Randolph Charlotin's New England Patriots fan blog

I recently spoke with four-time Super Bowl winner Bill Romanowski. While the Patriots were not the focus of the interview, I did ask him about the team:

Randolph Charlotin: Considering what the New England Patriots have gone through, how impressed are you by their performance playing without Tom Brady?

Bill Romanowski:Well I think Matt Cassel has done a very good job. Are they the same team? No, but I’ll tell you what. Matt Cassel probably earned himself a starting job somewhere else in the league next year. Or, depending on how the rest of the season plays out, does New England take the young guy, dish off Brady for multiple draft picks, and really solidifies/secures the future of their organization and their game? You heard it from me first.

Continue reading "Romanowski on the Patriots"

Due to recent roster shuffling after placing CB Terrence Wheatley on injured reserve and promoting TE Tyson DeVree from the practice squad to the active roster, the open practice squad slot was filled by Darrell Robertson. He played defensive end for Georgia Tech and will have to change to a 3-4 linebacker.

The good news, Robertson's scouting report compares him to Washington Redskins DE Jason Taylor. In reality, what are the chances Darrell becomes that good? He was a player I thought New England-type player the Patriots would be interested in on the second day of the draft. Robertson had the right measurables, but the question is can he make the adjustment.

I'm willing to give Robertson a chance. Keith Brooking turned out to be a very good player. And I'm very optimistic about Gary Guyton's future with the Pats. Georgia Tech's recent history of turning out defenders is good. Robertson will have time for the Patriots to mold him into the next Georgia Tech great.

Continue reading "Another Yellow Jacket for the Patriots"

Did QB Matt Cassel's performance on Thursday remind you of something? Does the spread formation throughout the second half and the big numbers bring you back to a moment in Patriots history?

Well think about this. It was exactly 14 years ago Thursday that Drew Bledsoe had his coming out party. With the team down by 20 to the Minnesota Vikings, Bledsoe was given the keys to the car in the second half and he put the pedal to the metal. Drew shifted the offense into no-huddle overdrive and tied the game 20-20. In overtime, the Patriots got the ball first and never gave the Vikings' offense a chance. Bledsoe directed the winning drive, culminating in a beautiful play-action touchdown pass to fullback Kevin Turner.

Bledsoe finished the game 45-of-70 for 426 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He set NFL records for pass attempts and completions that are still standing. That was the beginning of a six-game winning streak for the Pats. They finished the regular season with a 10-6 record and a playoff birth.

Continue reading "Cassel to Follow an Old Path to the Playoffs"

Ty Law doesn't scare me.

The 5-time former Pro Bowl corner is 34 years old and hasn't played a game since the end of the 2007 season with Kansas City. That season Law came away with two interceptions, 13 passes defensed, and declining play. If he was still good, K.C. would had kept him over Patrick Surtain.

Law said he stayed in shape by playing simulated games. That worked really well for the 2007 Colorado Rockies as they waited to start the World Series. The Boston Red Sox used the momentum of winning a seven-game American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians to sweep the Rockies. Ty could play by himself all he wants, but it doesn't compare to actual games.

To be fair, he did get some practice time in. Two practices with his new Jets teammates, and he expects to be ready for a Thursday night game? I don't see it being enough.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 11"

Adalius Thomas, you're the next contestant on the injured list! Come on down!

According to media sources, Thomas broke his arm on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season.

Honestly, what is this? Is this a running joke? Is Ashton Kutcher gonna pop out of the Patriots training room and tell Patriot Nation, "You've been Punked!" With all the injuries suffered by the New England players, it's starting to feel like a bad t.v. show: Meet the Patri-ouchs!

So let's see here, That makes Tom Brady, Laurence Maroney, Rodney Harrison, Shawn Crable, and now Thomas on injured reserve. Among those five there might be more Pro Bowl selections missing the season than active players with the honor, and Crable hasn't even reached the playing field, let alone Hawaii.

Oh, and by the way, Bo Ruud has been on IR since day one.

Continue reading "Patriots Mounting Injuries Aren't Funny"

Sunday was what I invisioned Matt Cassel would be once he was running the full offense. Yes, the offense is still short pass-heavy, but Cassel did look long and tried to connect on a few big plays. Cassel will complete these deep passes soon enough, but it's important to know he will utilize it when he sees the opportunity.

Cassel is unquestionably confident in the pocket, standing tall and ignoring the rush. We've seen him roll out on called plays. He even did so to buy time and made an excellent throw across his body for a completion in the second half. To take advantage of his athleticsm, the coaches will call run plays for Cassel. That 13-yard sprint up the middle looked like a designed run and Cassel sold it perfectly. And his pocket awareness finally caught up to his years in the league. He now "feels" when to wait for a passing lane to open or when to make a run for it.

Continue reading "Looks Like We Got a Quarterback"

They say the players on the field determine the outcome of the game. That's true, but this week the players who won't be on the field could matter as well. Focusing on recent injuries, both teams have injuries that could be weaknesses waiting to be taken advantage of:

Buffalo

S Donte Whitner -He's the leader of the Bills secondary, just like Rodney Harrison was for the Patriots. Whitner isn't the biggest, but he's gets around the field, is a good hitter and playmaker. Buffalo has a young secondary and could miss his direction.

DE Aaron Schobel -The best pass rusher on the Bills has been in and out of the lineup. This week he is MIA, While Schobel hasn't been productive, he generates the best pressure for a defense with only 13 sacks. Without consistent heat, Pats QB Matt Cassel could have the time to pick the Bills secondary apart.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 10"

You know, it's a good thing that the Patriots will have the Brigham and Women's/Mass General Health Care Center on the grounds of Patriot Place in 2009. If the '09 season is like this year, then the Pats will have a lot of their players as patients.

In the first quarter, second round pick Terrance Wheatley did a great job covering Colts receiver Marvin Harrison. On third down of Indianapolis' first posession, Wheatley broke up a pass intended for Harrison and forced a Colts punt.

But that punt didn't happen until the training staff helped Wheatley off the field. Later, t.v. cameras showed Wheatley being escorted by a Patriots medical staff member to the locker room as the trainer carefully held up Wheatley's arm (I think it was his left arm to be exact).

I don't know what the prognosis is, if there is any. But it didn't look good. Whether it is a broken bone or a torn ligament, it will curtail Wheatley's season, if not end it.

Continue reading "Another One Bit by Bug?"

Life ain't fair. As the Patriots lose player after player to injury, the Indianapolis Colts are getting healthy.

RBs Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan will miss their second game in a row while Indy's Joseph Addai likely returns.

The leader of the Colts defense, S Bob Sanders, will be back as well. After an inspired performance slowing down the Tennessee ground game on Monday night, Indianapolis' difference-maker is back in the lineup. We already know Rodney Harrison is done for the year.

The sight of CB Ellis Hobbs walking off the field with his left arm dangling after defensing a deep pass late against St. Louis still haunts me. You hate seeing a gutsy player unable to will himself through another play. Even scarier was the fact that Deltha O'Neal, who suffered a concussion earlier in the game, had to come back in for the ailing Hobbs. It's great that O'Neal was heady enough to make the game-sealing interception, but O'Neal might not of had the sense to know his own name at the time. Hobbs didn't practice this week, and neither did reserve DB Lewis Sanders. The Colts on the other hand exchange corners, as Marlin Jackson was placed on IR while Kelvin Hayden appears ready to return to action.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 9"

It's better than a suspension.

NT Vince Wilfork had a reluctant visit with commish Roger Goodell about his elbow to the helmet of Denver Broncos QB Jay Cutler. While a suspension was an option, Goodell showed some leniency and just fined Wilfork, but it is a hefty fine.

The cost of that hit on Cutler is $35,000, which is more than what some people make in a year. That's not the case for Wilfork, but he will feel the loss of Benjamins.

Unfortunately the story doesn't end after he pays the fine and promises to be careful in the future. From here on out, the league will be watching.

St. Louis said they would send tapes of plays the officials should had called penalties on. In that game the Patriots did not get penalized. They were flagged once, but the penalty was declined. The Rams feel they have proof that New England was guilty of more than one infraction and St. Louis will bring them to the league's attention.

Continue reading "Vince Will Fork Over the Dough"