Projo Pats Blog

CLARK REACHES OUT: Steelers free safety Ryan Clark is probably going to be fined by the league today for the hit that injured Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker and resulted in a 15-yard penalty on Sunday (the Patriots of course would have been much better off having their best receiver available for the rest of the half than getting those 15 yards). Clark yesterday told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he apologized about the hit to his former college teammate, the Patriots' Kevin Faulk, and that he wanted to talk to Welker after the game but couldn't find him. Clark defended the hit itself, though, saying he wasn't trying to be dirty and basically calling it a reaction play.

Yesterday, Welker received praise from teammates about his toughness (projo.com), with Logan Mankins even claiming that Welker said the hit didn't hurt.

A CRUCIAL MOMENT: Everyone knows the toll that second-half turnovers took on the Patriots on Sunday, but Gil Brandt of NFL.com believes the turning point in the game came before the first fumble: When Matt Cassel and the Pats failed to take advantage of a scoring opportunity in their first drive after halftime, something Tom Brady and company almost never did in 2007.

HE'LL SHOULDER THE BLAME: Jarvis Green, who had 13 sacks combined in 2006 and 2007, has none this year, and he says that his performance this season has been "pitiful." (Boston Herald) Meanwhile, Green's linemate, Richard Seymour, told WEEI yesterday that he wished he had been on the field more on third down (a situation in which the Patriots defense struggled again on Sunday) against the Steelers.

FRUSTRATED IN SEATTLE: The Patriots' next opponents, the Seattle Seahawks, are struggling through an awful 2-10 season, and the frustration of defensive players has boiled over into the team criticizing coaches for not ordering more pressure on Tony Romo in the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Cowboys (Seattle Times).

PROTEST TARGET? While the NFL's decision to pick the Patriots to represent the league in next season's regular-season game in London is not a surprise, it might be a bit risky to match them up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (projo.com). That's because Tampa Bay's owner, Malcolm Glazer, is also the owner of the Manchester United football team, and he's a man who was once burned in effigy by British soccer fans upset about American control of a top team (ProFootballTalk.com).

PLAXICO NEWS: The New York Daily News reports today that the Giants are expected to end Plaxico Burress' season today by doing one of two things: suspending him for conduct detrimental to the team, or placing him on the season-ending non-football injury list. While Burress would be able to grieve either decision, the potential is that he could lose $27 million because of his ill-fated night of clubbing.

This morning, Burress reported to Giants Stadium for treatment of the hamstring injury that he had prior to the shooting (Newsday).

In case you missed it because you had better things to do than watch the Texans play the Jaguars, Burress' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, gave an interview at halftime of Monday Night Football in which he praised the Giants organization for caring more about Burress' health than anything else. The case could continue to expand as authorities are investigating linebacker Antonio Pierce's conduct and that of the hospital that treated Burress (ESPN). That hospital, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, has suspended the person responsible for failing to report the gunshot wound to authorities (New York Times).

The New York Police Department is not as happy with the Giants' organization as Rosenhaus says he is. The police said they were promised that Pierce would appear at a police precinct Monday, where Burress appeared before heading to court, but he didn't show. "It was a universe of silence after this shooting," said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.

Pierce, for his part, is putting on a brave face, saying he doesn't expect to be arrested (New York Daily News).

Over at The Smoking Gun, you can read the full felony criminal complaint against Burress, which describes the Giants' receiver "holding a drink in his left hand while fidgeting with his right hand in the area of the waistline of his pants" before the gun goes off.

AND WHAT WILL THE CONSEQUENCES BE? Mayor Michael Bloomberg may want to see Burress go to prison, but legal experts polled by Adam Schefter believe it's more likely that Burress gets probation, a fine and community service (NFL.com).

THE MONDAY NIGHT LOWDOWN: It may not have been very exciting for most of the country, but last night's game between noncontenders was a big deal in Houston, which got to host Monday Night Football for the first time in 14 years (Houston Chronicle). It was also a showcase for Mario Williams, the defensive lineman who has rewarded the Texans' decision to draft him ahead of Reggie Bush in 2006. Williams picked up three sacks, and rookie running back Steve Slaton nearly reached 200 total yards of offense in a coming-out party of his own.

APPROACHING HIS RETURN: The Texans might get starting quarterback Matt Schaub, who has missed four games, back in the lineup for Sunday's game against Green Bay (Houston Chronicle).

A BOLD DECLARATION: Head coach Rod Marinelli has told his Detroit Lions that they will not be the first 0-16 team in NFL history (Detroit Free Press). When the Lions assembled for their Monday team meeting, Marinelli put the team photo on a big screen and told them that they do not want the photo displayed in Canton, Ohio, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- because of the team's historic ineptitude. The players said they understood and appreciated the motivating tool. Interestingly, Detroit's next game is against the Minnesota Vikings, the team they beat in 2001 to improve to 1-12.

SPEAKING OF THE VIKINGS: According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the team could learn today whether defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams will be suspended as a result of testing positive for a steroid masking agent.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: If the Most Valuable Player award really speaks to a player's value to his team, then shouldn't Tony Romo of the Cowboys get some consideration? David Hickey lays out the case on ColdHardFootballFacts.com.

RELOADED AND READY: The Cowboys expect to have not only Pacman Jones back on the field in Pittsburgh this weekend, but Marion Barber and DeMarcus Ware (who were hurt on Thanksgiving against Seattle) set to go as well (Dallas Morning News).

THE ROAD GETS LONGER: If Romeo Crennel really does need a miracle to save his job, the task of accomplishing the miracle continues to get harder. Not only are Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson officially done for the year, tight end Kellen Winslow won't be able to play this week against the Titans (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

STANDING BY HIS MAN: Redskins coach Jim Zorn offered support to struggling quarterback Jason Campbell yesterday (Washington Examiner).

WAIT AND SEE: The Bills are hoping that quarterback Trent Edwards, who injured his groin in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, will be able to play against the Dolphins this week (Buffalo News).

A BIG, BIG LOSS: Max Jean-Gilles, the Eagles' 358-pound guard, will miss the rest of the season due to an ankle injury suffered against the Cardinals (Philadelphia Inquirer).

 Tags  Antonio Pierce Football Today Plaxico Burress Ryan Clark Wes Welker

---