Harrison “Doesn’t Look Too Good”
“It probably doesn’t look too good.”
That was the quote that the normally reserved Bill Belichick offered up when asked about the knee injury to Patriots safety Rodney Harrison during Monday night’s 41-7 win over the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium.
New England’s hard hitting safety and team captain went down for what may be the final time with :11 left in the third quarter with what appeared to be apparent injury to his already surgically repaired left knee. On the play Harrison went in to make a tackle against Dever quarterback Jay Cutler. As Cutler changed direction to try and avoid him Harrison tried to cut back but his left foot appeared to get caught in the turf, twisting his knee awkwardly. He would be carted off the field and you could see by the look on his face that reality began to sink in. You could almost tell by the way he acknowledged the unbelievable standing ovation he received from the crowd as he left the field that he knew his season, and career for that matter, was probably over.
After all, this is the same knee that Harrison injured back in 2005 during the third week of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers in which he reportedly tore all three ligaments in that knee. The veteran battled and rehabbed all the way back for a return in 2006, only to see it end after injuring his right knee later that same season.
His teammates didn’t make it sound any more promising. Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel met with the media after the game and offered up what almost sounded like a eulogy when asked about Harrison, which only confirmed what many fans probably are already fearing.
“To see one of our leaders and one of our captains go down, you never want to see that,” Cassel told reporters after the game. “After the game everybody made their way into the training room to let him know how much we appreciate what he’s done for this team and this organization.”
It’s unfortunate considering everything he’s been through, but I would have to believe that this will probably be the end. One thing to consider is the fact that I’m sure he has plans for life after football, and considering the surgery he already endured the first time, there’s no point in potentially making the rest of his life after football any more painful than it probably will be anyway. He’s had a great career, and hopefully now he can enjoy spending time with his family.
We’ve been lucky to have a chance to watch him and can only pray for a good recovery. In the meantime we’ll leave you a fun video from YouTube which also focuses on his family, and we wish him the best.
Pressure Is On San Diego
They’re calling it a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game. I just don’t see it.
Yes, San Diego and New England are the two teams who faced off earlier this year. However, obviously this contest holds nowhere near the importance that the game in Foxboro last January did that sent the Chargers home 21-12 and moved the Patriots on to Arizona.
Needless to say I always thought that type of rationale was funny to hear, but then again the more I think about it, I guess it depends what side of it you’re on.
When the Patriots took on the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 after losing 38-34 in the 2006/07 AFC Championship game, I can honestly say I couldn’t wait for Tom Brady and company to get a chance to get even. The 24-20 victory was sweet because it kept the Patriots undefeated season going, and it also sent the Colts’ faithful home unhappy. Granted it was just one more step to an undefeated regular season, but obviously there were no championship implications involved.
Looking at this week’s game the only bearing it has here in New England is whether or not the Patriots will be 4-1 or 3-2 when it’s over. For the Chargers I’m sure it’s a chance to beat up on a Brady-less team and at least give their fans some form of satisfaction, since they’re currently sitting at 2-3 and looking for something to believe in heading into Sunday’s game. I’m pretty sure that there is a fair amount of hatred toward this team in San Diego considering how New England has ended the Chargers’ championship aspirations over the past couple of seasons. But I doubt regardles of the outcome if it’s going to heal the amount of heartache they’ve endured after coming so close to a chance at a title.
We’ve heard them call the Patriots “dirty”, “classless”, and “cheaters”, so there’s obviously no love lost between these two. Not to mention the fact that to get beaten on their home turf by New England with quarterback Matt Cassel at the helm would likely be a disaster. Let’s face it, 3-3 can turn around a season while 2-4 could make every game therafter a “must-win” game. Needless to say Sunday’s game is pivotal for the Chargers.
While Sunday’s game won’t win San Diego any trophies, it could put a roadblock in the way of at least getting another shot at one. When it comes right down to it the Patriots couldn’t ask for a better scenario. For Cassel it’s a game that will be played in front an extremely hostile crowd (and if past games are any indication a very loud one) in a game that at worst drops the Patriots to 3-2 with plenty of football left to be played. For the Chargers it’s a game that will cause them to lose whatever dignity they have left in a city that probably won’t even care enough to show up if they’re sitting below .500 a few weeks from now.
When you’re sitting on the right side of a loss your expectations are definitely different. All of us would love to see the Patriots win a tough game on the road without Brady, but the season is far from over if they don’t. Had the Chargers sent New England home back in January things might have been different.
Patriot Nation will be watching Sunday’s game because we want to find out if Cassel can play well in a big game because we haven’t seen it yet. However, we’ll also be watching and hoping to see the look on LaDanian Tomlinson’s face if he has to face the media after the game and explain how his team couldn’t even beat the Patriots without Brady. It’s bad enough that the window for a title only stays open for so long, and for the Chargers that window appears to be closing. Years from now if they never play in a Super Bowl, San Diego fans will likely look back and wonder if 2006 & 2007 were their best shots at winning it all. They’ll also probably blame the Patriots for keeping them from reaching the promised land.
For Patriots fans, a loss this weekend isn’t the end of the World. But for Chargers fans, what will they say in San Diego if they don’t finally get redemption?
Looks like we’ll find out on Sunday.
Here’s more on Sunday’s game:
California Football Fans Make No Sense To Me
I love California Football “Fans”.
In New England I see first hand what fans go through to get their hands on tickets and how quickly the games sell out at Gillette. So I’m having a tough time understanding how in a market like San Diego there could have even been a possibility of a television blackout for this week’s game.
Now let me preface with the fact that I don’t like the Chargers, but the rational side of me also understands that they have an excellent quarterback (Phillip Rivers), one of the best all-purpose backs in the game (LaDainian Tomlinson) and one of the best tight ends (Antonio Gates). They’re a team that was in the AFC Championship game last year and many of the “experts” picked them as a Super Bowl contender heading into this season.
So how in the world the tickets didn’t sell out when they went on sale just defies logic.
I understand that in California going to a sporting event is treated like going to the theater. You go when you feel like it, when it’s convenient, and when it’s interesting enough to make them want to go. Unlike baseball, football isn’t “fashionable” and not a place you generally see Hollywood’s finest in the stands. The thought of being able to walk up to the ticket window at Gillette Stadium on gameday whenever the mood strikes me is just too difficult to even imagine. Yet in California that seems to be how it is.
I’d be interested to know what the season ticket numbers look like and how they stack up against the rest of the teams around the country. After all, even markets like Indianapolis sellout. According to the US Census Indianapolis has a population of 800,000, while San Diego is at 1.3 million. Obviously, much like Foxboro, the vast majority of people also live outside the city. So in theory that number is even that much higher. Yet no one cared enough months ago (before they even knew Tom Brady would miss this season) to buy tickets so that they could have a chance to see if their team could stick it to the Patriots in front of the home crowd. I’m not sure how that happened. You have just eight chances to catch a game at the home stadium when it counts (unless they make it to the playoffs) but apparently we view things different here in New England.
We also won’t even get into the fact that there’s no longer a team in Los Angeles because people simply don’t care. The Patriots managed to stay in Foxboro with a stadium that was fit for a college team, yet L.A. lost the Rams. Go figure.
Well, luckily for Chargers “Fans” the team announced that all the tickets have finally sold, and the rest of those same “Fans” can avoid the stadium now and catch the game on their high-definition flat screen televisions.
Needless to say it’s a definitely a different way of life in California. Makes me glad I live in New England.