Monday Patriots Headlines

The Boston media is buzzing this morning after the Celtics made it rain out in Los Angeles Sunday night, with Ray Allen hitting an NBA Finals-record eight 3-pointers as Boston won 103-94 and tied the series at 1-1.

But enough about basketball.

We'll kick off this morning's headlines with an article out of Tampa Bay from Ira Kaufman of the Tribune, who feels the Patriots finally look "vulnerable" coming into this season.

Patriots Trying to Avoid Slide - Tampa Bay Tribune

Like most other articles we've seen Kaufman points to the loss of veteran leadership as the reason behind their struggles.

Even a Hall of Fame coach like Belichick will soon discover that rebuilding on the fly without bottoming out is the toughest feat in pro sports. No defense can lose veterans like Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour without taking a major step back.

The whole article is surprisingly fair and well-written - and provides you with a different perspective of how this team is being viewed from someone who doesn't cover New England full-time.

Patriots rank low in Roster Turnover - Mike Reiss

Alge Crumpler not shy about firing away at Tom Brady - Boston Herald

The above blog post is a good entry from Karen Guregian who talks with Crumpler about his communication with Patriots QB Tom Brady.

"He's been in this offense for a lot of years. Any time I have questions, I'm going to (ask). I'm not going to spare him," Crumpler said of Brady. "I'm in a complete learning process right now. In order for us to win, everybody's got to buy in and be on board. The sooner we do that, the better."

Former Patriot's tight end Benjamin Watson encouraged Alge Crumpler to sign with the team - Boston Herald

The above link is relative because former Patriots tight end Ben Watson told the Herald that he was a guy who helped encourage Crumpler to come to New England.

"I had nothing bad to say," Watson told the Herald. "We talked a little bit before he decided to come. Being as I had been there six years, I knew the organization. He had some questions and I answered them honestly. There's not much bad you can say about the organization. It's run well. There's good coaches. The guys in the locker room are the best you're going to find. It's a good place. It's a good place for anyone to play."

Catching up with the sign-holding Patriots fan from the Final Four… - Boston Herald

The above link touches on a Patriots fan who attended the Final Four, and was seen on television sporting an anti-Colts sign. The Herald's Ian Rapoport actually caught up with this fan for an interesting conversation which you'll definitely get a kick out of reading.

Looking around at our AFC East Rivals, here are some other links to check out:

Jackson Hoping to Revive Career - WIVB.com

The above link is a story about former Patriots 2nd Round pick Chad Jackson, who is now in Buffalo and battling for a spot with the Bills.

"Its been real hard being a high draft pick just living up to the expectations, its been hard," Jackson said after Sunday's minicamp practice, "RIght now I'm trying to start over and this is a great organization."

Should Jackson make the team, it will definitely add a little intrigue to the two Pats-Bills meetings this season.

Jets Jason Taylor is a Calculated Risk - Wall Street Journal

Jets Sanchez Geting Pointers from Rich Gannon - ProFootballTalk.com

Dolphins Owner Ross Predicts 2011 Super Bowl Appearance - NBC Miami

New Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson Gets New Team's Logo Tattooed on his Leg - USA Today

One word for the above link - Seriously??

One final note, fellow PatsFans.com columnist Kevin Rousseau, who is in the reserves, is headed off for the next 60 days on military leave.

While he's been quiet this offseason, Kevin has been with us for many years and has been a terrific columnist, with his work also appearing in many publications locally in Maine. We wish both him and his family the best during this time, and look forward to when he returns.

That's it for now. Thankfully today's sessions in Foxboro are open to the media so I'm sure we'll have some more updates for you later this afternoon.