OFFICIAL 2009-2010 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS SEASON THREAD - (10-6) - Ravens @ Patriots - Wild Card

[wickednikes]

im thinking it's going to be the practice squad for KO...

 

[fraij da 5 11]

Is he that bad?

I havent seen any of him this year but I liked him from what i saw last year.


Worse than Brohm?

 

[wickednikes]

he had a terrible outing last friday night against the skins. my mom was going crazy bashing him. my dad was like, "jeez calm down, it's thepreseason."

but nah...last preseason matt cassel sucked big time, and then he ended up stepping up nicely. so i dunno, this move def. came out of nowhere. hoyer is now thenumero tres...so maybe he's showed belichick something in practice.

 

[wickednikes]

freddy smearlis (sp) just said exactly what i said about o'connel and cassel

i need to be working in sports...eff business

 

[DeadsetAce]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post?id=2270

Meriweather an all-around force for Patriots

August 28, 2009 12:40 PM

[table][tr][td] [/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]Steve Mitchell/US PRESSWIRE[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]Brandon Meriweather made lots of big plays last season for the Patriots, recording a team-high four interceptions and tied for the lead with two forced fumbles.[/td] [/tr][/table]
Posted by ESPN.com Tim Graham

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Brandon Meriweather's eyes widened when his 2008 statistics were repeated within context.

In looking at where he ranked among his teammates in the various categories, it can be argued sincerely that Meriweather had the best season of any New England Patriots defender.

He didn't become their starting strong safety until Week 8, yet he led the Patriots in interceptions and takeaways, made more tackles than Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel and recorded as many sacks as Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren.
[table][tr][td] [table][tr][td] [table][tr][td]Emerging Stars[/td] [/tr][tr][td]A series examining a potential breakout player in each division.
Tues.: AFC West | NFC West
Wed.: AFC North | NFC North
Thurs.: AFC South | NFC South
Fri.: AFC East | NFC East[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
"I didn't know all that," Meriweather said with a beaming smile.

If Meriweather didn't realize just how impressively he performed last year, then you can't blame the rest of the football world for overlooking him. While everybody raved about rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo and fretted over myriad injuries, Meriweather quietly put together a superb sophomore season.

Folks will start to notice. With veteran Rodney Harrison retired to the broadcast booth, Meriweather has emerged as one of New England's defensive leaders in his third NFL season. Add his ability to make a game-changing impact in multiple ways, and you'll see why we made Meriweather our choice as the AFC East's Emerging Star for 2009.

"It's all there," Scouts Inc. analyst Matt Williamson said. "He's ready to blossom and be a player."

Meriweather led all Patriots defensive backs in stops and finished second overall with 57 solo tackles. His 22 assists placed him third in total tackles behind Mayo, the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Wilfork, an elite 3-4 nose tackle.

Meriweather also snared a team-high four interceptions and tied for the lead with two forced fumbles. He was second to cornerback Ellis Hobbs in passes defensed. Meriweather added two sacks. His 11 special-teams tackles ranked third.

He was one of only four defensive backs last year with at least two interceptions, two sacks and two forced fumbles. The others were Adrian Wilson, Antoine Winfield and Quintin Mikell. Wilson and Winfield went to the Pro Bowl.

"I want to be one of [those] safeties that you don't have to take off the field for nothing, not for special teams, and if I could I'd play offense," Meriweather said. "I'm just trying to be an all-around player.

"I envision myself to be a smart player, instinctual, an all-around athlete. I don't want to be just a safety. I want to be known as a cover safety, a deep safety. I want to be known as a safety that can do a little bit of everything."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been pleased with Meriweather's development. For the first time, Meriweather went into training camp as the starter and didn't disappoint.

"Each year he's taken a jump in the offseason and then through the course of the year, and then another jump the next offseason and through the practice sessions in the spring," Belichick said. "In training camp he's a guy that's improved pretty steadily, as I said, with a couple big offseason jumps.

"He's smart, works hard and he's really kind of starting to quarterback the secondary now. He and [free safety] James [Sanders] both do a good job of communication back there and getting everybody on the same page. He's had a very productive camp for us this year."

Meriweather should thrive with the Patriots in 2009 not only because he's another year wiser, but also because situations probably will be in the defense's favor more often than not.

With quarterback Tom Brady returning to a potent offense that's deep at running back, receiver and tight end and features three Pro Bowl linemen, the Patriots should be playing with a lead frequently.

"He can make more plays on the ball, get more interceptions," Williamson said. "He's shown an ability to get his hands on the ball already.

"You can't get away from the physical attributes that he has. He's fast. He's fluid. He has good size. He can be in the box and throw his body around. He has the ability to play man against tight ends or slot receiver at the line.

"And he's not afraid at all to come up and hit. He can be an intimidator over the middle in the passing game."

The Patriots drafted Meriweather 24th overall two years ago out of the University of Miami. He had the talent to be selected much higher.

Some teams rated him the No. 2 safety in the draft. Others projected him as a big cornerback because
of his agility and coverage skills. He was a ferocious hitter, garnering the nicknames "Hit Stick" and "B-Ware." He left Miami as its career leader among safeties with 182 solo tackles. Ed Reed and Sean Taylor were Hurricanes, too.
[table][tr][td] [table][tr][td] [table][tr][td]

Brandon Meriweather
#31 S
New England Patriots

[table][tr][td]2008 STATS[/td] [/tr][tr][td]TACK[/td] [td]SOLO[/td] [td]FF[/td] [td]INT[/td] [td]SACK[/td] [/tr][tr][td]83[/td] [td]61[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]2.0[/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table][/td] [/tr][/table]
But a pair of incidents hurt Meriweather's stock and deleted him from a few teams' draft boards. He was the fourth safety and seventh defensive back taken.

Meriweather was involved in a shooting incident in July 2006, firing three bullets at an unidentified assailant who had shot his Hurricanes teammate, Willie Cooper. No charges were filed because Meriweather was defending himself and the handgun was registered.

Three months later, Meriweather stomped opposing players with his cleats during the infamous Miami-Florida International brawl.

But after interviewing Meriweather before the draft and with the testimony of Hurricanes coaches Randy Shannon and Larry Coker, the character-conscious Patriots didn't detect a significant risk and made him their first pick.

Meriweather didn't start as a rookie. He made his mark on special teams with 18 tackles, but had trouble getting on the field defensively. He had 11 games with one or zero defensive tackles.

"What's difficult about it is the expectations," Meriweather said of the NFL transition. "You expect and the coaches expect you to be almost perfect. That's why people say our system is difficult. We have good coaches that expect good things out of you. When you put so much pressure on yourself, it gets hard."

Meriweather got his shot last season when Harrison suffered a torn quadriceps in Week 7. The injury ended Harrison's season, and the way Meriweather played ended Harrison's career.

Meriweather's progress was illustrated by the coaching staff's belief in him late in the season. Both of his sacks happened in December. His first was a critical strip sack of Seneca Wallace to seal a Week 14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

"I prefer to get an interception to a sack, but whenever you get a chance to blitz, that says something," Meriweather said. "That says your coaches trust the rest of the players around you, trusts your timing and ability to get to the quarterback. That shows your coaches have faith in you."

As an emerging leader in the secondary, he knows he must play even better this year.

"The more that's given, the more's expected," Meriweather said.

In that vein, he intends to open up as he gets more secure in his role.

For example, he thinks it's about time to break out the Hit Stick again after a couple of seasons of keeping it stashed while he learned the NFL game.

"He's still alive," Meriweather said. "He's been in the background, trying to adjust and learn the system and learn the NFL level and how to be a pro.

"He's been hiding a little bit, but he's coming back soon. Real soon."

 

[jaysfordays]

Meriweather = Ed Reed Jr.

 

[lifelessons]

Originally Posted by JaysForDays

Meriweather = Ed Reed Jr.

 

[JD617]

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2009/08/welcome_to_gill_47.html

 

[DeadsetAce]

^ tedy bruschi

 

[DeadsetAce]

[h2]Brady tests shoulder in practice[/h2]

Comment Email Print Associated Press


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady's throwing shoulder seems just fine.

The New England Patriots' quarterback threw passes of up to 25 yards at practice Tuesday, four days after suffering a sore shoulder when he was tackled in a game against the Washington ********. He threw hard passes from a shorter distance.

Brady

Coach Bill Belichick didn't say if Brady would play against the New York Giants on Thursday night in the final exhibition game for both teams.

At first, Brady and backups Andrew Walter and Brian Hoyer took turns throwing to a Patriots staffer. Walter and Hoyer then went to the other end of the field, leaving Brady with the staffer and quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien.

Then Brady threw 16 passes from different angles and speeds before lining up for an 11-on-11 drill.

 

[JD617]

Just got a call back from Tom Brady, says he's fine and there's nothing to worry about. 9:05 PM Aug 28th from TwitterFon


OGOchoCinco

@PatriotsInsider why would I make it up, duh, I heard he got hurt so I left a messgae, he called back and said he's okay,I'm the insider now 9:25 PM Aug 28th from TwitterFon in reply to PatriotsInsider

@richeisen it pays to have everyones phone number, seriously he said he's cool, he's homeless so he'll be okay, new saying right there Rich. 9:27 PM Aug 28th from TwitterFon in reply to richeisen

@YahooSportsNFL tisk tisk, don't be mad sir, he wouldn't tell you for this reason, you're a journalist not a friend. 9:29 PM Aug 28th from TwitterFon in reply to YahooSportsNFL


If Chad says it, it must be true.

edit: This dude is the THB of Twitter.

Seriously...does he even have time to play football?

 

[DeadsetAce]

why in the world would tom be calling him...chad to the pats maybe?

i kid...

 

[the boy wonderr]

Originally Posted by JD617


edit: This dude is the THB of Twitter.

shut up son

 

[JD617]

THB just did a search for himself to see if anyone was talking about him.

Either that or he just reads every single post on NT.

 

[wickednikes]

Originally Posted by JD617


THB just did a search for himself to see if anyone was talking about him.

theres no doubt he did the self search....

 

[the boy wonderr]

I had to do a self search
Its crazy how much i get mentioned when i aint even active on NT

 

[wickednikes]

^ you just got mentioned again in the yankee thread

 

[fraij da 5 11]

Originally Posted by The Boy Wonderr

I had to do a self search
Its crazy how much i get mentioned when i aint even active on NT

 

[the boy wonderr]

Originally Posted by fraij da 5 11

Originally Posted by The Boy Wonderr

I had to do a self search
Its crazy how much i get mentioned when i aint even active on NT

who are you bo

 

[celtixhalfshell]

moss across the middle im liking it. hes expanding his game and keepin it safe.

Brady's making the wise throws as usual.

maroney stay below the hump

i want a Brandon Jacobs play-alike

 

[wickednikes]

^ we just need sammy morris to get healthy and going...dude is not scared to take it up the middle


glad to see brady is fine and upbeat...stoked for this season

 

[DeadsetAce]

nice little comeback led by hoyer. he looked good after a shaky start (and after the giant starters came out

)

walter cut:

Source: Pats release backup QB WalterComment Email Print Share By Adam Schefter
ESPN
Archive
Quarterback Andrew Walter was informed the New England Patriots are releasing him, an NFL source said Friday.

This means that rookie quarterback Brian Hoyer has, for now, won the competition to be Tom Brady's backup.

Hoyer was impressive in the Patriots' regular-season finale against the Giants, and the Patriots are not expected to trade for or sign another veteran QB.

 

[celtixhalfshell]

richard seymour rings is gone????


que darth vader gif:::: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

better him than wilfork though, and hopefully we can keep vincent after this year too...

will this damn season start already

btw ~ WHATS REALLY GOOD W/ WESLEY WELKER??? WHAT'S HIS INJURY???

 

[DeadsetAce]

Seymour dealt to Raiders

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour has been traded from the New England Patriots to the Oakland Raiders, giving the rebuilding franchise a veteran stalwart up front.

[h4]AFC East blog[/h4]

ESPN.com's Tim Graham writes about all things AFC East in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

In return, the Patriots received a first-round draft choice in 2011.

Seymour was in the final year of the four-year extension he signed in 2006. He was due to make $3.685 million.

"From nearly the day he arrived in 2001, Richard Seymour established himself as one of our premier players for nearly a decade," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Sunday. "His presence has been felt as a force on the field, a respected man off it and a multiyear champion."

The 29-year-old Seymour was drafted by the Patriots sixth overall in 2001, and started 105 of 111 games over eight seasons. He made 460 tackles and 39 sacks, and in 2002 was selected to the first of five consecutive Pro Bowls.

[h4]Sack Machine[/h4]

Richard Seymour is off to Oakland after tying a career best with eight sacks in 2008. Here's a look at Seymour's best seasons in terms of sacks:
[table][tr][th=""][/th] [th=""]Sacks[/th] [/tr][tr][td]2008[/td] [td]8*[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2003[/td] [td]8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2002[/td] [td]5.5*[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2004[/td] [td]5[/td] [/tr][tr][td]*Led team[/td] [/tr][/table]

Seymour, who earned three Super Bowl titles with the Patriots, matched his career high with eight sacks in 2008.

"Any transaction we make is with the goal of what is best for our team and, as difficult as it is to part ways with a player of Richard's stature, many factors were taken into account when we considered this trade," Belichick said.

"As an organization, we feel the trade with Oakland brings sufficient value and is in the long-term interest of the club," he added. "We are extremely grateful for the huge impact Richard's elite level of performance had on our success and we wish him the very best during the rest of his career."

In a corresponding move, the Patriots reached agreement Sunday with free-agent guard Kendall Simmons, a source close to the player told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Simmons will fill the roster spot vacated by Seymour.

A former first-round pick of the Steelers, Simmons appeared in four games for Pittsburgh last season. He worked out for New England last week.

Kendall is expected to sign later Sunday.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[DeadsetAce]

just a thought, so we still need a veteran qb, any chance jeff garcia signs with us? i'd be down to have having him grab a clipboard.