Projo Pats Blog

One of them they probably would have kept, if they could only afford to do so. The other one -- well, most of you probably didn't even notice when he was gone. But both of them -- former Patriot cornerback Asante Samuel and former Patriot tight end Stephen Spach -- played huge roles in their new teams advancing to the second round of the playoffs last week.

Spach, who started this season with the Patriots before being released and picked up by Arizona, hadn't had a three-catch game in his entire NFL career before he grabbed three passes -- including the game-clinching 23-yarder on a third and 16 -- for the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. Earler in the second half, Spach extended what turned out to be an Arizona touchdown drive when he caught a short pass from Kurt Warner to convert a third-and-two. During five game appearances for the Patriots in 2007 and 2008, Spach did not catch a single pass.

Samuel, who was questionable for Sunday's Eagles game against the Vikings with a hip injury, set a new NFL record with his fourth postseason interception return for a touchdown. In the fashion that we became so accustomed to seeing in New England, Samuel jumped in front of Vikings receiver Sidney Rice to grab a badly underthrown pass from Tarvaris Jackson, and raced 44 yards to the end zone.

Ron Borges, writing in today's Boston Herald, tells Patriots fans that if they want to know why their team really isn't among the postseason competitors this season, they could have found their answer racing down the sidelines in Minnesota on Sunday. To be fair, Samuel's production this year was probably not what Philadelphia had in mind when they signed him to a six-year, $57-million contract ($20 million of which was guaranteed). He did lead the team in interceptions (four) and passes defensed (21) -- the passes defensed number was up from last year, but the interception total was his lowest in three seasons. Still, he has been a big-time presence in a secondary that was dead-last in the NFL in interceptions last season (11) -- and his absence was noticed by Patriots fans time and again this season.

WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED TO ME: Speaking of Sunday's Eagles-Vikings game, it seems that Gus Frerotte felt that he should have been the starting quarterback for Minnesota, not the man standing on the sidelines watching Jackson struggling (Minneapolis Star Tribune).

THREE CHOICES: The Boston Globe's Mike Reiss examines why Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli has not made a decision on his future yet, and writes that Pioli is weighing three options: sticking with the Patriots, joining the Browns and joining the Chiefs. He predicts that "some kind of movement" should be coming in the next few days. The Herald reports that Pioli met with Chiefs owner Clark Hunt yesterday. ProFootballTalk.com reports that it received several tips about the Chiefs preparing a news conference to announce the hiring of Pioli, but the rumor turned out to be unfounded.

HE WANTS TO STAY: One man who apparently does want to be in Foxboro for the start of next season: linebacker Tedy Bruschi. An anonymous source told The Globe that if the Pats want Bruschi back for a 14th season, he'll be there.

DIFFERENT PLOT, SAME RESULT: Gerry Callahan examines the battle between Jeff Jagodzinski and Boston College and sees the depressing continuation of a trend in which BC is unable to hold onto a coach who could put a lasting stamp on the program (Boston Herald). It's an interesting point -- how many Top 25-type programs burn through four coaches in fewer than 20 years?

NO CHARGES AGAINST HARRISON, YET: Philadelphia prosecutors have concluded that a gun owned by Indianapolis Colts star Marvin Harrison was used in an April shooting, but they still can't determine who pulled the trigger. Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham today announced that five bullet casings found at the North Philadelphia shooting scene came from Harrison's handgun. But investigators have conflicting witness accounts of who fired it. No charges have been filed in the April 28 shooting, but Abraham says the investigation continues. The victim has sued Harrison.

PARCELLS' FUTURE NOT ASSURED: Despite Dolphins' owner Wayne Huizenga's assurances on Sunday that Bill Parcells on as vice president of football operations, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that the sale of majority control of the team to Stephen Ross might throw everything into doubt, particularly since Ross is old friends with former Chiefs GM Carl Peterson and might be interested in offering Peterson a job.

TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE? Al Davis has never been known as the picture of integrity, but he's the one calling ESPN's Chris Mortensen a liar following Mortensen's report that Davis plans to sell the Raiders to a group with plans to move the team to -- wait for it -- Los Angeles (Oakland Tribune).

MATCHING STRENGTH FOR STRENGTH: We all know how good Baltimore's defense is, but Tennessee has a great unit too, and that defense should be fully healthy for the first time in weeks when the Titans host Baltimore in a hard-hitting Divisional Playoff Game.

UNDER THE KNIFE: Bills quarterback Trent Edwards might require shoulder surgery (ESPN Insider).

'A BUNCH OF HOCUS POCUS': That's how Chargers running back Michael Bennett describes the charges that he and former Tampa Bay Bucs teammate Anthony Davis beat up a fitness trainer in the parking lot of a Tampa restaurant.

THIS IS THE BIG TIME: On a final note -- you know it's a big game for the Steelers when the "Terrible Tree" returns to the Allegheny County Courthouse (Pittsburgh Post Gazette).

 Tags  Asante Samuel Football Today Stephen Spach

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