Just A Normal Tuesday In Foxborough: Stallworth Put On IR, Shiancoe Released & Branch Returns?

If you are going to play in one game in an NFL regular season and literally make one play, it's hard to top the way Patriots wide receiver Donte' Stallworth went out in 2012. He caught a 63-yard touchdown from Tom Brady (with one hand!) on Monday night which made it 28-0 New England and today, he went to IR with an ankle injury.

I guess it got lost in the shuffle of the 42-14 blowout victory over the Texans but apparently he sat out the last 25 minutes of the game. I don't remember one mention of that fact, I guess the Pats beat writers were too busy getting their stories done early. With Julian Edelman already on IR, the Patriots are very thin at wide receiver. That means that Deion Branch should be back as soon as tomorrow for the third time this season. His locker was kept just how he left it for him since he was waived on November 17-to deal with a hamstring injury.

In other Pats roster moves, they released tight end Visanthe Shiancoe from the 53-man roster and offensive lineman Tommie Draheim from the practice squad. To say that Shiancoe was a complete non-factor would be a big understatement. Hell even Kellen Winslow caught a pass the one week he was here. Haha bet you forgot about that. After going on IR (with the designation to return), Shiancoe "played" in the last four games but had zero impact-no catches.

All you have to know is that he was beaten out by Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui while Rob Gronkowski is out with his broken forearm. I doubt that New England would sign another tight end since they also have Aaron Hernandez and Gronk can't be that far away from getting back on the field. However, you never know with this team. Perhaps Ben Coates or Kyle Brady will return. Haha just kidding.

UPDATE 12/12: Today, New England signed wide receiver Tony Logan to the practice squad.

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Well I Guess We Know Who The Best Team In The AFC Is After Monday Night

It's no wonder that we (Patriots fans) are all honks and lunatics that are despised by the rest of the country. Really though, how are you supposed to act when one team spoils us so many times in one magical decade? What was billed as the AFC game of the year turned out to be no contest as New England (10-3, 5-1 home) blew the doors off Houston (11-2, 6-1 away) 42-14 at Gillette Stadium in Monday Night Football.

This wasn't your garden variety Patriots beating since the Texans are the top team in the AFC and they had been unbeaten on road this season. Somehow the team that called this "the biggest game in their franchise's history" didn't manage to show up for it. New England won their seventh straight game overall and their 20th consecutive home game in December. Thanks to global warming, Houston didn't even get treated to proper weather since it was 59 degrees at kickoff.

Tom Brady (21 of 35, 296 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT), Brandon Lloyd (7 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs) and Stevan Ridley (18 carries, 72 yards, TD) were collectively much better than Matt Schaub (19 of 32, 232 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT), Andre Johnson (8 catches, 95 yards) and Arian Foster (15 carries, 46 yards, TD; 4 catches, 39 yards). As we all know, football is a team game and while those numbers were great for New England, what was even more impressive was their fast start and excellent defensive effort.

Vince Wilfork (4 tackles, 3 solo, sack, tackle for loss, pass defensed) and Jerod Mayo (7 tackles, 6 solo, tackle for loss, 2 quarterback hits) were the best defensive players on the field which is saying something since Houston defensive end J.J. Watt (4 tackles, 2 solo, 3 quarterback hits) will likely by the NFL Defensive Player of the Year this season. Houston had no answers for those two or Dont'a Hightower (6 tackles, 5 solo, 2 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits), Devon McCourty (5 tackles, 5 solo, tackle for loss, pass defensed, interception) and Rob Ninkovich (5 tackles, 2 solo, .5 sack, 1 quarterback hit) for that matter.

The final outcome was never really in question as the Pats jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, 21-0 advantage in the second quarter and the Texans didn't get on the board until the third quarter when Foster's 1-yard run cut it to 28-7. Ridley fumbled near the goalline on New England's first drive but Aaron Hernandez (8 catches, 58 yards) recovered it and caught a 7-yard touchdown on the next play. Fortune later shone on the Patriots in the fourth quarter when Danny Woodhead fumbled (after Watt punched the ball out) following a nice catch and run but it went to the end zone, right to Lloyd.

Lloyd caught a 37-yard touchdown on a beautiful play action fake by Brady. That made it 14-0 and Hernandez added a 4-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. One of the more ironic parts is that after that score, the Texans defense actually held the Patriots in check for a while. They punted four times in a row (including three 3-and-outs to start) but all was forgiven when Brady hit Donte' Stallworth for 63-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

That was Stallworth's first grab of the season and most impressively, it was caught one-handed while the cornerback was all over him in coverage. Ridley's 14-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter made it 42-7 before Texans backup quarterback T.J. Yates had a 1-yard touchdown run in garbage time.

Houston still has the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs but this game had to give New England so much confidence. They destroyed what had been (record wise) the best team in the NFL and made the road to home-field and at least a No. 2 seed very possible. If the Patriots win out and the Texans slip up once more, bingo they are No. 1.

The Niners (9-3-1, 1st NFC West) come to Gillette Stadium on Sunday night (8:20 p.m., NBC) for another primetime matchup with one of the NFL's top teams. After a short week and given that this wasn't even competitive, the law of averages would tell you that game will be much closer. Then again, after tonight's beating, it's impossible to predict how well the Patriots can play/how poorly a legitimate contender performs. The other main point for New England against San Francisco is that the Niners represent the last good team that they will see until January. The Pats could beat the Jaguars and Dolphins in their sleep so they might as well empty the tank (within reason) this week.

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That's A Wrap On Julian Edelman's 2012 Season, I Hope That He Enjoyed It

Will Julian Edelman ever play 16 games in an NFL regular season? That's the inevitable question you have to ask yourself at this moment although truth be told, we probably won't need to bother with thoughts like that soon enough. After appearing in 15 games in 2010 and 13 games last season, his 2012 is over with only nine games under his belt.

Today, New England's third wide receiver and main punt returner was placed on season-ending IR with a broken foot that requires surgery. He injured it on Sunday in Miami on what seemed to be a pretty harmless play. That news has to leave him devastated since not only was this something of a breakout season for him but he's also heading into free agency this winter so he probably just lost a decent amount of money.

We all know that it was a joke when the Patriots tried to faze Wes Welker out of the offense at the beginning of the season and make Edelman into Welker 2.0. The results were laughable since Edelman isn't half the slot receiver that Welker is. With that said, I can admit that in the last few weeks, Edelman finally seemed to have found a role on a Super Bowl contender: jack of all trades.

Against the Colts on November 18, he piled up seven catches for 58 yards and a touchdown, a 47-yard run and a touchdown on a punt return. He followed that up with another pair of scores the next game against the Jets: he had three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown plus he returned a fumble on New York's kickoff return for a touchdown. For the season, he had 21 catches on 32 targets for 235 yards and three touchdowns. On 17 punt returns, he had 263 yards for an average of 15.5 yards (2nd best in the NFL) and a touchdown.

His absence will probably be noticed most on special teams, primarily punt returns where now Welker ironically should slide into his role. This is why Donte' Stallworth was re-signed, although obviously they play much different roles and are nowhere close to the same player. Bigger picture, you have to wonder if this has changed New England's thinking in regards to Welker's contract situation. They tried to groom Edelman to be his replacement but clearly he's not up to the job for two main reasons-injuries and skill. Why not make everyone happy and bring back the man himself? Just some food for thought on a quiet Tuesday.

The Patriots also released offensive lineman Mitch Petrus and signed offensive linemen Tommie Draheim and Colin Miller to the practice squad.

UPDATE 12/6: Petrus was signed by Tennessee. Haha so many teams scoop up their useless scraps right after New England lets them go, it never gets old.

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The Patriots Can Never Have Enough Third Tight Ends

The New England Patriots continue to make exactly their type of moves in free agency as they agreed to terms with their sixth new player in the past week.

Former Denver Broncos tight end Daniel Fells will come to Foxboro seemingly with a place already locked up as the third tight end on New England's depth chart. The Pats have reportedly given the former UC Davis star a three-year deal worth $2 million per season and up to $7 million if he reaches all his incentives.

This is a no-brainer since the Patriots somehow went long stretches last season with only Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. Sure, Dan Gronkowski was brought in for a few weeks as a blocking tight end but he had zero impact so he was quickly sent on his way out of town and back to the Gronk bros' estate.

Fells apparently is known more for his hands than his blocking which seems counterproductive to what his role will likely be for Bill Belichick. After getting signed as a rookie free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 2006, he bounced from there to the Raiders and Tampa Bay's practice squad before finding a home in St. Louis (2008-2010).

He spent last season in Denver with Tebowmania where he was limited to 19 catches for 256 yards and three touchdowns. I don't put much stock on those numbers since we all know that Tebow can't throw a forward pass consistently-a key to football in 2012. In 58 career games, Fells has 88 catches for 1001 yards (11.4 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns.

His best season was 2010 with the Rams and Sam Bradford when he made 41 catches for 391 yards (9.5 yards per catch) and two touchdowns in 16 games.

Fells fits the mold of the other players that New England has signed so far: Jonathan Fanene, Steve Gregory, Trevor Scott, Anthony Gonzalez and Brandon Lloyd. None of them have received more than a three-year contract and they are all depth players that are low-risk, high-reward. Stop me if you've heard that one before. If nothing else, he provides insurance in case Gronkowski or Hernandez go down with an injury next season; both were pretty durable last season despite the fact that they take a ton of hits since they are beasts after the catch.

UPDATE 3/19: The Patriots had a very busy day as they added three other players: defensive back Marquice Cole (a special teams standout from the Jets), offensive lineman Robert Gallery (a former No. 2 overall pick in 2004 for Oakland who's been a complete bust) and wide receiver Donte' Stallworth (who was a Patriot in 2007 but he's only had 41 catches and three touchdowns combined in the last three seasons). Gallery and Stallworth got one-year deals.

UPDATE 3/20: Mike Reiss tweeted that Cole's deal is one-year and worth $615,000. He also said that Cole can become a "core special teamer."

UPDATE 3/21: Lost in all the other moves, the Patriots re-signed center Dan Connolly to a three-year deal while they also released linebacker Christian Cox who spent all last season (his rookie year) on IR.

Also today, New England signed veteran cornerback Will Allen to a one-year deal. Stallworth will get $875,000 including a $25,000 bonus and $25,000 workout bonus. Mark Anderson signed a four-year deal with the Buffalo Bills and some guy named Tim Tebow was traded from the Broncos to the Jets. The AFC East is getting very interesting, although the Miami Dolphins still have done basically nothing besides sign David Gerrard after getting turned down by every other free agent QB.

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Brady-O'Brien Sideline Spat Overshadows Patriots 34-27 Win Over Redskins

It is almost unheard of that drama on the sidelines during a Patriots game (by them) overshadows the actual play on the field but as far as I'm concerned, seeing Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien yell at each other and have to be separated was much more interesting than New England's (10-3) 34-27 win over the Washington Redskins (4-9) this afternoon at FedEx Field.

New England kept pace with the Steelers, Ravens and Texans, who all won this weekend and remain tied atop the AFC at 10-3. The Pats could have clinched the AFC East today with a Jets loss but Rex Ryan's guys smoked the Chiefs to keep their playoff hopes alive and well.

It sounds insane that I never thought this one was in doubt, especially since Washington was driving for the tying score at the end, but did you really believe Rex Grossman (19 of 32, 252 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) would beat the Patriots?

For their fifth straight win, New England benefited on a huge break (or bounce as it were) when Grossman's pass went off Santana Moss' (3 catches, 81 yards, TD) hands and was picked off on an outstanding diving play by Jerod Mayo (his second INT in the last two games).

Brady (22 of 37, 357 yards, 3 TDs, INT) got into it following the previous drive as the Patriots could have iced it with another score but his pass into the end zone-intended for Tiquan Underwood (1 catch, 7 yards)-was picked off by Josh Wilson.

TB12 is prone to emotional outbursts when he walks to the sideline and being a prick when he's on the bench. In this case, I think they both had their faults. 1) It wasn't a good pass by Brady so I have no problem with O'Brien calling him on it. 2) That was the best option, really? Forcing it in to the fifth receiver? So I can also understand Brady's frustration. This moment will be the talking point for the next week and I don't blame anyone since it was way more memorable than this completely forgettable game (at least as far as the Pats defense was concerned).

Rob Gronkowski (6 catches, 160 yards, 2 TDs) broke the NFL touchdown record for tight ends (13, held by Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis). Honestly, I think he could put up 20+ now that he has 15 with three games remaining.

Wes Welker (7 catches, 86 yards) and Aaron Hernandez (5 catches, 84 yards) both had solid performances in supporting roles to Gronk. Truthfully, Brady didn't have a great game even though his numbers look good. He missed way more passes than he normally does but what can you do? As usual, O'Brien had no commitment to any semblance of a running game, putting way too much pressure on Brady to carry not only the defense but also a one-dimensional offensive gameplan.

Two ex-Patriots: Jabar Gaffney (6 catches, 92 yards, TD) and Donte' Stallworth (4 catches, 96 yards) torched their former team which dare I say, had its most pathetic defensive performance of the season so far, all things considered. Andre Carter (5 tackles, 2 solo, sack, 3 quarterback hits) had a good game against his former team the Redskins.

Vince Wilfork recovered a Grossman fumble (caused by Carter) in the end zone for a touchdown (the first of his career) and an early 7-0 lead for the Pats, 2:54 into the game. However, other than that, Mayo's interception (the last play) and a couple pass breakups by Devin McCourty, New England's defense was beaten all over the field by Redskins rookie running back Ray Helu (27 carries, 126 yards) and an otherwise awful offensive unit.

Washington went down the field on its next drive but were forced to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Graham Gano.

Gronkowski's first touchdown-from 11 yards out-was trumped by the catch and run he made on the previous play. He went 49 yards, dragging and/or running over multiple Redskins while staying inbounds on the sideline. At 14-3 a little more than midway through the first quarter, New England looked like they might blow out Washington.

Turns out that Gaffney and Co. responded right away. He had a 9-yard touchdown grab (burning McCourty) that cut it to 14-10. I'm not going to pretend he's a great wide receiver but don't you wish the Pats had him over the likes of Underwood and Chad Johnson (1 catch, 15 yards)? Gaffney's a pro; a good route runner that makes plays.

The second quarter started with a play that might only work in Pop Warner, probably not even in Madden. Yet there was returner Brandon Banks taking an end-around and throwing a terrible spiral to Moss (uncovered) for a 49-yard touchdown. Washington led 17-14.

New England's red zone offense stalled and Stephen Gostkowski was forced to kick a 23-yard field goal to tie it at 17. Ditto for the Redskins as Gano hit a 25-yard field goal before the two-minute warning. Gostkowski's 24-yard field goal at the end of the first half knotted it at 20.

The back and forth scoring extended to the third quarter as Gronkowski caught a 37-yard touchdown on New England's first drive of the half. David Anderson tied it with a 6-yard touchdown catch from Grossman before Welker broke loose for a 24-yard TD after Brady bought some time in the pocket.

It was shocking that nobody scored in the fourth quarter, not to mention the fact that the Patriots defense forced two punts and the interception.

I have been waiting for next Sunday's game in Denver basically since the Jets game way back on November 13. The Pats have played one joke team (Kansas City, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Washington) after the next during this winning streak so it's time to see them face the Broncos (8-5), who lead the AFC West and are riding a six-game winning streak and 7-1 run under the incomparable Tim Tebow.

The only disappointing part is that it won't be on Sunday Night Football so that it truly gets the hype it deserves but I can't argue against Brady vs. Tebow at any time. Denver is likely going to win their division and make the playoffs; they have a nice defense and it is always tough to win in the high altitude of Denver (snow would be cool too).

I speak for all Patriots fans when I say, it's about time they faced someone they could potentially see in the playoffs. Enough with these garbage opponents in games that are almost predetermined before kickoff.

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the Song Remains the Same

The Patriots beat the Browns, 34-17 at Gillette yesterday in a game that shouldn't have been that close. It was 20-0 at halftime. The funny thing is that the Pats played their worst game of the season and still won comfortably, improving to 5-0. Brady threw 3 TD's, making it the fifth straight game (tying Steve Young's record to start a season) with at least three touchdown passes.

The theme of yesterday for the Patriots was showing off the other weapons. Randy Moss has deservedly gotten the lion's share of the credit (along with Brady) for the first four weeks. The Browns chose to double cover him which left among others, Donte' Stallworth and Ben Watson open. Stallworth had his easily his best performance for New England, catching four passes for 65 yards (including a nifty 34-yard catch and run for a score) plus a 12-yard run on a reverse. Watson had his first career 100-yd game (6 catches, 107 yards) and two touchdowns.

The ageless Junior Seau had two first-half picks and Asante Samuel added another. Randall Gay had a bad game as he was beaten for a touchdown catch by Kellen Winslow and slipped in coverage which led to another Browns score. Gay redeemed himself with a garbage time strip and 15-yard fumble return for a TD.

Sammy Morris had his second straight 100-yd game (21 carries, 102 yards) subbing for Laurence Maroney. It is still incredible how Belichick and the Patriots can turn retreads like Morris and Seau into guys making big contributions on championship-caliber teams. Next week looks like New England's first big test: at the unbeaten Cowboys. Dallas has been on a roll and that should continue tonight at hapless Buffalo. It'll be exciting to see how the Patriots matchup against such a dynamic offense while also being put up against a talented defense. Plus its at Texas Stadium. Is it too early to say it could be a Super Bowl preview? That has probably never been said in Week 6 of a NFL season but as long as Romo doesn't get hurt tonight, it'll be the plot for next Sunday. I can't wait.