An early look at Patriots vs. Bills: Do not overlook Buffalo

The Buffalo Bills have not won more than 6 games since 2008. They will be looking to end that trend Sunday vs the Patriots and while many member of the Patriot following may laugh at the prospect of the Bills defeating their team, I caution you, the Bills are a much better team than you think.  

Looking back at what happened in Week One, the Patriots narrowly escaped Buffalo victorious, winners of a last second 23-21 decision on a Stephan Gostkowski field goal. Looking back that was a real story-line game for both teams involved. The Patriots had lost their identity during the off-season watching Aaron Hernandez fall into fugitive status and Wes Welker fall into a Broncos jersey all while Rob Gronkowski continuously remained off the field as a result of off-season surgery. They needed a statement win to prove to their fans that the dynasty of the early 2000's had not completely burnt out. 

The aura around the Bills need for a win was very different. Having not won a playoff game since 1995, their fans had fairly become impatient and were clamoring for success. The Bills had dumped their longtime interception prone QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick during the off-season while drafting 23 year old EJ Manuel as his replacement. If the Bills were going to at least make a run at the very least a 8 or 9 win season, a victory over the dominant Patriots would be a great place to start. 

As much as the experts predicted a landslide victory for New England, Tom Brady who despite throwing 2 touchdowns in the first half finished the 3rd quarter and went into the 4th looking to the scoreboard and undoubtedly recognized the rarity of the 18-17 Buffalo lead. 

As we all know, New England would eventually erase that 1 point deficit to win the game but nevertheless, the Bills took it down to the wire giving the Patriots a run for their money and while 16 weeks later they still sit last in the AFC East, they have only gotten better. 

Patriots coach, Bill Belichick seems most worried about the Bills resiliency more than anything else. “[They] lost to us on the last play (23-21), lost to the Jets on the last possession (27-20), and won three games in the division,” Belichick said on Tuesday, before the team’s practice. “I’m really impressed with the way they’ve been playing, obviously the way they played last week against Miami.” 

Last week, in Miami, a Bills team that had since been eliminated from playoff contention effectively knocked Miami out of the playoffs via a dominant 19-0 win in which the Bills line-backing core was dominant at downing Ryan Tannahill and forcing quick throws, the majority of which went for blatant in-completions. If such a trend continues, this Patriots offensive line that has had trouble keeping Tom Brady upright at several points in the season may be in trouble. 

As for the Patriots defense as it pairs up against the Bills offence, in the case that EJ Manuel makes his first start since a knee injury back in Week 10, the long ball play that has ripped the Patriots apart all season will at least be a diminished threat as Manuel's longest completion of the season went for just 45 yards. Belichick however was not taking any chances Tuesday at practice. 

"We’ve certainly put a lot of time and work into it," Belichick said. "It could definitely be better, but it hasn’t been anywhere close to the issue it was last year, thank God."

"Obviously the players are doing a good job, but we’ve spent a lot of time on the deep part of the field because it’s so critical. Hopefully we can continue to play fairly well back there, because it’s just so important. When it all happens in one play, there’s nothing else you can do, there’s no chance of stopping them in the red area. It also takes a lot of other people out of the game, too, there’s nothing a nose guard can do about a go pattern, [or] an inside linebacker, those plays are so far behind them, it kind of takes them out of the game." 

For those who doubt the Bills, you are uninformed. The Buffalo Bills are better than they seem and if the Patriots do not recognize that, they will loose. 

Read More

July 4th, 2013: They day Reilly Smith just fell into the Bruins lap

He is the leading scorer of the Boston Bruins, he has since become the Bruins top finisher on the power play and 2 and a half months ago, he was completely unknown.

Like many other Canadian boys, Reilly Smith was raised in a hockey rink skating with pewee, bantam and junior teams for the first 18 years of his life. He was however, shot down as he looked to bust into the world of big time amateur hockey thus spending 3 years in minor Toronto based leagues before making a far from illustrious jump to the roster of the Miami RedHawks based in Oxford Ohio. 

College hockey has always been a strange venture for Canadian hockey players as given their culture the stranded blueprint for how to excel in the nations favorite sport often necessitates a 4-5 year stint in the OHL or CHL followed by a selection in the draft and an infusion into an NHL team’s system. In the minds of many, collegiate hockey seems like career killer. Smith however thought otherwise. 

“I really enjoyed the whole college lifestyle – it’s more laid back. Being able to get an education while playing hockey is pretty cool." Smith said to a Dallas Stars reporter back in March of 2012. He played better than he had ever played in his life with the RedHawks scoring 68 times in 121 games with the club. It was that sudden ability to put the puck in the back of the net that attracted the attention of a Dallas Stars team that in 2010-2011 scored the 4th fewest goals in the NHL and was in desperate need of a potent goal scorer. 

Smith was drafted 69th overall in 2009 and made his NHL debut during the 2011-2012 season. It was not much but it certainly was a start.

 “It’s an absolute dream come true. I’ve put in a lot of work to get up to this level, so right now I am just trying to act like a sponge and take everything in. I’m just here to have fun and contribute.” Smith said during that same online interview with the Stars. Furthermore, he recognized the differences between college and the NHL knowing that his 185 pound frame could lead a decreasing of his scoring output. "The speed of the game will be a challenge. It’s obviously going to be a lot faster and a lot more physical. When you are playing with guys that almost 20 years older than you, there’s going to be a period of adjustment. There will be a mental side to it as well, but I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
 

Smith would be demoted within weeks of his debut in 2011 but he had since gotten a taste of NHL action that he desperately wanted to turn into a feast.  

Sadly, that opportunity to do so seemed like it might never come as the irregularities in his game made the Stars skeptical of his abilities as a starter. In his only major stint in Dallas, Smith scored just 3 times in 37 games. However, as a situation in Boston rapidly developed that lack of a future was reversed. 

Smith with the Stars

As his 3rd season since being drafted 2nd overall by the Bruins came to a close, Bruin winger Tyler Seguin began to fall under question. There was a suspicion that the star was immature and reports came out detailing situations where the Bruins origination had to station guards outside of Seguin's room during their 1st round series with the Leafs in an effort to keep him from partying late at night. Furthermore, Seguin's lack of professional respect was shown by a team source writing that Seguin had shown up to team meetings on 3 straight days wearing the same dirty t-shirt as the day before. Even during games, roomers of Seguin's immature qualities ran rampant as during that miracle Game Seven comeback against the Leafs he was said to have ignored the orders of his coach and jumped on the ice prior to Bergeron's OT, Game Seven winner.  

Management conducted a 'sit down' with their star forward and from there it was clear that his days in Boston were numbered. 

"I definitely heard the rumors," Seguin said during a conference call. "When the trade was announced, I don't know if I was surprised. As far as the professional comments, I talked with Peter about it right after the trade happened. I come to the rink every day and act professional and work my hardest. My first three years so far have been a big learning curve and I look forward to getting better every day and I'm more motivated coming to a great city like Dallas." 

Tyler Seguin was never fit for Boston and for that reason he was traded to the Dallas Stars on July 4th 2013.  

As first reported by ESPN Boston's  Craig Custance "The Bruins sent forward Tyler Seguin, center Rich Peverley and defenseman Ryan Button to the Stars for forward Loui Eriksson and prospects Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser and Joe Morrow.”

You notice that the topic of this article was listed as 'prospect' in that sentence on ESPN meaning that for Bruins fans, the only name they really cared about was that of Loui Eriksson. Eriksson had scored 150 goals in 7 seasons with the Stars and had scored 25+ goals in 4 of those 7 seasons. 

"Loui's a big, strong skating, left-shot right wing," Chiarelli told the Bruins' official website following the trade. "He can play both sides, but he would be playing right wing for us. He's had four [straight] seasons of 25-plus goals. We got a real good two-way player. It's been well-documented; we've got to rebuild our right side so he's the first piece. We are going to have a couple younger guys challenging him. We may go out and get another guy, too."  

There was excitement regarding Eriksson but as the season progressed the Bruins soon realized that they would have to look beyond the poster boy of the Boston half of the trade in order to find a positive in it. 

As Eriksson struggled to find the net and he fell victim to a duo of brutal concussions, his former Stars teammate, Smith began his accent to greatness growing his following as well as his goal tally.

Now while it is difficult to pinpoint the point during the season in which Smith officially clicked it seems like the Bruins 3-2 shootout loss to the Stars would be a fair candidate for such a distinction. Prior to that, Smith's 14th game as a Bruin, he had scored just 1 goal while assisting on 5 others while in the 14 games following it, Smith caught fire tallying 3 goals and 5 additional assists. He was beginning to shine and yet it was this December string of excellence that finally made us realize that the biggest benefit the Bruins got out of the Seguin trade was not Eriksson.  

"Just look at the stats," Claude Jullian said acknowledging Smith's unsuspected importance to the team. "He's been a real good player for us. He's a young player that's probably not been overlooked but kind of been in the shadow for a long time and he's emerged with us here. He's played a big role for us. He's a real smart player. He's creative, has good hockey sense and makes good plays. We're really happy. We talk about getting Loui Eriksson in that trade, but I think [Smith's] another key asset in that trade, as well."

"We always seem to overlook his age and he's a young player," he later said. "And the way I think he's handled himself in pressure situations, handling the puck a little bit better and holding onto it. And at the same time, I thought tonight he shot the puck a little bit more; he had a little bit better of a nose for the net and before, [he was] looking to make plays versus shooting the puck. So he's really turned a corner and is really coming along well for a young player." 

To this point in the season, Smith has scored 12 goals and is tied with Milan Lucic for the team lead. However one of the biggest weapons he has provided the Bruins with has been his power play capabilities. On 4 different occasions this season, Smith has scored on the power play as in situations like that he utilizes a quick release wrist shot to beat goaltenders. However the 8 goals he has scored during 5 on 5 play this season have come as a result of more than quick reflexes. 

"That's a high-pressured situation as a forward and he looks great back there," first line winger, Jarome Iginla said of the man he spends a lot of time watching from the bench"Then 5-on-5, him, [Chris Kelly] and [Carl Soderberg], they seem to be getting better and reading off each other. [Smith's] one-on-one skills, he seems to beat one guy a night going down the wing. … It's great, another young guy who is in high-pressured situations, but he's enjoying it and thriving in it. He looks very confident there." 

Smith has an uncanny ability to shove pucks in-between the skates of opposing defenders as the hand eye coordination he exhibits by making some of the NHL's best defenders look foolish is a kind that in most cases takes years to develop. Furthermore, once he beats a defender, Smith who, as mentioned before weighs just 185 pounds has shown on multiple occasions his ability to brace against opponents and simply power his way into a shooting position. As recently as December 14th, Smith simply held the puck with 1 hand on the stick and released a goal scoring shot right as he barreled into Vancouver goaltender, Roberto Luango. 

Reilly Smith was all but invisible in the Western Conference and yet as we revel in the glory of his current goal scoring ability it still seems ridiculous that prior to the season there was no hint of how great this kid really is. Reilly Smith is no longer a prospect and on this day in December, he is an All Star that no one and I mean no one saw coming. 

“This is the first time he’s gotten a good shot at playing at this level and making sure he has the opportunity to play in the areas we feel he can excel in,” said Claude Julien. “He’s done a great job."

Read More

Adam McQuaid to return in time for game vs. Nashville: Veteran presence will be a breath of fresh air for the Bruins

Having not played since November 30th, 6 foot 5, 209 pound Adam McQuaid will make his return to the Bruins lineup Monday vs. the Nashville Predators. As was said earlier, McQuaid has now spent 24 days on IR following a freak lower body injury suffered when he randomly fell down during a late November game against the Blue Jackets and was unable to skate back to his bench. 

"It was the first time in my career that I had to face something like this and kinda confusing where I was not sure when to come back. But I'm medically cleared now so I'm good to go." McQuaid said on a NESN interview prior to the game. He has definitely been taking his time coming back however as the ease at which November 24th re-injury occurred undoubtedly unnerved the Bruins front office. As recently as Saturday, McQuaid's coaches were rumored to not be planning to allow him to return to action until after this week's 3 day Christmas break. 

McQuaid however wanted desperately to get back as soon as possible. 

“I hope that’s not the case,” he said. “I want to be back playing as soon as I can. I definitely don’t want to be going through that cycle of coming back a little bit too soon (and getting hurt again). But when I’m ready, I’ll be ready. Hopefully that’s sooner rather than later.” 

McQuaid wanted so desperately to return to action as we have been shown of late how much the Bruins recognize the teams need for players to grit their teeth and endure minor pains that in some cases would have them sitting out. As recently as Saturday Brad Marchand played like a robot as in the words of Jack Edwards "he just goes back into the locker room and swaps out a limb." But there is more to the McQuaid story than just the benefits of having another body on the bench. 

In a string where (far from coincidentally) even Patrice Bergeron has been fighting, an Adam McQuaid who has had 25  fights during his 4 seasons as a starter will be a welcome boost in the Bruins signature physical style of play.  

Read More

NHL Power Rankings: Ducks dominate while Bruins loss to Sabers drops ranking

1) Anaheim Ducks



Riding the boost of Kyle Palmieri's OT winner over the Devils and Ryan Getzlaf's hat trick towards the end of this week, the Anaheim Ducks have won 8 straight games and vaulting themselves to the top spot in the league. During this 8 game stretch, the Ducks have scored 31 times with three single games in which they have let the lamp 5 times. Their goaltender has not been stellar but that is not important as even while allowing on average 2.11 goals per game this month they have a December goals differential of +12.

2) Chicago Blackhawks



With the NHL's Stadium Series looming, the Chicago Blackhawks have stood tall this week going 2-0-1 with 8 goals scored against 3 different teams all known for their defense. The Blackhawks lead the NHL in goal scoreing this season and yet it seems that the only reason they are loosing games is because of a nagging lower body injury that is keeping their uncontested starting goaltender Corey Crawford out of the lineup. But even that is rendered mute by the near comparable work of Antii Ranta who has started 6 consecutive games for Chicago and has since posted a 2.26 GAA. Good teams find ways to win no matter the circumstances and like many teams this time of year they are sure being tested by injuries up and down their lineup.

3) Pittsburgh Penguins



While the Ducks lead the league with the longest active win streak in the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins are right behind them having won 7 straight games. Evgeni Malkin has returned to his dominant scoreing self while Sidney Crosby has made it past the quarter pole of the season completely uninjured. He scored his 20th goal of the season this week to compliment a performance of scoreing 7 points in the 4 games the Penguins played this week. Furthermore, this recent string of dominance has vaulted the Penguins to 1st in the Eastern Conference.

4)  LA Kings

The Kings have fallen back to earth following a string of 6 straight wins that was snapped during the week. However they have bounced back with 3 straight wins against the Oilers, Sharks and Avalanche respectively outscoring their last 3 opponents 10-3.

5) Boston Bruins

Frankly, it is amazing how the Bruins have coped with the loss of stars like Chris Kelly and Shawn Thornton as well as a good portion of their defensive core. They have asked a whole host of players to step up and they have done just that keeping the Bruins in first place in the Atlantic Division as they roll through a stretch of relatively weak opponents

Read More

Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabers recap: Bergeron drops gloves, Smith scores twice in 4-1 Bruins win

 There were two things that came out of yesterday's 4-1 win over Buffalo. One: Riley Smith played one of his best games as a Bruin, scoring twice to boost his season goals total of 11 and two: the Bruins refused to be beaten at their own game, standing up for themselves even in the absence of their enforcer, Shawn Thornton. 

This second leg of the Bruin's first home and home series of the season will undoubtedly be remembered for that willingness to stand up for one’s self and more particularly, Patrice Bergeron's willingness to stand up for himself. Nearly 3 quarters of the way through the second period of Saturday night's game, Patrice Bergeron found himself mucking around with Sabers giant, Tyler Myers as the two slid locked up with one another towards Sabers goaltender, Ryan Miller. As they came to a halt a few feet to the left of Miller, Myers made an attempt to hinder Bergeron's movement into a shooting position by attempting to lock his body and stick against Bergeron's lower body. However where he intended to or not, Myers made this play while he had his stick stuck between Bergeron's skates. As he spun around to block Bergeron, the stick rode up slashing Bergeron in a part of his body that caused a sort of pain that any male can undoubtedly associate with. 

Fairly upset, Bergeron immediately gave up on the play that was rapidly moving down the ice electing to instead have some words and a few viscous shoves with the man who had caused him to sing soprano. They made it out to about the tops of the circles before Bergeron turned and slammed his fist into Myers' upper chest. From there, no matter how gentlemanly the prelude was, the gloves came off and it was time to fight.

"He asked if I wanted to do it and I was fine with it," Bergeron said. "I asked him, also." 

Now while that kind of speech sounds more like the kind you would use to ask someone to go to prom with you, you have to hand it to Bergeron going up against a man who outweighs him by 30 pounds and towers nearly 4 inches taller than he. 

Bergeron eluded to that fact after the game admitting that he did not necessarily realize how much bigger Myers truly is. 

"Obviously you don't think about that when you're on the ice and you're fired up," Bergeron said. "You're not happy with what just happened. I kind of realized pretty quickly, he's pretty tall. Tough to get a pretty good reach."

This fighting major was Bergeron's 3rd in his 10 year career but actually the 1st ever assessed to him during a regular season game. 

"Well, he has to stand up for himself," Claude Jullian said and in this case he did more than that. His fight ignited something within the Bruins that allowed them to pull away from a never to be underestimated Sabers team.  

To the point in the game where Bergeron and Myers dropped the gloves, the Bruins offence had already combined to produce two artful goals one of which coming via slick work in the middle of the ice by Patrice Bergeron and Ryan Spooner that gave winger, Carl Soderberg the opportunity to dish the puck off to Riley Smith who was there to smack the puck into the back of the net. However, the Sabers did manage to come back late in the 1st tying the game with 1:06 to go in the 1st period off of a fake along the goal-line that drew Tuukka Rask of his post and allowed the weak shot to trickle in. 

The Bergeron right came mere minutes after the Bruins took back the lead and while it further energized the team, David Krejci's goal scored with 18:20 to go in the 2nd period, was the one that took the lead for good. The goal was Krejci's 7th of the year. 

Milan Lucic added a goal later in the 3rd while Smith pounded in an empty netter as well, sealing the win for Boston and handing him his 2nd 2 goal game of his career. This game only proved Smith's value to the team while also showing how he not Loui Eriksson might be the best thing that has come out of July's blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin in Dallas. 

"He's been great for us all year," Bergeron said when asked about the value of Smith. "He's a young guy I didn't know much about obviously for playing out west. I'm really impressed with the way he's carried himself all year and the way he also improved from training camp to the start of the year to now. He keeps taking steps forward and I think it's just great to see." 

As was clear going into Saturday night, the Bruins who had been blown out twice in under a month needed not only a win against Buffalo but also that kind of win that asserts you as a great team in this league. They needed to beat the Sabers up and between the Bergeron fight, Riley Smith's scoring clinic and Johnny Boychuck's quietly laying down a few monster body checks, this game fit the credentials of the order perfectly. 

Read More

New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens preview: New England could clench AFC East crown with win

New England Patriots (10-4-0) at Baltimore Ravens (8-6-0)
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

December 22nd, 2013, 4:25PM

It cannot be stressed enough, the magnitude of this game for both New England and the Baltimore Ravens. 

The mission is simple, win the game and you’re in, winners of the AFC East and a team with the opportunity to hold onto a first round bye if they manage a win in their final game of the season. However, if they lose this pivotal game, things will get hairy. 2 weeks ago the Patriots pulled out that magical last second comeback culminating in Stephan Goskowski's onside kick and the ensuing Danny Ammendola touchdown and yet the most lasting impact that game had on the Patriots was not improvement in the standings but instead the loss of Rob Gronkowski to a brutal mangling of his left knee. 

In his absence the Patriot's whose previously unstoppable (but now equally injury riddled) defense won them games during Rob Gronkowski's 1st stint on the inactive list this season has faltered meaning that when New England took the trip down to Miami last week, that brutal combination turned out a rather disappointing 20-24 loss. 7 days after that defeat the Patriots will return to action as they make yet another trip this time to face the always potent Baltimore Ravens.  

The Ravens need this win just as much as New England does seeing as a loss here will effectively eliminate them from post season contention. Furthermore, their star QB, Joe Flacco has been slightly hampered of late as he will wear a brace (if he even makes the start) for the entire duration of Sunday's game. Having Flacco starting will be crucial for the defending champion Ravens as throughout a season where the Ravens running game has been historically bad, Joe has stood tall backing up last season’s Super Bowl MVP performance with 18 touchdowns and 3,460 passing yards all thrown to a receiving core devoid of last season's star, Anquan Bouldin. 

That last discrepancy between last season and this will most likely benefit the Patriots the most. Fact is, New England has not played well against Baltimore for nearly 5 years now as in each of the last 4 seasons Tom Brady's worst in game passer rating has come against the Ravens. Even in the 2011 AFC Championship where New England barely squeaked past the Ravens via that Billy Cundiff missed field goal Tom publicly admitted that he "sucked pretty bad" and that the defense really bailed him out. During that 4 year span, the Patriots have gone 2-3 against the Ravens splitting their back to back AFC Championships in 2011 and 2012 that on both occasions served as low points for Tom Brady. 

However, while the past does preach a tale of 2 evenly matched teams, the Patriots have gone 10-0 in their last 10 Week 16 games proving a trend of finishing seasons strong no matter who the opponent. Also, the Ravens are a nearly unrecognizable team when you compare them to those that have given New England trouble over the past few years as without the services of Ray Lewis and former "always good against the Patriots" wide out, Anquan Boldin, Flacco, like Brady, has spent that majority of 2013 throwing to a whole host of young receivers. 

Sunday afternoon in Baltimore will be a moment of truth for 2 football crazed fan-bases. Both teams need wins desperately while both are dealing with similar levels of roster depletion via injury and veteran loss as a result of free agent losses. As we sit down on our couches tomorrow, we will be watching not only to see who wins this game but also to see which one of these teams that has already overcome so much adversity will simply do it all again. 

Read More

Nate Solder played through concussion last Sunday: Why this was such a terrible move by Patriots

The actions of the New England Patriots these past few days have led many to believe that they could care less about the integrity of Nate Solder's brain. 

For 2 consecutive weeks now, the 25 year old offensive linemen has suffered a concussion and yet he has not been decommissioned for longer than a drive on either occasion thus bringing about some major questions about the moral standards of Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization. It is no secret that already challenged, Tom Brady has been under siege of late taking hit after hit as a result of a horrendous but relatively healthy offensive line. However, as bad as this offensive line is, Nate Solder remains one of the lone bright spots of the unit blocking on Brady's blind side meaning that the Patriots QB can at least see the locomotive before it mashes him into the ground. 

Solder has played like this for each of his 3 seasons in the NFL playing 1,030 snaps this season alone while ranking 8th in the NFL's statistical list of top left tackles in all of football. For that reason with the Patriots going up against professional human steam roller, Terrell Suggs, having the guy who would do the best job at standing between him and Tom Brady doing just that would be optimal. However, the line must be drawn at a one point. We have since passed that point. 

“These concussion things are a serious issue. It’s not something that’s just going to go away – concussions just don’t go away in a week. It takes a couple weeks to get over it,” former Patriot linemen Rosevelt Colvin said early Saturday morning when speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub.  

Several hours later, the same network produced another key quote on this subject when afternoon host Andy Gresh eluded to the fact that continuing to play such a battered linemen could be highly detrimental to his future as a football player. Why? Because with each new concussion, the chance of getting another one is only amplified meaning that at the rate at Solder is jumping onto the field, if any one of those blocks involves a hand or elbow to the head there could be a sizable chance that Solder could snag the hat trick for consecutive concussions.  

There is a culture in the NFL that all but forces players to play through anything that could limit their playing time and yet, it seems cruel that no matter how willing to play Solder is he might subliminally be simply submitting to the culture of this league  therefore casting nowhere near enough thought to his own personal health.

To prevent situations like this, the NFL must institute a rule banning concussed players from playing until their concussions have substantially healed but in the meantime, Bill Belichick and company must realize that this is a man's life long well-being that we are talking about and that preserving it takes precedence over preventing a few hits to Tom Brady. 

Tom is a big boy, he can take it, Nate Solder's brain however must be treated like a china plate and to this point, that is not the case. 

Read More