Projo Pats Blog

The web site sees a big impact, of course, in the loss of Tom Brady, whom it calls perhaps the single most important player to the success of a team in modern football history, but also notes the fallout from the Patriots' poor drafting in recent years as being maybe an even bigger drag on the team. This used to be an area of pride for New England, but just look back at the draft class of 2007: Brandon Meriweather, Kareem Brown, Clint Oldenburg, Justin Rogers, Mike Richardson, Justise Hairston, Corey Hilliard, Oscar Lua and Mike Elgin. Only Meriweather of them is on New England's roster today. That follows the 2006 draft, which produced Laurence Maroney, but also Chad Jackson.

In defense of the Patriots, the draft itself in 2007 was almost an afterthought at the time, especially after the team traded a number-four pick to Oakland to get Randy Moss. The team decided on a go-for-it strategy, which everyone seemed to realize at the time, and it almost resulted in a perfect, 19-0 season. It's a tradeoff that few teams could have resisted, but that few teams would have been faced with, because they didn't have Tom Brady at quarterback.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PROVING: Matt Cassel insists that he can sense himself developing as a quarterback, but he knows he'll have to start running the offense more efficiently if he is to make believers of the New England fans. (projo.com)

IS THIS THE WEEK? A lot of folks thought the Patriots would stretch the field on offense against Miami, but the Dolphins took away the deep ball. Now comes another defense that is susceptible to the big play, the Patriots are healthier in the backfield than they were two weeks ago, and Cassel hopes he'll be able to record some big passing plays against the 49ers. (projo PatsBlog)

TWO-WAY TEST DAY: Throwing the deep ball has not been a problem for San Francisco's J.T. O'Sullivan, who has been one of the league's most effective passers on attempts greater than 20 yards. (San Francisco Chronicle) The question is, how does he rebound from his first poor start as a pro?

CAUSE FOR CONCERN? Wide receiver Wes Welker, Cassel's favorite offensive weapon thus far, was added to the injury report because of a groin problem. (projo PatsBlog) Indications are that it is not serious.

LOOKING AT THE OPPOSITION: The 49ers' ultra-talented, underachieving tight end, Vernon Davis, is a tough matchup for the Patriots, Bill Belichick says. The coach also sees a lot of similarities between rookie linebacker Jerod Mayo and second-year Niners linebacker Patrick Willis, last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year. (Both projo.com)

IN HIS ELEMENT: A video in the new Hall at Patriot Place shows Belichick in his most engaging state -- breaking down Xs and Os as he relives some big plays from the team's recent history. (Boston Herald)

RUNNING A TIGHT SHIP: Lovie Smith hasn't been afraid to crack down on players with discipline problems, and he showed that again by suspending three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris for breaking a team rule. (projo.com) Harris, who sat out last week because of a knee injury, won't play against Detroit on Sunday. Adam Schefter of NFL.com reported that Harris failed to show up for a treatment session and a team meeting. He also notes that Harris, like suspended Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, is a Drew Rosenhaus client who recently signed a long-term contract extension.

A PROFESSIONAL DISAGREEMENT: ESPN reporter Ed Werder and DallasCowboys.com writer Nick Eatman reportedly had a heated argument over whether Werder tried to goad Terrell Owens into making his widely criticized statement about not getting the ball enough in the Cowboys' Week 4 loss to Washington. (profootballtalk.com)

BAD BOY BACK IN ACTION: Chris Henry, the troubled Bengals wide receiver who was suspended for the first four games of the season, looks likely to play against his buddy, Pacman Jones, on Sunday in Dallas. (Dayton Daily News)

WHY DID THEY DO THAT? Another player who missed the first four months of the season because of a suspension, Minnesota offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie, is still surprised that he was disciplined in that way for allegedly hitting a nightclub bouncer with a pole. (Star Tribune)

WORKPLACE ISSUES: Dolphins cornerback Will Allen and wide receiver Derek Hagan had a series of pushing, shoving and jawing incidents at practice, one of which resulted in a practice official getting knocked down. (Miami Herald)

NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT: Mike Tomlin tried to reassure the media that Ben Roethlisberger is fine, despite the fact that the banged-up quarterback has missed two straight days of practice. (Steelers.com)

JUST A HEARTBEAT AWAY: The Nashville Tennessean says that the Titans' Vince Young will be the backup to Kerry Collins, and won't slip behind Chris Simms on the depth chart, now that Young seems to be healthy again.

STANDING BY HIS MAN: Jon Gruden left no doubt yesterday that Brian Griese -- and not Jeff Garcia -- is his starting quarterback. (Tampa Tribune)

ROAD TO RECOVERY: The Eagles' Brian Westbrook had an encouraging day of practice and might be able to play against the Redskins on Sunday. (PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

LIKELY TO SIT OUT: Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor continues to miss practice and is unlikely to play against the Eagles. (Washington Post)

A NEW SEASON DAWNS: Deion Branch has been liberated from the Seahawks' injury report. (Seattle Times)

NOT TAKING THE BAIT: In his well-publicized Tuesday rant, Raiders owner Al Davis tried to drive a wedge between fired coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback JaMarcus Russell, saying that Kiffin never wanted to draft Russell and grumbled about the choice after it was made. Russell said yesterday, though, that he never did and still doesn't have any issues with Kiffin. (projo.com)

A STAR STAYING PUT: The Buffalo Bills signed their best offensive player, wide receiver Lee Evans, to a four-year contract extension worth nearly $40 million. (projo.com)

THIS WEEK'S PICKS: We were 6-7 last week, our second losing week in the last three weeks, and there have only been three weeks, because we only thought of this gimmick before Week 2. Home teams are in caps.

-Bears over LIONS: Matt Millen is gone; the "team" that he created remains.
-Chargers over DOLPHINS: San Diego, at 2-2, still looks like one of the best teams in the AFC to me.
-PACKERS over Falcons: We don't know whether Aaron Rodgers will play, but the Pack should still have enough to beat Atlanta.
-GIANTS over Seahawks: New York is suddenly getting a lot of respect again, and it's hard to bet against them at home against a Seattle team that is still figuring things out.
-Titans over RAVENS: A tough assignment for unbeaten Tennessee, but it is hard to imagine Baltimore putting up enough points to win.
-Colts over TEXANS: Indianapolis wins to avoid falling into last place in the AFC South.
-PANTHERS over Chiefs: Kansas City surprised a lot of people last week, but Carolina won't collapse on defense the way Denver did.
-EAGLES over Redskins: Washington was very impressive last week, while Philadelphia found a way to lose. This is a toss-up, but I'll take the Birds at home, where they've been very good so far.
-BRONCOS over Buccaneers: This one won't be easy (they never are when your defense is as bad as the Broncos'), but the Broncos offense should have enough.
-COWBOYS over Bengals: This one will be easy -- an angry Dallas team with something to prove against a joke of a Cincinnati team with players who wish they were playing on the other side.
-PATRIOTS over 49ers: Look for New England's defense to reassert itself against first-year quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan and his atrocious pass protection.
-CARDINALS over Bills: I've been wrong on Arizona two weeks in a row, but Buffalo is due for a fall, and the Cards will be happy to be off the East Coast circuit.
-JAGUARS over Steelers: The bill has to come due for all those Pittsburgh injuries, and I say it does this week against another bruising foe.
-SAINTS over Vikings: Minnesota just doesn't seem to know how to win.