Projo Pats Blog

OK, there was that one game in December, against Miami, when Brown got onto the field last year. But seriously, while basically not working for almost two years might become increasingly common for people in this rough economy, for a pro sports athlete not coping with a severe injury, that usually means retirement.

But events yesterday seem to have rekindled thoughts that Brown does harbor hopes of returning to play someday. That's because Brown reportedly turned down an offer to be an analyst on Comcast SportsNet's "Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight." (Boston Herald) Brown was all set to go on the show last night, presumably to begin his broadcasting career, but then yesterday afternoon suddenly called the station to say that he wouldn't be coming in, after all.

Whatever Brown's decision on "retiring" turns out to be, he certainly deserves the sincerest respect of all Patriots fans. The team's all-time leading receiver was there for all the great moments of the Parcells and Belichick eras, and he handled it all with the dignity that this organization has generally been known for.

Two events that will always stand out in my mind: Brown's 55-yard punt return for a touchdown that opened the scoring in the Patriots' 2001 AFC Championship Game victory at Pittsburgh; and then, on Oct. 23, 2003 -- three days after Aaron Boone's ALCS home run broke the hearts of local fans, Brown's dramatic 82-yard reception from Tom Brady in Miami that gave the Patriots a come-from-behind victory. That was the third win in what would become a 21-game Patriots winning streak that included the 2003 Super Bowl championship. It was also a game that lifted spirits around here tremendously after one of the darkest nights New England sports fans can remember.

So whatever you do, Troy, we all thank you.

FUTURE HOME: Brown will certainly be selected someday as a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame; reading about the new Hall at Patriot Place makes me want to visit real soon. (projo.com)

NO SURPRISE THERE: Anyone who expected Matt Cassel to deviate from the Patriots playbook when it came to answering questions from the media has to be not only delusional, but sorely disappointed following a week and a half with Cassel as the team's quarterback. While players throughout the NFL are all too willing to say silly, headline-grabbing things (I'm looking your way, Joey Porter), Cassel says pretty much nothing at all, unless it is to express his sincerest respect for the opposition.

IS THAT A RHETORICAL QUESTION? Porter's comments have the writers at Profootballtalk.com wondering if there is "some sort of defect in the brain box" of the Dolphins linebacker.

RUNNING ON FUMES: One potential area of worry for the Patriots is the backfield, where Laurence Maroney and LaMont Jordan missed practice for the second consecutive day.

FAMILY MATTERS: Four members of the Rooney family have declined to sell their stakes in the Pittsburgh Steelers to a New York billionaire, Stanley Druckenmiller. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) But that does not mean that Dan Rooney, the oldest brother in the family, who would like to take over the controlling interest in the team, will end up buying out his brothers, because they want to continue looking into options in order to keep the stock price up. The Rooneys not named Dan are being forced by the league to divest in the Steelers because of their involvement in gambling businesses.

VIKINGS' WORST NIGHTMARE: Gus Frerotte's job as Minnesota starting quarterback will be a lot harder if Adrian Peterson is not starting in the backfield, and yesterday a hamstring injury, apparently suffered late in the Colts game, kept Peterson off the practice field. (projo) Peterson had limited participation on Wednesday.

DEJECTED AND SORRY: That's referee Ed Hochuli, who says he has personally answered all the hate mail he has been receiving from Chargers fans angry that his error on Sunday cost San Diego a hard-fought game against the Broncos. (projo.com)

UPS AND DOWNS OF BRANDON MARSHALL: Speaking of the Broncos, their reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Week had two counts of simple battery filed against him in Georgia, stemming from a six-week-old domestic violence complaint. Marshall's arrest in that complaint, back in March, was his third arrest in a year. (projo.com)

JOEY GALLOWAY LIMPING ALONG: The reports on the Bucs wide receiver's sprained foot have not been good all week, so it's no surprise that Galloway probably won't be playing against the Bears on Sunday. (St. Petersburg Times)

DAMAGED GOODS: Koren Robinson, just acquired by the Seahawks and expected to start on Sunday against St. Louis, missed much of practice yesterday with a sore knee. (Tacoma News Tribune)

GOOD LUCK, ROOKIE: With Ahman Green out, rookie Steve Slaton gets to make his debut as an NFL starter for Houston, and he'll do it against the league's most formidable run defense: the Vikings'.

THIS WEEK'S PICKS: I went 6-9 last week, and one of my wins (the Broncos over the Chargers) was only because of poor officiating, so I have lost my privilege of commenting at length about games. Nonetheless, here's who I expect to win this week, with the home teams listed in caps:

PATRIOTS over Dolphins -- No-brainer.

TITANS over Texans -- Houston still an unknown quantity after just one game.

BILLS over Raiders -- A real opponent and no Darren McFadden means back to earth for Oakland.

VIKINGS over Panthers -- This is assuming that Adrian Peterson takes the field on Sunday.

FALCONS over Chiefs -- Kansas City has mailed it in already.

BEARS over Buccaneers -- We're going with a home-town feel.

Cardinals over REDSKINS -- A coming-out party for a solid Arizona team.

GIANTS over Bengals -- Cincinnati is poised to join the ranks of the league's worst.

SEAHAWKS over Rams -- Things are bad in Seattle, but not bad enough to lose this game.

49ERS over Lions -- No end to the misery in Motown.

BRONCOS over Saints -- Denver's pass attack is awesome.

Browns over RAVENS -- Cleveland's got to have this one.

COLTS over Jaguars -- Indy seemed to figure something out in the fourth quarter at Minnesota.

EAGLES over Steelers -- Could be the game of the week between a team that played awesome defense last week and another that played awesome offense.

PACKERS over Cowboys -- Or this could be the game of the week. Dallas' defense looked highly susceptible to the pass last week, so let's show our faith in Aaron Rodgers.

CHARGERS over Jets -- San Diego is angry and New York is in the way.