Look At His Right Hand

The Pats set the standard for being evasive about player injuries. They tell only what the league requires. They have that right and use it to their advantage.

We are seeing that with Tom Brady and his right hand injury. CBS kept a camera on it while he was on the sideline during the game with the Dolphins. Is it a source of concern?

At his post-game press conference, Brady said his hand felt great, but he made no effort to waive it in front of the media. So now we are dealing with a hand injury. Nobody will ever know the extent of it.

Brady will tough it out to the end. Drew Bledsoe played with a pin sticking out of his finger to repair a fracture. They all play to the end in this game.

Tough Time In Tampa

The transition of college coaches to the NFL doesn't always go smoothly. Some probably wished they never left the confines of their school.

Greg Schiano thought he was making a great career move when he took over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, but the team is 0-7. On Friday, a group of fans held a demonstration at Raymond James Stadium demanding his resignation.

Fortunately, the Bucs have a bye week and can use the time to regroup in the hope of salvaging the season. Schiano is already 7-16 during his time in Tampa. It's not looking good for his future, especially when asked questions about whether he has lost the locker room and players. The fans are ready to dump him.

Rough Landing For Logan

We always hear about "The Patriot Way", but recent events have shown the Pats are not immune to having players make bad decisions. We saw that with Aaron Hernandez.

On a smaller scale, Logan Ryan made a stupid move after his 79 yard interception return off  Geno Smith in the Jets game. As he thundered to the end zone, he slowed down to see if anyone was near him. Once he crossed the goal line, he spun around and grabbed his crotch before falling on his back. He thought this was cute for his first NFL touchdown. He waited his entire life for this moment, but ruined it by grabbing himself for everyone to see.

His actions lead to a $10,000 fine by the NFL and a public scolding by teammate Matthew Slater. Ryan's behavior was immature and selfish. He later apologized to the public, but it took a $10,000 fine to straighten him out. Hopefully, he has learned a lesson. That segment of the play has been edited on the highlights. It was a brilliant run on his part. Too bad he had to ruin it with his selfishness.

Head Case

Brett Favre was in the news again, but for the wrong reason. We just went through that ridiculous rumor of the Rams contacting him about coming back to the NFL.

Favre has now admitted to having memory problems after all these years. Is this a sign of things to come? He wouldn't be the first or last player to be plagued by memory loss.

I don't doubt that Favre could will himself to be on the field. I think he has suffered head trauma and now must be concerned about the long term effects. It happens to everyone in the NFL. They just don't talk about it. Not good for job security.

Rams Go Too Far With Favre

It was unfortunate that the St Louis Rams lost QB Sam Bradford for the season with a knee injury. The signal caller has been mentioned as one of the rising stars in a group of young quarterbacks.

When a team loses their quarterback, options are limited. They can turn to their own depth chart or look for one of the veterans out on the street. The NFL always has a stable of retreads out there who get cycled back and forth between desperate teams.

The Rams decided to think outside the box and approached 44 year old Brett Favre about a return to the league. It's hard to believe that they were actually serious about signing a guy who has not played since the end of the 2010 season.

Favre was an extremely talented player, but how well can he play at 44? He might be a freak of nature to have survived so many NFL seasons with his body intact. I think Favre made the right decision to decline the offer from the Rams. His playing days are over.

Winning, Losing and Talking

Coach Rex Ryan may have saved his job with his team's 30-27 win over the Pats. The New York tabloids are certainly treating him differently. The Jets are getting the top billing over the 1-6 Giants who continue to struggle.

All is well for Rex in the Big Apple. He had the reporters laughing at his recent press conference. He was less defensive in some of his answers. Winning does that to everyone.

After the Pats win over the Saints, Coach Belichick had a 13 minute post-game press conference. Coach Bill always likes to talk after a win. Just don't ask him too many questions after a loss. His press conference  after the Bengals game was about two minutes. Last Sunday, he was a bit more chatty in describing the loss to the Jets. He went on for over four minutes. That's a lot for him after a defeat.

One More Time For Carter

When the Pats signed DE Andre Carter, it reunited them with a player who made the Pro Bowl during his one year stop in Foxborough. Carter was at home without a contract after playing last year with the Oakland Raiders.

He left the Pats at the end of the 2011 season after playing out his one year contract. He was injured in the final weeks of the season with a torn quadriceps tendon. He was placed on IR and missed the Pats run at the Super Bowl.

It's been a long grind for Carter after being the 7th overall pick in the 2001 draft. The draft also featured former Pats Richard Seymour and Gerard Warren in the first round.

Carter will be paid by the game. At this point in his career, it was a matter of finding a team that wanted his services. Team don't care about him being a former first round pick.

Tom's Big Game

The NFL schedule makers must have thought it would be a good idea to feature the Giants and Vikings on Monday Night Football. It looked like a great game between two iconic franchises.

However, the Vikings are 1-4 and the Giants are 0-6. There are many story lines, including Coach Tom Coughlin fighting for his coaching life. Things have gone so badly for the Giants.

It's still MNF. Fans will be watching. The ratings might take a slight hit, but the NFL cash cow will make more money tonight.

Giving Away Games

The penalty on the Pats during the Jets 56 yard field goal attempt did not cost them the game. They should never had been in that situation. They were up by 11 points at the half and got the ball to start the third quarter. They were fortunate to tie the game and go into overtime.

We will now be inundated with discussion about the controversial penalty which was called correctly. It was a specific point in a field goal play that the NFL wanted officials to keep an eye on. The penalty gave the Jets another chance to win the game with a 42 yard filed goal.

The Pats are still 5-2 and sit at the top of the Eastern Division. They will start their new week preparing for the Miami Dolphins.

Mocking Brady

You can always count on the New York Post to have great back pages and columns when it comes to playing the Pats. Friday's edition had a photo composite of a baby in a playpen with Tom Brady's head superimposed over the infant's

It was meant to mock the preferential treatment of Brady that many teams feel the NFL promotes. DL Sheldon Richardson of the Jets openly mocked Brady. That was pretty brazen from a rookie. He was critical of the league without mentioning the officials.

He mentioned that quarterbacks took their beatings in the past. He's correct on that, but the NFL is trying to protect the most important player on any team. They are also some of the league's biggest stars.

Richardson is determined to sack Brady on Sunday. Number 12 has been taking some hits and sported a shiner under his right eye after the Saints game. The offensive line really needs to do their job this week.

Words From Rex

I listened to Coach Rex Ryan's teleconference with the Boston media. It was great to hear him and some of his classic sound bites. He mentioned that he wasn't kissing Coach Belichick's rings.

He captured the back page of the New York Post from another press conference when he told his players to go home and not do anything around the house until after the game with the Pats on Sunday.

He certainly knows how to grab the headlines. At 3-3, the Jets are doing better than many predicted. I want the Pats to beat them on Sunday, but hope Rex and his crew can keep winning and make it to the playoffs. He is the perfect fit for the Big Apple. Unfortunately, his job tenure is tied to winning.

If it was strictly based on the entertainment aspect, he would have lifelong tenure as head coach. He knows how to grab the headlines.

Pats Not Knocking Hard

HBO and the NFL have an agreement to keep filming the wildly successful "Hard Knocks" program which gives a great insight into training camp.

Teams have volunteered for the show. Rex Ryan and the Jets got great ratings during their season on display, but not all teams are looking for the spotlight. It's the last thing that Coach Belichick wants for his team.

The league has stipulated that all teams must participate unless they meet one of the exemptions. The Pats should be safe as long as Coach Belichick remains in Foxborough because a team can decline if they have made the playoffs in any of the past two seasons.

The Pats fall into that category, but don't meet the other criteria of either having a new head coach or being on the show in the past ten years.

If the Pats make it to the show, it won't be good for the fans because they will either have a new coach or have missed the playoffs.