Wednesday's New England Patriots Links 9/28
Here are this morning's top stories:
BOSTON HERALD
Seymour leads Raiders revival - Ron Borges
Borges writes that Raiders owner Al Davis traded for a mentor as well as a man-handler when he acquired Seymour, and feels that in just over two seasons he has done both.
Nowhere to run for Patriots - Karen Guregian
Guregian writes that the Patriots need better production from their running game, which they didn't get on Sunday out in Buffalo.
Deion Branch OK with pattern changes - Karen Guregian
Guregian has an article on Deion Branch, and writes that it's been either feast or famine with him lately.
BOSTON GLOBE
ON FOOTBALL: Patriots didn’t have things covered in the secondary - Greg Bedard
Bedard breaks down their defensive letdowns from Sunday, and writes there were seven breakdowns in pass-coverage fundamentals, with second-year cornerback Devin McCourty leading the way with five and cornerback Leigh Bodden contributing two.
NOTEBOOK: Test for rushing defense - Monique Walker
Walker files her "notebook" this morning, which leads off with the fact Belichick told the media recently that the Raiders are going to be a challenge for them on both sides of the football. “They make you defend the whole field, and any time you can be successful running the ball, that opens up the play-action and the passing game and everything else," said Belichick. It’s good complementary football.’’
Old-school Raiders getting good grades so far - Greg Bedard
Bedard writes that sunday’s matchup should give the Patriots a chance to actually play their base 4-3 defense (which they didn’t do against the Bills), but it will have to be on point.
WORCESTER TELEGRAM:
Ochocinco Working Hard on Correcting Mistakes - Rich Garven
Garven has some thoughts from offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who he feels - like plenty of other players - would probably like a couple of plays back from Sunday's game in Buffalo. “Chad, just like everybody else in that game — me included — would probably wish to have a couple of plays back,” O’Brien said during a conference call. “And, at the same time, here is a guy and a bunch of guys — coaches included again — that are working hard to correct those mistakes and really focusing on Oakland and trying to get better at the things we all need to get better at, because every week is a challenge."
ESPNBOSTON.COM
Revisiting the Seymour trade - Chris Forsberg
Forsberg looks back at what's transpired on the defensive line since the Seymour trade, and feels it hasn't exactly worked out like they hoped it would.
Patriots host three on workouts - Mike Rodak
Rodak writes that the Patriots had two runningbacks and a tight end in for a workout yesterday.
Report: Patriots to re-sign Gerard Warren - Mike Rodak
Rodak also writes that the Patriots are set to re-sign defensive lineman Gerard Warren, who is expected to help bolster a struggling defensive line.
Leftovers: Running Raiders, Ocho review - Chris Forsberg
Forsberg compares the Patriots against the Raiders rushing attack, among other topics.
Video: Mangini sees Pats D improving - Mike Reiss
Reiss posts a video of former Patriots coach Eric Mangini, who feels that the Patriots D will be much better as the year goes on.
NECN.COM
PERILLO: Defenseless Pats 'not a Super Bowl team' - CSNNE Video
Paul Perillo said in an interview last night that the Patriots would have a tough time winning a Super Bowl right now with the way their defense is playing through the first three games.
NESN.COM
Bill Belichick's Job Interview With Raiders Spurred Patriots' Dynasty and 19 Other Thoughts - Jeff Howe
Howe talks about Belichick's job interview in Oakland, along with a host of other thoughts in this morning's entry.
Attleboro Sun Chronicle
FARINELLA: More roster turnover - Mark Farinella
Farinella takes a look at the most recent changes the Patriots are making to their roster following Sunday's loss in Buffalo.
HERALD NEWS
Patriots haven't visited the Black Hole in a while - Glen Farley
And finally, Glen Farley writes that the Patriots haven’t seen the Raiders since Dec. 14, 2008, when Randy Moss (five receptions, two for touchdowns) and LaMont Jordan (97 yards rushing, one TD) enjoyed triumphant returns to Oakland, a 49-26 New England romp that saw Matt Cassel throw for four scores.
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That's it for this morning. We'll have more in a bit.
