Early look at Baltimore Ravens: Kicking game, Ravens TE's, Pats O-Line lead the conversation

(Photo by Yahoo Sports)

by Dakota Antelman

Steve Smith set to draw big coverage from secondary

Baltimore tight end Steve Smith caught five passes for 101 yards against the Steelers. In a game dominated by a focus on diversifying the Ravens offense, Smith excelled, making the most of the few passes QB Joe Flacco tossed his way.

Smith as a player has a long engraved history of making teams pay with big plays. He is a big bodied tight end, similar in playing style to the likes of former Ravens great Dennis Pitta and similar in attitude to Patriot anchor Rob Grokowski.

He adds an interesting facet to the impending Patriots/Ravens meeting as his being a slightly slower player would make it hard for New England to assign him to any of their shut down corner backs. At the same time though, leaving Smith to the linebackers could spell disaster for the Patriots.

Stage set for battle of the kickers

Two kickers who have been near perennial Pro-Bowl contenders for multiple years now will be facing off in the Patriots/Ravens divisional game.

Stephan Gotskowski of New England kicks against Justin Tucker of Baltimore. The two had similar numbers even in a somewhat down year for Tucker.

Tucker made 29 of 34 field goal attempts this season leading the team in points scored and nailing long distance kicks in several clutch situations for the team. Gostkowski was slightly better hitting 35 of 37 field goals.

Tucker and Gostkowski figure to be big factors in Saturday's game with both teams relying heavily on the presence of a consistent kicker when their offence stalls.

Dan Connolly, Nate Solder and O-Line tested again by Baltimore pass rush

After allowing four or more sacks in back-to-back games, the Patriots offensive line appears to be one of the team's weakest units going into the postseason opener.

Despite a stock of fundamentally strong offensive tackles, the pocket has been consistently collapsing on Tom Brady. If they do not turn things around, the future hall of famer could be suffering the same claustrophobic fate by halftime on Saturday. This is because the Baltimore Ravens sacked opponents a league best, 49 times in the regular season, utilizing one of the best pass rushes in football with brutal effectiveness.

The one story line running in their favor as Saturday approaches does feature Nate Solder returning to the team after leaving the Week 17 finale against Buffalo. Solder could solidify the offensive line which, notably, played its worst after Solder was injured.

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Rob Grokowski honored by AP crew with unanimous All-Pro selection, Revis, Gostkowski also named

(Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post)

by Dakota Antelman

The Associated Press released its annual list of NFL All-Pro players Friday morning. Three Patriots made the list with one Rob Gronkowski being denoted as a unanimous selection.  

This is the third All-Pro selection of Gronkowski’s career and it comes following one of the best seasons of it. The Patriot tight end returned from nagging arm, knee and back trouble to fanfare and increased target totals from quarterback Tom Brady.

He played 15 of 16 total games, missing the finale vs. Buffalo only for precautionary reasons. Gronkowski caught 82 of 130 passes thrown to him and was responsible for 1,124 receiving yards. He converted on 60 first down situations and was a go-to target in the red-zone catching 12 touchdown passes.

2014 was a fun year for Gronkowski involving hard hitting, gravity defying tackle resistance and a slew of highlight reel plays.

His teammates understood that much. 

"He's, I think, when you say a kid playing the game, that's him," Patriots safety Devin McCourty said of Gronkowski. "He don't care about anything, stats, if we're up or down, he's playing one way. He's playing hard and you can tell he's just having fun with his friends on the field."

Among the other Patriots honored Friday by the AP were Patriot cornerback Darelle Revis and kicker Stephan Gostkowski. Revis received the most votes of all cornerbacks even beating out shut-down Seattle Seahawks CB, Richard Sherman. 2014 marks the fourth season in which Revis has made the All-Pro list and serves as considerable validation for a powerful effort by the 29 year old in his first season with the Patriots.

“I think I’m a better player than I was a couple years ago, just by the growth as a player, growing in this league,” Revis said to ESPN back on the 18^th of December. “Just continuing to stay consistent with my studies and what I do as a player.”

Gostkowski, unlike Revis or Gronkowski was a second team All-Pro this year. It is his second appearance as he was named as a 1^stteam player back in 2008.

The Patriots were a deep team in the 2014 regular season. Their depth and the varied nature of their roster made them a difficult team to plan for. Above all though, Gronkowski and Revis in particular, two MVP candidates, deserved recognition for what they have done to get the Patriots where they are.

The writers and football personalities involved with voting for the AP All-Pro’s understood that and obliged. 

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Darelle Revis, Patriots, not focused on Pro Bowl nomination

(Photo by Charles Krupa/AP)

by Dakota Antelman

Patriot cornerback Darelle Revis was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl Tuesday night. The nomination was the sixth of his career and the first in his first season with the Patriots.

He, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Stephan Gostkowski and Matthew Slater were all named following stand out seasons for all of them. The team treats their Pro Bowl plans as highly tentative though as, in the event that New England makes the Super Bowl, held the week after the Pro Bowl, no-one will be partaking in the game.

As a result of that, Revis thoroughly downplayed the honor in a midweek conversation with reporters Wednesday.

"We got team goals that we want to accomplish, and the Pro Bowl is definitely not one of them," he said abruptly.

Though appreciative, there has been no second thought among the Patriots about the game since its rosters were announced.

“We all appreciate getting honored, but at the same time, collectively as a whole group, as a team, we can just throw that under the bus, because we're focused more on the team."

Revis confessed to reporters that he does not even know the logistical details about the game (i.e. date and time).

He however is grateful for the support he has been given since being signed by the Patriots in the offseason as well as the success that has resulted from that. He has made 47 tackles and two interceptions this season, shadowing many of the league’s best receivers from week one right through next week’s finale. 

"It all works together, the pass rush, the schemes that we do that the coaches draw up. I thank the coaches, as well, and my teammates for making my job easier."

As for those players, four of whom made the Pro Bowl with Revis, none commented on the Pro Bowl following Wednesday's practice.

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Pro Bowl rosters announced, 5 Patriots included

Photo courtosy of Bob Breidenbach / The Providence Journal)

by Dakota Antelman

Late Tuesday night, the NFL announced via its independent television network, "NFL Network", the 2015 Pro Bowl rosters. Included on this year's rosters were five New England Patriots players.

Quarterback Tom Brady, place-kicker Stephan Gostkowski, tight end Rob Gronkowski, cornerback Darelle Revis and wide receiver Matthew Slater were all selected. This marks the second year of the revamped Pro Bowl which features a draft like selection process and the first in decades not held at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii.

The Patriots have a long history to sending players to the game just as their players have a history of taking it very seriously. Though they had little representation last season, with just one player making the trip, 2015 is a return to a normal state.

Such has been a common theme this season as across the board, the Patriots have been playing to the best of their abilities and living up to the lofty expectations many had for them in the preseason.

Brady has put up some of his best numbers since 2011. He has his second highest completion percentage since 2007, getting back into the area of 30+ touchdowns per season after a sub-par 2013. All around, Brady has arguably been one of the best quarterbacks in football since Week Four. His accuracy has him with a better touchdown/interception ratio (3.67/1) than even the dynastic Peyton Manning (2.6/1).

As far as receivers go, Gronkowski has been above the rest of the Patriots this year. He has caught 82 passes for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns this year.

Among the other Patriots delegates to Glendale, Gostkowski, Revis and Slater, all of them have put of numbers and fundamental chances to their games that have rightly earned them spots in the Pro Bowl. 

Gostkowski recently took over the franchise record for points-scored while Revis’ 14 passes defended and 47 tackles have negated the efforts of most every receiver who tries to go against him. Lastly, Slater has been a force to be reckoned with on the special teams unit making a case for a long term place within the Patriots in his 7^th NFL season.

If the Patriots do not make it to the Super Bowl they will have five players going to Glendale Arizona anyway the week before it. 

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Tom Brady bests old friend as he and coach set records: Patriots defeat Vikings 30-7

In a game of inches, the Patriots won their game against the Vikings by a mile.

With their identity as a team suddenly under question, the Patriots went to Minnesota knowing a win was necessary. Furthermore, though the game featured a warm reunion of old friends in Tom Brady and Matt Cassel, it soon turned cutthroat with emotions running high and big plays bountiful. 

Beginning with the defense, the Patriots came into this game with the number one priority of shutting down the Vikings big playmakers. Even after Adrian Peterson was deactivated following his arrest for child abuse Friday, that was still true. Though the attention had shifted it was still powerful in its direction at wide receiver Cordarrell Patterson. They stacked the line and rejoiced as big bodies like Jarod Mayo and Vince Wilfork clogged up the middle portions of the field with ease. Furthermore, tight coverage by the cornerbacks helped break up passes to Patterson before they could even get to him.

New England limited Patterson to just 4 receptions for 56 yards and 0 touchdowns thrown by Cassel. 

However as the Patriots also knew prior to kickoff, Patterson is the kind of player that can do more than just catch passes. Since joining the league a year ago, he has become one of the best kick returners in football. In knowing that, the Patriots and their kicker Stephan Gostkowski were prepared and fully capable of limiting any chance the Vikings star got to make any more big plays.

Gostkowski was kicking shots into the stands all afternoon allowing for just one return by Patterson. That return went for just 8 yards though and actually resulted in Goskowski’s best net yardage on a kick all game.  Additionally, Goskowski was greatly helpful to the Patriots in their offensive game. His three field goals and three PAT’s helped keep the game out of reach of the Vikings.

Among the other players whose play the Patriots were the beneficiaries of were Devin McCourty who intercepted a pass from Cassel and then returned it for 60 yards, Julian Edelman who was dominant in his first good game this season, and Stephan Ridley who produced a reassuring 101 yards rushing in the game. 

All and all, accurate throws by Tom Brady, 81 receiving yards by Edelman, 4 interceptions of Matt Cassell and a shutdown run defense helped even the Patriots record at 1-1. 

Beyond that, the brilliant game was even more so for stone faced Bill Belichick and his partner for all time in Brady. Though the pair’s record this season is mediocre, both of them hit monumental milestones for wins Sunday. Belichick became the 6th coach in NFL history to record 200 wins while Brady’s 149th win put him third on the all-time wins list for quarterbacks.

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2013 in 8 Days: Top plays of 2013

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

The top plays of 2013 in Boston sports...

1)  December 8th: Stephan Gostkowski recovers onside kick



It seems strange to say that the greatest play in Boston sports this year was one as reliant on luck as Goskowski's onside kick an yet this play really was as good as it gets. With the game on the line, Goskowski bounced the ball along the ground desperate for that nearly impossible balance of hitting it the minimum 10 yards while not hitting it so hard that the opponent recovers it. In many cases finding such a balance is hopeless and yet with time ticking away, all the chips fell in the right way and as Stephan Goskowski showed with his reaction, the Patriots recovered the football.

2) October 13th: Kenbrell Thompkins wins game with 6 seconds remaining



Thompkin's catch was just fun.

To that point Patriots fans had not been shown the capabilities that this team had when it comes to comebacks and so we were all but contempt with the looming loss until...Tom Brady out of nowhere started off a 70 yard 61 second drive with no timeouts and a touchdown being the only result that would give New England a win. It all came down to one final play where, with 6 seconds left, the ball was tossed 18 yards to a wide open Thompkins in the back corner of the end-zone.

3) May 19th: Torey Krug between the legs goal



1 year after a tiny kid named Torey Krug failed in his first stint with Boston back in 2011-2012 he was called upon during the second round this season vs New York and delivered better than ever. With 4 goals in 5 games, Krug netted one of the primer tallies of the entire Bruins season when he received a David Krejci pass between his legs and slung the puck around his leg to pound it into the net. What makes this goal even better is the fact that such a dart was used to beat mighty Henrik Lundquvist himself. 

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2013 in 8 Days: Best Patriots moments of 2013 AND Patriots season in review

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

2013 began on a low note for the Patriots and their fans. Just 20 days into the year, a greatly subdued Tom Brady threw just 1 TD and 2 interceptions as the Baltimore Ravens, exacted their revenge from a season ago winning the AFC Championships over the Patriots by a margin of 28-13. Unfortunately for Patriots fans, that loss would kick off a rather painful 8 months for the organization. Two weeks after the Ravens win in the AFC Title Game, the Patriots rivals won it all almost simultaneously beginning the transaction period of the NFL off-season.

By mid-march, Wes Welker had fallen victim to a deteriorating relationship with the Patriots coaching staff as SI writer, Chris Ballard cited the fact that Welker felt that "[Belichick] got on him in a way he never had before, admonishing him in front of the team." On March 12th, he signed a 2 year 12 million dollar deal with the Denver Broncos and their beloved Peyton Manning.

It seemed that that loss stung the most for Tom Brady and although he respected the authority in personal decisions that the Patriots front office possessed it was clear in the wake of the signing that he would miss his 5 time Pro Bowl preforming wide receiver.

“Of course I have feelings. But those feelings are very personal to me,” he said. “I used to get caught up in anger and frustration and disappointment. But I don’t make the decisions. These things aren’t up to me. At some point you’ve got to realize the things that are out of your control. You’ve just got to let go and focus on my job and what I need to do. Because the game moves on, the team moves on. There’s only so long you can dwell on the past. At some point you’ve got to move forward. Like I said, my job for my team is to be the best quarterback, and not the general manager and not the coach and not the owner.” 

There was hope for Welker's replacement, Danny Ammendola but as Brady's list of prime targets took yet another hit, things began to look bleak at the very best. On June 26th, Aaron Hernandez was arrested and charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was released by the Patriots just 90 minutes after the early morning arrest.  

By the end of the summer, the Patriots were a team of question marks resting their entire offensive fate on a cast of young receivers and an injury prone veteran whom Brady had never thrown to in his life. As was constantly true in Foxborough throughout the off-season there was fear and uncertainty as the franchise began to appear to be drifting farther and farther from the talent based rosters of the early 2000's Super Bowl wins.  

There were questions and in Week One they were at least temporarily answered as Julian Edelman dominated the Bills defense and Shane Vereen cemented his role as the Patriots all-star utility man gaining yards through both rushing and airborne plays. However, that game came at a cost knocking Vereen out of action with a wrist injury while hindering Danny Ammendola via a groin strain. These injuries have remained prevalent for the entire season to this point and yet the Patriots are a dominant 10-3 gunning for the 2nd seed and a 1st round bye. In the absence of so many clear cut stars, it cannot be stressed how much the emergence of young talent has played a part in getting the team this far. 

In 2013 we have gotten to know names like LeGarret Blount and Michael (Hoo-Man) Hoomanwanui while reaffirming our relationship with star kicker, Stephan Gostkowski who leads the NFL in nearly every kicking category this season. It is players like these, and then Tom Brady, that had combined to produce some of the Patriots best moments in this roller-coaster of a season.

These are the top 5 of those moments...

1) November 24th: Patriots overcome terrible first half to beat Broncos in OT



Approximately half an hour into November 25th, Stephan Goskowski rammed a 31 yard field goal through the uprights to complete for the Patriots, the largest comeback in franchise history. After fumbling 3 times in the first quarter, the Patriots came out of halftime trailing 21-0 but ignored the scoreboard simply chipping away drive after drive en route to actually taking the lead as a result of 28 unanswered points. After the Broncos tied the game late however, overtime was inconclusive as to who would win the game meaning that with mere minutes left before the end of the period, the possibility of a tie was imminent...until a muffed punt by the Broncos gave the ball back to the Patriots with time to spare. 31 yards away from the game winner, Stephan Goskowski came onto the field and drilled this one into the history books.

Only one word seemed fit to describe this 3 hour span of football magic. The anatomy of a true miracle.

2) December 8th: Patriots score 14 points in final 61 seconds to beat Browns



Even after pulling within a touchdown of winning the game, there were just 61 seconds left on the clock and the Patriots were forced to kick off knowing that if they did not recover the hardly-ever-works onside kick they would be losers to a Cleveland Browns team that to that point had won just 4 games. They had not recovered an onside kick in over a decade and yet like so many other moments in this season the Patriots did not care. They booted the ball 10 yards off the tee and  watched as it bounced off a Brown and fell mercifully into the arms of Kyle Arrington. Tom Brady returned to the field and with fire in his eyes won the game.

3) October 13th: Kenbrell's catch: 18 yard TD with seconds left beats Saints



Kenbrell Thompkins' 18 yard, game winning touchdown reception with 6 seconds left in Week 4's match-up with the Saints was really the first 'never day die' moment of the 2013 Patriots season. In comparison to the Broncos or Browns comebacks, this lone touchdown drive seemed petty and yet at the time it was one of those exhilarating moments that football fans only dream of. 

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Saving the best for last: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning put on thriller as both their careers come to a close

It was cold, almost Siberian cold. The air was uneasy, jolting around and carrying anything with it as if the wind itself was like a powerful arm flicking away anything that tried to test its power. However, amidst these single digit temperatures and strong winds, a glowing metropolis of its own casts a bright tower of light into the sky above Foxborough Massachusetts. This piece of infrastructure, known throughout its days as any number of different names is the economic center of nearly every piece of Massachusetts land south of it’s capital and yet it is not even the biggest cash cow that calls Gillette Stadium home. 

On Sunday night, one man who has played his best in the cold was at it again, facing off against the only human being who can statistically match his skillful prows.  

14 times now these two have faced off, 14 games all of which have their own unique stories. In Brady vs. Manning 1 the theme was this. An already recognized starter in Peyton Manning coming to town prepared to face a man who was making just his first start of his career following Drew Beldsoe's near lethal injury suffered against the Jets that opened the door for his backup. To that point, Tom Brady had thrown just 13 career passes as an NFL quarterback while Peyton Manning had already racked up back to back 4,000 yard passing seasons as well as making 2 Pro Bowl teams and yet by the end of the night it was Brady who led his team to victory and won the first game in one of the most storied individual rivalries in NFL history. 

4 years later in meeting number 3, Brady was shining once again hurling 3 TD's and 335 passing yards on his way to a 27-24 win that improved his career win loss record against Manning to a stellar 3-0. By that point, there was no doubt how skilled this 4th year stud from New England was. The 3 Super Bowl rings symbolized all that necessitated recognition. Before long, Tom Brady was 7-0 against Manning and his always contending Colts. Furthermore, while Peyton spent his time polishing his MVP awards, Tom Brady was a more weekly kind of guy racking up the wins and of course, winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 seasons.   

However in the 2006 Conference Championship that pitted Mr. postseason: Brady against Mr. MVP: Manning, the tables turned. In Peyton's lone successful postseason run, the Colt star stormed past the Patriots and halted Brady's bid for his 4th Lombardi Trophy.  

"I said a little prayer there on that last drive," Manning said of his game winning touchdown drive that propelled the 38-34 last second win. "I don't know if you're supposed to pray or not in those kinds of situations, but I did." 

Prayer answered. 

From that day onward, Manning and Brady were pitted against each other on a near annual basis.as for football fans removed from the bias of the fabled rivalry there truly was no answer to the question was answered every single time prior to such a game. Who is the better quarterback? Tom or Peyton? 

This was the legacy that led these two champions through New England victories in 2007, 2010, 2011 and then 2012 as well as a change of scenery for Manning and yet, the essence of each of these games stayed true to those that came before them.

This was the legacy that led those two champions down the path to greatness and while the two were both reaching into their upper 30's we braved the cold and watched what might go down as the last great meeting between two of the best. It did not disappoint. 

After 4 first quarter fumbles, one of which might have effectively ended Stephan Ridley's career as a Patriot, New England stumbled into the half facing their largest deficit of the season. It was 24-0 Denver, and Manning had thrown just 1 TD pass. The first half of the Week 11 edition of Sunday Night Football, was one of gifts by the Patriots and luck by the Broncos. Manning was never good in this game fighting the stinging cold and rarely even attempting a pass. In the end it was the passing game that for the first time this season actually cost Denver the game.  

Brady and the Patriots came out of the gates in the second half fuming. They charged up the field to score just 3:39 into the quarter and then quickly followed up with back to back quick drives that in the blink of an eye erased and even topped what Denver did in the first half. New England scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter and then even took the lead as they continued their torrent pace early in the 4th quarter. 

As the game fell late into overtime it became clear that while Tom Brady was the reason the game was tied it was his 61 year old best friend who was the reason they won it. 

"The wind, it was a strong wind," Bill Belichick said in an explanation for why he deferred the ball after winning the coin toss prior to OT. "We just had to keep them out of the end zone, obviously. I just felt like the wind would be an advantage if we could keep them out of the end zone on that first drive. We were able to do that. The wind was significant in the game, it was definitely significant."  

New England did keep Denver out of the end-zone in that first drive but after they went 3 and out on the next drive, Ryan Allen came on to punt. Once again the Broncos played the role of Santa Claus via their delivery of a mighty gift that in the end, gave the Patriots the win. 

Following a booming punt, nothing seemed to go awry until the ball was literally feet from the ground. Manning who watched his teammate Tony Carter inadvertently poke the falling ball with the tip of his fingers seemed broken while the Patriots pounced on the muffed punt that gave them back the ball at the Denver 13 yard line. 

From there, the game was all but won, Stephan Goskowski kicked the game winning chip shot field goal bing-bang-boom, game salvaged. 

Whatever you call it, the beginning of the end of this great rivalry gave us the greatest win the rivalry has ever seen. It was not perfect, there were fumbles, there were interceptions and there were badly thrown balls but in the end none of that matters. Why? Because as has been repeated throughout the sports world
"they don't ask how, they ask how many" and when you look into the numbers, the 60,000 passing yards of Peyton Manning shows that he wins on the luster of his game while Tom Brady just wins period.  

You tell me who it better. Tom? Yeah, that sounds right. 

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Patriots pull off revealing comeback to beat Buffalo 23-21: Danny Ammendola and Jullian Edelman crucial in victory for New England

Okay, let’s just think this through. 

In May, the Bruins threw heart-attacks through Boston with their dramatic game seven comeback over Toronto. By that point in time the Red Sox were already playing in a season in which they would eventually tally upwards of 30 comebacks. By this point both of Boston's beloved sports teams have developed a "cardiac kid" reputation.  

But nevertheless in a similar way that all of Boston's teams have developed a similar flare for postseason sucsess. The New England Patriots joined the list of comeback winning teams in Boston today as after once holding a 10-0 lead and then a 17-7 lead the erased a late 21-17 deficit to earn the win a down the Bills in dramatic field goal fashion. 

It wasn't pretty but in the end, the New England Patriots rode the stellar play of three incoming stars all the way to victory. 

After Tom Brady quickly pulled the Pats into a 7-0 then 10-0 lead after Goskowski's first field goal of the day, Stephan Ridely invoked the wrath of Bill Belichick when he pathetically tripped on his own feet then fumbled the football without being touched. After that miscue, it did not take long for Ridley's night to end as he spent the reminder of the game watching from the bench. Now at the time of the fumble it seemed that at first glance Rideley would be back after halftime but when promoted number 1 back: Shane Vereen made quick work of the Bills defense, it was clear that Stephan was never coming back. 

Vereen finished the night with his first career 100 yard game as he smacked together 101 yards on 14 carries, Vereen was a driving force in this game and in a specific display of greatness, he was the man who ran the ball on both of the carries that put the Patriots the positions that resulted in those 2 crucial 4th quarter field goals for New England. 

"I’ll take it, opening day...we made some very clutch plays when we needed to" Said Tom Brady, possibly referencing that key 21 yard run by Vereen towards the end of the game. "We got a long way to go, I mean I'm glad to start out with a win, winning is a hell of a lot better than losing but we got a long way to go." He continued in discrete acknowledgment to some 3rd quarter anger that he vented on the sideline. 

Brady went 29 for 52 in this game with an interception and of course  23 incompletions. But in his defense the target of 10 of those incompletions: Kenbrell Thompkins could largely be pinned on Thompkins himself who at one point made no effort to get both his feet down before he went out of bounds. 

But while Thompkins 4 receptions for 42 yards was less than pivotal in this game, the contributions of two men that Brady firmly acknowledged during his press conference were. After Danny Ammendola left the game in the 1st half, Julian Edelman slammed up 2 touchdowns 7 receptions and 79 offensive yards. 

"Two great play-makers they have earned a lot of trust with me, they make a lot of great plays" Brady said referencing both Edelman AND Ammendola. 

Now as mentioned before, Ammendola left the game early on with a reaggravated groin strain. 

"At first i thought he was gone for the game" Brady said. 

But Ammendola wasn't. 

He returned during the 3rd quarter and soon powered his way to 104 yard offensive day with a long of 24 yards and a responsibility of 10 of Tom Brady's 24 completions in this game. But while the numbers are impressive 2 of those 10 catches were unthinkable clutch in this nail biter of a game. 

With the ball on the New England 40 yard line and Tom Brady writhing under a 3rd and 10 situation with under 3 minutes to go in the game, Danny Ammendola broke away from the line and in a play that granted no relent for his injured groin, Ammendola laid out, catching a ball through 2 different defenders and preserving that game winning drive. But nevertheless, 3 plays later the Patriots were in an identical 3rd and 10 situation. 

With the game once again on his shoulders, Ammendola brought us to our feet again running 15 yards forward of the line turning around and jumping into the stratosphere to once again catch the pass from Brady amidst the grasp of a slew of defenders. 

"He really toughed it out, he fought all day" Brady said standing as one of many admirers of Ammendola’s sacrifice.  

The Patriots would eventually bring themselves within Goskowski's range and after spending 2 plays to center the ball right between the hash marks, Stephan Gostkowski came on looking to make his first huge kick of the 2013 season. With a perfect snap and a stellar hold, Goskowski had to trouble sticking the 35 yarder and winning the game for the Patriots. 

So there we were heart attack time back home in Boston. The Patriots had won their 10th straight season opener. 

* Notes:

- With Tom Brady throwing 2 touchdown passes in the game, he extended his streak to 49 consecutive games with a TD. This is the second longest streak in NFL history and just 6 short of setting an all time record. 

- After a 288 yard day passing, Tom Brady became the 9th player in NFL history to record 45,000 passing yards. 

- Stephan Goskowski's 35 yard game winner was only his second of his career. 






To see Stephan Goskowski's game winning field goal click here

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Patriots first half in game notes: September 8th vs Buffalo Bills

In game notes of the New England Patriots vs the Buffalo Bills week one match-up

First Quarter

- After Stephan Ridely supposedly fumbled the football, the Patriots retained possession following the challenge. (0-0)

- After they were forced to punt, Tommy Kelly recovered a CJ Spiller fumble, putting the Patriots at 1st and 10 on the Buffalo 15 yard line. (0-0)

- After a few short gains, Tom Brady threw a 9 yard  pass to Julian Edelman. TOUCHDOWN (7-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- After several in-completions, Stetphan Goskowski comes on  to kick a 48 yard field goal. KICK IS GOOD (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- 15 yard Hands to the Face penalty brings Buffalo back to a 1st and 21 situation. 2 incompletions later, EJ Manuel is unable to convert on 3rd and 19. Buffalo is forced to punt. (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Following a 19 yard run by Sephan Ridely, first quarter ends (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)


Second Quarter

- Tom Brady sacked, New England forced to punt from midfield (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Buffalo goes 3 and out and punts from mid field. New England starts drive from 20 yard line (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- New England goes 3 and out. Patriots punt from 24 yard line. Buffalo starts drive at 7 yard line.  (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Kyle Arrington intercepts pass from EJ Manuel returns to 7 yard line. Play is under review and after first look it appears that the play will be overturned. (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Interception ruling is overturned Buffalo punts on 4th and 3. New England starts drive from 46 yard line. (10-0 NEW ENGLAND)

- Stephan Ridley fumbles football, play is returned for touchdown. Play is under review. At first look it seems that play will stand (10-0 NEW ENGLAND) 

- Ruling on field is confirmed. 74 yard return for Sercy of Buffalo. TOUCHDOWN (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Buffalo kicks off to New England. LeGarret Blount returns kick to 25 yard line. New England starts from 25 yard-line. (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

-  Pass incomplete to Kenbrell Thompkins Patriots punt. Buffalo starts drive at 10 yard line (10-7 NEW ENGLAND) 

- Kyle Arrington forces Buffalo fumble. Rob Ninkovich recovers and returns for a few yards. Play is under review. At first look it looks like the play will stand (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Fumble ruling is confirmed. New England starts from 30 yard line (10-7 NEW ENGLAND)

*Danny Amendola comes out of game with groin pain.

- Tom Brady completes on 3rd and 7 with short pass to Julian Edelman TOUCHDOWN (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Patriots kick off goes for touch-back. Buffalo starts from 20 yard line. (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- After Buffalo goes 3 and out, Brady's pass is intercepted and Buffalo returnes to 20 yard line. Play is under review. At first glace, it looked like ruling will be overturned. (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- Play is confirmed return is called back though. (17-7 NEW ENGLAND)

- EJ Manuel throws 20 yard pass to Robert Wood. TOUCHDOWN (17-14 NEW ENGLAND)

- Tom Brady takes a knee. First half over (17-14 NEW ENGLAND) 

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No Room for error: behind the drama of being an NFL kicker AND a look at Stephan Gostkowski

You can't play football unless you can bench press a linebacker and take a bone breaking hit without, you know, breaking bones. But there is an exception: the kicker. They rarely boast the body definition of their fellow teammates and rarely possess the toughness that it takes to be wrecked by 325 pound Vince Wilfork. But nevertheless, each and every week, they get no appreciation. When they succeed they are ignored but when they fail, it’s a different story. 

They come to the tee play with the game on the line. Their team's passing and running offence has stalled out but like I said, the game is on the line. 1 possession in a game as close as just a few points, the contest can be won by one single kick. The backup QB takes to the huddle grabbing the snap and spinning the football’s laces towards the kickers sprinting foot. Now it is time, in a burst of reaction and stellar coordination, he drives the ball, lifting it over the heads and hands of an opponent's kick blockers and hopefully sliding through the ridged yellow arms of the field goal.

Now more often than not, those kicks ARE made. But in the some 20% of attempts that are not, legacies are tarnished, fans are enraged and the remembrance of guys like Billy Cundiff turns from one of pro bowl appearances and wonderful accuracy to one imprinted with the pain of that famed moment when, with the chance to go to the Super Bowl on the line, Cundiff screwed up the field goal attempt and lost the AFC Championship. 

Fact is, there is no position player in all of sports that endures a greater sense of pressure than the kicker. Yet even with all that they endure, any and all kickers are an almost forgotten part of the NFL. Well that is, until they are needed. But as with nearly everything on earth, there is an exception. Back in 2006 when the Baltimore Ravens number one place kicker was Matt Stover, his coaches would periodically force some sympathy out of Stover's teammates by ordering a linebacker, a quarterback and so on to attempt a 25 yard field goal. 

They would almost always miss.

"I love it," Stover said. "You line up for a 20-yard field goal and say, 'Aw, this is a chip shot.' But when you have to go out there and there is maybe 100 bucks on the line -- I hope that's not a salary-cap issue -- they have to try to perform that kick. There is no snap. There is no rush. There is nothing. They have got all the time in the world to line up and try to kick it through -- and more times than not, they miss it.

If you're lining up a 52-yard, game-winning kick, they look at you and go, 'Man, I am glad I'm not Matt Stover today.' That is when you gain the respect from your fellow teammates." 

"Mental toughness is extremely important," Stover also said moving into a slightly more serious tone and subject. "You've got to have coping skills because we're going to be in situations that are distasteful. Imagine delivering parcels, closing a sales deal or teaching a class of seventh-graders with 70,000 watching intently over your shoulder."

But no matter how much a coach can do, no matter how many mechanisms you can employ, those 70,000 '7th graders' are still there.  And no matter how much sympathy they try to draw, fact is, no one can and will ever be able to appreciate the fear and anticipation that a kicker lives with. One miss and you’re done. One miss and your fans hate you while the rest of the NFL makes fun of your failure. One miss and well, good things do not happen. 

We learned that with Billy Cundiff back in 2012.  

On January 22^ndof that year, the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens were knotted in an intense 20 to 23 4th quarter Patriots lead. But there was an added facet of intensity bubbling under this crucial score. This was the AFC title game and who ever won was headed to Indy to compete for a Super Bowl championship.

But as said before, Baltimore was down by 3 with 15 seconds to go in the game. The Ravens were sitting at 4th and 1, firmly situated at the Patriots 20 yard line. The game could easily have been over by now as mere seconds earlier, QB Joe Flacco belted a near touchdown pass to the end-zone that was stripped away at the last second via a Sterling Moore swat. At 4th and 1, Ravens kicker Billy Cunduff was called onto the field and asked to complete a near chip shot 32 yard field goal. This was not a difficult kick. 

But nevertheless, no matter the difficulty, New England got lucky and in the blink of an eye, Cundiff had missed the kick, slinging it wide left and sinking the ship on an insane 2012 Ravens playoff run. 

"There's no excuse for it, it just didn't go through." Cundiff said, sullen faced and obviously angry. But when you think about it, there might be an excuse after all.

Logistically seeking, when you look back at the replays of that crushing kick, Cundiff's holder did not spin the ball correctly and had the laces pointed AWAY from Cundiff at the time of the kick. That change in aerodynamic profile MIGHT have been enough to at least contribute to the missed kick. In addition to the holder's mistake, Cundiff could also at least partially attribute the miss to a score board 'malfunction'.

In the time leading up to the kick, the Gillette Stadium score board falsely reported that Patriots coach Bill Belicheck had called a time out. In an attempt to prevent himself from being "iced" a tactic employed by opposing coaches all the time, Cundiff continued to warm on the sideline a fact that meant by the time he realized he needed to be on the field he was forced to sprint to the line, depriving him of his normal pre kick routine.  

These things were out of Cundiff’s control but in the end once HE missed the kick, HE was the one who felt the wrath. In the end, HE was the one who was dropped from the Ravens and HE was the one who inspired countless internet jests, the most popular of which being a caption picture reading: "I don't always miss field goals...but when I do, I make sure that they are the most important ones of the season."  

But for NFL place kickers, the FEELINGS of those around them regarding a missed kick are sometimes not their only worries. You see, in the world of sports there is no position where performance is more closely effecting of a player’s salary than a kicker. Unlike Tom Brady esque quarterbacks, even the best kickers rarely get handed anything more than 1 year, 1 million dollar deals, and even that is subject to change. For Cundiff in particular, the year of his missed kick, he hauled in 1.2 million dollars. 1 season later and after bouncing around 3 different teams, Cundiff's salary has dropped off nearly $400,000. Fact is, when you miss big, you lose big. 

"A lot of guys can kick a 45-yard field goal, but not a lot of guys can do it under the pressure of a game-winning situation," Giants kicker Jake Feely said. "Pressure to me is coming home and answering to my wife why I missed that kick."

By now you may ask, how this all relates to Boston.   

As it stands, the Patriots are now widely involved in their preseason competitions and as it stands a lot has changed in this short off-season. Whether it be Hernandez getting arrested, Welker going to Denver or Rob Gronkowski's continuing recovery, the Patriots and in turn Tom Brady are all at a loss for many of their prime receiving roster members from a year ago. With that in mind, one comes to wonder how are the Patriots going to score in 2013? Now while it is true that yes Stephan Ridly will undoubtedly need to step up and become the Pro Bowl running back that he has the ability to be, New England does have some additional hope. 

After he was drafted in 2008, Stephan Gostkowski soon began to draw a look from Pats fans as almost immediately he began to look like the Adam Vinatieri New England had just lost a few seasons ago. For Vinatari, his first season saw him put up a field goals made percentile of 77.1. Stephan Gostkowski notched a near identical 76.9 in HIS first season. As time went on, the comparisons continued as by 2008, just his 3rd year in the league, Gostkowski was making 90% of his kicks.

Now in the 5 years since then, Gostkowski has tailed off just a bit but coming into this 2013-2014 season, he is poised for greatness. Just yesterday, he was named Sports Illustrated's number one fantasy football kicker and according to NFL network he is projected to nail a career high 38 field goals this season. Stephan Goskowski could easily become the Patriots key to a Super Bowl as in a season where defense will be key and touch downs might be at a premium, Goskowski's excellence will be all but mandatory in New England.

But nevertheless, looking back to the wider genera of ALL of the NFL's kickers, Gostkowski is one of them and his feeling about the position are most likely along the same lines of those of Matt Stover's back in 2006 when ESPN's Greg Garber conducted an interview with him.  

"The way I look at a kicker is that we are the sniper." Stover said  "We are the guy that sits out there in the brush for three, four days waiting for his opportunity -- to kick the field goal or take out the general or whatever it takes. He may have five seconds to pull that trigger. That's exactly the way I look at my job."

Kicking is insane. You spend hours preparing and in truth all that preparation comes down to a single kick that is in play for just over a second. Hours, weeks, and a lifetime of dreams all compacted into a mere second of action. You either make the kick or you do not. There is no room for error. 


                              

          

 Jake Feely, Adam Vinatieri, Billy Cundiff, Matt Stover: left to right, top to bottom

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