or, "Cool Yer Jets."

I admit that last night's display against Tampa was deplorable--but you can only say that as an outsider. There are some concrete things I took away from the 1st half (all I watched): The offensive line looked OK in pass protection, uneven in run-blocking. Matt Cassell is playing himself off the team. Ellis Hobbs still doesn't react quickly enough. The defensive line was somnolent at best. Jerod Mayo is, in fact, a rookie. We still have a good punter, and our kicker seems solid.

After that? Who can say. Only the coaching staff knows what they were looking for last night, or what they expected from various personnel packages. You'll read guesses and hand-wringing here and elsewhere, 'cause that's what us and them are here for. But keep that chart in the back of your mind (or right on your desk, if you have to).

Nothing is won in the preseason.

Well Pats fans, the oline woes have continued to multiply for the hometown team. Recently signed Barry Stokes hit the IR and is out for the season. There he joins early-pre-season signee Anthony Clement. Mike Reiss has a decent rundown on the financial hit to the team. But as he and every serious Patriot-watcher knows, the financial hit isn't the hardest hit.

The set-backs to Tom Brady's rampart and Maroney's vanguard continue to pile up. No offense to the kid, but Nick Kaczur is not an NFL-caliber left tackle. He and Wes Britt have been doing double-duty in camp lately, swapping in with the second team and moving from right to left.

Versatility is great. You've got to love it when some of your top guys can play anywhere on the line. But when you're banking on versatility in lieu of depth, or versatility as a strategy to deal with a lack of depth, well, that's cause for concern. [Footnote here to every JHR comment about unit cohesion on the o-line.]

Last week the Patriots picked up another youngster for Dante to mold. Stephen Sene was a rookie non-draftee FA picked up by the Rams this year. His bio is brief, but I did some checking around. Here's the skinny:

Sene comes from a tight-knit religious family in Colombia, South Carolina. He was heavily recruited by the SEC and ACC out of high school, ultimately going to South Carolina. After a redshirt year due to injury, he was poised to be a four-year SEC starter on the o-line. No mean feat. But things weren't quite right for Sene at SC.

It's not entirely clear but I think a combination of things were going on. He seems like a quiet kid, and his moral and spiritual life is very important to him. The big-time SEC atmosphere wasn't the right setting for him and he left.

In his first camp with Dodge City Community College in Kansas, he tore his ACL and didn't play a down. He became an assistant coach, working with the o-line. Liberty University tracked him down there and offered him a scholarship. He played two seasons with the Flames and became one of the premier offensive linemen in the Big South.

Not saying much, obviously, but you've got to give the kid credit for making the most of his second chance. He joins fellow Patriots rookie, linebacker Vince Redd, as the second Liberty alum in camp. Winning your league gets you some attention, apparently. Initially signed by the Rams, he was released at the end of July.

He was a project, and project o-linemen are longshots by definition. His admitted weakness is lower body strength, something he'll have to work on if he hopes to stick around for more than a year.

Normally, religion front-and-center in an athlete is a big downer for me. IMO, god doesn't give a shit about games--at least no god worth worshiping. But Sene's attachment to his faith seems an effortless extension of his persona rather than a pose or a shield. I find myself rooting for him to succeed here.

If he does, he'll probably wind up on the practice squad. MaPatsFan makes a good point about building from youth on the o-line in his preview post, echoing the concerns of others in regard to recent draft years. He's right about this year--we needed a quick infusion of youth in our linebacking corps. But in spite of the fact that we haven't hit for power in recent o-line drafts, there seems to be a solid foundation of youth there now.

In addition to Sene, Ryan Wendell, center from Fresno State, is another rookie in the trenches. Like Sene, he's a sharp, well-spoken kid who was a force in college. Jimmy Martin, with one year of tenure, rounds out a trio of young offensive linemen that the Patriots now have in camp. If they stick, they could form the nucleus of a strong o-line one or two years from now. In the meantime, however, it's into the deep end to sink or swim. For the sake of this year--at least the early weeks--I hope it's "swim."

Here's a decent video on Sene: 

The fact that BB is still allowed to coach the patriots say's Kraft is full of shit.  He should have fired his cheating ass immediately upon learning about the video tape.  But he didn't because Kraft will do what it takes to win.  Don't give me the crap that everyone else is doing it.  Where's your proof?  The Pats are worthless.  I have no respect for cheaters.  And what's more, BB isn't done cheating.  He is an intelligent man.  He'll think of something.

I'm looking for experienced fantasy players who are committed to winning and don't set their rosters and forgot about the league.

-It is a Fleaflicker league

-Eight spots remain (12 team league total)

-Non-keeper, Redraft

-It is a Live Draft on August 24, 5:00 Central Time

Here is the link to play: 

http://www.fleaflicker.com/showLeague.do?leagueId=44869&invite=true

League name: Fleaflicker Pro League

League password: champion

THANK YOU

As Patriots, winning is the only tradition we know. A ruthless powerhouse some say. Undefeated last season, not too shabby. Always being atop the rankings, we as patriots are truly a force to be reckoned with. However, under the helmet of these elite players, there are people.

Have you ever wondered what Lawrence Maroney does in order to give back to the community, or maybe what kind of slick, studly outfits Jarvis Green wears to a night out? Here at PressPassTV, our goal is to shine a new light on the sports world, and allow the fans to see what goes on off the field. From photoshoots to charity events, we've got you covered. The wondering is over sports fans, come check us out at Presspass.tv or our youtube page at youtube.com/presspass! 

In Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback he talks a bit with Tony Romo, but the interesting thing is that Romo is trying to make his style match Brady's:

Now Romo was up showing me.

"Before,'' he said, "I'd drop back seven and I'd be looking, looking, looking ... ''

He looked left, center and right in the room, bouncing on his feet, moving forward as he did it, ending up about three yards ahead in this imaginary pocket, throwing to an imaginary receiver on the right.

"I've moved way up. See? I better throw it now or the pocket's gonna collapse on me," he said. "What I was doing was creating pressure where there should be none. When I watched film, I wanted to change that.''

"To get out of the traffic?'' I said.

"Yeah,'' he said. "And as I watched film of other quarterbacks, I noticed one, Tom Brady, who didn't do it. As he looked 1-2-3-4, boom-boom-boom, I saw his feet. They weren't coming forward. He was seeing his receivers though.''

Now he dropped back, imitating the stay-at-home Brady."

Brady's like, back-back-back, stay, look, stay, look, boom! Complete. That's what I want to be doing.

Now, I'm no Cowboys fan so I'd rather not see Romo improve, but it's certainly interesting to see how much respect Romo gives our boy Tom.

Bill Belichick's NFL career coaching record, including post-season, stands at 142 - 85 (.626).  With the New England Patriots alone, his overall win-loss record is a not-too-shabby 105 - 40 (.724).  He needs only 8 more to reach 150 wins.

Coincidentally, the first opportunity for Coach Hoodie to hit that milestone will come in week 9 against the Colts, at their spanking new Lucas Oil Stadium, IF the Pats win all 7 games before them.  How sweet that would be!

Actually, if you're a player, it bites.  As Sports Illustrated's Stephan Fastis discovered, players regard it grimly.  Some more stoically than others, to be sure, but the fact is that camp is something to be endured if you're a veteran; if a rookie, it is 6 or so weeks of desperate self-doubt.

photo: Boston Herald

Nevertheless, a critical time of the year.  As the firehose of football sports-writing begins to flow in earnest, those of us who take this all a little too seriously (that would be you, Mr. Reading PatsPulpit at Work Man) need to keep some things in mind as we scour the intertubes for signs of hope.  To help you cope, here are  5 general JohnHannahRules for pre-season camp:

1.  Defense looks good before offense looks good.

2.  Receivers, generally, look better than defensive backs.

3.  Passing looks better than running.

4.  Veterans sit out any chance they get unless they're on the cut bubble.

5.  Journalists don't know what they're looking at but have to write something.  Anything.

Taking these in order, I'll expand.  (continued)

Continue reading this post »

When he was a coach (and a pretty good one at that), John Madden used to debate with another HC over where you start in building a team: Defensive backs or offensive line?

Naturally, I come out with Madden in saying it's the guys in the trenches. Very little print is devoted to the Pat's o-line concerns relative to the other stories out there. IMO, though, all those other issues (with the possible exception of Asante's replacement) are gravy. Unless this line can coalesce with a new roster over the next month to six weeks, it's going to be a very rocky season for the hometown team.

Continue reading this post »

Hey guys, Matt from MockingtheDraft. Thought this may interest the crew over here:

http://www.newerascouting.com/qb-tom-brady/

We're going to start pro scouting soon and we are looking for an AFC East scout if anyone is interested.

Let me know if you have feedback on the format or the actual write-up.

Good luck in '08. I've been a closet Patriots fan since the Curtis Martin days. Getting Brady, no joke a player we were really fond of out of Michigan, helped.