Farewell To The Ultimate Patriot-Julian Edelman-Who Announced His Retirement This Afternoon

 

    You knew that this day was coming soon but it was still a sobering moment on a chilly Monday in April when I saw the news that Patriots wide receiver 34-year-old Julian Edelman was retiring from football. Selfishly, I hoped that he would play for another season or two with the Pats but with all the injuries that he's suffered over the years from playing such a brutal sport, who could blame him for getting out while he can? When I thought about it for a little while, I came to the conclusion that not only was the three-time Super Bowl champion and one-time Super Bowl MVP (who has the second most catches and receiving yards in NFL postseason history) the best receiver in Patriots history but he's also the most relatable and fun player that they've ever had at least since I became a devoted fan in the 1990s. 

    By now, we all know the familiar story: Edelman was a quarterback at Kent State and then a completely unknown seventh-round draft pick by New England in the 2009 Draft. I'm pretty sure that for awhile he was just insurance for when Wes Welker got hurt but soon after playing special teams and even occasionally cornerback, he got his chance to make a big splash in 2013 when he recorded his first of three 1000-yard receiving seasons. With the greatest quarterback of all-time Tom Brady at the helm, slot receiver for the Patriots had become a coveted position over the years: starting with Troy Brown, then Welker and finally Edelman. They each had their own immense skills but give me Jules any day (and for the record I own a Brown jersey) for his combination of toughness, smarts, skills and propensity to make his biggest plays in the biggest games. 

     Anyone who was lucky enough to be a Pats fan when Brady was employed in New England (that still hurts to say) and winning six Super Bowls will always love him but TB12 for all his brilliance on the field is not exactly the first person you'd want to spend a few hours with at a bar or in a social situation. Not so with Edelman who famously dabbled in the night life himself and eventually had a child with a supermodel as well just like his best friend Tom. His performances at the Patriots Super Bowl parades were legendary and his occasional troubles off the field proved that he was mortal like us and not the superhumans that we think the NFL is filled with every week.

    He was super versatile too which made him a favorite of New England head coach Bill Belichick from day one. He could still throw the football once in a blue moon on a trick play and he was a huge part of three championships here: in 2015 vs. Seattle, in 2017 vs. Atlanta (when he made one of the greatest catches in NFL history) when he was fittingly named MVP and in 2019 against the Rams. When you consider that he's listed at 5-foot-10 and 198 pounds, his career numbers are remarkable: 620 catches for 6822 yards, 36 TDs and 413 yards rushing in the regular season; 118 catches for 1442 yards (only trailing Jerry Rice in both categories), five touchdown catches along with 81 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown in the playoffs. If that's not enough, he had four punt return touchdowns in the regular season; two forced fumbles and 21 tackles (16 solo tackles and five assists) in the regular season; a forced fumble and three solo tackles in the playoffs; 128 passing yards (6-for-6!) and one touchdown in the regular season; a 51-yard touchdown pass in the playoffs. 

    He's a lock to be in the Patriots Hall of Fame in four years and who knows what the next chapter holds for Edelman but whatever he ends up doing, it'll be fun to watch. He has personality for days and seems like a genuinely decent guy that loves watching many other sports plus has tons of interests outside of football and self-promoting on his top-notch social media accounts. Julian is the rare pro athlete that you can truly look at and say that hard work, dedication and effort turned him from a fringe NFL player to one of the best receivers of his era. I think it's fitting too that unlike Brady or Rob Gronkowski for instance, he never played for any other NFL team besides the Patriots. Talk about a perfect match between a player and a crazy fan base-that he both understood and respected better than most, particularly for a guy from California. For those and many other reasons, there will never be another Julian Edelman in Foxborough.

Patriots Set a Franchise Record by Rallying from 24-0 Deficit, Beat Broncos 34-31 in OT

Sunday night's game at Gillette Stadium between the Patriots and Broncos defied explanation. Denver (9-2 overall, 3-2 away) stormed out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and led 24-0 at halftime. New England (8-3 overall, 6-0 home) began by fumbling time after time before playing like a whole different team in the second half. Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal in overtime was the game-winner as the Pats beat the Broncos 34-31, a victory that will live forever in team lore since it set a record for the largest comeback in franchise history.

Tom Brady (34 of 50, 344 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) improved to 10-4 in his career vs. Peyton Manning (19 of 36 for 150 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT). It was a throwback to the championship days of the last decade for the Patriots as Brady performed so well in frigid conditions while Peyton wilted in the spotlight. We can only hope that same thing happens in the postseason since these two teams looked destined to meet again come January.

New England's gameplan on defense was obviously to let Knowshon Moreno (career-high 37 carries, 224 yards, 1 TD) run it all the time and contain Denver's lethal passing game. In that sense, mission accomplished. Rookie Logan Ryan even had an interception of Manning.

Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount fumbled on consecutive drives in the first half to they were benched for the rest of the game. Shane Vereen (60 yards receiving, 31 yards rushing) is making a case to start although you have to worry about his injury history. It makes you wonder if Ridley will ever get over this terrible affliction? Wes Welker's (4 catches, 31 yards) return to Foxboro was mostly forgettable save for the fact that the game was basically decided by his mistake. Fielding a punt in OT, he didn't yell at teammate Tony Carter enough so the ball bounced off him and was recovered by Nate Ebner at the Broncos 13. Game over.

After being a non-factor for weeks, Von Miller (8 tackles, 6 solos, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits) is definitely back on his proper "training regimen" (cough, cough). He returned Ridley's fumble 60 yards for a score then forced a Brady fumble that Denver turned into a 2-yard TD run by Moreno. Matt Prater added a 27-yard field goal and Jacob Tamme caught a 10-yard TD in the second quarter for a truly stunning 24-0 Broncos advantage.

With so much hype around Welker and Danny Amendola (3 catches, 17 yards), wouldn't you know the best slot receiver in the game turned out to be Julian Edelman (9 catches, 110 yards; 3 punt returns, 39 yards). He got the rally started with a pretty 5-yard TD catch. Brandon Bolden cut it to 24-14 with a 1-yard TD run. That was set up by Montee Ball's fumble, caused by Dane Fletcher and recovered by Brandon Spikes.

As usual, nobody on the Broncos could contain Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 90 yards) who caught a 6-yard TD with 19 seconds left in the third quarter. The Pats ended up with 31 unanswered points as the injuries piled up for the Broncos secondary. Edelman put New England ahead 28-24 with a 14-yard catch and run then Gostkowski hit a 31-yard field goal.

The only time Peyton ever looked comfortable was on Denver's final drive of regulation when they tied it on a beautiful 11-yard catch by Demaryius Thomas. Denver lost the coin toss in overtime but the always clever Bill Belichick chose to take the 20+ mph wind, trusting his defense not to allow a TD on the Broncos' first drive (thus ending it).

As of right now, there isn't another team over .500 remaining on New England's schedule. To use Dan Shaughnessy's favorite phrase, it's one tomato can after another. This means that the Patriots will win the AFC East for the millionth time in a row (duh), get the No. 2 seed and go from there. Truthfully, in the AFC who do you fear besides the Broncos? I say nobody. Tonight's incredible win, especially the way it played out should go a long way for this team (and hopefully have the opposite effect on Denver).

Next Sunday (1, CBS), New England visits Houston (2-9, 3rd in AFC South) who have lost their last seven games in a row including 13-6 today at Reliant Stadium vs. similarly hapless Jacksonville.

UPDATE 11/26: The Patriots made a bunch of minor roster moves today. They signed tight end D.J. Williams and released defensive tackle Marcus Forston. Defensive tackle A.J. Francis was claimed by the Dolphins from New England's practice squad. Finally, the Pats waived cornerback Justin Green but he has practice squad eligibility so he should be back there and they tried out former offensive lineman Nick McDonald. Got that all?

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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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Injury-Prone White Wide Receivers? The Patriots Can't Get Enough of Them

Common sense be damned, the Patriots love a good deal. Apparently, they're also inclined to sign injury-prone white wide receivers in hopes of finding the next Wes Welker which is impossible. Today at practice, the media spotted former Colt Austin Collie who has signed a deal with New England. This comes on the heels of Danny Amendola (groin) and Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm) continuing to practice although the former only played Week 1 and Gronk has yet to appear in a game this season.

Honestly, I don't know what quack doctor (the Red Sox medical staff?) would clear Collie since he ruptured his patellar tendon last season but more importantly, he's dealt with numerous concussions over his short NFL career (4+ years). That's why he only played nine games in 2010 and just one last season in Indianapolis before he was released. San Francisco signed him but he was one of their final cuts in training camp this summer.

He showed plenty of promise with the Colts and Peyton Manning, hence why teams are still willing to take serious risks by signing him. In his rookie year (2009), he played all 16 games and hauled in 60 catches for 676 yards and seven touchdowns. He was poised for a monster season the next year as he piled up 58 catches for 649 yards and eight touchdowns but concussions curtailed his breakout season. In a full 2011 (16 games), he was limited to 54 catches for 514 yards and one touchdown.

I don't even expect Collie to be on the field Sunday (1, CBS) in Cincinnati, I feel like this is just to give Kenbrell Thompkins (shoulder) and Aaron Dobson (neck) some rest this week to heal their minor injuries. Plus, it allows the Pats the chance to get something out of a guy that is probably looking at his last NFL opportunity.

UPDATE 10/3: Vince Wilfork was placed on IR while tight end Zach Sudfeld was released. Don't be surprised if the undrafted rookie ends up on the practice squad where he can get better up to speed. It's clear in the first four games that we was over his head in the NFL.

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"Who Needs Experienced Receivers?"-The New England Patriots

We are less than a week away from the 2013 training camp starting for the New England Patriots and at the moment, their top three wide receivers are Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman and Michael Jenkins. Um, holy shit! The news that they released receiver Donald Jones today without ever taking a snap in preseason or regular season wasn't particularly noteworthy on the surface except when you consider all the issues surrounding their passing game. Aaron Hernandez is in jail (bet you didn't know that), Rob Gronkowski had more surgeries than that poor bastard in Operation while Wes Welker is now playing in Denver and Brandon Lloyd is a free agent. It makes you wonder what Tom Brady thinks about all these developments (hint: it can't be good).

This heaps more undue pressure on rookie wide receivers Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce, who I can't say I know much about either way. The best we can hope is that New England changes its identity to more of a running the ball to set up the pass (something which basically doesn't exist in today's NFL) offense coupled with a good defense. Yikes. Thankfully for the Pats, they still compete in the worst division in the NFL and sports so no matter how bad things look in the preseason, they should still find a way to go at worst 4-2 against the miserable Dolphins, Jets and Bills thus winning their millionth AFC East title (woo!) in a row.

It's hard to remember a time in the past decade (since it never occurred) during their amazing run of consistent success when the Patriots faced this many issues heading into the season. Not what you're looking for when you're coming off the AFC Championship Game and a few steps away from their first title in eight long years.

UPDATE 7/23: The players won't take the field until Friday but today it was announced that Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman will start on the active/PUP list. Rookie defensive lineman Armond Armstead was placed on the non-football illness list. Players on the active/PUP list can be activated any time, whereas if they're on the reserve/PUP list then they miss at least the first six weeks in the regular season.

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Patriots Re-Sign Right Tackle Sebastian Vollmer To A 4-Year Deal

I've been ready to move on from the Patriots debacle with Wes Welker for the last few weeks and today's news makes me happy and more importantly, it should help Tom Brady feel better about this franchise going forward. New England has reportedly re-signed right tackle Sebastian Vollmer to a four-year deal.

Vollmer is the team's best offensive lineman and one of the better right tackles in the NFL, he was a second-team All Pro in 2010 and second-team Pro Football Focus All Pro in 2012. With all the free agents on the move, it seems like the offensive linemen market never really got going as much as the other more sexy positions which is to be expected I guess. After Welker went to Denver and Aqib Talib re-signed with the Pats, Vollmer was the other very important piece that they needed to address.

He was a second round pick (58th overall) in 2009 by New England out of the University of Houston. He played in 14 games his rookie season, made 16 starts in 2010, played in six games in 2011 (5 starts) and started all 15 games he played in the 2012 regular season. Vollmer had a minor knee surgery in February but he should be fine for training camp this summer. The German will be 29 in October but keep in mind that he got started playing football later than most and offensive linemen tend to peak later than most.

This was a move that the Patriots had to make to stabilize their offensive line (which has been solid the last few seasons) and give Brady confidence that they were making the best decisions for the 2013 season and rest of his career in New England.

UPDATE 3/25: Vollmer's deal is worth a max of $27 million with $7 million signing bonus, $7.75 in base salaries and $10 million in incentives/roster bonuses.

UPDATE 3/28: The Pats signed free agent wide receiver Michael Jenkins. Last season with the Vikings he had 40 catches for 449 yards and two touchdowns.

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Danny Amendola Is No Wes Welker, That Much I Know

I have hardly ever feel like this but today was truly an awful day to be a Patriots fan. First, Wes Welker signed a two-year deal worth just $12 million with the Denver Broncos this afternoon. Then tonight, the Patriots made the obvious move which people had predicted for months should Welker leave in free agency: they signed his less talented and more injury-prone replacement Danny Amendola to a five-year deal worth $31 million ($10 million guaranteed). Ugh.

Last season, Welker had 118 catches for 1354 yards and six touchdowns while Amendola had 63 catches for 666 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games for the Rams. New England clearly valued other numbers over the mismatch in production last season and in their careers. Welker is 33 and heading into his ninth year in the NFL. Amendola is 27 and about to start his fifth NFL season.

I rarely get emotional about any professional athletes but Welker is a special case. He was the ultimate underdog who was undersized and virtually unknown before he came to New England in 2007 that morphed into the best slot receiver in the NFL that built insane chemistry with Tom Brady. Oh and he played through God only knows how many concussions, returned way earlier than expected after blowing out his knee and never showed an ounce of diva receiver tendencies. The NFL is a business but give me a break, if anyone deserved to get paid by the Patriots it was this guy. But nope, they low-balled him like you read about and let him go to one of their biggest rivals, who now becomes the AFC favorite in 2013.

This feels like a stupid move that the Red Sox would make after Carmine and Bill James poured over useless numbers for months. Sure, Welker and Amendola might have plenty in common on the surface: white, undersized, short, undrafted slot receivers that went to Texas Tech but that's pretty much where the similarities end. Since 2009 when he entered the league, Amendola has missed 23 games while Welker missed three in that span. Plus, he's never been on a good team, played with a decent quarterback or in an intense market where all eyes will be on him. Yeesh, I want to give him a chance but it's clear that Amendola is already fighting an uphill battle since he'll always be (unfairly) compared to Welker.

The best we can hope is that this is just the beginning of many significant offseason moves for the Pats. Otherwise, why did Brady leave money on the table and redo his deal? We haven't even talked about their defense which was the major issue before hand. Sure Brady might have relied on Welker too much in certain situations and his two drops that everyone remembers in the playoffs were unforgivable but now we have to pin our hopes on Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Amendola and whatever other schmuck receiver (Brandon Lloyd, Greg Jennings?) that they throw out there. Hernandez and Gronkowski are special but they also get hurt at an alarming rate.

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New England Patriot For Life Has A Nice Ring To It, Am I Right Tom Brady?

Today, the Patriots took most of the drama out of something that was still at least two years away from ruining our lives. Quarterback/icon Tom Brady signed a three-year $27 million contract extension that will keep him in New England through the 2017 NFL season. FYI, he'll be 40-years-old on August 3, 2017.

Brady earned a $3 million signing bonus with annual salaries of $7 million in 2015, $8 million in 2016 and $9 million in 2017. The whole point of this move was that it frees up $15 million of salary cap space for the Pats over the next two seasons. This is particularly important since they have a bunch of important guys that will be free agents two weeks from today: Wes Welker, Sebastian Vollmer and Aqib Talib being the headliners.

If it's possible to have a bigger mancrush on Brady, this unselfish act will surely win over the few haters in this region. How many other elite athletes, especially in the NFL (with no guaranteed contracts) would do this? I normally don't get too emotional about guys being on one team their whole career since it so rarely happens but in this case, it just feels right. Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league and with only untested Ryan Mallett behind him, New England will rely on Brady heavily for as long as he'll play.

The unspoken question on everyone's mind in this area is when Brady and Bill Belichick will retire. At least now we can be much more confident that Brady isn't going anywhere for five more seasons. You might as well add Belichick to that equation since I find it impossible to think he'd ever leave the Patriots with Brady still active. They seem to be a package deal.

In one of the few down times in the NFL off-season, this is a wonderful reminder to Pats fans that with a couple tweaks (mostly to the defense), the team should be a Super Bowl contender for as long as TB12 is under center. Exhale.

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Ravens Batter Patriots 28-13, Head To New Orleans To Face 49ers In Super Bowl 47

These bitter defeats in the playoffs never get easy to accept, especially when the Patriots have made it a habit in the last eight years. There will be no trip to New Orleans to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47 since the Baltimore Ravens (13-6, 6-4 away) came to Gillette Stadium tonight and beat down the Patriots (13-5, 7-3 home) 28-13 in the 2013 AFC Championship Game.

I'm not one to make excuses and there isn't a whole lot to say when your team leads 13-7 at home at halftime and then proceeds to get outscored 21-0 in the second half. The Ravens were tougher than the Patriots, their defense made way more plays and once they started working out of the shotgun in the second half, New England had no chance to stop them.

Aqib Talib hobbled off in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and Stevan Ridley (18 carries, 70 yards) got knocked out in the fourth quarter by Bernard Pollard (enough with that guy). Losing their top cornerback and best running back clearly hurt the Pats but their issues went far behind them and Rob Gronkowski's absence.

There were many signs that it wasn't their night: they squandered a chance for a touchdown at the end of the first half and settled for a field goal. Wes Welker (8 catches, 117 yards, TD) dropped a key third down pass early in the third quarter. Most of all, Joe Flacco (21 of 36, 240 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) was better than Tom Brady (29 of 54, 320 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs).

Brady's numbers look worse than he really was since one interception was tipped and the other was in garbage time but the point is that Baltimore didn't make any mistakes (0 turnovers) while New England had three (Ridley fumbled when Pollard concussed him). It is easy to blame the Pats defense and they certainly didn't cover themselves in glory giving up 21 points in the second half but New England is built around its offense and you'll never win with one touchdown and 13 points in a playoff game.

Nobody on the Ravens put up monster numbers but they all contributed to their first trip to the Super Bowl since 2000. Bernard Pierce had 52 yards rushing, Ray Rice had 70 total yards while Torrey Smith (4 catches, 69 yards), Anquan Boldin (5 catches, 60 yards, 2 TDs) and Dennis Pitta (5 catches, 55 yards, TD) each made plays for Flacco.

Baltimore has certainly earned it, beating Indianapolis Wild Card weekend then going on the road to knock off the top two seeds in the AFC: Denver and New England. Aaron Hernandez (9 catches, 83 yards) and Brandon Lloyd (7 catches, 70 yards) were fine but the Patriots lack a big play threat like Smith or even Boldin to some degree.

Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal was the only score of the first quarter. Ray Rice got Baltimore on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Welker answered with New England's only touchdown of the game: a 1-yard touchdown catch. Gostkowski's 25-yard field goal was the disappointing last play of the first half as the Pats went into the locker room with a shaky 13-7 lead. They had outplayed Baltimore but had little to show for it.

One play after getting crushed by Jerod Mayo (but holding onto a catch), Pitta's 5-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter gave the Ravens a 14-13 advantage that they would never relinquish. Boldin's 3-yard touchdown catch was the first play of the fourth quarter then he put it away on the ensuing drive after Ridley's fumble with an 11-yard touchdown catch. 21 unanswered points by Baltimore, unreal.

Every season that goes by without a Super Bowl title, you realize more and more how quickly Brady and Bill Belichick's window is closing. It's a tough reality that many don't want to face but that's how it is. The Pats have lost in all four different rounds of the playoffs in the past four postseasons. They've been so close, particularly in two Super Bowl losses to the Giants, but at low points like this you have to wonder if they'll get to the top again with this regime.

Questions about the NFL Draft, free agents (for the love of God please sign Welker) and other matters will have to wait for another day. For now, it's time to sign off on another uneven season for the Patriots. They were great at times, mostly in the regular season but once again they shriveled up as a team in the big moment. That has become more than a pattern since they beat the Eagles in Super Bowl 39.

UPDATE 1/21: Today the Patriots signed five players from the practice squad to future contracts: FB James Develin, WR Jeremy Ebert, WR Andre Holmes, DL Tracy Robertson and LB Jeff Tarpinian.

UPDATE 1/22: The Pats have reportedly signed former USC defensive lineman Armond Armstead, who played in the CFL last season. He got a three-year deal with $655,000 guaranteed and base salaries of $405,000 in 2013, $495,000 in 2014 and $585,000 in 2015.

UPDATE 1/23: Brady was fined $10,000 by the NFL today for kicking Ed Reed when he slid during a run.

UPDATE 1/26: Apparently the Pats can't get enough of guys from the CFL. At least this time, it's a guy that is from Brockton and played football at Northeastern (which doesn't have a program anymore). Defensive end/outside linebacker Jason Vega had 12 sacks over the last two seasons with Winnipeg and he worked out with New England in December.

UPDATE 1/31: The Pats re-signed linebacker Dane Fletcher to a one-year deal (terms weren't disclosed). He missed the entire 2012 season after tearing his ACL in the first preseason game in August.

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Patriots Dispatch Texans 41-28, Return To AFC Championship & Rematch With Baltimore

If you want to beat the Patriots (13-4, 7-2 home) in the playoffs at Gillette Stadium, it takes basically a perfect gameplan with likewise flawless execution. Neither of those things describe the Texans (13-5, 6-3 away), who lost 41-28 tonight in the AFC Divisional Round game.

New England advances to its seventh AFC Championship Game under Bill Belichick and it is a rematch of last year as Baltimore comes to Foxborough on Sunday (6:30 p.m., CBS). Atlanta hosts San Francisco in the NFC Championship (3 p.m., Fox). The win took a serious toll on the Pats though as Rob Gronkowski broke his forearm again so he's done for the playoffs while Danny Woodhead (thumb) and Chandler Jones (ankle) left with injuries in the first half and never returned.

Tom Brady (25 of 40, 344 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) was better than Matt Schaub (34 of 51, 343 yards, 2 TDs, INT) but the bigger surprise was that Wes Welker (8 catches, 131 yards) outperformed Andre Johnson (8 catches, 95 yards) and Shane Vereen (41 yards rushing, 83 yards receiving, 3 total TDs) did his best Arian Foster (90 yards rushing, 63 yards receiving, 2 TDs) impression.

Don't let the final score deceive you, this was a blowout. New England was up 38-13 in the fourth quarter before Houston scored a couple late touchdowns, forcing the Patriots to recover an onside kick. The Texans have plenty of talent but their conservative playcalls on offense, Schaub's tendency to falter in the big moment not to mention their shaky defense will hold them back from ever doing anything really notable. Oh and Houston head coach Gary Kubiak is medicore at best.

You knew the Texans were in trouble when Danieal Manning took the opening kickoff 94 yards (Devin McCourty saved the TD) but they couldn't punch it in for a score. Shayne Graham hit a 27-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. Vereen's 1-yard TD run late in the first quarter gave New England a 7-3 lead that they would never relinquish.

A 37-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski and 8-yard TD catch by Vereen made it 17-3. Foster's 1-yard TD run (when he might not have crossed the goal-line) gave the Texans some life at 17-10 then the Pats couldn't figure out what they wanted to do at the end of the first half. Houston took advantage, forcing a punt then moving down the field and watching Graham hit a career-long 55-yard kick to cut it to 17-13 at halftime.

New England seemed to be the only team to come back for the second half. They rattled off three straight touchdowns to put it away. Stevan Ridley (82 yards rushing) rumbled in from 8 yards out, Brandon Lloyd caught a 5-yard TD pass then Brady hit Vereen with a beautiful 33-yard TD catch early in the fourth quarter.

DeVier Posey's amazing 25-yard touchdown grab was ruled no catch at first but correctly overturned after review. Foster added a 1-yard touchdown catch before Gostkowski's 38-yard field goal made all the gamblers happy since it allowed the Patriots to cover.

Other standouts for the home team: Aaron Hernandez (6 catches, 85 yards), Aqib Talib (10 tackles, 9 solo) and Rob Ninkovich (4 tackles, 2 solo, 2 passes defensed, tackle for loss, quarterback hit), who recorded the only turnover of the game with a key interception of Schaub in the third quarter. The Pats turned that into seven points on Lloyd's touchdown.

New England has to thank Baltimore (12-6, 5-4 away) since their incredible 38-35 double overtime win last night in Denver allowed the Patriots to host the AFC Championship for the second straight season. The Ravens are a familiar foe since they played in Week 3 in Baltimore (a 31-30 Ravens win) not to mention in last season's AFC Championship (a 23-20 Patriots win thanks to Billy Cundiff's missed chip shot at the end). Baltimore is riding a serious wave of emotion because Ray Lewis is apparently retiring at the end of this season (I'll believe it when I see it).

Last season along with Week 3 have no bearing on what will transpire on Sunday night. These teams play every season and even though the Patriots usually come out on top, the margins are always very close. They don't need extra motivation but the Pats are also chasing immortality as Tom Brady became the winningest quarterback (17 wins) in playoff history with today's victory and Bill Belichick is now third in wins (18, 2 behind leader Tom Landry and 1 behind Don Shula).

Las Vegas lists New England as a 9.5 point favorite (same as vs. Houston) against Baltimore. It seems like a bit too much but the Patriots have proven that they have no problem hanging 30+ on almost anyone in the NFL. The question will be can Joe Flacco and the Ravens score enough to knock off the Pats?

UPDATE 1/14: The Pats hired former Chiefs offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to a yet unnamed position on their coaching staff. Daboll is only 37 and he started his career in New England (2000-06). He was a defensive assistant here then a wide receivers coach. It'll be interesting to see what his role turns out to be going forward next season, maybe this means Josh McDaniels is leaving since he was hired last season around this time and ended up taking Bill O'Brien's job.

UPDATE 1/17: Kevin Faulk and Matt Light will be the honorary team captains for New England on Sunday. They both were part of individual ceremonies earlier this season so hopefully they'll bring their old team good luck.

Also today, it was announced what we already knew: Rob Gronkowski's season is over as he was officially placed on IR. The intriguing part is that opens up a roster space which has to be filled by 4 p.m. on Saturday. What practice squad player will hit the lottery and get to dress for the AFC Championship Game? Stay tuned for that pertinent information.

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Patriots Roll Over Dolphins 28-0 To Clinch The No. 2 Seed In The 2012 AFC Playoffs

After Indianapolis beat Houston 28-16 earlier this afternoon, New England was handed a special opportunity: beat Miami and they'd clinch a Top-2 seed in the 2012 AFC playoffs. That extra certainty of motivation proved to be significant as the Patriots (12-4, 6-2 home) blanked the hapless Dolphins (7-9, 2-6 away) 28-0 at chilly Gillette Stadium.

With the victory, New England knows they host a divisional round game on Sunday, January 13 at 4:30 p.m. against either the Texans (who host the Bengals) or the winner of Colts/Ravens. I think I speak for all Patriots fans when I say that I like their chances against any of those three squads.

Basically the only thing that didn't go right for the Pats today was that Rob Ninkovich hurt his hip and had to leave the game in the second quarter. We're not sure how serious it is but the good news is that he has an extra week to heal and rest. Tom Brady (22 for 36, 284 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) had a solid game while Wes Welker (8 catches, 94 yards, TD) and Danny Woodhead (5 catches, 79 yards) were in a nice rhythm with TB12.

Stevan Ridley ran for 74 yards and two touchdowns while Rob Gronkowski returned after missing five games to catch a 23-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The ironic part is that Gronk still leads all NFL tight ends with 11 TDs despite all that time off. He was obviously favoring his arm though so I'm thrilled that he doesn't have to play another game for a while.

New England's defense posted its first shutout since 2009 thanks to its best pass rush of the season which produced seven sacks led by undrafted rookie free agent Justin Francis (3 sacks). Steve Gregory intercepted rookie Ryan Tannehill (20 for 35, 235 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) and Dont'a Hightower recovered a Tannehill fumble.

Miami's only effective weapon was wide receiver Brian Hartline (5 catches, 69 yards). Tannehill's interception was terrible and Reggie Bush fumbled on the goal-line (although it was charged to Tannehill). Clearly, the Dolphins had no interest in putting up a fight in their season finale.

After Gregory's interception, Welker cashed in with a nine-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Ridley had a one-yard touchdown run (on 4th and Goal) followed by a two-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The only intrigue left in the contest was over whether Ryan Mallett would make an appearance (he didn't) or if Miami would score (also a negative).

Now let's all sit back next weekend, watch the Wild Card games and get plenty of rest. The Patriots have never won a Super Bowl without a first-round bye so this was the first step to what we hope is a very special season.

UPDATE 1/1: The Patriots signed rookie defensive tackle Tracy Robertson to the practice squad.

UPDATE 1/4: Today, New England signed quarterback Mike Kafka and defensive end Marcus Benard to reserve/future contracts for next season.

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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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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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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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Definition Of Yawn: Pats Win 10th AFC East Title In 12 Years With 23-16 Triumph In Miami

When your division is as putrid as the AFC East has been for the better part of a decade, it's tough to get too excited over trivial things like an AFC East title. New England (9-3, 5-2 away) beat Miami (5-7, 3-3 home) 23-16 this afternoon at Sun Life Stadium for the Patriots' sixth straight win. New England became the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff spot in 2012 so there's that insignificant fact.

With the victory, the Patriots claimed their fourth straight AFC East title, the ninth in the in the last 10 years and 10th in the last 12 seasons. It is a crazy mark of consistency that shows no sign of stopping while the rest of the division continues to go in circles and pee down their legs. Did you know the Dolphins have used 17 different guys at quarterback since Dan Marino retired? I rest my case.

Yes New England usually struggles when they go down to the humidity of South Florida but this gave them five consecutive wins against Miami. For the most part, it was a pretty boring contest as the Patriots played one of their more sloppy games of the season yet still found a way to get it done.

Tom Brady (24 of 40, 238 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) wasn't himself but Wes Welker (12 catches, 103 yards, TD) and Aaron Hernandez (8 catches, 97 yards) picked up the slack for Rob Gronkowski (still out) and Brandon Lloyd (1 catch, 10 yards) who has been completely fazed out of the passing attack. New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels kept Stevan Ridley (19 carries, 71 yards, TD) out of the majority of the action until he inserted him in the fourth quarter to effectively wear down the Dolphins defense.

This was Ryan Tannehill's (13 of 29, 186 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) first career game against the Patriots and while it wasn't a disaster by any means, he certainly looked like a guy that is still squarely in the project stage. Brian Hartline (5 catches, 84 yards) and Reggie Bush (15 carries, 64 yards) are Miami's two best offensive weapons, which should tell you exactly where their franchise is at this moment.

Chandler Jones' absence wasn't a huge deal since Trevor Scott (3 tackles, 2 sacks, tackle for loss) stepped up and Vince Wilfork (3 tackles, 2 solo, tackle for loss, fumble recovery) continued to play at a very high level.

Competing against an inferior team like the Dolphins means that the Patriots are comfortably able to survive an interception by Reshad Jones and another missed field goal by Stephen Gostkowski (from 49 yards in 1st quarter; his 3rd in 4 games at the time). The only things to worry about were some more injuries: right guard Dan Connolly left with a back injury and Julian Edelman departed with a foot injury. Neither guy returned to the field after that.

Miami was up to their usual tomfoolery after they were forced to punt on their first drive and punter Brandon Fields couldn't properly control a bad snap. He got tackled by a host of Patriots at the Dolphins' 12. Five plays later, Ridley had a 2-yard touchdown run. Dan Carpenter's 44-yard field goal with one second left in the first quarter got Miami on the board.

Welker cashed in on a 7-yard slip screen and Gostkowski atoned for his miss with a 43-yard field goal as the Patriots led 17-3 in the second quarter. Tannehill's 2-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds left in the first half gave the Dolphins fans something to cheer about.

I don't know which was more boring: the third quarter which featured a grand total of zero combined points or the fourth which had two field goals apiece for both teams? Gostkowski hit a 32-yard field goal, Carpenter hit a 33-yard field goal, Gostkowski added a chip shot 20-yard kick then Carpenter wrapped it up with a 42-yard field goal.

Miami tried an onside kick but Lloyd fell on it to clinch the win for the Patriots. After weeks of playing mostly terrible teams (except for the Colts), you won't hear me complaining the next two weeks. We've had these two games circled all season: they host the Texans (11-1) next Monday (8:30 p.m., ESPN) then the Niners the following Sunday night (8:20, NBC). Houston is currently the top team in the AFC while San Francisco is the second best team (record wise) in the NFC. Now if we could just coax some snow or at least wintry conditions out of the sky.

UPDATE 12/3: Multiple sources report that the Patriots have re-signed wide receiver Donte' Stallworth. He was cut in August after what seemed like a decent preseason. He hadn't caught on with any other NFL team so this move was probably made since A) Julian Edelman's foot injury is serious and B) Deion Branch's hamstring is still in bad shape so they can't use him at this point.

Also, the Pats lost another guy from the practice squad as the Eagles signed offensive tackle Matt Kopa. The Stanford product had spent the last two seasons on New England's practice squad.

UPDATE 12/4: Pro Football Talk says that New England gets a one-week roster exemption for rookie running back Brandon Bolden. He can return to practice now and they don't have to activate him until December 11. He has missed the past four games thanks to a PED suspension. They can activate him at any time but they would have to release another guy from the 53-man roster.

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Did That Game Really Just Happen Or Was I In A Food Coma?

I think we all knew the Jets were a mess but that still couldn't have prepared us for what transpired tonight at MetLife Stadium as the Patriots embarrassed the home team 49-19 in a game that wasn't nearly that close. Bill Belichick celebrated his 200th career win (including playoffs) by probably ending the Rex Ryan/Mike Tannenbaum era in New York. Look for major changes to be made there in the offseason.

New England (8-3, 4-2) won its fifth consecutive game thanks to an explosion in the second quarter that included three touchdowns (3!) in 52 seconds. Believe it or not, it was scoreless after one quarter before New York (4-7, 2-4 home) decided to self-destruct to an unbelievable level.

Lighting up the scoreboard in the past four games has been a common occurrence for the Pats. They've put up 190 combined points which is the most in a four-game span since the Rams in 1950 (208 points). Tom Brady (18 of 28, 323 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) was nearly perfect again; he's had 14 TDs and 0 INTs in their last five games. New England's 108 points in the last two blowout victories is the third highest total in NFL history.

For the second week in a row, the Patriots scored touchdowns in all three phases: offense, defense and special teams. Wes Welker's (7 catches, 71 yards) 3-yard TD catch got the feast started in the second quarter. That was followed by Shane Vereen taking a swing pass 83 yards for a score, Steve Gregory (2 fumble recoveries, INT) scooped up a fumble 32 yards and took it to the house while Julian Edelman returned a fumble on a kick return 22 yards for the third touchdown in under a minute.

Speaking of Edelman, for good measure he added a 56-yard touchdown grab which put New England up 35-0 in the second quarter. Their 35-point quarter tied a franchise record. It also gave him four touchdowns in the last two games. The only downside is that he got crushed in the third quarter by LaRon Landry and it looked like he sustained a concussion.

New York couldn't get out of its own way and seeing Mark Sanchez (26 of 36, 301 yards, TD, INT) comically run into the back of his own lineman (in the most Jets play of all-time) and fumble then having Joe McKnight cough it up on the next play was something out of Football Follies. All that was missing was some Benny Hill music.

Credit to Rex Ryan and his team though as they scored 12 straight points to make it interesting. Haha yeah right. Nick Folk's 32-yard field goal with two seconds left in the first half broke the shutout. A chop block in the end zone led to a safety for the Jets and Bilal Powell had a 4-yard TD run in the third quarter.

New England went back to trolling New York as Brady had a 1-yard quarterback sneak and Stevan Ridley (21 carries, 97 yards) was rewarded for a solid night with a 9-yard touchdown run.

For some reason, the Jets dressed Tim Tebow even though after the game he admitted that he has two broken ribs. That meant all the Tebow talk during the broadcast and chants by their miserable fans were pointless, he wasn't coming in no matter what. Third-string quarterback Greg McElroy must feel good about his work situation.

Dustin Keller had a 1-yard touchdown catch with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter for the final margin. New England leads the NFL with 32 takeaways, they improved to 7-1 against the AFC and 4-0 against AFC East foes-they are done with the Bills and Jets. Jerod Mayo had 11 tackles (8 solo), a sack and tackle for loss while Dont'a Hightower had four tackles (3 solo), a sack and tackle for loss.

It was a very physical game and especially considering the short week of preparation, the Patriots were outstanding. Yes, the Jets helped them out with most of their five turnovers but New England also made the plays. Like last season, they are showing the knack for getting turnovers on defense which is a great sign. The No. 3 team in the AFC will get this weekend off and then next week they'll begin work on the Dolphins (4-6, hosting Seattle on Sunday). The Patriots travel to Miami on Sunday, December 2 (1 p.m., CBS) to face a team that started out looking so promising but they have lost their last three.

UPDATE 11/23: Kyle Arrington was fined $23,000 today for his helmet to helmet hit on Colts quarterback Andrew Luck on Sunday. No word yet on any fines from last night's game vs. the Jets. Also, Greg Salas was claimed off waivers by the Eagles.

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Blowing Out Indy Comes At A Huge Cost: Gronkowski Breaks Forearm, Expected Out 4-6 Weeks

A few measly hours, that's all the time Patriots fans got to bask in the glow of a resounding 59-24 blowout victory against the Colts this afternoon at Gillette Stadium. 59 points ties a Patriots team record set in 2009 vs. Tennessee (that crazy snow game).

Reality came calling way too soon as we all (7-3, 4-1 home) found out that Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs) broke his forearm and is expected to miss somewhere in the 4-6 weeks range. The worst part (well besides the injury) is that it happened in garbage time, on the final extra point with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter. Rightfully, that opens up Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to a deserved cacophony of criticism asking why the best tight end in the NFL was still out there. Ugh!

Before I go to sleep depressed, let's remember that this was a very nice win. Indianapolis (6-4, 2-3 away) might have beaten up on some bad teams and taken advantage of a weak schedule but they are a good squad. Also, let's hold off the NFL Hall of Fame induction for Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck (27 of 50, 334 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs). After getting touchdowns on their first two drives of the game, Indy was outscored 52-10 the rest of the way. He looked rattled and made a couple terrible decisions/throws. What's more, he easily could have had a few more interceptions.

The Patriots scored touchdowns thanks to all three phases: offense, defense and special teams. Cornerback Aqib Talib's (7 tackles, 5 solo) debut for New England included a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown. Rookie Alfonzo Dennard (4 tackles) topped that with an 87-yard interception return for a score. Julian Edelman had the best game of anyone (and his anonymous career) since he scored on a 68-yard punt return, caught a 2-yard touchdown and also had an end around for 47 yards. Incredible.

Tom Brady (24 of 35, 331 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) has put himself right in the thick of the MVP discussion (assuming people talk about that in mid-November) with another excellent performance. Wes Welker added seven catches for 80 yards.

Four turnovers by Indianapolis were way too much to overcome, especially since New England took care of the ball and never coughed it up. Rookie wide receiver T.Y. Hilton had six catches for 100 yards and two TDs while Reggie Wayne notched seven catches for 72 yards. Patriots icon Adam Vinatieri (47-yard field goal, 3 PATs) was repeatedly booed by the brain dead crowd at Gillette, those people can't be serious. Who does that to him?

Rob Ninkovich had a very solid game with eight tackles (four assists), a sack, two tackles for losses and two quarterback hits along with a forced fumble that he recovered. Stevan Ridley (3-yard) and Shane Vereen (4-yard) had touchdown runs in the fourth quarter when it spun way out of control for the Colts.

He didn't play today but Aaron Hernandez is expected back on Thursday night (8:30 p.m., NBC) as the Patriots visit the Jets (4-6) at MetLife Stadium. New York won 27-13 this afternoon in St. Louis and you'll remember that they choked against New England on October 21 in a game the Pats ended up winning 29-26 in overtime.

Ironically, that gift has propelled to New England to their current four-game win streak. The Jets are not a good team and they won't go to the playoffs this season but they usually play the Patriots tough and anything can happen in a short week, especially against a divisional rival and without one of your best players.

UPDATE 11/19: Deion Branch cleared waivers so he's a free agent. The Patriots signed wide receiver Kamar Aiken to the practice squad, he's previously been on the Bills and Bears after entering the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2011.

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Nobody Makes You Feel Worse About A Win Than These Patriots

I thought I had run out of ways to describe a terrible win a few weeks ago when the Patriots were handed a 29-26 overtime win against the Jets in Week 7. New England (6-3, 3-1 home) outdid themselves this afternoon at Gillette Stadium with a 37-31 "victory" over the Buffalo Bills (3-6, 2-4 away).

I hate repeating myself but in this case, it's totally necessary. Once again, New England's defense couldn't get off the field or stop one of the worst teams in the NFL. Also, their offense similarly couldn't get their job done either since they had a chance to ice it with a long drive and TD but they had to settle for a field goal.

Therefore, we had to sweat out a two-minute drive by Ryan Fitzpatrick (27 of 40, 337 yards, 2 TDs, INT, fumble) that looked destined to end with a touchdown. That is until the Harvard product remembered who he is and what he does in that type of situation: Devin McCourty (8 tackles, 4 solo, forced fumble, pass defensed) picked him off in the end zone to finish it.

Exhale. Buffalo hasn't won in Foxborough since 1999 (hello Doug Flutie) and they probably would have done it today if they didn't continuously shoot themselves in the foot with penalties (14 for 148 yards) and costly turnovers (3). Tom Brady (23 of 38, 237 yards, 2 TDs) improved to 20-2 in his career against the Bills and the Patriots swept the season series against Buffalo in 2012.

It's hard to explain how a team that had an extra week to prepare, against a divisional opponent that they know very well, could still struggle so badly on defense. I guess the best we can muster for an explanation is that the Bills' skill players are a matchup nightmare for the Patriots.

Buffalo easily could have scored 45 points if Fitzpatrick had thrown a touchdown at the end and Fred Jackson (80 yards rushing, 2 TDs; 35 yards receiving) hadn't fumbled at the 1-yard line. C.J. Spiller (70 yards rushing, 61 yards receiving), Steve Johnson (6 catches, 86 yards), Donald Jones (6 catches, 74 yards, TD) and Scott Chandler (5 catches, 65 yards, TD) made their fantasy owners happy.

On the positive side, when the Pats had the ball, they toasted Buffalo's defense. Stevan Ridley had 98 yards rushing and a touchdown, Wes Welker had six catches for 74 yards while Danny Woodhead had two touchdowns and Rob Gronkowski caught a touchdown (something he's done in all six games against his hometown team).

Stephen Gostkowski's 43-yard field goal and a 1-yard touchdown run by Ridley were the only points in the first quarter. Rian Lindell got Buffalo on the board with a 41-yard field goal before Woodhead's 15-yard TD run made it 17-3. Jackson answered with a 14-yard TD run and the teams traded scores as neither defense could get off the field. Gronk had a pretty diving 2-yard TD catch but Chandler had a 3-yard TD catch with 31 seconds left in the 1st half.

Woodhead's 18-yard catch and run increased New England's lead to 31-17 in the third quarter but Jackson's 1-yard run showed the Bills weren't going away. Gostkowski had a 48-yard field goal in the fourth before Jones caught a 2-yard touchdown. Gostkowski's 27-yard field goal provided the final points.

With the Dolphins (4-5) loss and the predictable Jets (3-6) no-show in Seattle, the AFC East is the same graveyard it has been for much of the last decade. More importantly for the Patriots, who have won three in a row, they can find out where they stand against some real teams beginning next Sunday. The Colts (6-3) led by rookie quarterback Andrew Luck come to Gillette (4:25 p.m., CBS) riding a four-game win streak.

UPDATE 11/12: Linebacker Jeff Tarpinian was released (he still has practice squad eligibility left) with cornerback/savior Aqib Talib taking his place on the 53-man roster.

UPDATE 11/13: The Pats signed free agent guard Mitch Petrus (a former Giant) to the roster and released linebacker Jerrell Harris from the practice squad. Additionally, Tarpinian was re-signed to the practice squad.

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Welcome To The AFC East: Where Everybody Is 3-3 After 6 Mediocre Weeks In 2012

Do you remember when the Patriots could put teams away when they had a comfortable lead? Can you recall a New England defense that made timely stops? Finally, what has happened to Tom Brady (36 of career-high 58, 395 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) who used to be one of the most clutch athletes in sports history?

We are left with all these unanswered questions after yet another unexpected loss by the Patriots (3-3, 2-2 away) to an inferior team. In this case, the Seahawks (4-2, 3-0 home) benefited this afternoon from all of New England's mistakes in a 24-23 win by Seattle at rain-soaked CenturyLink Field.

The funny thing is that the Patriots' three losses so far this season are by a combined four points. That means two things: they've been in every game and they simply don't know how to close out a win against a decent opponent anymore. New England led 23-10 with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter but apparently, that's exactly where Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson (16 of 27, 293 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT) and his awful receivers wanted them.

Former Jets great Braylon Edwards cut it to 23-17 with a 10-yard touchdown catch with 7:21 left in the fourth quarter. Sidney Rice (3 catches, 81 yards) had the winning score, a 46-yard touchdown catch with 1:18 remaining. The Patriots bungled two chances to get a bigger lead between Seattle scores there but they were forced to punt both times. That's not even as bad as their bungled possession at the end of the first half that ended with Brady's intentional grounding penalty so a 10-second run off and no points. Brady had another intentional grounding called in the fourth quarter, what's with that (remember the last Super Bowl)?

He was off his game, especially in the second half. Brady badly underthrew a deep ball to Deion Branch (and why look for him in that spot?) in the third quarter which led to Richard Sherman's interception. Then he forced a pass to Wes Welker (10 catches, 138 yards, TD) in the fourth quarter and it deflected for Earl Thomas who picked it off.

After running the ball so well in the first five games, the Patriots seemed to leave that part of their team at home. Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden (who left with a knee injury) and Danny Woodhead combined for 87 yards rushing. The lack of a dependable running game really killed them at the end since they were forced to pass on every down which played into the top defense in the NFL's hands.

This game unfolded eerily similar to the loss at Baltimore in Week 3. In the same manner, the Patriots built up a lead after playing well on both sides of the ball then everybody (including the coaches) had a complete meltdown where everything went wrong.

Needham and Middlebury's Steven Hauschka gave Seattle a 3-0 lead with a 34-yard field goal. Welker answered with his second touchdown in as many games. He went 46 yards in the first quarter for a 7-3 advantage. Doug Baldwin (2 catches, 74) ensured that Kyle Arrington would see extended time on the bench in the second half with a 24-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Aaron Hernandez returned and made an impact with a 1-yard touchdown catch on a beautiful fade pass by Brady to the corner of the end zone. Gostkowski's 25-yard field goal made it 17-10 in favor of the Patriots but as I said before, it should have been more.

The only points of the third quarter came on Gostkowski's 35-yard field goal that extended the lead to 23-10. Brandon Lloyd (6 catches, 80 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (6 catches, 61 yards) had decent performanecs but I'd love to see them get more cracks in the red zone. Chandler Jones (9 tackles, 4 solo, 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, forced fumble) was a beast as usual.

As pathetic as this loss was, to a team that the Patriots normally should wipe the floor with, they still have no chance to lose the AFC East to the assorted cupcakes around them. More importantly, they will look to get back on track as they host the Jets (3-3) on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m., CBS) at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots will have to put another disappointing loss behind them as they try to put together the first full 60 minute effort of the season.

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Patriots Get Up Big (31-7), Hang On For 31-21 Win Vs. Peyton & The Broncos

The bottom line is that Tom Brady and the Patriots improved to 9-4 all-time against Peyton Manning. New England (3-2, 1-1 home) beat his new team-Denver (2-3, 0-2 away) 31-21 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in a contest that went from blowout to somewhat of a nail biter thanks to two TDs by the Broncos.

For everything that the Pats did right, building up a 31-7 lead late in the third quarter, they had to sweat it out a bit in the fourth quarter after Stevan Ridley (28 carries, 151 yards, TD) ruined his perfect day with a costly fumble. Thankfully, Willis McGahee (51 rushing yards, 51 receiving yards) was in a giving mood as well, Rob Ninkovich forced his second fumble of the game and Jermaine Cunningham fell on it to wrap it up.

Manning (31 of 44, 345 passing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT) and Brady (23 of 31, 223 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) had solid performances but Denver overshadowed it with three costly fumbles and New England put up 251 rushing yards as a team. When's the last time the Patriots had more rushing yards than passing yards in a game?

Brandon Bolden (54 yards rushing) and Danny Woodhead (47 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards) were sprinkled into the playcalling wisely by Josh McDaniels. Wes Welker (13 catches, 104 yards, TD) scored his first touchdown of the season with his mortal enemy Julian Edelman still sidelined with a hand injury.

Demaryius Thomas (9 catches, 188 yards) is a beast and Peyton is helping him become one of the NFL's top receivers but he needs to cut down on his fumbles. Today's fumble after a 43-yard catch and run was his third consecutive game with a fumble. Props though to Patriots cornerback Sterling Moore who chased him down (after getting beaten deep), knocking it loose then recovering it.

The other fumble was from Manning and Vince Wilfork recovered it after Ninkovich drilled Peyton. Jerod Mayo (13 tackles, sack) also played well for the Patriots defense that was superb, until the last quarter or so. Broncos linebacker Von Miller had eight tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss and a pass deflection.

Welker's 8-yard touchdown catch were the only points of the first quarter. Denver tied it at seven early in the second quarter after Devin McCourty's standard pass interference (not turning his head at all) penalty put the ball on the 1-yard line. Joel Dreessen caught the 1-yard score from Manning.

Of course with all the weapons New England possesses in the running game at the moment, Shane Vereen would be the one to get a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter that made it 14-7. It was his only touch of the game and first score of the season. The Pats could have gone up two touchdowns heading into halftime but they were stuffed twice on runs at the goalline and had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

In the third quarter, Brady got in on the fun with a 1-yard sneak and Ridley's touchdown had everybody thinking about the two Patriots blowouts vs the Broncos last season. If nothing else, Peyton is not Tim Tebow which means Denver still had some hope to rally. Eric Decker made an amazing 2-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter and Brandon Stokley (yes, he's still in the NFL) cut it to 31-21 with a 5-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots' tour of the NFC West continues on Sunday (4:05 p.m., CBS) with a game at CenturyLink Field against the Seahawks (3-2, 2-0 home). Seattle has a big homefield advantage although we all know they should have lost to the Packers in Week 3's debacle that was the swan song for the replacement refs. Pete Carroll's team doesn't have many weapons on offense and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has struggled but their defense is legit and their home crowd makes a ton of noise so that game won't be easy by any means.

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