New England Patriots

Patriots punish Broncos, move on to AFC championship

steve — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:17:49 +0000

The New England Patriots took down Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, 45-10, to advance to the AFC championship game.

Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 361 yards and six touchdowns to go along with just one interception in a game that was never really in doubt.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski had his way with Denver’s defense, scoring three touchdowns and running wild in the secondary.

New England’s much-maligned defense came ready to play and really shut down Tebow and the Broncos offense.

The Patriots will play host to the Baltimore Ravens with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The last time the two teams met in the playoffs, Baltimore embarassed New England, 33-14.

Merriweather accused in shooting

steve — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:49:27 +0000

New England Patriots safety Brandon Merriweather has been accused of firing shots that struck two people.

Police in Orlando want to discuss the incident with the safety, but no meeting has been set up yet.

They believe some sort of altercation took place at the bar that lead to the shooting and want to hear Merriweather’s side of the story.

The Patriots said that they are aware of the allegations but do not have anything to add at this time.

Merriweather found himself in hot water in the NFL last season for a few ugly hits on defenseless receivers.

Patriots franchise Mankins

steve — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:26:48 +0000

The New England Patriots have slapped the franchise tag on All-Pro offensive lineman Logan Mankins.

Mankins has made it clear he was unhappy with his contract situation and had every intention of becoming a free agent.

At the Pro Bowl, Mankins said he would not be happy with a franchise tag designation and wanted a long-term deal.

The Patriots have worked hard over the past couple of years to try to keep one of the league’s best offensive lines intact.

Whether or not that franchise tag will even be honored depends on the impending lockout and terms of a potential new agreement between the players and owners.

Belichick named Coach of the Year

steve — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:09:52 +0000

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has once again been named the Coach of the Year.

Belichick helped guide the Patriots to a 14-2 regular season record, the best in the NFL, and the second round of the playoffs.

The season ended in disappointment, though, as the Patriots lost at home to the New York Jets, a team they beat earlier in the year, 45-3.

Belichick’s biggest move of the year was releasing wideout Randy Moss, and it actually worked out well for the Patriots.

The offense was able to adapt and focus on short and intermediate passing and get their rookie tight ends heavily involved.

Patriots hold off Bills, 38-30

steve — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:12:12 +0000

The New England Patriots put just enough points on the scoreboard to hold off the visiting Buffalo Bills, 38-30.

Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to wideout Randy Moss.

The Patriots also got some production on the ground from running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who had nearly 100 yards and a touchdown.

New England’s defense began the season with such a strong performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, but it’s been all downhill since that time.

The Patriots can score with just about anybody, but they cannot continue to allow other teams to put points up on the board at this rate.

Patriots trade Maroney to Broncos

steve — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 22:13:20 +0000

The New England Patriots have traded oft-injured running back Laurence Maroney to the Denver Broncos.

The team also sent a 2011 sixth-round pick to Denver in exchange for next year’s fourth-round selection.

Maroney didn’t see a lot of action in the final two preseason games and it seemed like the writing was on the wall.

He has been a huge disappointment with New England, failing to stay healthy and lacking any kind of consistent success.

Fred Taylor has won the team’s starting running back job and is backed up by Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk.

Brady gets extension

steve — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 23:36:32 +0000

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady finally received his contract extension from the team.

Brady was given a four-year extension beginning in 2011 for $18 million per year with $48.5 million guaranteed.

It is the richest contract in NFL history and it makes Brady the NFL’s highest paid player, though probably not for long.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is also in negotations for an extension and will likely use Brady’s contract as a benchmark.

It was an interesting day for Brady, who was unharmed in a two-car collision earlier in the morning.

Patriots, Brady closer to extension

steve — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:21:49 +0000

The New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady have made some progress in contract extension talks.

Talks have progressed far enough in recent days that it is possible a deal could be reached by the end of the summer.

If a deal does not happen, it is probably just a matter of the complexity of the contract with regard to the salary cap.

Brady has just one year remaining on his contract, so the Patriots have to be careful that he does not hit the free agent market.

In an age when quarterbacks are more important than ever, numerous teams would throw crazy money at Brady.

Patriots face tough schedule next season

bud — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:16:49 +0000

By Bud L. Ellis

In half of their games in 2010, the New England Patriots will face teams that made the playoffs last season.

The National Football League has released its schedule of home games and road games for the upcoming season. Dates and times have not been finalized, although the Patriots may be playing on Thanksgiving Day at Detroit.

The road schedule doesn’t appear too daunting. Only two of the eight games are against playoff teams: AFC East division rival the New York Jets, and AFC West champion San Diego. The rest of the road slate includes trips to Buffalo, Miami, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Chicago.

At home? That’s a different story. Six of the Pats’ eight home games are against playoff teams. It’s a murderous slate that includes matchups with the Jets, AFC wild-card qualifier Baltimore, AFC North champion Cincinnati, NFC wild-card qualifier Green Bay, NFC runner-up Minnesota and AFC champion Indianapolis. Also at home will be division games against Buffalo and Miami.

Based on opponents’ win percentage from last season, the Patriots’ schedule is sixth-toughest in the NFL.

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