Projo Pats Blog

WES, WHERE ARE YOU? Fan voting for the Pro Bowl has concluded and Mike Reiss has the list of Patriots players who finished in the top five in the AFC at their respective positions (Boston Globe). No one finished number one, which is not surprising, while Randy Moss was the number-two wide receiver. Wes Welker? He's not among the top five. Fortunately, the fans count for just a third of the outcome; the teams will be announced on Tuesday. Maybe it's the fact that Welker has only one touchdown -- and that of course keeps him off the SportsCenter highlight film -- that makes the fans overlook him. Still, the NFL's leader in receptions does so much to help his team that it just seems wrong to overlook him.

JUST UGLY: Ron Borges of the Herald has the numbers on JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders offense this season, and some of them are even worse than I would have thought: one touchdown in 75 first-half possessions!

ON THE SHELF: A San Francisco TV station reported that 79-year-old Raiders owner Al Davis has been in the hospital since the weekend as a result of a knee injury he suffered at last week's game in San Diego. This story has produced some predictable -- and hilarious -- responses from the peanut gallery at ProFootballTalk.com. A sample: "Now that he has been injured, I fully expect Al Davis to offer himself $50 million to play defensive tackle."

BLOWING THE STORY OPEN: While Terrell Owens denied that he was jealous of tight end Jason Witten for being (in Owens' mind, anyway) the favored target of Tony Romo, ESPN's Ed Werder has anonymous sources telling him that the dispute is tearing the whole team apart, with the majority of the Cowboys' defense supporting Owens.

YOU JUST CAN'T GET RID OF HIM: First we thought his suspension for getting into a fight with his bodyguard might end his season, then we heard that a neck injury would end it. But according to NFL.com's Adam Schefter, a doctor has given Adam "Pacman" Jones a second opinion that clears him to play in a few weeks -- after the regular season, but perhaps soon enough to help the Cowboys in the playoffs (if they get there).

THAT WASN'T IT: T.O.'s old buddy, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, denies that Andy Reid's decision to bench McNabb after halftime of the Eagles' Week 12 loss at Baltimore was not what led McNabb to get his act back together in Weeks 13 and 14 (Philadelphia Daily News). Ah, the NFC East. Four teams, a million juicy stories.

COOL TRICK: Ray Kujawski of Sterling Heights, Mich., is the owner of the web domain 0and16.com, and if you click on the link, you will notice that he is directing all his traffic to the team site of the Detroit Lions. ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio contacted Kujawski, who explained that he has owned the domain for two years and that he had previously directed traffic to the team sites of the Raiders and the Dolphins.

BACK TO GRIESE? Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia suffered a calf injury this week in practice and might not be able to play in Sunday's big game at Atlanta (St. Petersburg Times).

ONE FOR THE AGES: There's plenty of credit to go around for Atlanta's rise from doormat to contender, but a lot of it should go to the special teams, too. The Falcons are on pace to break the NFL record for fewest punt returns allowed by any team in a season (Atlanta Journal Constitution). Only 15 of Michael Koenen's 48 punts have been returned this season, for an incredible total of 26 yards. The record is 53 yards, set by the Buffalo Bills in 1991.

 Tags  New England Patriots

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