Archives for December 2011

Patriots run up YAC total (Boston Globe)

Tom Brady of Patriots back at practice (Boston Globe)

Gerard Warren loves game and everyone in it (Boston Herald)

Seeds of conspiracy theory (Boston Herald)

Tom Brady soap opera ends with QB on field (Boston Herald)

Brady, Patriots won’t take Bills lightly in rematch (Providence Journal)

Pats expect Mankins to be back for playoffs (Providence Journal)

Polite to keep Brady company (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Patriots looking to get revenge against the Buffalo Bills this weekend (Springfield Republican)

Report: Tom Brady has X-ray on shoulder (Springfield Republican)

Patriots defensive end Shaun Ellis says it has been a ‘challenging’ year for him (Springfield Republican)

Give Brees the record, give Brady the credit, but give Rodgers the MVP (Brockton Enterprise)

Brady will be able to shoulder the load (Brockton Enterprise)

New England Patriots hope to avenge defeat (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

No. 1 seed in AFC, home field Patriots’ goal (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

It’s all on Brady’s shoulders (ESPN)

Brady returns to practice after report of injury (AP)

Pats in good shape for home advantage in playoffs (AP)

Brady limited in practice by shoulder injury (The Sports Network)

Tom Brady Returns to Practice After Missing Wednesday’s Session (NESN)

Report: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Bet $1 Million That Patriots Would Beat Tim Tebow, Broncos (NESN)

Stevan Ridley Taking Advantage of Increasing Opportunities in Patriots’ Backfield (NESN)

James Ihedigbo, Patriots Getting Late Opportunity to Adjust to Freezing Weather (NESN)

Vince Wilfork, Patriots Looking For Payback, Hoping to Send a Message Sunday Against Bills (NESN)

A Polite introduction (CSN New England)

Downturns in penalties, turnovers yield positive results for Patriots (WEEI-AM)

Patriots release DE Alex Silvestro (Patriots.com)

‘With Buffalo (6-9) preparing to close its schedule at New England (12-3) on Sunday, Johnson is 36 yards receiving shy of becoming the first Bills player to reach 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.’

‘Bills receiver Brad Smith is unlikely to play in Buffalo’s season finale at New England after missing his second straight practice because of a hamstring injury.’

‘A source close to the situation told WGR’s Joe Buscaglia that Stevie Johnson’s asking price placed in to the Buffalo Bills during negotiations was an annual salary of $7.5 million. The source indicates that there have been no contract offers issued to Johnson from the Bills over the course of the past month.’

‘The chemistry he has developed with Fitzpatrick; his production despite being the only true threat the Bills have had at wide receiver most of this season; his performances against top cornerbacks such as Darrelle Revis and Champ Bailey this season; the fact he has played with numerous injuries throughout 2011, and how he has embraced the city of Buffalo since arriving here four years ago are all factors in his favor.’

‘”Being in the city and they’ve adopted me, and I’ve thought about it, I’m still pretty sure that I’ll be here next year, but if not, it’s pretty crazy.”‘

‘”Since last week playing at the Ralph I thought about it walking on the field, walking off the field, looking around at the crowd,” he said. “It’s crazy because four years went by really fast when you’re really only playing for two years of it. Just being in this city and how they adopted me… I’ve thought about it. I don’t think I’ll be somewhere else next year. I think I’ll still be here next year, but if not it’s a pretty crazy feeling.”‘

‘The Bills say a little bit of stability has gone a long way. They are in their second season under the same offensive line coach — Joe D’Alessandris. And while they have had a bunch of injuries, six of their top seven linemen have been working together in the same system for more than a year.’

‘You expect more from the third pick in the draft. Dareus does, too. No Bill was selected to the Pro Bowl for a second year in a row. He plans to change that.’

‘For the past six years, Wilson has been a spokesperson for the Bills Play 60 Campaign, which encourages children to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. He has interacted with thousands of children, encouraging them to engage in healthy lifestyles and helped introduce the program in a kickoff celebration for more than 2,700 students.’

‘Fitzpatrick (20) and Tyler Thigpen (1) have been sacked just 21 times this season, which ties for the NFL low with Tennessee. Quite a difference when you consider during the previous 11 non-playoff years, Bills quarterbacks were sacked an average of 43.8 times per season. Last year, the figure was 34.’

‘We were getting lots of turnovers early in the season and that really helped us. We were much better in the red zone earlier in the season. We have not been as good in the red zone. You have to score touchdowns in this league. You can’t just go out and kick field goals. We were fortunate last week to get by with that, but you normally can’t. Those have been our biggest problems, is not getting the turnovers that we need on a consistent basis. We seem to get them in bunches, but we haven’t been able to do it consistently. We haven’t been scoring the touchdowns that we need to score offensively whether it’s the longer variety or being good in the red zone.’

‘Anytime you lose it’s always hard. I think, for me, it was probably the way we were losing. I think other guys would probably be different but overall a loss is a loss. I think the way we were losing those games was probably the hardest part.’

Passed history (Boston Globe)

Brady out of practice (Boston Globe)

Ridley in running (Boston Herald)

Waters bridge for troubled line (Boston Herald)

Tom Brady gets a little R & R (Boston Herald)

Casino backers’ ‘next steps’ uncertain (Boston Herald)

Bumblin’ and stumblin’ (Boston Herald)

Slater humbled by first Pro Bowl selection (Providence Journal)

Fullback Polite may get new role (Providence Journal)

Super Bowl, not Pro Bowl, Brady’s goal (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Ventrone continues yo-yo season (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Why Tom Brady deserves a strong look on MVP ballots (Springfield Republican)

Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater jubilant over Pro Bowl nod (Springfield Republican)

Tom Brady on chasing the passing yards record: ‘We’re trying to win team awards’ (Springfield Republican)

Patriots’ New Year’s resolution: A better effort against Bills (Brockton Enterprise)

Players react to calls to the Pro Bowl (Brockton Enterprise)

Matthew Slater, Patriots Pro Bowl pick, pleased to get nod (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

Tom Brady, Patriots Pro Bowlers hope to skip game (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

Logan Mankins, Patriots guard, will miss season finale (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

Patriots want team wins, not individual records (Nashua Telegraph)

Pro Bowl not goal, but sure feels good (ESPN)

Pats special teamer Slater makes 1st Pro Bowl (AP)

Casino plan near Patriots’ home divides Mass. town (AP)

Win gives Patriots top seed (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy And Personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Patriots make themselves at home in playoffs (The Sports Xchange)

Tom Brady’s Absence From Patriots’ Practice Not Injury Related (NESN)

Lousaka Polite Happy to Join Patriots Despite His ‘Dinosaur Position’ (NESN)

Tom Brady Not Thinking About 5,000 Yards, Chasing Drew Brees’ Passing Record (NESN)

Brian Waters’ ‘Good Ride’ in New England Continues With Sixth Pro Bowl Nod (NESN)

Matthew Slater’s ‘Reckless Abandon and Relentless Effort’ Yield His First Pro Bowl Honor (NESN)

Tom Brady, Logan Mankins Absent from Practice (NESN)

No answers for Pats’ tight end tandem (CSN New England)

Like father, like son (WEEI-AM)

Patriots Pro Bowlers ‘honored’; Wed. notes (Patriots.com)

Lavarias and Ventrone Signed to the Practice Squad (Patriots.com)

Patriots – Bills Injury Report (Patriots.com)

C.J. Spiller Conference Call Transcript (Patriots.com)

Chan Gailey Conference Call Transcript (Patriots.com)

Rob Gronkowski Conference Call Transcript (Patriots.com)

Bill Belichick Press Conference Transcript (Patriots.com)

Tom Brady Press Conference Transcript (Patriots.com)

‘For whatever reason, Coutu has been overlooked since high school, when he was an exceptional kicker and punter at Collins Hill. I assumed he was destined for greatness at the college level and I was right. But it took him walking on at Georgia and earning a scholarship, eventually building an exceptional career with the Bulldogs. He made 53 of 66 field goals in college, making him the program’s only kicker to make more than 80 percent of his career attempts.’