Ed O'Leary's New England Patriots fan blog

The worst fears of Patriot Nation could be realized. It's supposedly being reported that Tom Brady suffered an ACL tear in todays home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. If these reports do in fact turn out to be true then the most likely scenario is that Brady will be done for the year.

While Matt Cassel calmed some fears that arose during the pre-season about his efficiency running the offense, it is questionble on whether or not Cassel will be the long term solution. Al Michaels mention on the broadcast of the Bears Colts game that the Pats would be bringing in Phil Simms son, former Texas and Tampa Bay quarterback, Chris Simms on Monday for a workout.

Rumors were also flying around about recently retired quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Could we see the resurgence of the once feared Culpepper-Moss combination?

Continue reading "Oh $^!#"

It's great to see that a new season won't dampen the Pats Colts rivalry at all. Here we are a day from kick off and  we've had two Colts fans posting the same old stuff. Take MDLs post for example, "Peyton Manning is still the best quarterback in the NFL", "the Patriots are overrated". Hate to remind you that the overrated team beat the Colts last year. We'll overlook that fact though.

I'm not even going to get sucked into the Brady Manning debate. I've done it to many times and its pointless. I acknowledge that Peyton is a great quarterback just like Colts fans should accept the fact that Brady is a great quarterback, and move on. However before I go Peyton is not "probably" one of the best quarterbacks of all time, he is one of the best of all time, he's done enough to prove that. Same goes for Brady, just add two Super Bowls and a few records. My advice is to just sit back and enjoy the two future Hall of Famers at work.

Continue reading "Pats Colts 08"

It was reported earlier today by, I believe, John Dennis of WEEI that Brady has a "slight fracture" in his right foot. This should send up warning flags for fans simply because I don't think anyone thought that the injury was that bad. However, it is still believed that Brady will start this Sunday in the opener against Kansas City.

I have to wonder if this is the best course of action right now. With all the starters playing a full game, I think the Pats should still handle the Chiefs. If the coaches were resting him in the preseason in the hopes that this injury would heal, then I think the same course of action should be taken now. It's Kansas City with Brodie Croyle at quarterback. If the defense can't handle that then we've got much bigger problems than Bradys foot.

Continue reading "Mystery of the Golden Boys Foot"

In an interesting turn of events the Pats cut safety John Lynch, who was signed just two weeks ago, today. Coupling this with the release of veteran corner Fernando Bryant, who last week Sports Illustrated had in their team spotlight in the NFL preview mag, certainly shakes up the Patriots camp. Lynch was believed to sure up what many thought could be a leaky secondary with a hard hitting, knowledgeable veteran presence.

However the door could be left open by the team and Lynch for him to resign at some point. Belichick has done this with players before and said in a statement that he "would not rule anything out down the road". We'll have to keep our eyes open on the situation as there were rumors that the Lynch had some interest in playing in his home town of San Diego before he signed in New England.

Continue reading "Who saw this coming?"

I guess not having cable wasn't such a bad thing after all. At least it kept me from watching what i gather were pretty horrid showings. I just think they're waiting for me to be able to watch them before showing what they can really do. Either that or the more likely scenario of trying when the games actually mean something.

The last time i heard this much panic surrounding the Pats was probably before Super Bowl 36 against the Rams. Its pre-season people. These games count the same as a game any of you play in the backyard. If, during the regular season, the team is struggling with Brady back at the helm of the offense then i'll start sweating. Until then relax people! We're not at threat level red yet. It's true the offense suffers without Brady, but then again few offenses in the NFL flourish with the back-up quarterback in. If the horrible happens and Bray goes down, well then pack-up season would probably be over unless the back up was Tony Romo, another guy who flourished after Bledsoe went down hmmm maybe the Pats should make a call.

Continue reading "CHILL OUT"

Alright so can i pre-order my Lynch jersey now, or do i have to wait until he actually plays? Maybe I'll wait until someone puts out a coupon because now that jerseys are $80 i've gotta be more careful about my purchases. 

Really excited about this signing and it reminds me of not only Junior Seau's situation two years ago but also Rodney Harrison's situation five years ago. Lets hope that this works out as well as Rodneys deal did. God i need internet so i can update my Madden rosters. I can't stress this enough.

I think this could help sure up the defensive backfield and possibly keep some of those wrinkles that they were working on with Tank Williams in. If they do shift Lynch to linebacker in some packages it will be interesting to see how he responds to such a role. H might lack the seed to be as effective as Williams would have been but he probably hits harder. So think of it this way, he may lack speed but if he puts a beating on players early, they're not going to want to run fast by the fourth quarter. Hopefully it will all work out.

Continue reading "Super Psyched"

Short post today as I'm mooching internet off my Moms house because I still don't have internet or cable at the new pad. I'll have it by the start of the regular season though, and in time for Entourage, which along with the new season is another fall highlight.

Today also marked the unofficial start of the football season with Madden 09 being released. That will take up most of my life once I'm able to update the roster and get Favre on the Jets. Speaking of the acquisition, if nothing else it should at least make things in the AFC East more interesting. I don't know if its enough to push the Jets to the point of winning the division, but i guess we'll find out if last year was just a fluke or if Favre still has it.

Anyway my question is simply with Tank Williams not done for the year will the Patriots move to fill that hole and if they do who will they fill it with? I'm wondering if John Lynch, recently released by the Broncos, would be a good fit. Has he lost that much that no team is willing to touch him? He probably won't be able to switch between safety and linebacker the way Tank was supposed to but he is a smart safety who could help mentor young d-backs and be able to call out plays and situations to direct the defense during plays. He seems like a player Belichick would love. Plus, I can't be the only one who wants to see Lynch and Rodney sandwich a receiver over the middle right? 

Continue reading "One Question"

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written but moving does take up a lot of time, that and not having Internet. However I did get enough time to head down to the brand spanking new Patriot Place to check out a session of training camp.

           I highly suggest going to a session if you really love this team, or even football in general. It’s a much more relaxed and personable atmosphere than a real game. Here you can be 50 yards from your favorite players and you can just sit back and watch what they do without having to worry about the outcome.  The only downfall is that sometimes your favorite player may have that session off, since often they have morning or afternoon practices. You can best avoid that by going on a day with only one practice.

Continue reading "Training Camp Observations"

Recently on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption one of the hosts, Michael Wilbon, said he expected the Patriots to go 10-6 this year. Instantly I was caught by surprise because most local media personalities are of the mind that 12-4 is the absolute worst-case scenario for this team. So a 10-6 year would be considered catastrophic.

           However when Wilbon explained his reasoning it didn’t seem as outlandish a claim. Everyone knows the story of last year and it’s a painful story for many of us fans to remember but how has it impacted the players who were part of it? To come so close to something many thought impossible, only to have it slip away in the final two minutes of the biggest game of the year. How will that affect the ego of a professional athlete and the team as a whole?

Continue reading "Long Road Back or Beginning of the End?"