Sox and Rox joint live-blog, Patriots preseason game

Rox and I are here in my living room, after a long, hard Sunday of video games, Internet tomfoolery, and steak sandwiches, to bring you the best live-blog of this Patriots game in the Tri-State area.

Pregame

Literally nothing, they cut in with maybe 2 or 3 minutes of chatter about Tom Brady not playing, showed a clip of Brett Farve playing for the Jets, and then went to ad before the opening kickoff. Somewhere, off-camera, the Patriots won the toss, and deferred to the second half.

Since we're in the designated local region, CBS4 is carrying the NFL Network feed.

First Quarter

The opening kick goes as a far catch, as Stephen Gostowski has really been pounding the ball in the preseason.

Antonio Bryant breaks a short pass out to the edge for a gain of 15 before he's pushed out by the still-shitty Ellis Hobbs.

It’s too bad Jeff Garcia won’t be playing tonight. It might have added a little extra spice to the game to see a guy with some major CFL experience on the field. -Rox

The Bucs are eating up some yardage with short completions. The Patriots coverage looks a little porous, but they're just getting warmed up.

Jerod Mayo just made a nice tackle on the elusive Warrick Dunn after a short catch. Mayo did a good of closing in on him after being in a deeper zone coverage.

Jeff Garcia is picking on Ellis Hobbs, and I can't blame him. Hobbs is still instinctively dropping 7 yards after the snap, and praying for a safety to come.

I always love to see a helmet roll on the field. It either means that someone took a huge hit, or an athlete is just too conceited to actually buckle up his chin strap. Go Buccaneers!-Rox

The defensive line just got a nice push and stuffed Ernest Graham behind the line. That kind of pressure is going to make or break this defensive unit over the course of the season.

I can't believe I'm watching a Pats/Bucs game and John Lynch was not only mentioned, but is actually on the field. I feel slightly sick. It's like watching Romo play for Oakland, I loved the man, but no more.-Rox

Warrick Dunn is really looking good. He's been one of the leagues most underrated players over his career, in my opinion. He just took a dive up the middle for 10 yards. Eleven years, 10,181 rushing yards, 4,009 receiving yards, and 62 touchdowns, plus 3 Pro-Bowls.

The Patriots are getting killed by Brian Griese on quick slats and hitch routes. The Bucs have driven down to the goal line, and Earnest Graham drives it in from a yard out. Earnest Graham has replaced Mike Alstott as John Grudens goal-line binky/touchdown vulture. Dunn may be a great back, but Graham will probably get at least 8 touchdowns this year, and if Tampa Bay really rolls, he could get into double-digits.

Buccaneers score, 7-0 Tampa Bay with 5:22 remaining in the 1st

Tom Brady won't be playing today; he stayed behind in Foxboro with a sore foot. Shitty-Balls Matt Cassel gets the start.

I don't know about Sox, but I'm really keeping an eye out for Eugene Wilson to make a big hit, it's always interesting to see how a team's former player will react to a new environment. But wait, interception. Maybe next series. -Rox

After two runs up the gut, the announcers predict play-action on the next play, and apparently so did Tampa linebacker Barret Ruud. Cassel fakes the ball and then looks to the post. Ruud was lurking in a soft zone underneath and read the ball perfectly, drifting back and leaping to snatch it out of mid-air.

Whoa, slow your horses. There was a review on the play, and apparently Ruud dropped the ball, making in incomplete. Scott Hanson punts it away.

Not to knock the NFL Network, but all these advertising breaks just don't have the same luster as watching Fox. The Touchdown Robot really adds some class to the gridiron.-Rox

On back to back plays, Richard Seymour makes a tackle and bats a pass down at the line. He's really looking healthy, and if he can stay that way... Look out NFL.

Jerod Mayo flashes some of the ability that has Pats fans agog, coming from the backside of the play to make a take on a short swing pass. He's really going to bring a element of speed to the Patriots Front-7 that we haven't seen in a long time.

Chad Jackson is back to return the Tampa Bay punt, and Maurice Stoval knocks him away before he even has the chance to touch the ball, giving New England the ball on their 40.

Maroney takes the hand-off up the middle and squirts out for 10 yards. He always looks like he's falling forward. Always.

After that nice run, he gets stuffed in the back-field twice in a row. Please Josh McDaniels, let him run to the outside. He's not Ladanian Tomlinson, those inside runs are not going for 15 yards a pop, at least not yet.

Matt Cassel slings the ball out to Wes Welker on a swing pass out of a 4 receiver set, and he slips a couple of tacklers to dart ahead for 16 yards. He's called tough and gritty because he's white, but if he was black we'd rave on and on about his "natural talent." Any insider will tell you that football is racist as an institution, in a lot of little ways.

Second Quarter

At this point I'm convinced that Welker is open on every single play. He nabs a short gain a little inside of the left hashmark, and just runs away from the defenders.

Watching commercials during the football season can be incredibly frustrating (Think Chevy; "This is our country") or incredibly tangential. Speaking of which: Madden 09, going to be a good game. Anyone seen ads for a NFL 2K9 game? Nope, thats because 2K Sports stopped their NFL line after EA bought the exclusive rights from the NFL to use team and player names. A class action suit is currently running through the court system over an alleged Monopoly held by the Madden franchise. Maybe they have a point.-Rox

Kevin Faulk fumbles the ball after a 5 yard gain, and the Buccaneers recover. Early on in his career, he had a severe case of fumble-itis, but in recent years he'd appeared to have been cured. Still, every time he lets the leather hit the turf, it bring up the stuggles of his younger days. As far as chronic fumblers go, I'm of the mind that they can regress rapidly.

Watching commercials during the football season can be incredibly frustrating (Think Chevy; "This is our country") or incredibly tangental. Speaking of which: Madden 09, going to be a good game. Anyone seen ads for a NFL 2K9 game? Nope, thats because 2K Sports stopped their NFL line after EA bought the exclusive rights from the NFL to use team and player names. A class action suit is currently running through the court system over an alleged Monopoly held by the Madden franchise. Maybe they have a point.-Rox

Oh wow, the Jerod Mayo hype-mobile just hit a pothole. After Antonio Bryant makes a nice reception downfield, he lays a nasty stiff arm on the rookie out of Tennesse. I mean, hand-meets-helmet, helmet-meets-turf.
"The buccaneers were pirates who attacked Spanish, French, and Dutch shipping in the Caribbean Islands during the late 17th century."-Wikipedia via Rox

Vrabel appears to be playing out in space more than he has in recent years. Most observers will agree that Vrabel has lost a step in coverage, but coming off of a monster sack year (12.5) he could be well utilized as a decoy in zone-blitzes or other stunt packages.

Luke McCown is hitting his spots, finding the holes in the New England secondary, driving down to the 24 yard-line, before he finally misses a few, overshooting all-World scumbag Jerramy Stevens in the endzone, and they have to settle for a 34 yard Matt Bryant fieldgoal.

Buccaneers score, 10-0 Tampa Bay with 7:25 left in the second

Many critics from the continent say that America lacks cultural history. But one need not dig deeper than the names of our NFL franchises to discover a plethora of valuable information. And I quote again from Wikipedia: "The term buccaneer derives from the Arawak word buccan, a wooden frame for smoking the meat of sea cows, hence the French word boucan and the name boucanier for French hunters who used such frames to smoke meat from feral cattle and pigs on Hispaniola." And right now Bill Belichick's herd of sea cows is indeed being smoked on the boucan.-Rox

Tampa Bay is really burning up a lot of clock. It seems like they've had the ball the entire game. Funnily enough, Yahoo! Sports credits an "I. Jones" on the Patriots with 5 tackles. There is no I. Jones, unless he's reserve wideout C.J. Joneses alternate personality.

Wow, the Tampa ref's must not give a damn about block in the back calls, after about three on that return a flag was finally thrown.-Rox

With only seven carries Bennett of the Bucs has pumped out 57 yards for a 8.1 average. May he thank his O-Line for the garage door sized holes.-Rox

The announcers hear an audible from down on the field, and correctly interpret it as a 3-step drop to a swing pass, meant to take advantage of the apparent Patriots blitz. Good job by the color man.

Now down inside the 20, Luke McCown finds Michael Bennett underneath, wide open, and he dives down inside the 5.

McCown play-action fakes to the inside, and then flips it out to fullback Byron Storer who slipped outside to the flats, and jogs into the endzone untouched. The guy may have just scored, but he still possess the most awkward name of anyone on the field.

Tampa Bay scores, 17-3 Tampa Bay with 1:13 remaining in the 2nd

John Lynch and Wes Welker could be brothers. It's really uncanny how much they look alike. If Lynch can fufill the role he was brought in

Randy Moss makes his first reception of the game on a 10 yard dart up the sideline. I 'm surprised he's in the game at this point, with less than a minute in the second, but I guess they really want to try and score before the half.

After he hits Kevin Faulk on a crossing route underneath the coverage, he completes a 20 yard line-drive out to Moss. It was a pretty bad pass by the book, but anything in Randy Mosses direction can be considered catchable.

After a time-out, that reception puts the Pats on the Tampa Bay 43, and Belichick calls out the fieldgoal team.

Wow. Gostowski just put one up from 53 yards out, and that might have been good from 70. High, strong, and right down the middle.

New England scores, 17-3 Buccaneers with 00:00 left in the 2nd

Halftime

My dad just called about seeing some biker gangs motorcycling through the snow in the high Rockies swinging chains. I see some rather disturbingly similar trends appearing in the Tampa offense in relation to the Pats. The Bucs are leading New England in points, first downs, yards passing, and yards rushing.-Rox

Affirming my previous statement, Tampa Bay has the clear advantage in Time Of Possession with 20 minutes and 8 seconds minutes to 9 minutes and 52 seconds for New England. The Patriots have run 20 plays compared to 37 for the Bucs, and two 3-and-outs.

Brian Griese appears to be achieving decent success with the short pass with more completions but smaller yardage than McCown. Maybe he'll be able to stick with the Buccaneers for longer than a single season. Who knows, the once believed-to-be-replacement for John Elway may finally find a home in Tampa Bay and begin some kind of professional rythm. Or he could continue to bounce around the league and fade into the undistinguished "might have been" category of quarterbacks. There's just no telling what the future of this once-Bronco, once-Dolphin, once-Bear and twice-Buccaneer.-Rox

Third Quarter

Matt Slater is in for the return for New England, and takes the fair catch. Offensive lineman Billy Yates goes down on the play. It might not seem like much, but he's right there as a top backup at the guard spot, and with the line in as tough of shape and thin of depth as it is, that's worrying.

Depth-chart scuba-diving center Dan Connolly and Matt Cassel somehow manage to mangle the snap, allowing defensive back Sabby Piscitelli to scoop up the ball and dash 24 yards to the endzone.

Tampa Bay scores, 24-3 Tampa Bay with 14:44 remaining in the 3rd

The Patriots are redefining the term "Comedy of Errors." On the ensuing series after their fumble fiasco, Cassel is victimized by a pair of drops to help ensure another 3-and-out.

Rox and Sox Player Report: Sabby Piscitelli. Sabs played football for Oregon State as a Strong Safety and finished up his senior year as defensive captain. A Buccaneer 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft, he posted a respectable 4.4 second 40 yard dash and a 375 bench press at the NFL Combine.-Rox

He's also white. An effective white defensive back. I for one, welcome our new Caucasian overlords. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

The Patsies finally man up and force a 3-and-out, stuffing some short passes and edging Antonio Bryant out of bounds on a 3rd down pass up the sideline.

Cassel is out of the game. He got a nice long look, and didn't do terrible. No one really stepped up around him, but he still wasn't anywhere near good. Kevin McConnell comes in, and on his first play drops back deeps, and rolls out, and out, and out. He holds onto the ball seemingly forever until he finally lets go and completes it to Elbert Mack... who plays his home games in Florida. Luckily the I-N-T was right along the sideline.

"Swallow your pride and throw it away, swallow your pride and throw it away..." The announcer's mantra while watching the replay of that killer interception. But no matter how many times he chants, O'Connell can't take that pass back.-Rox

The Patriots are really falling apart. They're getting stiff armed, out run, and run over. Tampa bay has driven down inside the New England 5.

I would love to be the 165 lb. cameraman who has to handle the "Huddle Cam," running out onto the field with men who wouldn't think twice about smashing you for being in the way and stressing the time clock.-Rox

The Buccaneers committed a penalty running out of a 3 tight-end set on the 2, forcing them to go back out to the 10. That may work in their favor, seeing as they've been merely good with the running game, as opposed to their stellar passing game. It'll give them more room to play with.

The Patriots manage to hold the Bucs to 5 yards on a run up the gut, an incomplete pass off the hands of the receiver in the endzone, and a pass batted down at the line by Titus Adams. They settle for another Matt Bryant field goal.

Tampa Bay scores, 27-3 Buccaneers with 7:38 remaining in the 3rd

The Patriots now face a 24 point deficit, one has to wonder what is effecting them most. Brady's absence? Pre-season cobwebs? Or is it just that Tampa seems to be hitting harder and focusing harder? Sometimes statistics just can't tell the whole story.-Rox

I think that in this case, the statistics do a pretty good job.

McConnell is still in, and it's not pretty, just like your mom. He's wild, tossing two straight incomplete passes to C.J. Jones. On the second he went to Jones over the middle, almost leading him into a monster hit. If he had caught that ball, all that would've been left of C.J. Jones would've been his impressive dreadlocks.

Now that the teams have completely switched over to their back-ups, the Patriots defense has really stiffed, forcing a second straight 3-and-out.

The Patriots seem to be trying to get the pressure off of their Quarterbacks, but it's not particularly working. O'Connell got some decent protection on the last play, but instead of trying to pass the ball, he looked to take off running, and was brought down at the line. That's a pretty common mistake for a young QB. With time, he should learn to bring the speed on his reads u

The on-air personalities rip Cassel a pretty good one on his performance should Tom Brady become injured. "I'd be worried to see what would happen to this New England Offense. He's the least mature player on this team; I mean he's played the least football.-Rox

Spurlock dances away his chances for a more than average return.-Rox

Fourth Quarter

It seems as if Rox and I have accidentally emulated the structure of your standard broadcast. I seem to be doing more of the play-by-play stuff, while he's taken on more of a color role. Just an interesting meta note.

The REAL announcers wonder if the Patriots secondary is banged up, what with Matthew Slater in at safety. I politely disagree: he's listed as a wide receiver, he mostly sticks to special teams, but he played defensive back in college. He's capable of doing pretty much whatever he's asked to do. I think they just want to give him some live-game action.

Shawn Crable leads the team sack on Simms as he dances over defenders only to hit the oh-so-sweet turf. The Make My Day law need not apply. -Rox

Tampa Bay linebacker Geno Hayes lays the leather on rookie tight-end Jonathan Stupar, knocking the ball out of his hands right as he was clamping down on the pigskin.

Rox and Sox Player Report: Geno Hayes. Fresh out of the fifth round of the 2008 draft makes his debut with the Buccaneers. At only 20 he could become a staple in the Tampa-2 system given ample time and space to develop. While with the Seminoles he was noted as being an exceptional hitter.-Rox

He's also known for being as dumb as he ferocious.

The Patriots are showing signs of life. Undrafted rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis is gutting out some tough yardage inside, and Kevin O'Connell is looking much more poised. On back-to-back plays he completes an 11-yard hitch to Chad Jackson (on a very nicely run route) and a beautiful skinny post to C.J. Jones that brings the Pats down to the 3 yard-line. Heath Evans bulls his way into the endzone for the Patriots first touchdown of the game.

New England scores, 27-10 Tampa Bay with 10:20 left in the 4th

After a Kenneth Darby run, and a quarterback scramble, Vince Redd blows through the Buccaneer offensive line on 3rd down and brings rookie QB Josh Johnson down to force another 3-and-out. Redd is a rookie free-agent out of Liberty, but he's really impressed a lot of the coaching staff with his athleticism and grasp of the defense. It's a long shot that he makes the roster, but I hope he does. He's a sure-fire practice squad candidate if he doesn't make the team.

On 3rd-and-10 O'Connell completes the 7 yard crosser to CB/S/WR Ray "Bubba" Ventrone. One of the things you always hear coaches say is "Don't run a 9 yard route on 3rd-and-10." That's pretty close to what happened here. I like Bubba, but he's raw.

O'Connell covers for his buddy by completing a nice nice 5 yard touch pass to Chad Jackson. A lot of people have made comments about his seeming inability to learn the playbook, but he's looking good out there. Most of his catches have been on well-run, nicely-felt routes.

After the punt, I realize that the last New England drive was a lot less effective than it felt. 18 yards in 8 plays, 5 of them incomplete passes. I know there's a lot of pressure to see what these young QB's can do, but it'd be nice to seem them doing it in situations where they're not passing on every down.

Yahoo Sports' current New England top performer is Heath Evans with 1 Rush, 1 Yard and 1 Touchdown.-Rox

He's also the proud owner of one ass-whupping at the hands of Florida State village idiot, Geno Hayes.

The Buccaneers milk the clock on their last drive, moving down to the New England 19 before gracefully taking a knee.

Final score, 27-10 Tampa Bay

Postgame Notes

This was a really short game, finishing up at around 2 hours and 45 minutes.

It's hard to read much into the game. Laurence Maroney didn't run effectively (15 yards on 7 carries) and no one else ran for more than 10, or had more than 5 carries. As a team they totaled 56 yards on 22 caries, for an average of 2.5 per carry.

The QB's weren't very good, going for 118 yards on 25 attempts at a 48% completion percentage O'Connell and Cassel were both about the same today. O'Connell did throw the one pick, but to my eyes, he appeared to perform better.

Overall, the protection was slightly better than against the Ravens, but it still doesn't inspire much confidence. I'll leave it to Rox to lead us out.

Well, the game closes out at 27-10 in favor of Tampa. What this game came down to was first stringers not playing in the exhibition and the Buccaneers superior morale. The Pats were not hitting nearly as hard as the Buccaneers, and the increase in physicality is just what the team needed to make up for their lack-of-luster performance in the QB slot. Oh well, it's pre-season and who cares. New England has plenty of time to pull itself together and pray that Brady remains healthy.-Rox

-Sox and Rox

It could've been worse, considering he IS a switch-hitter

For years, he's been there: a rock behind the dish, a presence at the plate, and a leader in the clubhouse. Whenever the reporters have needed a quote, he's been willing to talk, and thanks to his chiseled good looks (and muscular thighs) he's been popular with the ladies of Red Sox Nation. Still, despite all of this, there's a rising anti-Jason Varitek sentiment among Red Sox fans.

It's not just his performance at the plate. Certainly you could rattle off his atrocious .213/.304/.338 line, cite the abominable 68 OPS+, or even be astounded that he's been allowed to do all of this over 328 at-bats (and rising).

You could be wary of his defense, which has previously been stellar. He's only throwing out 24.6% of would-be basestealers (15 out of 61), and there have been 4 errors, 2 passed balls, and 19 wild pitches under his command. Obviously not ALL of those wild pitches are his fault, but official scorers are easily swayed by a guys reputation and they're far more willing to penalize the pitcher than the defense. I do have to admit that I think his game-calling skills are almost unequaled. For years pitchers have raved about his preparation and keen mind, most famously his close friend Derek Lowe, who after pitching a perfect game claimed that he never shook off a Varitek pitch-call once.

The media has always been quick to give El Capitán a free pass, bemoaning the lack of offense at the catcher position throughout the Big Leagues, and praising his effective defense and leadership skills. Despite all his struggles, pretty much every outlet has assured it's viewers/listeners/readers that the Red Sox have to re-sign him, and with Scott Boras as his agent that's going to be no easy feat; he's not going to want to take a pay cut from his current $9 million per season.

As if his declining physical skills weren't enough, there comes the news of his pending divorce from his wife of 12 years, Karen, with whom he has 3 daughters (8, 6, and 3 years old), and there are some suspicious details coming out of the woodwork. Seacoast Patriot tells the story of a sketchy Dennis and Callahan broadcast, with Michael Felger and Greg Dickerson filling in. A caller, "Dick," asked how much they thought Varitek's affair with NESN sideline reporter Heidi Watney was affecting his game. Seacoast Patriot was listening to the online stream which isn't hooked up to a lot of radio-production equipment, mainly the "delay/dump" feature, which puts the broadcast on a time-delay, usually 10 seconds, and allows the producer to silence the the last 10 seconds of the broadcast and avoid profanity or other inappropriateness. After "Dick" asked his question, Felger asks the producer, "Chach, did you get that," which the producer affirms (indicating that Chach "dumped" the question), and then follows with by saying, "Well there you go internet listeners, a nugget for just your ears."

That reeks of homerism right there. I can understand not wanting to slander Varitek, a long time Red Sock and seemingly all-around great guy, but instead of censoring the caller why not ream him out on air and take him to task, instead of dodging the issue at hand. Why not set him straight? Why not defend the Captains honor... Unless... it's... true? Media-types are privy to all sorts of juicy gossip that never makes it out of the locker room, and by Felger's reaction, it seems like everyone knows about this one. A lot of respect gets extended to players concerning their personal lives, but a case like this is enough to make you wish someone would call the guy out, if it's true.

If it's true, well, a wise man once told me, "Baseball players are regular guys, with more money. They can throw, hit, and catch a ball better than we can, but it doesn't change them other than that." Many ballplayers drink too much, do drugs, and yes, cheat on their wives. They have girls in every port, and a steady supply of agents, clubhouse guys, and yes-men to condone and cover for that behavior. My biggest problem with all of this is his kids, if it's real. Lots of guys cheat, but seriously, 8, 6, and 3 year old daughters? How is Mommy supposed to explain that Daddy just stopped loving her, and started loving the blonde bimbo 10 years younger than her?

I doubt we'll ever hear the definite truth come out, and maybe, for those 3 girls, that's for the best.

-Sox

HT: The Boston Globe for breaking the story, Central Maine Sports Blog for coming up with the "Heidi Watney theory", and big fucking kudos to Seacoast Patriot for coming through in the clutch with some killer details. SI, Baseball Reference, and Cot's Baseball Contracts for the necessary data.

New England Patriots Season Preview Part 2: The Defense

I know the name of the blog implies a focus on baseball, but Rox and I both love football like a fat kid loves cake, so I'll be bringing you a series highlighting the Patriots' team and the road they'll have to travel to get to Superbowl XLIII. I'll be breaking the players down by position, doing my best to identify who'll make the roster, and what their roles will be. Without further ado, your 2008-2009 New England Patriots.

Notes: I'll be making reckless predictions on who's making the team, and what their season stats will look like. We'll definitely check back during and after the season to see how I stack up.

DEFENSE


Defensive Line

For all of the praise heaped on other positional groupings, the defensive line still might be the best of them all. Playing in the trenches in the 3-4 is no easy task; you're asked to fill space, play gaps, and take on double-teams virtually every single play, while your buddies playing in the 4-3 are padding their stats. If they have one weakness, it's their lack of a consistent pass rush, but the play of the unit is still superlative.

Nose Tackle
Vince Wilfork is the unquestioned starter here, coming off of his first Pro-Bowl selection. Playing nose tackle can best be described as being a fire hydrant at a dog show, but Wilfork handles it all with ease. He's strong enough to deal with the constant double-teaming and surprisingly nimble, allowing him to get outside on sweeps, tosses, and screens. He's even been able to generate an impressive pash-rush presence from his position in the middle. A lot has been made of his decision to lose weight over the last few seasons for health reasons and he's certainly slimmed his figure down. Big Vince is kindly listed at 6'2" 325 lbs, but if he's a pound under 350, color me surprised.

Mike Wright, the 4th year pro out of Cincinnati, is the top backup in the middle. At 6'4" 295 lbs, he's built more like an outside player, but he's strong, versatile, and athletic enough to play NT, DT, DE, and special teams. His is a remarkable story, coming in as an undrafted rookie and playing his way onto a team coming off of a Super Bowl victory, and he's gotten better with every year in the league.

Kenny Smith is a serviceable veteran who signed with the Pats last season, but was cut before the first game and spent the rest of the year out of football. Steve Fifta and Titus Adams are both fringe roster guys, spending time on practice squads and offseason rosters. There's a chance one of them, probably Adams, could make the Practice Squad, but they're mostly just warm bodies to plug in during camp.

Defensive End
The defensive end position in the 3-4 actually plays more like a 4-3 tackle, but for the sake of simplicity in terminology, I'll use the Patriots designation of end. Richard Seymour is the star here, with 5 Pro-Bowls, and 3 All-Pro selections, but none since 2006. Nagging injuries and the typical wear and tear seemingly caught up with Big Dick. A lot of observers have been quick to count the guy out, but all signs indicate that Seymour had a productive winter rehabbing and is good to go. It's easy to forget what a transcendent athlete this guys is. At 6'6", 310 lbs he's strong enough to go toe-to-toe with an O-lineman (or two) in he needs to drive inside, but if he gets a favorable match-up on the outside he can turn the corner and beat the blockers up the field. He's a 4-down player, and if he can stay on the field for at least 70% of the teams defensive plays, I'll say that the Patriots can be a Top-10 defense. He's that good.

While his counterpart on the other side may not have the same renown, he's certainly deserving of more than his fair share of praise. Ty Warren came into the league with some glaring weaknesses in his game, a first round pick almost on talent alone, and he's worked tirelessly to get better. At the beginning of his career he was a 2-down player, coming off the field in obvious passing situations, but in the last few years he's really blossomed. Always a brusing run-stopper, he's learned to overcome the constant double-teams and rush the passer effectively. Warren's ability to set the edge on outside runs, and sniff out between-the-tackles plays are crucial in that they allow defensive coordinator Dean Pees to gamble more with the linebackers. Although he rarely receives the same praise as his contemporaries, many football insiders have been calling for him to receiver Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.

Backing up both Seymour and Warren is Jarvis Green. Green is the one who suffers most from the Patriots 3-4 scheme, as he could be starting for probably 15 or more of the other teams in the league. Still, the 7th year veteran is the consumate teammate, relishing in his role as a super-sub and the top pinch-hitter when New England needs to generate a pass rush. Green can play the run well enough, but he's an explosive speed rusher, often used on 3rd downs or when the Patriots feel like he gives them an advantageous match-up. If Warren or Seymour were to go down, Green is capable of stepping into the starting role and playing well enough to keep the Patriots afloat.

Santonio Thomas and Le Kevin Smith are the back-ups at this position. Thomas is now in his 4th year with the team after going undrafted out of Miami, spending '05 and '06 on the practice squad and '07 on the active roster, while Smith was a 6th rounder back in '06 out of Nebraska. They both have the weight (~305 lbs) and versatility to play anywhere across the line, and they're adequate step-ins, but I wouldn't trust either of them with serious playing time just yet. Smith has seen more game time and plays on more special teams, but they've both been in the system for a while, giving them the edge over some of the other fringe guys.

Expectations
Health providing, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that this unit could be the best in the league. Realistically, I'd put them at 3 or 4, behind the Vikings, Giants, and maybe Baltimore, but that's still awful good company to be in.

Sleepers
There's really nowhere to hide in this positional grouping, but I think Ty Warren could be due for another break-out year. Just seeing him makes me think he could re-up the bar.

Under-The-Radar Contributor
My pet player here is Mike Wright. The guy has great size, uncommon strength, and surprising athleticism. He's another guy I think could surprise a lot of people, especially after being hurt much of last year.

Worrisome Thoughts
Can Seymour regain his 2003-2005 form, and can they all avoid injury?

Depth Chart

NT
*Vince Wilfork
Mike Wright
Kenny Smith
Titus Adams
Steve Fifta

DE
Richard Seymour
Ty Warren
Jarvis Green
Le Kevin Smith
Santonio Thomas

Key: Italics = rookie, *asterisk = starter, strikethrough = cut

This is a versatile unit, and a deep one. I'd say Thomas, Kenny Smith, Adams, and Fifta all get cut, partly because they don't have the experience Belichick craves, and partly because none of them are very good. Fifta or Adams could stick around on the Practice Squad due to their relative youth, and Smith/Thomas will probably be cut and resigned a few times this season due to match-ups/injuries.

With the strength and depth of the unit, I wouldn't be surprised to see the coaching staff mix in some 4-man fronts if they feel like they can get a favorable match-up, or if there's a rash of injuries at linebacker. If that happens, you'd probably see Wilfork and Seymour at DT, while Warren and Green play DE.

Bottom Line
Young (all 29 or less), experienced, and good. Nothing to worry about here.

Grade

A+

Linebacker

This positional grouping is one of those touchy subjects that everyone in Patriots Nation, from Hartford to Augusta, loves to talk about. Every year, we clamor for Belichick, Pioli, and Co. to draft the latest stud linebacker coming out of college, and every year they've instead simply added veteran re-treads and low round rookies, but it's always worked out. At least, that is, until this year, when New England spent 1st and 3rd round picks on linebackers (as well as a 6th rounder).

Inside Linebacker
No one knows for sure why Belichick shys away from young backers, but it's likely because the Patriots run a 3-4 with a famously complex defensive scheme. The 3-4 requires your inside linebackers to be strong and sturdy enough to take on interior lineman and fight through traffic for the tackle AND drop back into coverage against tight ends and running backs. In addition, the "Mike" or strong-side inside linebacker is responsible for calling the defensive plays, as well as any audibles (generally Tedy Bruschi). The Mike is usually more responsible for playing the run, while the "Will," or weak-side inside linebacker ends up in coverage more often, but for the defense to be effective, these guys have to be interchangeable.

Tedy Bruschi is the unquestioned starter at Mike, as he has been for almost a decade. He's still passable in coverage after all these years, but his strength lies in sniffing out the run. He's tough enough to tangle with guards and centers and still find the gap and get to the ball carrier. He's never been a sack machine, largely due to the way the Patriots use him, but he can be a pressure presence in the middle when he's asked to be. More important than his well above-average performance is his leadership. He brings authority to the field with him and commands the respect of every man on the team. He's so fucking tough, he suffered a stroke after the 2004 Super Bowl, and managed to play in 9 games the next season (and well at that). Hear that, his own BRAIN tried to kill him, and he overcame it. Tell me you wouldn't follow that guy into hell and back.

Who will man the spot next to him, meanwhile, isn't quite so clear. Jerod Mayo was drafted in the first round, clearly for no other reason than to start here, but sooner or later is the question. In the pre-season games he's shown remarkable speed, incredible strength, and a jaw-dropping ability to deliver a blow. He's got a marked propensity for being around the ball, and his ability to fight through the scrum in the middle is further along than I thought it would be. If there's a knock on the guy, it's that he's missed a few tackles he should've otherwise made. What's really indicative of Mayo's future is that the perpetual question of, "Can he learn the play book?" has been conspicuously absent.

Also in the mix to start is Victor Hobson. Hobson was signed from the New York Jets, who also ran a 3-4, where he played OLB. Here, he's being asked to play inside, and he seems to be capable enough. He's fairly strong, and pretty fast, and has always been a team-first guy. That said, he hasn't gotten a lot of playing time. There's always the chance that he has some kind of nagging injury, but there are whispers that he's been far, far too slow in picking up the playbook. He's even admitted as much, if heavily veiled, to reporters. I'd say he'd be a good backup, but he hasn't been on the field to prove anything, and at this point I think there's an outside chance he misses out on making the squad.

Eric Alexander, Larry Izzo, and Bo Ruud round out the inside staff. Eric Alexander's biggest came to fame is that he came out of nowhere to start the 2006-2007 AFC Championship game against the Colts, where Dallas Clark and Domanic Rhoades famously ran the Patriots inside linebackers ragged. I can see where Belichick was going, he's not great against the run if it's coming right at him, but he's fast and agile enough to cover most anyone over the middle, as well as track down any outside runs. He'll make the team because of his worthwhile value in Nickel, Dime, and other assorted packages geared against the passing game. Alexander is also an asset on special teams, which brings us to stalwart Larry Izzo.

Izzo is one of those guys that virtually any team in the NFL would make room for on their roster because of his special teams prowess. At 5'10" 228 lbs, he's not a good fit in anything resembling a base defense, although he's a solid contributor in passing and goal-line situations due to his speed and ability to track down players in space, but make no mistake, he's on this team because he gets geeked up and charges straight down the throat of the opponents kick return wedge, or goes out a levels a guy in an attempt to spring a big return. He's also incredibly well-respected around the clubhouse, having been elected a team captain; a definite leadership presence.

I hate to talk down on Bo Ruud, but the next time I notice him in a game, I'll let you know. He's supposedly a good sideline-to-sideline guy with some position flexibility. His older brother Barrett is a pretty good player for the Buccaneers, so he might have a chance to stick somewhere, but it's not likely to be here.

One "Plan-B" style option that remains is Junior Seau. After his two year deal with the Patriots expired, he's stayed out of the spotlight; probably surfing and running his restaurant out in San Diego. Still, I have no doubt that he's staying in prime shape, because if there's any sort of injury problem I expect that he'd get the first call, and I think he'd accept. He's still a wild-man, heat-seeking-missile type against the run, which can be a good and bad thing, but he's still almost unparallelled when it comes to covering the NFL's fastest tight-ends and running backs, be in over the middle or downfield. That alone will keep him at the back of the coaching staff's mind.

Outside Linebacker
The outside positions are where 3-4's often run into the most trouble. Most college and pro players play in the 4-3, where the outside rushers are defensive ends with a hand on the ground. These DE's often have trouble adjusting to a 3-4, largely because they're often called on to cover running backs, tight ends, and the occasional wide receiver, often out in space if the player splits out. Despite their coverage responsibilities, they have to be large and strong to contend with the offensive tackles they'll be matched up against. The Patriots have two outside postions, the "Sam" and "Jack." The "Sam" is the strong-side outside player, whereas the "Jack" is the weak-side outside player. The positions are functionally identical in the pro-game, simply designating the responsibility of the player in a given scheme depending on how the offense lines up. The Patriots, as with most teams, do not generally switch their players side of the field in response to the offensive scheme. They prefer to have their left-side players stay on the left, and simply adopt new rules, and vice-versa.

Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel are both deeply entrenched at the left and right outside spots, respectably. Both are incredibly capable pass rushers. Vrabel came in at 6th in the league (3rd in the AFC) with 12.5 sacks, while Adalius Thomas tallied 6.5 of his own. Thomas numbers are a bit deceiving, in that he began the season as a starter at the weak-side inside position, and racked up 3.5 of those sacks over the last 5 weeks of the season, once Roosevelt Colvin went down for the year with an injury.

Thomas is primarily a speed rusher, while Vrabel brings more of a power look, but they're both capable of switching it up to confuse, confound, and otherwise bewilder opposing blockers. Of the two, Thomas is the more accomplished cover man, capable of lining up against wide receivers in the slot and covering pretty much any tight end or running back. Vrabel used to be more capable in coverage, but at this point in his career he's best left to zone coverage over the middle. He's got a nasty habit of getting beat on swing routes to the sideline, but really, that's all nit-picking. These two linebackers form a fearsome duo that no offensive line should relish facing down.

The top two back-ups on the outside are pair of ex-Michigan Wolverines with a combined 3 years of experience. Surprisingly, that doesn't strike fear into my heart. Pierre Woods was signed as a rookie free-agent 2 years ago, and he's far better at football than any man with the name "Pierre" has the right to be. At 6'5" 250 lbs, he's got the prototypical size that the Patriots look for, and he's wicked strong, scary strong. He doesn't have a high top-end speed, but he makes up for it by being a very sure tackler, and a smart, heady player. Rookie third rounder Shawn Crable is also 6'5", but I sincerely doubt he's at his listed weight of 250 pounds. I think 230 is more accurate, but that's guessing on the high side. He's lanky, with long, skinny legs, and it shows as his best asset is his ability to get to the passer fast. He's still a project when it comes to coverage, but his explosiveness both laterally and vertically will prove to be useful in 3rd down situations, at the very least.

The last two men on the depth chart are both guys with a chance to make the Patriots roster in one way or another. Both are rookie free-agents, Vince Redd out of Division 1-AA Liberty, and Gary Guyton out of Georgia Tech. Redd is an incredible physical speciman, at 6'6" 260 lbs, with a very good 4.54 40-yard dash, and while Guyton may not "wow" you at 6'3" 242 lbs, he runs the 40 in 4.47 seconds (the fastest of any linebacker at the NFL Combine, and faster than a lot of receivers). They've both proved adept at rushing the passer, and Guyton has made a huge impact on special teams. Redd probably has the edge when it comes to playing in the base defense, due to his size, but Guyton has been equally impressive in pass-rushing/defending packages as well as special teams.

Expectations
Much is expected of this unit, and I think they'll probably live up to all but the loftiest expectations. Hell, they could live up to those. They've all got such differing skill sets, that I'd expect Belichick will be able to limit the shortcomings of individual players. I wouldn't be surprised to see 35-40 sacks total out of this group, all the while playing the run well, and the pass well enough.

Sleepers
It's hard to call a first round pick a sleeper, but I think Jerod Mayo could be an Pro-Bowler if he gets the starts, and stays healthy. Think this year's Patrick Willis, as in an energetic sideline-to-sideline player who can play the run well, and the pass both upfield and downfield.

As far as a real sleeper, I'll go with Shawn Crable, who I think could chip in with 4 or 5 sacks if he gets some playing time.

Under-The-Radar Contributor
They're all pretty high profile guys, at least in the eyes of Patriots fans, but I'll go with the beloved Tedy Bruschi. He's never been the best linebacker in the league, or his conference, and he may never have even been straight up dominant, but he's been a good player for a long time, and as he gets closer and closer to the end of the line, I'm appreciating him more than ever.

Worrisome Thoughts
Health is a concern for the veterans, and experience is a concern for the young guys. If one group goes down, the other will suffer. My biggest concern would be losing Adalius Thomas or Mike Vrabel, as their pass rushing presence is invaluable and likely irreplaceable.

Depth Chart

ILB
*Tedy Bruschi
*Jerod Mayo
Eric Alexander
Larry Izzo
Victor Hobson
Bo Ruud

OLB
*Mike Vrabel
*Adalius Thomas
Pierre Woods
Shawn Crable
Gary Guyton
Vince Redd

Key: Italics = rookie, *asterisk = starter, strikethrough = cut

The only easy cut I could find here is Bo Ruud, who just hasn't shown enough. All the others have some very special thing they could bring to the unit. At first I figured Hobson would stick to the roster because he's owed a little more money and he's a proven veteran, but he's shown next to nothing and I think the Patriots have more pressing needs at other positions. Plus, with Seau lying in the grass, we can afford to a be a little short on the active roster. The final cut came down to Redd vs. Guyton, and while I really like both guys, neither is likely to spend much time in the base defense, and so Guyton won out thanks to his special teams play. The team could go the other way, but no matter what, anyone who gets cut from this unit is a practice squad candidate. Ruud could make it through waivers, but Redd and Guyton are less likely, although Redd probably stands the best chance to make it back to the Pats, if released.

Bottom Line
This is very, very good unit, probably stonger on the outside but still solid across the middle. There's a lot of experience, and a lot of youth, making this an insanely fun unit to watch.

Grade
A-

Defensive Back

Ugh, where to begin. For as beloved as the linebacker position is in New England, the secondary is equally revilled. For years Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy were a force to be reckoned with, but since their departure we've yet to see anything resembling an elite secondary. The Patriots require their defensive backs to be strong against the run, to a man. They also look for the ability to blitz from anywhere on the field, be it from safety, the slot, or split out. When it comes to particular coverage, New England likes to mix it up a lot, employing a lot of zone, especially on shorter routes. They don't do a lot of press coverage, in fact it's often just the opposite. I see more 5-7 yard cushions off the line-of-scrimmage than I do corners getting up in guys faces.

Safety
This is decidedly the more steady position this year. Rodney Harrison returns for another year of cracking skulls over the middle, and getting beaten deep. I kid, I kid... but not that much. He's capable of short-to-mid level coverage, but on the third level, he's a decent liability and he's not the quickest guy to get to the perimeter. Despite his shortcomings there, I'm sure the sound of his footsteps still strike fear in the heart of NFL receivers.

James Sanders has been a nice surprise for the Patriots. In his 4th season after being a 4th round pick out of Fresno State, he's developed into an above average starter for the Pats. Stepping in for Eugene Wilson who couldn't stay healthy (and therefore couldn't stay a Patriots), he's essentially a well-rounded version of Rodney Harrison. He's a hard-hitter, but he's not a real problem when it comes to getting deep. One of his true strengths is his deceiving closing speed. Once the ball is in the air, he's very quick to get in the right place, and he gets out to the edge well on passes or runs up the sideline.

Brandon Meriweather was last years first round pick, and he's pretty much the solution to Sanders and Harrison's difficulties downfield. He's a swift, agile guy who's great at getting and sticking to his man, especially downfield. He's a bit raw, his hands are made of stone, and he's a bit of a flaky tackler, but he's the perfect 1-B option for the Patriots secondary.

(Edit: I don't feel bad about swapping Lynch for Tank Williams here, they're basically the same player)
John Lynch is a late addition to the roster, signing after Tank Williams went down against the Ravens with a knee injury. He'll fulfill essentially the same role as his incredibly named predecessor, as safety/linebacker hybrid. He'll probably get a lot of PT on early downs against teams who're more likely to run the ball, as well as in that 3-3-5 set the Patriots love. The question with Lynch is going to be his cover ability, which has appeared worse and worse during each year in recent memory. Still, if Belichick and Co. can limit the passing situations he's exposed to, he could be a real asset.

Antwain Spann, Mark Dillard, and Ray Ventrone are the last three safetys on the roster, and I give two of them a chance to make it. Spann is a tick above average in coverage, which makes sense because he started his career at corner before taking most of his reps at safety this summer. He's not likely to see the field when the Patriots are expecting the run, just because they already have a bunch of DBs who are good at defending the run. He probably sticks around because he's pretty good on specials teams, both as a gunner and a returner.

Ray "Bubba" Ventrone is one of my pet players on this years team. He's been around the Pats for a few years as an undrafted free-agent out of Villanova, mostly seeing practice squad time until last year. He's listed at safety, because that's what he's played his whole career, but the Patriots are working him out at wide receiver as well. It might seem odd, but he's shown some real promise. He has a nice burst off the line and he's got good hands, but he's still a raw project. Still, having a guy who's a capable back-up at both receiver AND safety is a very nice proposition. Guys at the bottom of the roster don't see the field that much, but you need them for the sheer sake of depth. If Ventrone can fulfill that role as both 11th defensive back and 7 receiver he stands a good chance to stick around.

Mark Dillard is a rookie free-agent out of Louisiana Tech, and I don't know anything about him. That's actually sort of odd, since he's apparently made a fair number of tackles according to NFL.com, but I can honestly say I've heard his name called during a game once. I'm pretty sure it was for decent coverage on a punt or kickoff, but I'm not sure so take it as you will. He stands pretty much no chance to make this roster, but I'll go out and say he's a great candidate for the practice squad, mainly because he's apparently had some half-way decent production in garbage time.

Cornerback
Asante Samuel provided a few years of very good, ball-hawking, fast-closing coverage, but other than that, no one has really been anything more than average at corner in recent memory. Ellis Hobbs is the only returning man on the depth chart,* and you all know how I feel about Ellis Hobbs.

*Mike Richardson spent the year on IR, so he was technically on the team, but I'm not going to count a guy who didn't play a single down during the regular season.

He's incapable of covering short routes, mainly because he's so afraid of getting beaten deep that he backpedals 5 or so yards at the snap of the ball, before even seeing what route his receiver is going to run. He's not a sure tackler, and I'd say his hands are made of stone, but I think a boulder could come up with more picks than he does. I will acquiesce to the fact that the Patriots do use him a lot in zone coverage, often making him look bad, when really it's one of his teammates fault. Still, that doesn't change the fact that it's still often HIS fault, due to his poor judgement and all-around terribleness. At this point, I'd rather have a gambling cornerback who gets beat because he sells out, than a gun-shy cornerback who gets beat because he's unwilling to take the simple risk of tight man-on-man coverage (something almost every corner who plays the game is willing to at least try).

Now that the haterade has been poured out for Hobbs, let me say that I'd absoultely love him if he turned it all around and developed into a lock-down, or even pretty good, cornerback, because then, at least, we'd have one good corner. This off-season New England went back to it's time honored strategy of signing a bunch of old, average-ish corners and hoping that grit, hustle, determination, and a little pure luck generates a passable secondary.

Fernando Bryant is currently listed as the starter opposite Hobbs, and he appears to be the safest bet, having started all but one of the 110 games in his 9 year career. Lewis Sanders is behind him, and he seems to be a decent option for the Patriots otherwise undersize seconday, at 6'1" 210 lbs. Jason Webster rounds out the veteran trio, and he appears to be a slightly better turnover option for the secondary with 11 interceptions in his career, compared to 12 combined for Bryant and Sanders.

One thing all of these guys have in common is that they've all missed significant time. Bryant has missed 26 of 64 games over the last 4 years (average of 6.5 a season) and Webster has missed 30 over the same span (7.5 a season), but more disturbingly 23 of 32 games over the past two seasons, including all but one game last year. Sanders has the slight advantage over the other two in this area, having only missed 13 games over the past 4 years (3.25 a season), but he's never been a full time starting option. While these guys may not inspire the greatest of confidence, I expect we'll see more of a "secondary by comittee" approach, which could help counteract their collective cornerback old age (Bryant is 31, Sanders and Webster are 30).

In addition to the three old soldiers, the Patriots brought in 2 cornerbacks via the draft. This was an incredibly deep year for corners coming out of college, which meant Terrence Wheatley of Colorado was still available at pick #62. He may not have had the name recognition of some of the other high-round corners, but most experts feel he was unfairly overlooked because of injury concerns. He's 5'9" 178 lbs, which is a bit small for a corner, he could stand to put on 10 or 15 pounds, but he tied for 5th in his position at the NFL Combine with a 4.37 40-yard dash. Analysts have a hard time finding negatives in his game. He's a smart player with great acceleration, top-speed, and closing ability, and he's a decent tackler despite being slightly underweight. He was a shutdown corner in college, and he's been alright in camp so far. He's also a talented kick returner.

Jonathan Wilhite from Auburn was chosen in the 4th round, and he's decidedly less critically acclaimed. The analysts say he has good physical tools, 4.38 40-yard dash, good leaping ability, nice closing speed, but that his problems may lie above the neck and below his cap. The biggest knocks on him are his poor recognition and anticipation skills. He doesn't have the feel to be effective in man coverage, but he also doesn't have the instincts to play well in zone coverage. It all sounds pretty damning, but he hasn't been absolutely terrible with the Patriots. He's shown a lot of guts on special teams, and his measurables should keep him around, at least for this year.

There are two three guys on the roster, Mike Richardson, Jeff Shoate, and Ade Jimoh. Richardson was signed as a rookie free-agent out of Notre Dame last year, but went to the Injured Reserve list during the preseason. He's not super fast, and he can get beat in man coverage, but he's smart and plays well in zone. Shoate and Jimoh are mostly just live bodies to fill in the gaps caused by Hobbs being nicked up, and the typical wear and tear on the secondary during training camp. I'm sure they're nice guys, but they won't be nice guys here in New England.

Expectations
I expect that Rodney Harrison will be fined once or twice for vicious hits, get called dirty by the media. If he was white, he'd be called tough, gritty, gutsy, and old-school. Too bad football is the most racist of sports, but that's a story for another day. I also expect that Ellis Hobbs will continue to supply opposing wide receivers with 7 yard cushions and permit them to catch game-breaking touchdowns at will. I expect injuries, like always, and I expect a general feeling of malaise every time a quarterback lets go of the ball.

Seriously, this unit will probably play well against the run, but I don't foresee this being effective against the pass. Average is probably the best we can hope for.

Sleepers
I've said it before, it's hard to call high-round picks sleepers, but Terrence Wheatley could very well end up a starter by the end of the year. He's incredibly gifted, and surprisingly polished.

Under-The-Radar Contributor
James Sanders doesn't get a lot of credit, but he's developed into an incredibly solid all-around starter. He's capable against the pass and doesn't give anything up against the run. Rodney Harrison may get all the love (/hate), but if Brandon Meriweather makes the push for a starting job, he would be taking Harrisons job, not Sanders.

Worrisome Thoughts
Health is a bigger concern here than anywhere else but quarterback. The depth is so thin here, that if just two starters got hurt, we'd be looking at a crisis.

Other than injury, my other biggest concern is just the sheer sucktitude at cornerback.

Depth Chart

S
*Rodney Harrison
*James Sanders
Brandon Meriweather
John Lynch
Antwain Spann
Ray Ventrone
Mark Dillard

CB
*Ellis Hobbs
*Fernando Bryant
Terrence Wheatley
Lewis Sanders
Jonathan Wilhite
Mike Richardson
Jeff Shoate
Ade Jimoh

Key: Italics = rookie, *asterisk = starter, strikethrough = cut

The keepers are pretty clear cut, and the JAGs are pretty evident, but there is some question in the middle ground. I'd say Spann, Ventrone, Richardson, and Wilhite are all on the bubble. Wilhite probably gets by, since he's a rookie and hasn't had time to show much either way, and Ventrone makes it based on his versatility. That would seemingly leave Spann and Richardson on the chopping block, but Spann has looked REALLY good during the preseason, and with the overall weakness of the secondary, I'd say that probably means they'll carry an extra defensive back. Richardson gets the axe, but probably makes the practice squad, along with Dillard.

Bottom Line
Ugh, not good. Undeniably the weakest positional grouping on the roster. They'll play well against the run, but they're going to be victimized by the better passing teams, most of whom they thankfully avoid.*

*I think San Diego, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Pittsburg, Seattle, and Arizona all fall into this category. St. Louis, Indy, Pittsburg, and Seattle all have superlative quarterbacks, and San Diego and Arizona have a lot of receiving talent. These teams could give the Pats some real trouble.

Grade
C-

Special Teams

I know the 3rd part of the game deserves a full breakdown, but it's just too convoluted, and totally dependent on who gets cut. I'll just explain it real quick.

Stephen Gostowski, Kicker
He's got a strong leg on both kick-offs and field goals, and he's pretty accurate, although he has the maddening habit of coming ohsoclose to the uprights. There's not a lot of difference between elite and average when it comes to kickers, and I think that unless you have a guy like Bironas or Vinatieri, it's all pretty much the same. He'll be just fine.

Scott Hanson, Punter
He doesn't have the strongest leg, but he's very accurate which makes him a good fit with the Patriots. The New England offense will, more often than not, put Hanson in position to pin the opposing team close to their goal line, rather than rely on him to open up yardage. Of course, I'd prefer if Hanson's 2008 went like last season, when he was only used 5 times in the first 4 games, and 44 times total (the least of any full-time punter).

Lonnie Paxton, Long Snapper
Dude has the best job in the NFL. He's capable of delivering the ball to the holder on time and accurately, and for it he makes way more money than you or I likely. He's won 3 Super Bowls, and gotten to pal around with professional football players for 9 years. Good on him.

-Sox

Note: You may have noticed, if you actually care, that if you count up the number of players who I predict to make the active roster I name 54 people. The active roster is, in actuality, 53. You know what, I'm making a ton of guesses WAY in advance, give me this one little break. That 1 spot accounts for someone who might go on the PUP squad, or IR right before the season.

Deadspin Loves the University of Colorado

Okay, maybe I connected some non-existent dots in the title, but when Clay Travis revealed the gay forays of two Nebraska Cornhuskers he may as well have been riding a Golden Buffalo.

Check it out here.

-Rox

Sox live-blogs exhibition football, despises off-days, and loves long walks on the beach

If you couldn't tell by now, Rox and I both love football. Love might actually be too soft a word. Football and I are tempestuous lovers; hot and heavy while in the throes of the season, and painfully longing whilst separated. This blog was born into existence right before the annual bout of football fever hit the two of us, and so has featured pigskin just as often as rawhide.

That said, I've never live-blogged a football game before and I'd like to get some experience in that regard. This also goes along pretty well with my expansive team previews (which have been progressing, albeit slowly), and I've made no bones about my burning desire to see any sort of football-related action. With that being said, let's get down to it.

Pregame

-Stephen Neal, Matt Light, Mike Wright, and Jarvis Green have all been announced as inactive for this game, and Mike Dowling on the side-lines astutely points out that Tom Brady and Randy Moss are nowhere to be seen.

-I've been steadfast in my efforts to avoid discussing the ongoing Brett Favre drama, but now that he's playing for the Jets, I have only one reaction: great. A 39-year old quarterback behind a less than stellar offensive line, playing in a new offense after a decade-and-a-half in a West Coast scheme, in a tough division in the tougher conference. I'll just say this, Chad Pennington would have a better year starting for the Packers than Brett Farve will starting for the Jets. I have nothing but love for Pennington, and I hope he lands in a good place, like Chicago or Kansas City.

-Channel 5 needs to wake up their guys in the production van. They just cut back from an ad, cold, to the National Anthem. I wouldn't have a problem with that, except for the fact that they came back with maybe 30 seconds left in the song. I feel pretty strongly that if you're going to show The Star-Spangled Banner (which you should), you're obligated to show the whole thing. I may be a commie pinko, national health care supporting, alternative energy seeking liberal, but that doesn't mean I don't love America (actually, I think it means I love America more than your average McCain supporter).

-Don Criqui and Randy Cross have the call. I can't recall anything about Criqui, but I remember having a favorable opinion of Cross.

-Overall, I think the Ravens are a good match-up for the purposes of pre-season play. Defense is their strength, and offense is ours. That allows us to get a good strength vs. strength test, as opposed to running roughshod over a porous unit like Detroit or St. Louis. Their offense is pretty non-threatening for now, with Troy Smith at the helm and Willis McGahee unlikely to see much time. I hope Joe Flacco plays; the guy is a physical monstrosity for a Quarterback and he performed impeccably at the D I-AA level.

First Quarter

- Stephen Gostowski boots the opening kickoff VERY deep. It's placed about 5 yards deep into the endzone, and approximately over the near hashmark. That's almost exactly how you want to do it when it counts; it gives them longer to run, and forces the returner into either coming straight up the narrow side of the field, or being funnelled to "open" side where you can more easily box him in.

-Kyle Boller completes a 21-yard strike to Derrick Mason, Fernando Bryant in coverage. It appeared that Bryant got caught on a stop-and-go, or just overran the coverage.

-Ray Rice, the rookie out of Rutgers, gets tripped up in the backfield by Richard Seymour. It's nice to see Big Dick getting that kind of burst after a few injury filled years.

-Another strike to Mason on the left side where Bryant appeared to be far upfield. I know the Patriots rarely use press coverage, and that their corners are infamous for leaving recievers a large cushion, but for a long time I assumed it was the individual corners, but I'm

-The infusion of youth for the Patriots defense is certainly showing. They're swarming around out there, particularly, Jerod Mayo. On back-to-back plays, he cleaned up after Tedy Bruschi whiffed on a tackle, and then closed nicely on a running-back to help snuff out a swing pass.

-Matt Stover boots a 42-yard field goal.

Raven Score, 3-0 Baltimore

-Mike Dowling was right, Brady and Moss are taking this one off. Cassel is in at QB, and hands off for little gain on the first play.

-Chad Jackson is taking advantage of the opportunity for some game action, and while this probably isn't a Wally Pip story, he shows some nice burst off the line, getting step on the Ravens corner. Unfortunately, Matt Cassel is Matt Cassel, and he overthrows his man.

-Cassel targets Chad Jackson on a naked receiver screen, and Jacko gets blown up by a huge Baltimore linebacker.

-On the punt, special teamer Sam Aiken goes down after longsnapper Lonnie Paxton gets tossed on his leg. I know that kind of injury, and that can be dangerous territory.

-Ravens ball, and Tedy Bruschi knocks the ball loose on a tight-end after a short completion. He may be old, but he's still an asset in pass coverage.

-The Ravens are making a strong showing on offense. Boller looks really good, throwing hard, catchable balls into small openings.

-Jerod Mayo makes a nice tackle in traffic. The Ravens handed it off over guard, and Mayo fought through the scrum to bring the rusher down. That sort of play is going to be key for Mayo, since he's a little small at 6'1" 242 lbs. He needs to be able to take on interior linemen if he's going to play in the 3-4.

-The Pats defensive front gets an incredible push up front, sacking, with Adalius Thomas sacking Kyle Boller after fighting off a tough block. Ty Warren picks up the fumble and the Patritos grab their first turnover.

-After a Laurence Morney run to the left, Matt Cassel must feel terrible for the poor Ravens, so he throws the ball behind Chad Jackson and gets picked off by Fabian Washington. The cameras show Jackson and Cassel gesturing and shouting while walking back to the side-line. I know Cassel sucks, but the one knock on Jackson has been his slowness in learning the playbook. It looked like it could have been a route that was supposed to have been broken off, but it could really be either one's fault.

-Lewis Sanders lays down some jaw-dropping coverage on a longball. Boller did well to throw it to the receiver's side, but Sanders was literally right on him. He was all up on that like a creepy 40 year old dude on high school cheerleader at a sketchy club.

-Brandon Meriweather is all over the field. Even when he's not directly involved in a tackle, he's always right there, lurking.

-Jerod Mayo lays the leather against Ray Rice, taking him to the turf and sending his helmet flying. I know Belichick has notorious stayed away from young linebackers, but he must be so happy to have his havehand forced with Mayo.

-Maroney dances behind the line, and gets brought down for a loss of 2. I know the Ravens have a stellar defense, but I still think he needs to make quicker decisions.

-Well, it looks like he's listening. He dances for a split second as the defense closes in on a screen pass, but then he ducks behind his initial blockers and takes off, darting 12 yards to the first down marker.

-He takes another handoff for a short gain to end the first quarter.

-Maroney looks a lot thicker in the core this year, which is a good thing. With the additional bulk, he'll be able to better stave off injury.

Second Quarter

-Cassel avoids the pressure to sling a short pass that Ray Ventrone tries to corral, but it gets broken up when Vetrone gets leveled "Bubba," as he is called, is one of my favorite stories on this team. Undrafted out of Villanova, he's spent time on the Patriots and Jets practice squad at safety, but is now working at wide receiver as well. He's alright as a back-up safety, and if he can prove versatile enough to play at receiver as well, he stands a chance to make this roster.

-There's a long review on the play, as there seems to be some question about whether Ventrone had possesion, which could turn the play into a fumble and a Ravens recovery.

-The officials decide it was an incomplete, and it's 1st-and-20 after a 10 yard holding penalty.

-Maroney gets stuffed on a draw play. I'm not a fan of draws. They're a type of running play where everything looks like a pass play, from the QB to the blocking scheme, except after a short delay the ball is handed off to a lurking running back. The goal is to create the seams that develop in the defense when you try to get a good pass rush. I just feel like it doesn't make sense to run the ball into the teeth of a defense with all those guys pinning their ears back.

-Cassel rolls out on third down, but slips and falls on the slippery field, which gets him booed mercilessly, and forces the Patriots to punt.

-Yamon Figurs does his best Devin Hester impersonation and manages to evade what seems like 25 would be Patriots tacklers, and takes the punt down to the Patriots 2-yard line. Undrafted rookie Gary Guyton does a good job running Figurs down from behind and pushing him out as he dove for the pylon.

-Baltimore drives it in on a Ray Rice dive two plays later.

Ravens Score, 10-0 Baltimore

-Matthew Slater gets his first chance to return a kickoff, and takes it out a little past the 20. I know it's a small sample size, but he's really going to need to have a strong showing in these preseason games if he wants to stick.

-Matt Gutierrez drops back, and drops and drops and drops as a Ravens defender just shreds the line and gets right in Goots' face. Luckily, he gets the ball away but there's an ineligible receiver penalty.

-LaMont Jordan takes 2 consecutive handoffs, one up the middle for a no gain, and another to the edge for a few. Despite the short yardage, I like what I see out of Jordan. He's built like a fire-hydrant in the best way possible, and he runs with impressive power.

-A strong Ravens rush again puts Goots on the run, but he just keeps running and finds the space underneath to escape for almost 7 yards, making it 4th-and-short.

-Jordan hits the line like a hammer, breaking through and unfurling to pick up the yardage necessary.

-Gutierrez finally gets some protection, and completes a nice pass to TE Stephen Spach the flats.

-Man, Cassel must be shaking in his cleats on the sideline as Goots completes a beautiful linedrive over the middle to Jabar Gaffney. Gaffney did have to jump for it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; there was a lot of traffic in the middle, and if it's high that means the defense has a much smaller chance of getting it.

-I don't know if the Ravens left their starters in against the New England 2nd team, but they've sacked Gutierrez on two consecutive plays, and he's had absolutely no chance.

-The Patriots punt the ball away, but they get it right back as rookie linebacker Shawn Crable intercepts the ball on the Ravens first play of the series. A lot has been said about Crables unique body, and it borders on creepy to discuss a grown man's body in that way, but MAN are his legs long. He's a big dude, but he's not your typical stout linebacker with short legs and a long torso, but it doesn't appear as if he's missing any of the necessary power.

-The Patriots are doing their best to avoid the pressure that Baltimore generated on the last series by using short passes and running plays, but as soon as they go back into a deep drop, Goots gets leveled again by the interior rush.

-AGAIN, the Patriots must be listening, because they choose the perfect time to run a draw. With all the pressure on the inside, they run a draw with Kevin Faulk who bounces it to the outside for 10 yards.

-After a no-gain by LaMont Jordan and another Gutierrez incomplete, the Pats face a 3rd-and-10. They try to go to Chad Jackson on a quick screen, but he gets wrapped up right away and can't get free.

-Stephen Gostowski comes on for his first field goal attempt of the season, and makes it from about 40 yards out.

Patriots score, 10-3 Baltimore, 3:21 remaining in the second

-Yamon Figurs takes the ball out to the 45 before safety Mark Dillard and Gostowski combine to make the stop. He's not bad, for a kicker: athletic and never afraid to stick his nose into the action.

-This is a nice test for the Patriots defense. Three minutes left in the half, ball on the Ravens 40 after an illegal formation penalty. It'll let them work in "have to get the ball back and score" mindset and see how everyone reacts. Hopefully, the rookies can take the pressure and the veterans can demonstrate the appropriate leadership.

-Wel, screw that. Rookie corner Terrence Wheatley gives Darnerien McCants a rediculous cushion and he makes a 31 yard reception. Antwan Spann had a chance to REALLY blow up the receiver, but he whiffed on the tackle.

-Terrence Wheatley bounces back and does a good job to sack Ravens quarterback Troy Smith on a rollout.

-Smith goes deep to McCants again, but he's blanketed in some very nice over-under double coverage. McCants makes a nice play to just get his hands on it, but he runs out of bounds before he can get the ball under control.

-Matt Stover comes on for the Ravens and puts one through the uprights for his 2nd field goal of the game.

Ravens score, 13-3 Baltimore, 1:20 remaining

-Matthew Slater really took my advice to heart, and comes up with a nice return to put the ball on the 35.

-Gutierrez is in and running the 2 minute drill. He's doing alright, but the Patriots receivers are having issues getting out of bounds to stop the clock.

-It looked like Gutierrez waited too long to get rid of the ball, but as the Ravens rushers bore down on him he took off and managed to get a nice pass out to Heath Evans in the flats to pick up the first down.

-With 12 seconds left from the Ravens 22, Gutierrez sends a floater to the left side that gets picked off. Goots had been playing alright up to now, but that was just a terrible play. He needed to be throwing into the endzone with such short time, and the intended receiver had to run back 10 yards just to be somewhat close to that pass.

-On a lighter note, Ravens corner Corey Ivy grabs fellow DB Fabian Washington, who made the pick, and carries him off the field on his shoulders, a la Brett Favre and Greg Jennings when Jennings caught Favre's recordbreaking touchdown pass.

-The Ravens take a knee and run out the clock.

Halftime

-The Patriots defense is having a nice showing, other than some ugly gaffes in the secondary. They've been throwing themselves around out there. The young guns look really good, and the veterans have been their steady selves.

-The offense, meanwhile, has been less then spectacular. The line is the main culprit here, as they've pretty much let the Baltimore front 7 have their way with them. The running backs have been alright when they've been given the chance, and the wide receivers and tight ends have been pretty good.

-Halftime snack: A big bowl of store-brand frosted shredded wheat. Talk about an underrated cereal. Tasty, filling, and nutritious.

Third Quarter

-Slater takes the kickoff to begin the 2nd half for the Patriots, and makes it to the 30, showing a very nice burst.

-I want to like Gutierrez, but he flubs the snap and the Ravens grab the fumble, and then capitalize by completing a 15 yard pass on the very next play.

-Brandon Meriweather emphatically states his manliness. Troy Smith fought through the rush and managed to dump the ball off to his running back, but Meriweather wraps the receiver up instantly, stopping him in his path and driving him 8 yards backwards.

-Back-up kicker Piotr Czech comes and and puts up another field goal.

Ravens score, 16-3 Baltimore, 12:12 remaining in the 3rd

-C.J. Jones has a decent return to set the Pats up at their 30.

-Goots rolls out and completes a 9 yarder to rookie TE Jonathan Stupar, and then Jordan takes it over the middle for the first down.

-Mathew Slater makes his second reception, and he's looked pretty good on the offensive side of the ball. In addition to his return duties, he's capable of playing safety and receiver as well. They haven't had him running any sort of longer routes, but he's had good hands.

-LaMont Jordan continues to have a strong showing, slashing through the perimeter for a 10ish yard gain.

-After a 1 yard push up the middle from Heath Evans, they give ball to Jordan on a sweep, and I think we've found the limits of LaMont's game. We all remember the waning days of the Corey Dillon era, when he would take off and try to turn the corner, only to find he couldn't get a step on the defenders. Jordan just isn't built for those runs to the sideline; I'd leave those to Maroney and Faulk.

-BenJarvus Green-Ellis comes on and shows how explosive he can be. He didn't gain much more than 3 or 4 yards, but he leveled the tackler and bounced right back up.

-Goots drops back to pass for the first time in seemingly forever, and is predictably brought down. Green-Ellis did a decent job to force the perimeter rusher to the outside, but the inside pressure is just too much.

-Jordan hits the hole with authority and pushes the rock for an 8 yard gain. I'm almost lamenting the Patriots strong passing game. With Maroney, Faulk, and Jordan, this could be a potent running team. My personal pet-project this year is BenJarvus Green-Ellis. I like the way he runs and he's young, with lots of room to bulk up.

-Gostowski hits on a 44 yard field goal, barely. The ball just curves around the left upright.

Patriots score, 16-6 Baltimore, 5:46 remaining in the 3rd

-The Patriots are starting to feed the Ravens some of their own medicine. After a long lay-off, the defense is really getting after Baltimore QB Troy Smith. Smith manages to complete a 9 yard pass on 3rd-and-10, but the Ravens punt anyway.

-I haven't been able to see the game for the past few minutes, as they've been too busy interviewing the owner of Samuel Adams, who's running some sort of contest, to show the actual game. The guy actually hands the sideline reporter hops straight from Bavaria, where he apparently was this morning. Isn't there some sort of law against bringing foreign plants into this country?

-I don't know how long he's been playing, but rookie Kevin O'Connell is in at Quarterback for the Patriots. This is what I've been waiting for, as everyone who's seen this kid play have come away excited.

-O'Connell displays his athleticism on consecutive plays, running the ball for 8 and then 14 yards. In particular, the second run was impressive as he found the empty space right away and took off, and did his best to stay inbounds as long as possible, but darted out right before he was going to take a monster hit.

-A few plays later, O'Connell shows he's not just a pair of hot legs, as he completes a nice timing pass to WR Chris Dunlap on the outside.

Fourth Quarter

-O'Connell continues to execute well, as he lays down a nice play-action fake and then slings the ball out on a nice delayed screen.

-Gostowski is having a busy day, as he kicks his 3rd field goal.

Patriots score, 16-9 Baltimore, 13:40 remaining in the 4th

-The young linebackers for the Patriots continue to have a good game, as Eric Alexander almost picks off Troy Smith, and Pierre Woods gets up to stuff Smiths next pass attempt.

-Smith takes off for the first down marker, but Gary Guyton and backup DT Kenny Smith track him down and stop him about a yard short.

-After a terrific Ravens punt from Billy Koch (heh, Koch),O'Connell is passing out of his own endzone. He makes back to back nice throws to Mathew Slater and Ray Ventrone, but they're both incomplete. I guess that's what you get when you're passing to converted safeties.

-Hmm, hold on. Ventrone made his catch running fullbore towards the sideline, and there's a chance he might have had control before he went out of bounds. Belichick throws the red challenge flag, and we'll see how it turns out. I may have to retract part of my smart remark.

-CBS' slow motion replay seems to show Ventrone making the catch... and the officials agree. I take it all back, nice job Bubba.

-On a crucial 3rd-and-15, O'Connell is forced to run for his life and throw the ball away. Even in garbage time, the Ravens are still generating a fearsome pass rush.

-Joe Flacco is finally in the game for Baltimore, and gets a rude welcome. Linebacker Pierre Woods fights off the blocker and strips the ball away from the Ravens rookie and falls on it

-O'Connell garners himself some raucous cheers by completing a nice pass to C.J. Jones, who spins away for some extra yardage down the sideline.

-LaMont Jordan is the hammer, and the Ravens are the nail. The Patriots hand the ball off to Jordan 3 times in a row, and he drives them from outside to 10 into the endzone. Then, unexpectedly, the Patriots go for the 2 point conversion. O'Connell tries for the quick out, with Ventrone wide open in the flat, but a Ravens defender gets right in his face and knocks the ball down

Patriots score, 16-15 Baltimore, 6:02 remaining in the 4th

-Flacco hands the ball off on the first play, and Crable gets into the backfield to hold the running back to no gain.

-And Crable does it again, this time sacking Flacco to set up the Ravens punt.

-Wow, C.J. Jones probably just earned himself his walking papers. Belichick HATES stupid mistakes, and Jones just made a really, really stupid mistake. He was lined up to return the punt, but the ball bounced off him and to a Baltimore player, setting the Ravens up inside the Patriots 20.

-The Patriots face a crucial 4th-and-1, and do they ever step up. Rookie LB Vince Redd comes off the edge and stuffs Flacco's pass, forcing a turnover on downs. New England now has 2:45 to travel almost 90 yards.

-O'Connell is forced to throw the first pass away, on the second the Ravens have excellent downfield coverage and he's forced to run the ball back to the line of scrimmage, and then on the third he's sack at the 1 yard line, barely avoiding the safety.

-Facing 4th-and-18, Belichick has the Patriots go for it. O'Connell dances around and buys time, before slinging a long pass to C.J. Jones. For a split second, I thought he was going to catch it and give birth to the legend of Kevin O'Connell, but Jones muffs the ball. I feel bad for the guy, because the odds were stacked against him making the roster anyway, but at this point I'd say there's almost no way C.J. Jones makes the roster.

-Now, all the Ravens have to do is kneel down on the ball to take the win, which they do.

Postgame thoughts

-The pressing concern is obviously the offensive line. They allowed 6 sacks on the day, and just as often allowed the QB to be hurried.

-The running backs looked good, with LaMont Jordan getting a real chance to showcase his pounding style.

-The receivers were decent, although C.J. Jones had some serious blunders. Mathew Slater and Ray Ventrone looked pretty raw, but they both showed some real promise.

-The rookie linebackers were really the stars of the show. Mayo and Crable both played solid ball, plus Guyton and Redd came up with some big plays. Although not rookies, Pierre Woods and Eric Alexander flashed some ability.

-For a first preseaon game, not bad at all.



-Sox

"Dirty Birds" is right

I have nothing against the Falcons franchise, or Atlanta in any way, shape, or form, but seriously: Jason Elam is one of the best 3 things going on in training camp?

Elam makes a living by kicking a ball, which in this country doesn't generally make you a star. Kickers play a role on the team, but they're largely replaceable, and they're virtually never a selling point for your team (the exception being Adam Vinatieri while he was an elite kicker, and that's only because Boston needed a white guy to love, see Welker, Wes).

Roddy White, meanwhile is best described as such: he is someone. He wins the Mike Furrey award as the receiver you picked up in your Fantasy league last year because SOMEONE on that horrible team had to get the touches. Having Roddy White as your most potent offensive threat is like giving your party's General Election nomination to John Kerry: you're not giving it to him because he's great, you're giving it to him because he's THERE.

This doesn't really project well for the Falcons immediate welfare on the field. These guys might challenge last year's Dolphins as one of the most inept teams to ever take the field.*

*For my money, last years Rams were actually worse than the Dolphins. The Dolphins had a harder schedule, and they were at least semi-competitive in some of their games. The Rams won 2 of their games against the 49ers and the Falcons, who were essentially as bad, plus a mediocre Saints team. Miami beat the Ravens, who earlier that season had pushed New England to the very last play to beat them. Fuck it, the 'Fins that 3-0 loss to the Steelers in those terrible rainy, mucky, slippery Heinz Field conditions... An 0-10 team persevering the weather to push an eventual playoff team like that, that's a Man's Game to me.

-Sox

Like, whoa dude

Is it just me, or do those two look like they could be the co-stars in Pineapple Express?

-Sox

Meeting on the Mound: Vicious on the Line

Rox: shit son
Sox: what up?
Rox: Manny AND Griffey Jr
Sox: Yeah
Rox: That's Mad World material
Sox: Where you been mutha?
Rox: Same place when I missed that ROD SMITH retired
Sox: Alaska?
Rox: Exactly
Rox: Out of the loop
Rox: On boats and shit
Rox: Missing out on heartbreaking sports news
Rox: The Barrel Man retired too
Rox: Tom Nalen is the only man left with the Broncos who I grew up with
Rox: Its a very sobering idea, in a terrible way
Sox: Yeah
Sox: but that's the thing about being a fan
Sox: it's what I'm facing with Manny
Sox: THEY come and go, WE'RE the ones who stay
Rox: so true
Sox: Yeah, basically all the Red Sox, and a lot of the Patriots I knew and loved are gone
Sox: Ted Johnson, Roman Phifer, Bledsoe, Troy Brown, McGuinest, Tebucky Jones, Antowain Smith, David Givens, Deion Branch, Daniel Graham...
Sox: although you inherited him
Rox: Elam
Rox: Elway
Rox: Romo
Rox: Walker
Sox: Dude, you may be the last guy in the world who likes Romo
Rox: all three Walkers actually, Broncs and Rockies combined
Rox: My heart still skips a beat when an announcer mentions Tony Romo
Sox: LOL
Rox: I'm left waiting to hear the big hit that never ever comes
Rox: and never will
Rox: Fucking Oakland
Rox: Stealing the heart of my defense
Rox: and you can't blame us for Graham, he was a CU Buff
Rox: It was like sending him home after a 4 year summer camp
Sox: Well, his time was up anyway
Sox: we weren't gonna give him that kinda money to block
Sox: he's a decent reciever
Rox: We'll get better mileage outta him
Sox: well, god knows you need the blocking for Diabetes boy
Rox: Yeah, we don't want to get the blood sugar knocked out of him
Rox: Maybe they'll let Nalen tape sugar packets to the back of his jersey
Sox: Wow, that was pretty bad. Isn't Nalen down anyway?
Sox: I'm pretty sure Casey Schweigert is playing now
Rox: Latest news is that an MRI showed no damage to his knee
Rox: He should be back soon, hopefully
Sox: God forbid you play without a 250 lb center who cashes his paychecks at the cost of D-Linemens Kneecaps
Rox: It's good to have a pair of balls like that dangling over your QBs hands
Rox: Makes ya feel safer
Sox: ...
Sox: or get in the way of the snap
Rox: I was hoping that would come across as more of a metaphor
Sox: Dude, I have little respect for Nalen
Sox: He tried to fuck over Igor Olshansky on a SPIKE play
Sox: a SPIKE play
Rox: So he's a tad bit agressive
Rox: Better to be behind him than in front of him
Rox: I mean, do you think the same of Lawrence Taylor or Tomo because they went out there trying to fuck people up?
Sox: I don't like Romo at all
Sox: And LT never tried to HURT people
Sox: he played as hard as he could
Sox: there's a difference
Sox: I take that back
Sox: LT never tried to INJURE people
Rox: Alright, the comparison was a bit of a stretch
Sox: He cried on the field after what happened to Theisman
Sox: Look, the Broncs are thugs
Sox: you have to own up to an organization that straight up loves cutblocking
Sox: You can tolerate it, but I wouldn't condone it
Sox: They league is one star player going down away from cracking down
Sox: mark my words
Rox: I wouldn't go as far as to say thugs, but I can respect an ends with a means
Sox: I mean, who am I to pretend that anyone else is any better, but we're ex-lineman
Sox: You know cut blocking hurts. One minute you're firing into a gap, next thing you know you're looking up at the sky
Rox: I say if you're on the line you should be able to give it and take it
Sox: Fair enough
Sox: it's not as hard to deal with as D-Linemen would like you to believe
Sox: it's just that they're spoiled with being able to go straight ahead most of the time
Rox: Hoorah for hand restrictions
Sox: aggressive line-play fell out of style for a while in the 80's and 90's with how big everyone got
Sox: with the hand restrictions, everyone just started dropping back
Sox: Then, the Broncs did alright with Zone-blocking, and now aggressive lineplay is making a comeback
Rox: the Texans are using it
Sox: I mean, since when did we ever block pro-style in high school
Sox: maybe when we had to seal on the backside of a play, but it was always go and hit someone
Rox: Yeah, until they started that weird shotgun rule
Sox: what was that again, no cutting in the shotgun?
Sox: That was bullshit
Sox: I know why, it's because the D would just fire off full speed
Rox: Yeah, the NHIAA said it was there all along but just started to enforce it
Sox: I remember I was on the field in a JV game when they broke that too us
Sox: the whole line was penalized
Sox: flags were flying everywhere
Sox: I got up from under my guy and pulled Cottle from under his, and the refs got in our face
Sox if the D wants to pin their ears back because they're thinking pass, well that's their fault
Rox: Exactly
Rox: If anything I'd like to see line-play become more of a fight
Rox: I hate this 'line your biggest guys up' and watch them push B.S.
Rox even if tight ends and D-ends are more active
Rox: Maybe a modified and improved shoulder blocking rennaisance
Sox: It was a lot more vicious until the mid 90's when people started to get HUGE, and a lot more rules were brought in
Sox: But you know how the league is, some team will have an attacking O-Line, then suddenly everyone has to have one
Sox: it's happening inthe League now with zone blocking
Sox: the Patriots have always had a mixed bag
Sox: a few big guys, a few smaller guys
Sox: But now they're working in some Zone blocking
Sox: Our center, RG, and LT are all very mobile
Rox: What the NFL needs is more guys like Steve Neal
Sox: Yeah, I love Neal, he's fast, strong, mobile
Sox: I mean, he doesn't have overwhelming strength, but he can always move the guy
Sox: or at least maneuver him out of the way
Sox: I mean, we do have the best LG in the game ,though
Sox: fucking Mankins
Sox: even his name makes me want to rip my shirt off and eat a raw steak
Sox: Logan Mankins
Sox: he even has a Mountainman's beard
Rox: I do love the beard
Sox: He's big, 6'4" 310, and he's SCARY
Sox: dude is ferocious
Sox: he starts in on the opponents from snap one
Sox: and he drives them into the ground every play
Sox: late in games, you'll see guys take themselves out, or audible to stunts to get away from him
Sox: he is monstrously strong
Sox: For my money, best guard in the game
Sox: or at least RIGHT up there with Hutchinson and Faneca
Rox: See, and thats what I'm saying
Rox: We need more of that, the intensity, on the line
Rox: I mean, football players learn that the line is fighting in the pit
Rox: And that's what it should be, two lines attempting domination of the other
Sox: It's getting better, what with the rise of the 4-3
Sox: There's a lot more visceral combat, believe me
Sox: you're underrating it all because you've been away from it for so long
Sox: it's been 6 months since football was last on Television
Sox: You know what, I have to watch the first action of the year on Sunday
Sox: The Hall Of Fame Game
Sox: Skins vs. Colts
Sox: Manning won't be play
Rox: Shit, I'll be on my way to Minneapolis
Sox: blew a sac
Rox: ...
Sox: in his knees
Sox: I know, I know
Sox: Bursa sac
Rox: I'm telling you, I've never been so excited about early August
Sox: I'm like this every year
Sox: I miss it, so much
Sox: But this is it
Sox: I mean, this is football blue balls
Sox: we're so close, we've had a taste,
Sox: but we're so far
Rox: Just think, another couple days and thou shalt be delivered
Sox: But at least I don't have to wait 2 years for relief like you did
Sox: HEY OH
Rox: You're killin' me son
Sox: It's your fault
Sox: Now you're back to nights with Righty and the Left Handed Stranger
Rox: Better to have a stranger than know it's just me

Jason Bay is a fount of joy

Jason Bay has truly done it. He has excised that cancerous tumor in the 4 hole, bringing about an Era of Good Feelings. His grit and hustle have spread throughout the team. The team that was once haggard and weary is now energetic and upbeat. After seeing bay make a sliding catch in left, the players are throwing themselves around in the dirt like a morbidly obese man in a kiddy-pool of cake frosting. Bay walked in his first at-bat as a Red Sox, and came around to score on a Jed Lowrie sacrifice fly. He inspired Tim Wakefield to gut out 6-and-1/3 innings without his best knuckler. He even managed to convince the bullpen to not pitch like balls.*

*I wrote that with one out in the 8th, before Okajima gave up the homer to Jack Cust.

Then, with the gears grinding in the 12th, our protagonist stepped to the plate with two outs. He took a mighty swing at Alan Embree's second offering, crushing a high fly 370+ feet, just barely missing a home run. Still, he gutted it out, ending up with a triple. After an intentional walk to Drew, rookie Jed Lowrie dug in, and hit the first pitch two or three steps to the right of second. With Bay running on the pitch, it was going to be a tight play. Bobby Crosby gloved the ball and went to throw but something was wrong, what it was we may never know, but as Lowrie thundered down the line Crosby double clutched, giving Bay just enough time to cross the plate.

Jason Bay SINGLEHANDEDLY willed the Boston Red Sox to an extra-innings victory.

Alright, so maybe that's all hyperbole, but the Sox do seem different for sure. If you had told me before the game that DelCarmen and Okajima were going to pitch an inning apiece in a 1-run game, I wouldn't have bothered to tune in, the heartbreak would've been too much. I can't say that Jason Bay is the cause of the defensive energy, or the bullpen's effectiveness. Well, you never know; he could have come into the clubhouse handing out cotton candy, cooked meats, and imported micro-brewed beer. Excepting that, perhaps it was simply the removal of sepulchral specter Manny cast over the team.

Still, he scored both runs in a 2-1 twelve inning game, and acquited himself will in the field. Jason Bay is already a welcome addition to the on-field product, and the fans seem to have taken a shine to him.

Thanks for the win, Jason. Here's to many more.

-Sox