trimmed to 53 by September 5th.
This part two of a three part series covering the three phases of the 2010 Patriots. Today we will look at the defensive side of the ball. They look to get younger and more physical a year after they were often pushed around by teams than ran the ball(read Ravens in AFC Wild Card game).
Here is a look at my predictions for each position for the base 3-4 the Patriots will play this year.
Left DE: Ty Warren- Fighting a serious undisclosed injury to his hip early on in camp. If healthy look for a big year as he picks up the slack as a leader of the defensive line along with Wilfork. NT: Vince Wilfork- After signing his new deal, Wilfork has no reasons to not continue to be one of the best nose tackles in the game. Right DE: Gerard Warren- The former third overall pick by the Browns is a low risk high reward pick-up by the Pats. If he displays the talent that made him such a high pick, Warren could be the pass rush the team desperately needs. If not, look for Damione Lewis and Myron Pryor to replace him quickly. OLB: Tully Banta-Cain- TBC already has been named the leader by his hooded coach. Throughout camp, Banta-Cain has been heard encouraging competition at the outside linebacker position as it needs a boost to provide a pass rush to make the defensive scheme effective. MLB- Jerod Mayo- The 2008 AFC Rookie of the Year continues to grow and mature as he becomes a leader on defense. Look for him to have another Pro-Bowl season and get this defense back to the physical form of the Super Bowl winning teams. MLB: Brandon Spikes- Spikes has been called an interesting player to coach by Belichick. That is a very good sign. If Belichick is interested, it means Spikes has been doing things that catch his eye. The days with Gary Guyton as your starting middle linebacker could be over. Still look for Guyton to see serious playing time as Spikes grows into an NFL linebacker. OLB: Jermaine Cunningham- This is the weakest position on the defense. Rob Ninkovich was the starter at the beginning of camp but lost his job in practice to Cunningham who appeared to do nothing great. This is not a good sign for Ninkovich or the Patriots as they need to get some production through the position. Look for the Patriots to explore options here such as bringing in ex-Bill Aaron Schobel. LCB:Darius Butler- Butler has been having a very good camp so far and looks to grow into a corner the Patriots can trust to leave alone against some very good receivers especially if they need to blitz to create pressure. FS: Brandon McGowan- The UMaine product won the job in camp last year and has appeared to hold onto it over the younger James Sanders. Both will see significant playing time in the coming season. SS: Brandon Meriweather- Meriweather continues to grow into the leader of the secondary as he is the longest tenured starter back there. He needs to continue to grow and turn into safety QBS shy away from due to his ball hawking ability aka turn into Ed Reed. RCB: Leigh Bodden- Bodden looks to build off his team-leading 5 ints give the coaches more flexibility in their blitz packages.
Top Back-ups
DL: Damione Lewis, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor, Darryl Richard LBS: Rob Ninkovich, Gary Guyton, Eric Alexander, Pierre Woods,Tyron McKenzie DBS : Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley,Pat Chung, James Sanders, Devin McCourty,Kyle Arrington
Big name might get cut: Ron Brace(failed physicals), Terrence Wheatley, Jonathan Wilhite
Sleepers to make team:Marques Murrell, Brandon Deadrick,Brett Lockett
"That's how I've got to be on the field. Rough. I can't go out there being all pretty because then you're all going to say I'm dancing."
Maroney is finally fully healthy heading into a season and knows what is expected of him in the coming season if he wants to see the field ahead of veterans Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk. Maroney, who is still only 25, looks to become the back the Patriots envisioned when drafting him in the first round. He has the talent to be a single headed threat out of the backfield to take the pressure off Brady and the receiving corps.
So I have no life, seriously, at a cousin kids party all day but when you say free food I am there. So I was watching the induction ceremony and had some quick thoughts.
1. What the fuck! Floyd Little should have been in the Hall of Fame like 20 years ago, seriously.
2. Jerry Rice should have been last just cause I hate E. Smith
3. Emmitt get a hold of yourself, crying about Moose Johnson.
4. Props to NFL for picking up Chris Berman to do this shit, NOT! That guy is a jackass. Go kill yourself.
5. Cant wait until Next Year. My favorite football player ever, and I mean ever is going to get inducted as a 1st ballot hall of famer, my man, Curtis Martin of the New York Jets. I grew up watching this guy and will say that nobody can run like he did.
Beckett, Buchholz, Dice-K, Pedroia, Martinez, Ellsbury, Lowell, Varitek, Cameron, Lowrie. What do these guys all have in common? Spending time on the DL for the Sox this year. Oh, and we can now add Kevin Youkilis to this ever growing list, after suffering a torn muscle in his thumb. Oh wait, let me add this real quick, HE'S DONE FOR THE YEAR. That's right - our run producing, clutch hitting, wall of a first basemen will be having season ending surgery to repair his thumb. So, uh...how bout them Patriots?
The Bills officially have released veteran defensive end Aaron Schobel today. This provides him the opportunity to retire or sign with another team. Schobel's agent, Jeff Nalley, told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Schobel intends to play in 2010. Some think he will sign with a team close to his Houston home but he is really a player the Pats need to strongly consider going after hard. He has the most sacks of Tom Brady by any active player(12). Bill Belichick would not tip his hand the past few days about his position. This is expected as coach never gives away anything to oppositions. The move makes too much sense though as the Patriots have a history of signing or going after guys who have killed them in the past( read Wes Welker, Jason Taylor). This is a development to watch in coming days as the Pats look to bolster their pass rush which is the thinnest position on the roster.
Also, Jacoby Ellsbury returns to the Sox lineup tonight after 4546337 days on the DL for broken ribs. He will play center and lead-off. Ellsbury has been the center of controversy ever since he was mis-diagnosed by the Sox originally. Then took so long as he used Native American healing powers and herbs instead of modern medicine(just kidding...kinda.) The guy took four months to heal from broken ribs. Pocohontas could have healed faster and she is a woman.
I'm not going to lie. I've been a Shaq fan since I was a little kid and he was a monster out of LSU owning dudes on the Magic. And now that he's reportedly and/or definitely going to the Celtics, I'm in heaven. Time to bust out these babies:
Avalanche standout. Best Terrier ever. The man who, save a hand injury should have been the nhl rookie of the year last year. Canadian. These are But a few of the many ways one can describe Maple Ridge, BC's favorite son, Brandon Yip. He sat down recently with Terrier Hockey Fan Blog---read the excellent q&a here--> http://tinyurl.com/29yzfbz
So the time has finally come for Brett Favre to retire..... from training camp, but shall return for the regular season. I seriously think that he will be back and in action for the Vikings. The guy loves the game too much. I personally started to hate the guy ever since he started this retiring thing and coming back thing. Do us all a big favor and retire
The biggest other football story has to do with contracts around the whole NFL. Let's starts in the AFC. The Pats, Colts and Jets need to re-up on their best players (Brady, Manning, Revis) as soon as possible for a large amount of money. I strongly believe each one of them deserve the money that they deserve.
Fat Albert needs to drop some LBS so he can play again. Stop crying and play hard or go home.
Also, I hate the Cowboys more than any team. I dislike; I hate him. I certainly believe that they will not do shit this year. ROMO = HOMO, seriously I hate this team. If I could I would burn down that disaster of a stadium. I rather live in Fenway Park being a Yankee fan than ever see a game there in Texas (worst state in union).
The Celtics also open up the 2010-2011 season home October 26 against the Heat. Get the boo birds ready for the most hated team in NBA history's first game at the Garden.
This is the first piece of a three part series that I will post previewing each "phase of the game" as my boy Bil Belichick would say. Today we will look at the offense which has been the strength in recent years.
Projected Starters
QB: Tom Brady- Brady enters the final year of his contract looking for a new deal. Look for another big year from Brady and for the deal to get done sometime this summer. RB: Dancing Laurence Maroney- Maroney enters the last year of his rookie deal and this could be his last chance to earn a new contract from the Patriots as he has had his ups and downs during his first couple of seasons. If he learns to hit the hole with force(like any man should), he should have a huge year. RB: Sammy Morris- Morris looks to stay healthy as he has been the Pats most productive back when healthy. WR: Randy Moss- Moss enters his last year of a 3 year 27 million dollar extension and has already stated that he expects it to be his last year in New England. Hopefully, Moss goes out with a bang as Brady is that much better a year off of knee surgery. WR: Wes Welker- All signs point towards Welker being ready ahead of schedule for the opener on Sept. 12 vs. Cincinnati. This would be a miraculous recovery time for such a serious energy. Welker displays his hard work once again and is easily the hardest working player in the league. TE: Rob Gronkowski- "Gronk" is a big athletic tight end who will see alot of action going out on pass routes along with fellow rookie TE Aaron Hernandez. This is due to the fact that free agent signee Alge Crumpler is no more than a blocking TE at this point in his career. LT: Matt Light- Light seems to have a brief window before second year tackle tackle Sebastian Vollmer take his job over. Light likely has until his contract runs out this season. LG: Nick Kaczur- Kaczur moves to guard for the first time in his career while Logan "Cry baby" Mankins holds out for the most money for an offensive lineman in the league because the third most can't put food on the table. This move allows Vollmer to fill in at right tackle. C: Dan Koppen-Koppen is a steady force at center and is the only center Brady has ever taken snaps from. RG: Stephen Neal-Neal has already seen time injured which isn't a good sign for the season since the +/- for games Neal misses for injury at a solid 3 RT: Sebastian Vollmer- The German monster fills in at tackle while Cry baby holds out and preps to take over Brady's blind side for years to come.
Top Back-Ups Backs: Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor, Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis QBs: Brian Hoyer, Zac Robinson Receivers: Taylor Price,Julian Edelman, Brandon Tate Lineman: Dan Connolly, Mark Levoir, Logan Mankins TE: Aaron Hernandez, Alge Crumpler
Bubble guys (could make team) Receiver- Sam Aiken, Torry Holt, Matthew Slater, Buddy Farnham, TE: Rob Myers, Carson Butler Lineman: Ted Larsen, Thomas Welch
The unit is lead by QB coach Bill O'Brien as the acting offensive coordinator. Look for some young guys to make the team over veterans such Buddy Farnham over Torry Holt. Put it down im predicting it now. O'Brien is a Brown grad...so is Farnham. Holt is older while the team tries to get younger. Also look for a young lineman to see action if Mankins continues to hold out(Welch, Larsen, Ohrnberger). Look for the offense to go as Brady goes. If he bounces back strong, look for one of the most explosive offenses in the league as in 2008.
Tonight, the bloggers over at Fear The Triangle end what I thought was a nice little bit wishing Jack Parker well on a post this evening by playing the "teams that are better than us get all the calls" card. As follows:
So I know many in the UMass hockey community, including myself, wish Coach Parker a speedy recovery and look forward to his return to the bench in a few months as games against the Terriers wouldn’t be the same without him. I only hope the Hockey East officials don’t feel sorry for him this coming season and give him and his team even more calls than they already get.
Save it for a little different situation. Go back and do what you're best at--having the 12th least accessible professors in the country. I'm not sure what's best to call them-- UConn or Superfan wannabes. Or a marginal playoff team in Hockey East this year unless NU and PC both outdo them in their yearly race to the bottom.
Insidecollegehockey.com has begun to stir once again, heralding NCAA hockey around the corner with their yearly INCH A-Z series beginning with Princeton's Sr. F Matt Arhontas and UConn G Garrett Bartus. Yeah, I know it doesn't get much more irrelevant than UConn hockey, but hey, my corner of CT doesn't have a lot more going for it than the Huskies, so deal. And they are legit now, since they're playing their own roflcopter of an outdoor game against Sarcred Heart. Plus, INCH A-Z is a fantastic series anyway for getting acquainted with some of the players who will have the biggest impacts on their teams in the coming year (lots of HE players will be coming up, you can be certain of that).
Let the great scarlet redemption commence...in about 67 days
Sad and out of the blue news out of the Boston Globe--Terrier hockey coach Jack Parker has had bypass heart surgery which took place on July 23, confirmed by Mike Lynch, BU's AD. Lynch also said that Coach is expected to make a full recovery in time to begin the 2010-11 season behind the bench vs. wisconsin in St. Louis. Although it is an unfortunate event to have happen, we are all lucky that the will in all likelihood be back for the season as good as ever.
Get well soon Coach, from all of us at the BS(R)SB.
