The Original Boston Sports Dynasty

Bobby Orr was at the center of a golden age in Boston sports. (NHL)

It's a weird time to be a Boston sports fan. The Red Sox are coming off their second last-place finish in three years and have a franchise-defining offseason ahead of them. The Patriots haven't won a playoff game in nearly four years and are still trying to find their way in the post-Tom Brady (and now post-Josh McDaniels) era. The Celtics are carrying on without the coach who led them to the NBA Finals a few months ago, while the Bruins also have a new coach but no longer have Zdeno Chara.

There's a lot of uncertainty these days around the Hub. Are the Red Sox going to keep Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers? What's the deal with New England's new coaching staff? Is this Bailey Zappe kid for real? And what sort of terrible things did Ime Udoka really do? 

It's enough to make us pine for a simpler time just a few short years ago, before the Mookie Betts trade and before Brady left. Back when Boston was at the top of the sports world, rather than just another sports town. 

It's hard to imagine Boston's glorious run from 2002-2019 ever being replicated, let alone topped. The Patriots ripped off three championships in four years during the 2000s, then tacked on three more during the 2010s for good measure. The Red Sox went to four World Series and won all of them after going 86 long, painful years without a title. The Celtics and Bruins both chipped in a trophy as well, adding banners to the Garden rafters in 2008 and 2011, respectively. 

It seemed like it would never end, until it suddenly did. The Red Sox blew up the greatest team they've ever had, the Patriots let Brady walk out the door, the Celtics couldn't get past LeBron and the Bruins kept coming up short. 

We're in a new era now, one that hasn't produced a championship in nearly four years. The Celtics are the only team with a reasonable chance of winning one any time soon, and if they do it'll be great. Nothing will ever compare to that magical run, though, at least probably not in our lifetimes.

I was trying to think if there'd ever been a similar era in Boston sports where all of the city's teams were good at the same time for a sustained period. There wasn't, of course, but Boston's best stretch before the 2000s was probably a 10-year run from 1967-1976.

Carlton Fisk became a New England folk hero with his Game 6 heroics. (The Boston Globe)

1967 is a watershed year in Boston sports history, perhaps the most important aside from 2004. When the year started, Bill Russell was in his first season as a player-coach for the Celtics (making him the first black head coach in NBA history) and Bobby Orr was an 18-year-old rookie for the Bruins. That summer, the Red Sox finally emerged from the second division after eight consecutive losing seasons, capturing the hearts of New England with their Impossible Dream run. The Patriots were bad, but they'd only been around since 1960 and weren't very popular yet. 

The Red Sox lost the battle in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals that fall, but they eventually won the war. The team's unexpected success in '67 gave birth to Red Sox Nation and kicked off a run of 16 straight winning seasons -- the longest stretch in franchise history.

The Celtics continued to dominate through the end of the '60s, winning back-to-back championships in 1968 and 1969 before Russell called it a career. Then it was Orr's time to shine, as he led the Big Bad Bruins to Stanley Cup victories in 1970 and 1972. 

The Celtics re-emerged in the mid-70s with a new core, winning titles in 1974 and 1976. Those triumphs were sandwiched around the epic 1975 World Series between the Red Sox and Reds. While the Red Sox lost again, Carlton Fisk delivered a moral victory with his iconic home run in Game 6.

The Patriots were mostly terrible during this time, but in 1976 their fortunes finally changed. They went from 3-11 to 11-3 and made the playoffs, starting a streak of five straight winning campaigns. 

While it wasn't as great as the golden era of the 2000s or 2010s, it was still a pretty good run. All four teams made the postseason at least once, with every team except the Patriots making multiple championship appearances. Boston won six titles during an nine-year stretch from 1968-1976 and they were well-distributed, with championships in 1968, '69, '70, '72, '74, and '76.

Those years were turbulent ones for the country as well as the city, marked by Vietnam, race riots, Watergate and social unrest. But for Boston sports fans, at least, they were pretty good.

Pats Open 2015 with Win

A free and fired-up Brady led New England to a win in its season-opener (SI.com)

The New England Patriots know better than anybody that the best way to silence the critics is to go out and win.

That's what the reigning Super Bowl champs did in the NFL season opener, putting their whirlwind offseason behind them by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-21, at Gillette Stadium.

On a cool, rainy night in Foxborough, there was surprisingly ample offense in spite of the damp conditions. Pittsburgh piled up 464 total yards, pushing New England's bend-not-break defense to its limit.  134 of those yards were gained on the ground, with DeAngelo Williams accounting for all but seven of those yards. Williams went to town, averaging just over six yards per carry. 

New England, on the other hand, didn't get much out of its running game (80 rush yards, though Dion Lewis performed well in his first career start), putting even more pressure on Tom Brady to produce. Brady didn't disappoint, turning in a near-perfect performance.  He completed 25 of his 32 pass attempts, including a franchise record 19 in a row (and his few strays didn't miss by much) en route to 288 yards and four touchdowns.

Three of those TD passes fell into the massive hands of Rob Gronkowski, who had a monster game with 94 yards on five catches. Pittsburgh had no answer for him when Brady reached the red zone, forgetting to cover him on several occasions (a costly and inexcusable mistake, given that he's usually the biggest player on the field at any given moment). The Steelers were also unable to contain Julian Edelman, who broke free for 97 receiving yards on 11 catches as well as nine rushing yards on a single carry. Brady's favorite target was his usual pesky self, getting open in the slot and talking tons of trash, even after getting slammed to the ground multiple times.

The game started slow, with a scoreless first quarter full of penalties. Things started picking up in the second quarter, with New England drawing first blood on its second series of the game via its first Brady-Gronk connection. Following a missed Josh Scobee field goal--his second shank in as many chances--Brady and Gronk struck again to put the Pats up 14-0. Scobee put Pittsburgh on the board by drilling a 44-yarder with seven seconds left in the first half, making the score 14-3 at the half.

The Patriots came out guns blazing in the second half, completing a 65 yard drive with Brady's third TD pass of the evening but first to a player not named Gronkowski. New England's other tight end, Scott Chandler, hauled it in. Pittsburgh answered right back with a touchdown on its first drive of the second half when Will Johnson jumped over New England's D-line, followed by a successful two-point conversion pass to Markus Wheaton. The Steelers scored on their next drive as well, cutting New England's lead to 21-14 early in the fourth.

The game didn't remain close for long, however, as Pittsburgh's defense was unable to hold the line. The Patriots effectively put the game away when Brady found Gronk in the end zone for the third time, rebuilding their lead to 14 with 9:24 remaining. Ben Roethlisberger failed to lead Pittsburgh back, as the next two Steeler drives resulted in a three-and-out and an interception. By the time he got the ball back again, New England had run the clock down to three minutes. His 70-yard touchdown drive--punctuated by a nice pass to Antonio Brown--proved too little too late, as only seven seconds remained by the time Pittsburgh scored. Gronk recovered the onside kick, and that was that.

The Patriots will look to remain undefeated next Sunday in Buffalo, while the Le'Veon Bell-less Steelers shoot for their first win at home against the 49ers.

Brady Busted

Brady, who has not missed a game since 2008, will sit out the first four of 2015 (EW)

In America you are innocent until proven guilty, but not in the NFL.

The New England Patriots were severely punished for their role in Deflategate, which was finally put to rest with today's punitive actions. Tom Brady, who according to the Wells reports (I'm paraphrasing here) "probably knew something about the balls being deflated," was suspended four games and will spend September watching his equally handsome backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, cut his teeth under center. As if that weren't bad enough, his team was fined $1 million and must also forfeit next year's first round draft pick as well as a fourth-round pick (so random) in 2017.

This is an obvious show of force by Roger Goodell, who handled all of last year's scandals with about as much care as a toddler would with a full carton of eggs. After drawing heavy fire from fans and media for being too lenient in punishing Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, he overcompensated by drawing a line with the Patriots (reminiscent of how Bud Selig went after Alex Rodriguez). Goodell sees being tough on the Pats as a quick fix for his shattered reputation, and an easy one at that given how universally reviled they are outside New England for their previous infractions.

The Patriots effectively got screwed for the next three years, and that hardly seems fair given how speculative the Wells report actually was. Most of the evidence against Brady and co. was circumstantial at best, pure conjecture at worst. The report lacked the concrete evidence one would want for a conviction, especially since scientists quickly debunked Deflategate. Like Oliver Stone's JFK, the paper made some damning claims without backing them up with, you know, facts.

Lack of sound basis aside, this is obviously a huge blow to the Patriots, who will have to face Pittsburgh, Buffalo on the road, Jacksonville, and Dallas on the road without their franchise signal-caller. It's a very real possibility that New England is 1-3 when Brady returns, which would put them in an even bigger hole than their terrible start last year. The defending Super Bowl champs are still the best team in their division and should have no problem making the playoffs (unless Brady balloons during his layoff the way Pablo Sandoval did last winter), but reclaiming the AFC's top seed now appears out of the question.

Given that Brady's going to be 38 next year, it's probably a good thing that he'll get an extra month of rest at the beginning of the season, especially after seeing what happened in the second half last year to Peyton Manning at the same age. Brady needs all the recovery time he can get at this stage in his career, and I'm more than okay with him sitting out September if it keeps him fresh in January.

Still, the harshness of these penalties leave me with more questions than answers. I wonder if Brady's suspension would have been less harsh had just come clean during that awkward press conference. I also wonder how the punishment would have differed had New England lost the Super Bowl. Malcolm Butler may have saved the day, but at the same time might have inadvertantly hurt his team down the road. The league loves making an example out of the Pats whenever they got caught for doing the same things everyone else admits to doing, and what better way to send a message than by dinging the top team in the league.

And is it really just a coincidence that Brady's first game back will be against, who else, the Indianapolis Colts? Let the conspiracy theories begin.

Pats Beat Baltimore

Amendola was the unlikely hero with two TD catches (NY Post)

The New England Patriots won a nailbiter, narrowly edging out the Ravens 35-31 in today's divisional playoff game.

Their fifth playoff bout produced an instant classic, a grueling fight to the finish on a bitterly cold day in Foxborough. Twice the Patriots went down by 14 points, and twice they stormed right back. Baltimore burst from the gate, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives and jumping out to a 14-0 cushion. New England rallied to tie in the second quarter and was driving towards the end of the half, only to have their potential go-ahead possession busted by a Tom Brady pick. Joe Flacco made the Pats pay, slinging his third TD pass of the game to Owen Daniels shortly before the first half closed.

New England got the ball to start the second half, but once again Baltimore scored first, this time on a Flacco pass to Justin Forsett. That gave the Ravens their second 14-point advantage of the evening, but again they failed to hold it. Brady and the Pats came storming down the field, using a succession of quick passes that culminated with a end zone strike to Rob Gronkowski. 

The highlight of the game came New England's next possession. It was a flawlessly executed flea-flicker where Brady passed to Julian Edelman on his left. Edelman, a quarterback for three years at Kent State, turned and fired a perfect pass down the sideline to Danny Amendola, who ran into the endzone for a most unlikely touchdown (and his second of the game).

The score remained locked at 28-28 into the fourth quarter, but not for long as the Ravens took their third lead of the game on a Justin Tucker field goal. The Patriots immediately answered with Brady's third passing TD of the game (and fourth overall). The pass to Brandon LaFell was Brady's 46th career postseason touchdown, passing Joe Montana for most ever.

More importantly, New England had its first lead of the game. The Patriots locked it down by intercepting Flacco in their own end zone with little more than two minutes remaining. It was the second time they picked off Flacco in the second half, whose streak of 198 consecutive passes without a pick in the postseason came to an end at the worst possible time. 

Flacco had been impeccable up to that point, adding to his sterling postseason resume by tallying four touchdown passes and outplaying Brady for much of the game. But when his team needed him the most, with him engineering a season-saving drive on the road, he choked. His deep throw went off target, fell into the hands of Duron Harmon, and that mistake effectively doomed their chances.

The $120 million quarterback, whom the NBC announcers annointed Mr. January at some point during the game (looks like they spoke too soon!), got the ball back with four seconds left in regulation. He received the snap, eluded New England's pass rush, and hurled a heart-stopping hail mary into New England's endzone. Thankfully, the Patriots' defenders far outnumbered the Ravens' receivers, and Devin McCourty was able to bat Flacco's prayer out of the end zone to seal the victory.

It doesn't get much closer than that. Thankfully, the Patriots live to fight another day and will host the AFC title game next weekend, likely against Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos. After exacting revenge on the Ravens for the 2013 AFC championship game, it would be nice if New England could do the same against Denver for last year's title game. With the weather expected to be much less favorable than the balmy 60 degree day in Colorado last January, look for Brady to get the best of his archrival once again.

NE Mauls Miami, Clinches AFC East

For the 12th time in the past 14 years, the New England Patriots are AFC East champs.

The Patriots clinched the division crown with their 11th win of the season, a 41-13 mauling of the Miami Dolphins at Gillette. The first half was very close, with New England taking a 14-13 lead into the locker room. The Pats then proceeded to explode for 24 third quarter points--most in franchise history--by scoring on four straight possessions. The Dolphins were unable to counterattack, getting shutout in the second half as New England sailed off to another easy home win (the verage margin of victory in their last four home games: 25.75 points)

Tom Brady tossed both of his touchdown passes in that prolific third quarter; the first to Rob Gronkowski and the second to Julian Edelman. Brady finished the day with 287 yards on 21/35 passing. He was also New England's second-leading rusher with 18 yards on three attempts (Jonas Gray escaped from Bill Belichick's dog house long enough to rack up 62 yards on the ground).

Today's game featured another solid effort by the New England defense, which allowed fewer than 15 points for the third time in four games. The Pats picked off Ryan Tannehill twice and forced three fumbles, none of which were recovered. The Patriots D should have another strong outing against the Jets next Sunday.

Pats Blast Bears

Brady was in top form in the Pats' rout of the Bears this afternoon (CBSSports)

It was another glorious fall afternoon in Foxborough as the New England Patriots walloped the Chicago Bears 51-23.

The game was over by halftime, at which point the Patriots already led 38-7. Tom Brady continued his recent resurgence with one of the best games of his career, highlighted by five touchdowns including three to his favorite target Rob Gronkowski. The others went to Brandon LaFell and Timothy Wright. Brady was remarkably accurate, completing 30 of his 35 pass attempts for 354 yards as he tore Chicago's secondary to pieces. Of the five passes Brady failed to complete, four were dropped by his receivers.

Brady looked even better in comparison to Jay Cutler, who was absolutely miserable in the first half. Cutler lost a fumble and was picked off in the closing minutes of the first half, with the fumble recovered by Rob Ninkovich for a crushing touchdown. By the time Chicago's signal caller got his act together in the second half it was far too late, with two of his three touchdowns and the majority of his 227 yards coming in garbage time. I wonder what Brandon Marshall has to say after this one.

With the win New England moved to 6-2 to remain one game ahead of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. After a shaky September the Pats were unbeaten in October, winning all four of their games. They'll look to extend their home winning streak to 14 against Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos next Sunday.

A New (England) Season is Born While Another Dies

The Red Sox died a grisly death in Toronto today (Boston Herald)

Today was a pivotal day in Boston sports with the dawn of one season coinciding with the end of another.

Today was the first day of Patriots training camp, a day that ignited Super Bowl dreams across New England. With an improved defense (welcome aboard, Darrelle Revis), renewed health (Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, and Rob Gronkowski, oh how we missed thee) and a perfect marriage between the sport's smartest coach (Big Bill) and one of its finest quarterbacks (Tom Terrific). Patriots fans are hopeful this will be the year their team snaps its decade-long championship drought.

But while the Pats' preseason was getting underway in Foxborough, marking the glorious return of football and inspiring optimistic predictions of a sixth Super Bowl appearance for Belichick and Brady, Boston's bumbling baseball team effectively blew what little chance it had left to make the playoffs. Winners of eight of nine following a big 14-1 win on Monday night, the streaky Sox proceeded to drop the next three games against the Blue Jays. Playing what amounted to a must-win game in late July, the Red Sox got their butts kicked in this afternoon's series finale. It was the final nail in the coffin of a season that (unoffically) ended weeks ago.

With his team desperately needing a win, Rubby De La Rosa simply wasn't up to task. He failed to keep the Sox in the game, allowing runs in four of the five innings he pitched in and seven in all. Not that it mattered, because any amount of runs De La Rosa allowed was going to be too much on this day, unless that number was zero. Boston managed one measly hit--a Shane Victorino single--and was shut down by 23 year-old Marcus Stroman. Though the game wasn't truly out of reach until the fifth inning, for all intents and purposes it was over as soon as the Blue Jays plated their first run. The Red Sox went down without a whimper.

Boston's third straight loss dropped them to eight games below .500 on the season and deeper into last place, where they've resided for most of the month. The struggling Sox will try to turn it around tomorrow night against the surging Tampa Bay Rays, winners of seven straight and 25 of their last 36. Expect another quiet day for Boston's bats against David Price and a tough-luck loss for Jon Lester as a result.

It's hard to believe that just three days ago Boston appeared to be on the verge of climbing back into the race. Now they're dead, and September can't come fast enough.

Revis Replaces Talib

Revis Island is taking his show to the Patriots

In response to Denver's poaching of Aqib Talib on the first day of free agency, the New England Patriots didn't take long to find a replacement. They sprung into action on Day 2, inking cornerback Darrelle Revis to a one-year, $12 million deal.

While I'm generally not a fan of knee jerk reactions such as this one, it's hard to find too much fault with this one. Yes, $12 million is a lot of money, but Revis's reputation and track record say he deserves it. He turns 29 over the summer, which is a bit older than I'd like, but still young enough to have the necessary agility and athletecism required to play the position.

Plus, the Patriots had to replace Talib, and Revis was about as good as a replacement option as they were going to find. Talib's probably better at this stage in their careers (and younger, too), but Revis has demonstrated a better ability to stay healthy  Revis has played all 16 regular season games five times, something Talib has yet to do.

Granted, Revis is not the elite defender he was before 2012, when he played only two games before tearing his ACL, but with Tampa Bay last year he proved that he's still pretty good. The five-time Pro Bowler played in all 16 games and was named SN Comeback Player of the Year. Another year removed from surgery, he could be more like his old self in 2014.

The Patriots had better hope so. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's fourth Super Bowl ring could depend on it.

Brady Back for More

Tom Brady agreed to a contract extension with the New England Patriots yesterday that will tack on an additional three years and $27 million to his current contract, a four-year, $72 million deal that runs through 2014.

The extension ensures that Brady--aka the new Brett Favre--will remain with the Patriots beyond his 40th birthday, satisfying his desire to play for another five years (at least). While paying athletes millions of dollars in their late-30s/early-40s usually isn't the wisest way for a team to invest its resources, Brady has shown no signs of slowing down.  Last year the two-time MVP amassed 4,827 passing yards and 34 touchdowns while posting the lowest interception percentage in the league.

The 35 year-old is still one of the premier play-callers in the game, and that's not changing anytime soon. As long as New England surrounds him with weapons such as Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd, there's no reason to think he can't remain effective as he puts the finishing touches on his Hall of Fame career.

The best part is that Brady, always a team player, graciously took a pay-cut that frees up $15 million in salary cap space over the next two years. The hometown discount provides New England some much-needed financial flexibility as it pursues key free agents such as Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Woodhead, and Aqib Talib.

MVPeterson

With the 2012 NFL regular season officially in the books, it's time to look back and determine who earned the title of the league's Most Valuable Player. There are three standout candidates, all with compelling cases, all worthy in their own right. Each one enjoyed tremendous individual success over the past 17 weeks and helped his team reach the postseason, but one rose above the pack and is the frontrunner to win the award.

3. Tom Brady
Brady once again guided the league's most prolific offense by getting the most out of New England's deep arsenal of weapons in Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd. The two-time MVP amassed 4,827 passing yards--the second highest total of his distinguished career--and limited his mistakes, posting the lowest interception percentage in the league. His name is plastered over the NFL leaderboards, for the 35 year-old placed in the top five in nearly every passing category. Tom Terrific is a longshot to take home the trophy but has the best chance to win more valuable hardware: another Super Bowl ring.

2. Peyton Manning
After sitting out all of 2011 and getting released by the Colts (fortunate to draft a good replacement in Andrew Luck), the 36 year-old field general came back and added another MVP-caliber season to his Hall of Fame resume. Even more impressively, he single-handedly transformed a mediocre offense that used to rely on Tim Tebow's miracles into one of the league's most dangerous passing teams that outscored every team not named the Patriots. Eli Manning's big brother threw for 37 touchdowns, posted the league's second highest passer rating (behind only reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers) and completed 68.6 of his 583 pass attempts--tied with Matt Ryan for the best rate in the NFL--all while leading Denver to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the AFC. Although Brady's stats are neck and neck with Manning's numbers, Manning's season was more valuable because his supporting cast was not quite as deep nor talented as Brady's receiving corps. However, you could make the case that neither one was the top quarterback last year since Drew Brees accrued the most yards and TDs, Rodgers boasted the best passer rating and Luck led the most game-winning drives.

1. Adrian Peterson
The NFL's leading rusher and MVP favorite rebounded from a down 2011 plagued by injury to have a historic year. Peterson racked up 2,097 rushing yards, falling just nine yards short of Eric Dickerson's single season record. AP also led the league with with 2,314 total yards from scrimmage (rushing and receiving yards combined) while helping 10-6 Minnesota clinch a playoff berth with its 37-34 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. With his eye-popping numbers and timely late-season surge, Peterson is the clear-cut choice for this year's MVP.

Patriots-Jets Live Blog

7:49 PM: Sanchez fumbles as he reaches back to throw and New England recovers. The referees review the play just to be sure, and the ruling on the field stands. With their 29-26 victory secure, the 4-3 Patriots now lead the AFC East.

7:41 PM: Gostkowski comes through again! His 48-yard field goal gives New England a three point lead in overtime. Now the defense has to finish the job.

7:31 PM: New England wins the toss and will receive the overtime kickoff. Hopefully the momentum from their game-tying drive carries over.

7:30 PM: Brady gets Stephen Gostkowski into field goal range after three quick passes. Gostkowski shanked the game-winning touchdown against Arizona in Week 2, but this time he splits the uprights and forces overtime. Redemption.

7:25 PM: Folk drills another 43-yard field goal. New York has scored 13 unanswered points to take the lead. The Pats have 97 seconds to make some magic happen. Let's go.

7:18 PM: McCourty fumbles on the kick return. Jets recover with 2:01 to play. I think I'm gonna be sick. Tebow, the miracle worker, comes in. He's been nowhere near as effective this year as he was last year. He doesn't scare me.

7:16 PM: Stephen Hill drops a wide open pass that would've given New York a first down, so the Jets have to settle for 43-yard field goal from Folk. Game is tied at 23, but Brady has three timeouts and more than two minutes of clock to work with. I like New England's chances.

7:10 PM: Three and out for Brady and company. Jets will get the ball back with more than four minutes to rally. Plenty of time to mount a comeback, even for Sanchez and his short passes.

7:03 PM: Sanchez threads the needle, hitting Dustin Keller in the end zone to cap a 92-yard drive on 14 plays. New England leads 23-20. I start having flashbacks to last week's fourth quarter meltdown in Seattle. Trying to block them out.

6:46 PM: Start of the fourth quarter. New England leads 23-13.

6:40 PM: Brady hits Gronkowski again for their second touchdown of the game. Gronk has been giving New York's defense fits all day.

6:36 PM: Patriots respond with solid drive of their own. Weird play where Hernandez fumbles and Jets recover in the end zone for a touchback.  Belichick challenges the play. It's overturned because Hernandez was already down.

6:19 PM: Jets open the second half with a drive that culminates with a 21-yard field goal. New England leads 16-13.

6 PM: Halftime.

5:57 PM Nick Folk's 54 yard field goal is good. New England leads 16-10 despite having a mediocre half on offense. On the other hand, their defense looked quite good.

5:52 PM: Sanchez running the hurry-up offense. No huddles.

5:50 PM: Two minute warning.

5:46 PM: Sanchez moving the chains with short passes. He seems afraid to throw it deep even though New England has a horrible secondary.

5:40 PM: Patriots unable to add to their lead. This game is still too close for comfort.

5:29 PM: Sanchez struggling with accuracy on this cool, fall New England day. No surprise there. The Patriots record their first interception in three weeks.

5:20 PM: New England has been running the ball much more this season to make their offense more well-rounded. The Patriots are averaging 152 yards per game on the ground, most since their 1983 season. Brady sacked for nine yard loss on third down, leading to punt.

5:18 PM: Shonn Greene fumbles handoff, which Sanchez kicks, giving the Patriots their first safety since 2006. The Pats lead 16-7 and have already scored on offense, defense and special teams.

5:10 PM: End of first quarter. Patriots lead 14-7.

5:08 PM: Brady delivers a perfect bomb to Brandon Lloyd off the play-action, but Brandon Lloyd can't hang on. Disappointing. It's always so frustrating when the quarterback makes an excellent pass, but the receiver wastes it.

5:04 PM: Jets fumble, but recover. Sanchez fails to convert one of his signature slant passes on 3rd and 3, so the Jets punt it away. No offensive rhythm for New York so far in the early going.

4:57 PM: The announcers talk about how Rob Gronkowski isn't playing at 100 percent. Moments later, he hauls in a misplaced ball by Brady and dives into the end zone with his fourth touchdown catch of the season. A depleted Gronk is still a beast.

4:52 PM: Mark Sanchez sacked and the Jets punt the ball away. Hopefully Brady's second offensive series is more productive than his first.

4:46 PM: New York's lead is short-lived. McCourty returns the kickoff for a 104-yard touchdown against the team that led the league in kickoff coverage last season. It is just the eighth kickoff return of his career. Game tied at 7.

4:44 PM: Announcers refer to the Patriots defense as "vulnerable." That's putting it nicely. The Jets score on their first drive. New York leads 7-0.

4:26 PM: First play, first down for New England. 11-yard pass from Tom Brady to Shane Vereen. Vereen, whose status for today's game remained uncertain for most of the week, touches the ball on the first three possessions. It will be interesting to see if he plays a big role in New England's offensive attack today.

4:26 PM: Jets win the coin toss, but elect to kick off. Touchback.

Patriots Bludgeon Bills

Stevan Ridley (#22) goes to work against the Bills (CSNNE)

The New England Patriots throttled the Buffalo Bills last Sunday by a score of 52-28.

Here's the thing; at the beginning of the fourth quarter the game was tied, 21-21.  Do the math.

And while you're crunching those numbers, take a look at this one.  580.  That's how many total yards Bill Belichick's offense accumulated; 333 in the air and 247 on the ground.  All those rushing yards are what really impress me, especially since the Pats have built their offense around some guy named Tom Brady (you know, the handsome man who does all those Ugg advertisements).  New England's young running-backs Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden both delivered monster performances as they turned this game into a track meet.  Ridley piled up 106 rushing yards on 22 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns, while 22 year-old rookie Brandon Bolden totaled 137 yards on 16 carries and scored during New England's fourth quarter rampage.

The game was a tale of two very different halves.  Ridley opened the scoring to give the Pats a first quarter lead, but Ryan Fitzpatrick fired a pair of TDs to tight end Scott Chandler during the second quarter while Buffalo's defense kept New England off the board. The Bills padded their lead to 21-7 in the third after Fitzpatrick connected with Donald Jones on a 68-yard bomb, and Pats fans began bracing for the possibility that their team would lose its third consecutive game in a row for the first time since 2002.

Then the Patriots offense, which had been dormant much of the game, went bananas.  Bonkers.  Absolutely nuts. Brady, who had some trouble locating his helmet at the beginning of the quarter, took care of business himself by slinging a 17-yard TD pass to Danny Woodhead and rushing for the game-tying touchdown.   The score was tied at 21, but not for long. Brady initiated the fourth quarter bloodbath by finding Rob Gronkowski to take the lead. Ridley and Bolden rushed for touchdowns to put the game out of reach before Fitzpatrick ended New England's 35-0 run with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Brad Smith.  Brady responded by notching his third passing TD of the day with a 25-yarder to Brandon Lloyd. Stephen Gostkowski punctuated the scoring with a 30 yard field goal to seal New England's first 50 point game since October 18th, 2009, when they creamed the Tennessee Titans 59-0. Their 31 fourth quarter points were more than 24 other teams (including the Bills) scored during Week 4. They scored five consecutive touchdowns, six in the second half and seven in all.

The defense was shaky again, allowing 438 total yards to the Bills a week after giving up 503 to the Ravens. Give them credit for forcing six turnovers--four interceptions and two lost fumbles--and recording three sacks, but at the same time realize that this game could have, and probably should have, been a lot closer than the final score indicates. They've allowed way too many passing yards to Fitzpatrick and Joe Flacco, so they have me worried about their Week 5 match-up with Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos.  It's disappointing to see them struggle like this because the D looked very good in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Titans and Cardinals.  Granted, they're an average defense at best and are going to have their fair share of ups and downs, but it would be nice if they could find some consistency going forward.

Still, after what happened in last week's Sunday night loss to the Ravens, it sure felt good watching the Pats vent some frustration by running up the score against their AFC East foes.  Both teams now sit at 2-2, as do the New York Jets following the 34-0 beatdown they suffered at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.  The Bills have now lost 17 of their past 18 meetings with the Patriots.

Pats Come Up Short Against Cardinals

Stephen Gostkowski trotted onto the field with six seconds remaining in New England's home opener.  The Patriots, led by the one and only Tom Brady, had mounted a spirited fourth quarter comeback but were still trailing 20-18.  The loyal fans that remained in their seats had just witnessed a stunning turn of events; Arizona had the game all but locked up with just over a minute to play when Ryan Williams fumbled the football (recovered by Vince Wilfork). Two plays later, Danny Woodhead broke loose and rushed for what appeared to be the game winning touchdown, only to have it called back because of a penalty on Rob Gronkowski.  But that didn't matter.  New England was going to win; the only difference was in the margin of victory.

But as I scooted forward to the edge of my seat, I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

He's going to miss it.

It was just a gut feeling.  There was no evidence to suggest he would shank it.  After all, Gostkowski is perennially one of the top kickers in the league.  He had made 38 consecutive regular season fourth quarter field goal attempts. He'd already drilled four field goals that afternoon, including 51 and 53-yarders in his most recent attempts.  By comparison, a 42 yard field goal should've been easy. A lay-up.  Piece of cake.  The average kicker converts a kick from that range about three quarters of the time, and Gostkowski had made all but nine of his previous 35 career attempts from 40-49 yards out.

Well, so much for that.  Gostkowski's kick sailed wide left, and that was that.  Kevin Kolb (filling in for John Skelton-ankle) and company, the indisputable underdogs coming into the game, celebrated their second win of the season while the Pats trudged off the field in disappointment.  Tough pill to swallow for Bill Belichick's Patriots, who made costly mistakes and lost their first home opener since 2003 despite accumulating 142 more yards, limiting Larry Firzgerald to just one catch and putting forth a solid defensive effort.  To make matters worse, Brady lost one of his most potent weapons when Aaron Hernandez (ankle) left the game on crutches in the first quarter, leaving the offense shorthanded for much of the game.  His absence didn't stop Brady from compiling 316 yards on 28-of-46 passing, but #12 failed to throw a touchdown until just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals have won nine of their past eleven games.  The Patriots travel to Baltimore, where they will play the Ravens on Sunday night.

Sox-Yankees September Showdown: So What?

New York and Boston are limping to the finish line (ESPN Boston)

You know something's gone horribly wrong when the Yankees come to town for a September series at Fenway Park, and Red Sox Nation couldn't care less.

Don't let the sellout crowds fool you; these games mean nothing to Boston, who were just swept by the equally terrible Toronto Blue Jays.  That makes 11 losses in their past dozen contests, a slide that's dropped them to last place in the AL East.  Their season's in the toilet, and fans have already checked out and moved on.  I hear the Patriots are supposed to be pretty good this year.

On the other hand, these three games are crucial for the Yankees, who lead the division by just one game over those pesky Baltimore Orioles.  New York hasn't played well lately, and now finds itself in the unenviable position of fighting tooth and nail to hold on to the top spot in the AL Beast, a situation that seemed unimaginable on the morning of July 19th when they were up ten games in the standings.  Coolstandings.com gives them a 50.7 percent chance of winning the division.  A coin toss.  Most teams, Red Sox included, would gladly take those odds, but not the Yankees, not when they should have had this race locked up already.

But untimely injuries to C.C. Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Andy Pettitte, and Ivan Nova, along with the pre-existing ones to Mariano Rivera, Michael Pineda, and Brett Gardner, depleted the Bombers as their midsummer surge became a swoon (same thing happened to the Red Sox last year and, well, look how that turned out).  They haven't won back-to-back games since the middle of August and desperately need to get back on track against their rivals, whom they've beaten eight times in their twelve meetings thus far.  They'd love to cream Boston and gather some momentum for their pivotal weekend series with the Rays.  Most importantly, they want to stay in first place and maintain their status as division leaders, a title they've held each and every day for the past three months.

With the Sox rolling out a glorified version of the Pawsox most nights, this series is there for the taking.  All New York has to do is win (I know, I know, easier said than done).  Tonight Joe Girardi sends Hiroki Kuroda (13-10, 3.14 ERA) to the bump.  The 37 year-old free agent acquisition has quietly been the team's best pitcher this year as well as their hottest; over his past 19 starts he has a 2.58 ERA, averaging more than seven innings per turn with nearly five strikeouts per walk.  Bobby Valentine will counter with Jon Lester (9-11, 4.99 ERA), who's looked like the Jon Lester of old since he cratered against Toronto. With those two aces colliding, expect a pitching duel that should keep the Fenway Faithful in their seats for much of the game.

And while they are there, maybe they can ignore the standings posted on the Green Monster, close their eyes and pretend that Yankees-Red Sox still matters.

Patriots Topple Titans

The boys are back in town

I must say, it's great to have a winning team to root for again in Boston.  Time to put this miserable summer of baseball behind us and focus on football!

Yesterday afternoon the New England Patriots kicked off their 2012 season by topping the Tennessee Titans 34-13.  The home team took an early 3-0 lead following a 28-yard field goal from Rob Bironas, but from that point forward it was all New England.

Tom Brady, as always, led the way.  The three-time Super Bowl champion eclipsed 40,000 career passing yards, becoming just the 14th quarterback in NFL history to do so.  He put together another stellar game, notching 236 yards on 23-of-31 passing to go along with a pair of TDs, one each to Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.  Combined the tight-end tandem hauled in 12 of Brady's 13 targets for 119 yards.

Running back Stevan Ridley also shone for the Patriots by piling up 125 rushing yards on 21 carries and scoring a touchdown.  He even snagged a pair of passes for good measure.  I know it's only one game, but Ridley represents a clear upgrade over BenJarvus Green-Ellis.  He's quick, explosive and fun to watch; there were times yesterday when he made Titans defenders look terrible.

On the other hand, New England's defense played a great game against the Titans, limiting them to only one touchdown.  Even more impressively, they managed to hold Chris Johnson to just four rushing yards on eleven carries.

For Tennessee, 24 year-old quarterback Jake Locker looked a little shaky in the first start of his career.  His 229 yards on 23-of-32 passing were almost identical to the numbers posted by his counterpart, but the sophomore threw just one touchdown (to Nate Washington) and turned the ball over twice, including a fumble that rookie Dont'a Hightower promptly returned for a TD.  Several of his pass attempts were wild, but overall he did make some nice plays and had a decent performance until he departed in the fourth quarter with a left shoulder injury.  Matt Hasselbeck replaced him.

New England has won nine consecutive season openers, the longest active streak in the league.  Next week they take on the Arizona Cardinals at home.

Patriots Lose Heartbreaker

The New York Giants have beaten the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. 

Again. 

The New England Patriots were the better regular season team.  They dominated teams with their prolific offense, only to be held to under 20 points in the season's biggest game.

Again.

The Pats held a lead late in the fourth quarter and seemed to have the game wrapped up, only to watch Eli Manning lead a heroic game-winning drive.

Again.

There was just enough time for Brady to pull off a miracle of Tim Tebow proportions, and despite coming tantalizingly close (nearly connected on Hail Marys to Randy Moss in '08 and Gronk last night) he couldn't make it happen.

Again.

Eli has twice as many Super Bowl rings as big brother Peyton Manning.

Unfathomable.

I'm still recovering, and don't really want to talk about this, so I will be brief.

Super Bowl XVLI played out much like the big game did four years ago, when a star-crossed 18-0 Patriots squad was on the brink of victory, only to watch it slip through their fingers.  New York held a limping Rob Gronkowski (high ankle sprain) to just two catches, but then again ill-timed injuries are nothing new to Boston sports teams.  There was Ted Williams and Jim Rice getting hit by pitches before eventual World Series defeats.  There was Kevin McHale playing through a broken foot against the Lakers in '87, Kevin Garnett blowing out his knee in 2009 and Kendrick Perkins going down in Game 6 of the Finals the following year.  Brady himself was lost for the entire 2008 season, and although backup Matt Cassel did his best that year, New England missed the playoffs by one win.  Surely if you replace Cassel with Brady, the Pats win one more game, right?

Granted, we all knew this Patriots team was flawed.  The defense was shoddy, the O line inconsistent, and the team lacked a true deep threat that could stretch opposing defenses and allow Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Branch and Gronk to punch holes through the secondary.  But this 9-7 Giants squad was a team of destiny.  By all rights they shouldn't have been a playoff team in the first place, then they reel off four straight postseason victories.  They caught all the right breaks at the right times.  Three times they fumbled and the only time New England recovered one, they had twelve men on the field.  The unflappable Brady got slapped with an intentional grounding (after an incredibly fortunate bounce off the punt) while standing inside the end zone, and down the stretch his normally reliable receivers played like their hands were slathered in butter.  They coughed up an early 9-0 lead and nearly let New England run away with the game in the second half.  Mario Manningham, not quite David Tyree on this night, but in the same zip code, hauled in a 38 yard bomb and barely got both feet in before Patrick Chung laid him out, and then when the Pats were trying to pull off the ultimate comeback Deion Branch just missed making a similar play.

In games as close as these, the final outcome almost always decided by a handful of big plays and the team that makes them.  In 2008, and again in 2012, the Giants made them, and the Patriots didn't.

That's it.  That's all there is.

Oh, and the Patriots might be cursed.  These losses could be karma for SpyGate and the Brady/Moynihan child out of wedlock.  I seem to remember that Boston's baseball team opened the previous century with a dynasty, only to suffer through decades of unimaginable torment and suffering after letting the team fall into the wrong hands (Frazee and Yawkey) and giving away some guy named Ruth.  And didn't those guys lose a lot of games to New York, too?

I think I'm gonna be sick.  When do pitchers and catchers report to spring training, again?

3 Reasons the Patriots Will Win

Some of you may have heard, but there's a big football game going on tomorrow night in Indiana.  The New England Patriots and New York Giants will square off in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.  I'll be pulling for the Pats, and here are three reasons why I think they will win it all.

Bill Belichick/Tom Brady
Belichick proved once again why he's a superb head coach in 2011 by adapting his game plan to the changing league around him; ditching his emphasis on defense and focusing that energy on creating one of the most devastating air attacks since Desert Storm.  He may not have a soul or a sense of style, but there's no denying that he's one of the smartest football coaches around.  As for his golden boy quarterback (who wasn't at his best against Baltimore) the dude is a two-time Super Bowl MVP and should be in top form tomorrow night.  No one is more reliable than Brady when the lights shine the brightest, and I expect him to notch his usual 300+ yards and two or three touchdowns even if the most dangerous weapon at his disposal, the incomparable Rob Gronkowski, isn't 100 percent healthy.  The defending NFL MVP won't be intimidated by the hostile crowd (almost entirely Colts and Giants fans) and will rise to the occasion as he always does, unless he forgets his cleats at home and has to play the game in man-uggs.

The Giants aren't this good
They were 9-7, people, and they got this far because they caught all the breaks and got hot at the right time.  The two week layoff should have cooled off some of their momentum (if you believe in such things), and I feel like Peyton Manning's little brother has really overachieved this season.  I expect he and his team to come crashing back to Earth a little bit.  Granted, the Patriots didn't beat a team over .500 last season so they haven't been challenged much, but throughout the year they were among the elite NFL teams and found themselves on everyone's short list of likely Super Bowl contenders.  I don't think you could say the same things about New York, who have the look of a team that's in over its head (smilar to this year's Denver Broncos team, but replace Tim Tebow with a top QB).  Giants fans could be due for a reality check.

Payback
Eli Manning and his boys murdered New England's perfect season four years ago, and they've been talking a lot of smack over the past two weeks.  They're a cocky bunch due for a big slice of humble pie.  The time has come for the Pats to get their revenge.

Predicted score; New England 24, New York 17

Patriots Advance to Super Bowl XLVI

With a thrilling 23-20 victory over the shell-shocked Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots are headed to their fifth Super Bowl appearance of the (for lack of a better word) "productive" Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era. 

The game was a grind-it-out slugfest chocked full of big hits, heated brawls and plenty of passion.  The Pats drew first blood on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal, but it was clear from the get-go that Brady wasn't playing like himself.  After a rough start, Joe Flacco found his groove and outplayed his seasoned counterpart.  They both finished 22/36, but Flacco threw for over 300 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.  Brady, in an uncharacteristically poor performance, finished with just 239 yards and tossed two interceptions without throwing a touchdown.  To his credit, though, Tom Terrific delivered the go-ahead touchdown by leaping into the end zone on fourth and goal late in the game.

But in the end, the AFC championship game was Baltimore's to lose.  They stood on the precipice of victory, only to let it slip right through their fingers.  Wide receiver Lee Evans hauled in a pass from Flacco in the end zone, a play that would have put the Ravens ahead with under a minute left, but Sterling Moore smashed the ball out of his hands for an incompletion.  Two plays later with eleven seconds remaining on the clock, former Pro Bowler Billy Cundiff shanked a 32 yard field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. 

Gillette erupted in celebration.  The sullen Ravens looked on through the uprights with their jaws dropped to the turf and hollow eyes in the full thousand-yard-stare mode.  In the span of just two plays, a stunning turn of events, they had gone from AFC champs to tough luck losers.  They had battled all game, recovered from a halftime deficit to take a 20-16 lead deep into the fourth quarter.  Their defense limited Brady, fresh off a six touchdown performance against the Broncos a week earlier, to zero passing touchdowns and held New England's juggernaut offensive attack to a pair of measley rushing TDs (the other came from BenJarvus Green-Ellis).  But for all their efforts, they are going home empty-handed.
   
New England will face the winner of the 49er's/Giants game on February 5th in Indianapolis.

Patriots Decimate Denver, Advance to Conference Finals

I'll admit it, going into the postseason I didn't have too much confidence in the New England Patriots. Even though many have pegged them as Super Bowl favorites, the Pats were heavily favored last year, too, and we all know how that turned out.  More importantly, this year's squad provided plenty of reasons to doubt them; they had yet to put together 60 minutes of good football, don't run the ball particularly well, and their shoddy defense had just set the NFL record for most passing yards allowed in a season.  Sure, the Patriots are always dangerous, but they've only reached the Super Bowl once since 2005, and all those early playoff exits drained my confidence in them.  I was pessimistic about their chances, and conceded here that these Patriots were a flawed bunch and it wouldn't surprise me if they failed to make it out of January alive.

My initial doubts soon transformed into visions of victory

But after the Broncos (who the Patriots beat 41-23 in Week 15 to clinch their playoff berth) upset the Steelers (one of the three teams to beat the Pats this year) last weekend, I flip-flopped.  As Tebowmania reached its zenith, I told anyone who would listen that not only would the Patriots win, but also that they would crush Denver.  Blow them out of Gillette.  Tim Tebow would crap the bed, because he had exhausted his supply of magic pixie dust that had sustained all those miraculous comebacks.  The overhyped Tebow was in over his head; he had overachieved for so long that it was only a matter of time before he crashed back to Earth and reminded everyone why they thought he was a mediocre quarterback in the first place.  In addition, the Broncos were a perfect matchup for the Patriots, because Tebow isn't a good passer and wouldn't be able to exploit New England's awful defense.  And while Denver's defense was strong, it was nothing the always prepared Tom Brady and Bill Belichick couldn't handle.

Brady, as always, was at the top of his game

Sure enough, the Pats stomped all over the Broncos.  They came out guns blazing and quickly ran up the score.  The game was over by halftime, when New England led 35-7 and finally took their foot off the gas as they cruised to a 45-10 laugher.  Brady, the defending MVP who took a backseat while everyone fawned over Tebow all week, reminded everyone why he's an all-time great by reeling off six touchdown passes (five in the first half) to match the postseason single game record set by Steve Young and Daryle Lamonica (affectionately known as the "Mad Bomber").  Denver had no answer for him or Rob Gronkowski, who hauled in three of Brady's TDs.  Fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez also snagged a touchdown, but threw the Broncos D a curveball by getting five carries and gaining 61 rushing yards.  On the other side of the ball, New England's 31st ranked defense formed the Great Wall of Foxborough and recorded five sacks.  The overmatched Broncos quickly hoisted the white flag, running the ball throughout the second half instead of trying to hit home runs with long passes.  The only time they showed any life at all was when Von Miller started a brawl by blindsiding Dan Connolly after Brady booted a 48 yard punt on third and ten in the fourth, with the game well out of reach.

As for Tebow, the miracle worker who walks on water and heals the sick? No touchdowns and 136 passing yards with just nine completions (three in the first half) in 26 attempts.  He didn't throw any interceptions, but he helped give New England momentum by fumbling the ball early in the first quarter.  It was a disappointing, but rather predictable, ending to Tebow's three month stretch of glory.

Bundle up, Tim. It's gonna be a long winter.

Next Sunday, New England will square off with the winner of today's Ravens/Texans matchup.  The Texans will be a much easier matchup, since they don't have a quarterback, so hopefully they can beat Joe Flacco this afternoon.

Pats Bludgeon Bills

One of the most common complaints about the 2011 New England Patriots that doesn't involve their defensive ineptitude is their inability to string together 60 minutes of great football.  Every week, it seems the Pats go through a rough stretch for a quarter or two where the offense struggles or the defense gets hammered, but they almost always manage to rebound and emerge with the win.  Obviously, there's not a lot to fuss over with a squad that won thirteen games, laid waste to the AFC East, and is the favorite to represent the conference in the Super Bowl, but it's clear that this team has its flaws, and I wouldn't be surprised if they got knocked off in the middle of January like the last two years. 

The reason I bring this up is because New England stunk up the joint in the first half against Miami on Christmas Eve, only to rally from a 17-0 deficit and squeeze out a 27-24 win.  Then on New Year's Day against the Bills, the Patriots went down three touchdowns in the blink of an eye, but recovered to reel off 49 unanswered points and turn their early hole into a massive margin of victory.

Bill Belichick would have preferred his team to go up early so he could rest his starters in the second half, but Ryan Fitzpatrick came out gunning and the Bills scored touchdowns on their first three possessions.  They looked unstoppable, the game seemed lost, and the dissatisfied Gillette crowd unleashed a torrent of boos.  But then the Patriots woke up; the defense shut down Buffalo for the remainder of the afternoon while the offense torched the Bills D by scoring toudchdowns on seven of its next eight possessions. Brady, as usual, led the comeback with another typical outstanding performance; three TDs (two to Gronk) and 338 yards on 23/35 passing.  The reigning MVP has once again vaulted himself into the discussion, and should be considered a frontrunner in the race.

By clinching the top seed in their conference the Patriots earned home field advantage for their postseason run, which includes a bye-week and will hopefully produce the franchise's first Super Bowl win since 2005.

Notables
-Tom Brady finished with 5,235 passing yards, second most in NFL history behind the 5,486 Drew Brees accumulated this year
-Rob Gronkowski broke Jimmy Graham's record, which lasted all of about ten seconds, for single season receiving yards by a tight end with 1,327.  Gronk also led the league in TD receptions with 17
-It's hard to remember now, but Buffalo began their season 5-2 before dropping eight of their last nine
-On the other hand, New England ended their season strong with an eight game win streak
-Bill Belichick's prolific offense led the AFC in points scored with 513, and nobody else was within 100 points (the Chargers finished second with 406).  In the NFL, only the Saints and Packers scored more.
-New England's shoddy defense set the record for most passing yards allowed in a season by giving up 4,727 yards (or 14,181 feet) to opponents
-The Pats won their division by five games, tied with the Packers and 49ers for best in the NFL