Bruschi – The Perfect Player
The Patriots held a press conference this morning at Gillette Stadium, with Tedy Bruschi facing the media to discuss the end of his amazing 13-year career. Head coach Bill Belichick started the press conference and called him “The Perfect Player”, which Bruschi definitely appreciated.
“That’s something you’ll never hear during your career,” laughed Bruschi on Monday when he met with the media. “To have him say that about me is probably the best compliment he could ever give me.”
As for what’s next for the veteran linebacker? “I’m ready to live life,” said Bruschi. “I’m a 36-year old father of three and I’m looking forward to playing that new role in my life.”
We’ll have more on this story shortly.
Some Good Bruschi Video Moments
Following the team’s near flawless defensive performance during the playoffs against the high scoring Indianapolis Colts Bruschi talks about how changing the rules didn’t stop the Patriots from sticking it to Peyton Manning and Company
An interesting segment on ESPN featuring Bruschi breaking down film:
And lastly a great story about Bruschi and his inspirational return to the field.
Patriots Tedy Bruschi To Retire
NBC Sports reported Sunday night during the Sunday night football telecast that Tedy Bruschi will be announcing his retirement from the NFL tomorrow.
This concludes a fantastic 13-year career in New England. He will definitely be missed by all of us, and we have certainly enjoyed watching him during his time here in New England.
Bruschi was drafted in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft and has played his entire career with the Patriots. He’s been a part of all three Super Bowl championship teams, and has played on five of the six Patriots teams to reach the Super Bowl.
He is also an inspiration to many, after just days after playing in the 2005 Pro Bowl, he was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a mild stroke. After months of rehabilitation (which initially included partial paralysis), he miraculously made an amazing return in October of that season against the Buffalo Bills (in a nationally televised game no less) – which later earned him ‘AFC Defensive Player of The Week’ honors, along with ‘NFL Comeback Player of the Year’ after the season was over.
He was an amazing player, and it will be interesting to see if coaching could possibly be in his future as well. Hopefully we’ll learn more tomorrow as the Patriots have announced they will hold a 10:45 press conference for a “special announcement”.
AJ Feeley On Patriots Radar?
With the release of quarterback Kevin O’Connell this afternoon, the speculation of what New England may do next has begun.
According to Jason La Canfora of NFL.com, New England is among many teams to express an interest in Philadelphia’s A.J. Feeley, but the Eagles reportedly don’t plan on parting with Feeley until they know how long Michael Vick will have to sit out. With the length of Vick’s reinstatment still unknown (it could range from one to six games), it would be tough for Philadelphia to let him go.
Feeley was taken in the fifth round (155th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Eagles and is no stranger to trades. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2004, and then traded the following year to San Diego midway through the 2005 season. He then signed with Philadelpia in 2006 and was given a three year contract in 2007, which has him under contract with the Eagles until 2010. However, his future appears to be in doubt, at least until the Eagles find out what will become of Vick’s reinstatement.
Nevertheless the timing of this afternoon’s release of O’Connell is definitely a surprise. Give Bill Belichick credit, as the good news is it gives O’Connell an extra week to hopefully get a new start somewhere else.
Patriots Waive QB O’Connell
In a surprise move, Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe reported on Sunday that the Patriots have informed backup quarterback Kevin O’Connell that he has been waived.
This comes as a mild surprise after head coach Bill Belichick has apparently decided to part ways with the former third-round draft choice after a little over a year removed from drafting him in 2008. Unfortunately O’Connell has struggled during the preseason, including throwing two interceptions during the team’s victory over the Redskins Friday night.
By letting O’Connell go, that leaves five-year veteran Andrew Walter and rookie free agent Brian Hoyer on the roster at quarterback to back up quarterback Tom Brady.
Ochocinco Says Brady is “Fine”
Chad Ochocinco of the Bengals posted on his Twitter account late last night following the Patriots win over the Washington Redskins, which included quarterback Tom Brady taking a big hit from the Redskins Albert Haynesworth late in the 2nd quarter that ended his night.
Ochocinco “Tweeted” after the game that he, “Just got a call back from Tom Brady, says he’s fine and there’s nothing to worry about.”
After apparently getting some heat from other media outlets looking for confirmation, he had some interesting follow up “Tweets”.
“@PatriotsInsider why would I make it up, duh, I heard he got hurt so I left a messgae, he called back and said he’s okay,I’m the insider now”
“@richeisen it pays to have everyones phone number, seriously he said he’s cool, he’s homeless so he’ll be okay, new saying right there Rich.”
“@YahooSportsNFL tisk tisk, don’t be mad sir, he wouldn’t tell you for this reason, you’re a journalist not a friend.”
So take it for what it’s worth – but hopefully the hit looked worse than it was and Brady will be ready to go in week 1.
Russ Hochstein Traded to Denver
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this afternoon via Twitter that the Patriots are sending offensive lineman Russ Hochstein to Denver for a late-round pick in the 2010 draft. Another report has that pick being a 7th round selection.
Hochstein was drafted as a fifth round pick in 2001 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined the Patriots back in 2002, and appeared in 91 games for New England over seven seasons.
Patriots Kaczur Close To Contract Extension
It appears one less Patriot will have to worry about his contract situation, as the Boston Globe is reporting tonight that fifth year offensive tackle Nick Kaczur is close to finalizing a contract extension with the team.
While terms of this deal have yet to be disclosed, hopefully it’s the start of seeing a few more players locked up before the start of the 2009 season. The Patriots currently have more than a dozen players in the last year of their contracts, which includes the likes of Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Stephen Neal, Jarvis Green, Kevin Faulk, Logan Mankins, and Stephen Goskowski as veterans who are still in line waiting for new deals.
“I’m obviously excited because this is one of the best, if not the best, organization in football, the way you get treated from Mr. Kraft to everyone here,” Kaczur told the newspaper earlier on Sunday.
“I think that speaks well for what they do here, that the players like it here and like the way things go that they want to stay. It’s really exciting to know that they would like to continue working with you.”
There has been some doubt in regards to contract extensions after owner Robert Kraft recently discussed the uncertainty surrounding the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which expires after next season. This was a subject of contention by Wilfork that was reported earlier today, but it appears that the team was comfortable enough with the money Kaczur was looking for to move forward and reach an agreement with him.
Hopefully this may mean we’ll see some more deals reached in the coming weeks, and we’ll be able to cross a few more names off of this list.
Ndukwe – “Brady Ate Dirt”
As pointed out by ProFootballTalk.com, Bengals Safety Chinedum Ndukwe was Tweeting an hour or so after the game, and said that “We got a win….brady ate dirt…and estaban.. aka sugar..aka…sweetness…aka..ochocinco,kicked a perfect field goal, gotta love it”.
Nothing like a little trash talking after a meaningless preseason game to add a little drama. Brady finished the night 4-of-8 for 58 yards, playing in just three offensive series and was hit quite a bit by the Bengals defense. We’ll see if Cincinnati is around by the time the postseason comes around, as the Bengals won’t face the Patriots again during the regular season.
Patriots’ Mankins and Ohrnberger Taken Off Field Sunday
The Patriots saw two of their offensive linemen carted off the field on Sunday, with Logan Mankins and Rich Ohrnberger being taken off the field during Sunday’s practice because of what were reportedly “heat-related issues”.
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe reported that both players “seemed to be OK”, with Mankins waving to members of the crowd as he left the field on the cart. Joe Linta, Ohrnberger’s agent, told the Globe that the Patriots took Ohrnberger off the field “for precautionary reasons due to the heat”.
“He was given several bags of IVs and he responded favorably to that,” said Linta. “The Patriots were very proactive and we appreciate that in this type of situation. He should be fine, if not tomorrow, then the next day.”
Players wore full pads for the practice, which was the team’s first since Thursday’s preseason 27-25 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The team is scheduled to hold two practices on Monday, with the morning session running from 9:30am – 11:15am, and the afternoon one scheduled from 3:45pm – 5:30pm. Be sure to check the team’s official site for any schedule changes.