Meet Your 2014 New England Patriots Captains

It has been a long summer thanks to the miserable Red Sox, so even though the heat has surprisingly returned to start out September, we are thrilled that football season is officially here. New England opens its much-anticipated 2014 campaign on Sunday (1, CBS) in Miami against their AFC East foe (and likely biggest threat in the division). Today, the Pats named their six captains for the club with five holdovers from past seasons and one random new one.

On offense, quarterback Tom Brady and offensive lineman Dan Connolly are the leaders while nose tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo, safety Devin McCourty and special teams star Matthew Slater are also in charge. Brady, Wilfork, Mayo, McCourty and Slater have all been captains for years while Connolly is the lone change. He's been in the NFL for nine years and this will be his seventh in Foxborough after starting out in Jacksonville. It makes sense that the oldest offensive lineman gets the nod since he started every game last season (for the first time) and Logan Mankins was dealt to Tampa Bay.

Captains (if they have them) in baseball or basketball are mostly a useless title (looking at you Rajon Rondo) but in hockey and football, I think it's the complete opposite. Such physically demanding sports require capable leaders that are the most respected members of a given team and also some of their best players. We all think it should be a long, fruitful season for the Pats and judging by these solid guys, they are starting out from a good place.

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The Patriots Always Keep Us On Our Toes, Always

One of the main reasons that the Patriots have put together this incredible sustained run of success (besides the supreme skill of Tom Brady) is that head coach Bill Belichick is never afraid to make a bold move. Today was a perfect example, as names of random guys cut (rosters go down to 75 this afternoon) emerged, the Patriots unleashed a real bombshell: they traded six-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins to the Buccaneers for tight end Tim Wright and a fourth-round draft pick in 2015.

New England's offensive line hasn't been one of their strengths the last few seasons as they've shuffled through a million young guys and journeymen. One constant the whole time though was Mankins who was a first-round pick in 2005 out of Fresno State. He was tough, smart, very accountable and easy to root for which is usually the case with offensive linemen-the unsung heroes of football. This feels like nothing more than a calculated business decision by Belichick.

At 32, Mankins' best days are probably behind him. It's difficult to quantify offensive linemen play but those that know more about the game than me have said that Mankins' play was slipping the last few years, he's still a great run blocker but shaky in the passing game (which is what the sport totally revolves around now).

Wright is an afterthought for most in the deal but he could play a significant role on the Patriots in 2014. As a rookie last season with the Bucs, he made 54 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns. If nothing else, he provides insurance for Rob Gronkowski (who has missed the playoffs in his last two seasons). A Rutgers product (of course!), Wright is known as more a pass catcher which Tom Brady could use rather than a blocker like Michael Hoomanawanui or various other scrubs they've shuffled in on a daily basis.

This is a good reminder that in the NFL, particularly on a team like the Patriots, few jobs are guaranteed from year to year. In my opinion, it's the toughest pro league to make in the U.S. since careers are so short and subject to a million different circumstances many of which are out of players' control. I hope that Mankins plays well in Tampa Bay and helps to turn that franchise around. The Buccaneers have been mostly a mess for the past decade and he's just the kind of guy to help them get back to their former winning ways.

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Week 17 Injury Report: Patriots vs. Bills + 4 Patriots Named to the Pro Bowl

You probably lost track of it over the holidays (you're excused) but the Patriots (11-4) have a very important game in their regular season finale, Sunday (1, CBS) vs. Buffalo (6-9) at Gillette Stadium. With a win, the Pats will earn the No. 2 seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They can also get it with a loss but since it is the Bills, let's just focus on beating that hopeless franchise.

Today's injury report had some interesting things on it: Josh Boyce (ankle) is out and Devin McCourty (concussion) is doubtful for New England. Bills mercurial wide receiver Stevie Johnson is out (his mother passed away) and safety Aaron Williams (ribs) is also out while quarterback EJ Manuel (knee) is doubtful but backup Thad Lewis has already been named the starter.

The Patriots have 11 players that are questionable: Kyle Arrington (groin), Alfonzo Dennard (knee/shoulder), Aaron Dobson (foot), Dane Fletcher (groin), Steve Gregory (finger/knee), Rob Ninkovich (ankle), Nate Solder (concussion), Brandon Spikes (knee), Will Svitek (ankle), Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) and Shane Vereen (groin).

In the past, I've written a specific blog just about the Pro Bowl selections for the Patriots but in my wiser age, I realized who gives a shit? The Pro Bowl rosters were announced tonight and it still boggles my mind that so many people care who is on it or not. I mean really? Anyways, I just thought I should mention that the Pats had four Pro Bowlers in 2013: Tom Brady, Logan Mankins, Aqib Talib and Matthew Slater. Bye!

UPDATE 12/28: Safety Kanorris Davis and cornerback Justin Green were promoted from the practice squad for tomorrow's game.

UPDATE 12/29: The Patriots inactives are Steve Beauharnais, Dennard, Boyce, Isaac Sopoaga, McCourty, Jake Bequette and Chris Barker. The Bills inactives are Manuel, Johnson, WR Cordell Roberson, RB Ronnie Wingo, DB Brandon Smith, OG Mark Asper and OG Antoine McClain.

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Vince Wilfork Named To The Associated Press All-Pro Team

Forget the silly Pro Bowl, the individual honor that means the most to NFL players is the Associated Press All-Pro team. There are fewer spots and it doesn't matter what conference you play in. The Patriots went 12-4 this season but they only had one player make the AP All-Pro team in 2012: defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.

At that position, Wilfork will never put up big numbers but you only need to watch part of one Patriots game to see how much he disrupts other team's offensive lines. It usually takes two guys to try to block him. He had 29 solo tackles, 19 assists, three sacks, two fumbles forced and four fumbles recovered.

There are 50 voters from across the country that select the AP All-Pro team. Wilfork got 27 votes so he was on the first team along with Cincinnati's Geno Atkins. Other Patriots that received votes: Logan Mankins (7, second team with Baltimore's Marshall Yanda), Rob Gronkowski (4), Jerod Mayo (4), Tom Brady (3), Wes Welker (1), Sebastian Vollmer (1) and Devin McCourty (1).

New England is finally back on the field tomorrow afternoon (4:30 p.m., CBS) against Houston at Gillette Stadium as they try to get to the AFC Championship game next Sunday.

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The Patriots Hopefully Will Not Send Seven Guys To The 2013 Pro Bowl

I have made fun of the Pro Bowl more than enough in the past so I don't want to repeat myself ranting about the most useless yearly event in professional sports. As a dedicated blogger, I'm here simply to report that the Patriots had seven players named to the 2013 Pro Bowl in Hawaii on January 27, 2013.

Quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker, tight end Rob Gronkowski, guard Logan Mankins, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo and special teams standout Matthew Slater were all selected by their peers, NFL coaches and fans. New England hopes that history repeats itself since the Patriots didn't have to send anybody to Hawaii in 2012 since they were in the Super Bowl the next Sunday against the Giants.

Gronkowski, Mankins, Wilfork and Mayo are the starters of that group and the Patriots had the third most selections of any team in the NFL. The 49ers (9) and Texans (8)-two teams they saw up close in recent weeks at Gillette Stadium-were the other squads most heavily represented.

This is the eighth time Brady has made it, one shy of John Hannah's team record, and fourth year in a row. Mankins, Welker and Wilfork are going for the fifth time while Gronkowski, Mayo and Slater each were named to the AFC roster for the second time in their careers.

One of the things that makes football so great is that it is the epitome of a team sport. It takes many solid players to get anywhere so while these particular guys all deserved to be singled out for their excellent seasons, I take this more of an indication that it's been a great year for the Patriots.

New England (11-4) hosts Miami (7-8) on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m., CBS) in the final game of the 2012 regular season. The playoff scenarios are pretty simple for the Pats: if they win and either Houston or Denver loses, they get the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If they win and both the Texans and Broncos lose, they get the No. 1 seed. However if both of those teams win, it doesn't matter what the Patriots do because they won't get a bye in the first round.

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Week 14: Texans At Patriots Injury Report

I don't know about you but I'm not sure that I can wait an extra day for Patriots vs. Texans on Monday Night Football (8:30 p.m., ESPN). Just kidding, I would do just about anything within reason since it has all the makings of an instant classic regular season game.

Today, the teams released their injury reports. Rob Gronkowski (forearm/hip) is out for New England while tackle Derek Newton (knee) and linebacker Brooks Reed (groin) have already been ruled out for Houston.

The Patriots have 13 guys listed as questionable with the most relevant being Chandler Jones (ankle) and Logan Mankins (ankle/calf) since they've missed the last two and three games respectively. The Texans only have two guys that are questionable: cornerback Alan Ball (foot) and tight end Garrett Graham (concussion).

The usual suspects make up the rest of the questionable guys for the Pats: Ron Brace (elbow), Patrick Chung (shoulder/hamstring), Dan Connolly (back), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Kyle Love (knee), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Brandon Spikes (knee/ankle), Sebastian Vollmer (back/ankle) and Wes Welker (ankle).

All those players mentioned in the previous paragraph for New England suited up for the Patriots last Sunday in Miami. However, Connolly left with a back injury in the first half and never returned so we'll have to see if he plays on Monday.

Have fun watching the rest of the NFL in action tomorrow, good luck in your fantasy football playoffs and make sure to get plenty of rest. We'll need it, regular season games don't get much bigger than this. I'll update the injury report when I see who else will be inactive for both teams.

UPDATE 12/9: Graham is out for the Texans.

UPDATE 12/10: Inactives for the Patriots-McDonald, offensive lineman Markus Zusevics, defensive lineman Jake Bequette, Brace, safety Derrick Martin and fullback James Develin.

Inactive Texans-Ball, guard Antoine Caldwell, defensive tackle Terrell McClain and guard Cody White.

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Week 13: Patriots At Dolphins Injury Report

It has been longer than usual between regular season games for the Patriots since they last played on Thanskgiving against the Jets. Even weirder, it is now December and Sunday (1 p.m., CBS) will be the first time this season that the Patriots (8-3) and Dolphins (5-6) meet. Miami comes to Gillette Stadium in Week 17.

Today, the injury report came out for Sunday's game at Sun Life Stadium. Miami's only questionable player is running back Jorvorskie Lane (knee). As always, New England spent much more time playing needless mind games with the list. Rob Gronkowski (forearm), Chandler Jones (ankle) and Logan Mankins (ankle/calf) have all been ruled out for the Pats so they probably missed out on a free trip to South Beach.

15 other guys on New England are questionable but we all know that doesn't really mean anything. Ron Brace (elbow), Patrick Chung (shoulder), Dan Connolly (back), Julian Edelman (concussion), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Kyle Love (knee), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Matthew Slater (concussion), Brandon Spikes (knee), Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Wes Welker (ankle), Tracy White (foot) and Markus Zusevics (illness) are all "50/50" to suit up in the AFC East matchup.

In other Patriots news, cornerback Sterling Moore was signed off New England's practice squad by the Cowboys so that's a bummer. Stay tuned as I'll update this when I hear more information before kickoff. Keep in mind the Patriots can clinch their ninth division title in 10 years with a victory.

UPDATE 12/1: Something called Mitch Petrus, that is an offensive lineman for the Patriots, is questionable for tomorrow because he's sick. OK then.

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Week 12 Injury Report: Patriots At Jets (Thanksgiving Night)

While you are falling asleep tomorrow night and fighting over the remote with your dear extended family, the Patriots and Jets will be hard at work. New England (7-3) travels to New York (4-6) for a sneaky big AFC East matchup at 8:30 p.m. on NBC. If the Pats win, they could effectively bury the Jets for good this season. If the Jets come out on top, they could actually make a playoff run since the rest of their schedule is cake.

Today, the injury report was released with three New England players out already. Of course, Rob Gronkowski (forearm) won't play for a while. Also, Chandler Jones (ankle) and Logan Mankins (ankle) will be on the sidelines for the holiday.

13 Patriots are questionable: Tracy White (foot), Steve Gregory (hip), Ron Brace (elbow), Wes Welker (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dan Connolly (back), Sebastian Vollmer (back), Patrick Chung (shoulder), Trevor Scott (hamstring), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Brandon Spikes (knee) and Brandon Lloyd (knee).

For the Jets, seven guys are questionable: cornerback Aaron Berry (quad), linebacker Bart Scott (toe), defensive tackle Sione Pouha (back), running back Joe McKnight (ankle), quarterback Tim Tebow (ribs), wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (heel) and defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (knee).

If I can push away from the dinner table for a second before the game, I'll try to update who else will be inactive.

UPDATE 11/22: Greg Salas was waived and the Pats activated offensive tackle Greg Zusevics from the reserve/non-football injury list. Hernandez is active while Vollmer, Marquice Cole, Jake Bequette and Zusevics are all out. Kerley, Tebow and McKnight are all active for the Jets. New York's inactives are quarterback Greg McElroy, running back Kahlil Bell, Berry, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, guards Caleb Schlauderaff and Hayworth Hicks plus tight end Hayden Smith.

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Week 11: Patriots-Colts Injury Report

Sunday (4:25 p.m., CBS) should be a fascinating game as rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and the overachieving Colts (6-3) visit the underachieving Patriots (6-3) at Gillette Stadium.

Today the injury report was released and it features 16 Patriots that are questionable and two Colts that are out.

Logan Mankins (ankle/calf) is all banged up, illustrated in the fact that New England pulled out the doubtful label for the first time this season. Ron Brace (elbow), Deion Branch (hamstring), Patrick Chung (shoulder/hamstring), Dan Connolly (back), Steve Gregory (hip), Rob Gronkowski (hip), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Trevor Scott (hamstring), Brandon Spikes (knee), Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Wes Welker (ankle), Tracy White (foot) and Malcolm Williams (thigh) are all questionable.

It was reported by multiple sources that Hernandez was going to miss his fourth straight game so it is surprising to see him listed as 50/50. I tend to believe all the clued in reporters (ESPN's Adam Schefter foremost) rather than the Patriots.

For the Colts, rookie tight end Coby Fleener (Luck's teammate at Stanford) is out with a knee injury while former Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis (reluctant star of Hard Knocks this summer) will miss this key AFC battle due to a shoulder injury.

With the late kickoff on Sunday afternoon, we probably won't know until an hour or two before who else will miss this game. Keep in mind, some names often pop up on Saturday nights so I'll have the latest information when I hear it.

It was a rough day to be a bank account in Foxborough as Spikes ($25,000), Jerod Mayo ($10,000) and Alfonzo Dennard ($7875) were all fined for unnecessary roughness (Spikes) or late hits (Mayo and Dennard) against the Bills last Sunday.

UPDATE 11/17: The Patriots made a flurry of moves today as they released Branch for the second time this season and also wide receiver Jarred Fayson off the practice squad. They activated cornerback Aqib Talib and wide receiver Greg Salas (from the practice squad).

UPDATE 11/18: Hernandez, Mankins, Chung, Connolly, Daniel Fells, Jake Bequette and Justin Francis are all inactive for New England.

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Your 2012 New England Patriots Captains, Same Exact Group As Last Year

Life is just better with real football games happening all around us so it was a great feeling last night when at long lost, the NFL was back for good thanks to its Giants-Cowboys 2012 season-opener.

The Patriots are getting ready for their game on Sunday against the Titans in Nashville, Tennessee. The injury report should be out tomorrow and today they did some further housekeeping as they announced their 2012 team captains: quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Matthew Slater, guard Logan Mankins, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo and cornerback Devin McCourty.

If the names seem familiar, you have been paying attention lately since it is the same exact group that were captains last season as well. Since New England reached the Super Bowl again, I see nothing wrong with keeping these guys as the appointed leaders. It takes years to build team chemistry (ask the Red Sox) so when you find a comfortable fit, I think it's best to stay with it for as long as things run smoothly.

Not for nothing, but all those guys have been Pro Bowlers. I think every team does this, with probably some variation, but it's nice to have basically every position covered: star and best player, top linemen, defensive playmakers and special teams ace. One of the things that has made the Patriots so great in the last decade is the way (at least on the outside) that every player seems to be treated equally. That might appear obvious but in the NFL, that is often a tougher act than you would expect.

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Four Boston Pro Athletes Among Forbes' List Of Top 100 Highest Paid In 2012

As the saying goes, playing professional sports in New England isn't for everybody. There is tons of pressure and an insane level of scrutiny but it is also doubly rewarding when you do well since we will shower you with an unhealthy level of love and affection.

Forbes' List of the Top 100 highest paid athletes in 2012 proves that playing for the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox also has another positive aspect: you'll get paid handsomely. Bottom line, if you're a great competitor, you want to play in a market like this since the fans care so much and are for the most part very knowledgeable about the respective sports.

No surprise that Pats quarterback Tom Brady has the top spot locally at No. 28. He earned $23.1 million in salary and $4 million in endorsements. He's joined by teammate Logan Mankins who checks in at No. 51. New England's outstanding offensive lineman made $21.9 million in salary and $100,000 in endorsements. Haha I have no clue what Mankins pitches, maybe cowboy boots or trucks?

Celtics big man Kevin Garnett is the only guy on his team that's on the list. He was 57th, making $17.1 million in salary and $4 million in endorsements.

Finally, the last Boston athlete to sneak onto the list is Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford. Obviously, his inclusion is the one that sticks out the most since he had an awful first season with Boston last year and he has yet to play in a game this season due to a bunch of injuries. He was 98th with $16.8 million in salary and $150,000 in endorsements. I guess those Dunkin' Donuts ads don't pay what they used to.

There were no Bruins on the list which is probably a good thing since it would give Tim Thomas something else to complain about on his Facebook page. That stupid government! Apropos of nothing, he is tied for the third highest paid Bruin next season ($5 million) behind captain Zdeno Chara ($6.9 million), center David Krejci ($5.25 million) and tied with center Patrice Bergeron despite the fact that he supposedly won't play in 2012-13.

We are lucky enough to currently have some of the best professional coaches (remember the Highest Paid Coaches list by Forbes?) and players residing in our region.

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Pats Dodge A Serious Bullet: Logan Mankins Only Has Sprained MCL In His Left Knee

When Patriots guard Logan Mankins went down on Sunday with a knee injury, it didn't look good since he never returned to the 27-24 win over the Dolphins.

We can breath a sigh of relief as the Boston Globe reported today that Mankins only sprained the MCL in his left knee and he won't need surgery. If you are a Patriots fan, there is no doubt that you are familiar with this injury. Linebackers Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes have both dealt with it this season; Mayo returned quickly while Spikes still hasn't come back after getting hurt on November 6 against the Giants.

New England (12-3) closes out the regular season vs. Buffalo on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. They've already clinched a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs and they'll get the No. 1 seed if they can beat the Bills. This all means that Mankins will have basically three weeks off before another meaningful game. I'm not sure if he's a fast healer or not, since he's basically never hurt, but at least this gives us all hope that we haven't seen the last of him this season.

It hasn't been Mankins' best season, he has been a Pro Bowler in the past, but anybody outside of Donald Thomas' extended family would pick Mankins over his replacement.

In other Patriots roster news, the Globe also said that New England plans to sign fullback Lousaka Polite to take Ross Ventrone's vacated place. Thomas had been used as a fullback at times but he'll be starting in Mankins' spot.

To me, this smells like a one-week move since as I said, Mankins will likely be back for the playoffs. Polite played in four preseason games for the Dolphins but has not appeared in a regular season game since last season. In seven NFL seasons (Miami, Chicago, Dallas) he's played in 75 games for three teams.

UPDATE 12/27: Cornerback Malcolm Williams was resigned to the practice squad where Ventrone is expected back as soon as tomorrow.

Tonight, eight Patriots were announced to the 2012 Pro Bowl. Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Mankins, Brian Waters, Andre Carter, Vince Wilfork and Matthew Slater (special teams).

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The Dolphins Prove A 17-Point Halftime Lead Means Nothing At Gillette Stadium

If you claim to have ever seen something like this version of the New England Patriots, I'm going to call bullshit. From series to quarter to half to game, there is no way to mentally prepare for what the Pats give us each week.

Regardless of how ugly it gets, New England (12-3) clinched a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs this season with a come-from-behind 27-24 win against the Miami Dolphins (5-10) this afternoon at Gillette Stadium on Christmas Eve. It was the seventh straight win for the Patriots.

To say that the Patriots played terrible in the first half would be way too generous. They trailed 17-0 at halftime as Tom Brady (27 of 46, 304 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) was either getting sacked or throwing passes at his receiver's feet. Bizarre doesn't begin to describe it.

Still, New England managed to wake up in time to score its first 17-point rally and victory in nine years.

Just when it looked like Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore (17 of 33, 294 yards, 3 TDs, INT), running back Reggie Bush (22 carries, 113 yards rushing; 26 yards receiving) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (7 catches, 156 yards, TD) would combine for one of the biggest upsets in the NFL this season, Miami reverted back to its usual loser ways.

The Dolphins built up their beefy lead thanks to a 47-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter in the first quarter then a 19-yard touchdown catch by Marshall and a 1-yard touchdown grab by something called Charles Clay.

New England couldn't do anything offensively in the first half as their first six drives ended prematurely with Zoltan Mesko punts then Stephen Gostkowski badly yanked a 51-yard field goal attempt on the second to last play of the half.

Things started to go the Patriots' way to begin the second half as they finally got on the board with a 45-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. Three plays later, Moore inexplicably fumbled the ball right to Vince Wilfork.

New England went to work as Brady found Deion Branch for a 1-yard touchdown on the ensuing drive to cut it to 17-10. After the Pats defense forced a punt (thanks to two sacks by Brandon Deaderick and Rob Ninkovich), they managed to tie it before the third quarter ended. Brady scored on his first of two 1-yard quarterback sneaks to knot it at 17.

With all the momentum swung over to their side, Moore gave the Pats another absolute gift early in the fourth quarter. His pass intended for Brian Hartline turned into a duck that Devin McCourty (9 tackles, 4 solos, 4 passes defensed, 1 tackle for loss) picked off-his first of the season!

Gostkowski's 42-yard field goal following that second turnover gave New England a lead they would never relinquish. The Pats defense forced a punt and Brady scored his second quarterback sneak for a 10-point lead (27-17) with 2:56 left.

It wouldn't be a Patriots game in 2011 without them failing to close the door on an inferior team so it was entirely predictable that Moore would drive the Dolphins right down the field for a touchdown. He threw a 15-yard strike to Davone Bess with 1:48 remaining on the clock.

Miami elected to kick it deep but they couldn't get a stop. Brady iced it with a six-yard throw to Wes Welker (12 catches, 138 yards) who had a monster performance. He was targeted an absurd 19 times.

Rob Gronkowski was kept out of the end zone for the second straight game but he had seven catches for 78 yards while rookie Stevan Ridley ran hard (season-high and career-high 13 carries, 64 yards).

Jerod Mayo (13 tackles, 4 solo, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss) had a solid game while Shaun Ellis notched his first sack of the season (haha he beat a fullback to get to Moore).

Matt Light was a surprise inactive today and things got even worse for New England's makeshift offensive line when Logan Mankins went down with a knee injury and never returned. Marcus Cannon replaced him with Nate Solder shifting over to left tackle. Keep in mind that Sebastian Vollmer was still out.

Also, Patrick Chung and Brandon Spikes missed yet another game. You can't count on everybody to be healthy when the playoffs roll around but the Patriots need at least a few of these guys back by then.

New England closes out the regular season next Sunday at Gillette against the Buffalo Bills (6-9). Before today, I thought the Bills had completely given up but they snapped a seven-game losing streak by blowing out the Denver Tebows 40-14. So I guess they will show up next week.

With a win or losses by the Steelers and Ravens, the Patriots clinch home-field throughout the playoffs. Not that the Pats need additional motivation but Buffalo beat New England 34-31 in Week 3 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Merry Christmas everybody, thanks for reading!

UPDATE 12/26: Ross Ventrone was released from the 53-man roster today along with Cedric McKinley from the practice squad.

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Patriots-Eagles Injury Report

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday, the last few days have been a turkey-induced haze but I'm really looking forward to the Patriots-Eagles game on Sunday.

At 4-6, Philadelphia basically has to win the rest of its games and that begins at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field against the Patriots (7-3). The so called Dream Team-copyright Vince Young-has struggled in the NFC East and even more so when it comes to protecting fourth quarter leads.

With a bunch of college friends from Philly and South Jersey, I know my share of Eagles fans and I have to say as an outsider, they are one of the more interesting teams in the NFL to watch. The city is obsessed with the team and that makes their games exciting. The fans are passionate and extremely knowledgeable.

For the Pats, linebackers Brandon Spikes (knee) and Dane Fletcher (thumb) have already been ruled out. Wide receivers Deion Branch (hip), Taylor Price (hamstring), Matthew Slater (shoulder) and Chad Ochocinco (hamstring) are all questionable. Safeties Patrick Chung (foot) and James Ihedigbo (shoulder) are questionable. Center Dan Connolly (groin), tackles Matt Light (ankle) and Sebastian Vollmer (back) are questionable. Cornerback Devin McCourty (shoulder) is the 11th Patriot that is questionable.

Speaking of VY, he's expected to start his second straight game after Michael Vick (broken ribs) didn't practice this week. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, shoulder) is doubtful while cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha (knee) and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (ankle) along Vick are all questionable. Offensive lineman King Dunlap (concussion) is out.

With running back LeSean McCoy, arguably the NFL's most complete back, and wide receiver DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia possesses two of the more explosive players in the league. The Patriots defense will be challenged, regardless if Young starts and Maclin doesn't play.

UPDATE 11/26: New England has ruled Chung, McCourty, Connolly and Ochocinco out for tomorrow. James Ihedigbo and Sterling Moore figure to start at safety for the third straight week, Antwaun Molden will make his second consecutive start, Ryan Wendell will be the center while Price, Julian Edelman and Slater figure to see more time at wide receiver with Ochocinco out.

I also saw a report on NESN tonight that Vick has been ruled out and I saw on Twitter that Maclin is out too, no surprises there.

UPDATE 11/27: Wow, reports are filtering out now that Asomugha will play. I'm shocked, it sounded like he got seriously hurt in practice on Thursday. Rodgers-Cromartie is inactive for the Birds while Ryan Mallett is the final Patriot that will be inactive.

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Logan Mankins Signs 6-Year Deal, Becoming A Patriot 4 Life

After multiple seasons of back and forth bickering, the Patriots and Logan Mankins have agreed to a six-year contract extension, keeping the 29-year old Pro Bowl guard in New England for the balance of his career.

Mankins was a first-round pick in 2005 and has been one of the best linemen in the NFL since arriving in the league.

Like most Patriots players in their first contract, Mankins played until the end of his deal and rather than allowing him to test free agency, the Patriots franchised him last offseason. That sparked a contract dispute that usually is reserved for teams like the Redskins and Raiders.

Mankins held out of camp last season and called the Patriots liars for not letting him test the market. The Patriots allegedly tried to make Mankins issue a public apology. Mankins lawyer called the negotiations a travesty. This was getting ugly.

Mankins then sat out the first six weeks of the 2010 season before coming back and dominating. Although playing in a shortened season, Mankins made the Pro Bowl and earned All-Pro honors last season.

Mankins was one of the many players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL near the beginning of the lockout and was one of the few individual players who could have held up negotiations as both sides came closer to reaching an agreement.

Once the lockout was ended, Mankins signed his franchise tender and ensured that he would be a Patriot for at least the 2011 season.

It all changed yesterday.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke with the media yesterday for the first time since the passing of his wife Myra, saying that they were close to a deal with Mankins, saying "Probably you’ll see our good friend Logan Mankins will be signed up soon, hopefully to be a Patriot for life."

Later in the afternoon it was announced that Mankins would indeed be a Patriot for life, signing the six-year deal that will keep him as the anchor of the Patriots' offensive line.

First and foremost this was the right thing to do from the Patriots standpoint. They have a reputation for being notoriously stingy with their players near the end of their first contracts, namely Deion Branch, Asante Samuel, and most recently Vince Wilfork. With each passing year, the Patriots looked more and more like a team that "didn't take care of their own" as some put it.

Recently, the Patriots have started to move away from that philosophy, locking up Mankins, Wilfork and Brady to long term deals. It remains to be seen what they will do with guys like Mayo, McCourty and Spikes though. Will they extend their contracts before the final year of their deals or will they continue down this path of having guys play out their first contracts?

Whatever the case may be, they are lucky that they have guys like Mankins, who has a good head on his shoulders and plays the game at a high level regardless of his contract situation. Now that they've buried the hatchet, Mankins will be playing his ass off for years to come.

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