Patriots Sleepwalk Through 1st Half, Kick Dolphins' Ass In The 2nd Half For 27-17 Win

Normally I try to leave the crappy clichés to television reporters and bad writers (not saying I'm taking home any Pulitzers these days) but what else can you say about the Patriots-Dolphins game this afternoon at Gillette Stadium then it was a tale of two halves? Miami (3-4 overall, 2-2 away) rolled out to a 17-3 halftime lead but New England (6-2 overall, 4-0 home) outscored them 24-0 in the second half on their way to a 27-17 victory.

This was a nice win for the Pats given the way they started plus the Bills and Jets also lost so they gained a game on all three AFC East "rivals." The bad news and this keeps happening way too much this season is that it looked like Sebastian Vollmer suffered a serious leg injury so he'll be out for the rest of the season.

Something is clearly wrong with Tom Brady's hand (not to make an excuse), you could see it was puffed up which explains why he's looked so average for most of this season but particularly the last few weeks. Today he went 13 of 22 for 116 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. It was a day for role players as Aaron Dobson (4 catches, 60 yards), Brandon Bolden and Steven Ridley (14 carries, 78 yards) had the touchdowns for the Patriots.

The Patriots defense forced three turnovers, granted one was in garbage time on an interception by rookie Duron Harmon, but Marquice Cole had a pretty interception after Devin McCourty tipped it inbounds to him and Rob Ninkovich recovered a fumble. Also, Chandler Jones (1 sack) blocked a field goal and Chris Jones (7 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sacks, 2 tackles for loss) continued to play very well in the middle of the defensive line-he looks like a great undrafted rookie free agent signing (they got him on September 11).

The Dolphins played like a team that has now lost four games in a row after a 3-0 start and now laughable talks of challenging the Patriots for the AFC East crown. Ryan Tannehill is ok (22 of 42 for 192 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions) but they don't use his athleticism and mobility enough. He's not a great passer which makes sense since he played wide receiver for most of his time at Texas A&M. They also lack playmakers on offense, throwing money at Mike Wallace (3 catches, 41 yards) predictably has backfired although Lamar Miller (89 yards rushing, 23 yards receiving) seems like a keeper at running back.

Miami's basic offense of rolling Tannehill out worked in the beginning as Brandon Gibson caught a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter (before he left with a knee injury) then Daniel Thomas caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Stephen Gostkowski finally gave the Patriots some points with a 34-yard field goal but the Dolphins had all the momentum after Caleb Sturgis' 52-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the first half.

Dobson caught a 14-yard touchdown from Brady after a great move then Logan Ryan (5 tackles, 2 sacks, pass deflected) forced the fumble recovered by Ninkovich at Miami's 13. Three plays later, Bolden ran for a 2-yard touchdown and New England never looked back from there. Gostkowski's 48-yard field goal with eight seconds left in the third quarter handed them their first lead at 20-17 and then Ridley's 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth put it out of reach for the Dolphins.

Nothing is a given for the Patriots this season with all their injuries and obvious struggles but they get a gift by hosting the Steelers (2-5, 4th in AFC North) next Sunday (4:25, CBS). Pittsburgh is so bad that they lost at Oakland this afternoon (21-18) and their season is going nowhere fast.

UPDATE 10/28: Vollmer has reportedly had surgery today on his broken leg, his timetable to return is unknown.

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Week 4 Injury Report: Patriots at Falcons

There is still plenty of time left before Sunday Night Football (8:30, NBC) pits the Patriots (3-0) at the Falcons (1-2) but the injury report still came out at the same time as usual this afternoon.

In addition, New England also made a roster move as they somewhat surprisingly released cornerback Marquice Cole who had been dealing with a hamstring injury. I wouldn't be shocked to see him back soon when he's healthy since he sees playing time in nickel and dime packages plus he's on all the special teams.

As for who will or won't play at the Georgia Dome, the three names on all Patriots' fans minds are Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm), Danny Amendola (groin) and Sebastian Vollmer (foot). They are all questionable but it sounds like Amendola won't play; Gronk is slowing getting better and Vollmer missed practice on Tuesday and Wednesday but returned in a limited capacity today.

The other questionable Patriots are Kyle Arrington (groin), Nate Ebner (ankle), Will Svitek (knee) and Leon Washington (knee). Special teams ace Matthew Slater (wrist) has already been ruled out but you knew that if you read my blog post from last week.

For Atlanta, running back Steven Jackson (hamstring) is still out while four other marquee guys are questionable: wide receivers Julio Jones (knee) and Roddy White (ankle) along with former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel (thigh).

The annoying part of the late kickoff, besides its conflict with great television shows (Boardwalk Empire, Bar Rescue and Breaking Bad to name a few), we also have to listen to basically another full day of injury speculation regarding Amendola and Gronk. Ugh, I can't wait to have them back on the field so we can stop hearing vague speculation from every NFL reporter with a Twitter account.

UPDATE 9/29: Patriots inactives are Steve Beauharnais, Slater, Amendola, Gronkowski, Jake Bequette, Chris Barker and Washington. Falcons inactives are Samuel, safety Kemal Ishmael, Jackson, linebacker Jamar Chaney, guard Harland Gunn, tackle Ryan Schrader and defensive tackle Travian Robertson.

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For Now The Patriots' 53-Man Roster Is Set, With Some Surprises

It's a long weekend, basically the last taste of summer, so you're excused if your head is spinning from all the moves the Patriots made the last few days to whittle down their roster to 53 players plus start to assemble a practice squad. Obviously the big news on Saturday was that Tim Tebow was released (I was wrong!) while Adrian Wilson was placed on IR and Zoltan Mesko was cut.

This afternoon, the Pats continued to make some interesting choices as Leon Washington and Marquice Cole were released. Oh and Gronk practiced in full pads for the first time. To fill out their active roster, New England claimed four players off waivers: center Braxston Cave, guard Chris Barker and defensive tackle A.J. Francis who are all rookies along with third-year linebacker Chris White.

I thought Tebow would make the roster simply because he had Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick in his corner but seeing how much he struggled in the preseason, you have to wonder if he'll ever play in the NFL again. Rookie Ryan Allen beat out Mesko who had been solid for the last few years. It's hard to believe that Gronk would play in Week 1 or 2 (short turnaround for Thursday home opener vs. Jets) but the fact that he's ramping up his activities in practice can only be a good thing.

There are seven spots on a practice squad and so far the Pats have signed five guys: linebackers Ja'Gared Davis and Jeff Tarpinian, defensive lineman Marcus Forston, safety Kanorris Davis and cornerback Justin Green.

We've made it, thus begins the first week leading up to the opener on Sunday (1 p.m., CBS) at Buffalo. During the regular season, I'll post the injury report on Friday then update it before kickoff. Also, I'll keep up to date on any other news that happens during the week. Looking forward to it all, football's back!

UPDATE 9/3: On Monday, the Patriots resigned Cole and waived undrafted rookie guard Josh Kline. Also, fullback James Develin was released and tight end Matthew Mulligan is expected to be signed after New England worked him out on Monday. Undrafted rookie offensive lineman R.J. Dill was added to the practice squad so there is one spot left on that.

UPDATE 9/5: Kline was resigned to the practice squad and linebacker Jeff Tarpinian (the new Ross Ventrone?) was released from the practice squad.

UPDATE: Cave and Mulligan were released while offensive tackle Jordan Devey was signed to the practice squad. Develin reportedly will be re-signed, leaving the Pats with one open roster spot heading into Friday (two days before the season opener in Buffalo).

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Week 17: Dolphins At Patriots Injury Report

The Patriots (11-4) host the Dolphins (7-8) on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m., CBS) at Gillette Stadium in the 2012 regular season finale. As usual, New England is headed to the playoffs while Miami is destined for another long offseason. We're supposed to get snow tomorrow (Saturday), it would be nice to see at least one snow game this season.

Today, the injury report came out with a season-high 20 Patriots listed as questionable. Marquice Cole (finger) is doubtful for New England. Miami wide receiver Davone Bess (back) has already been ruled out while three Dolphins are questionable: cornerback Nolan Carroll (knee), guard Josh Samuda (shoulder) and defensive tackle Randy Starks (not injury related).

The Patriot on everybody's mind is Rob Gronkowski (forearm/hip), who has missed the last five games. He is questionable so it will be interesting to see if Bill Belichick wants Gronk to get in a game before the playoffs start. Other Patriots that are questionable: Patrick Chung (shoulder), Dan Connolly (back), Alfonzo Dennard (hamstring/knee), Nate Ebner (hamstring), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring/shoulder), Chandler Jones (ankle), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Kyle Love (knee), Logan Mankins (ankle/calf), Jerod Mayo (elbow), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Mike Rivera (ankle), Nate Solder (abdomen), Brandon Spikes (knee/ankle), Aqib Talib (hip), Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Wes Welker (ankle) and Tracy White (elbow).

This game means plenty to New England in terms of playoff seeding and they have to win in that regard so I would expect pretty much all these guys (assuming they are OK) to be out there on Sunday. With the game being flexed to 4:25 p.m., we will have more time to figure out who will be inactive and most importantly if Gronk is playing or not.

The other tidbit of Patriots news coming out today was that Vince Wilfork was fined $30,000 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness in last Sunday's game at Jacksonville. Apparently, he hit some scrub offensive lineman in the head with his beefy forearm during a change of possession.

UPDATE 12/29: The Patriots released Ron Brace today and promoted WR Kamar Aiken and CB Malcolm Williams from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Also, they activated Jermaine Cunningham, who missed the last four games due to his PED suspension. Now, New England has a full 53-man roster with two spots open on the practice squad. I feel no need to talk about Brace, a second round pick in 2009 out of BC (a Worcester native) who never did a thing for the Pats.

UPDATE 12/30: Gronk is playing.

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Patriots Survive Crapfest 23-16, Mostly Because They Were Playing The Hapless Jaguars

The less time spent talking about this afternoon's brutal 23-16 Patriots win against the Jaguars at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, the better. If you didn't see any or even some of this one, I'm jealous of you. I feel like I need a cold shower to wash away the filth from viewing this.

Patrick Chung's (2 interceptions) interception in the end zone sealed a win that was way closer than it should have been for the Patriots. It is not hyperbole to say that if they were playing pretty much any other team in the NFL than Jacksonville, they would have lost. Oh well, I guess it was the predictable letdown/trap game after primetime matchups with the Texans and Niners in consecutive weeks.

New England (11-4, 6-2 away) spotted the Jaguars a 10-0 lead in the first quarter but after Jacksonville (2-13, 1-7 home) went up 13-3 early in the second quarter, it all went to shit for the team that is currently tied with the Chiefs (2-13) for the worst record in the NFL.

With all the guys that they sat with "injuries" or moved around, it appeared that the Patriots didn't have much interest in winning this game when it kicked off. However, maybe once they realized that Houston was losing (they fell 23-6 to Minnesota), they remembered that they were still able to get the No. 1 or 2 seed in the AFC. Hey, we all lose our minds at some point or another during the holidays.

Former Dolphins great Chad Henne (29 of 51, 348 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs) picked the Patriots apart in the first quarter but he soon regressed to the awful quarterback that he's always been. Conversely, Tom Brady (24 of 41, 267 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) threw two early interceptions but then he settled down and began to find plenty of holes in Jacksonville's awful defense.

Stevan Ridley (18 carries, 84 yards) ran well after his bobble led to Brady's first interception. Wes Welker (10 catches, 88 yards on 12 targets) was Brady's main target as always while Brandon Lloyd (6 catches, 62 yards on 12 targets) came back to Earth after his huge game vs. San Francisco and Aaron Hernandez (1 catch, 13 yards on 5 targets) was M.I.A. all game. It goes without saying that the Pats really miss Rob Gronkowski and he can't return soon enough, maybe next week?

University of Maine product Montell Owens (77 yards receiving; 42 yards rushing) made the most of his rare start while Jordan Shipley (5 catch, 82 yards on 10 targets) and Justin Blackmon (7 catch, 79 yards on 12 targets) took advantage of a depleted secondary for New England with no Alfonzo Dennard and a banged up Aqib Talib.

Blackmon caught a 3-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 7-0 lead and Josh Scobee's 41-yard field goal made it 10-0 in the first quarter. Stephen Gostkowski's 25-yard field goal got New England on the board late in the first quarter.

Scobee added a 35-yard field goal before the Patriots finally woke up. Gostkowski drilled a 49-yard field goal and Brady hit Danny Woodhead with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds left in the first half to improbably tie it at 13.

Gostkowski's 38-yard field goal in the third quarter was the only score of the frame as both defenses settled in and each offense sputtered. Welker's 3-yard touchdown catch put New England up by 10 (23-13) and that was just enough for them to hold on. Scobee had a 42-yard field goal but Henne couldn't complete the comeback at the end. Story of his life.

Marquice Cole (6 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss, pass defensed) had his first interception as a Patriot while Dont'a Hightower (6 tackles, 4 solo, sack, tackle for loss, pass defensed, quarterback hit) had one of his best games of the season. Kyle Arrington (7 solo tackles, tackle for loss) also played well in extended action for him.

The 2012 regular season ends next Sunday with the Patriots hosting the Dolphins (7-8) at Gillette Stadium (4:25 p.m., CBS). New England is currently the No. 3 seed in the AFC but they can move up if either Houston or Denver lose. That's what we have to root for, the Pats could even jump to No. 1 if both lose but that probably won't happen with Denver hosting Kansas City (Texans are at Colts).

The game means plenty so I would expect that almost all the healthy Patriots will play. The difference between a bye and having to play during Wild Card weekend is enormous so they should go all out to ensure that they win. Miami isn't going anywhere and they are not great by any means but they'll make it competitive mostly because their defense is above average.

UPDATE 12/24: The Patriots made a bunch of roster moves involving guys you probably have never heard of. They released fullback James Develin and wide receiver Kamar Aiken from the 53-man roster. They also released wide receiver/punt returner Tony Logan and offensive lineman Jeremiah Warren from the practice squad.

New England also received a one-week exemption for Jermaine Cunningham after his four-game suspension ended yesterday. They have a week to activate him to the roster, which they are expected to do. As it stands now, the Patriots have two open roster spots.

UPDATE 12/25: Aiken and Develin both cleared waivers today, meaning they are now free agents. The Patriots have three open slots on their practice squad and both retain practice squad eligibility so look for at least one of them to stick around Foxborough.

UPDATE 12/26: Today, the Patriots signed three guys to the practice squad: Aiken, Develin and cornerback Cyhl Quarles. You're obviously familiar with Aiken and Develin while Quarles spent two plus weeks on New England's practice squad earlier this season.

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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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