It's a holly, jolly Christmas edition of the Audio Blog, featuring Tom Brady talking about leadership and Dan Koppen setting the stakes for Sunday's game at home against Jacksonville.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Weather on their minds.
The wind changed just about everything about that game, including the angle of the goalposts (as seen in the accompanying photo by Keith Nordstrom). So, needless to say, the Patriots are thinking about weather conditions as they prepare for another December game with the Bills in the winter wonderland that is Orchard Park, N.Y. I'll have a story in Friday's Sun Chronicle with comments from Sam Aiken (a Bill for the first five years of his career) and punter Chris Hanson about how Buffalo weather might affect them this sunday.
By the way, according to the Weather Channel, the Patriots and Bills can expect morning clouds followed by afternoon sun, with temperatures in the 20s and a 20 percent chance of precipitation on Sunday, with winds from the north northwest at 8 mph -- almost summer weather for upstate New York.
My bad; I forgot the Thursday game.
You won't find my pick in today's paper for tonight's NFL game between the undefeated Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars because, simply, I forgot all about it.
To be honest, I really despise the regular schedule of Thursday games forced upon the public by the NFL to promote its own cable network. Players and coaches aren't fond of the short week of preparation for these games, either -- especially because, coming as late in the season as they do, many players are banged up and don't get the same healing time that they need after the previous week's game when they're forced to play on Thursday.
Fortunately, the Thursday games don't affect the "Beat Fearless" contest. Still, that's no excuse for me being a bonehead and forgetting to type in the pick (which has to be done at the office because it's specially formatted). So, here it is:
COLTS 24, JAGUARS 21 (at Jacksonville, 8:20 p.m.): The word out of Indianapolis is that the Colts are thinking of resting starters as they've done in the past when they've had the top seed in their back pockets early in December. I wonder if Sheriff Roger Goodell will intervene, citing the sanctity of competition in the quest for an undefeated season, blah blah blah. My thought is that the Colts have come out flat in the playoffs when they've done that before, and given how many close calls they've had lately, one would think they'd want to keep that competitive edge.
Whew. That's more than the two lines I get in those little pick boxes in the print edition.
This week also marks the return of the Saturday games to the schedule, as the league's other undefeated team, the New Orleans Saints, will play host to the Dallas Cowboys (again, on the NFL Network only). I will remember to type in that pick at the office later today.
To be honest, I really despise the regular schedule of Thursday games forced upon the public by the NFL to promote its own cable network. Players and coaches aren't fond of the short week of preparation for these games, either -- especially because, coming as late in the season as they do, many players are banged up and don't get the same healing time that they need after the previous week's game when they're forced to play on Thursday.
Fortunately, the Thursday games don't affect the "Beat Fearless" contest. Still, that's no excuse for me being a bonehead and forgetting to type in the pick (which has to be done at the office because it's specially formatted). So, here it is:
COLTS 24, JAGUARS 21 (at Jacksonville, 8:20 p.m.): The word out of Indianapolis is that the Colts are thinking of resting starters as they've done in the past when they've had the top seed in their back pockets early in December. I wonder if Sheriff Roger Goodell will intervene, citing the sanctity of competition in the quest for an undefeated season, blah blah blah. My thought is that the Colts have come out flat in the playoffs when they've done that before, and given how many close calls they've had lately, one would think they'd want to keep that competitive edge.
Whew. That's more than the two lines I get in those little pick boxes in the print edition.
This week also marks the return of the Saturday games to the schedule, as the league's other undefeated team, the New Orleans Saints, will play host to the Dallas Cowboys (again, on the NFL Network only). I will remember to type in that pick at the office later today.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Audio Blog 32.
Tom Brady offers his defense of Randy Moss in the face of ongoing criticism of the veteran receiver's performance in Sunday's game, and Bill Belichick looks ahead to Buffalo.
Brady in defense of Moss.
Tom Brady met the media Wednesday, and as can be expected, one relative newcomer to the media corps asked a long, rambling question (37 seconds, which means it would have violated the shot clocks in the NBA, high school basketball and men's college basketball) about Randy Moss and what the team sees in him that the national pundits don't.
If nothing else, Brady is a diplomatic soul. And his answer was actually a good one.
"He's a great competitor. He works extremely hard and he's a huge part of this team. They don't break down all of the film and see what we see and what the other team's trying to do game-plan wise. Randy's a great part of this team. He's a leader, he's a captain, a great teammate for all of us ... you're not going to find anybody in that locker room that doesn't enjoy being aroudn him. I love playing with the guy. He's made catch after catch this season, last season, the season before, that no other player in the league makes. I know everybody wants to criticize all of us when we don't do well, or we don't play our best, and we're OK with that. That's just part of the job description, so to speak. Within our locker room, we're all just trying to focus on what we need to do better, not necessarily what the other guys need to do better ... it's part of our jobs, and we can all handle it. And fortunately for all of us, when you don't play your best game, whether it's me or Wes (Welker) or Randy or the offensive line, we get to go out there and play the next week, too. I think we take a lot of comfort in that."
Brady was asked for an example of the Randy Moss the public doesn't see.
"He's a very smart player. He recognizes coverages ... sometimes he knows when he probably won't get the ball, and that's probably the ones they focus on on TV ... and you know, he probably won't based on the coverage or based on that week of practice. I don't think any of us think that when you're triple-covered, this is when we've you've really got to (throw there). And I think that sometimes the cameras focus on him at that time and they say, 'look,' and that's not really right. I'm sure you could go through a lot of players in the league and do that. Randy's there, and believe me, I have so much confidence in him. That's why he keeps getting the ball and that's why we go to him in the most critical situations, because he's one of our very best players. Like I've said, I've always enjoyed our relationship, we're all in this together and we all just keep fighting through whatever adversities we face as individuals and this team."
If nothing else, Brady is a diplomatic soul. And his answer was actually a good one.
"He's a great competitor. He works extremely hard and he's a huge part of this team. They don't break down all of the film and see what we see and what the other team's trying to do game-plan wise. Randy's a great part of this team. He's a leader, he's a captain, a great teammate for all of us ... you're not going to find anybody in that locker room that doesn't enjoy being aroudn him. I love playing with the guy. He's made catch after catch this season, last season, the season before, that no other player in the league makes. I know everybody wants to criticize all of us when we don't do well, or we don't play our best, and we're OK with that. That's just part of the job description, so to speak. Within our locker room, we're all just trying to focus on what we need to do better, not necessarily what the other guys need to do better ... it's part of our jobs, and we can all handle it. And fortunately for all of us, when you don't play your best game, whether it's me or Wes (Welker) or Randy or the offensive line, we get to go out there and play the next week, too. I think we take a lot of comfort in that."
Brady was asked for an example of the Randy Moss the public doesn't see.
"He's a very smart player. He recognizes coverages ... sometimes he knows when he probably won't get the ball, and that's probably the ones they focus on on TV ... and you know, he probably won't based on the coverage or based on that week of practice. I don't think any of us think that when you're triple-covered, this is when we've you've really got to (throw there). And I think that sometimes the cameras focus on him at that time and they say, 'look,' and that's not really right. I'm sure you could go through a lot of players in the league and do that. Randy's there, and believe me, I have so much confidence in him. That's why he keeps getting the ball and that's why we go to him in the most critical situations, because he's one of our very best players. Like I've said, I've always enjoyed our relationship, we're all in this together and we all just keep fighting through whatever adversities we face as individuals and this team."
Leading active scorers.
Foxboro High's Dillon Myers is the latest local cager to crack 500 points, and he joins a growing list of active players to have done so. Here's the update after Tuesday's action:
Leading active scorers:
Player School Points Games Career
Josh Koneski Dighton-Rehoboth 765 64 2006-
Ricky Silva Seekonk 648 44 2007-
Kristen Hoffman Foxboro 647 67 2006-
Jessica Eason Mansfield 538 68 2006-
Rodney Chance Mansfield 507 63 2006-
Dillon Myers Foxboro 501 51 2006-
Leading active scorers:
Player School Points Games Career
Josh Koneski Dighton-Rehoboth 765 64 2006-
Ricky Silva Seekonk 648 44 2007-
Kristen Hoffman Foxboro 647 67 2006-
Jessica Eason Mansfield 538 68 2006-
Rodney Chance Mansfield 507 63 2006-
Dillon Myers Foxboro 501 51 2006-
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Caserio on Moss.
Patriots' personnel chief Nick Caserio, who also moonlights as an assistant coach at times, was asked during today's conference call with the media what his take was on the Randy Moss situation. His response (according to a transcript provided by the Patriots):
"I think from my perspective, with all due respect, without rehashing what happened last week, here’s what I think about Randy and him as it relates to our team: Randy has been a productive player for us since he’s been here. He’s been one of our most consistent players and I think just like anybody on our club – and you can go through probably any particular player and earmark a few plays – but everybody has some good plays and everybody has some bad plays. But the thing about him is – and there’re a lot of plays in that game, you know, because there have been a lot of things brought up. There’re a lot of things in that game that he did really well that helped our team, that helped our club, whether it was make a block here or run the route and carry the rest of the defense with him in order for [Benjamin] Watson to get open. So the reality is that Randy is a great player. He’s as productive a receiver as there is in the league. I think he’s what - sixth in the league overall in whatever it is, yards. The reality is this year, for Randy, in terms of production, in terms of what he’s done for this team, is really no different than what it’s been in his career. And we’ve had our moments offensively, too, with Randy. You go back to the Miami game where he caught the 60-yard touchdown pass or whatever it was and the rest of the game they did some things to take him away, and we did other things, so…"
"I think from my perspective, with all due respect, without rehashing what happened last week, here’s what I think about Randy and him as it relates to our team: Randy has been a productive player for us since he’s been here. He’s been one of our most consistent players and I think just like anybody on our club – and you can go through probably any particular player and earmark a few plays – but everybody has some good plays and everybody has some bad plays. But the thing about him is – and there’re a lot of plays in that game, you know, because there have been a lot of things brought up. There’re a lot of things in that game that he did really well that helped our team, that helped our club, whether it was make a block here or run the route and carry the rest of the defense with him in order for [Benjamin] Watson to get open. So the reality is that Randy is a great player. He’s as productive a receiver as there is in the league. I think he’s what - sixth in the league overall in whatever it is, yards. The reality is this year, for Randy, in terms of production, in terms of what he’s done for this team, is really no different than what it’s been in his career. And we’ve had our moments offensively, too, with Randy. You go back to the Miami game where he caught the 60-yard touchdown pass or whatever it was and the rest of the game they did some things to take him away, and we did other things, so…"
Monday, December 14, 2009
Leading active scorers.
Seekonk's Ricky Silva took another step up the local scoring ladder Monday night, netting 22 points in a loss at Apponequet.
He's on pace to become Seekonk's seventh 1,000-point scorer.
Leading active scorers:
Player School Points Games Career
Josh Koneski Dighton-Rehoboth 741 63 2006-
Ricky Silva Seekonk 648 44 2007-
Kristen Hoffman Foxboro 632 66 2006-
Jessica Eason Mansfield 529 67 2006-
Rodney Chance Mansfield 504 62 2006-
He's on pace to become Seekonk's seventh 1,000-point scorer.
Leading active scorers:
Player School Points Games Career
Josh Koneski Dighton-Rehoboth 741 63 2006-
Ricky Silva Seekonk 648 44 2007-
Kristen Hoffman Foxboro 632 66 2006-
Jessica Eason Mansfield 529 67 2006-
Rodney Chance Mansfield 504 62 2006-
Seekonk girls 43, Apponequet 29.
A nice start for the Seekonk girls, who can say for the first time in a long time that they're undefeated in the South Coast Conference with their season-opening win over Apponequet.
Heather Carlson (17 points) and Amanda Cavallaro (10) led the scoring parade, while Fantasia Semedo played a great game at point guard for the Warriors. Here's the box score:
Seekonk 43, Apponequet 29
APPONEQUET (29)
Youngblood 4-23 3-4 14, Brune 0-3 0-0 0, Cowley 0-6 0-0 0, Smith 3-5 1-2 7, Couto 1-2 0-0 2, Mason 2-10 0-2 4, Tracey 0-0 0-0 0, O’Connor 0-0 0-0 0, MacWilliam 0-3 2-4 2, Chouinard 0-0 0-0 0, totals 10-52 6-12 29.
SEEKONK (43)
Carlson 6-17 3-5 16, Grocott 2-9 1-4 5, Hurst 1-5 0-0 2, Berard 1-2 0-1 2, Semedo 3-11 1-4 8, Cavallaro 1-5 8-9 10, Silva 0-1 0-0 0, totals 14-50 13-23 43.
Apponequet 8 4 12 5—29
Seekonk 6 15 8 14—43
3-point goals—Apponequet 3-10 (Youngblood 3-9, Couto 0-1), Seekonk 2-7 (Carlson 1-2, Semedo 1-5). Rebounds—Apponequet 44 (Youngblood 14), Seekonk 43 (Carlson, Grocott, Hurst 7). Assists—Apponequet 9 (Brune 3), Seekonk 8 (Carlson, Semedo, Cavallaro 2). Total fouls—Apponequet 20, Seekonk 10. Fouled out—Smith, Mason.
Heather Carlson (17 points) and Amanda Cavallaro (10) led the scoring parade, while Fantasia Semedo played a great game at point guard for the Warriors. Here's the box score:
Seekonk 43, Apponequet 29
APPONEQUET (29)
Youngblood 4-23 3-4 14, Brune 0-3 0-0 0, Cowley 0-6 0-0 0, Smith 3-5 1-2 7, Couto 1-2 0-0 2, Mason 2-10 0-2 4, Tracey 0-0 0-0 0, O’Connor 0-0 0-0 0, MacWilliam 0-3 2-4 2, Chouinard 0-0 0-0 0, totals 10-52 6-12 29.
SEEKONK (43)
Carlson 6-17 3-5 16, Grocott 2-9 1-4 5, Hurst 1-5 0-0 2, Berard 1-2 0-1 2, Semedo 3-11 1-4 8, Cavallaro 1-5 8-9 10, Silva 0-1 0-0 0, totals 14-50 13-23 43.
Apponequet 8 4 12 5—29
Seekonk 6 15 8 14—43
3-point goals—Apponequet 3-10 (Youngblood 3-9, Couto 0-1), Seekonk 2-7 (Carlson 1-2, Semedo 1-5). Rebounds—Apponequet 44 (Youngblood 14), Seekonk 43 (Carlson, Grocott, Hurst 7). Assists—Apponequet 9 (Brune 3), Seekonk 8 (Carlson, Semedo, Cavallaro 2). Total fouls—Apponequet 20, Seekonk 10. Fouled out—Smith, Mason.
Patriots put Moss "on notice" with their comments.
As many of you know, I have to be up bright and early (by my standards) on Mondays to join old friend Peter Gay on the radio (WARL, 1320 AM) at 6:55 a.m. for our weekly segment on The Sun Chronicle News Hour. This morning's topic, among others, was the play of Patriots' wide receiver Randy Moss in Sunday's 20-10 win over Carolina, which was uninspired.
The more I think about what I heard after the game, the more I realized that Moss' teammates share the oft-stated concern that he may be checking out mentally from games in which he receives a lot of defensive attention, and Tom Brady starts throwing to others as a result.
Let's also not forget that Moss, who will be 33 on Feb. 13, is no longer a spring chicken by athletic standards. Age is everyone's Kryptonite. Maybe Moss is learning that he can no longer leap tall buildings with a single bound, and it's troubling him.
Perhaps that's enabling the enigmatic wideout from Marshall, but I want to believe what the players have said for the two-plus seasons Moss has been here -- that he's been a good teammate, a hard worker, worthy of the captaincy they bestowed upon him. There are some jackals in the media corps who live for the opportunity to blast Moss at every turn, and I don't want to be one of them -- even though there's no benefit to me because Moss ignores all of us.
Sunday, however, those same teammates felt the need to call out Moss for a lackluster performance against the Panthers (one catch, fumbled away; a false-start penalty, poorly-run routes and a general level of disinterest in the wake of his punishment for being tardy to Wednesday morning's meetings). They didn't do it by criticizing Moss, but by going a little over the top in their praise for fellow receiver Wes Welker.
You can read some of the comments in this story I wrote for Page One of The Sun Chronicle today. They keep mentioning how much "heart" Welker had for going over the middle, catching the tough passes, taking a beating and continuing to move the stakes.
What I found curious about that is that everyone on this football-loving planet knows that Wes Welker has "heart." Mentioning it repeatedly almost sounded excessive, until I realized that this was the way that Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Kevin Faulk and others were telling Randy Moss that Welker was setting the example that he should emulate. They were telling Moss, "Hey, big fella, don't check out on us now. We need for you to be there over the next three weeks and beyond."
Randy Moss has had it good in New England. He's been shielded from the media and encouraged to succeed at every turn. He's set NFL records and may have polished his image enough to settle questions about his worthiness for the Hall of Fame. And you know what? I've come to believe that maybe the excesses of his youth that saddled him with the reputation of being a "bad guy" were exactly that -- immaturity, and child's play compared to some of the transgressions that make it to print about other athletes these days.
Still, I think there's still a bit of immaturity left in Moss, particularly when things aren't going well for him in a game. He has the capability of taking his ball and going home at that point, and his teammates were reminding him -- in as gentle a way as is possible in the NFL -- that they need an adult Randy Moss to help lead them on what may be the last legitimate quest for a Super Bowl for these Patriots as they are constructed now.
If Moss is as smart as he appears to be, he should take the message to heart.
The more I think about what I heard after the game, the more I realized that Moss' teammates share the oft-stated concern that he may be checking out mentally from games in which he receives a lot of defensive attention, and Tom Brady starts throwing to others as a result.
Let's also not forget that Moss, who will be 33 on Feb. 13, is no longer a spring chicken by athletic standards. Age is everyone's Kryptonite. Maybe Moss is learning that he can no longer leap tall buildings with a single bound, and it's troubling him.
Perhaps that's enabling the enigmatic wideout from Marshall, but I want to believe what the players have said for the two-plus seasons Moss has been here -- that he's been a good teammate, a hard worker, worthy of the captaincy they bestowed upon him. There are some jackals in the media corps who live for the opportunity to blast Moss at every turn, and I don't want to be one of them -- even though there's no benefit to me because Moss ignores all of us.
Sunday, however, those same teammates felt the need to call out Moss for a lackluster performance against the Panthers (one catch, fumbled away; a false-start penalty, poorly-run routes and a general level of disinterest in the wake of his punishment for being tardy to Wednesday morning's meetings). They didn't do it by criticizing Moss, but by going a little over the top in their praise for fellow receiver Wes Welker.
You can read some of the comments in this story I wrote for Page One of The Sun Chronicle today. They keep mentioning how much "heart" Welker had for going over the middle, catching the tough passes, taking a beating and continuing to move the stakes.
What I found curious about that is that everyone on this football-loving planet knows that Wes Welker has "heart." Mentioning it repeatedly almost sounded excessive, until I realized that this was the way that Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Kevin Faulk and others were telling Randy Moss that Welker was setting the example that he should emulate. They were telling Moss, "Hey, big fella, don't check out on us now. We need for you to be there over the next three weeks and beyond."
Randy Moss has had it good in New England. He's been shielded from the media and encouraged to succeed at every turn. He's set NFL records and may have polished his image enough to settle questions about his worthiness for the Hall of Fame. And you know what? I've come to believe that maybe the excesses of his youth that saddled him with the reputation of being a "bad guy" were exactly that -- immaturity, and child's play compared to some of the transgressions that make it to print about other athletes these days.
Still, I think there's still a bit of immaturity left in Moss, particularly when things aren't going well for him in a game. He has the capability of taking his ball and going home at that point, and his teammates were reminding him -- in as gentle a way as is possible in the NFL -- that they need an adult Randy Moss to help lead them on what may be the last legitimate quest for a Super Bowl for these Patriots as they are constructed now.
If Moss is as smart as he appears to be, he should take the message to heart.
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