Saturday Patriots Headlines

Sorry for the delay this morning. Due to the Air Show going on here in the Seacoast I had to leave extra early for work this morning and still sat in traffic for nearly two hours in order to get here. So this will be abbreviated, and here are this morning's headlines.

Yesterday Patriots head coach Bill Belichick held a conference call with the media to discuss his reactions to Thursday night's exhibition loss to the St. Louis Rams, and some of his comments were pretty telling. Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com has a great article on the fact that Belichick was pretty upset over the performance despite the fact that it's a game that holds no significant value - although it's going to likely have an effect on the future of some of the players who didn't perform up to par in that game.

Glen Farley of the Patriot Ledger writes about the team's performance and calls the loss against the Rams a "fiasco".

Walker also has an article on Belichick who was just extremely disappointed over the whole performance from Thursday night.

The Patriot Ledger also has a complete transcript of yesterday's conference call with the head coach for anyone who wants to see what else was said.

Mark Farinella of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle also takes a look back at Thursday night's game.

Robert Lee of the Providence Journal also joins the "doom and gloom" and feels that their were very few bright spots in Thursday night's game.

Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald points out that the defense just didn't do their job, as the offense still managed to put up 35-points in a losing effort.

Thursday night also saw defensive lineman Ron Brace's first game action of the preseason, but it appears that he may have suffered an injury after the Worcester Telegram reported Saturday that he's scheduled to undergo an MRI on his ankle. Brace recorded seven tackles including a sack in what had been his best professional performance to date since being drafted last year.

Monique Walker of the Boston Globe has an article on runningback Laurence Maroney, who despite saying he planned on having a good night regarding of what unit he played with, Maroney never got the opportunity to carry the ball.

Rapoport also points out that when questioned about Maroney's absense from the lineup Thursday night, Belichick defended him and said that Maroney is "absolutely" part of the team's future.

OTHER NFL NEWS:

For those who remember Rams receiver Donnie Avery being carted off the field, it appears the news isn't good. NBC Sports reports that Avery suffered a torn ACL and is likely gone for the season. As Avery was put on the cart he was met by wide receiver Wes Welker, who shook hands with Avery after clearly knowing something was wrong.

When the rule was made regarding the changes in the location of the officials and how the ball would be spotted, there were articles written about how this might affect the Colts or Patriots as far as their "hurry up" offense was concerned. It appears that trouble is already starting, as Colts Peyton Manning was recently flagged for illegal snaps against Green Bay which has prompted complaints to the league by Indianapolis.

Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne didn't exactly have a stellar performance during Miami's recent preseason game, but the Miami Herald tells Dolphins fans not to write Henne off just yet despite his effort the other night.

And finally MSNBC has an article that it could be all over for former USC quarterback Matt Leinert, as it appears the Arizona Cardinals are prepared to part ways with him and that he could be cut in the coming days. Leinert to me will always be remembered as the guy who held out of camp, and sent Dennis Green into a rage about the fact they offered him a fair deal and that Leinert was still holding out looking for more money.

That's it for this morning. Hope everyone enjoys their Saturday and we'll see you tomorrow.