suanjersey

Payton Gives Final Injury Report

Turk McBride (ankle) did not practice; he’s out for this game. WR <***r>Lance Moore (hamstring) did not practice; he’s questionable. CB <***r>< ;span>Patrick Robinson (stomach) did not practice; he’s questionable. RB <***r>Chris Ivory (hamstring) was limited; he’s questionable. CB <***r>Tracy Porter (neck/chest) was limited; he’s probable. RB Mark Ingram (heel) was limited; he’s probable. TE <***r>John Gilmore (neck) was limited; he’s probable.” Can you talk about your team struggling a little more on the road this season than we’ve seen in the past? “I don’t know if anything specifically has changed. Obviously we opened the season with a real good football team, last year’s Super Bowl winner. We weren’t able to win that game. It just so happens our three losses have come on the road. We think we have a pretty good road routine. Whether you’re at home or on the road, it still comes down to the specifics that we value and put a value on in winning football games.” Do you find that your team struggles with the same things that other teams struggle with when they play in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome? “I would say so. I think it’s a loud venue. Certainly it becomes more challenging when the team you’re playing is having success like Atlanta has. You generally get a full crowd rather than two-thirds of a stadium. I think all of those same issues in regards to cadence, p*** protection, all the things that we value when we play at home are things that we have to work on handling when we’re on the road.” Does it make it easier for you to play in another dome since you guys play in a dome at home? “I think you get used to a certain environment. That being said, you guys see each week that noise machine we have is running. If we’re playing at home, it’s running when the defense is taking snaps. If we’re playing on the road, it’s running when the offense is taking snaps. I think by and large offenses have become not more comfortable, but more proficient I would say at handling the silent snap count and the things you have to do when you’re in an environment when you can’t hear.” Are you optimistic that Jon Vilma will be ready to play after the bye since this is his second week not playing? “I am. The decision for him to be out in this game really wasn’t because we have a bye. It really was (a decision) based on where we felt he was at. I think with a couple of these guys, Turk McBride the same way, the week ahead in rehab and getting ready for the stretch of the season following the bye is going to be important.” Can you talk about the thought process with Jon Vilma since he’s been dealing with this injury for so long? “We were hoping that gradually it would get better and better, and unfortunately it had just remained the same kind of stagnant. All of a sudden he’s trying to play and not playing up to his standards and not getting all the work he needs to during the week as well.” How much has Julio Jones brought to their offense? “It’s significant in that you can kick a coverage one way with Roddy White, and then when you have an additional player like Julio Jones on the other side, it becomes more problematic. As you try to fit the run game with whether it’s a down-safety defense or a seven and a half man front, having that threat opposite of Roddy White is very difficult to defend.”" href="New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton Media Availability Friday, November 11, 2011 Opening Statement: Let me go through the final injury report and statuses for this week. LB Jon Vilma (knee) did not practice; he’s out for this game. DE Turk McBride (ankle) did not practice; he’s out for this game. WR Lance Moore (hamstring) did not practice; he’s questionable. CB Patrick Robinson (stomach) did not practice; he’s questionable. RB Chris Ivory (hamstring) was limited; he’s questionable. CB Tracy Porter (neck/chest) was limited; he’s probable. RB <***r>Mark Ingram (heel) was limited; he’s probable. TE John Gilmore (neck) was limited; he’s probable.” Can you talk about your team struggling a little more on the road this season than we’ve seen in the past? “I don’t know if anything specifically has changed. Obviously we opened the season with a real good football team, last year’s Super Bowl winner. We weren’t able to win that game. It just so happens our three losses have come on the road. We think we have a pretty good road routine. Whether you’re at home or on the road, it still comes down to the specifics that we value and put a value on in winning football games.” Do you find that your team struggles with the same things that other teams struggle with when they play in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome? “I would say so. I think it’s a loud venue. Certainly it becomes more challenging when the team you’re playing is having success like Atlanta has. You generally get a full crowd rather than two-thirds of a stadium. I think all of those same issues in regards to cadence, p*** protection, all the things that we value when we play at home are things that we have to work on handling when we’re on the road.” Does it make it easier for you to play in another dome since you guys play in a dome at home? “I think you get used to a certain environment. That being said, you guys see each week that noise machine we have is running. If we’re playing at home, it’s running when the defense is taking snaps. If we’re playing on the road, it’s running when the offense is taking snaps. I think by and large offenses have become not more comfortable, but more proficient I would say at handling the silent snap count and the things you have to do when you’re in an environment when you can’t hear.” Are you optimistic that Jon Vilma will be ready to play after the bye since this is his second week not playing? “I am. The decision for him to be out in this game really wasn’t because we have a bye. It really was (a decision) based on where we felt he was at. I think with a couple of these guys, Turk McBride the same way, the week ahead in rehab and getting ready for the stretch of the season following the bye is going to be important.” Can you talk about the thought process with Jon Vilma since he’s been dealing with this injury for so long? “We were hoping that gradually it would get better and better, and unfortunately it had just remained the same kind of stagnant. All of a sudden he’s trying to play and not playing up to his standards and not getting all the work he needs to during the week as well.” How much has Julio Jones brought to their offense? “It’s significant in that you can kick a coverage one way with Roddy White, and then when you have an additional player like Julio Jones on the other side, it becomes more problematic. As you try to fit the run game with whether it’s a down-safety defense or a seven and a half man front, having that threat opposite of Roddy White is very difficult to defend.”">Watch Payton's Presser

Opening Statement:
Let me go through the final injury report and statuses for this week.  LB Jon Vilma (knee) did not practice; he’s out for this game.  DE Turk McBride (ankle) did not practice; he’s out for this game.  WR Lance Moore (hamstring) did not practice; he’s questionable.  CB Patrick Robinson (stomach) did not practice; he’s questionable.  RB Chris Ivory (hamstring) was limited; he’s questionable.  CB Tracy Porter (neck/chest) was limited; he’s probable.  RB Mark Ingram (heel) was limited; he’s probable.  TE John Gilmore (neck) was limited; he’s probable.”

Can you talk about your team struggling a little more on the road this season than we’ve seen in the past?
“I don’t know if anything specifically has changed.  Obviously we opened the season with a real good football team, last year’s Super Bowl winner.  We weren’t able to win that game.  It just so happens our three losses have come on the road.  We think we have a pretty good road routine.  Whether you’re at home or on the road, it still comes down to the specifics that we value and put a value on in winning football games.”

Do you find that your team struggles with the same things that other teams struggle with when they play in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome?
“I would say so.  I think it’s a loud venue.  Certainly it becomes more challenging when the team you’re playing is having success like Atlanta has.  You generally get a full crowd rather than two-thirds of a stadium.  I think all of those same issues in regards to cadence, p*** protection, all the things that we value when we play at home are things that we have to work on handling when we’re on the road.”

Does it make it easier for you to play in another dome since you guys play in a dome at home?
“I think you get used to a certain environment.  That being said, you guys see each week that noise machine we have is running.  If we’re playing at home, it’s running when the defense is taking snaps.  If we’re playing on the road, it’s running when the offense is taking snaps.  I think by and large offenses have become not more comfortable, but more proficient I would say at handling the silent snap count and the things you have to do when you’re in an environment when you can’t hear.”

Are you optimistic that Jon Vilma will be ready to play after the bye since this is his second week not playing?
“I am.  The decision for him to be out in this game really wasn’t because we have a bye.  It really was (a decision) based on where we felt he was at.  I think with a couple of these guys, Turk McBride the same way, the week ahead in rehab and getting ready for the stretch of the season following the bye is going to be important.”

Can you talk about the thought process with Jon Vilma since he’s been dealing with this injury for so long?
“We were hoping that gradually it would get better and better, and unfortunately it had just remained the same kind of stagnant.  All of a sudden he’s trying to play and not playing up to his standards and not getting all the work he needs to during the week as well.”

How much has Julio Jones brought to their offense?
“It’s significant in that you can kick a coverage one way with Roddy White, and then when you have an additional player like Julio Jones on the other side, it becomes more problematic. As you try to fit the run game with whether it’s a down-safety defense or a seven and a half man front, having that threat opposite of Roddy White is very difficult to defend.”

Related :Patriots Wes Welker Jersey Authentic Donald Driver Jersey Greg Jennings Jersey Clay Matthews Jersey Patriots Rob Gronkowski Jersey

Carmichael Previews Atlanta Contest

Can you discuss how it seems like Atlanta has turned their defensive performance around the past few games?
“They’re defending both the p*** and run really well. We’ve obviously looked at the last few games and what you see on film is a good defensive football team and their linebackers are making a ton of tackles. Their secondary has a lot of good ball skills, all those guys, so they’re playing a high level right now.”

Does having <***r>Jimmy Graham and <***r>< span>Marques Colston, does that change defensive coverages, since normally you would think they would have a big corner or slot guy cover one or the other?
“At times when Jimmy Graham’s on the field in our base 20, or what we call our 21 personnel with two backs, two receivers and a tight end, at times, teams may bring in an extra DB, because they feel Jimmy’s a threat in the p***ing game. That’s happened to us this year and we wouldn’t be surprised if they do both. We have to be prepared whether they bring an extra DB or stay in their base defense.”

Are you finding certain guys like a Charles Woodson type who might cover a Colston over the years, are you finding that some of those guys will now cover Graham instead because he’s more of a big receiver threat?
“I think we find that. The thing we find offensively is that Drew (Brees) really spreads the ball around so much so there are times when you’re not too sure who they’re going to matchup on this guy and who they’re going to match up on that guy and you really try to get a feel for that early in the game, but you try to anti****te as well that this is what they think they’ll do for this personnel grouping and we think they’ll try to match up on whether it’s Jimmy or maybe Colston.”

How do you prepare for the noise in a place like the Georgia Dome?
“Just like any team you have to prepare out there by blasting those speakers going to practice and it just changes maybe a little bit of what you do as far as your cadence. We’re expecting it to be loud this weekend for sure.”

Do you go to the silent count?
“Yes we can go to the silent count and really Drew (Brees) early on in a game gets a feel for what it’s like and we go from there, but we go out to practice and have those things cranked up loud. That’s what we’re anti****ting every snap.”

Related :Patrick Chung Jersey Aaron Hernandez Jersey Chad Ochocinco Jersey Wes Welker Jersey Tom Brady Jersey Vince Wilfork Jersey

Payton's Final Wild Card Presser

Watch Payton's Presser

Opening Statement/Injury Report: Lance Moore, hamstring, did not practice. John Gilmore, toe did not practice and linebacker, Jonathan Casillas, knee did not practice. Jon Vilma, knee, was limited and then the following three players were full; Robert Meachem, Malcolm Jenkins and safety Jonathan Amaya.”

It may not be truly Sa****ay’s game, but you’ve had some young guys on defense play very well against Carolina. Does that help?
“I think you always want to get your rookie cl*** involved. I think the concern heading into the season was the lack of an offseason or time for development, but they picked things up real well. We play them if we think they’re ready and we don’t if we think they’re not. The guys that have earned those snaps have demonstrated during the workweek and training camp that we have that confidence in them and they’ve been able to produce. Whether it’s in the kicking game offensively or defensively, it just goes back to what you see at practice and the confidence coaches have in them.”

Obviously Drew Brees was similar with Darren Sproles being from San Diego. Has he exceeded expectations in any areas?
“It’s hard to tell in free agency or the draft, how quick a player will pick things up or how he can get acclimated. In Darren’s case, he’s extremely smart in terms of football awareness. He picked our offense up very rapidly and so his football IQ is real high. Secondly, from a running back standpoint, I think his ability to carry not only outside plays, but inside handoffs, he’s been real durable and those are some of the things that maybe don’t strike you at first in free agency. There are certain skill sets you saw, but I would say his versatility and football intelligence are two things that have been very impressive.”

How much has he opened up things for guys on the outside?
“He’s a part of that, just as Jimmy is a part of that. There are players that operate typically from inside the hash marks initially from their route deployment, but I would also say from our nickel running game. He’s done a number of good things and has given us that run/p*** type of mix when you’re in one back or running the ball from shotgun. We’ve run the ball from shotgun better than the five years prior. We’ve been in that alignment a lot, so I think it’s important that we have a threat to run the football not only throw it.”

What about Marques Colston’s year?
“He’s having a real good year. He obviously plays outside for us in our base personnel. He’s someone too that knows our offense inside and out. He can come inside and make plays in the nickel outside. He’s very comfortable in traffic. He has strong hands in traffic. He’s in great shape and really has his weight and all those other things where it needs to be. He’s playing well and having an exceptional year.”

What do you think of Detroit’s defensive line and what are some of their other strengths?
“I think their front on defense is something that is very active and something that you have to recognize when you watch the tape and plan for. They’re explosive offensively and they have the ability to throw the ball as well as anyone with the quarterback and receivers and the tight end (Tony) Scheffler inside. They’re dynamic. Those are two areas. I think the return game is another area. If you were bringing up a couple areas, those are some that I would mention.”

Is their defense healthier and more complete than the last time you played them?
“You’re looking at a culmination of games, so you see certainly what they’re capable of doing and how they play. They play very well on third down. When you do the red zone study, they’ve been playing a complementary game offensively and defensively. That’s something that you just don’t see on one game tape, but you see on a series of tapes over the past year.”

Can you talk about Ndamukong Suh’s play and how you manage the matchup?
“I think you need to do what you do philosophically offensively, yet you understand where he’s at and there are certain things you try to do to help offset his strengths, but it’s harder to do with a defensive tackle than a defensive end.”    &n bsp;

How has third down preparation in practice evolved in your coaching career throughout football?
“It has (been emphasized the game). Our game has always been situational football and for us, our second day of the workweek has always been nickel, third down and some two minute. Staying on the field and getting off the field, it’s a critical snap. It’s to the same as a turnover, however if you’re about to stay on the field, your time of possession increases. All those things favor you and if you’re able to get the other offense off the field, the same thing happens. It’s an important down and just as important as the down and distance on  third down and how you operate on first and second down to put yourself in positive third down situations as opposed to third and longs.”

Why have you been so good at conversions?
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. Certainly Drew (Brees) has been extremely efficient on that down. I think the protection has been solid. Going into each week, a lot has gone into how we’re going to use our protections that week. When you have the receivers we have and guys like Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles, players like that to get the ball to, I think that helps.”

Can you talk about getting the other guys off the field on third down the last four or five games?
“That’s been a big number, I think defensively there are a lot of looks we’ve tried to mix up. We’re playing with a lot of confidence on that down. It’s been a big reason for our success. If you took that statistic offensively and defensively the last few weeks each game, you come in, you’re around fifty percent, your opponent is at 20 or 30, and those are additional possessions.”

Is the postseason fun for you despite the finality?
“I think winning is fun. Leading up to each game, as a coach and as a player, it’s the work and preparation. To some degree there’s a grind involved in that. I think the chance or opportunity to experience success in the postseason is what makes this enjoyable and exciting, but there’s an element to that and I think that it’s when you play well, when you see a plan unfold the right way and see the success carry over from the work week is what’s most rewarding.”

How tough is it looking at other games and other future possibilities?
“Honestly we don’t look at the what if’s at all. This is the game that we’re focused at. We don’t look at scenarios had we won another game or lost one. We’re 13-3, we’ve given ourselves a chance to win a home playoff game as the number three seed. Immediately you take that information and prepare versus Detroit and that’s really the truth. The last two or three weeks of the season you play attention to scenarios and how it affected you, but you pay attention to this game.”

How does your team guard against overconfidence?
“I think we do a good job of dealing with the extremes from a media standpoint, who’s favored, none of that. We spend time on it, because there are more and more of those distractions than ever before and we guard against it when we’re having success and we guard against it when we have a tough loss. If we can keep to the task and keep to our jobs and not let it affect our locker room, our chemistry, our goals and what we want to accomplish, then you begin to tune out some of that. I think our players do a good job of that.”

Do you have an example of handling the media?
“After a tough loss, there will be a week of tough media. We understand what sells in your business. I think educating players as to what creates hits on websites, blogs, stories and headlines, we understand how that business works. I think educating them on that is something we spend a lot of time on.”
Related ：Authentic Aaron Rodgers Jersey Jermichael Finley Jersey Rob Gronkowski Authentic Jersey Authentic Wes Welker Jersey Desmond Bishop Jersey

Brees Named NFC Offensive Player of the Month

QB

<***r> was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December/January, the NFL announced Thursday.

Brees led the Saints to a 5-0 record and completed 145 of 197 p***es (73.6 percent) for 1,787 yards with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions for a 127.0 p***er rating during the month as the team clinched the division.

Brees, who was named to his sixth Pro Bowl, led the NFL during the month in p***er rating (127.0), touchdown p***es (19), yards per attempt (9.07), 300-yard p***ing games (five) and completion percentage (73.6).

He set numerous single-season NFL records, including p***ing yards (5,476), 300-yard games (13), consecutive 300-yard games (seven), completions (468) and completion percentage (71.2).

Brees was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 16 for his performance in the Saints’ 45-16 win over Atlanta to clinch the NFC South. In that contest, he threw for 307 yards and p***ed Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (5,084 in 1984) for the most p***ing yards in a single season in NFL history.

his 11th season from Purdue, this is Brees’ third career Player of the Month Award (Sept. 2008, Sept. 2009).

Brees’ three Player of the Month Awards are the most in franchise history.

Related ：WeWelker Authentic Jersey Authentic James Starks Jersey B.J. Raji Jersey Authentic Charles Woodson Jersey Patriots Tom Brady Jersey s

Fan Advisory for Sa****ay's Playoff Game

The New Orleans Saints encourage fans attending Sa****ay’s playoff game against the Detroit Lions to arrive early and be patient about entering the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Gates open at 5 pm CT and kickoff is set for 7 pm CT.
 
In our continuing effort to ensure the safety of our patrons and venue, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will continue to utilize the NFL’s recommended enhanced security screenings.

*The enhanced security screenings will include hand-held metal-detecting wands and/or pat down searches.
 
*The enhanced security procedures at the stadium gates required by the NFL will increase the comfort and safety of fans at the game, but will require additional time for inspections at the gates.

*The enhanced security screenings will utilize the same lines that have previously existed at all entry gates.

*These security measures may result in a slightly longer entry process. Because of the enhanced screening, it is highly recommended fans arrive early and allow for extra time when entering the stadium.

We hope fans will come early, enjoy Champions Square, and head to the stadium gates earlier than they have in the past.

Entertainment Schedule for Sa****ay:

Pr egame:
The Cold Zone Stage: The Wayne Mills Band

Champions Square Entertainment:
3:00 - Champion Square Opens
3:10-4:30 - Cowboy Mouth performs
4:45-6:00 - Karma performs

Halftime:
 The LSU Tiger Marching Band will be performing during pregame and halftime.

Related ： Wes Welker Authentic Jersey Authentic James Starks Jersey B.J. Raji Jersey Authentic Charles Woodson Jersey Patriots Tom Brady Jersey

McDaniels back on Patriots staff

As expected, Josh McDaniels is returning to his NFL roots and reuniting with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as a member of the Patriots coaching staff.

McDaniels will replace the departing Bill O’Brien - who was introduced yesterday as Penn State’s new head coach - as offensive coordinator, though a league source said McDaniels may have an expanded role with the team.

According to the source, a deal has been finalized with McDaniels, who has been in New England since Friday night.

Bengals bungle chance

HOUSTON — The Patriots [team stats] will have to do it the hard way.

There was no gift from the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday, as they turned back into the Bungles when the nation’s spotlight shone brightly upon them. No continuation of a Houston Texans [team stats] collapse, either, as the team that lost three straight to end the regular season looked renewed and dangerous.

Houston took down Cincinnati, 31-10, in front of an electric record crowd of 71,725 at Reliant Stadium in the AFC wild card round, ensuring a potentially weary road for the Patriots to the Super Bowl.

Had the Bengals continued their bounce-back season, they would have traveled to Foxboro to play the top-seeded Patriots next Sa****ay night. It was a reality former Patriots wide receiver and now-Bengals kick returner Brandon Tate considered before playing the Texans.

“Yeah, I did think about it,” Tate said, “but we came out on the wrong end.”

Now, the Patriots could face back-to-back street fights against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens on their road to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton looked like the ill-prepared rookie, turning in a three-interception performance. Arian Foster ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, humiliating the Bengals’ previously vaunted defense with a 42-yard breath-taker in the fourth quarter to vault the Texans right into the mix of a wide-open AFC playoff race. Houston will play at No. 2 Baltimore next Sunday.

And today, the Patriots wait to see who wins the Steelers-Broncos matchup in Denver.

“Obviously if Cincinnati wins then we know what we’re doing,” coach Bill Belichick said last week. “If it goes to Sunday’s game, then it goes to Sunday’s game.”

It does go to today’s game, and excuse the Texans if they don’t care. They lost starting quarterback Matt Schaub and star p*** rusher Mario Williams to injuries during the regular season, then played without Foster and receiver Andre Johnson for long stretches.

“In the past, we wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Houston tight end Owen Daniels said. “Those experiences matured us. This year, this is a real team.”

The game-changer was defensive end J.J. Watt’s 29-yard interception return for a first-half score.

“That was the turning point,” Foster said.

Johnson put it away with a 40-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

When Dalton threw it up for grabs and into the hands of Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph in the fourth quarter, it was too much. Foster merely put it away.

Today in Denver, a banged-up Steelers team will rumble with Tim Tebow and the Broncos.
I’m anxious to see, whoever it is,” Patriots [team stats] linebacker Brandon Spikes said.

The Pats spent their bye week honing their own game.

“Because you all think we’re perfect and we’re not, I promise you,” receiver Deion Branch said.

The Patriots were ambivalent about who they would want to play, saying the familiarity with the Steelers and Broncos could work positively or negatively. Plus, “everyone’s starting from scratch at this point,” receiver Wes Welker said.

If it’s the Steelers, the Patriots can avenge one of their three regular-season losses. If it’s the Broncos, prepare for another week of Tebowmania like the one that preceded a Pats win.

Just don’t expect to see the Texans down the playoff road, feel-good win or not. Houston’s flaws looked too big.

Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates held up admirably in his five regular-season starts. But he was woeful yesterday, going 11-of-20 p***ing for 159 yards. Think Ravens p*** rusher Terrell Suggs is salivating?

Foster’s running was impressive, but one-dimensional teams don’t last, even teams with opportunistic defenses.

When a sure pick-six was dropped before Johnson’s touchdown catch, it proved it wasn’t the Bengals’ day. And the Texans took advantage.

Johnson’s score with 1:18 left in the third made it 24-10 and put the game out of reach of an anemic Cincinnati offense. The usually efficient Dalton would throw two more picks, and Foster’s 42-yard touchdown rumble was the highlight.

The Texans head to Baltimore, while the Pats are still waiting.

Related ：Authentic Darren Sproles Jersey Saints Drew Brees Jersey Jimmy Graham Authentic Jersey Darren Sproles Authentic Jersey

On coin toss, the Patriots prefer to defer

FOXBOROUGH - Sept. 7, 2008, isn’t the most painful day in Patriots history - the Super Bowl loss to the Giants seven months earlier wins that debate - but quarterback Tom Brady might disagree. Brady’s season ended that afternoon when Kansas City’s Bernard Pollard crashed into his left knee, the injury coming on the second offensive series of the year.

But 09/07/08 is noteworthy for another reason, one that even diehard Patriots statniks might not know about. It’s the last time the Patriots won the coin toss and elected to receive the football.
Since that day, the Patriots have played 65 games, playoffs included, and won the coin toss 28 times. All 28 times, they’ve elected to defer their choice to the second half, and started the game by kicking off.

Is it purely coincidental that the last time the Patriots won the toss and took the ball, their Hall of Fame-bound quarterback suffered a season-ending knee injury? Or are there subtle supers***ions involved?

“I don’t know, you’re asking the wrong guy. I don’t think so,’’ said Matthew Slater, the special teams captain who joins fellow captains Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, and Devin McCourty at midfield for the toss. (Brady is also a captain, but seldom parti****tes.) “I guess Coach has just gotten comfortable with that. It is pretty much standard procedure at this point.’’

Bill Belichick, despite the numbers that may suggest otherwise, says the decision to kick or receive, should his team win the toss, is not set in stone. “We discuss that every week,’’ he said. “If we win the toss, if we lose the toss, what the wind is going to be, w****ver the conditions are. We talk about it before every game.’’

So it’s a game-by-game decision? It’s not that you’ll always defer? “That’s right,’’ Belichick said.

Well, OK.

Beginning the game with the Patriots kicking off isn’t only the result of New England winning the toss and electing to defer, especially this season. Patriots opponents won the toss in nine games. On eight of those nine occasions, the opponent elected to receive. Only Buffalo, in a Week 3 home win, won the toss and chose to kick off to the Patriots.

Because of the Patriots’ high-powered offense, it’s understandable why opponents would be reluctant to send Brady & Co. onto the field to begin the game. One of the best ways to slow a potent offense, the popular theory goes, is by keeping it off the field.

Opponents also might want the ball first in hopes that they’ll take advantage of the Patriots’ 31st-ranked defense and put New England in an early hole. Of the 15 games this season in which the Patriots kicked off, opponents scored on their first possession seven times (five touchdowns, two field goals).
It’s been an alarming trend, with the Patriots’ last three opponents all scoring on the opening drive: Denver scored a touchdown, Miami kicked a field goal, and Buffalo scored a touchdown. Those were the first steps in each team building early leads; the Broncos were up, 16-7, the Dolphins had a 17-0 halftime lead, and the Bills raced to a 21-0 first-quarter advantage.

Because of the early deficits, perhaps the Patriots will reconsider their strategy and take the ball if they win the coin toss Sa****ay night, when they’ll host a divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium. Then again, 28 for 28 seems to be more than just a p***ing fad …
“It really doesn’t matter to me,’’ said Mayo. “Like Bill told you, anything he wants to do, depending on the conditions, that’s what we’ll do.

“If they get the ball first or we’re on the field first, it doesn’t really make a big difference.

“Starting the game off better, that’s one of the main things we’re working on.’’

When the Patriots are the visiting team and it’s their responsibility to call the toss, it’s up to either Mayo or Wilfork (“Vince calls it,’’ Mayo said. “Seniority.’’), and that’s one part of the equation where even Belichick is left in the dark. Nobody, it seems, knows whether Wilfork will call heads or tails.

“I leave that up to them. It’s a good question, though,’’ Belichick said, trying to suppress a smile as the midweek discussion veered toward this-is-bye-week-fodder. “I’ve seen a coach tell a guy what to call. Or, more important, criticize what the call was.’’

When the Patriots have elected to defer, or an opponent has won the toss and chosen to receive, it means the Patriots get the ball to start the third quarter, which seems to hold more appeal to them. They have taken advantage of that more often than not this season, scoring on eight of 15 possessions (six touchdowns, two field goals). The other seven drives resulted in five punts and two interceptions thrown by Brady.

Still, making a strong statement by scoring to open the second half - especially if it piggy-backs points at the end of the first half, for a game-changing “double score’’ - can create separation if you are nursing a halftime lead, or launch a comeback if you are trailing. Field goals by Stephen Gostkowski to open the second half against the Bills and Dolphins the past two games spurred the Patriots to come-from-behind wins.

“No matter what’s going on during the course of the game, you have a chance to come out and grab momentum in the second half and start the process of finishing the game,’’ Slater said. “Whether it’s already been in your favor or you’re trying to get it back, that’s what we try to do.’’

Said Belichick, “I think obviously if you take the ball at the beginning of the game, you have a chance to get one more possession in the first half. If you take the ball at the beginning of the second half, you have a chance to get one more possession in the second half. What’s your preference?

“In the end, you might not have a choice anyway.’’

Except for one game this season, it has worked out exactly how the Patriots like it, with Gostkowski kicking off at the start, and Brady coming out with the offense to open the third quarter.

So if the referee announces Sa****ay night, “New England has won the toss. What would you like to do?’’ we have a strong sense what the decision will be, for two reasons. History, for one, and Brady’s health. Why tempt fate?

Related ：Authentic Jimmy Graham Jersey Drew Brees Authentic Jersey Darren Sproles Authentic Jersey Authentic Darren Sproles Jersey

Despite shaky season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers say quarterback Josh Freeman's future is bright

TAMPA — The losses have piled up, and the streak continues. Yet the Buccaneers coaching staff believes there is reason to smile when the subject of the future is broached.

Particularly, it's the future of quarterback Josh Freeman.

The numbers posted by Freeman this fall don't suggest there's much to be optimistic about. But those who know him best say they see as much upside as ever.

"Certainly, you'd love to have him go through his entire career having success from Day 1," offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. "But it doesn't work that way. And he's been a guy that went through some years at Kansas State that weren't so good.

"But when he came in here — and you can talk to the guys in the locker room — he has that 'it' factor. And he has that confidence, and he knows what he's going to need to work on."

The Bucs have suffered because players' confidence has been affected by the nine-game losing streak. How they recover next season remains to be seen. But Freeman, coaches say, is one they can rely on to bounce back.

"He's a tremendous talent," Olson said. "The numbers indicate it's not the season any of us expected of him. I would say he's had one offseason with this particular system. He'll learn from this season. He'll get better."

That's something Tampa Bay is counting on heavily. Coach Raheem Morris remains in danger of being fired — meaning his offensive staff is in jeopardy, too — and it's unclear what type of offensive system the Bucs would run if there was a change in coaches.

But whether the current staff remains or another coach is brought in, Freeman's play will help determine the team's fortunes. After his 25-touchdown, six-interception 2010, Freeman has struggled. He has completed a slightly higher percentage of his p***es but thrown 14 touchdowns versus 19 interceptions (tied for the league high). His average per completion is down from 7.3 yards to 6.6.

In addition, Freeman, 23, has coped with thumb and shoulder injuries, missing a game for the first time in his three-year career, on Dec. 4 against Carolina.

"It has been a struggle," he said this week.

But he's already moving toward Olson's goal: learning from what went wrong this season. To that end, Freeman recalled a point emphasized recently by running backs coach Steve Logan.

"He talks about when things aren't going your way, there are one of two ways you can go," Freeman said. "Some people … don't want anything to do with it. And then other people might tend to press a little too hard.

"I think that's a little bit where I was this year in terms of decision-making; trying to press, trying to make things happen, get things done. It was unfortunate, but at the end of the day, you have to step back and look at where you are (and) continue to try to get better."

There already are examples of that happening. Take Freeman's success Sa****ay against the Panthers in the no-huddle, high-tempo offense. He completed 13 of 14 p***es in the first half, including 13 consecutive. That, Olson said, was a result of growth in Freeman's game that allowed him to run the offense at that pace.

When Olson looks at the whole situation, at Freeman's ups and downs, he feels as much conviction as ever about him.

"I don't have any doubt that Josh Freeman will be the quarterback here in the future for a long time," Olson said.

"(There) will be great learning for him in the offseason. I don't see his confidence shaken."

Related Aaron Hernandez Jersey Wes Welker Jersey Tom Brady Jersey Vince Wilfork Jersey Patrick Chung Jersey Chad Ochocinco Jersey

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris already looking ahead to 2012

TAMPA — Raheem Morris has no problem taking all of the responsibility for the Bucs' 4-11 record and nine-game losing streak.

But heading into Sunday's regular-season finale at Atlanta, the third-year coach said he already is thinking about how to fix things for next season.

"I'll be the first person, when this thing is done on Monday, when we come in here, raise my hand and say, 'You guys can absolutely put this season on me,' " Morris said. "Now let's find a way to make it better.

"It's about the mental approach of how we're going to get better the next year."

Morris said it's possible many of the rookies who were part of a 10-6 season in 2010 and 4-2 start in 2011 got spoiled and didn't handle adversity well.

"A lot of people said you build character through adversity. Not true," he said. "Character reveals itself when you go through adversity.

"There's a reason why people have sophomore slumps. You get a little high on yourself. You come back. You don't do quite the same thing. You have to bounce back. It just so happened we had so many people in sophomore slumps because we played so many rookies the year before. Again, this is not excuses. This is something that I've got to get better at and get those guys better at."

STAT OF THE YEAR: Morris says stats are for losers, but he admits one guarantees losing: turnovers. The Bucs have 36 that have led to 107 points by opponents.

You've got to eliminate turnovers," he said. "You've got to find a way to maintain possession during the game."

Morris said some turnovers, such as the fumble on the first offensive snap in Carolina by RB LeGarrette Blount, are the result of a simple lack of focus.

"The first play of the game on offense … it's something that you planned," Morris said. "It's got to be focus. Some of it is trying to do too much, and all of those things play a part of it."

MAN OF THE YEAR: It has been a big week for G Davin Joseph. Two days after being named to his second Pro Bowl, he was named Man of the Year by the Bucs. He is eligible for the league's Walter Payton Man of the Year honor.

This year, Joseph e****lished the Davin Joseph Events for Cause Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to serving urban areas in Tampa and his hometown of Hallandale. The purpose is to enhance athletic programs and performing arts programs in urban schools.

This year, Joseph adopted Blake High and donated $10,000 to the athletic program while sponsoring pregame meals for the football teams there and at Middleton High.

"I've been doing it out of just trying to help any way I can," Joseph said. "I'm honored to have the award. It's an awesome deal.

"This (award) I definitely didn't see coming at all. I really see it as my duty as a player, here in Tampa, to definitely get out in the community and help."

Related: Jimmy Graham Authentic Jersey Saints Drew Brees Jersey Wes Welker Authentic Jersey Patriots Tom Brady Jersey

Tampa Bay Buccaneers scheme for Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, a matchup headache

TAMPA — As Tony Gonzalez walked off the field Monday night at the Louisiana Superdome, a certain rising young star stopped him to ask what everyone wants to know.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham, named to the Pro Bowl this week in just his second season, had to ask Gonzalez: What's his secret?

"I get that question a lot," said Gonzalez, the Falcons tight end and likely Hall of Famer who plays the Bucs on Sunday.

"It's not really something I can sum up in a few words. I guess, to put it simply, it's hard work, perseverance (and) you have to have to mind-set of total conviction and a p***ion for the game.

"And you have to kind of be obsessed. It's borderline crazy. Not everybody can do it. Most people can't do it. You have to be obsessed with being the best player you can be. That means you're going to put in a lot more work than the next guy. That means before practice, during practice, after practice. There's really no offseason."

The Bucs can attest. Gonzalez has been a matchup nightmare for Tampa Bay, which has opted to use CB Ronde Barber, also a 15-year veteran, against him.

Gonzalez, 35, and Barber, 36, share a mutual admiration.

"We came in (to the league) together, so obviously we've had a chance to go against each other a lot," Gonzalez said of Barber. "I respect him so much because, when you talk about perseverance and being able to stick around and play at such a level like he does for a long time, obviously I know firsthand how hard it is.

"It's not an easy thing to do. It has little to do with athletic ability. It has more to do with mind-set, and I really respect him for that. He's always in the right place at the right time. You're looking at the film and you say, 'How did he make that play?' It's probably not even in their defensive package. But he saw something and hit the hole and made the play. It's results, and this guy gets results. It's a privilege to go against someone like him."

The Bucs have had mixed results against Gonzalez. He had just two catches for 18 yards in the first meeting this season. But he had an eight-catch, 72-yard performance last season and caught nine p***es for 83 yards in a meeting in 2009.

TRUEBLOOD OUT: Jeremy Trueblood's season is over, with the veteran right tackle ruled out for Sunday after a concussion.

According to Bucs coach Raheem Morris, Trueblood will be replaced in the lineup by James Lee, a player who becomes a free agent in the offseason but gets a final chance to impress his current team. Lee has been slowed by injuries this season, one year after he replaced Trueblood down the stretch of a 10-6 season.

The Bucs also might take a look at Demar Dotson at right tackle, Morris said. He has played extensively as a tight end in two-tight end, short-yardage situations, but he hasn't played much as a tackle.

injury updates: WR Arrelious Benn is questionable after not practicing this week because of a neck injury. DT Albert Haynesworth (knee) also missed practice and is questionable. He missed last week's game at Carolina, as did DT Brian Price (ankle). Morris said Price was improving and had a chance to play after practicing Friday.

Related: Authentic Wes Welker Jersey Rob Gronkowski Authentic Jersey Authentic Darren Sproles Jersey Darren Sproles Authentic Jersey

Simpson flips focus to familiar foe

Jerome Simpson doesn’t have a whole lot of history playing against teams, but he has made the most of his opportunities against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bengals wide receiver has 20 catches for 275 yards and one touchdown in his two appearances against the Ravens. Simpson has 66 receptions for 950 yards and seven touchdowns in his career.
Simpson played in just eight games his first two seasons, and it wasn’t until the final three games last season that he was able to get on the field consistently.

“I’m just going out there focused. I try to always make plays against whoever we’re playing, but I always seem to have success against them,” said Simpson. “Hopefully, I can keep that streak up and help my team get to this playoff run we want.”
Simpson gained national notoriety last Sa****ay with his 19-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown against Arizona that included a somersault flip over Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington from the 2-yard line into the end zone. Yet since catching eight p***es for 152 yards against Baltimore on Nov. 20, Simpson has just 11 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns the last five games.
“A lot of people have congratulated me about that (flip), but that was last game and it’s time I moved on from that,” said Simpson. “(Playing Baltimore) is fun because you’re going up against some of the best compe***ion in the league. Everybody is going out there and giving their best shot. They want to go out there and get that first-round bye, and we want to get into the playoffs so I expect to get the best out of them and they’re going to get the best out of us, too.”
DUNLAP 50-50: Defensive end Carlos Dunlap is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with his hamstring injury. That means he’s given a 50-50 shot at playing against the Ravens but his limited parti****tion in Friday’s practice was an upgrade from Thursday when he was held out.

Safety Taylor Mays (hamstring) and offensive tackle Anthony Collins (eye) were the only Bengals not to

practice Friday. Mays is listed as doubtful, and Collins, who has an eye infection, is probable.

Related ：Chad Ochocinco Jersey Patrick Chung Jersey Wes Welker Jersey Aaron Hernandez Jersey Vince Wilfork Jersey Tom Brady Jersey

Defense studying up on Bengals' Dalton

In the meeting rooms that the Ravens defense has huddled this week, a certain amount of attention has been paid to Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson and wide receivers A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson.

But that doesn’t mean that they have forgotten rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.

“You watch as much film as you can, but playing him, you’re obviously going to learn the most about a player,” outside linebacker Jarret Johnson said. “He’s mature beyond his years. He doesn’t seem to get rattled, he’s definitely not fearful, and he’s coming in firing. He manages the game extremely well for a rookie. So we’ve got a lot of respect for the guy.”
A second-round pick in April, Dalton is enjoying one of the finest seasons registered by a rookie. He will finish the season as the only first-year p***er in NFL history to throw for at least 20 touchdowns while starting in at least eight wins.
Dalton is also one of just five rookies to gain more than 3,000 yards in a season. With 3,166 yards, Dalton joins the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning (3,739 in 1998), the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton (3,722 in 2011), the St. Louis Rams’ Sam Bradford (3,512 in 2010) and the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan (3,440 in 2008).

The Ravens are quite familiar with Dalton’s accomplishments. In their 31-24 win against Cincinnati on Nov. 20, Dalton tossed a career-best 373 yards and put the team in a first down-and-goal situation to send the game into overtime.

Only an intentional grounding penalty on Dalton and a sack by rookie defensive end Pernell McPhee on fourth down preserved the victory for the Ravens. But Dalton still earned a measure of respect from the defense.

“As a youngster, that says a lot about his composure,” Pollard said. “He’s going to stick with it and play this whole thing out, and it’s not over until that clock says, ‘0:00.’ Us as a defense, we have to continue to play ball. We have to understand that for 60 minutes, we have to keep them down. We have to take away their running game – knowing that if we take away their running game, they’re going to throw the ball against us. So we’ve got to be sound in the secondary and what we’re doing with our technique and

everything else. And I think we can’t slip up like we did in the last game.”

Related ：Saints Darren Sproles Jersey Patriots Rob Gronkowski Jersey Patriots Wes Welker Jersey Jersey Saints Jimmy Graham Jersey

Emotional farewell for Miami Dolphins? Jason Taylor

Jason Taylor carried slowly off the field up on the shoulders of teammates Sunday afternoon was the last snapshot Dolphins fans would see of their all-time great defender. Taylor waved at the fans’ appreciative cheering but he was shaking his head, embarr***ed by the attention, by the royal treatment.

“Don Shula deserves to be carried off. Dan Marino does. I don’t,” he would say later. “I told ’em to put me down three or four times, but they wouldn’t do it.”

Teammate Kendall Langford, one of the carriers, was too preoccupied within the moving throng to hear Taylor’s commands.

“I was worried about holding his legs,” Langford said, laughing. “I didn’t want to be the guy who dropped him!”

Minutes later, in the privacy of the locker room following the Dolphins’ season-ending 19-17 victory over the rival New York Jets, teammates would see more of Taylor than fans ever could. More of what Taylor will miss most of NFL after 15 seasons, 13 with the Dolphins.

The camaraderie and intimate bond of it — the family of it.

Taylor held the game ball he had been presented and stood in the center of the room as his teammates gathered ’round, everyone still in dirty, sweaty uniforms.

The speech

He started talking about how he was the one who felt honored to be in this company, in this fraternity, even on the day when everybody else was honoring him.

He couldn’t finish.

He dissolved into tears, the reverent, building applause of the other men in the room hiding the sounds of his sobs, the sounds of the reality of the sands all gone in a man’s career hourgl***, 15 years later, yet seemingly all at once.

The teammates who so respect and adore Taylor became emotional just trying to later relay that scene, to do it justice.

“It was moving. Jason tried to hold ’em back. But he let ’em go,” fellow linebacker Karlos Dansby said of a strong man’s tears. “If you don’t get goosebumps listening to him, and seeing that? Well, you don’t have a heart. You don’t understand.”

So much of the finale of this disappointing 6-10 season was about tomorrow, about what’s next. Now begins in earnest the search for a new coach to (likely) replace Tony Sparano’s interim replacement, Todd Bowles. Now begins the full-bore planning for the upcoming draft, which (hopefully) will produce a first-round quarterback up to being handed the keys to the franchise.

All about J.T.

The future can start now, but Sunday was about the past, about farewell. It was about Jason Taylor.

The second-greatest playing career in the Dolphins’ 46-season history (only Marino’s was greater) closed Sunday. His 139 1/2 career sacks should see him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Fate had Marino’s final game a humiliating 62-7 playoff loss in Jacksonville. Taylor got luckier, with a win over the team’s biggest rival — a victory that had his handprints on it even if the stat sheet didn’t particularly say so.

The day’s starring defensive role belonged Randy Starks, who had two interceptions and a sack.

“I told him I was jealous. That was the kind of game I wanted to have!” Taylor said.

Instead the retiring No. 99 would have only one tackle, but it was his hit on Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez that led to one of Starks’ interceptions, and a QB pressure that contributed to the other.
Taylor also recovered a late fumble and loped into the end zone for a touchdown, fumbling himself only to see the ball carom fortuitously back up onto his belly. It was a storybook finish to his career … except it didn’t count. Turns out it wasn’t a fumble. The referee’s ruling was correct even as it denied the day its perfect ending.

Feeling the love

Still, Taylor got to feel what he felt before the play was overturned — to feel the crush of teammates on him in a celebratory pile, to hear their shouts drowned out by joyous Dolfans, to hear that chant bloom.

“J.T! J.T! J.T! …”

Taylor would soak in every second of his final game, as well as play just about every second of it. He asked to play every down and coaches properly obliged. He even played on some special teams. And at the very end, as Miami’s offense took the field in “victory formation,” with QB Matt Moore kneeling, there was Taylor right behind him, on the field one last time as an “eligible receiver.”

He will have the rest of his life to not play.

He had that one last moment to savor before the clock and the career read :00.

Good-bye, No. 99

Afterward, as the media were let into the postgame locker room, Taylor’s two young sons, 9 and 7, bounced around near their dad, both in No. 99 jerseys, the smaller one top-heavy in a Dolphins helmet.

“I hit the lottery with a lot of things in life,” he said. “But giving that No. 99 back to the Dolphins for someone else to use because I’m done with it — that was hard.”

After dark Sunday, the white-painted concrete walls of the stadium’s postgame interview room were lined with dozens of Taylor’s family and friends as Taylor, natty in a gray suit, bid farewell formally, thanking who needed thanking with his usual measured eloquence, occasionally halting to collect himself, to fight back tears.

That was the formal goodbye, as ceremonial in its way as that slow ride off the field, bobbing up on a moving wave of teammates almost as if he were floating.

The real farewell, though, had come inside those closed locker-room doors, in that cherished inner sanctum, when for the last time Jason Taylor said goodbye to what he’ll miss the most, before the tears made him stop.

Related： Darren Sproles Authentic Jersey Authentic Darren Sproles Jersey Rob Gronkowski Authentic Jersey Authentic Wes Welker Jersey