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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Celtics Return The Favor, Beat Sixers A Night After Losing To Them

After a disappointing overtime loss last night in Philadelphia, Boston was able to put it behind them quickly as they dispatched the Sixers (11-9, 4-4 away) 92-79 tonight at TD Garden.

The Celtics (11-9, 7-4 home) were buoyed by their best defensive half of the season as they allowed just 28 points in the first half for a 20-point lead (48-28). The Sixers didn't roll over in the third quarter (29-22) but Boston was able to deadlock them in the fourth (22-22) for a rare easy win against Philadelphia.

I've said all season to anybody that would listen-mostly my dog and cat-that Jeff Green is the Celtics' X-factor. If they are going to get anywhere, they need him to get his game in gear. After a very poor start to 2012-13, he's picked it up in the last five games: 19 points, 18 points, 8 points, 19 points and 16 points tonight. When he wants to be, he is really good with a versatile game that few can match, particularly off the bench.

Kevin Garnett scored 19 points (with no rebounds), Paul Pierce had 13 points and nine assists while Brandon Bass added 10 points and Rajon Rondo notched seven points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and three steals. Jason Terry had nine points while Chris Wilcox (8 points) and Jared Sullinger (7 points, 9 rebounds) continued to give the C's good minutes off the bench.

Thaddeus Young (22 points) still played like an All-Star against Boston for whatever reason but at least Evan Turner (13 points) and Jrue Holiday (11 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds) were held much more in check than on Friday in Philly.

Boston's bench outscored Philadelphia's 34-21. For the game, the Celtics were on fire from the field (53.3%-39.2%) and they had nine more assists (25-16).

I can't say I'm a fan of this schedule as the Celts have busy weekends then nothing for days. They host the Mavericks (10-10, 3rd Southwest Division) on Wednesday (8 p.m., CSN), who are still without the services of the incomparable Dirk Nowitzki.

O.J. Mayo dropped 40 points tonight in Dallas' win against Houston but what are the odds that ever happens again? It will be Terry's first game vs. his former club that supposedly snubbed him when he became a free agent. That's the start of three games in a row for the C's with the Texas teams: Dallas, at Houston and at San Antonio.

UPDATE 12/9: Chris Wilcox was fined $25,000 by the NBA for flipping off the in-house camera at the game in Philadelphia on Friday night. I didn't see it but I guess the Kiss Cam showed him and Jared Sullinger sitting on Boston's bench. Classic, well worth the fine.

UPDATE 12/10: The Celtics recalled rookie center Fab Melo from the Maine Red Claws.

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Week 14: Texans At Patriots Injury Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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I Bet That Rajon Rondo Would Trade His Triple-Double For A Game-Winning Shot

We were all treated to the full Rajon Rondo (16 points, 14 assists, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) experience tonight since he was easily the best player on the Wells Fargo Center's court. Of course, what everyone will remember most is that he not only missed a jumper at the end of regulation but also slipped and airballed another shot to close out overtime as the Celtics (10-9, 4-5 away) lost 95-94 to the 76ers (11-8, 7-5 home).

The two most frustrating aspects of Rondo's final miss are that Kevin Garnett (17 points, 10 rebounds) passed up a decent look in the post and truthfully, Rondo would have been best served driving to the basket for a layup since the lane appeared open. Every game of basketball needs a winner and loser so Philadelphia's Evan Turner (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) was the hero as he hit the last shot-a midrange jumper.

Great stat courtesy of Celtics radio announcer Sean Grande on Twitter (@SeanGrandePBP): In Rondo's first 22 triple-doubles, the Celts were 21-1. Now they've lost the last two of them-Game 7 vs. Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals and tonight.

I don't know what it is about Turner, Thaddeus Young (17 points, 12 rebounds), Jrue Holiday (15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) or the Sixers but they always seem to push the Celtics to the limit. It must be their young legs, they are morphing into the Atlanta Hawks 2.0 when they see Boston. Jason Richardson added 13 points and five steals while Spencer Hawes and his beautiful mullet notched 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

By losing, Boston wasted a great effort by Paul Pierce (27 points, 5 assists) and his eventual replacement-Jeff Green (19 points, 8 rebounds off the bench). Not to pin the loss on two guys since basketball is a team game but Brandon Bass (2 points on 0 for 1 shooting) and Jason Terry (4 points on 1 for 12 shooting) picked a bad time to both have their worst performances of the season since they are both starters at the moment.

The Celtics shot better (43.2%-37.4%) than the Sixers from the floor and hit four more 3-pointers (6-2) along with five more assists (24-19) and three more blocks (7-4). Boston had seven more fast break points (16-9) but Philadelphia had eight more points in the paint (40-32). This game was lost by the C's since they had 10 more team turnovers (19-9) and the Sixers converted those into a 12-point advantage (21-9).

After losing the first two meetings of the 2012-13 regular season, Boston gets another shot at Philadelphia tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TD Garden. If they can cut down on the turnovers and not leave the most important shots to Rondo, I like their chances. However, I can almost guarantee that it'll be another close contest since that is how it goes when they meet the 76ers and it's the second night of a back-to-back against an Atlantic Division rival.

UPDATE 12/8: The Celtics assigned rookie forward Kris Joseph to the Maine Red Claws.

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Red Sox Bid Farewell To The 2012 MLB Winter Meetings With One Last Move

After signing catcher David Ross, outfielders Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino along with first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli in the last few weeks, we are still waiting for the Red Sox to improve their god-awful pitching rotation. At least they are starting to address their bullpen heading into next season: today they reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million with reliever Koji Uehara.

The 37-year-old (he turns 38 on April 3) right-handed native of Japan spent the last year and a half with the Rangers after he debuted in MLB with the Orioles (2009-2011). The name probably doesn't mean much to you but believe me when I say that he was statistically one of the top relievers in the American League last season albeit in not very intense situations for the most part. In 37 appearances (36 innings), he had a 1.75 ERA with a ridiculous WHIP of 0.639.

He doesn't throw particularly hard, his strengths are location and a variety of pitches. In 2012, he struck out 43 and only walked three batters in 36 innings which is incredible. For his career, he has a 5-9 record, 2.89 ERA and 0.921 WHIP with 231 strikeouts and 29 walks. Baltimore used him as a starter in 2009 but in the last three seasons, he's been strictly a short-inning reliever.

The only thing to worry about with him is injuries. He missed a month in Texas last season with a lat injury. Obviously, a player of his age and mileage (he had a long career in Japan as well) is bound to break down at some point. For Boston's sake, hopefully that doesn't happen in 2013. If he can stay healthy, he should be a very nice addition.

UPDATE 12/10: For the second time in three months, the Red Sox claimed righthanded pitcher Sandy Rosario off waivers, this time from Oakland.

UPDATE 12/12: Apparently Rosario has become MLB's version of Ross Ventrone (former Patriots legend). Today, he was claimed by the Cubs off waivers. Make it stop!

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For KG, Beating The Timberwolves Will Always Be Extra Sweet

A week after his scuffle with Brooklyn's Kris Humphries and a two-game suspension by the NBA, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was back on the TD Garden parquet where he belonged tonight. As expected, it was like he hadn't missed a beat as he put up 17 points and 11 assists in Boston's (10-8, 6-4 home) 104-94 win vs. Minnesota (8-9, 4-6 away).

The Timberwolves were playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road but they looked good in the first half as they took a 51-47 lead into halftime. Predictably, they fell apart in the second half and the much more rested Celtics took advantage of their tired legs. Oh by the way, the C's have won 11 straight against the Timberwolves (10 in a row since KG got here).

Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 10 rebounds against his former team. Paul Pierce scored 18, Jason Terry added 17 points and five rebounds while Brandon Bass put up 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Jeff Green scored eight off the bench and Jared Sullinger had a statistically pleasing seven points and seven rebounds.

Kevin Love paced the Timberwolves with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Nikola Pekovic added 14 points and nine rebounds, Josh Howard scored 12 and Luke Ridnour had 11 points and five assists. Alexey Shved notched 11 points off the bench and former Northeastern star J.J. Barea tallied 10.

Boston shot better from the field (52.6%-44%), they made four more free throws (18-14), grabbed four more rebounds (45-41), dished out five more assists (24-19) and blocked three more shots (6-3).

Earlier in the day, rookie swingman Kris Joseph was recalled from the Red Claws. He even got in during garbage time against Minnesota and hoisted up a shot that missed.

In a weird scheduling quirk, the Celtics play a home-and-home with the Sixers (10-8, 3rd in Atlantic Division) this weekend. Boston travels to Philadelphia on Friday (7:00 p.m., CSN) then hosts the Sixers on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., CSN). As we all know, Philly is a bad matchup for Boston therefore they usually play them very tough. In their first meeting this season-back on November 9-Philadelphia won 106-100 at the Garden.

This weekend is when Boston could use some extra contributions from its supposedly deep bench. They can't rely on Garnett, Pierce and Terry to give them huge minutes in either contest so it's up to the young guys-Green, Sullinger, Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa-to make it happen when they need a rest.

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