The Edge of Brett

The suspense is overwhelming as to whether Brett Favre will start his 292nd consecutive regular season game at Gillette Stadium today. He finally practiced on Friday and could be seen moving very slowly. It could all be a ploy to convince the Pats that he will be on the bench.

I don't doubt that he is hurting. Stress fractures can be very painful. It's obvious that he can barely move. You never know with Favre. I predict he plays today.

Moss Fine Raises Questions

The NFL announced that Randy Moss has been fined $25,000 for not making himself available to the media in the three weeks he has been with the Vikings. Apparently, he is continuing his policy of not talking. This was his standard procedure when he was with the Pats.

It's puzzling to see that the league is finally addressing this issue after three years. Why the change now? Did the members of the Vikings media complain to the league? Did anyone ever complain in Foxborough or did they let this whole affair slide because they didn't want to upset Coach Belichick?

The Surge of Sergio

Some players make it to the NFL, in spite of not being drafted for a variety of different reasons. Such is the case of Sergio Brown who was signed from the practice squad to the 53 man roster after the injury to safety Patrick Chung.

Brown joined the Pats after a great career at Notre Dame. Things didn't work out for him in the draft. Fortunately, he caught the eye of people when it mattered. One of those was his former defensive backs coach Corwin Brown who joined the Pats after Charlie Weis and his staff were terminated at Notre Dame.

I'm sure the coach advocated for Sergio to his new employer. Sergio had a great training camp and was on the final cut. The team signed him to the practice squad where he waited for his turn.

He had a huge defensive stop against TE Antonio gates during the Chargers game. The team announced that they have signed him to a four year contract. This is just another example of the inexact science that is the NFL draft.

Meeting Brad Sunday

Don't expect Coach Belichick to give Coach Brad Childress much of a hand shake after the game on Sunday. Childress accused the Pats of stealing defensive signals during their game in 2006. Is he trying to stir up Spygate again?

Coach Belichick brushed it off by saying he is just getting ready for the game. Another standard line was "it doesn't matter what happened in 2006, 2002 or 1989".

Coach Childress later back off his statement, but the damage has been done.

The Weekly Brett Watch

I have always been a big fan of Brett Favre. I'm glad he is still playing in the NFL at the age of 41. He can be perceived as a prima-dona, especially since he left Green Bay.

He has his problems off the field, but this week he is facing his greatest challenge with the two stress fractures in his ankle. This is a huge threat to his record of 291 consecutive game starts. I really admire his streak. I hope it doesn't end.

Ironically, it's become a story and now we are on the Brett watch for Sunday. Will he or won't he play? I never thought it would come to this, but Father Time can be cruel to athletes.

If he plays Sunday, can he be effective with his elbow and ankle problems? The Vikings are betting their season on him.

We have been spoiled in New England with the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe for the last 17 seasons. It's tough to find a great QB.

As Coach Belichick has often said, "Nobody plays this game forever", although Favre has 15 million reasons to drag himself out on the field.

The Woes of Brett

I wonder if Brett Favre ever looks back to that day in 2008 when he tearfully ended his career with the Green Bay Packers. He has been able to squeeze the last few seasons out of Father Time with the Jets and Vikings.

He has himself in a big mess with his sexting problem. He admitted doing it, but not sending the pictures. He faces a possible suspension from the league.

Coach Brad Childress was openly critical of his play and three interceptions in the team's 28-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.

To make it worse, Favre had an MRI today which revealed two "stress fractures" in his ankle. He spent the day walking in a boot.

Maybe Favre will take his punishment from the league now which will cause him to end his consecutive game streak.

It's not all that bad for Favre. When his teammates made the special trip to Mississippi to drag him to training camp, it was for a contract that is paying him $15 million no matter what happens.

In the words of Coach Belichick, Favre has a "lower leg injury" and is "day to day", but could be a game time decision.

Unwanted Attention For Izzo

During Friday's press conference, Coach Belichick anointed former LB Larry Izzo as the best special teams player he ever coached.

Izzo went undrafted in 1996, but carved out a 14 year NFL career excelling on special teams. He holds the league record with 298 special teams tackles. He made the 2002 and 2004 Pro Bowl as a specialist. His career ended after the Jets cut him last year because of a spinal injury.

I'm sure Izzo would be very flattered to hear such comments. Special teams players don't always make it into the news.

However, Izzo has been making the news for the last few years for all of the wrong reasons. He has testified before a federal grand jury regarding his connection to the BALCO steroid scandal.

The U.S. Attorney's office announced that Izzo will be a prosecution witness when former baseball player Barry Bonds goes on trial for committing perjury before the grand jury investigating steroid use. Izzo will be forced to answer questions about his own use and connection to Greg Anderson, the former trainer of Bonds and the alleged supplier to a host of professional athletes.

The trial is set for next March. I bet he wishes that Bonds would work out a plea agreement prior to going that date.

UMass Plays In The Big House

I love following the NFL. There is no better game than this. I really don't watch college football except to follow my UMass Minutemen and brother's Boston College Eagles. I don't watch the 27 bowl games.

I had the good fortune of attending the Colonial Classic today at Gillette Stadium with UMass playing the University of New Hampshire. Although we lost 39-13, it was enjoyable to watch a college game in such a great venue.

The announced attendance was 32,848. The place holds 68,000. At any given time a certain percentage of the crowd are not in their seats. I thought it might be under 30,000. That's a great turnout.

Coach Belichick would have done a meltdown with the horrible special teams play of UMass. The missed three field goals and gave up big yard on returns. They also had turnovers with interceptions and fumbles. There was no way they could have won this game.

I get a kick out of the "pagentry" aspect of college football. I can't imagine having the marching bands play during the game or the cheerleaders on the sidelines doing pyramids and back-flips.

Bill would never go for this.

Numbers Are Misleading

Analysts and "experts" try to use statistics to explain what happens in the NFL. When the Pats play the Chargers on Sunday, they will play a team with a 2-4 record.

It's hard to justify that record when you look at the numbers. The Chargers lead the league in total offensive, passing and are 5th in total points per game.

They lead the league with the lowest amount of yards allowed on defense and passing per game. However, they have turned the ball over 16 times, including three in the opposition's red zone.

In their last three games, they have allowed 30 points on special teams. In their loss against the Raiders, they had two punts blocked.

You can't win in the NFL with a weakness in any phase of the game. Special teams play and turnovers are hurting the Chargers big time.

The Pats are playing excellent on special teams. This could be the most critical factor in determining the outcome of the game.

Attention For Meriweather

It seems like the goal of every NFL defensive player is to make the biggest hit of the game and get on Sports Center.

Brandon Meriweather has gone above and beyond that. His vicious hit in the Ravens game got him a $50,000 fine and national exposure. He even made the network news when they mentioned his name and showed the hit.

Last Monday, he was very nonchalant about the whole situation. Now, he is saying he is sorry and wishes the whole incident would "just go away". He said he plans to play within the rules. This is coming from someone who said earlier in training camp that he doesn't always listen to the coaches and tries to improvise out on the field.

In a perfect situation, Coach Belichick would sit him down for at least part of Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers. With injuries effecting the secondary, he might not have that luxury.

It's just a matter of time before Meriweather does something real stupid to hurt the Pats at a crucial time in the game.

The Big Hits

A great deal of attention has been focused on the three players fined by the NFL for illegal hits during their games last Sunday.

LB James Harrison of the Steelers, who was fined $75,000 said he is contemplating retirement because he no longer knows how he is suppose to play defense. That might be a bit of an over-reaction on his part.

The NFL is part of the problem. Various shows on television show big hits every week. The league sells videos of memorable hits. The hitting and violence are part of the culture of the game.

The league is trying to protect players by tweaking some of the rules. That is a good idea. Kids do what the pros do.

We have created a culture where players believe the most important thing to do is to made a huge hit and get on Sports Center.

I'm not sure how you go about changing that mind set.

Target On Meriweather

Brandon Meriweather is the focus of attention this week as a result of his hit on Ravens WR Todd Heap. He faces a possible fine or suspension as a result of launching himself on that play.

Coach Belichick took him out of the game immediately and could be seen yelling at him on the sidelines. The next day on WEEI, Meriweather seem to make light of the situation which even captured the attention on NBC nightly news.

Meriweather is an overrated player. Ironically, the Pats drafted him in the first round in 2007 as compensation from the Seattle Seahawks in the Deion Branch trade.

Meriweather made it to the Pro Bowl last year after several safeties were unable to play. The Pro Bowl is becoming a joke with many players going there only to fill a vacant spot.

In a move to address a potential suspension, the Pats re-signed Ross Ventrone to their practice squad. Ventrone was with the team through training camp.

Rodney Feels Different Now

I think Rodney Harrison does an excellent job as a analyst on Sunday's "Football Night In America" show. He has good chemistry with Tony Dungy. Last night, they discussed the vicious hits laid out by Brandon Meriweather.

It's a certainty that Meriweather will get fined by the NFL for launching himself and giving a helmet to helmet hit on a defenseless receiver.

During his career, Harrison was voted the dirtiest player by his peers on several occasions. By his own count, he paid over $100,000 in fines for illegal hits.

Harrison said that something must be done to prevent defenders from nearly paralyzing players. He said the only thing that worked for him was getting suspended. It was only then that he realized his selfish play was hurting his team.

Players make so much money that writing a check for $5,000 is chump change for these guys. The game is violent enough without players taking it to a higher level. It's only a matter of time before we have another paralyzed player.

Two Different Receivers

When Deion Branch arrived this week, he said he was not Randy Moss. There is no way he could be. They are two distinct players and personalities.

It was a striking contrast to see how they act in post-game press conferences. Branch was very humble and kept addressing people by "sir". He showed a tremendous amount of respect to the people asking the questions.

It's amazing to see how happy he is to be here. He seems very genuine in his comments. He indicated that working with Brady was like he had never left.

This reunion certainly has the potential to have a good future this season.

A Win Tomorrow

Every week we ware inundated by the pundits and "experts" who predict the outcome of the weekly games in the NFL.

Fans should rest easy knowing that the Pats are a three point favorite over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The odds-makers are saying that the Pats should win the game.

I feel relieved now. I can watch the game tomorrow expecting the Pats to win because the "experts" said they would.

End of a Streak?

Brett Favre holds a slew of NFL passing records that may never be surpassed except by Peyton Manning if he plays until he is 40.

Favre has always been proud of his consecutive game streak which now stands at 289, but is in serious jeopardy of ending. He faces a possible suspension from the league as a result of his sexting controversy. Almost an equal threat, is the tendinitis in his right elbow. He was seen in obvious pain during the Monday night game against the Jets.

He has indicated that he might end the streak to get himself back to health. It will be interesting to see if his suspension coincides with his injury time. Will he work a deal out with the league?

Deion Is Back

Deion Branch played here from 2002-2005 before he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks after a contract dispute. He was traded for Seattle's 1st round pick in the 2007 draft. The Pats selected Brandon Merriweather with the pick as they had traded their own 1st away.

Branch is back here, but not to replace Randy Moss. Branch was always a possession receiver. I think the days of the Brady to Moss deep ball are gone.

It was so refreshing to see how humbled Branch is to be back here. This seems to be a great marriage between team and player. He really wants to be here. If he can stay healthy, he can help the team.

Branch was a 2nd round pick in 2002. That draft included TE Daniel Graham(1st), QB Rohan Davey and DE Jarvis Green on the 4th, RB Antwoine Womack and WR David Givens in the 7th.

Sometimes, I need to research to realize that Rohan Davey was the pick recived as compensation when the Past traded WR Terry Glenn to the Green Bay Packers after the 2001 season.

In a twist of irony, trading Branch brought Merriweather to the team, the only draft selection left from that year. Of course, we can't forget that a 2nd round pick was sent to Miami for Wes Welker and a 4th to Oakland for Randy Moss. That was not a bad use of draft choices.

The only other player to make the roster from the 2007 draft was CB Mike Richardson from Notre Dame who was the 2nd of their three 6th round selections. He played in 10 games over two seasons before ending his career after a marijuana bust two days after the Pats lost Super Bowl XII.

Time To Let Go

Now that the Pats have signed WR Deion Branch, I wonder if the focus will move away from the Randy Moss trade. Players and coaches claim the team is moving on. I hope the fans and media do likewise.

It seems that no matter what happens this year, everything will focus on whether the team should have made the trade. If they make it to the AFC Championship game and lose, everyone will cite Moss as the missing part.

It looks like the only thing that will silence the malcontents is having the team win the Super Bowl. That is a very daunting goal.

Only time will tell if the was a good trade. The team is playing the rest of the season without Moss one way or the other.

Brett's Bad Move

Before it's over, QB Brett Favre will probably wish he stayed retired before going to the Jets and Vikings. He is involved in an investigation over whether he sent sexual text messages to female employees of the Jets. It started with one women, but now there are three.

The NFL will walk a fine line on this one since Favre is one of the league's marque players. Favre is sitting on a potential public relations nightmare and financial disaster if some of his companies drop him from their endorsement contracts.

Apparently, his wife is familiar with his infidelities as she indicated in a prior book she wrote. Favre is a grandfather and one of the women is only a few years older than his oldest daughter.

Maybe Favre has played the last two years to build up his financial reserves in case he goes through a messy divorce.

The NFL Network is a great source of league information, but fans almost need to check out "Accces Hollywood" to get all of the facts.

Hair Pulling Time

It's bad enough that fans will never find out the truth on why the Pats traded Randy Moss to the Vikings. Now, there is a report out that Brady and Moss had to be separated a week prior to the trade when Moss told Brady to get his haircut because he looked like a girl. This was after Brady told Moss that he should cut his beard.

Maybe this whole thing wasn't just about Moss wanting to be the focus of the offense. It's about personal grooming.

OK With Trade

Nobody denies that there is an impact on the offense with the trading of Randy Moss. I think it opens more possibilities for other players and keeps the team from relying on the long ball.

I think the contract issue lead to the trade. The team had no intention of signing him for next year. They could have used the franchise tag at the end of the season, but that would have lead to a bitter battle between Moss and the front office.

By trading him now, Coach Belichick is trying to remove the potential Moss meltdown late in the season when the team is pushing for the playoffs.

Moss is happier now. The trade probably would not have been made except under the circumstances of sending him to a place where he wants to be.

More Moss

After listening to the press conferences of Bill Belichick and Randy Moss, it's gets harder to understand why this divorce happened. Both of them took the high road and didn't say anything negative about what happened.

There are variations of a story about an incident on the flight back from Miami between Belichick and Moss. The coach denied anything ever occurred. Moss was a bit evasive and didn't want to talk about the past.

It was hard to believe when Belichick said that the contract status of Moss was not an issue. Moss made a great point in reiterating that the NFL is nothing but a business. He said that fans would be better off if they could understand that point. He is certainly right on that account.

I don't think they will miss him as much as a lot of us think. If he got hurt and was out for an extended period, the team would need to adjust. It just proves that nobody is bigger than the game and it passes everyone by eventually.

Gathering Thoughts On Moss

I don't think we will ever get the truth about what happened to cause the trade of Randy Moss to the Vikings. It was a shock to all of us when you hear that they traded such a prolific receiver after only four games for a 3rd round draft pick next year.

Coach Belichick and everyone else has been saying the right things every week about Moss. Something must have sent Coach Belichick over the edge. Randy's agent had requested a trade after the first week of the season. His post-game press conference did not endear him to many fans. He came across as being self-centered and not caring about the team. Many of his teammates spoke in his defense.

Maybe Coach Belichick will write his memoirs someday and address this issue. There are rumors that they wanted to trade him before the season started. There are reports of of a verbal altercation with Coach Scott O'Brien during halftime of the Miami game. We will never know because of the wall of silence in the locker room.

It's hard to say how this will effect the rest of the season. It was perhaps a good time to do this during the bye week when the team was away from Foxborough. What does Tome Brady think? We will never get his true thoughts. He will talk the company line.

This has certainly helped talk shows, bloggers, commentators and other self-proclaimed "experts". Everyone has an opinion, but nobody knows all of the facts. I think this story will continue to grow.

Say "No" To 18

The Pats went without RB Fred Taylor at Miami. Leaving him behind did not have an effect on the outcome of the game. The Past won 41-14 with some monster special teams play.

Taylor stands as one of the all-time running backs. He has missed a bunch of games throughout his career. Maybe that is why he is still around. It seems impossible for anyone to play all 16 regular season games. The playoffs are another story.

One of the key points in the CBA negotiations is adding two games to the regular season. As a fan, I would love to see it, but I just don't see how the players could endure it physically.

The health of the team is so critical in advancing through the playoffs. The season becomes a war of attrition before the 16th game. With 18 games, it would only get worse.

As of now, I'll go with 16 regular season games.

Final Miami Thoughts

It's moments before Monday Night Football kick-off. So many of the "experts", including some of the locals feel the Pats might lose the game tonight. There are a lot of factors. The field might be a problem with the newly installed turf and the young defense trying to "learn the sytem" of Coach Belichick.

This game has great implications for the playoffs because it's a Division game. I still feel they will win this game if the play they execute in all three phases of the game.

Don't forget red-zone, third down and turnovers.

Return of McNabb

QB Donovan McNabb had a controversial relationship with the Philadelphia Eagle fans right from the start when the team selected him in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft. His selection received a mixed reaction from the fan base.

He was never seen as the one who could lead the team to the Super Bowl, although he got there once and went to five NFC Championship games. He set a slew of team passing records, including most career wins.

Coach Andy Reid decided to make a change this year and traded him to the Washington Redskins. The two teams finally met yesterday in Philadelphia. During pre-game introductions, McNabb received a huge ovation from the fans. I thought that was a good sign on their part for someone who had done so much for the franchise.

He lead his team to a 17-12 win over the Eagles.

A Vote For 1PM

It's great that the Pats and Dolphins are playing on Monday Night Football. They get to play on the big stage in front of the entire nation. It's the only game in town.

The NFL continues with its change in scheduling after November when they move selected games to their Thursday night telecast.

I'm not thrilled that the Pats are playing a 12:30pm game on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions. I admit that I'm a traditionalist with 1pm games. I think football was meant to be played on Sunday at that hour. I'm ok with 4pm starts, but I have my stated preference.

It's probably a matter of time before the league starts playing on Friday nights and Saturdays. That would be interesting because those times have traditionally been reserved for high school and college games.

Clayton's Long Road To The NFL

The road to the NFL is one that is not always successful for those who travel it. Making the 53 man roster is a major accomplishment for some players. Such is the case of the recent signing of RB Thomas Clayton.

Like most players in the NFL, he had a stellar high school career. He enrolled at Florida State University in 2002. He left after the season and went to Kansas State University. He sat out the 2003 season. He returned in 2004 to rush 14 times for 71 yards. He lead the team in rushing in 2006 with 637 yards. In 2006, he played in only five games, rushing for 338 yards.

The San Francisco 49er's selected him during the 6th round of the 2007 NFL draft. He spent the season on the practice squad and most of 2008 before getting called up to the 53 man roster for three games.

He tore his ACL in 2009 and was placed on Injured Reserve. The 49er's did not offer him a contract. The Pats signed him earlier this summer and released him twice, including the final cut. The Cleveland Browns signed him to their practice squad before the Pats re-acquired him.

The public doesn't always get to see this side of the game. Every team has a group of players who are fighting just to claim one of the rosters spots. They get signed and released more times than they can remember. They might never make the big money, but sometimes they stick with a team.

Former WR Troy Brown is a case in point.