A whole new ball game- 3 stories about how the progressing nature of the NFL will be widely evident in 2013: The Go Titletown NFL Preview - 2013

The Preseason has come and gone, Aaron Hernandez has been 
arrested and the Tim Tebow saga has left New York only to be replaced by a controversy of a whole new sort. Joe Flacco remains one of the few holdovers on the Super Bowl champion Ravans while the 49ers and Seahawks have only gotten better and through all this the annual "oh the Bills will be better this year," cry has still surfaced only to be replaced by the stunning slap in the face that came as Buffalo's prime running-back: CJ Wilson went down with a knee injury.

For 5 hours we were convinced that Tom Brady had torn his ACL all before he came back in preseason game #2 and threw just one in-completion. Coaches have changed teams, players have come and gone but still the league that is the NFL continues to grow. It orchestrates 32 teams of stunning diversity and postseason probabilities all while spawning millions of dollars for countless industries outside its own. Every year these changes happen: a player suspended, a coach retires, injuries are suffered while surprise stories emerge yet still even in a pattern so firmly sustained year in and year out, we keep coming back.

So without further ado, here is your 2013 NFL preview where Go Titletown looks at the top stories, probabilities and predictions of the season that will begin in almost 1 week.

Story One: The year of the running QB (Who can throw) - Why Russel Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III will dominant as Sophomore NFL'ers

 We saw what quarterback Tim Tebow was CAPABLE of in 2011 but then we saw who he actually was in 2012 and in this 2013 preseason. Let’s face it, the NFL is not like the NCAA where the running QB will dominate. No, NFL linebackers and offensive linemen are just way to large to allow a slightly mobile guy like Tebow to rip them apart like he did in college. The style of game Tebow tried to play was a hard one and Tim just did not have the power to make it work.
But while Tim Tebow failed in forcing things to go his way, that does not mean that no one else can.

Last season the NFL was quickly overrun by a whole host of premium Tebow esque players as the trio of Russel Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III or RG3 took us all by suprise.

Wilson, a 5 foot 11, 206 pound kid out of Wisconsin was dominant right from day one, hurling 4 TD passes in his first 3 games. He was accurate with the football and would end the season with only 10 interceptions to his name...just 2 more than Tom Brady. Wilson had a year better than almost any Seattle quarterback that had come before him yet in a crown jewel to his Pro Bowl season, Wilson dominated our own New England Patriots. Call it good offence or bad defense

but whatever label you lay upon that Week 6 meeting between Seattle and New England was the moment that we all really began to understand what this kid was made of.

Wilson would be credited with 3 touchdowns in that game. He threw no interceptions and singled out a weak Patriots deep pass defense to bring Seattle to a strong record of 4-2. He threw for 293 yards in a 24-23 win.

As it stood, the fact that New England had been beaten by this tiny little rookie was hard enough. It was only made rougher when, 7 weeks later they found themselves in an almost identical situation handed to them by an almost identically talented quarterback in Colin Kaepernick.

Amidst a cold rainy December night, Kaepernick- a 25 year old Nevada native- dominated the Patriots for the majority of his offensive night. Colin hurled 4 touchdown passes to compliment a 221 yard night. Much like Wilson, Kaepernick finally proved what he was fully capable of by

dominating one of the best teams in football. So we have Kaepernick, we have Wilson but when you think about it one man in particular had a season possibly far greater than either of them. RGIII.

In an injury that made you cringe and want to go and cry in a corner, the season of poor Griffin was cut short when his knee literally quit on him. He wrenched it backwards and fell to the ground writhing in pain...but not before he put up a strong rookie of the year campaign. Griffin played 15 games in 2012 hurling 20 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. Emphasis on FIVE! Griffin chucked for 3,200 yards through the air while rushing for 815 yards on just 120 attempts.

When you look at these 3 Quarterbacks they all have one thing in common: the ability to run the football as well as throw it and with all of them fielding far more experienced passing targets this year, the 2013 prosperity of Colin Kaepernick, Russle Wilson and Robert Griffin III  is almost inevitable.

Quarterback Name	Russle Wilson	Colin Kaepernick	Robert Griffin III
TD Passes	26	10	20
Passing Yards	3,118	1,814	3,200
Rushing Yards	489	415	815

Note: Robert Griffin III played just 15 games while Kapernick played only 7 regular season games.

Story 2: When Dreams are Annually Crushed - looking into the sting of the preseason cuts

I turn to the scout and reluctantly start following him. My breath starts to shorten and my chest feels like a microwave in a washing machine, the only relief being if my heart tears out of my chest and spills on to the floor. I mean, it’s hard to control my emotions. Very hard. I notice another player in the same predicament I’m in. That player became my shield to block out everything in my mind, because in that instance my focus shifted directly towards him. He was a rookie who I had a few conversations with. We crossed paths often. I tap him on the shoulder.

“Keep your head up,’’ I said. “You will be okay.”

He gives me a nod but doesn't look me in the face. I don’t blame him. As football players we are taught at a very young age not to show pain or emotion. We are engineered not to show tears; the liquid that comes down our faces represents being less of a man. I hold back any emotion, just as my teammate walking along side of me does. We finally arrive to the main office, walking in what seemed to be slow-motion. The scout tells us to grab a seat. ~ Austin Lane: via MMQB article 

Cruel. That seems to be a word that fits many players feelings when the month of August rolls around. Cruel. 

For so many years, these now 20 year old athletes have done everything that they could. By this time of year they have logged hours in gym's chugging gallons of Gatorade and fighting the urge to vomit from overexertion all with one goal: to make the team. 

These kids are no Tom Brady's, no Rob Gronkowski or Adrian Peterson like players. These are 5th or 6th round picks like Austin Lane and Ras I Dowling of the Patriots. These are the Tim Tebows of the world fighting to fulfill their dreams or fighting the reality that they know is closing in on them. It is not easy to be cut. 

Each and every year the season rolls around. Towards the beginning of August, each of the NFL's 32 teams assembles a roster comprised of 90 players. For many of these kids, August 1st is a day on wonder and glee, they have signed an NFL contract. But nevertheless, as little as 30 days later, the memories of that happy day are gone only replaced by far harsher ones. At the beginning of camp, teams are allowed to have 90 players on their roster but over the course of mini-camp and preseason respectively, they must drop their roster down to just 53 players meaning that each year on each team, 37 players suffer similar feeling to those described by Mr. Lane.

Yet for Austin Lane and the hundreds of others that annually suffer from their same predicament, the pain doesn't end the moment they step out of the football stadium. 

“What am I going to do now?”

“I don’t even have a college degree yet.”

“What am I going to tell my family and friends?”

“Should I just go out on a bender this weekend?“

“Do I really want to be seen in public?”

“Should I just drive for a few hours away from this city?”

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye to everyone.”

“Am I ever going to play this game again?”
“I let everyone down.”

Are all questions that are asked by Lane and all questions that sting each and every man who is ever released by an NFL football team. But in the situation suffered by Austin Lane, there still was hope. 

"In a way, I thanked him." Lane said, and he had reason to. In the world of NFL cut-down day being dropped a few days earlyer than the actually deadline does still give you a chance to win a job with any of the 31 other teams who may want you. Now for Lane that did happen as he still had a week and a half to go and was eventually signed my the rebuilding Chiefs franchise. Unfortunately no matter your skill some of the NFL's coaches are not as considerate when thinking about dropping a player. For instance on Saturday August 31st, the New England Patriots dropped 11 players, the biggest name included among them being Tim Tebow. 

As it stands while Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson may be more skilled, it takes a completely different kind of skill to endure the pain of being cut. 

"I learned very early on in my career at Florida to worry about what I can control and the things that I can't control I'm not going to spend time worrying about," Tebow said Monday, "but I can control my attitude, my focus every single day and those are the things that I'm going to worry about." And that is just how you have to be. 

Note the quotes of Austin Lane were drawn from The MMQB's 

What It’s Like to Get Whacked

NFL Postseason Picks

Wild Card Week (AFC)

Texans def Bengals 

Colts def Ravens 

Wild Card Week (NFC)

Packers def Saints

Seahawks def Giants

Divisional Round (AFC)

Patriots def Ravens

Broncos def Bengals

Divisional Round (NFC)

49ers def Packers

Seahawks def Falcons

Conference Championships (AFC)                                    

Patriots def Broncos

Conference Championships (NFC)

49'ers def Seahawks

Superbowl XLVIII

Patriots def 49'ers             

Story 3: Why New England - What they will need to do to win their 4th Superbowl of the Brady era

When you look at our Patriots, one thing separates them and the 49'ers. With the roster they had last season, New England could easily down the 49'ers with their eyes closed. Yet with Welker and Hernandez gone only to be replaced by Danny Amendola and a host of rookie receivers the Patriots while better than many expected them to be, are still not the team that had them one miracle short of winning the 2011 Super Bowl. 

For almost his entire career now, Rob Gronkowski has struggled with injuries  as his back and arms don't seem to want to stay intact. As for Amendola well in his few years in the NFL almost everything has gone wrong for him. Hips, shoulders, knees, they all have given out on the poor wide out and each and every time those respective injuries have hurt his team. 

Amendola will likely be Tom Brady's top target and when you think about it, if the two's timing is knocked off by a 4 week break for Amendola, there might not be enough season left to get it back. 

But nevertheless, there is hope for New England after all...and it doesn't even start in their own locker room. The 2013 NFL in general is a weaker league than that of 2012. As said earlier, Joe Flacco remains the only major holdover from last year’s Super Bowl as deep threat Anquan Bouldin has gone to San Fransisco. Denver's offensive line has gone AWOL and no matter how good Kaepernick is he still has only started 10 games in the NFL...there is ALWAYS time to flop. 

Looking right there, that firmly lists almost all of New England threats as EQUAL opponents. So what brings the over the edge? One word: Brady. 

In a conference final game with say Denver, I would give Brady and the Pats the edge solely out of history. To win championships, a football team needs proven leaders and if I had to pick between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to lead my team to victory I would without a doubt go with Brady.


Tom has won 3 titles, Peyton has won 1. Tom Brady has gone one and done just twice in his career. Peyton as done just that 5 times . Tom Brady is a proven leader, with proven history, Peyton Manning is not a leader with a history devoid of ultimate success and well, Colin Kaepernick has no history. 

In a year where "bad” teams will likely make big splashes, we look to a guy who has always been great to deliver the Super Bowl victory. 

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Tim Tebow finally connects in preseason: How Gronkowski's injury will effect whether or not Tebow makes the team

My father and I sat sunk into our couch. 

The New York Giants were leading 20 to 10 and things were not looking good for the Patriots. Tim Tebow was QB, the Patriot needed to get out of their own territory and as crazy as it was, Tebow was not the guy who looked like he could do that. 

I sighed making jokes at Tebow's experience as he and his Patriots fell to an abysmal 3rd and 10 on their own 48 yard line. 

Tebow back to throw, receivers running down field as the Giants scrambled to cover their assignments. "Oh no, WAIT oh YES!!" 

As Tebow's pocket protection assembled firmly around him, wide receiver Quentin Sims called for the pass as he ran across the 1st down marker and deep into Giants territory. Tebow stepped back whipping his arm forward and delivering what was indisputably his best pass of the preseason. Sims leaped into the air snagging the ball between his hands and breaking free from a Giants tackler that was wrapped around his ankle. Upon dodging the safety, Sims was off to the races marching past the 20, the 10 and into the end-zone. 

Tebow pumped his fist yelling in delight as fellow QB Ryan Mallett sprinted down the sideline both hands held high in the air mouth falling open. For the first time Since January 21st 2012 Tim Tebow had THREW a touchdown pass. Tebow would add another touchdown pass before all was said and done drawing equal reactions from his teammates and fans as was prevalent with the 1st touchdown. 

"He’s my teammate. Quentin [Sims] made a great catch and then made a great run. Tim, he had the boo birds out the play before and then he comes back and throws a touchdown. It just shows what kind of player he is, his character. It was a great play and a great throw overall." Mallet said when asked about his excitement over Tebow's first TD pass.

 "There’re a lot of guys that deserve to be on this team. Everybody has been working hard." He then went on to say before once again eluding to the fact that he really was thrilled when Tebow hurled those TD passes. "We're a pretty close-knit team all the way around. That’s what makes our team great to be on, great to be a part of, is how close we are. We’re never not cheering for our teammates. That doesn't make much sense to us."

But the praise for Tim Tebow did not stop with just Ryan Malett.

“Me and Tim, we pretty much all training camp have been working together." Quinten Sims said after already speaking of the technicalities of both his hook ups with Tim Tebow.  "I’ve made plays for him and he makes good throws for me, so we got good chemistry and he knows to look for me.” 

There is no doubt about it, Tim Tebow is a man whom his teammates love. He is a team player and from what we have read from the press conferences and quotes of Tebow he never takes anything for granted, is always looking to get better all while never pinning HIS  mistakes on any of his teammates. When he was in Denver running the ball and winning games while it was fun to make fun of him, he was also fun to root for. So as it stands that intangible fact of Tebow's game may be one of his biggest tools that may be used in surviving the brutal roster cuts set to commence on Saturday.

“Anyone who’s met him, he’s a very special young man. I’m rooting for him big-time. He’s been a real joy to have around here. I see why he has such a strong national following. He’s just a great, great young man, We’re also privileged to have Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett. I like our position. If you look around the league . . . I just give thanks for the position we’re in.”  Bob Kraft said a few weeks ago when asked about Tim Tebow. 

OK, so we know this now, and it was proven once again last night. Bob Kraft roots for Tebow, and the entire Patriots roster roots for Tebow but from what we have learned over the past few years, Bill Belichick will firmly make the decision that he believes will better his football team not his locker room. He will not play favorites.  

So what does Tim Tebow have working for him?

NFL Network columnist: Bert Breer came on 98.5 The Sports Hub to explain his thoughts on the Tebow situation. 

"Im still on the fence. If I look at it logically I know they're gonna keep Gronk on the 53. They already have a quarterback in Ryan Mallett so there's another roster spot taken away from Tebow. It's a number's game with Tebow and I think that's gonna kill him." He said. 

Breer has a point. With Rob Gronkowski currently rehabbing from an off-season back surgery, the Patriots must have their roster cut down from 75 to 53 by late Saturday afternoon. Now with Gronkowski they have two options. As it stands New England's Pro Bowl tight end could be back as early as week 4  or possibly week 6. By putting Gronk on the 53 man roster the Patriots would be allowed to carry him and play in whenever they feel ready. But there is a problem there. Putting Gronkowski on the 53 man roster would mean that until he was healthy they would in essence have one 52 players that could actually PLAY in a game. So with that in mind, the other option comes into play. The Patriots could put Gronk on a list named the PUP list or the Physically Unable to Play list. This would allow them to not count Gronkowski against their 53 man roster but it would also come with a price. 

While listed on the PUP list, Gronkowki would not be ALLOWED to play until week 7. This would keep him out of 7 games against the Bill, Jets, Bucks, Falcons, Bengals, and Saints . Meaning that even if he was able to play by week 4 against the Falcons (a game the Patriots could use him in) he would not be able to play for 3 more weeks until the week after their week six meeting with the Saints. 

When looking at these two options both have their perks but as it stands the Patriots seem to be leaning towards not putting Gronk on the PUP list. This means that regardless of Tebow's 91 yards passing day he might still not make the team. 

But if you are a Tebow fan you still can hope. 

“I’m just taking it one day at a time and be able to enjoy playing this game tonight and come in here ready to work out tomorrow.” Tebow said after last night's game

                                                             

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Aaron Hernandez: Superstar to Inmate - an interpretation of Rolling Stone's recent article: Gangster in the Huddle

"U saw who I’m with... Nfl... just so u know" a 27 year old semi pro football player said late onthe night of June 16th. Just a few hours later, the man who sent that message lay dead, 5 bullets firmly lodged throughout his body and blood pooling outside his 5 foot 11 inch frame. 

Less than a mile away, a football player by the name of Aaron Hernandez strutted into his sleeping home with two men at his side...Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz. They all had guns in their hands. 

Over the next few weeks, the man who had been shot's name was released. He was Odin Lloyd, dating partner of the sister of Aaron Hernandez's fiancé. He had been friends with Hernandez prior to his death but as was revealed in a court reading, their relationship quickly fell apart, culminating in that moment in an industrial park when Lloyd was ordered to get on his knees and put his hands behind his head causing a fight that ended with Hernandez shooting him execution style.  

Over the next few weeks everything about what happened leading up to when Aaron Hernandez changed his legacy from one of luster and glory to one of a murderer was closely speculated and profiled both falsely and correctly. He was reviled to be a marijuana addict, a gangster, a hot head and above all, a gun toting, trigger happy phsycopath. He was speculated to have shot a Miami man in the face but that was not confirmed. 

He was linked to a Boston double murder in 2011 and also charged with the assault of a bartender in 2007. That fight was broken up by guess who, Tim Tebow. 

But after almost a month of turmoil all the chaos seemed to die down. Hernandez was in jail, he sent a letter out but that was nothing new. "I'm innocent," he said, no one agreed with him. The illegal gun possession was confirmed time and time again but by the time we reached this month of August the 2013 preseason was upon us and with Hernandez behind bars, his name was all but forgotten…until now. 

Early this morning, PAUL SOLOTAROFF AND RON BORGES released a mega 7,000 word, 15 page article revealing in depth details that chilled you to the bone and succeeded at making our jaws drop at information we already had been informed of. 

It began with one of the strongest accounts of the moment that sparked the murder of a man who had previously given a glowing review of Hernandez to his sister. 

“S**t was crazy,” Lloyd had said also eluding to him and Hernandez' "Smoking that super-duper". 

Long story short Hernandez and Lloyd were clubbing partners riding into Boston every night for one sleepless weekend. But on Sunday night/Monday morning, their interactions would transform from ones of camaraderie and minor substance abuse to ones of anger and violence. According to one of Lloyd's associates, he and Hernandez had been in the top floor of a top Boston club. Lloyd had seen a pair of family members from his perch on a balcony and gone downstairs to see them. Somehow, Hernandez overheard the conversation below. 

After hugging and trading pleasantries, one of the men, a tall man with dreadlocks began to point at Hernandez. 

“I don’t like that n*****, he’s one of them funny people,” The man said. Lloyd tried to defend Hernandez. “You’re gonna start some s**t ’tween me and him.” He said. 

Lloyd treasured his relationship with the celebrity that now watched him from above but like he eluded to when worrying about his cousins comments directed at Hernandez, the very second he returned to his table with Hernandez, an altercation began. Hernandez shoved Lloyd to the ground swearing at him with insane rage.

The entire situation was caught by security cameras. 

They soon left the club and Hernandez texted 2 Connecticut associates who were later revealed to be men named George Wallace and Carlos Ortiz. “You can’t trust anyone anymore!” he said commanding that they drive to Boston. Once they arrived, he rented a Nissan Altima, handgun in hand and thugs by his side. They drove to Lloyd's house which was located in a gang torn section of Dorchester that Hernandez was not new to. 

They picked Lloyd up but he soon recognized that Hernandez was not ready to party, no, he was ready to kill him. He fought back as Hernandez and Wallace attempted to force him to the ground. He ripped a mirror off the Altima and raised his arms as the first shots rained down on him. But nevertheless, his life would not progress past 3:30 AM that Monday morning as police found his riddled body several hours later. 

But there is more to the world of crime and abuse that will likely go down as the few years of mistakes that ended Hernandez' life as a free man. 

We all know he grew up in a broken home. Hernandez's father was violent and raised Hernandez to follow in his footsteps. They all played football and it is highly speculated that drugs were constantly prevalent in their Bristol home. He had no friends, no he had victims of his bullying, people feared him, they did not like him. But still, Aaron's father: Dennis Hernandez was his role model...for better or worse. 

“He was the perfect dad: He went to every scrimmage, and got ’em up at dawn to work out," one of Hernandez' high-school opponents: Brandon Beam said. 

He raised his kids to build muscle. They had a bench press in his basement and Hernandez was pretty much a body builder by age 12. He played running back but did not preform ankle breaking jukes like most pro rushers. "He preferred to run through people rather than go around then," the Rolling Stone article read. 

“They were the roughest kids by far in Guinea Alley,” says Eddy Fortier, who went to Bristol Central with them in the Seventies and is a former youth counselor. “They had to be tough – they were about the only Puerto Ricans in an Irish-Italian town,” says Fortier’s brother, Gary.  

They had to be tough...tough. That was all that Hernandez had, his strength and his father. But even that was eventually stolen from him as before Hernandez was even out of high-school, his father died of a lethal infection sustained at a hospital. 

The future NFL'er was in trouble. He quickly became associated with high school gangs but according to Beam, had the maturity of a middle school-er. “The guy would do anything to crack us up,” he said. 

But like was said before, when Dennis Hernandez died, everything changed. His humor vanished, his innocence was lost and he turned to the dark side if you will. “He’d open up the tiniest bit, then say nothing for weeks, like it was a sign of weakness to be sad,” says Beam. “His brother was at college, and the only other person he would really talk to was the one who was taken away.” 

So with no friends, no people that could save him, his 360 degree turn to evil was rapidly coming to a climax. Hernandez enrolled in the University of Florida, continued his gang associations, and developed a barrage of anger issues.  He smoked pot, fought bartenders, and was benched in game one of the 2007 NCAA season. But mighty Urban Myer came in and saved his tight end the embarrassment that would accompany his labeling of the benching a suspension. 

"He's just not ready to play." Myer said

But that was obviously not the case. He failed countless additional drug tests and according to Rolling Stone should have faced suspensions as massive as season long bans but as it stood, "he did not miss a single snap." 

He would hang out with Ernest Wallace and supposedly Wallace was the Senator Palpatine that assisted in finally pulling Hernandez over the line.

“I never saw him with them, but misery attracts misery: There’s vultures waiting to swoop,” says Coach Hevesy, who attempted to act as a father to Hernandez “He played video games with my son, and my daughter wore his jersey to sleep. But whenever he left campus, he’d come back different. That’s when the problems happened.”

Midway through his joiner year in Florida, Hernandez and two fellow footballers known to the world as "The Poncey Twins" were linked to a drive by murder outside a Miami bar. 

“He was out with the Pounceys and [ex-Gator safety] Reggie Nelson, and some guys tried to snatch a chain off one of the Pounceys,” says a local Gators reporter. “The guys drive off, then stop at a light, and someone gets out of a car and shoots into their car through the passenger window. One victim described the shooter as possibly Hispanic or Hawaiian, with lots of tattoos on his arms.”

Hernandez' fits the description. His arms are almost completely covered in tattoos as several signs possibly labeled as gang depictions  are largely concealed on his knuckles and forearms. He fits the description but after that specific incident he was not even questioned by police...so the problems continued. 

But nevertheless, all problems aside, Hernandez was a very good college player. In 2009, he led the team in catches with 68 and eventually complied 12 touchdown receptions in his 3 years of NCAA action. It was because of this that Hernandez felt pressured to help his image and attempted to earn himself a higher position on teams draft boards. 

He sent a letter to every NFL team. 

“My coaches have told you that nobody worked harder than me,” he wrote. “The only X-factor is concerns about my use of recreational drugs. To address that, I am putting my money where my mouth is [if you sign me I will accept a contract that would allow you to drop me without pay if I ever used]”

Well that never happened.

For a long time, it seemed that Hernandez' pleas would be for not as after the first 3 rounds had been completed he was still left underrated. But Bill Belicheck would finally fulfill Aaron's dreams.

The Patriots needed a top receiver. They had recently added Wes Welker but had long ago lost Troy Brown and Randy Moss. Hernandez seemed to be the best guy to fill the job and almost immediately he proved just that. He caught 6 touchdowns in his first year but  soon tag teamed with fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski in 2011 to blow away any and all marks for tight end play. This was all en-route to earning himself a 40 million dollar contract long before his rookie deal expired. 

At that time, Hernandez insisted that the “Patriot way” had changed him and he was “a new man.” He knew how to push the buttons of owner Bob Kraft.

But nevertheless, with so much big money now credited to his name Hernandez seemed to lose the will to be a good little boy and soon returned to his gang associated ways. He began to miss practices, and forgo rehab assignments angering his coach Bill Belichick and in Bill's words coming "one misstep away from being dropped."  

He would conceal his drug use, alienating himself from his teammates and making them feel as if they did not know who he was. He began to take a highly addictive and body wrecking drug named PCP or more informally referred to as simply Angel Dust. He would get high after games smoking constantly on his car rides home from games. But nobody knew about any of it. Well that is, nobody that could either punish him, help him or at least get him to focus not on football but on his problems. 

About 1 year before the murder of Lloyd, Hernandez and a "cohort of thugs" as they were labeled by Rolling Stone became engaged in a bar fight with members of a group that Hernandez did not harbor fond feelings for. It is suspected that two murders were committed by someone involved in the fight although it is suspected that Hernandez was not the trigger man in these crimes. 

But nevertheless, an old Toyota 4Runner was seen speeding off away from the club following the murders. The driver was not identified as the car soon vanished only to be found, caked in dust in a garage owned by Hernandez' uncle. 

Meanwhile, the Patriots had just lost the AFC championship game and he was right in the time of this life when he allegedly shot a man named Avery Bradly in the face before dumping him in an abandoned ally-way. As all this happened, Hernandez suddenly began to fear for his life as he suspected that the very gangsters he had assembled around him "were trying to kill him". For this reason he illegally carried a gun where ever he went. 

He added 12 security cameras in his home and stashed an assault rifle in his gym bag as he feared retribution for leaving his gang behind. 

But the guns were not where the panic ended. According to Carlos Ortiz, Hernandez rented an undisclosed condo 12 miles away from his multi-million dollar mansion. Ortiz refereed to the condo as a "flop house." 

Much like he did before the draft, Hernandez may have been TRYING to clean himself up, but with his name so deeply wound into the gang world that was no simple task meaning that when Lloyd's cousins began racially insulting Hernandez, he quickly reverted to his old ways.

He has wormed his way out of so much, but after what has come out through the court investigations, the various reports and most recently this mega description by Rolling Stone, the hole he has now dug himself might now seem just a little too deep for this master of deception to climb out of. 

For all his life, Aaron Hernandez was the star, the big buff unstoppable football player who broke records and broke bones. But with 5 brutal gunshots he revealed to the world that those days of success were all a lie. With 5 brutal gunshots, Aaron Hernandez' luck ran out and as police officers came to his doorstep, the Patriot tight end quickly went from superstar to inmate. 

To read the Rolling Stone article click here

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New England running backs stand tall in preseason opener: Patriots beat Eagles 31-22...recap and statistics

Note: to see player by player statistics and notes, scroll to the bottom of this post

Alright, it’s the preseason and frankly, nothing matters.  But nevertheless, that sense of meaning still had a weak presence in last night's dominant win over Philadelphia. 

For guys like Tim Tebow (yeah Tebow) and LeGarret Blount, odds are they won’t be seeing any pro snaps come September. But nevertheless they were here and fighting for their preseason lives....long story short, it was a fun game.  

After winning the coin toss, the Patriots started the game at their own 20 yard line following a decent touch back kick by the Eagles special teams unit. Almost immediately the starters picked up where they left off last season as star Patriot: Stephan Ridley snagged his first touch after leaving the AFC championship with a concussion back in January. But even for Ridley, what he did next all with the ball in his hands was still eye opening. On literally the first play, Ridley went straight up the middle of the Eagles defense running step for step for nearly 62 yards before he was tackled. Just a few plays later, he capped off the drive via an easy 1 yard touchdown run to put New England up 7-0 after the Gostkowski extra point. 

But for the Patriots, Ridley was not the only star facet of the running game that dominated last night. Fact is, for almost every second of the game the trio of Stephan Ridley, Shane Vereen, and a newcomer: LeGarret Blount dominated combining for a total of 4 touchdowns and close to 200 yards.  

Blount in particular smacked up an artistic 51 yard touchdown run dodging and weaving out of nearly the entire Eagles defense. He finished the night as New England's leading rusher with 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

"It's critical to run the ball" QB Tom Brady said "and they know you're going to run it. We had big runs, we had short yardage runs where we needed to get the ball, we ran in on the goal line so I mean that establishes the identity of the team how well you run, how well you stop the run and all those guys did a great job, they are big strong powerful runners that want the ball in their hands and when they get in the rhythm, they make a bunch of plays and Stephan Ridley has done it since he got here.. Shane (Vereen) is doing it. Brandon (Bolden) made some runs." 

Brady then elaborated speaking specifically about his 13 yard touchdown pass to Vereen.

"I was trying to figure out what to do, I saw what we wanted. I was looking and trying to figure out well what's the best thing to do because I knew the coverage and then Shane (Vereen) and I had a little connection and it was good. It was a great catch, I mean to get his feet down, a tight area, Shane (Vereen) has been doing that but I mean he's really come on. He's really continued to improve so it was great to see him make that play."

But still there was even more to look at last night than simply the offensive ground game.

After he was signed by New England back on June 11th, there were some slight inclinings that Tim Tebow might possibly threaten to oust Ryan Mallet as the Patriots back up. Well, after both Mallet AND Tebow saw playing time last night...I will let you decide who deserves the 2 spot in the QB depth chart. 

Amidst his near 2 quarters of play, Tebow could not seem to get the ball out of his hands as he managed just 4 completions on 12 attempts while running for 35 yards on 4 carries. Now frankly, Mallet was not much better but seeing as over the past few years HE has been the backup, odds are that we are not in for much controversy this year. 

"It's all about the same for everyone," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said when asked about Tebow. "It was good, it was far from perfect. We all made mistakes out there and there are plenty of things to work on for all of us. Not singling anyone out. We haven't played a game in six months, so we saw decent things, but also things we need to work on."

New England won 31-22 last night and while this only was a single preseason game, the sights and bright spots delivered by the starters in this game begin to remind you that even without Hernandez or Welker this ensuing season still has the possibility of becoming a great one.

Player by player notes

Tom Brady finished the night 7 for 8 with 65 yards and 1 touchdown pass on 2 drives.

LeGarret Blount racked up 101 yards with 2 touchdown runs and 11 carries. 

Stephan Ridley hit up 92 yards and scored a touchdown 

Tim Tebow went 4 for 12 with no touchdowns and 35 yards rushing. Tebow was sacked once.

Ryan Mallet played less than 1 quarter, missing a wide open shot at touchdown pass to Vereen. He left the game with a head injury after he was sacked late in the 2nd quarter of the game. 

Stephan Gostkowski kicked at 33% with 1 field goal and 2 misses  

New England Defense allowed 3 touchdowns one of which was followed up with a 2 point conversion

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