Projo Pats Blog

THE TEAM THAT WENT BEFORE THEM: As you all know by now, this weekend's matchup with the Buffalo Bills marks the Patriots' first of three consecutive games against division foes -- a stretch that could well make or break the season. The Bills at the same time will be finishing a stretch of three straight division games -- and the results for them have not been pretty. In consecutive losses to the Dolphins and the Jets, the Bills have committed seven turnovers -- five of them (two fumbles and three interceptions) by quarterback Trent Edwards, who had easily his two worst games of the season.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, of course, had nothing but praise yesterday for Edwards, who was one of the breakout stories of the year until he hit his recent rough patch (projo.com). There is some speculation that Edwards has not been the same since he was injured in Week 5 at Arizona (he had to leave that game), but he followed that game with one of his best performances of the season, when he went 25 of 30 and threw for 261 yards and a touchdown -- without a turnover -- as the Bills beat the Chargers.

One common thread between the Jets and the Dolphins is that they confronted Edwards with 3-4 defensive alignments, and had strong play out of their respective nose tackles (Boston Globe). That would bode well for the Patriots on Sunday, assuming they have a healthy Vince Wilfork -- Wilfork was limited in practice yesterday by a toe injury.

THE REVOLVING DOOR: With stopgap cornerback Terrence Wheatley now injured himself, the Patriots have brought back veteran Jason Webster, who was with the team in training camp but failed to make the final roster after he missed significant time with a hamstring injury. Now Webster, who has eight years of NFL experience but has not been healthy in a while (he played in just one game as a member of the Bills last season), hopes that he can make a difference at full strength (projo.com).

BILLS INJURY REPORT: Did not participate in practice -- LB Kawika Mitchell (ankle), WR Josh Reed (ankle), DE Aaron Schobel (foot), S Donte Whitner (shoulder), Ashton Youboty (foot). Limited participation -- G Brad Butler (knee),
G Jason Whittle (back).

A BREAK FOR THE NETWORK: The NFL Network kicks off its season of Thursday night football games tonight with a Browns-Broncos matchup that doesn't seem to have much going for it -- except for the debut of Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn (projo.com). For a quarterback who will eventually have to go up against the likes of the Steelers and the Ravens, Quinn couldn't have asked for a more favorable opponent than the defensively challenged Broncos. Still, head coach Romeo Crennel said yesterday that "Knock wood, I hope the guy doesn't fall on his face." If Braylon Edwards remembers how to catch some balls, I like Quinn's chances.

BEHOLD, THE SAVIOR: Quarterback Tony Romo was back at practice for the Cowboys yesterday, prompting talk among fans that a second season was about to begin in Big D. Meanwhile, Terrell Owens finally broke down and blamed his struggles on backup quarterbacks Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger; and Wade Phillips tried to inspire the team by pointing to the election of Barack Obama, saying it proves that anything is possible in America. Even the most talented team in the league actually making the playoffs, apparently (all Dallas Morning News).

TIME OFF MIGHT DO HIM SOME GOOD: Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk believes that Ben Roethlisberger -- who might need to rest his aching shoulder this weekend when the Steelers host the Colts -- could use time off the field for another reason too. Head coach Mike Tomlin believes that Roethlisberger, who has taken way too many hits this year (which is the major problem with Pittsburgh) is not getting rid of the ball quickly enough. Maybe watching Byron Leftwich do the job, Florio asserts, could help Big Ben learn to do a better job of reading the field.

HE WON'T APOLOGIZE: Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen has fired back at Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who earlier this week accused Allen of a dirty hit on quarterback Matt Schaub. And, he went one further, saying that Justin Tuck of the Giants should not have been penalized on Sunday for a hard hit on Cowboys quarterback Brooks Bollinger: "That's how we're taught to tackle people. We play a violent game, and we all know when we sign our names on that dotted line that there are going to be injuries, there is going to be pain. That's what we do. It makes us feel alive. And then for us to get punished for it is kind of one of those things where you're like, 'Whatever.'" (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Thanks to FanHouse's Stephanie Stradley, here's a video that shows Allen hitting Schaub low with his helmet not once, but twice:

RAIDERS' D-BACKS LEFT BEHIND ARE NOT HAPPY: Aah, the Oakland Raiders. It was just another day in dysfunction central as stud cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and safety Gibril Wilson spoke out against the team's decision yesterday to cut ties with highly compensated cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Asomugha said this about his former teammate, according to the Contra Costa Times: "[Hall] had eight games to prove himself which is what really got me. I was sitting at home last night, watching the election and all that and excited, and then he calls me, hurt. He wanted to finish out the season here and he told me he was getting cut and it was just shocking. I couldn't make any sense of it. He had eight games to prove himself. I don't think that was enough." In the Raiders' defense, Hall has been a favored target in just about every game this season, so it's not surprising that they were disappointed in their $8-million investment.

HE'S MOVING ON: If Hall was in fact distraught about Al Davis' cutting him loose, he wasn't showing it as he told NFL.com's Steve Wyche that being released was "a blessing." Hall seems to be hoping to get a call from Jerry Jones, whose Cowboys could use help in the secondary, and where Hall's idol, Deion Sanders, played.

LOOKING UP IN CHICAGO: The news seems to keep getting better for Bears quarterback Kyle Orton, who was walking without a limp yesterday and might be able to play in Sunday's game against the undefeated Titans (Chicago Sun Times). Orton was thought to have sustained a high ankle sprain in last week's win over the Lions, but an MRI showed no serious damage.

A CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY: Last week the reeling Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the previously 0-8 Bengals. This week Jacksonville travels to the Motor City to take on the 0-8 Lions. Lose this and they just might become (I don't feel like looking this up) the first team ever to lose consecutive games to 0-8 teams. Perhaps in an attempt to prevent this from happening, head coach Jack Del Rio decided that it is no more Mr. Nice Guy, even if he wasn't very nice to begin with. Del Rio sent home linebacker Mike Peterson (for undisclosed reasons), switched around the lockers of several players and told the guys to knock off the loud music, already (Jacksonville Times-Union).

ENDORSEMENT FOR STEWART: Rookie Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers' leader in rushing touchdowns, did not practice yesterday because of a foot injury, but fellow running back DeAngelo Williams said he thinks Stewart will be OK for this weekend's game in Oakland (Charlotte Observer).

SCARY SENSATION: Ravens strong safety Dawan Landry, who has missed the last six games after suffering a spinal cord concussion, is still feeling a tingling in his neck and visited a doctor on Tuesday (Carroll County Times). He might be placed on injured reserve, which sounds like a good idea to me.

 Tags  Brady Quinn Buffalo Bills Football Today Trent Edwards

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