VIDEO: An Amazing Catch
Not sure if anyone has seen this yet, but here’s a video of Morgan State’s Edwin Baptiste making a pretty incredible one-handed grab.
If He Were 22 Again, Only Then Would I Pick Bledsoe over Cassel
After reading some recent posts on the messageboard about having head coach Bill Belichick calling former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe out of retirement to take over for Matt Cassel, I decided to take a moment to see what I could find on YouTube.com on Bledsoe. I’m a Bledsoe appreciator who enjoyed the great run the team had back to relevency under Drew, and obviously I’m also obviously a Tom Brady fan. I know those of us who can appreciate the two equally are a rare breed, but for those Bledsoe fans out there here’s a great video on the guy who helped bring this franchise back from the brink of oblivion until Brady came along and took it to the next level.
As for Bledsoe I’m sure he’s sitting back and enjoying life in the woods in Montana. At his age and this stage in his life I’d rather see him retired than quarterbacking the Patriots. But if Bledsoe were 22 again I’d love to see him (and Ben Coates for that matter) back on the field filling in for Brady while he recovered.
But I do live in the real world. However that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the past. Here’s a great video for anyone interested:
The Pressure Is On For Cassel
Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel is off to a rough start through his first three NFL games.
In his two starts for New England it appears the coaching staff has had him on somewhat of a leash, but so far when he’s needed to make a big play, it hasn’t happened. The worst part of the problem seems to be inside the 20’s, where New England has only scored four times in eleven trips. So far Cassel has thrown just two touchdown passes and has been eratic, and has had his share of close calls. The question is, is he having difficulty making his reads? He’s certainly seen a fair amount of pressure (he’s been sacked nine times) so that may obviously be part of it. But something is obviously wrong, and during his press conference on Wednesday head coach Bill Belichick talked a little about the position.
“When a quarterback goes back to throw he has a primary read on the pattern,” explained Belichick. “If a quarterback doesn’t see that properly than you probably don’t have a very good chance on the play.
“Once that’s identified, then you go to a location where you are working with two or three receivers on the play and that’s where the decision making comes in, which guy to throw it to and how to make that throw.”
“Decision-making is decision making, whether it’s Brett Favre, Matt Cassel or [Joe] Flacco. When you go back to throw you have the ball in your hands and you have certain things that you’re looking at. You have to decide what is the best thing to do.”
So far Cassel, for the most part, has at least kept the ball out of the opponents hands. He’s only thrown one interception and the offense really hasn’t turned the football over. But it just seems that it’s taking time for him to develop chemistry with the receivers and really get a bead on where they’re going to be. One thing that was concerning during the loss against Miami was that you could clearly view Wes Welker jawing at him after Cassel hit Welker on a quick throw at the line early in the game. He was hit almost immediately after it was clear that the defense had read the play, which seemed to really fire up Welker and he had some choice words heading back into the huddle.
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe suggested in his mailbag that it may be only a matter of time before the team makes a quarterback change and gives Kevin O’Connell a chance to play. The team’s next game against the San Francisco 49ers may be a “make or break” one for Cassel, and one thing he’s going to have to start doing is getting his team into the endzone instead of kicking field goals. The next few opponents aren’t exactly going to be easy. After San Francisco the Patriots take on both San Diego and the Denver Broncos, with the Broncos setting the conference on fire and averaging 432 yards-per-game. Let’s face it, if the Patriots can’t score touchdowns against either of those teams, it’s going to be a tough stretch. It’s bad enough they’re 24th in the league in total offense with 814 yards total (Dallas leads with 1320yds) and 25th in scoring with 49 points (Denver has scored 114, San Diego has scored 110). So something has to obviously change. Whether or not that means making a change at the quarterback position remains to be seen.
Cassel has three games and two starts under his belt and has had some playing experience. But it’s time to take it to the next level, which is what all of us here in New England are hoping for. For now it sounds like Belichick is ready to stay with him, but obviously Cassel’s play will be the defining factor. The Patriots are currently tied for third in the NFL for field goals with 7, which is a category they’d probably prefer to be touchdowns. That’s something that Cassel and the offense will likely spend time improving on over the break.
“Experience is experience,” said Belichick on the quarterback position. “But like everything we do, we all still have to make decisions based on what the information is at hand and what presents itself at that particular point in time – you do it on what you think is the best thing.”
Hopefully for Cassel’s sake it won’t mean eventually losing his job.
Ex New England Coaches On The Hot Seat
Poor Romeo Crennel.
The third year head coach out in Cleveland is battling to try and save his job in a market that is tired of their team wallowing in mediocrity when the national experts had picked them as Super Bowl contenders heading into this season. The Browns, who are 0-3 heading into this weekend, are about to embark on the Brady Quinn experiment which will give the 1st round draft choice his first NFL start when they face off against their in-state rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, this weekend.
For Crennel it’s been a rocky road, with this season proving to have the most pressure since his team was favored to go deep into the postseason and potentially contend for a championship. Instead he finds himself fighting for his job in a division that has the Baltimore Ravens as the unlikely division leaders. It’s unfortunate because head coaches have such a limited shelf life to make a lasting impression, and for Crennel he’s coming to the end of his rope. Should the Browns falter and finish with a 5-11 or 6-10 record it could spell the end for the former New England Patriots defensive coordinator.
It would be a shame, because in all likelihood Quinn could go on to be a great player and with the building blocks in place it could end up allowing another head coach to get the credit for the roster Crennel put together. Unfortunately in this day and age where it’s more important to win right away, it may be too late for Crennel based on how his team finishes the season.
So the pressure is on and how his legacy shapes up will be decided in the coming weeks. Should Quinn perform well and set up an 8-8 or 7-9 type of season, Crennel could get one last shot at saving his job. Fans in Cleveland are looking for hope, not a promise. So look for big games for Quinn in the coming weeks, or Crennel could be one of the eligible coaches looking for a new position after the season.
Former colleague Charlie Weis also isn’t faring so well out at Notre Dame. Weis, who’s team is 2-1 this season, is coming off of a disappointing performance to Michigan State and is also fighting for his own job. As if coaching the team isn’t enough, the Fighting Irish head coach also has a torn ligament in his knee that he suffered two weeks ago and has to somehow find a way to keep his focus and convince the administration along with the alumni that he has this team heading in the right direction, or face the potential of having to find a new job at the end of this season.
Which brings us to Jets head coach Eric Mangini, who appears to be testing the patience of Jets Nation along with ownership following a difficult Monday night loss against the Chargers. Little has been uttered at the possibility of Mangini being fired, but most published reports leave him out in the cold in the event he can’t right the Jets’ ship and find a way to get them into the postseason. Mangini rolled the dice and opted to trade for Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre to try and battle his way into the playoffs, and with the loss of Brady in New England this is about as good as it will get for Mangini. To miss the postseason would be a disaster, so needless to say it will be an interesting season for those who are wishing good things for each of these coaches.
Jest Fans are Genius
No, the title isn’t a mistake.
Call me crazy, but if I thought there was a chance I’d be on TV with millions of people seeing it (including my fellow fans), I’d make sure I knew what letters were in which hands:
Good going guys. Thankfully the letters are covering your faces so hopefully no one will recognize you in the morning.
Morris: ‘Burn The Tape’
Patriots runningback Sammy Morris said it best Sunday night.
“There’s a movie out called ‘Burn after reading’” said Morris Sunday night on WBZ’s Sports Final. “And I believe we’ll take what we can and learn from that and then after that burn the tape’.
‘Burn after watching. That’s us.’
Needless to say take week three and throw it out the window.
Take the fact that the Patriots allowed a touchdown on 5 of Miami’s first seven possessions and that obviously sounds like the best course of action for New England heading into the Patriots bye week.
New England’s defensive performance left a lot to be desired, and the 38-points they gave up is something they can at least work to improve on. While Sunday’s 38-13 loss is one that is tough for many fans to swallow, it’s hard to put this one on quarterback Matt Cassel. For the most part it appears that the loss really came down to the Patriots’ defense, and on Sunday night Morris’ was asked on ‘Sports Final’ about whether or not the offense had confidence in their quarterback.
“I think the team has faith in Matt Cassel,” said Morris on Sports Final. “We have a lot faith just in our team in general. We’re 2-1 going into the Bye Week. Obviously we’d take 3-0 over 2-1. But we still have a lot of games left to play and I don’t think anyone in our locker room would throw in the towel right now.”
Video: Matt Cassel vs Kelly Washington
Good video from YouTube featuring New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel in a “Dance Off” between teammate Kelly Washington.
Suddenly Sunday’s game against the Jets no longer bothers me.
Moss Comments On Brady’s Injury
Wide receiver Randy Moss was the only one who offered any quotes of value about the extent of quarterback Tom Brady’s injury, and listening to Moss it appears Brady may not be on the field next weekend against the New York Jets.
When asked about the performance of back-up quarterback Matt Cassel, Moss offered up a quote that made it seem like Cassel will be the one throwing him passes again next Sunday.
“Matt Cassel had a hell of a game,” said Moss during his postgame press conference. “Hopefully he can pick up next week where he left off.”
Needless to say it sounds like Brady will be out next week after the knee injury he suffered during the first quarter of Sunday’s 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady was injured after the Chiefs Bernard Pollard hit his leg on a pass to Moss. It’s a play Moss says he didn’t see at the time, but after watching the replay it has him concerned.
“Anytime you have a key guy go down, it hurts,” said Moss. “I just saw the play (on replay) and it kind of looked bad. So like I said I don’t know his injury, I don’t know what happened, how long the injury’s going to affect him or what it may be. But he wasn’t out there for the rest of the game and I think anytime that something like that happens there is a concern.”
Photo of the Brady Knee Injury
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe posted a photograph of Tom Brady’s injury in his blog, and the way the veteran QB’s left knee buckled this doesn’t look promising. Brady left the field under his own power, and for now there has been no official word regarding his injury.
To view the larger version of this photo in the blog post, please CLICK HERE
REPORT: Brady Has a Broken Bone In His Foot
The Providence Journal is reporting that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has apparently been dealing with a broken bone in his foot, which is what kept him out of action during the team’s four preseason contests.
The report stemmed from the Dennis and Callahan show this morning on WEEI where they reported that a cracked bone was found in Brady’s foot during an August MRI. Previous reports have said that the Patriots quarterback had a deep bone bruise, but apparently that’s not the case.
In the meantime Brady has said repeatedly that he hopes to be ready for Sunday’s season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, but no word yet on whether or not he will be on the field.
We’ll update as more information becomes available.
UPDATE: Brady participated in full during practice on Wednesday, and according to Bill Belichick Brady is expected to be on the field on Sunday. When asked by the Kansas City media during a conference call this afternoon, Belichick told reporters, “He’s practicing and I expect he’ll be ready to go.”