Friday's New England Patriots Links 9/23

Ian Logue

Sep 23, 2011 at 9:41am ET

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A bit of a change in format to streamline it a bit and hopefully make following it a little easier.  If you like how it's set up, please drop a quick note in the comments and let me know - and I appreciate the feedback.

Boston Herald:

Thumbs down on Patrick Chung - By Ian Rapoport
Rapoport files his "notebook" and writes that Patrick Chung will be sidelined this weekend after the procedure he underwent was done to help prevent any long term damage to his thumb, and it's not believed to keep him out any longer than this week.

Run really gets Vince Wilfork’s message moving - By Steve Buckley
Buckley writes that thanks to Vince Wilfork's interception on Sunday, it gave him much more limelight to attract a bigger audience when he announced he and his wife, Bianca, will be joining forces with EMD Millipore and the Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund yesterday.  It's a deep topic for Wilfork, who lost his father to diabetes.

Bills streak won’t sway Devin McCourty - Steve Buckley
Buckley recently talked to Devin McCourty, who said he hasn't been here long enough to care about the fact the Patriots have beat Buffalo in each of their last 15 meetings dating back to 2003.

“I think for this team, we have a bunch of guys who haven’t been here for a long time to know about all those past games,” said McCourty. “If you just look at last year, we’ve been in tough battles with them . . . we’ve already had that respect for them, and I think they’re now proving (it) to everyone else. They’re 2-0 and they’ve played two great games to open the season.”

Three cheers for Alexa Flutie - Inside Track
The girls over at the inside track have an article and photo of Alexa Flutie, the daughter of former Patriot Doug Flutie, who posed in the upcoming Patriots cheerleader calendar.

Gronkowski's made for 'double trouble' for Bills' Foes - Bucky Gleason
In an article syndicated from the Buffalo News, Gleason writes that the two brothers should present quite a challenge for the Bills this weekend.

Brian Waters Fits Right in to Solidify Offensive Line - Ian Rapoport
Rapoport has an in depth look at Brian Waters, who has done a good job so far in getting acclimated with New England's offensive line.

Boston Globe

Standing guard - Monique Walker
Walker has a similar article on Waters, who has also impressed Belichick so far with his work ethic.

“[Waters] has come in here, he’s really worked hard, learned all the things that he can in this time about our offensive system and communication and process of calling plays and changing them,’’ Belichick said. “Every time I go by his locker or go by him in the cafeteria, he has a book open, studying his game plan, studying his notebook, very professional, watched a lot of film. I’ve really been impressed with not only the way he’s performed, but just the way he’s gone about his job.’’

Globe Staff Predictions:
Each of the Globe's beat writers file their picks for this week's game and the rest of the NFL contests, with Greg Bedard going against the grain and picking Buffalo.

Patriots.com

Vince Wilfork's Press Conference Transcript:
Wilfork addressed the media yesterday to talk about his foundation, as well as a variety of other topics.   You can read the complete transcript via the link above.

McCourty Remaining Confident; Thursday Notes - Erik Scalavino
Scalavino has an article on McCourty, who despite a rough start is feeling confident heading into Sunday's game against the Bills.

"It's key when you're playing the cornerback position. You're going against great receivers, great quarterbacks in this league. Once you lose confidence, it can all go downhill from there. That's a key, just keeping your confidence and playing the techniques you're taught."

ESPNBoston.com

Patriots-Bills Prediction Roundup
The staff over at ESPNBoston.com post their predictions for Sunday's game, including a brief summary of why they made that pick in this entry.

Solder shows up on 'Rookie Watch' - Mike Reiss
Reiss makes a note of a mention by Matt Williamson of ESPN Insider, who has taken note of Solder's performance recently

Xs and Os: Matt Light's effectiveness - Mike Reiss
Reiss points out some comments by Bill Belichick, who noted just how important Matt Light has been to the Patriots offense recently, including a key block that aided in a touchdown for runningback BenJarvus Green-Ellis recently.

Worcester Telegram

Patriots' Vince Wilfork Cherishes Intereception - Jennifer Toland
Toland writes that Wilfork was glad to have had the opportunity to steal a play from San Diego on Sunday.

“The only thing you’re thinking about is doing your job. There’s going to be certain plays in a game that you can steal, that’s just the nature of the beast. I was just lucky to actually steal one. And that was one of those things that gave us momentum going into halftime.”

Attleboro Sun Chronicle

McCourty ready for Buffalo challenge - Mark Farinella
McCourty says he doesn't see any reason why quarterbacks shouldn't be throwing at him as he continues trying to get better after a tough start.

PATS NOTEBOOK: Wilfork helping to fight disease - Mark Farinella
Another article on Wilfrok, with a quote mentioning what the foundation means to him personally.

"My relationship with diabetes comes from growing up in a household with my father, just being ill for 13, 14, 15 years," the Patriots' nose tackle said Thursday. "I was 9 or 10 years old at the time, and seeing what my father had to go through - we had to give him shots, and at times he was so weak, we had to bathe him or take him to the restroom there was a lot going on that my brother and I had to deal with."

Some Life Lessons From Belichick - Christopher Price
Price looks at some of the moments from last night's "A Football Life", and notes that much to their surprise - the NFL managed to also catch some of Belichick's most trying moments as a football coach.

Providence Journal

Bills offense presents different challenge for McCourty, Pats - Tim Britton
Britton writes that McCourty is focused on getting better, and that he still sees a lot of improvement in himself after struggling during the first two weeks of the season.

“That’s always the goal here is to keep improving. I still see a lot of improvement from myself,” he said. “When you play the cornerback position, you’re going against great receivers and great quarterbacks in this league. Once you lose confidence, it can all go bad from there. That’s a key, just keeping your confidence and going out and playing the techniques you’re taught.”

Tom Brady's Statistical Dominance Becoming a Trend Patriots Can Count On - Erik Frenz
Frenz looks at the fact Brady's consistency has allowed the Patriots to overcome some big yardage and points that have been given up by their defense so far this season.

Vince Wilfork Starts New Initiative to Tackle Diabetes - Jeff Howe
Howe alsohas an article on Wilfork's new initiative to help with the fight against Diabetes, with the defensive lineman hoping that fans can help them raise some money this season.

"Through the years, we've raised a lot of good money," Wilfork said. "Last year, I think we raised over $100,000, so it's growing. One thing I want to do is to get my fans and my team involved with this. Everybody knows playing football is not just one individual, so I think that's where the fans and friends can play a huge part in this. We need a team effort just like I need a team effort on Sundays."

And finally, a funny mention in the police log back on September 12th in Rockland Mass. - a fan was apparently visited by the police for firing off a cannon each time the Patriots scored.  It's about halfway down the page, and he was apparently just issued a warning.

That's it for this morning.  We'll have more later on, so be sure and check back.  Also, as I mentioned, if you like this format be sure and drop a comment and let me know.