Gisele Bundchen blamed the New England Patriots’ loss at Super Bowl XLVI on the terrible play of Tom Brady’s receivers, but some say the loss may have been caused by Brady’s cursed relationship to the supermodel.

The Business Insider writes that Brady has brought the Patriots to the Super Bowl an amazing five times during his 10-year career and he has helped the team win three of those times. All of Brady’s wins, however, came before he started dating supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

The Patriots have failed to win a Super Bowl after Tom Brady started dating the model in December of 2007. They’ve made it the Super Bowl twice since the relationship started, but have failed to take home a win. The drought has led some to believe that Brady’s and Bundchen’s relationship is cursed.

A curse, however, is probably a little extreme. But after Bundchen’s disparaging comments after Super Bowl XLVI, Patriots fans are accepting any and all reasons to dislike Brady’s wife.

After the game, Bundchen said:

“My husband can’t f***ing throw and catch the ball at the same time. I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”

The players have been well-behaved and haven’t responded to Gisele’s comments, but one Patriots player’s wife told Extra TV:

“Gisele has very few friends among the wives. Of course, many are jealous of her looks and all that, but she doesn’t make it easy to like her, since she obviously feels so superior to all of us.”

Do you think Gisele Bundchen has cursed the Patriots? Will Tom Brady win another Super Bowl while he’s married to Gisele?

Gisele Bundchen Caused Patriots’ Super Bowl Loss With Cursed Marriage to Tom Brady is a post from: The Inquisitr

New York Giants fan Jona Rechnitz was so convinced that his Giants would start out Super Bowl XVLI with a safety against the New England Patriots that he bet $1,000 on the unlikely play, a bet that netted him 50 to 1 payout odds.

If you’re keeping score at home that means he won $50,000 plus his initial $1000 when that exact play was the first scoring drive of Super Bowl XLVI.

The safety came after Patriots quarterback Tom Brady intentionally grounded the ball in his teams own endzone, a safety infraction that paid Jona $50,000.

If the story ended there it would be a nice payday for Jona however he’s already a successful real estate company owner in New York and now he has said the winnings he earned will go to various charities, including $5,000 for Brady’s charities of choice and $5,000 to the charities of choice for the Giants defensive linemen who forced the safety.

Jona also says he would love to take Tom Brady out to an all-expenses played dinner.

After taxes the remaining sum of winnings will be donated to charities that help the less fortunate in the United States.

The gambler says he doesn’t put a lot of money down on the table, in fact he only makes one football bet each year and it’s always on the Super Bowl.

In the end the Super Bowl’s first starting drive safety of all-time has paid off well for people in need, even if Tom Brady is probably still kicking himself over his teams second Super Bowl loss to Eli Manning and the New York Giants in just four years.

New York Giants Fan Places Crazy Bet, Wins $50,000 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Supermodel and Super Wifey of Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, was not so close lipped when it came to who she thought should shoulder the blame for the Patriots 21-17 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants.  She told her friends that the blame lies with the receivers.

Amid the ridicule of heckling Giants fans, Gisele went over to an elevator after the game witg some freinds to go see Tom Brady.

While she was waiting she said to her friends,

“I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times. My husband can not f**king throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”

The sad part about her little rant is she may have been partially correct.  The receivers did drop the ball (pun intended) many times when it came to the crushing second loss to the Giants.

Brady was not the type to lay blame at any one player’s feet.  When asked about Wes Welker’s potential game winning catch (which he dropped) Brady told the press that the two simply “failed to connect”.

He then told the press of Welker,

“Wes is a phenomenal player and a teammate. I love that guy.”

Bundchen did leave out quite a few details that had nothing to do with the receivers.  She failed to mention the “Pass to No One that Brady threw on the first New England possession which drew an intentional grounding penalty and cost them two points on a safety.  She forgot to mention that the whole team could not get their mojo working until they got to the second quarter and she definitely left out the fact that Brady’s top tight end, Gronkowski was hurt an unable to play very well.

Bundchen took a lot of flack this week.  First Versace announced a new ad campaign featuring Bundchen, which stole some of her husband’s thunder.  She was mocked for sending out an e-mail to all her friends asking them to pray for Tommy.

Do you think it was appropriate for Gisele Bundchen to mock the Patriots receivers?

Gisele Bundchen Blames Patriots Receivers for Superbowl Loss is a post from: The Inquisitr

Eli Manning started Super Bowl XLVI by letting the New England Patriots known he meant business, becoming the first quarterback in Super Bowl history to complete nine consecutive passing plays with completions. However it was the quarterbacks last-minute score that eventually led the Giants to a 21-17 victory.

Manning hasn’t been kind to Tom Brady and the Pats, upsetting the teams perfect season in 2008 to tale home footballs top prize and doing the same this year with a less dominate but still impressive outing.

The match also happened to be the first time two quarterbacks who have won the Super Bowl’s MVP award faced off against each other and they took turns showing why they deserved those MVP nods.

Brady managed to finish 16 completions in a row but that wasn’t enough to stop Eli Manning’s nine-play, 88-yard drive that gave New York the go ahead push needed for the win.

In the end it was a 6-yard run up the middle by Ahmad Bradshaw that secured the win while Tom Brady attempted one last long yard heave that fell short of his players in the endzone.

Are you surprised that the New York Giants have once against managed to upset Brady and the Patriots during a Super Bowl showdown?

New York Giants Defeat New England Patriots 21-17 As Manning Sets A New Record is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New England Patriots take on the New York Giants today in Super Bowl XLVI and in preparation for one of the worlds biggest sporting events the teams players have been ordered to take part in a specially balanced eating regime.

According to reports when arriving in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl players on the Patriots were sat down for a meal and were told they had to eat everything on their plates.

Apparently the diet restrictions are so strict that the organization brought its own cooks to the teams hotel and had them cook dinner for the players.

Among Saturday nights dinner was the choice of chicken, steak or fish which were all served with fresh vegetables.

The team’s players are expected to follow the team formed diet until after the Super Bowl concludes on Sunday.

I think I could handle my choice of chicken, steak or fish and fresh sides.

Would you mind having your own chef to cook you specially created and healthy meals even if the choices were limited to just several entrees?

New England Patriots Ordered To Eat Restricted Diet In Preparation For Super Bowl XLVI is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a surprising move by the New England Patriots the team released wide-receiver Tiquan Underwood on the eve of their matchup against the New York Giants for Super Bowl XLVI.

Underwood was deactivated from the teams 53-man roster so the team could activate defensive end Alex Silvestro from the Patriot’s practice squad.

The team issued a brief statement about their decision but did not explain why the wide receiver who also serves on special teams was cut from the active roster less then 24 hours before Super Bowl XLVI.

While Underwood played in five contests for the Patriots during the 2011-2012 season Silvestro only played in the teams December 24 matchup against Miami.

It’s believed that head coach Bill Belichick is attempting to build up greater depth in defense while increasing the possibility that Chad Ochocinco will be activated as the teams fifth wide receiver.

Do you think demoting Underwood with less than 24 hours to go before the Super Bowl was a cold but calculated move on behalf of the New England Patriots coaching staff?

New England Patriots Release Tiquan Underwood On Eve Of Super Bowl XLVI is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to SI, Burns, a former Miss Hooters International 2005, had asked for a Cartier love bracelet for Christmas. Welker, however, decided to one-up the request and purchased her a diamond ring instead.

The report goes on to say that Welker has tweeted pictures of him making his fianceé breakfast in bed, and that the couple have been living together since Wes had knee surgery in February 2010 to repair a torn MCL and ACL in his left knee that he suffered in Week 17 in 2009.

Although the Welker and Burns’ relationship has been pretty low key, the pair co-hosted a fundraiser for Wes’ foundation Welker’s 83 Foundation, which helps at-risk kids find positive role models through sports, at the Newton, Mass. home of advertising czar Andy Spellman and his wife, Rachel.

If the engagement is true, Welker has made a bold move just 10 days before the Patriots play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5.

In 2011 Welker continued to be one of the more productive receivers in the league as he caught 122 passes for 1,569 yards and scored nine touchdowns.

Throughout his entire career he has received 650 passes for 7,226 yards and scored 32 touchdowns.

Congratulations on the engagement Wes Welker and Anna Burns.

Wes Welker Engaged to Anna Burns, Former International Hooters Model is a post from: The Inquisitr

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says the upcoming Superbowl XLVI matchup against the New York Giants will be a “great rematch” between the teams following the Giants 24-20 win over the Patriots during week 9 plat at Gillette Stadium.  The “great rematch” is also a repeat of Super Bowl XLII in which the giants upset the Patriots to destroy their perfect 19-0 season.

Speaking to Boston sports radio station WEEI on Monday Tom Brady says of that Super Bowl match:

“I still can’t watch highlights from that game,” and “I think that’s just the way it is. You get to the end and we had a great opportunity there and really squandered it because we didn’t play our very best.”

One thing is certain, Tom Brady will need to get his game under control for the Super Bowl matchup, in Sunday versus the Ravnes he brought his worst passer rating of the season (57.5). After that game Brady said he expected Superbowl Sunday to be ”the best game I’ve ever played.”

Brady goes on to tell WEEI:

“Just as the Denver game [the week before] had no impact on yesterday’s game, this game [against the Ravens] will have no impact on the game two weeks from now. I’m going to work as hard as I can these next two weeks to be prepared and to hopefully go out there and play my best game, hopefully the best game I’ve ever played. That’s what I expect to do. I know that’s what my teammates expect of me.”

Brady didn’t have the best game during week 9 play when he lost a fumble and threw two interceptions, providing three of his team’s four turnovers on the day.

Speaking about his teams three turnovers against the Ravens this past Sunday Brady noted:

“We’ve really escaped the last few weeks turning the ball over,” and “It’s one stat, losing the turnover battle pretty much correlates to losing.”

After losing in New York the Patriots went on to win the next 10 days. Since that time Brady has been learning from his mistakes and said of that game footage:

“We’ll certainly look at that game, several times,” and “You see matchups, you see how your guys match up against their guys, route-running and blocking and so forth. It will have absolutely zero impact on the game, but at the same time hopefully we can learn some lessons from that game. …”

With a rivalry that has continued to develop over the last several years Superbowl XLVI is already tuning up to be a big meeting between two teams with a lot to prove.

Who will you be cheering for Tom Brady and the Patriots or Eli Manning and the Giants?

Tom Brady Says He’s Ready For Week 9 Rematch Against New York Giants is a post from: The Inquisitr

For less than two grand you can get a ticket to watch the New York Giants and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. Super Bowl tickets this year are selling for an average price of $4,054 on the secondary market.

Bloomberg reports that the that Super Bowl tickets this year have a face value of $800 to $1,200, up from the $600 minimum price last year.

TiqIW, a ticket aggregator that tracks listings from eBay, Stubhub, and several other ticket venues, said that the average price for a ticket to this year’s game is $4,054. The most expensive ticket so far has been a $15,343 ticket for a seat in the third row of section 113. at Lucas Oil Stadium. A suite of 25 seats currently has an asking price of $800,000.

But even if you’re willing to pay the high price for a ticket, you might not be able to find a seat. Chris Matcovich, a spokesman for TiqIQ, says that there aren’t too many tickets available since a large number of tickets go to corporations. Matcovich said:

“The Super Bowl has become so corporate, a lot of these tickets don’t go to actual fans of the teams. There are only so many tickets available on the secondary market.”

Matcovich expects prices to rise as we get closer to game day. New York Giants fans could also drive prices up as, according to Matcovich, they’ll do just about anything to watch their team play.

Matcovich siad:

“Giants fans are pretty rabid and they travel pretty well. So I wouldn’t be surprised that people will be willing to pay a high price to go to Indianapolis. If you have income to spend, people are willing to spend anything to go to this game.”

Super Bowl XLVI is set for February 5th in Indianapolis. Do you have Super Bowl tickets?

Advertisers are also paying a pretty penny to get their ads into the Super Bowl. A 30-second spot this year sold for $3.5 million. You can get a preview of some of the Super Bowl ads here. 

Super Bowl Tickets Selling for An Average Price of $4,054 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl!

Tom Brady is going to make his fifth Super Bowl start and the New England Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots were firing on all cylinders during the game making a few second half critical plays to deny the Ravens a trip to the big dance.

This is the first time the Patriots have been in the Super Bowl since 2007. They finished the season 9-1 at Gillette Stadium for the year.
The Patriots defense, who has been criticized all season, showed up to play when the team needed them the most. In the fourth quarter when Baltimore had the chance to tie or win the defense came up with an interception and a turnover on downs to limit the Ravens to 20 pints.

They also benefited from a bit of luck with Pro Bowl Kicker Billy Cundiff missing a 32 yard field goal with less than a minute to go which would have tied the game. 

The Patriots will face the winner of the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in two weeks in Indianapolis for Super Bowl 46.   If the New York Giants win tonight, there will be a rematch of the fantastic 2006 Super bowl where the Giants broke Tom Brady and Bill Belechick’s perfect season with a Super bowl win.

Who do you think is the best team left in the playoffs this year?

The New England Patriots Head To Indianapolis for Super Bowl 46 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Penn State is one head coach richer while the New England Patriots are one assistant coach poorer. Bill O’Brien, the teams offensive coordinator is rumored on Friday to be taking over for the scandal ridden Penn State football program, a vacancy that was made available after the school fired Joe Paterno following the Joe Sandusky sex scandal.

According to league sources O’Brien will finish out the playoffs with New England before heading to Penn state where he will immediately start his new gig.

At this time coaches at Penn State tell the Associated Press that they have not received official word about O’Brien’s new head coaching position within the organization.

Bill O’Brien only just took over the offensive coordinator position for Patriots organization this season but has worked with the club since 2007.

O’Brien will bring 12 years of college coaching experience to the table with time spent at both Georgia Tech and Duke.

At least one former Penn State alumni won’t be happy if the rumor is true, speaking about the new hire former linkebacker and Lettermen’s Club member Brandon Short said that bringing in an external candidate would be unwise.

“What they have effectively done is turn their backs on 100 years of tradition” Short revealed.

Do you think Bill O’Brien is the right choice for the Penn State head coaching position?

New England Patriots Coach Bill O’Brien Takes Over At Penn State, Replaces Joe Paterno is a post from: The Inquisitr

Being down by three touchdowns means nothing to the New England Patriots when quarterback Tom Brady is in a game and that point was driven home on Sunday when the team came back from behind to defeat the Buffalo Bills 49-21, securing home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

After throwing for 338 yards in the game Brady finished with the second-most passing yards in NFL hisotry (5,235) slightly less than the Drew Brees record setting season of 5,486. Those two records push Dan Marion’s 1984 season (5,084) yards into third place after 27 years unchallenged.

The win places the New England Patriots at 13-3 on the season after eight straight wins. Come from behind victories have been a regular occurrence for the Patriots lately, they also fell behind 17-0 against the Miami Dolphins at halftime but rallied for the win.

The New England defense has had a hard time keeping their opponents at bay this season, they led the NFL in the number of passing yards allowed (4,727), a new NFL record that took over where the 1995 Atlanta Falcons (4,541 yards) left off.

The teams hopes at home field advantage looked to be fading during the first quarter of play when Tashard Choice took in a 4-yard run which was then followed by Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 18 yard pass to Stevie Johnson and a 15 yarder to C.J. Spiller.

In a bit of drama Johnson was given an unsportsmanlike conduct call after he showed off a t-shirt that read “Happy New Year” at which point he was benched by coach Chan Gailey.

The Bills soared back after BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run followed by a 39-yard TD pass to Aaron Hernandez.

New England then scored on 41 and 20 yard field goals to place the game at 21-21. Brady then threw a 17-ard scoring pass to Gronkowski while a 2-point conversion to Danny Woodhead helped the team soar into the lead.

After securing their dominance the New England Patriots then scored on a 3-yard touchdown run by Green-Ellis, another 7-yard scoring pass to Gronkowski and a 21-yard interception return by Sterling Moore just 12 seconds after Gronkowski scored.

You may recall that it was the Bills who in Week 3 overcame a 21-0 deficit to defeat the Patriots 34-31, in that game Brady threw four interceptions.

Throwing one more record onto the pile Patriots coach Bill Belichick became the first NFL head coach in history to have 13 regular season wins in five different seasons of play.

Do you think New England will win the Super Bowl this year or does Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have the momentum needed to two-peat?

Tom Brady’s Come From Behind Victory Secures New England Patriots Home Field Advantage is a post from: The Inquisitr

After much speculation as to how hard an ill-advised sweary comeback to a fan would hit New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, the NFL has decided to fine him to the tune of $75,000.

It wasn’t Ryan’s first financial penalty for opening his mouth- back in February of 2010, he was fined $50,000 by the Jets for flipping a fan off at an unrelated event. For his latest transgression, Ryan hasn’t been fined or otherwise sanctioned by the Jets, and he says he doesn’t plan to contest the disciplinary action from the NFL.

Ryan, who apologized a day after he was caught telling a fan to “shut the f*ck up,” explained his response after the fan said Patriots coach Bill Belicheck was “better than” Ryan after the Jets’ November 13th loss:

“I was emotional. It was an emotional time. I obviously made a mistake. I was full of emotion and just popped off,” Ryan said. “Obviously, I know I represent the National Football League. I know I represent the Jets, and I know it was a mistake. I apologize for it.

“This is who I am … I’m about as big a competitor as there is and, at that time, I was in no mood to hear anything, but I also understand I have to handle that better.”

While the loss to the Patriots was enough to make Ryan lose his temper at the fan, it’s not like he doesn’t have a sense of humor about football. In 2012, he’s set to play a fan of Jets-rival team the Patriots in the Adam Sandler film I Hate You, Dad. 

Rex Ryan Fined $75,000 by NFL is a post from: The Inquisitr

Haynesworth, 30, was in his first season with the Patriots after being acquired from the Washington Redskins this summer for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft. In his six games as a Patriot this season, Haynesworth had recorded three tackles and no sacks.

As SB Nation’s Joel Thorman points out, the timing of Haynesworth’s release is interesting because of an animated conversation the former Pro Bowler had with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson last Sunday during his teams 24-20 loss to the New York Giants.

After a third quarter touchdown run by Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, Haynesworth came off the field and allegedly had a “heated” exchange with Coach Johnson on the sidelines. Following the incident, Albert spent the remaining 20 minutes of the game stationed on the bench.

Although Pats ead coach Bill Belichick brushed off suggestions that the in-game spat led to Albert’s benching, pointing out it was based on defensive rotation instead, it’s possible that Haynesworth’s verbal altercation may have been the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Since Haynesworth’s release comes after the NFL trade deadline, teams will have until 4pm tomorrow to claim him.

To hear ESPN NFL Insider John Clayton’s opinion on why Albert Haynesworth was cut, check out the clip below:

via Boston Herald
Image:Yard Barker

Albert Haynesworth, Former All-Pro DT, Waived by New England is a post from: The Inquisitr

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has issued an apology for the suggestive photos that came out of him and porn star BiBi Jones.

The pictures were taken and posted on BiBi’s Twitter account apparently to get him more followers. BiBi, who tweets under the handle xxxBiBiJones, had 110,000 followers on Twitter.

The pictures were taken while Gronkowski was on a a trip in Arizona to visit some friends. That’s where he met the star of “Naughty Nanny 3″ and “Lesbian Seductions 35.” The photos were taken in a bedroom, implying intimacy between the two, with Jones wearing the #87 Patriots jersey.

While Jones admitted that she often sleep with athletes, she said that:

“Nothing happened. I wish something had, but nothing happened.”

For his part, Gronkowski apologized for the incident:

“I didn’t intend anything to hurt the reputation of anyone on the New England Patriots or on behalf of Robert Kraft (team owner). It’s just a simple picture, that’s all.”

Yeah, right. What do you think? Was it just a simple picture?

Patriots Tight End Apologizes for Pictures with Porn Star is a post from: The Inquisitr

For the fifth consecutive year, the Dallas Cowboys is America’s favorite professional football team. The survey by The Harris Poll also revealed that The Pittsburgh Steelers move up from 4th last year to number 2 on the list while the Green Bay Packers remain at number 3. The New England Patriots moved up from 6th to 4th and the Bears from 9th to 5th this year.

The survey also revealed that over half of Americans (55%) say they follow professional football. It may be a slight increase compared to last year’s 53% but this year is the highest following since 1998.

Looking how your team fared in the survey?

The Detroit Lions moved up 11 places on the list from number 30 last year to number 19 this year;

The Miami Dolphins moved up 8 places from a tie for number 21 to number 13;

The Oakland Raiders dropped 8 places, from a tie at number 17 to number 25;

Two teams moved up 7 places each– The Washington Redskins, from number 15 to number 8, and the New York Jets, from number 16 to a tie for number 9; and

Two teams dropped 6 places each– the New Orleans Saints, from number 5 to number 11, and the Arizona Cardinals, from number 11 to a tie at number 17

The survey also asked football fans who they think would win the Super Bowl. A quarter of Americans who follow professional football (24%) believe the Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl, while 23% think it will be the New England Patriots.

It is obvious with this survey that football remains one of the favorite sports to follow by Americans. Good thing the season went on despite the initial issue between the player’s union and team owners.

Going back to the survey, did you know that even party lines are evident with people who follow football: Independents at 53%, Democrats at 56% and Republicans at 62%.

Dallas Cowboys is America’s Favorite Football Team; Packers to Win Super Bowl (Any Objection?) is a post from: The Inquisitr

Monday Night Football kicks-off its 42^nd season with the New England Patriots traveling to Miami for an AFC East match-up.  The game will be televised on ESPN, home to MNF since 2006.

In a unique stunt for the first week of the National Football League, ESPN will air a double-header for tonight’s MNF opener.  The Pats vs. Dolphins game will air at 7pm (EST).  Directly following the conclusion of that game ESPN will send its MNF coverage out west for the Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos game.

It will be a long evening for NFL fans on the East Coast who plan on staying awake for both games.  The Raiders/Broncos game is scheduled for a 10:15pm (EST) kick-off, most likely concluding near 2am.

This is only the third time there has been a scheduled double-header for Monday Night Football.  The first two instances occurred in 2006 and 2007, the first two seasons ESPN owned the rights to MNF.

The four teams competing in tonight’s MNF season-opening extravaganza go back a long way with the iconic prime-time sports program.  The Miami Dolphins will make its 75^th appearance on MNF, the most appearances by any NFL team.

In addition, tonight’s double-header marks the 16^th time the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos have matched-up against each other on MNF.  This is the most times two teams have faced each other on MNF.

Finally, Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady will reach a monumental record tonight.  Brady needs only four completions to reach the 3,000 mark for his career.  The accomplishment will make Brady only the 15^th quarterback in the NFL to reach that mark.

Monday Night Football Kicks-Off with New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New England Patriots made nine picks in the 2011 NFL draft; they also have a long history of bringing in tons of unsigned free agents to training camp. That means they need to get the lockout over with and get down to the business of evaluating their draft picks and whomever else they bring to training camp. They also have a few free agent decisions to make, but based on their unwillingness to hand out large contracts and the age of the players involved we may see some long time Patriots playing elsewhere in 2011.

Even though this team drafted two running backs in the 2011 NFL draft, they face a couple of tough decisions in their RB corps. Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Kevin Faulk, and Fred Taylor are all free agents. I think this team will resign Benjarvus, and let the two older veterans leave town. Green-Ellis plus their two new draftees will form the RB corps of the future for this team.

The rest of the offense looks to be pretty set, but WR Torry Holt is a free agent and we have to wonder if he will return. The O line is starting to age a bit, but they did draft a couple of O linemen in so we will wait to see how they plug them in. The defense largely return intact with the additions of two DB’s taken in the 2011 NFL draft.

When we start to think where this team needs an upgrade, I think they should start at DE. They have never made up for the loss of Richard Seymour two years ago. I would like to see them add a veteran DE to the rotation. They also have a decision on their hands about Guard Logan Mankins. They would like to work out a long term deal with him and develop someone behind him, but we have to wait for the NFL to get back to business for that one.

Related Links:

• New England Patriots news and notes
• Joshua Lobdell.com

New England Patriots to do list is a post from: The Inquisitr

What can you say when a team takes a kid in the first round and he goes out and makes the pro bowl in year one? Whatever else it is that is a successful draft. This is the team that is the best at drafting. Not only did they draft a pro bowler, but they traded down and got extra picks in 2010 and 2011. That is just genius and it is why Patriots fans can count on at least 10 wins each and every year.

A quick look at the 2010 Patriots draft class:

• Round One- CB Devin McCourty
• Round Two- TE Rob Gronkowski
• Round Two- OLB Jermaine Cunningham
• Round Two- LB Brandon Spikes
• Round Three- WR Taylor Price
• Round Four- TE Aaron Hernandez
• Round Five- P Zoltan Mesko
• Round Six- C Ted Larsen
• Round Seven- DE Brandon Deaderick
• Round Seven- DT Kade Weston
• Round Seven- QB Zac Robinson
• Round Seven- T Thomas Welch

Ok so three of them are no longer with the team: Larsen, Welch, and Robinson. However, when one casts a wide net you pick up some things that will not work out. We dealt with McCourty, so Gronkowski had 42 catches for 546 yards and 10 TD’s. Cunningham made 34 tackles and a sack and forced 2 fumbles. Spikes had 61 tackles but got a four game suspension. Price caught 3 passes in the season finale. Hernandez caught 45 balls for 563 yards and 6 TD’s. Mesko averaged 38.4 yards per punt. Deadrick had 2 sacks but also earned a four game suspension. Weston has his season ended in training camp.

A year ago we felt the Patriots addressed their needs, but did not land any impact players. I say now that they had impacts all over the place.

Related Links:

• New England Patriots War Room
• Joshua Lobdell.com

2010 NFL Draft one year later: New England Patriots is a post from: The Inquisitr

When it comes to the New England Patriots we all know it is the Bill Belichick show. Over the last two drafts he has taken a quantity over everything mentality, but overall he scouts the guys he thinks will fit his system and then ranks them. It is not uncommon for the Patriots big board to only have 40-50 players on it. He is after a certain kind of player and if he cannot get them he will trade back and stockpile picks. He has an unusual way of doing things, but it has been very successful so far.

Belichick has been waiting for this draft for quite some time. He has six picks in the first three round so we can bet he will be an active trader on draft day. Belichick has had his share of misses early in the draft, like everyone else, but he is very good at selecting guys in the later rounds that come in and really do well in his system.

Over the last fie years they have made 50 picks, of those only three of made it to the pro bowl. However 11 of them are starters including eight in the past two years. It is hard to gauge that as the Patriots always make more picks then everyone else including 25 in the past two years, but casting a wide net is a viable strategy that works well for them.

Related Links:

• New England Patriots War Room
• Joshua Lobdell.com

Draft day decision makers: New England Patriots is a post from: The Inquisitr