Friday's New England Patriots Links 8/19
There's a lot going on this morning following last night's impressive 31-14 preseason win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so let's get to the headlines.
Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe has an article on Tom Brady, who she writes showed no rust during last night's win.
Jeff Howe of NESN.com also has an article on Brady, and writes that the offense showed some positive signs after a long layoff.
Mike Reiss has his article on Brady, who broke down last night's game during his press conference.
I also transcribed Brady's press conference following the game, which can be found here.
Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald has a good article this morning on Chad Ochocinco, and writes that aside from the touchdown he scored, he still has a lot of work to do.
Monique Walker of the Boston Globe writes that Ochocinco is slowly catching on here in New England.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com has an article on Ochocinco, who said after the game that he's way behind compared to the rest of the guys and still has a lot of work to do.
"It felt good finally getting out there. I'm behind the 8-ball tremendously, though," he said. "It's different from practicing, being in the game. I have to get the game tempo. It felt good for us to start. I finally get a feel for it on the tempo, the way Tom [Brady] operates. Everybody is like a machine out there and I'm that one part that isn't up to speed with everybody else."
Tom Curran of CSNNE.com has an article of his own on Ochocinco, and writes that the touchdown grab he had may cloud the fact there was a lot he did wrong last night, which is why he got hauled off the field by Bill Belichick on the Patriots’ first drive, apparently for not getting downfield on a 29-yard run by Danny Woodhead.
Curran also has a good article on the defense, who he feels this new 'attack mode' suits them 'to a T'.
Hector Longo of the Eagle Tribune writes that the defense may look good up front, but there are some huge holes in the secondary.
Mike Reiss has an article on the defense, and writes they had a dominating performance.
Reiss also writes that there's a lot to like with the Patriots so far, and that New England looks tough to beat this season.
Reiss also has his '3 up, 3 down' entry on last night's win.
Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald his his report from last night, and writes that the Patriots offense scored with ease against Tampa Bay.
Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald takes a look at the defense, and thinks this will be the year the Patriots may finally have the pass rush fans have been waiting for.
Jeff Howe has his article on the defense, and writes that Andre Carter added a new element on the edge for New England.
Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe writes that when it comes to depth, New England is in a league of their own right now.
Bedard also watched the first half again, and he offers up a terrific breakdown on both sides of the ball in this entry.
Christopher Price of WEEI.com also has some good postgame observations from the game, but his "10 things we learned from last night" is much more thorough and - like Bedard's entry - is definitely a must read.
Bedard has an entertaining entry on Buccaneers defensive lineman Gerald McCoy's postgame press conference, which had some classic quotes.
"Man, I’m telling you man, they came out, they’d turn around huddle, snap, oh, 'There’s the Mike, Go!' I was like, ‘Dang! Um, Mr. Brady, can we line up?’ He didn’t care. He was like, ‘You’re not going to line up.’ When we turned around one time I checked back around and my hand was going to the grass and they were like, ‘Hut!’ And I said, ‘Noooooooooooo!’"
ESPNBoston.com has a video of Wes Welker's postgame 1-on-1 interview with Mike Reiss, which can be seen here.
Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe has an article on Jerod Mayo, who wreaked havoc with the Buccaneers offense last night. There's a great photo of the linebackers taking down Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman in it as well.
Ian Rapoport also has an article on Mayo, and writes that the veteran linebacker was all over the field last night.
Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com has his take on Mayo, with Belichick saying after the game that he loves the linebacker's work ethic.
I also transcribed Belichick's press conference, and you can find that here.
There were some guys banged up last night, with Dane Fletcher, Brett Lockett, and Danny Woodhead each suffering injuries during the game.
Jeff Howe of NESN writes that Belichick said after the game Woodhead, "seemed all right," although Howe points out - if he did suffer a concussion - it wouldn't be great news since the runningback also dealt with a one last season.
Woodhead offered up a quick, "I feel fine" when Mike Reiss talked to him after the game.
If you haven't yet seen the hit, CBS Sports.com has the video here.
Jennifer Toland of the Worcester Telegram has an article on Devin McCourty, and writes that the McCourty is already playing like a veteran in his sophomore season.
MyFoxTampa has photos from the game - albeit from a Buccaneers perspective but there are some good ones in there.
And finally, File it under "who cares" but if anyone does, the Boston Herald reports that Jermaine Cunningham recently dined at Bricco. A special thanks to the "Inside Track" for the play-by-play...it's ridiculous.
That's it for this morning. There are a few more entries that are just about done, so you'll see those in a bit. But be sure to check back for more throughout the day, and also keep an eye on the front page of PatsFans.com for updates as well.
