Patriots News

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—Running back Fred Taylor signed with the New England Patriots on Friday after spending 11 seasons with Jacksonville.

Taylor was cut by the Jaguars in a salary-cup move. He joins a Patriots team seeking depth at running back, with Laurence Maroney having been bothered by injuries for most of his career.

-------------

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have acquired quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel from the New England Patriots in a trade for their second-round draft pick.

Cassel had been the backup in New England when Tom Brady, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, was injured minutes into last season's opener. Cassel hadn't started a game since high school but helped lead the Patriots to an 11-5 record. It wasn't, however, good enough for a playoff berth.

Something tells me that Cassel and Vrabel are worth more than a second-round selection.

Henderson, Rice Elected to Hall

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Rickey Henderson, who has the most stolen bases in Major League Baseball history, was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, while Jim Rice earned the honor during his last year of consideration from the sport’s writers.

Both earned enough votes to win a spot in the shrine in Cooperstown, New York, Rice was selected on his 15th and final time on the ballot.

Henderson, who also scored the most runs in major-league history, was named on 511, or 94.8 percent, of the 539 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Rice, who played his entire 16-year career with the Boston Red Sox, got 76.4 percent of the vote.

Congrats to these two former Red Sox players.

Sox Sign FA Baldelli

The Red Sox announced the signing of Baldelli, a native of Woonsocket, R.I., on Thursday night at the annual dinner of the Boston Baseball Writers Association.

Baldelli, who had spent his entire career with the Rays before becoming a free agent, will be the Sox's fourth outfielder behind Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew.

The Sox appear to be getting Baldelli at the right moment, with his health seemingly on the upswing. The deal was first reported by ESPN.com.

Baldelli, 27, missed most of last season with a condition that was diagnosed as mitochondrial fatigue syndrome. - Fox Sports

Baldelli had an amazing year in 2004 when he hit .280, slugged 16 homeruns and drove in 74 runs (not to mention 17 steals).

New Red Sox Road Jerseys

As a certain someone said: "We're the Redsox. We should have red not blue. The person that thought of this should be fired."

Coco Crisp Traded To KC

BOSTON -- For more than a year, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said that he did not feel any urgency to deal center fielder Coco Crisp and that he would only do so if it improved the team.

Epstein finally found that opportunity on Wednesday, dealing the speedy center fielder to the Royals for reliever Ramon Ramirez.

Ramirez, a 27-year-old righty, went 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 71 games in 2008. He registered 70 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings. - Redsox.com

Good move.

Brady Out For Season W/ ACL Injury

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is expected to miss the rest of the 2008 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, according to a source familiar with the injury.

While New England coach Bill Belichick said in his postgame press conference that he had no update on the status of Brady’s injury, two sources indicated it involved serious damage to the knee.“It’s bad,” a team source said. “We’re going to have to play without him.” - Yahoo!

That's just too bad.

Pats Lose To Giants 14-19

It was more of the same for the Patriots in their final preseason game. No Tom Brady, no win and really, no positive signs for the first string offense or defense as far as putting together or stopping drives.

New England won the toss but broke their pattern this preseason of deferring and took the opening kickoff. After a first down on a 7-yard catch by Kelley Washington, the Patriots punted from their 49 three plays later.

Back for the New England offense in this game was Matt Light at his left tackle spot. Gone were Wes Welker, Ben Watson and Brady, who hasn't played a down in the preseason. Matt Cassel got the start at QB and remained in the game for two series finishing 4 of 6 passing for 37 yards. - Patriots.com

The Patriots finished the preseason 0-4. No worries though as back-ups and third stringers got the majority of the snaps in the games.

New England will have to make some tough decisions in terms of cuts as they must say good bye to over twenty players by Saturday.

Patriots Release TE Pollard

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.: The New England Patriots released 13-year veteran tight end Marcus Pollard on Tuesday.

They also signed rookie tight end Tyson DeVree, who joins Benjamin Watson, David Thomas and Stephen Spach at that position.

Pollard signed with the Patriots on April 23 after being released by Seattle, where he spent one season. He played his first 10 seasons with Indianapolis and two with Detroit. - Associated Press

This sucks. Pollard was having quite a season for me in Madden NFL 2009. Unfortunately, I will have to release him as well.

Patriots Lose First Pre-Season Game

A rather sloppy game was played at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night. Both teams looked very unpolished, but what can you expect in the first pre-season game? The Patriots had a dreadful first half as they only put up three points. They did counter with twelve points in the second half, but that wasn't enough to put them ahead of the Baltimore Ravens. The final score was 15-16.

Back-Up Quarterback Situation

Matt Gutierrez only passed for 76 yards, not to mention he got sacked a couple of times and threw an interception, but overall he looked like the best out of the three competing quarterbacks. He completed 63% of his throws whereas rookie Kevin O'Connell (46%) and veteran Matt Cassel (25%) both finished under the 50% mark. In the case of Cassel, he looked awful. Ravens defenders manhandled him for most of the time that he was in there. O'Connell did a solid job for his first professional appearance.

Lamont Jordan's Stock Rises

With Sammy Morris unavailable (for a reason unknown), Lamont Jordan, a heavy power back, got a majority of the hand-offs last night. He didn't fail to impress either: 19 rushes, 76 yards, 1 TD. If he proved anything, it was that he can take it up the gut for a few yards every time. Laurence Maroney, the projected starter, had a less than spectacular performance. He averaged 1.0 yards on the ground in 6 attempts. If he wants to handle first and second down all by himself, he must certainly improve. If Jordan continues to play at a high level, I wouldn't be surprised if the two split time.

Chad Jackson's Stock Falls

Granted Jackson didn't have much stock in the first place. A third year player with 13 career receptions isn't much of a player at all. It was clear that the Patriots' quarterbacks wanted to give Jackson as much of a chance to shine as possible. They did by throwing about five passes in his direction; however, only one landed in his hands. He ended up being absolutely rocked by Ravens linebacker Nick Greisen for no gain.

Rookie Linebacker Duo Impresses

Both Jerod Mayo and Shawn Crable, drafted by the Patriots in 2008, had a great game. Mayo's presence was felt both when he tackled and when he didn't. Either way, he seemed to have always been around the ball. Crable, who is tall and slim (not a combo you would expect out of a linebacker), had four total tackles, a half of a sack, and one interception. With Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel not playing, these two certainly showed why they deserve time in the linebacker mix.

Bay Helps Sox To Win

BOSTON -- Jason Bay made a smashing debut with Boston by tripling and scoring the winning run in the 12th inning as the Red Sox began the post-Manny Ramirez era with a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Bay was obtained from Pittsburgh on Thursday in the deal that sent the slugging Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The former Pirate took Ramirez's spot Friday night -- in left field and with clutch hitting.

He had failed to put the ball in play in his first five at bats -- two walks, a hit by pitch and two strikeouts -- before he came up with two outs in the 12th against Alan Embree (1-4). He hit the ball high to left field with the crowd hoping for a game-winning homer. - WHDH (Photo courtesy of Yahoo! through Getty Images)

This ought to have made Fallon happy.

A Rant, Courtesy of Me, Andrew P. Fallon

OK now, boys and girls! This rant's gonna be about Manny Ramirez's so-called "Manny being Manny" bologna that we fortunately won't have to deal with anymore. Ready?

Screw "Manny being Manny". I sure as hell won't miss that shit. The only people who bought into that were the people who like put their fucking dogs in Ramirez jerseys and shit. He was just a distraction away from baseball! Just a fucking sideshow to Boston Red Sox BASEBALL!

I hope Joe Torre can smack some sense into this clown.

Thank you. You may now return to your regularly scheduled News.

Manny goes to Dodgers

In a deadline day blockbuster reminiscent of the Nomar Garciaparra deal in 2004, left fielder Manny Ramirez was traded this afternoon to the Dodgers as part of the three-team deal that will send Pirates outfielder Jason Bay to the Red Sox, the Globe’s Gordon Edes and Nick Cafardo reported.

Why do all our players become Dodgers?

Admin Edit (Glen): I apologize for posting an unreliable article that stated Ramirez was traded to the Florida Marlins.

Red Sox Trade Manny To Marlins For Pirate's Bay

BOSTON - The Red Sox, Marlins, and Pirates have agreed to a trade that will send Red Sox star outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Florida Marlins. In exchange for Ramirez, the Red Sox will receive outfielder Jason Bay and relief pitcher John Grabow from the Pirates. The Pirates will acquire pitcher Jeremy Hermeida and a prospect from the Marlins and a prospect from the Red Sox. In addition to Ramirez, the Marlins will receive cash and a prospect from the Red Sox. - New England Sports News Media

Bay is having a solid season as he has hit 22 homeruns and has driven in 64 RBI all while hitting for a .282 average.

Update: Even though the teams have agreed (according to a few published accounts) to this trade, it will not be made official until later on Thursday. According to Peter Gammons, all three teams need to figure out exactly which prospects to involve.

Update #2: The Palm Beach Post is reporting that the deal has been agreed upon by the three teams. All this according to an American League scout.

New England Patriots Pre-Season Preview

Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Matt Cassell, Matt Gutierrez, Kevin O'Connell
Comments: For the seventh straight season, Tom Brady will be the starting quarterback for the Patriots. Brady had a breakout season in 2007 as he passed for 4,806 yards and 50 touchdowns. His interceptions (8) total was a career low. The question is whether he will be able to replicate last season's performance. Brady's will likely have another amazing performance in 2008 albeit without the likes of Donte Stallworth, who signed with New Orleans this off-season after reeling in 697 yards as the Patriots number two receiver. Behind Brady is Matt Cassell. Cassell, a four year back-up to Brady, hasn't played too much because of Brady's consistent good health. Cassell doesn't have too much long term staying power -- Gutierrez and O'Connell make just as good a back-up as Cassell is. Each of the back-ups will have to prove themselves in the pre-season; inevitably one or two will be released by the start of the regular season.

Runningbacks: Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis
Comments: Might as well get this out of the way first: Green-Ellis won't make the team no matter how well he does in the exhibition games. Maroney, on the complete other hand, will be heavily relied upon as the starter. A very powerful and crafty player, Maroney rushed for a respectable 4.5 yards per carry average in 2007. Maroney must (definitely must) stay healthy throughout the entire upcoming season if he wants to reach the pinnacle status of 1000 yard rusher. He has shown streaks of greatness (such as two 100+ yard games in games 15 and 16 of last season), and lousiness (five straight games under 60 yards) as well. Morris is an interesting player in that he had a solid first six games last season before injuring himself. Had Morris played in all sixteen games, he would have easily surpassed the 1,000 yards rushing plateau. The Patriots must keep that in mind in the pre-season. It wouldn't be crazy for Morris to get 10-15 carries a game during the regular season. A third down back and an incredible receiver out of the backfield, Faulk will be inserted in the same role that he has been in for the past four seasons. The ten year veteran caught 47 passes in 2007 on a team with a plethora of good receivers. The loss of Donte Stallworth might equal even more catches for Faulk in 2008.

Fullbacks: Heath Evans, Kyle Eckel
Comments: Evans is one of the best of his kind and that is because he is a strong blocker. It is unfortunate because the Patriots haven't had a top of the line running back for Evans to pave the way for since Corey Dillon. Eckel is a younger version of Evans. Both are strong special teams players, a complement to their offensive talents. Right now though, Evans is the more experienced and will be given preferential playing time.

Wide Receiver: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson, Kelley Washington, Sam Aiken, Chris Dunlap, C.J Jones, Matt Slater, Robert Ortiz
Comments: Moss, also known as the best wide receiver in league, caught 46% (23 TD) of Brady's touchdown passes. Will we be seeing that kind of production again in 2008? You bet. Even with double and triple coverage, Moss still excelled. At 31 years old, he still has room for improvement. Welker was a godsend in the slot for the Patriots in 2007. He caught 112 passes for 1,175 yards -- the kind of stats that makes other teams pissed...really pissed. With the loss of Stallworth, Gaffney is now a part of the team's core receiving group. Even in a limited role in 2007, Gaffney still caught 5 touchdown passes. I wouldn't be surprised if he surpasses his 2005 high of 55 catches. Behind Gaffney is Jackson, who will be entering his third professional season. Jackson has been quite the disappointment, but it isn't his fault. Injuries limited him in 2007 (to 0 games played); may God grant Jackson a healthy upcoming season. In 2006 Jackson caught 13 passes...we can only hope him to catch 14 this season! If Jackson has a lousy pre-season, don't get panicky if he is cut. Last on the depth-chart is Washington. The poor guy had more special teams tackles (18) than catches (0). Of course, he led the team in special teams tackles and that's the reason why he is back.

Offensive Line: Does anybody really care?
Comments: They block so that Brady doesn't get sack and so Maroney can pick up decent yardage. What am I supposed to say about the specific players? "He had 100 pancakes...stop right there!"

Coming up next: Defense + Special Teams

Visit My Online Store!

I have a lot of things I do not want -- particularly in the video game category. Instead of auctioning these items off on eBay, I have decided to create an online store type of deal that lists everything that I want to get rid of. A special perk, if you will, that my store has is that if my item's price is higher than what you see in a store I will match that price and often times lower my product's price. That should give you enough incentive to buy video games and other products through my store! I haven't updated my sports site (nesportsnews.com) in nearly a year so I figure that I ought to do something to cover the expense that has accrued. I have a crap load of sports trading cards. I used to be a collector up until three years ago. I used to go to sports cards and memorabilia stores every single weekend! I bought so many cards during that time I feel ashamed that I didn't keep it up. That said, I am going to dig the thousands of cards out of my closet this weekend and put them on the website (both in bulk and individual). If you collect cards, you will definitely want to keep checking the site for new entries. I might sell other random things here and there --- study guides, books, and vintage items.

Be sure to visit here: http://nesportsnews.com/noahclass/

Once you express your interest by clicking "Reply to this posting", I will personally e-mail you and confirm the price and order. Shipping is free if you live in Wakefield (I will deliver the stuff to your door) and very minimal if you live outside of Wakefield.

Thanks and check it out!

Suspend This Guy, Bob Kraft!

MANSFIELD, Mass. -- New England Patriots defensive back Willie Andrews is being held without bail after allegedly pointing a handgun at his girl friend's head.

A spokesman for the Bristol County district attorney said Andrews was arrested Monday morning after the alleged incident, which occurred when Andrews returned home at about 1 a.m. and an argument began between him and his girl friend.

Gregg Miliote said Andrews, a backup since being drafted by the Patriots in 2006, was charged with illegal possession of a large capacity firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon. He said Andrews is being held without bail pending the results of a dangerousness hearing Thursday.- WHDH

Andrews isn't very good anyway.

Celtics Select J.R Giddens (First Round, 2008)

The Celtics have drafted J.R Giddens with the 30th pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Giddens, 23, had a very solid senior season at New Mexico as he posted 16.3 P.P.G. and 8.8 R.P.G. He is praised for his athleticism, but his character is a question mark -- on the court and off.

Celtics parade through city

The Boston Celtics were hailed by a sea of green-clad fans today as their rolling rally wound its way through the city in a jubilant celebration of the team's NBA championship victory.

Sky of blue and sea of green in our yellow submarine?

CELTICS WIN!

Celtics Set To Win Championship

The Celtics are absolutely demolishing the Lakers here at the Garden. Boston is holding Los Angeles to 29 percent shooting. Without Kobe Bryant's 14 points (on 4 of 11 shooting), this would really be a stinker.

The Celtics, meanwhile, are playing with an incredible fire right now. Kevin Garnett is leading the way with 17 points on 8 of 12 shooting. They've got 17 assists on 20 field goals. They're playing to win. - Boston Globe

20+ point leads are not that easy to maintain, though...