Professional football is a game of inches. As the New England Patriots were in the process of squandering a 17-point 4th quarter lead, they gambled on a fourth-and-two from their own 28-yard line—and lost by an inch. A Tom Brady to Kevin Faulk completion was ruled just short of a first down and the Indianapolis Colts proceeded to turn it into a 29-yard yard touchdown drive to come from behind and shock the New England Patriots 35-34.
The Pats couldn’t challenge the controversial decision because they wasted two timeouts on their final drive and had nothing left to possibly overturn that …read more

When you talk about career highs for Tom Brady, you know the numbers are going to be impressive. And as unlikely a setting as today was—with snow aplenty falling from the sky and accumulating on the ground throughout the game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough—the Boston New England Patriots destroyed the Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans 59-0 as Tom threw a career high six touchdown passes, five of them in the second quarter.
Tom has been under criticism for not performing up to his typically superhuman levels so far this season, but he now seems to be in “mid-season form,” as they …read more

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is upset with the National Football League’s rules regarding the preferential treatment of its quarterbacks. During today’s 27-21 loss to the New England Patriots, the Ravens’ defense was flagged twice for roughing-the-passer penalties, resulting in the continuation of two drives and then two scores for the Patriots.
On one play, it appeared that Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs just swiped at and maybe brushed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s legs, but didn’t really even “touch” him (UPDATE: After re-watching this, Terrell Suggs did bump Tom, but it wasn’t anything more than that). I would have to agree with …read more

Baltimore Ravens tackle Jared Gaither is ok after a frightening incident in today’s game against the New England Patriots. The crown of Jared’s helmet slammed into quarterback Joe Flacco’s back as he tried to block a pass rush. The result of the play left him on the turf for 10 minutes before he was strapped to a board and taken from the field on a stretcher.
Jared had movement in all his extremities but was taken to Mass General Hospital for tests. The X-rays on his neck and shoulder were negative but an MRI couldn’t be taken because Jared was too …read more

It’s one thing to talk trash all week. It’s quite another to actually back up that talk. The N.Y. Jets proved today just how confident a football team they are by backing up a week of brash verbiage by beating arch rival New England 16-9. During the week of prep for this game, Jets head coach Rex Ryan said he wasn’t going to “kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.” And defensive back Kerry Rhodes said he wanted to “embarrass” New England.
Afterward, coach Ryan continued with a confident demeanor:
“The Patriots are a hell of a football team. I just thought we were the …read more

It wasn’t exactly the way he imagined his first game back from last season’s devastating knee injury would be. And it certainly wasn’t the way he drew it up in practice this week. But at the end of the night, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady found a way to win a football game—a 25-24 nail biter over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Sure, the Bills practically handed the Pats the game with a bonehead costly late turnover. But Tom shook off some early rust and did what he had to do. He completed 39 passes for 378 yards …read more

When you factor in the early camp arrival and Pro Football Hall of Fame weekend, the Buffalo Bills had more time to prepare for the 2009 regular season than any other team (ok, the Tennessee Titans did, too). But heading into this 2009 NFL Kickoff Weekend’s opening slate of games, they are one of the league’s most uncertain teams.
Within the past few days, Bills head coach Dick Jauron fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert and the team released their starting left tackle (Langston Walker)—two integral positions in the success of any offense. So with no time to test their suddenly new …read more

New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi might be preparing for his final season in the NFL. After 13 years with the Pats, Tedy says he won’t commit to anything beyond this season. I guess he can see the handwriting on the wall. Tedy’s coming off a season where he really didn’t play on third downs and he didn’t have any sacks for the first time in his career.
He spoke about his plans (or lack of plans) during a football camp for about 70 young athletes at Gillette Stadium today. According to Tedy, when a player has reached his 10th season, …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
The NFL announced its 2009 Kickoff Weekend primetime television schedule today — including a Monday night “AFL 50th” doubleheader — and the Thanksgiving Day national TV tripleheader.
In a tradition that began in 2004, the Super Bowl champion annually hosts the NFL Thursday night season kickoff the following year. This September 10 at 8:30 PM ET on NBC, the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers will host the AFC South champion Tennessee Titans, who had an NFL-best 13-3 record last season. The Sunday night primetime game (8:30 PM ET) on NBC will feature a division …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
The New England Patriots signed free agent receiver Joey Galloway (recently released by Tampa Bay) to a one-year contract today. Terms of the deal weren’t available at the time of this post, but this is another perfect pickup for the Pats. New England has a knack for finding wily veterans who still have just enough “in the tank” to produce in a system that allows them to thrive to the absolute best of their abilities. With Tom Brady throwing the football and Randy Moss on the other side of the field, this decision was a …read more