Short Takes

A bit of Patriots news happened over the last couple of days. Let's review:

Brady Says Rehab Going Well - While speaking to a Toronto radio station, QB Tom Brady said his recovery from ACL surgery is progressing. Well that's reassuring! I remember when the two conflicting reports came out - one saying Brady could miss the 2009 season due to setbacks and the other relying on other sources that said everything is on schedule. This announcement by Brady doesn't prove either story, but it puts a Pats fan's mind at ease to a degree. I feel he will be back this year and the Patriots will again be a Super Bowl contender.

Cassel Would Sit -Matt Cassel is making his rounds through the media after winning the Vizio Top Value Performer Award (congrats, Matt!). When asked about a quarterback competition between himself and Brady, Cassel said the Patriots are Brady's team and he would accept a back-up role. Spoken like a true Patriot. He's seen other players sacrifice for the team's best interest and he'd do the same if he had to. His willingness to step aside for Brady if Tom is healthy isn't an indictment on Cassel's competitiveness. We saw what he's made of in '08. He's just being the best teammate he can be. It's unselfish players like Cassel and the rest of the roster that makes the Patriots such a great team.

Vegas Favors the Patriots -The Las Vegas oddsmakers have chosen the Pats as the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV(I think that's 44 in Roman numerals). It's a hell of a compliment for a team that missed the playoffs, whose franchise QB is recovering from major knee surgery, lost a few coaches, and the VP of player personnel jetted as well. New England was the favorite in 2008, but we remember how that got derailed. Hopefully with two starting-caliber QBs the Pats can win a fourth Lombardi Trophy, despite not having an offensive coordinator.

O'Brien Promoted to QBs Coach - The Patriots will announce that Bill O'Brien will be named quarterbacks coach, replacing Josh McDaniels who left to become head coach of the Denver Broncos. He will likely be groomed to become the next offensive coordinator this year, and likely will get the reins of the offense sometime down the road. Maybe it might happen sooner than expected because O'Brien has experience as an O-coordinator at Duke Univeristy. This move follows the pattern of New England promoting from within the organization. Considering how well it worked out with previous promotions, this one doesn't worry me one bit.

50th Anniversary - 2009 represents the 50th anniversary for the Patriots and they are commemorating it with a speciallogo. My guess is this logo will be sewn on every jersey by the left shoulder, like many teams commemorating historic seasons. My only request is, in honor of this anniversary, the Patriots break out the old-school red jerseys, white pants, and Pat Patriot helmet for at least one home game. And make sure it's the 80's jersey with the stripes on the shoulders and not on the sleeves! Those were the best uniforms and the best logo in the league and would be today if they switched back to the old look. The Flying Elvis, despite his three trophies, still doesn't do it for me.