Patriots Gab

The New England Patriots hit the road for New Meadowlands Stadium to face the New York Giants for their final tune-up before the regular season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 12th. The Patriots will get their first look at the New Meadowlands against the Giants Thursday night, and the experience will likely benefit the team in Week 2, when they return to face their division rival New York Jets.

The major question mark in this contest is will the Patriots play their starters at all, and if they do, for how long. If history is any indication, the Patriots starters will only play a series or two before giving way to the backups. This game is really a chance for the Patriots organization to evaluate their fringe players, and finalize their roster.

Based on practice attendance this week, wide receiver Julian Edelman, rookie outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham, safety Brandon McGowan, tight end Aaron Hernandez, offensive lineman Nick Kaczur; cornerbacks Terrence Wheatley and Kyle Arrington and defensive linemen Ron Brace and Brandon Deaderick are among those not expected to suit up for the game because of injuries.

Patriots fans should pay attention to the young secondary that will be without Leigh Bodden, who said on his twitter that he is undergoing surgery on his rotator cuff today. Another aspect to watch from a Patriots perspective are guys on the bubble who will likely get an extended opportunity on Thursday night. Here are the guys to watch and why:

Tyrone McKenzie: The Patriots 2009 third-round draft selection hasn’t seen much playing time in three preseason games so far as rookie Brandon Spikes has seen the majority of work at inside linebacker. McKenzie looks like the fourth inside linebacker on the depth chart behind Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton and Spikes. McKenzie figures to see extended playing time against the Giants, to prove he belongs on this roster.

Eric Alexander and Pierre Woods: At this point, Woods is a pure special teams contributor, and is more likely to win a roster spot over Alexander. Keep an eye on the playing time for both on special teams, and how many units each are on.

Marques Murrell: Murrell has had an outstanding preseason, but is no sure bet to make the roster at this point, expect Belichick to give Murrell a long look against the Giants.

Matthew Slater: His contributions have come mainly on special teams in his first two seasons, and is a longshot to make the roster unless he has a huge game on Thursday night. Sam Aiken is almost a lock to make the roster at this point over Slater.

Sergio Brown: He certainly is a dark horse candidate to make this roster as a special teams contributor and reserve safety. Brown, a rookie out of Notre Dame has held his own and will make this team if the Patriots keep five safeties (as I suspect they will).

BenJarvus Green-Ellis: At some point, Laurence Maroney will play on Thursday night, that is for certain. How much the Patriots play the Law Firm will be an indication of whether or not he will make the final roster. BJGE is too good for the Patriots to cut, because he would be picked up by another team in a heartbeat, so he should make this roster.

Reserve offensive linemen: With the final roster cut scheduled for Saturday, a few of the back-end of the 53 roster spots could still be up for grabs, sespecially on the offensive line. Rookies Ted Larsen (center/guard) and Thomas Welch (offensive tackle) and second-year players Ryan Wendell (center/guard) and Rich Ohrnberger (center/guard) are some of the key players to watch on Thursday night, this could be a make or break game for them.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company, a subsidiary of the adidas Group, has introduced a new line of hats and visors, which features the primary colors and logos of all 32 NFL teams. Golfers across the country can now fly the colors of their favorite teams on the golf course (not on Sundays of course).

Fans can choose from all 32 NFL teams at on-course and off-course retail locations, in addition to select sporting goods retailers. If you are a displaced fan and don’t think you will be able to find your favorite team locally, go to www.taylormadegolfgear.com for a complete selection.

Each hat and visor will feature an NFL team’s logo blazoned on the left panel. The team’s name will also be stitched onto the left corner of the hat/visor. The TaylorMade logo will appear in 3D embroidery on the front panel of the hat.

The hats will be available at retail at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $27.99.

According to a number of Boston media outlets including ESPN Boston.com and the Boston Herald, the NFL is investigating a compromising video of New England Patriots rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes that has surfaced on the Internet.

“We are looking into it,” league spokesman Greg Aiello told ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss Tuesday night.

The Patriots have not commented on the video, which depicted a sexual act between Spikes and a scantily clad woman. The video appears to have originated from the Webcam site Chatroulette.

Spikes’ agent, Terry Watson, described it as an “embarrassing situation” for the Patriots second round pick. “It certainly doesn’t reflect the kind of person that he is.”

“It was something that occurred before he became an NFL draftee and a New England Patriot. I think for anyone it would be an embarrassing situation,” Watson said. “Brandon has shown to many people the kind of person he is before and after being drafted in the second round. He’s hoping to put this behind him and looks forward to having a great football season.”

The video apparently was taken while Spikes was in college at Florida University. Since the incident shown in the video occured before Spikes was in the NFL that leads to the question: can the NFL punish a player for something that happened prior to entering the league? It is unlikely there is anything the NFL can do to punish Spikes, but this video certainly has hurt his reputation heading into his rookie season.

The NFL community held their collective breath over the past couple days monitoring Chad Ochocinco’s twitter account waiting eagerly to hear his plans regarding his touchdown celebration plans for Week 1 against the New England Patriots. The outspoken Bengals wide receiver has provided more bulleten board material for Bill Belichick and his Patriots with this latest tweet. 

“If I am able to score Week 1 in New England, I will be taking the Minutemen rifle and firing as they do when the Pats score,” he wrote on his Twitter yesterday. 

For each Patriots home game in Foxboro, the team has Minutemen standing behind each end zone, and they react accordingly when the home team scores. This has been an annual tradition as part of recognizing the history of the region. The Patriots would love nothing more than to keep Ochocinco out of the endzone in Week 1, but with a depleted secondary that just lost starter Leigh Bodden for the season, that task becomes more difficult.

The New England Patriots were dealt a crushing blow to their rebuilding defense on the injury front with the announcement that the team has placed starting cornerback Leigh Bodden on season ending injured reserve Tuesday.

Bodden, who tied for the team lead with five interception last season, has a significant shoulder injury (believed to be a rotator cuff injury), the team announced. Bodden has also been battling a knee injury which sidelined him earlier in the preseason.

Without Bodden, that leaves second year man Darius Butler, and rookie Devin McCourty as the probable starters at cornerback for Week 1. His roster spot may now go to Terrence Wheatley, who was on the bubble prior to this latest news.

The Patriots also placed safety Josh Barrett (shoulder), defensive back Brett Lockett (chest), and defensive lineman Darryl Richard (foot) on injured reserve. Defensive back Terrence Johnson was released as the Patriots cut down their official roster from 80 to 75 players.

The loss of Leigh Bodden (the veteran presence in a secondary full of youngsters) is a huge loss for the Patriots who have already lost defensive end Ty Warren and offensive lineman Nick Kaczur for the season. Stay tuned for more news on the Bodden injury in the coming days.

According to ESPN Boston.com, the New England Patriots had informed running back Chris Taylor that he would be waived today and the running back was not at the team’s practice. The Patriots waited until the 4 p.m. deadline to submit the transaction, and apparently had a change of heart. Taylor’s agent, Martin Magid, said he received a call within the last hour that Taylor would not be released today.

Taylor spent last season on injured reserve, and apparently will be around at least until after the Patriots final preseason game Thursday night against the New York Giants.

At 4 p.m. today, the Patriots and the rest of the NFL will face their first cut deadline. The roster, which now stands at 80, will have to be trimmed down to 75. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick explained the process in his press conference yesterday.

“We talk to each player whatever his situation is,” Belichick said. “Sometimes we release him. Sometimes they are in a PUP or IR type situation. Sometimes they are involved in a practice squad type of transaction. Whatever it is, we talk to the player. We talk to his representatives and try to get everybody on the same page.”

Patriots WR Julian Edelman and rookie TE Aaron Hernandez, the team’s two biggest targets so far this preseason, both missed practice last week with undisclosed injuries. The team held both Edelman and Hernandez out of practice the entire week, as well as the team’s 36-35 loss to St. Louis last Thursday. According to ESPNBoston.com, both players attended practice and watched from the sideline, an indication that neither player’s injury is that serious. With the returning WR Wes Welker (who calls Edelman his “mini-me”) and WR Randy Moss surely drawing the majority of focus from opposing defenders, both Edelman and Hernandez will be valuable secondary weapons for Tom Brady this regular season.

The New England Patriots announced the return of one undrafted rookie free agent and the release of another Sunday afternoon. Cornerback Terrence Johnson was re-signed, while offensive lineman Brian Simmons was released by the club.

Johnson was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of California University of Pennsylvania on April 20, and was released on Aug. 23 after missing a large chunk of training camp due to injury. With cornerback Terrence Wheatley leaving Thursday night’s preseason game with an injury, Johnson was most likely resigned to provide depth in the Patriots final preseason game against the New York Giants.

Both Johnson and Simmons are candidates for the practice squad as rookies, but this move is very minor in the grand scheme of things this season for New England.

Finally some positive news on the injury front for the New England Patriots it appears. A source close to Patriots defensive lineman Ron Brace has told the Boston Herald that after undergoing an MRI yesterday, the ankle injury he sustained in the fourth quarter of New England’s third preseason game against St. Louis on Thursday night is just a sprain.

Brace turned in a strong performance against the Rams (the best showing of his two year career to date) recording seven tackles and one sack in the contest. It appears that Brace will undergo treatment for the ankle sprain this weekend and might only miss a couple of days. Injuries have decimated the Patriots defensive line this preseason forcing Brace to step up into the spotlight. Brace drew comparisons to legendary nose tackle Ted Washington in his career at Boston College, and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. After an underwhelming rookie season, Brace has every opportunity to make a major impact along the defensive line at both tackle and end this season for the Patriots.

If you asked who has been the Patriots biggest breakout surprise of the preseason so far, the obvious choices are rookie tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski who have defibrillated life back into the tight end position for New England. The dark horse candidate for the honor is second year wide receiver Brandon Tate.

Aside from Gronkowski, Tate was the lone bright spot for the New England Patriots in their third preseason game, a final second loss to the worst team in football, the St. Louis Rams. Tate announced his presence on the NFL scene loud and clear by returning the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown.

Tate has one of the most unique story’s of any player on the Patriots roster. He was widely considered a lock to become a first round NFL Draft selection when he entered his senior season at North Carolina. Tate’s jitterbug quickness and ability to explode through a seam made him the most electrifying kick and punt returner in all of college football. The road to super stardom in the NFL was paved for Tate until one punt return changed his fate forever. Tate tore his right ACL and MCL against Notre Dame and missed the final eight games of his senior season. The injury also caused him to slip to the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Tate’s ability as a kick returner comes as a shock to nobody, especially not the Patriots coaching staff that selected him in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. Tate is the NCAA career leader in combined kick return yards with 3,523 yards. He also is the ACC’s all time leader in kickoff returns (109) and kickoff return yardage (2,688). The Patriots coaching staff took a chance on Tate and chose to take it slow with their investment. Tate began the 2009 season on the non-football injury list before being activated prior to Week 7. Tate’s return was cut short after suffering another knee injury in Week 9 that forced him to go on injured reserve.

Tate’s return fully healthy this season is expected to be an added bonus to New England’s group of wide receivers that includes Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, and new rookie Taylor Price. Tate was viewed as both an elite return man and a legitimate NFL caliber wide receiver prior to the injury, and set out to prove he belonged in the league this season.

Tate drew rave reviews from the fans, the media, and the coaching staff throughout training camp, and the major question marks and expectations were laid out for Tate entering the exhibition schedule. Could Tate be an impact player for the Patriots this season? Could he become a game-changing factor in the return game?

As Tate sprinted past St. Louis defenders and into the end zone on Thursday night, he answered those critical questions.

Tate was the deep man at the goal line with Sammy Morris alongside serving as the up back and lead blocker. The kick came to Tate at the 3 and in the blink of an eye, Tate was alone in the open field. He took the return up the middle and then, reading the gap perfectly, shot through it cutting to his right and was off to the races.

“My teammates were the ones blocking so without them it wouldn’t have been possible,” Tate said, “I kept saying, ‘I’m ready…this is going to be the one,’ so all the credit has to go to my teammates.”

“Every time I get to go out there and play, I try to put my best foot out there,” he said. “I go out there and compete every play and just play hard.”

Tate finished with three kickoff returns and one punt return for a total of 162 return yards.

As Patriots fans watched Tate gallop into the end zone with Tom Brady and Randy Moss celebrating on the sideline, the next question for Tate was hatched. The only question left for him to answer is: Can he become a complement to Moss and Welker in the offense?

Tate played with the first-team offense against St. Louis, lining up both in the slot and split out wide working alongside Moss and Welker. Tate caught two balls for 17 yards in the contest against the Rams.

“It felt good to play with whoever is out there,” Tate said of lining up with the likes of Brady, Moss and Welker. “It doesn’t matter who it is. I just thank the coach for giving me a chance to play.”

The breakout surprise of training camp in my opinion, Tate has established himself as a factor in the return game, and is beginning to carve out a role in the offense as well. Tate is a testament to French philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s saying ”what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.” Tate is making progress game by game, and is developing into the star everyone believed he would ultimately become right before our eyes.