An Opportunity For Someone

The Pats will move on without Jerod Mayo. They have already lost two of their defensive captains for the season, but such is life in the NFL.

Every season-ending injury provides another player with an opportunity that they might not get. Donte Hightower will be calling the defensive signals in the absence of Mayo. Someone else will get a roster spot. Will it be somebody from their practice squad or a player cut in training camp?

Players know it's a dog eat dog world out there. They can benefit at the expense of others. Just ask Tom Brady. His career might be different if Mo Lewis didn't knock Drew Bledsoe out of the game against the Jets. Two players had their lives changed forever in one moment.

Out Of Mayo

The news just came out that LB Jerod Mayo had surgery for a torn pectoral muscle. What does this mean? Is he out for the season? Will Coach Belichick refer to it as an upper body injury?

The team will decide in the next few days whether to place him on Injured Reserve. It doesn't look good at this point for him to salvage the season.

They could carry him on the 53 man roster with the idea that he could come back for the playoffs. Ray Lewis did it last year with the Ravens, but they made an exception for him because it was his final season.

I think that Pats will wait about a week before they place him on IR. This is another big hit to the defense.

Head Games

The Pats and Saints played a great game yesterday, but both teams suffered their share of injuries. Tom Brady took a beating on many passing attempts.

I was shocked to see WR Kenbrell Tompkins still in the game after taking a violent hit to the head. The same can't be said for Danny Amendola. His condition was scary when he got hit. He made no move to break his fall to the ground. He was lucky to get up and walk off the field.

Viewers were able to see a concussion first hand. He must have suffered one. It will be interesting to see his status for the Jets game next Sunday.

Great Moment

The Pats pulled of an improbable 30-27 win over the Saints. It's hard to believe they won, but they did to run their record to 5-1. This was the defining game of the 2013 season. It was also a game for the ages with so many side stories.

The biggest play may have been Bill Belichick's decision to go on 4th and 6th from their own 20 yard line with 3:29 left in the game. That call will be debated forever.

They won the game, but could have lost so easily. You never know how it will play out.

As The Gronk Turns

There seems to be no end in the drama about whether TE Rob Gronkowski will play in the game against the Saints. He has not been medically cleared. It seems to be resting on the shoulders of the legendary Dr. James Andrews. He is supposedly examining the scans of his arm.

There is rumor of not proper healing of the bone. The plate that was inserted and caused the infection may have been a big mistake. If he had let his bone heal normally, it might have been a different story. The team and Gronk are at this point. As the Coach would say, "It is what it is".

This is a great example of trying to get a player back on the field too soon. In Gronk's case, his health may have been sacrificed last season for the benefit of the team in the playoffs.

I think this will drag out all season and after.

Now or Later

Things can only get worse for the New York Giants after losing last night to the Chicago Bears, 27-21. Big Blue is now 0-6 with no hope of making the playoffs. At this point, it will take an incredible run to finish with a winning record.

It does not bode well for Coach Tom Coughlin. Many think he is a Hall of Fame coach, but this season is killing his chances. The team has been on a losing streak that carried over from last year. Fans are getting very restless as they know the season is almost a total loss.

With the way things are going, I think it's a question of whether Coughlin gets fired now or at the end of the season. If he lasts thru Week 17, maybe they can ease him out the door. If he doesn't go willingly, the team may just fire him.

Not The Best Deal

After five games, it's hard to say that signing Danny Amendola over Wes Welker was a better move for the Pats. Both are Texas Tech products with similar playing skills. Amendola was suppose to be the younger and faster version of Welker. We were lead to believe that this was the better signing for the long term.

So far, everything is in Welker's favor. Even his team is 5-0 under Peyton Manning who is on a torrid pace to set all types of passing records this season.

Welker has seven TD's this season which equals the total for Amendola in his 44 career games. He also has the same amount of TD's for all receivers on the Pats combined.

Although he will never admit to it, there had to be a personality conflict with Welker for Coach Belichick not to re-sign him. The guy is such a great player.

Maybe Two More Games

All of the experts in the media are calling for Rob Gronkowski to return to the Pats starting line-up. They feel his absence is the cause of the team's dismal offense. Doctors are expected to clear Gronk for the game on Sunday against the Saints.

Whether he will play is the big question. After four surgeries on his arm and one for his back, it's easy to see why Gronk is a bit leery about getting back on the field. Coach Belichick indicated that the team never put him on the PUP list because they wanted him to be able to work out with the team. Gronk has been seen at practice since the start of the season.

I think Gronk should wait another week or two. I don't feel good about him playing on Sunday. He came back early from injuries twice with disastrous results. They can't afford to lose him for the rest of the season.

Tom On The Hot Seat

Pats fans are getting fidgety because Tom Brady and the offense are not playing well, yet the team is 4-1 with a great defense.

Contrast that to the New York Giants who are 0-5 with a chance to be eliminated from the playoffs real soon. The New York media is feasting on this. Some are already wondering if 67 year old Tom Coughlin is at the end of the line as a head coach.

There is plenty of blame to go around, but it always comes down to the head coach and eventually the GM. Coughlin has been mentioned as a future Hall of Famer because of his two Super Bowl wins against the Pats.

Now, there is discussion whether he will even finish the season. It's been a rough ride for Coughlin at times. Discussing his impending termination has been a hot topic with the New York writers. Another couple of loses could seal his coaching fate.

The Offensive Offense

Tom Brady had it right when he said that two field goals will not win games in the NFL. That was the total offense for the Pats yesterday during their 13-6 loss to the Bengals. There were too many dropped balls and ones that sailed over the receivers head.

The defense is playing great in spite of losing Vince Wilfork for the season and some type of knee injury to Tommy Kelly. The Pats are ranked at the bottom of the NFL in many offensive categories while having one of the best defenses.

It's been a big turnaround on both sides of the ball that has shocked many. Who would have thought the offense would grind to a virtual halt? You can only take so many players out of the equation.

The Life of Brian

Former Pats QB Brian Hoyer appeared to have found a home with the Cleveland Browns after getting only one start in five seasons. He was named the starter after Brandon Weedon sprained his thumb. It was the perfect scenario for Hoyer, a Cleveland area native.

He lead the team to wins over the Vikings and Bengals. It looked like he was getting ready for his third win until he slid awkwardly during a play. He ended up tearing his ACL and will be lost for the season.

It's a tough break for Hoyer who was looking good and appeared to finally be on track to be a starter after sitting on the Pats bench behind Tom Brady.

Where will he be next year? Will he still be a third string quarterback or get another chance to start in another city?

Tough Deal For Vince

The Pats took a big hit Sunday in their win over the Falcons when they lost Vince Wilfork for the season with a torn Achilles. It was a big blow to the team to lose one of the defensive leaders.

There had been talk about Wilfork losing a step this year because of his age. Others thought he might have been hurt. It's all irrelevant at this point.

Wilfork will be 32 shortly and faces an uncertain future. He's at the age when guys in his position start to show signs of slowing down. It will be a long rehab for the big guy. I hope we have not seen the last of Vince, but you never know.