Tuesday Patriots Headlines: September 14th
It's been a beautiful two days for Patriots fans, after New England put up 38-points to beat the Bengals on Sunday, and then the New York Jets dropping their home opener in a 10-9 loss on Monday night football.
The Bills lost as well after Miami handed them a 15-10 home loss Sunday, so New England is currently tied for first with Miami at he top of the AFC East.
Christopher Price of WEEI.com writes that Moss' comments on Sunday about Derrelle Revis gets this rivalry "started off with a bang", and there are plenty of other players in the locker room who are hoping to drop the Jets to 0-2 this weekend.
Ron Borges of the Herald offers up his Tuesday report card, breaking down each position and offering up some interesting thoughts from Sunday's game.
Meanwhile More details came out this morning in the Attleboro Sun Times about the gentleman who died at Gillette Stadium about an hour or so before kickoff. According to the report, the man was involved in an argument with stadium staff member after his 8-year old son was invited onto the field for a photo by an NFL official.
The newspaper reports that the man's son was standing against the rail next to the field with a Patriots banner, when a couple of NFL officials invited him onto the field to run along the sidelines and get pictures. While the boy was on the field, his dad was against the rail near his seat watching him and taking pictures. Apparently a stadium security staff member approached him, which started the altercation. You'll want to read the full article for the details, but if it's true it makes it that much more tragic as his heart attack seems to have been triggered due to an argument over a miscommunication. And now his son no longer has him to take him back to Gillette...very sad indeed.
The Patriots released linebacker Marques Murrell yesteday to make room for offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka, who had been serving a suspension to start the season. Murrell got off to a fast start in the first game of the preseason, but unfortunately quickly fizzled and never really did much after that.
MyFoxBoston.com reports that the condition of the father of the man who was in the vehicle that struck Tom Brady last week has worsened, and his family is now concerned for his well being. The strange thing to me is the fact that they've hired a lawyer, which makes me think down the road this may get ugly as the son is maintaining he had a green light, not red as the had been accused by police and cited for running.
That hasn't stopped Brady from trying to do the write thing, after the Herald reports that the quarterback recently sent flowers to him while he's been hospitalized.
Rich Garven of the Worcester Telegram has an article this morning on the fact that the Jets may have their own circus down in New York, but after looking at recent events involving Randy Moss and Logan Mankins, Garven says that things aren't exactly perfect here either.
The New York Post has an article this morning on wide reciever Randy Moss, who is looking forward to his rematch against Jets defensive back Derrelle Revis.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick met with the media on Monday and reiterated his feelings for wide receiver Randy Moss, who expressed frustration on Sunday that he "felt not wanted" after not being approached or "even a letter" regarding a potential contract extension.
“I feel the same way as I have felt about Randy for the last three years,’’ coach Bill Belichick said. “He’s a good football player. I’m glad he’s on our team. I think he adds a lot to our football team. He’s got good energy. Everybody likes him. He’s fun to have on the team and he’s a good player.’’
The Patriot Ledger has Belichick's complete Q&A Transcript here for anyone who would like to read it.
Ian Rapoport writes that Moss and Belichick sat down for a meeting yesterday, although no details were really available as far as what took place between the two.
As for New England's other disgruntled player, Logan Mankins, things took a strange turn yesterday after Patriots owner Robert Kraft joined Dale & Holley of WEEI, who were at the stadium broadcasting their weekly "Patriots Monday" show. Kraft sat down to join them because he wanted to set the record straight regarding the fact that the team "never had a deal with Logan," and that Mankins didn't back away from the contract over the reported lack of a public apology that had been previously reported by an ESPN report.
Chad Ochocinco showed a lot of class both on and off the field this weekend. Between congratulating Brandon Meriweather after getting drilled, and breaking up an altercation between his teammate and a Patriots player, the Bengals receiver also apparently took a Patriots fan out to dinner. It's an interesting story, and give credit to Ochocinco for giving he and his wife what sounded like a pretty good evening.
And finally, in a rare column by Gerry Callahan, the Boston Herald columnist feels that Kraft needs to do whatever possible "to keep the band together" so that the team can continue enjoying success heading into the next few years.
That's it for this morning. We'll have more later on throughout the day, so be sure and check the front page of PatsFans.com for more updates.
