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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Nothing Will Be Easy For The Patriots From Here on Out This Season

It was a very weird day in the AFC: the Patriots had a golden opportunity this afternoon to take control of the No. 1 seed with a win in Miami (after Denver loss to San Diego on Thursday). Unfortunately, the Dolphins (8-6 overall, 4-3 home) had other plans though as they beat New England (10-4 overall, 3-4 away) 24-20 at Sun Life Stadium. The Pats just missed out on another last-second victory as Michael Thomas picked off Tom Brady (34 of 55 for 364 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) in the end zone to wrap it up. The night ended with plenty of help from the Bengals as they lost 30-20 at the Steelers to remain in the No. 3 spot in the conference.

I'd like to come up with a more creative reason or a viewpoint not already shared by most but New England's biggest issues: injuries on defense and not having Rob Gronkowski particularly in the red zone (1 of 4) were a major factor in this loss. Julian Edelman (career-high 13 catches, 139 yards, 1 TD) and Danny Amendola (10 catches, 131 yards) were locked in with Brady, they combined for 33 of 54 targets (61%). Miami clearly focused on shutting down Shane Vereen (2 carries, 13 yards; 3 catches, 8 yards) and without Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins, that's pretty much where Brady's options sit.

This is to take nothing away from the Dolphins, they are a good team and with their last two games at Bills then hosting the Jets, they could very well find themselves in the postseason as well. Ryan Tannehill (25 of 37 for 312 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) is improving and they are tough to beat when Mike Wallace (6 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD) is involved in the game-plan.

The first three quarters were actually pretty dull, setting the stage for a wild fourth in the heat. New England went 16 plays for 83 yards on their opening drive but they had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski (remember that). Michael Hoomanawanui made his first touchdown catch as a Patriot a memorable one: he speared it with one-hand to give the Pats a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Wallace shook loose for a 39-yard touchdown catch and run with 32 seconds left in the first half. It was a huge momentum swing for the Dolphins and conversely against the Patriots' defense which had pitched a shutout up to that point. A 32-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis was the only score of the third quarter and it tied things at 10.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Dolphins went up 17-10 on a two-yard touchdown catch by Daniel Thomas. Apparently New England had never seen a swing pass before. The Pats had another long drive (15 plays, 67 yards) stall in the red zone (sense a pattern here?) and Gostkowski's 23-yard field goal cut it to 17-16.

After a timely stop by New England's defense, yes this really happened, Edelman caught a 24-yard touchdown (similar to Wallace's) that gave his team a temporary 20-17 lead. Of course Miami went right down the field and Tannehill found Marcus Thigpen for a 14-yard touchdown. Dont'a Hightower was burned by that nobody, proving yet again that he can't do anything right.

New England is at Baltimore (7-6) next Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) at M&T Bank Stadium in the game that was flexed out of Sunday Night Football for Bears-Eagles (huh?). The Ravens are in Detroit tomorrow night for Monday Night Football so hopefully that important game takes something out of them along with the short week of preparation. The Ravens are always a tough matchup for the Patriots and this will be the first time they've met since last season's AFC Championship shellacking by Baltimore at Gillette Stadium en route to their unexpected Super Bowl triumph vs. San Francisco.

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Week 13 Injury Report: Patriots at Texans

Coming off primetime matchups and possible playoff previews the last two weeks against the Panthers and Broncos respectively, this week's Patriots-Texans game has about the same amount of appeal as the fourth preseason game. Houston (2-9) has lost nine games in a row so even though lazy writers and announcers will be calling it a trap game for New England (8-3), come on get real folks.

Anywho, today the injury report for this sure to be forgettable game was released. New England has already declared three guys out for Sunday (1, CBS): Marcus Cannon (ankle), Aaron Dobson (foot) and Michael Hoomanawanui (knee). Seven Patriots are questionable: Marquice Cole (shin), Rob Gronkowski (back), Alfonzo Dennard (knee), Aqib Talib (hip), Kyle Arrington (groin), Steve Gregory (thumb) and Chris White (back).

Things are much simpler for the Texans. They only have one guy that is out so far: safety Jawanza Starling (hamstring). Two players are questionable for the home team: cornerback Kareem Jackson (ribs) and cornerback Brice McCain (hamstring).

Not that you care but I will update this on Sunday before the opening kickoff at Reliant Stadium.

UPDATE 11/30: Dennard is out. I have no idea why the Patriots rushed him back so quickly last week vs. Denver coming off knee surgery.

UPDATE 12/1: The inactives for the Patriots: Steve Beauharnais, Dennard, Jake Bequette, Dobson, Stevan Ridley, Hoomanawanui and Cannon. For the Texans: T Andrew Gardner, DE Tim Jamison, G Alex Kupper, OLB Ricky Sapp, Starling, G Cody White and QB T.J. Yates.

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Week 12 Injury Report: Patriots vs. Broncos

Hey everyone, did you hear? The Patriots (7-3) host the Broncos (9-1) on Sunday night (8:25, NBC) at Gillette Stadium! I bet this is the first time all week that you've read about this game which I actually think could be pretty decent. Today, the injury report came out for this huge AFC showdown.

For New England, tight end Michael Hoomanawanui (knee) is the only player on either team who has already been declared out. Five guys are questionable: Kyle Arrington (groin), Alfonzo Dennard (knee), Steve Gregory (finger), Aqib Talib (hip) and Leon Washington (ankle). You'll notice that the first four are key parts of the Patriots' secondary. I'm confident that Arrington, Gregory and Talib will play. Dennard had surgery last week so I'd be stunned if he played and Washington never suits up so I won't hold my breath for him.

Denver has already taken much of the intrigue leading up to kickoff out of it by saying that Wes Welker (concussion) is probable. Obviously we all want to see him play (and in a weird way, torch the Pats) but I hope they don't rush him back simply because they are playing New England. You can't mess with head injuries as former NFL players have taught us in recent history. Fossil cornerback Champ Bailey (foot) and budding young star tight end Julius Thomas (knee) are the only Broncos that are questionable.

Stay tuned on Sunday afternoon/early evening as I update this with the remaining inactives. After that, let Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth (the best in the business) take us away.

UPDATE 11/23: The Patriots released Washington (for the second time) and promoted cornerback Justin Green from the practice squad.

UPDATE 11/24: The Patriots inactives are Gregory, Hooman, Jake Bequette, Steve Beauharnais, Marcus Forston, Josh Boyce and Chris Barker. The inactives for the Broncos are QB Zac Dysert, RB Ronnie Hillman, Bailey, S Michael Huff, OL J.D. Walton, G Chris Kuper and Julius Thomas.

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Shane Vereen Broke A Bone In His Wrist, Welcome Back From the Doghouse Stevan Ridley!

Fortunes change so quickly in the NFL since there is an absurd amount of injuries every week. That's why talk of a longer regular season is always borderline insane, if there were any more games teams would be left with a totally shredded roster and who wants to see practice squad bums playing in December and January?

This is a long-winded way of saying that the Patriots (1-0) could have their hands full in Week 2 with the Jets (1-0) on Thursday (ABC & NFL Network, 8:25) because reports surfaced today that promising young running back Shane Vereen (159 total yards vs. Buffalo) broke a small bone in his wrist on the first play of the game so he'll be out for a few weeks following today's surgery. Oh and rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld (a temporary starter) pulled his hamstring, why he sat out the fourth quarter, so his availability is in doubt too.

The ripple down effect of this means that Stevan Ridley will have to get his head out of his ass and hopefully stop fumbling all the time. After he coughed the ball up twice yesterday (one wasn't technically ruled a fumble cause replays were inconclusive) in the first half, he didn't see the field again all afternoon. Ridley has plenty of talent, this is the same guy who had 1263 rushing yards and 12 TDs last season. He was even on his way to a good game in Buffalo, with nine carries for 46 yards before his bad habit bubbled up yet again.

Should Ridley struggle, there are other options: Brandon Bolden, LeGarrette Blount and Leon Washington. Granted, they are low on the depth chart for a reason. The injury reports will come out tomorrow so we'll get a better idea if the Pats will need to sign another tight end assuming Sudfeld is out. If he can't play, New England would be left with one healthy tight end on the roster: Michael Hoomanauwanui. Yikes.

Even with these injuries, the Patriots will be heavily favored against the Jets in their 2013 home opener at Gillette Stadium but these setbacks won't help an offense that looked very shaky against a mediocre at best Bills squad that they absolutely own.

UPDATE 9/10: Undrafted rookie defensive tackle AJ Francis was re-signed to the practice squad. To make room for him, rookie wide receiver Quentin Sims was released. The Pats put Vereen on injured reserve, designated to return which means at the earliest he can play in Week 11 (they have a bye the week before). To take his roster spot, they re-signed tight Matthew Mulligan who was with the team last week before the latest cut.

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Jake Ballard and Daniel Fells Getting Cut = Good News About Rob Gronkowski

Tomorrow is the official deadline (4 p.m.) for all NFL teams to whittle their rosters down to 53 guys for the start of the 2013 regular season which is tricky business when they had 75 for the last preseason game on Thursday. The Patriots got a head start (of course) by dumping 10 players this afternoon, the most notable being tight ends Daniel Fells and Jake Ballard. Everyone else were no-names that had not a shot to make it, sorry.

Most bozo fans and newscasters are focused on Tim Tebow (spoiler alert: I don't think he'll be cut) but today's moves tell me that New England believes Rob Gronkowski will be back sooner than Pats beat writers have led us to believe (PUP list or bust!). I still don't think he'll be out there for the season opener a week from Sunday in his hometown-Buffalo-but that's ok. What's more important is making sure that he'll be healthy at the end of the season, something which hasn't happened the last two years.

It also indicates that rookie Zach Sudfeld could be the starter in Week 1 (fantasy alert!) while Michael Hoomanawanui will still hang around even though nobody has ever really elaborated on what he does well other than fill a jersey with his absurd name. Stay tuned tomorrow for when things really start to get interesting, you can always expect a big name or unexpected cut or two. Adrian Wilson?

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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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There Goes Kellen Winslow Jr.'s Shot At The Patriots Hall Of Fame

Blink and you missed the entire extent of Kellen Winslow's time with the Patriots in 2012. Today, the high-strung tight end asked for and promptly received his release from the team a mere nine days after signing with New England in the first place. So in other words, his tenure here was about as long as your typical relationship in middle school.

We'll never really know what Winslow has left since he got on the field for a total of four plays on Sunday against the Ravens (which earned him $48,529, really). He had a 12-yard catch and dropped another pass that was right in his hands (not all that difficult) on the sideline. The good news for Patriots fans is that Winslow probably saw the writing on the wall at his position. Aaron Hernandez reportedly was seen in the locker room today without crutches or a protective boot which makes you think he'll be back in a few weeks and maybe he won't be out as long as we all thought after getting injured against the Cardinals.

With Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez (whenever he returns), Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui, New England is more than set for tight ends this season. In a couple weeks, we probably won't even remember that Winslow was ever here to begin with. He'll be one of those million transactions that happen during every NFL season that never end up meaning anything.

Don't forget that the Pats also have Visanthe Shiancoe stashed away on the new IR/designated to return list, which means he should finally see the practice field in a few weeks.

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Every NFL Team Can Always Use More Soliders: Patriots Sign Kellen Winslow

All it took was a serious ankle injury to Aaron Hernandez in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals for the Patriots to swoop in and sign free agent tight end Kellen Winslow to a one-year deal this morning.

He worked out in New England a few weeks ago but reports surfaced that his knee was a mess and they didn't end up signing him at the time. That should tell something about his physical condition since the Pats were more content with Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui at the time along with the fact that the Seahawks cut him in training camp.

Still, if he's healthy, Winslow is an above average tight end in the NFL. He was a Pro Bowler in 2007 with the Browns (82 catches, 1106 yards, 5 touchdowns). The sixth overall pick by Cleveland in the 2004 NFL Draft, Winslow was a star at the University of Miami and the son of legendary NFL Hall of Famer and fellow tight end Kellen Winslow (Chargers).

After spending four seasons in Cleveland (two productive, two injury-plagued), Winslow played the last three years in Tampa Bay. He was durable-appearing in all 16 games each season-and put up numbers so it's curious that the Bucs would let him go without anyone really coming up behind him or them bringing in a better guy (sorry washed up Dallas Clark). In 2011, he had 75 catches for 763 yards and two touchdowns. He's averaged 73 receptions for 792.3 yards the past three seasons.

It is silly to expect him to jump right into a new system with a new quarterback and team without any type of growing pains. Plus, unlike with the Buccaneers or Browns where he was the No. 1 or 1A target most of the time, now he'll be at best Tom Brady's fourth option behind Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Lloyd and Wes Welker (if he gets off the bench).

By signing him now, the ever cost-conscious Patriots don't have to foot the bill for his entire $3.3 million salary. Also, by agreeing on a one-year deal, that means that if things don't gel properly, they can let him go quickly (think Albert Haynesworth or Chad Johnson) without many repercussions. For everyone's sake, let's hope that Winslow has more of an impact than those stiffs. Basically it's a no-lose for the Patriots since Hernandez is not expected back until at least October. We all saw how out of whack the offense was against Arizona after he departed so perhaps Winslow will allow offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Brady to get into a better rhythm starting this Sunday against the Ravens.

In honor of the newest Patriot, you know I had to look up one of my all-time favorite YouTube clips: Kellen Winslow calling himself a solider when he was at the U.


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