Tuesday New England Patriots Links 8/2
It was a quiet day yesterday after an off day for the players, but the team will get back to work today for a single session. According to the official site they'll hold a 3 hour public practice from 1:30pm - 4:30pm this afternoon.
The big news of yesterday was Randy Moss' decision to retire from football, and here's a look at some of those stories, along with the rest of this morning's news.
Adam Sparks of Yahoo! Sports writes that Moss called it quits on his own terms...sort of.
Tim Weisberg of SouthCoastToday.com writes that Moss "is straight cashin' out, homey" with his decision.
Louis Vallaume of the Minnesota Star Tribune writes that love him or hate him, Moss changed the football rules by himself.
Michael Rosenberg of SI.com writes that Moss' hall of fame numbers made him well worth the headaches.
Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald writes that from a pure football perspective, Moss is bound from Canton.
Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal also looks at Moss' career, and writes that the former Patriot receiver was in a league of his own.
ESPN's Jeffri Chadiha also has an article on Moss, and writes that he wasn't as great as he could have been.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that yesterday's signing of Matt Light shows their shrewdness and brilliant planning, which has them set up well for the future.
Ian Rapoport has more on Light's contract, which is for 2-years and $12-million and looks at the rest of the terms of the deal.
Mike Reiss also looks at the deal, and writes that between Logan Mankins franchise deal and Light's new contract, the Patriots will be paying big to protect Tom Brady this season.
Reiss also has an entry on quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who was waived yesterday in favor of draft choice Ryan Mallett. Reiss also points out that Mallett shined during the 'bucket drill', which is where quarterbacks try and drop a pass in a bucket from 20 yards away in the endzone.
Rich Garven writes that after Light's signing, things seem to be falling into place for the Patriots.
Garven also looks at the Patriots secondary, and feels that with cornerback Leigh Bodden back in the fold along with Devin McCourty, New England has a pretty solid group.
Mark Farinella of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle also has an article on McCourty, who he says is now settling in as a 'veteran' with the team.
Glen Farley of the Patriot Ledger contributes a piece this morning to the Fall River Herald, and writes that Kevin Faulk is ready and looking forward to another season.
Shalise Manza Young looks at second year receiver Taylor Price, who she writes hopes to catch on and have a bigger role with the offense this season.
Ian Rapoport looks at the team's apparent move to the 4-3 defense, and wonders if when Belichick said he was studying during the lockout, if that this philosophy change is his answer.
Rapoport also has an article on the fact the Patriots are likely not yet done making a move in the free agent market and still probably have 'a hit list' of who they may be targeting.
Monique Walker writes that the late start has definitely pushed the learning curve for some players, and that the competition for a roster spot should be pretty intense in the coming weeks.
Chad Ochocinco spent yesterday exploring Boston, but found himself - like many other local people who don't visit the city often - lost and later stuck in traffic. Ochocinco used Twitter to help him find where he was going, with fans playing a game of "where's #85" yesterday.
Scott Coen of MassLive.com writes that Bill Belichick doesn't do social media, saying recently, "I don't Twitter, I don't 'MyFace', and I don't 'Yearbook'".
Joan Vennochi has a scathing editorial opinion piece this morning, and writes that the team is missing Myra Kraft's moral compass after their signing of Albert Haynesworth last week.
And finally, the Inside Track and they're never ending flow of must read news (hopefully you're catching the sarcasm) writes that former Patriot Patrick Pass got married yesterday down in Fall River. Pass was a 7th round draft pick in 2000 for the Patriots and played in New England from 2000-2006, and then briefly returned in 2009.
That's it for this morning. We'll have more updates throughout the day, so be sure to check back. While, like Belichick, I don't do 'MyFace', you can still follow me on Twitter @ianlogue.
