Patriots beat San Diego 35-21, improve to 2-0

The New England Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers 35-21 behind a defense that gave up yards but caused 4 turnovers. The defense seems very similar to the squad at the end of last year that followed a "bend but not break" philosophy. They simply aren't going to give up a big play and hopefully force a turnover or mistake by the time the offense reaches the redzone. The Pats had two picks courtesy of Sergio Brown and 330lb Vince Wilfork who showed some athleticism picking off a screen pass. Mark Anderson and Jerod Mayo also caused fumbles and Tom Brady continue to use his second year tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez as they combined for three scores and Deion Branch is quickly becoming a favorite of Brady to go with Wes Welker. The Patriots continue the schedule next weekend with a 1 p.m. game at the surprising 2-0 Buffalo Bills.

Here are the winners and losers from this afternoon's game

Winners

Tom Brady- I would say 423 yds and 3 TD's is a pretty good day against one of the premier defenses in the AFC

Rob Gronkowski- Gronk had 2 more TD passes and 86 yards receiving

Deion Branch- The veteran wideout had 8 catches for 129 yards and seems to be Brady's go-to guy.

Mark Anderson- Anderson is quickly becoming a go-to pass rusher for this defense that so badly needs him to become one for them to be effective

Losers-

Devin McCourty- Vincent Jackson went for 172 yards and two scores, most of which was on McCourty which just was another tough day to start the season for the second year corner out of Rutgers

Kyle Arrington- the other corner who got toasted by Jackson throughout the game today

Pats win opener 38-24, Brady breaks Pats and MNF records

The Dolphins got out to an early 7-0 lead and acted like that won them the Superbowl. They were sadly mistaken as 517 passing yards later by Tom Brady the Patriots trounced Miami 38-24 in the season opener in South Florida last night. Brady went 32/48 4 TD's and an bad luck INT that bounced off a wide receiver. The Patriots offense took over and controlled the game in the second half after the game was tied 14- 14 early in the third after the pick. Danny Woodhead and Ben Jarvus Green Ellis combined for over 100 yards and Wes Welker had 2 TD's and over 160 yards receiving including a 99 yd TD pass from Brady in the 3rd. The Patriots defense certainly was not great as Chad Henne also had a big night passing but they did enough to win the game in a tough place to play in September. The Patriots had one large injury as starting center Dan Koppen went down with an ankle injury. Dan Connolly filled in perfectly but look for a more long term solution in the coming days as the game with San Diego, an elite AFC foe approaches. Here are some winners and losers from last night's game.

Winners

Tom Brady- Read above

Wes Welker- Read above

Rob Gronkowski- Gronk had a great opener hauling in a TD pass on his way to 86 yards receiving

Aaron Hernandez- the other second year TE wins the battle with Gronk on the stat sheet as he finishes with 7 catches for 106 yards and a TD

Losers

Dan Koppen-A broken ankle means it looks like he will be out for two months recovering and he still went to BC so just an overall bad night for the center.

Stephen Gostskowski- The kicker missed a 48 yarder badly to the right at the end of the first half. That is a kick he will have to make in the future.

What the Patriots' roster will look like by tomorrow at 4

With the mandatory NFL 53 man rosters going into effect by 4 pm tomorrow, the Patriots are forced to cut 27 guys from their current 80 man roster. They got started today cutting 8 players headlined by defensive lineman Darryl Richard and Brown grad WR Buddy Farnham, both practice team members last year and could easily land on the practice squad again if they clear waivers. From the remaining 72 players I am going to pick out the 53 I think will stick going from position to position. The players will be listed in order on my depth chart so the starter will be the first name then his backup...etc.

QB(3)- Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett

- Hoyer beats out Mallett for the backup job based strictly on experience as the rookie had the better arm but still is learning the offense and how to play in the NFL.

RB(4)-Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley

- The tough cut here would be Sammy Morris who is nothing but a professional but especially after suffering a concussion in last night's preseason finale, seems unlikely to take up a roster spot. Expect veteran Kevin Faulk to be placed on PUP until week 7.

WR(6)- Wes Welker, Chad Ochocinco, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, Taylor Price, Matthew Slater

- Curly's favorite player Brandon Tate is the odd man out here as his kick returner role is less important with the new rules preventing run backs 40% of the time. Slater out performed him as a receiver and is a big special teams player and received praise from Coach Belichick after the game. Oh yeah and that isn't a typo I am predicting Randy Moss to be with the Patriots team by opening day against the Dolphins. It was reported that Moss was playing golf at a local course in Bellingham, MA which borders Foxboro. When asked by fellow players what he was doing here, Moss responded " I'm here on business" . I'll give you a hint...he isn't here to help Bill O'Brien call the plays. In a suprising move, Belichick cuts Branch who has had a weak camp and brings in Moss.

TE(3)- Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Will Yeatman

- No surprises here as Yeatman beat out fifth round pick Lee Smith who could end up on injured reserve

OT(4)- Matt Light, Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder, Steve Maneri

- All the suspense here was gone as soon as Mark Levoir was cut

G/C(5)- Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell, Andre Gurode

- Another prediction of an outside move as Rich Ohrnberger gets the axe and Gurode is brought in as is being reported. Should make for some interesting practices this year with Gurode's history with our model citizen fat Albert...

Defense

DT(5) - Vince Wilfork, Albert Haynesworth, Gerard Warren, Kyle Love, Myron Pryor

- No suspense here

DE(5)- Andre Carter, Shaun Ellis, Jermaine Cunningham, Mike Wright, Mark Anderson

- Anderson makes the team after showing what the can do in the beginning of the pre season before getting hurt. This leaves Eric Moore on the outside looking in but he certainly will find work elsewhere quickly

LB(6)- Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes, Gary Guyton, Dane Fletcher, Rob Ninkovich, Tracey White - White is a big special teams player while Ninkovich and Fletcher provide great depth while also contributing on special teams

CB(5)- Devin McCourty, Leigh Bodden, Kyle Arrington, Ras-I Dowling, Antwuan Molden-

- Claiming Molden on waivers was a nice way of saying that Darius Butler can't play as the fifth corner in this league. Look for him to catch on somewhere else and contribute

S(4)- Pat Chung, Brandon Meriweather, Sergio Brown, James Ihedigbo

- Josh Barrett is the surprise cut here as he may have started to see what he could do with the first team defense and I have to say i was not that impressed.

Special teams(3)-Stephen Gostkowski, Zoltan Mesko, James Dearth

- No surprises here after Matt Katula was cut as I predicted in my first run at this

Pats jump out to early lead, pound Bucs

The Patriots jumped out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter and 28-0 at the half as the starters throttled Tampa Bay and the backups held on for a 31-14 victory over the hosts. Tom Brady looked sharp going 11/19 with 119 yds and 2 TD's. The defense was the story of the night in my eyes as the pass rush was all over Tampa QB Josh Freeman. Andre Carter was in his grill all night and made a huge impact on the game as well as fellow D-lineman Vince Wilfork, Eric Moore, Gerard Warren, and Mark Anderson. The scary part is that Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis(projected startes) didn't play tonight due to various injuries. Another strong performance from the team as fans begin to feel better and better about the team's odds heading into the second half of the pre-season. Now here are the winners and losers from the game tonight

Winners:

Tom Brady- the Pro-Bowler looked sharp in his first action of the pre-season connecting with Chad OchoCinco and Aaron Hernandez on TD passes

Danny Woodhead/Ben Jarvus Green-Eliis - the RB duo was very effective tonight rushing for over 100 yards and 2 TD's in one half of action tonight

Andre Carter- see above as he was a best coming off the edge tonight

Jerod Mayo- Mayo had five tackles and two sacks and was the clear leader of the defense that had a terrific night

Wes Welker- a strong night for Welker as he made some good catches and took some hits

Stevan Ridley- Ridley looked strong again tonight throughout the second half and lookds to contribute to the team in the regular season

Losers

Ryan Mallett- the rookie looked like a rookie floating a pick six. He did some good things as well but on a great night for the team, he falls into the loser category

Brandon Meriweather- considering he is in a fight for his job with Sergio Brown, Meriweather didn't do much besides make a few tackles after giving up significant catches.

First stab at the Patriots 53 man roster

I am a Patriots expert as you all know and heading into the second preseason game I figured it was time to take my first shot the Patriots 53 man roster which will come out in the days following the last pre-season game in early September. ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss and Mike Rodak have given their predictions here. So you can compare the experts opinions with the real expert(myself).

QB(3)- Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett - This is the best depth chart for QB in the league as many teams would love to have Hoyer and Mallett as their backups after their success in the pre-season opener.

RB(5)- Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Sammy Morris

- I think Morris is on the bubble but Belichick will keep the veteran to help the two rookies(Ridley and Vereen) along with Kevin Faulk who will most likely begin the year on PUP/inactive list

TE(3)- Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Lee Smith- The top two are locks here while Smith has been getting pushed by undrafted TE Will Yeatman and he could very easily beat him out for that lost spot

WR(7)- Wes Welker, Chad OchoCinco, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman, Taylor Price, Brandon Tate, Matthew Slater - All of these seven had made cases to make the team and have earned a spot that Belichick will give as they all play a different role on the team.

OT(4)- Matt Light, Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder, Steve Maneri - The top three are obvious locks while Maneri just edges out Mark Levoir who the Pats try to sneak onto the practice squad after he clears waivers.

G/C(4)-Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell -They only keep four here due to the surplus at receiver but keep Rich Ornhberger on the practice squad if he passes through waivers

DT(6) - Vince Wilfork, Albert Haynesworth, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor, Kyle Love, Gerard Warren

DE(5)- Jermaine Cunningham, Shaun Ellis, Andre Carter, Eric Moore, Mark Anderson- I think Anderson was the best pash rusher on the field in the first pre-season game and earned a spot on the team with the speed he showed off the edge

LB(5) Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes,Dane Fletcher, Gary Guyton, Rob Ninkovich - Tracey White is the casualty here as he is a special teams ace but serves little help on defense and will be a tough cut for Belichick

CB(5)- Devin McCourty, Leigh Bodden, Ras-I Dowling, Kyle Arrington, Darius Butler

- Butler only stays if Dowling's health doesn't improve. If he gets healthy and some reps in, then Tracey White stays and Butler gets cut.

S(4)- Brandon Meriweather, Pat Chung, James Sanders, Bret Lockett

- Lockett has had a better camp than Sergio Brown and grabs the last spot with Brown landing on the practice squad

Specialists(2) - Stephen Gostkowski, Zoltan Mesko, long snapper to be named later

- I don't think Matt Katula makes this team after his performance in camp so far. I would not be surprised if Rob Ninkovich or another player on the roster took over the duties from Katula as he is not valuable unless he does the one thing he is paid to do correctly.

Pats squish the fish 38-7 in meaningless game

The Patriots came out in a game that meant nothing and jumped all over a Miami team that was looking forward to hitting the golf courses this week(which I am pretty jealous about). The Patriots won 38-7 and now look forward to a bye week before hosting a divisional game in two weeks against the highest remaining seed. Tom Brady played into the third and had 199 yards with a couple of TD passes. Ben Jarvus Green Ellis finished a consistant season with 80 yards rushing giving him 1010 yards on the season. Rookie TE Rob Gronkowski hauled in six catches for 102 yards and a TD setting the all-time patriots record for tight end in a season. Julian Edelman added a 94 yard punt return for a TD and it was another stomping by the Patriots who have had one close game since Thanksgiving. This game was meaningless so I will jump to the winners and losers now.

Winners
1. Tom Brady-read above
2. Ben Jarvus Green Ellis- first 1,000 yard rusher since Corey Dillon is impressive for an undrafted free agent
3. Rob Gronkowski- the rookie TE looks to be a favorite target for tom brady for years to come
4. Julian Edelman- that punt return is just impressive especially for a white dude to outrun the whole punt coverage team
5. Defense- complete team effort to hold the dolphins scoreless until the refs felt bad and started making up penalties at the end of the game

Losers
1. Chad Henne- He is just not an NFL QB

Pats take care of business in Buffalo...clinch division,bye,home field, #1 seed

The Patriots defense caused seven turnovers by the Buffalo Bills on their way to a 34-3 win in Orchard Park,N.Y. The defense caused 4 fumbles and 3 interceptions by the Bills(4-11). The win was another complete team effort. Tom Brady set an NFL record 309 straight pass attempts without an INT which the broadcast team,lead by Solomon Wilcots, kept talking about once the game was out of hand. It was easy to see why these guys get the Buffalo game week after week. They just kept talking about this record,which is impressive but not something they needed to repeat over and over along with the MVP race. Brady or Vick could win the MVP... we get it. Back to the game though, Brady went 15-27 for 140 yards and 3 TDs(2 to rookie TE Rob Gronkowski). Danny Woodhead rushed for 93 yards(including a 29 yard TD run) and Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 104 more to lead the New England rushing attack which totaled over 200 yards for the first time all season. Jerod Mayo lead the defense with a fumble recovery and numerous big hits causing many incompletions throughout the game. The three picks were by Pat Chung, Jarrod Page, and Dane Fletcher. This was all done with numerous regular contributors sitting out due to injury: Aaron Hernandez(hip), Mike Wright(concussion), Myron Pryor(back), Dan Connolly(concussion), Jermaine Cunningham(calf), and Brandon Deadrick(shoulder,flu).

The win was huge for this team as it locks up the division and the number one overall seed in the AFC East which gives the team a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The bye is huge for a team that has numerous injuries giving them two weeks to get healthy as next week's game at home means nothing against Miami. Look for a normal starting lineup next week as Belichick will want the team to stay fresh and sharp for the playoffs especially with a bye week after next week. The team is also undefeated at home this season and this win forces someone to come in and beat this team at home in order to knock the Patriots out of the playoffs. Here are the winners/losers from this week

Winners:
1. Tom Brady- 15-27, 140 yards and 3 TD's in another solid effort from the unquestionable leader of this team
2. Running game- Woodhead and Green-Ellis lead the rushing attack that does what it needs to do week in and week out for this team
3. Jerod Mayo- leads the defense that continues to get better. Was a difference maker throughout the game making big hit after big hit
4. Pat Chung- this second year safety is quickly becoming the leader of the secondary along with rookie corner Devin McCourty.

Losers:
1. Wes Welker- Never thought I would see the day with Welker in this category but he earned it today with three drops which cannot be afforded in the playoffs.

Pats have major letdown...still win the game

This young Patriots team seemed like the rest of the season was going to be them stomping all over the rest of the NFL.We all know though that anything can happen on any given Sunday. One mental lapse and a team goes from one seed to six seed overall. The Patriots certainly did not play their best game ever last night. They did do enough to come away with a 31-27 win over Green Bay lead by third year(first start) QB Matt Flynn who at times looked like Johnny Unitas out there against the young defense. Tom Brady then only passed for 163 yards and without much of a consistent running attack, this game seemed lost. The Packer held the ball for over 30 minutes longer than the Patriots yet this team found a way to win the game. The big plays were a 36 yard INT returned by Kyle Arrington for a TD and a 71 yard kickoff return by offensive lineman Dan Connolly which is making highlights(see below) all over the country today. Those plays lead to 14 points and the defense came up big on the last drive with two key sacks by Dane Fletcher and Tully Banta-Cain(after a costly penalty that negated an interception that would have ended the game). Overall, no one played great or had a stand-out game but the team did enough to win once again. The Patriots now sit two games above the rest of the AFC and one win or a Jets loss from clinching home field through the playoffs which is huge for this team that is undefeated at home the last three years with Tom Brady as QB.

Winners:
1. Tom Brady- not a great game by any means but he managed the game and threaded the needle when he needed to move the chains.
2. Aaron Hernandez- two TD's and another solid performance by one of the rookie TE's.
3. Dan Connolly- The video below says it all but he left the game at the half for a concussion or from being so tired from this run...I am not quite sure.
4. Kyle Arrington- He responded nicely from getting beat on a Greg Jennings(click on it if you wanna laugh) touchdown to pick off the next slant he saw and have a great return on it for a TD.
5. Dane Fletcher- The rookie out of Montana State had a huge sack at the end of the game to seal the deal and is showing some good stuff with his improved playing time with Brandon Spikes out four games due to suspension.
6. Devin McCourty- plays through a rib injury to make some great plays including his first career sack.
7. Vince Wilfork- played a ton this week due to injuries to Ron Brace, Mike Wright, and Gerard Warren and made a huge impact on the game throughout.

Losers:
1. Rob Ninkovich- missed a tackle on John Kuhn that lead to a Packer third down TD in the third quarter and could have cost the Pats the game
2. Tully Banta-Cain- Yes, he had a sack late but the game should have never come down to that as he got called for a dumb illegal hands penalty that negated a Brandon Meriweather INT that would have sealed the game.
3. Brandon Meriweather- He knocked his own defender(McCourty) off the ball that lead to a James Jones TD in the first and his pick didn't end up counting so he is a loser this week.

Press Conferences: Tom Brady,Vince Wilfork, Bill Belichick, Danny Woodhead




-Rumblin, stumblin,bumblin

How do you like them apples Fatty? Pats trounce Jets 45-3

The Pats trounced the Jets tonight 45-3 down at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro in front of a national audience on ESPN. The Pats jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and never looked back. Mark Sanchez threw 3 picks while Tom Brady threw for 4 TDs while BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for two more to lead the way for the Pats. Danny Woodhead lead the receiving corps with 104 yards on 4 receptions. The Patriots improve to 10-2 and travel to Chicago(9-3) next week to take on the NFC North leading Bears. The Jets(9-3) host the Dolphins this coming week. The Pats played the best "60 minutes of the year" according to coach Belichick in his press conference. The Patriots certainly looked like the superior team in every aspect of the game tonight as the Patriots once again blew out an AFC rival on MNF as they beat Miami 42-14 earlier in the year. Brady won his 26th consecutive regular season home-game. The offensive line was great and this young defense stood strong when the Jets did get anything going offensively. Here are the winners losers from this week. No homo on the smiley face I just fuckin hate the Jets and won't stop smiling until next Sunday.
Winners
1. Tom Brady- 326 yards and 4 TDs is pretty good against one of the best defenses in the league right?
2. BenJarvus Green-Ellis- lead the team with 72 yards rushing and 2 TDs
3. Danny Woodhead- 4 catches for 104 yards and 2 rushes for 11 yards
4. Devin McCourty- another pick for the rookie CB out of Rutgers as he continues to grow into one of the best defensive backs in the league
5. Deion Branch- 3 catches for 64 yards and a TD for the Louisville product
6. Wes Welker- 8 catches for 70 yards and a TD as he continues to look better each week as he stil comes off that serious knee injury.

Losers
1. Fatty Rex Ryan- his team got demolished ten times than a box of twinkies in the Ryan household.
2. Mark Sanchez- 3 picks is just not good
3. The Jets- They suck

Pats silence Lions on Turkey Day 45-24

Tom Brady became the first QB to have a perfect passing rating in a game this season and the Pats bounced back from a sloppy first half to outscore the Lions 35-7 in the second half. Brady threw for 346 yards and 4 TDs including 2 to Deion Branch in the second half. BenJarvus Green-Ellis chipped in with 59 yards and 2 TDs of his own to make the defense respect the ground attack as well. The Lions jumped out to a 14-3 lead behind QB Shaun Hill(285 yards 1 TD, 2int) and Maurice Morris (55 yds and 2 TDS). The Pats worked their way back and took the lead for good on Branch's second TD this one 22 yards. The Pats just rolled from here as the rookie corner Devin McCourty picked off Shaun Hill twice and made some other great places. The Pats now have ten days off to prep for the New York Jets at Gillette on Monday December 6th. This game will be a showdown for the AFC East division lead with huge playoff implications. Here are the winners/losers for this week

Winners:
1. Tom Brady- Perfect passer rating pretty much says it all
2. Deion Branch- 3 catches for 113 yards and 2 TDS including a 79 yarder
3. Wes Welker -8 receptions for 90 yards and 2 more TDs.
4. BenJarvus Green-Ellis -60 yards rushing and 2 TDs on some tough running is exactly what the doctor ordered to slow the pass rush down.
5. Devin McCourty- 2 picks for the rookie out of Rutgers that changed the tide of the game for the Pats' defense
Losers
1. The Lions- Now have lost seven straight on Thanksgiving and have not won a road game in over two years.

The Patriots also signed RB Danny Woodhead to a contract extension through the 2012 season which gives Woodhead some long term security after working on a one year deal after being claimed off waivers from the Jets.

Pats' late pick seals victory over Crybaby Peyton's Colts

The game seemed to be shaping up like last year's Colts/Pats game where the Colts beat the Pats 35-34 after the infamous " Fourth and two play" that gave the Colts great field position and eventually lead to the win. This year had a different ending as Peyton threw his third interception of the game as Jermaine Cunningham hit him on the throw. James Sanders came down with the ball and the game was over(ruining any chances for any Adam Vinatieri heroics in Foxboro. The Patriots won 31-28.Brady threw for two touchdowns and Benjarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead each ran for one. Deion Branch had seven catches for 70 yards with Wes Welker having 5 receptions for 58 more yards and a TD catch. The defense stood tall when it needed to and held on for a great win that extends Brady's home game winning streak to 25 games. Even Darius Butler(yes Darius Butler) contributed once starting corner Kyle Arrington went down with a knee knjury in the first half. The Patriots keep pace with the Jets at 8-2 and now prepare for the Lions on a short week on Thanksgiving. Now here are the Winners/Losers for this week

Winners:
1. Wes Welker- played a Welker-esk game with five big catches for 58 yards and a TD.
2. James Sanders- Game winning interception was a huge play for the young safety
3. Tom Brady- Had another spirited effort and was caught on camera still yelling at the Colts and the ref even once the game was over
4. BJGE -97 yards rushing and one TD along with some tough running at the end of the game was a solid effort from the undrafted RB from Ole' Miss
5. Devin McCourty- Had a pick and some other great coverage throughout the night on Peyton's receivers
6. Jermaine Cunningham- pressured Manning into that final pick

Losers
1. Pat Chung- was not one of the second-year safety's better games as he was in coverage for two of the four TD passes by Manning
2. Peyton's sister tonight -if you see the Peyton press conference you will see that his sister/wife is going to have a long night tonight as he was so pissed. Might be my favorite win of the year so far.

Press conferences: Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Danny Woodhead

Pats steamroll the Steelers...again

The Pats scored on their opening drive on a Tom Brady pass to rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski for the first of their three hookups for TDs on the night as the Pats beat the Steelers 39-26. The Patriots' defense, which got romped on by the Cleveland running attack last week, kept the Steelers in check only allowing 3 points through the first 3 quarters. They gave 23 points in the fourth but the game was never within one score. Brady(30-43, 350 yards, 3 TDs) lead the way for the offense and showed an extreme amount of passion throughout the game.

Brady(press conference) was caught on camera numerous times lighting up his teamates over mistakes that he felt could have been avoided. Rob Gronkowski bounced back from a bad game in Cleveland to break all types of rookie records with 3 TDs on 5 catches for 72 yards. Gronkowski put up big numbers at TE while fellow rookie Aaron Hernandez didn't see the field much due to the Steelers' physical type of defense. BenJarvus Green Ellis also contributed 87 yards on 18 carries and the Pats improved to an NFL best 7-2 on the year. Wes Welker(press conference) had a season high 89 yards on eight grabs while Deion Branch had 7 catches for 71 yards as Brady looked to get back to his favorite targets along with Gronkowski, the rookie TE from Arizona.

The defense also scored some points as James Sanders ran an INT back 32 yards for a score off of Big Ben Raplisberger. They were superb throughout the game lead by Jerod Mayo and Pat Chung. They were making plays all over the field and keeping the game in control throughout.

Belichick presser here

Here are this week's winners/losers for the Pats
Winners:
1. Tom Brady- enough said above
2. Rob Gronkowski- 3 TDs and 72 yards in a great bounce back game from the rookie
3. Devin McCourty- this rookie is already becoming a leader on the defense along with Chung,Mayo, and Wilfork and made some great plays in the secondary.

Losers:
1. Shayne Graham- He missed an extra point in the game which is inexcusable but also hit two field goals even if they weren't the prettiest things in the world.
2. Young women in the Pittsburgh area- Big Ben doesn't like to lose...watch out the next couple nights as he may "force" his way on you(read rape you).

Pats get thumped by Cleveland 34-14

The Pats came out and from the opening kickoff looked flat and dead. This feeling did not change throughout the day in Cleveland as Peyton Hillis ran for 181 yards and 2 TDs and Colt McCoy made plays when he needed to as the Browns beat the Pats 34-14. Tom Brady was not sharp and often showed frustration with his receivers for running the wrong routes. Brady was mad early and often. He also faced a 10-0 deficit before he touched the ball as the Patriots fumbled an early kickoff giving Cleveland an early jump that they never gave up. The Patriots were confused on offense and just got outpowered on defense. Many of the younger players seemed like they though Cleveland would just roll over in front of the new highly touted Patriots team. This was not the case as the team was prepared at home coming off a bye week and a strong win over the Saints two weeks ago. Cleveland simply outplayed and outcoached New England in all three phases of the game. Also kicker Stephen Gostskowski left the game with a thigh injury and Wes Welker was forced to kick the second extra point for New England. This game gives all those Patriots fans a reality check who thought this team would have no more growing pains and just roll to the playoffs. The schedule gets no easier in coming weeks as the Patriots travel to Pittsburgh next week for the Sunday night game and host the Colts the week after. This team should have some intense practices this week as the coaching staff whips them into shape after an embarrassing loss.

Here are the winners/losers from this week
Winners:
1. Aaron Hernandez- one of the few receivers who didn't have any drops and added 2 TD catches to continue his strong rookie season.
2. Zoltan Mesko- Did good to get some punts off as Jake Ingram sucked once again as the long snapper and should be looking for work soon if he keeps this up.

Losers:
1. Jerod Mayo- Got beat in coverage numerous times by Peyton Hillis and simply is in charge of a defense that gave up 34 points to a bad Cleveland offense.
2. Rob Gronkoski- had numerous drops and fumbled another on the goal line right before the half. He had his worst game of the season when the team needed to step up. He was also responsible for the fumble of the opening kickoffs
3. Offensive line- gave up pressure on Brady all day and could not establish the run much at all.
4. Brandon Tate- had a few costly drops on balls between the numbers that killed some potential drives.


Bill Belichick's press conference here is what you would expect in a game like this.
Brady's press conference is here.

Pats beat Vikings 28-18, knock out Favre in 4th

The Pats started off the game rusty but hung in there until taking over late in the second half to improve to an NFL best 6-1 record with a ten point victory,28-18. The Pats hung tough despite a bad first half for the offense. They went into the half tied 7-7 thanks to a Danny Woodhead 3 yd run and a big goal line stand right before the half by Florida Gator draft picks Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham. Tom Brady got the offense on track in the second half and the defense contained Adrian Peterson while limiting the damage Favre could do. Favre left the game for good when he was hit by DT Myron Pryor with 7:26 left in the game. A phantom illegal contact penalty was called and lead to a Vikings touchdown to make it 21-18 with seven minutes left.

The game was won by the Patriots offensive line and running back BenJarvus Green Ellis who ran for 108 yards and 2TDS in the second half to seal the game for the Pats. Brady also hit Brandon Tate on a 65 yard touchdown pass on a broken play midway through the third to give the Pats a 14-10 lead they would not relinquish. Brady threw for 240 yards and a TD while former Pat Randy Moss had only one catch for 8 yards and was constantly double covered by a Patriots secondary that lined up against him tons in practice and knew how to take him out of the game.

Winners:
1. BenJarvus Green Ellis- 17 carries for 112 yards and 2TDS finished the game for the Pats
2. The offensive line- the pass protection was suspect at times but the run blocking and pass protection was very good in the second half
3. Alge Crumpler- The veteran captain TE made some key blocks and his leadership was felt throughout the game
4. Jerod Mayo- lead the team in tackles and was simply fantastic leading the defense
5. Myron Pryor- knocked Favre out of the game so he is a winner in my book. I don't care if he didn't do much else. He put 8 stitches in the hick's chin
6. The new foghorn noise at the stadium- You hear that thing? It is fucking fantastic. If a fog horn doesn't fire you up, nothing will

Losers:
- I can't find any as this really was an all around team effort and another win for the best team in the NFL.

A win is a win...Pats hold on against Chargers

The Chargers turned the ball over four times in the first half and were held in check until the end of the fourth quarter. Despite all of this, the Chargers had a 50 yard FG attempt by kicker Kris Brown(not to be confused with the great-Rihanna beater Chris Brown) to send the game into OT with 1:30 left. This guy is very white but hit the right upright with the kick and the Patriots eeked out a 23-20 win for the second week in a row. The Patriots lead 23-6 at a point in the fourth quarter. This lead dwindled as Chargers QB Phillip Rivers(34-50 336yds, 1 TD 1INT) lead a drive that ended in a Chargers TD on a pass to the injured Antonio Gates. The Chargers then pulled off a gutsy on sides kick which they recovered at their own 40 yard line. They then took the ball down the field again and scored once again on a Mike Tolbert run to make it 23-20 with four minutes left. The Patriots' offense was unable to put them away and had a fourth and one at their own 49 yard line where a first down puts the game away for the team. Once again, coach Bill Belichick elected to go for it and once again they were stopped. This decision will be broken down all week long but I think Belichick makes it every time in this situation. His defense had been chewed up on two straight drives and he thought the best chance to win the game was to go for it. However, the argument can be mad that he had the confidence in the defense to hold the Chargers to a long field goal attempt if the offense failed. It was a gutsy call and one could say punting would have been more logical here but you play to win the game and Benjarvus Green-Ellis is an excellent short yardage back. In the end, the defense held the Chargers to a long field goal attempt which clanked off the right upright and lead to the Pats fifth win this season. It was not pretty at all but the Patriots did enough to take advantage of San Diego's mistakes to win the game and that is all that counts in the standings.

The Patriots return home next week for a re-match with Randy Moss(aka the pothead),Brett Favre(sponsor of Wrangler open fly jeans) and the Vikings which should have plenty of headlines besides the actual game. The offense looks to get back on track against a defense that is getting ripped apart by the Packers right now.


Winners/Losers
Winners:
1. The defense- They won this game for the team against a potent San Diego offense causing four turnovers in the first half and holding them at the end of the game.
2. Zoltan Mesko- his average punt yardage was only 38.3 but he scooped numerous Jake Ingram(see losers) snaps off the turf and got them off.
3. Stephen Gostkowski- the kicker hits 3/3 and that's all you can ask for as he also hit some great kicks on kickoffs.


Losers:
1. Jake Ingram- the second year long snapper from Hawaii could be looking for work this week after numerous shaky snaps on punts and field goal attempts.
2. Tom Brady- this is being critical of the all-pro but it falls on his shoulders when the offense doesn't move the ball which they didn't all that well today. Without the defense, the Pats lose.
3. the offensive line- Brady was sacked 4 times and hurried all game long making it difficult to generate much offense.

P.S. went 2 for 2 in my Money in the Bank this weekend so hopefully dad can pay for food in the house this week

Bill Belichick Press conference here.