Before this NFL season began, I was brimming with optimism. The Patriots has addressed their biggest needs in the NFL draft, and I predicted they’d go 13-3 and make the Super Bowl. And after watching the Patriots all season, I’m convinced that they had the personnel this year to win it all. That’s what makes this past Sunday’s loss to the Ravens so difficult to swallow.

First off, let’s give the Ravens some credit – they played a hell of a game. If there are two players I’ve been ridiculed for hyping, it’s been Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. I’d say that with their respective performances in this year’s playoffs they’ve addressed their critics. But at the end of the day, all the Bud Light in the world can’t wash away the deflating feeling of what could have been for the Pats this year. As I awoke in the wee hours of the morning following Sunday’s game, the reality of the loss quickly washed over me. Left to the confines of my own mind, the following thoughts came to me and seem to have since gained staying power.

1) Wes Welker’s drops have become a problem – I have long been, and will continue to be, one of Wes Welker’s biggest proponents. This is a guy who had led the NFL in receptions 3 of the last 6 seasons, while racking up 1000+ receiving yards in 5 of his last 6 seasons. Any way you cut it, he’s one of the most productive players in the NFL.

The elephant in the room is obvious – despite Welker’s value, he likely cost the Patriots a Super Bowl last year. I for one did not blame him – not nearly to the extent that I blame Asante Samuel for his drop the first go ’round against the Giants. Drops happen, and that’s that. But Tom Brady did exactly what you’d want your quarterback to do in support of a player who has made a big drop – he went right back to him in a crucial situation, and any analyst worth their mettle will tell you that Welker’s drop on 3rd and 7 against the Ravens was the turning point in the game. The Pats had a chance to step on the Ravens neck, Tom threw a perfect ball, and we all know what happened from there. Oh yea, and then he dropped another crucial pass.

Do I think the drops are in Welker’s head at this point? No, I don’t (although I admit that they may be). As Tom Brady said, this guy is the heart and soul of the Patriots. Few players, if any, play as hard every single down as Welker does. To think that this guy hasn’t won a Super Bowl in his years with the Patriots is absurd – he surely deserves one, but unfortunately he’s got himself as much as anybody to blame. Do I want him back? Hell yes I do. But if he doesn’t return to New England there’s no way around it – his drops will have sealed him fate as much as anything.

2) The injuries to Rob Gronkowski and Aqib Talib were too much to overcome - Over the last two seasons, Rob Gronkowski has been the best red zone player in the NFL – fact. When Aqib Talib joined the Patriots secondary this season, there was immediate improvement – fact. My point is not that the Patriots couldn’t win without these two guys – it’s that their odds of winning went down drastically. We saw field goals instead of touchdowns, where we could have used Gronk (not to mention his blocking). If last year’s Super Bowl taught us anything it’s that we aren’t the same team without him. And perhaps even more ironically, Aqib Talib was injured on a play that he successfully broke up. Joe Flacco looked lost up until that point in the game, and looked like Joe Montana once Talib left the game. I realize everyone is going to jump on this as me making excuses. To those people let me ask you this – can you name one team in the NFL that could win without their second best offensive and defensive players? Take Ray Lewis and Torrey Smith off the Ravens… how much of a shot would they have ?

3) Game balls to Brandon Lloyd and Aaron Hernandez - In this game, it wasn’t all negative. I was very impressed with the play of Aaron Hernandez (9 catches, 83 yards) and Brandon Lloyd (7 catches, 70 yards). Both guys brought their A-games, executed, and made some crucial and very difficult plays for the Pats. They should continue to be weapons at Tom Brady’s disposal in future years. Was Brandon Lloyd the missing deep threat, the replacement Randy Moss that we all thought he might be? No. But he’s sticky as hell and fantastic along the sidelines.

4) Season game ball goes to the O-line – Going into this season everyone knew that the Patriots defense would be improved, and it was (although there’s still a long way to go). The real weakness that had me most worried entering the season was the Patriots offensive line. This crew was viewed with extreme skepticism throughout New England, especially early in the year. All in all, the O-line was not a problem for the Patriots this year. They kept Tom Brady healthy, and usually gave him a decent amount of time in the pocket. We did not lose to the Ravens because Tom Brady was under severe pressure, as we’ve seen in most of the Patriots’ recent losses. We lost to the Ravens because they beat us in all facets of the game.

5) Looking into the future – Looking into the future, I can honestly say that I think Tom Brady has 3 productive seasons left in him – he’s 35 now. But realistically, especially given his age, he may have 1 or 2 seasons of those three where he’s not derailed by injury. Not to jinx the guy, but he’s been pretty lucky in his career thus far.

I’m firmly in the “Tom Brady needs to win a 4th Super Bowl” camp, and one or two shots at another title is not a whole lot. The good news is that the Patriots are young, have their primary weapons locked up, and should be an even better team next season. If there is a football God (aside from Roger Goodell), Tom Brady will lob a game winning touchdown pass to Wes Welker to win his fourth Super Bowl, and Welker’s first, in the next few seasons. Once again we’ll have to wait and see.

So who do I want to win the Super Bowl, the Ravens or the 49ers? Who cares.

Let’s face it – all I really need to say is “insert caption here.” While yesterday’s 59-24 onslaught on the Colts was a hell of a lot of fun to watch, nothing was better than watching Tom Brady bob over to Andrew Luck in his silly hat for the post game handshake. In many ways this was Luck’s true welcoming to the NFL – “you’ve got a long way to go, Junior,” I imagine Tom saying. “Call Peyton for some pointers.”

While Colts vs Patriots games have been my favorite to watch over the last decade, easily, one thing is now clear – the Patriots and the Colts never had a rivalry – Tom Brady and Peyton Manning did. I can guarantee you that both want a shot at each other in the playoffs, and if the damn Ravens would just cooperate, my Brady-Manning fix just might be met. As for Andrew Luck, well, the hype and rushing TDs have been fun to watch… but keep on practicing.

Yesterday’s game solidified the Patriots ranking as the pre-eminent offense in the National Football League – in fact, it’s disgustingly not even close. And with Aqib Talib returning an interception for a touchdown in his first game as a Patriot, there is at least room for some degree of optimism on the defensive side of the ball.

Two things about the Patriots genuinely scare me – first how bad the Patriots secondary has been, and how easily that could end their season prematurely. Secondly, just how good the offense has been, considering it hasn’t even touched upon its total potential as of yet. Gronk has been battling injuries all season, and managed to break his arm with no one noticing yesterday (click here for more information). Aaron Hernandez has been out. Many of the O-line’s best players have been battered, but I won’t lean on that crutch – after all, they’re offensive linemen. Perhaps the most intriguing takeaway from yesterday’s game was the emergence of Julian Edelmen. He did it all yesterday – from amazing returns, to a 47-yard run, to receiving touchdowns. That little bastard is fast, let me tell you. Unfortunately, that’s likely just another sign that Wes Welker will be playing elsewhere next season.

With Gronk and Hernandez now out, it’s a shame that Jake Ballard is also out for the season. Apparently the Patriots don’t have enough depth at tight end. But as I said last week, the question remains to defense’s ability to not be tragically bad against the pass. Keep at ‘em Bill.

By Jimmy Cunningham, howiGit New York Writer, Manhattan, NY

Tom Coughlin is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He is one of three active coaches to have multiple Super Bowl victories – one of them being Mike Shanahan who won his in the 90’s and has not had a winning record since 2006 –  the other being Bill Belichick, who Coughlin has beaten in both of his Super Bowl wins. However, Sunday night’s loss to the Eagles was a result of two poor coaching decisions in the last 2:30 of the game.

The first decision was how Coughlin handled his last two timeouts around the 2 minute warning. The Eagles had the ball trailing by 1, with a 1^st and goal from the Giants 8 yard line and 2:30 to play. LeSean McCoy ran for four yards and the Giants let the clock run to the two minute warning. The Giants then stopped the Eagles next two plays (calling their timeouts after both plays), forced a field goal, and had the ball kicked off to them with 1:49 left to play. What Coughlin should have done is use his timeouts on the other side of the two minute warning. Assuming the Giants stop the Eagles in the same way they get the ball kicked back to them with 2 minutes left. That is 11 seconds that Coughlin let tick away – an error that was magnified by what took place on the subsequent drive.

The Giants got the ball on the 35 after a good return from rookie David Wilson, who returned the ball well all game. Thanks to two pass interference calls on the Eagles’ corners the Giants had the ball on the Eagles’ 27 with 47 seconds to play. A 42-yard field goal is well within Lawrence Tynes range and the Giants looked like they had pulled off another last minute comeback. The Giants play calling was questionable from there on out, but Giants Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride can’t shave his face without screwing up so I can’t say I was surprised. After a dive play up the middle for a yard the Giants took a shot at the end zone and after some back and forth by both players offensive pass interference was called on Ramses Barden. The Giants get pushed back to the 36, putting them outside of Tynes’ range (Tynes’ career long is 53 yards). With 21 seconds left Eli threw an incomplete pass to Domenik Hixon leaving them with 3rd and 20 from the 36 with 15 seconds left. Time for one more play along the sideline, or even a dump over the middle and a spike, right?

Wrong.

Instead Coughlin sends out Tynes to try a career long to win or lose the game. Giants snap the ball, the kick is up, and it’s nowhere close – game over. But wait! Andy Reid, who somehow saved a timeout until the end of the game, iced the kicker. The play doesn’t count. One would think that after watching the kicker come nowhere close that Coughlin would take advantage of the other coach’s mistake – do the right thing and attempt to get closer for the game winner. Nope. Out came Tynes again, who this time was on target but was a yard or two short. There is a reason Tynes’ career long is 53 and not 56.

But what would have happened if Coughlin used his timeouts properly before the two minute warning? Instead of 3^nd and 20 with 15 seconds left there are 26 seconds left. I do not believe Coughlin would have made the same decision with 26 seconds left. They would have had time for a play almost anywhere on the field and time to spike the ball. If they got 5 yards they are in Tynes’ range. But Coughlin let precious seconds waste away and was left with a decision that he got wrong.

The Giants are now 2-2, and worse, 0-2 in the division. The Giants never make things easy for themselves, and I am not panicking nor calling for Coughlin’s head, yet. But I would feel a lot better today at 3-1 with a win in Philly. The frustrating part is the Giants players put themselves in position to win on the field, but the guy pulling the strings from the sidelines did not.

In shocking news, an ESPN.com poll today showed that the New York Giants are at least getting some degree of respect this season. With over 40,000 votes, I can’t make this stuff up. So does it feel Giants fans? Make some whiny comment about being under-appreciated here…

For every time a twenty-something girl dives on the Facebook to share a photo of the most recent fried meal they had or their most recent engagement, there’s a twenty-something guy out there posting the latest cliche Facebook update about how pumped they are that football is back! IS IT REALLY? I didn’t notice. Most people like ice cream!

My apologies – I’m a bit feisty at the moment. Please just proceed to insert your favorite cliche “Football is back!” quote here. Moving on…

The Patriots. I got to watch them last night in their first pre-season game. They actually drafted players that seemed like logical choices this year, and goddamnnnnn does that make me happy. I maintain, unabashedly, that the Patriots should be considered the favorite to win the Super Bowl this year. If Tom Brady doesn’t go down, I for one expect them to win it all. Put that on record.

Last night, I think every Patriots fan saw exactly what they wanted to see. First round pick Chandler Jones in particular was a beast putting pressure on the opposing quarterback. At 6’5 and 266 pounds, this guy has literally no upper body – he’s all arms and legs, which he used last night to get to the quarterback with what looked like relative ease. Comparisons to Jason Pierre Paul have already started flooding in, but A) That’s a heck of a comparison and B) Let’s wait till the guy has some real success first, shall we? Regardless it appears as though Jones will make the entire Patriots defense, and mainly the secondary, significantly better by actually putting some pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Better yet, Dont’a Hightower (6’4, 270 pounds) is probably the scariest man I’ve ever seen and Jake Bequette (6’5, 274 pounds) looked like an absolute stud as well. I’d look for all three of these guys to be immediate contributors, and the Patriots just got a hell of a lot bigger and scarier on the defensive end.

So how does the rest of the team look?

Short of a full season preview, the Patriots strengths will again be on the offensive side of the ball. They have the best quarterback in the league, the best tight ends in the league, and an incredibly deep receiving core. While I’ve always been a cheerleader for Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallet, actually watching them play last night was somewhat maddening. Everybody in New England has been spoiled for over a decade now, and trying to come to terms with having to watch a quarterback aside from Tom Brady someday is going to be even worse than I expected. Aside from Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and maybe Drew Brees, watching other quarterbacks is simply something of a reminder that playing the position isn’t nearly as easy as those guys make it look.

As for the weaknesses of the Patriots, the secondary immediately jumps out again. I’d say with some more experienced players in the secondary, I’m generally less concerned about the secondary than I was last year – but it will still be maddening watching the better quarterbacks in the league convert on third and long. I look at it like with the newfound ability to apply pressure to opposing QBs, the secondary will instantly be that much better – they’ll at least be able to cause more turnovers than they did last season. Definitely a plus.

The bigger question mark for me this year is the Patriots offensive line. They were missing some key pieces last night but one of the supposedly more reliable players, Nate Solder, looked flat-out terrible. If injuries hit the O-line, the Pats don’t have a ton of depth. Tom could find himself in big trouble, especially on his blind side, and obviously this only adds to the possibility of him going down with a serious injury. This is what makes me wake up with a start, hyperventilating at night.

Perhaps one of the most interesting question marks for the Patriots is at the running back position. At this point Stevan Ridley is option 1A, Shane Vereen is 1B, and Danny Woodhead continues to play the same role he has all along. I think it’ll be a running back by committee situation throughout the year, and while I don’t think the running game will be a strength, I do think it will be sufficient. All the Patriots running backs need to do is not fumble the ball and find someone who can punch the ball across the goal line in the red zone.

I’d look for the Pats to go 13-3, and I want a rematch with the Giants in the Super Bowl. Let’s see what Eli can manage if we actually manage to put some pressure on him.

When I think about the Patriots and the NFL draft, a line from Alanis Morisette’s song “Ironic”  immediately comes to mind, “It’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife.” I then typically cringe, begin to sweat a bit, then whimper myself to sleep. Sure, the Patriots are among the best teams when it comes to drafting, but Bill Belichick’s history of trading down picks and selecting players at our best positions is absolutely maddening. Maybe Belichick is softening in his old age, I’m not sure, but it sure as hell seems as though he threw me a life-preserver this year.

With the draft approaching, I had several meaningful conversations with Pats fans as of late – it’s been long enough, we’ve had our time to cope, and speaking about the Patriots is slowly moving away from being a taboo subject. The new sentiment I’m hearing, and one I subscribe to very much so, is that Tom Brady just needs to win one more Super Bowl. It’s not about the best ever argument or anything like that anymore – it’s simply the fact that Brady has become a much better quarterback than he was in his younger years and he deserves to win a championship in this part of his career. A fourth Super Bowl for Brady, and we can all die happy.

It’s been maddening that the Patriots have seemingly forgotten that they were a defense first team when Brady & Co were ringing off championships. Brady never had a single offensive Pro Bowl player in any championship season, but he had a roster filled with defensive stalwarts. Heck, the Patriots didn’t even know what they had in Brady in those years. Since they’ve come to realize Brady’s greatness, it’s as though they’ve thrown any importance attached to the defense out the window – and in doing so they’ve put up several of the best offensive season’s in the history of football, while winning a total of 0 championships. Earth to Bill, draft some defensive players for heaven’s sake.

Simply put, I’m ecstatic with this year’s draft class. The Patriots selected defensive players with their first six picks – frankly I don’t care if these guys were the linebackers on the Little Giants or defensive ends in the XFL, I’m just happy as could be that their needs were addressed. It seems as though the Patriots got a few definite studs, and they took their usual Belichick sleep picks as well that left everyone utterly confused. I love it – our defense in a couple of days changed from old, small, and slow to big, fast, and young. Here’s what we landed.

Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse, Pick #21, 6’5 266 pounds
The Patriots obviously love this guy – he should contribute immediately at the position where we need to most help.

Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama, Pick #25, 6’2 265 pounds
Hightower has been touted as the Patriot that will have the most immediate impact. At their respective press conferences, Chandler Jones seemed giddy and talked about how excited he was to be a Patriot. Hightower instead talked about how he was ready to crush people, basically saying, “Every player on the other team is going to want to know where I am on the field… and I’ll get to them regardless, and when I do, it’s going to hurt.” We’ve got a savage in the making here – and Belichick is already comparing his football IQ to that of Jerrod Mayo.

Tavon Wilson, CB/FS, Illinois, Pick #48, 6’0 205 pounds
One of Belichick’s WTF picks, nobody expected this guy to get picked this high – or at all. It seems like a good “system” pick – who knows. He’ll either be great, or he’ll be working at Kohl’s by the end of camp.

Jake Bequette, DE, Arkansas, Pick #90, 6’5 274 pounds
Almost everybody in New England’s favorite pick – we got this guy late, and his production in college was absurd. He’s crazy fast for his size, and he beat out the majority of wide receivers and running backs in both the 3-cone and short shuttle drills at the combine. He’s also a team leader, an absolutely no problems off the field type of guy. Awesome.

Nate Ebner, SS, Ohio State, Pick #197, 6’1 205 pounds
Another of Belichick’s bizarre picks, who’s very similar in size to Tavon Wilson. Again, not sure of Belchick’s angle on this one.

Alfanzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska, Pick #224, 5’10 204 pounds
The other surprisingly awesome pick taken in the later rounds, this guy was projected as a late first or second round pick but fell dramatically because he was arrested last week. Almost everybody cites this guy’s talent, as he shut down many of the best receivers in college football this year – most of whom were selected much higher than he was. This is a personality flaw pick, but if anyone can control him it’s Belichick.

Jeremy Ebert, WR, Northwestern, Pick #235, 5’11 200 pounds
Wide receiver is not a position in need by any stretch of the imagination for the Pats, but this was a great pick as well. With his size and a 4.4 forty under his belt, he’s both bigger and faster than Wes Welker. He’ll compete primarily with Julian Edelman and Anthony Gonzalez, which is a nice problem to have at the back-up slot receiver position.

I have big expectations for these guys, and I think that Jones, Hightower, and Bequette in particular have a chance to transform this team defensively. So here it is, my prediction that you can trace back to May 1, 2012 at next year’s Super Bowl; if Tom Brady is healthy throughout the playoffs next season, the Patriots will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

Last night Drew Brees threw his way into the record books, eclipsing Dan Marino’s single season record of 5,084 passing yards on his final touchdown pass of the game. Having watched Tom Brady for the past decade, I’m particularly reserved when it comes to doling out praise on other quarterbacks. That said, Drew Brees is the real deal. Many of the same attributes that garner Brady so much praise apply to Brees as well, but in my eyes it’s their similarity as fierce competitors and their leadership ability that transcend them from simply being uber talented QBs.

One consequence of Brees’ remarkable year is that Tom Brady’s season is flying under the radar, although I’ve become used to Brady’s accomplishments being taken for granted in comparison to those of other players. With regards to this year, Brees will almost certainly end the season having re-written the single season passing yardage record. He ended last night with 5,087 passing yards – 190 yards ahead of Brady’s 4,897 passing yards on the season. What’s remarkable in all of this is that Brady only needs to pass for 187 yards against the Bills on Sunday to break Marino’s record as well – it’s a notch that will never be in his belt due to Brees’ remarkable season. In many ways he’s playing Sammy Sosa to Brees’ Mark McGwire.

All of this got me thinking about how Tom Brady, and the Patriots as a whole, are flying under the radar a bit this year. Brees’ season aside, this is the best passing attack in NFL history. The team is 12-3. Despite all the grumbling about the defense (and I’m the biggest grumbler out there), the Patriots have allowed 322 points on the season. The two teams widely considered their biggest competition for a Lombardi trophy, the Packers and the Saints, have allowed 318 and 322 points, respectively. The fact of the matter is plenty of teams that have allowed a ton of yards have won the Super Bowl – the Patriots and the Packers just happen to be the absolute worst in the league in this regard. But with the offensive prowess of both teams, a bend-but-not-break defense might just be enough to get it done. In my eyes it’s not about the points scored against either of these teams, it’s more about the time of possession battle. Keeping the ball out of Brady’s hands is how you beat the Patriots – I’d almost rather see opponents score more points more quickly, so that Brady has more opportunities to do his thing. My rational, yes, is that he’ll do it better than your offense will – if only you give him a shot.

I still have not changed my mind – I have little faith in the Patriots ability to win the Super Bowl, which I do directly correlate to their defense. I look back at the Patriots’ Super Bowl teams and it’s defense that those teams were built around. Heck, they didn’t even know what they had in Tom Brady at that point. But with regards to this year’s team, my tune is changing a bit.

I was convinced that the Patriots had lost to the Dolphins this Sunday, as they found themselves down 17-0 in the 3rd quarter. Tom Brady then came onto the field and fired what may have been the hardest pass I’ve ever seen, a 20-something yard reception to Rob Gronkowski that set the tone for the second half. A stunning comeback ensued, and Brady would not be denied. The home field advantage through the playoffs I’d seen slipping away in the first half was thus retained.

Honestly, I think this is huge for the Pats. A first round bye, then only two wins needed at home to reach the Super Bowl. It’s certainly doable… I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m comfortable entertaining the notion at this point. And if the Pats can get to Indianapolis, one thing is for sure – we’re in for a shootout. The Pats defense will be carved up if they make it that far, but Tom Brady should be able to do some carving up of his own. And we all know his Super Bowl track record.

I like the limelight shining solidly on Green Bay and New Orleans. My Super Bowl favorite is probably actually the Ravens. But with home field advantage throughout the playoffs (assuming a win against Buffalo Sunday), the Patriots certainly have a shot – and I for one will be on my couch, covering my eyes but peeking through my fingers.

Loyal howiGit reader, lend me your ears. I’ve never done this before, and I’ll never do it again. I’m in search of your fantasy football opinions. Who is the better wide receiver to start this weekend:

Deion Branch vs Washington

Santonio Holmes vs Kansas City

Torrey Smith vs Indianapolis

Tell me who is your pick and why. I’ll start whoever the most compelling argument is made for.

By Chris Horne, howiGit Contributing Writer, Wrentham (Foxboroland), MA

We knew going into the season, with the new rule changes in place, that the kickoff return game in the NFL would be relegated to a role of less importance and less impact this year.  With so many more kicks finding the end zone (and the back of the end zone, and the stands), the amount of returns is down, and so, consequently, is the number of highlight reel returns and game-changing touchdowns.  At the midpoint of the season, only six teams have managed to take a kickoff return back to the house.  (Last year, 19 teams scored at least one kickoff return TD in the regular season.)

Still, though, explosive special teams players like Ted Ginn (1 return TD; 29.2 avg), Devin Hester (1 return TD; 26.8 avg), and Josh Cribbs (27.7 avg) have allowed fans of their teams to brace themselves before every kickoff in 2011, hoping against the odds that one might get broken loose.

The New England Patriots have no such explosive player.

Does anyone ever brace themselves before a Pat’s kickoff return?  It seems unlikely to me.  Personally, I look at kickoffs as nothing but a formality before TB and the offense take over at the 20 (or the 18 or the 22) and start plugging away on an 80-yard drive.  This was just an observation of mine, nothing scientific to back me up, but my eyes found it hard to believe that any team could be worse than New England in the return game.

It turns out, after some statistical digging, that some teams are actually worse.  But only two teams.  The Buffalo Bills (who very rarely take a kick out from the end zone) and the Indianapolis Colts (who have yet to win a football game this year) are the only two teams who average less yards per kickoff return than the Pats.

For comparison, here’s a breakdown of the return games of AFC contenders. (The numbers shown are kickoff return average, longest return, and the average of each team’s primary returnee.)

Jets: 30.3* | 107 (*highest in league)
Joe McKnight: 40.2

Steelers: 28.1 | 52
Antonio Brown: 28.7

Ravens: 27.0 | 77
David Reed: 30.2

Texans: 24.9 | 46
Danieal Manning: 27.4

Bengals: 23.0 | 48
Brandon Tate: 24.0

Bills: 19.5 | 25
Brad Smith: 19.9

And then there is New England…

Pats: 20.8 | 37
Edelman: 23.6
Ridley: 21.7
Woodhead: 19.2
Slater: 18.0

Ugly.  (I included all the Patriots who have returned more than one kickoff this year to highlight the dearth of production.) If you’re only going to bring it back 20.8 yards, why not just take the knee? At least then you don’t risk a turnover (Edelman and Matthew Slater have both coughed it up during returns this year).  And if you believe that the kickoff rule change hurts the game of football and your trying to make a statement about this (which, from what I understand, is Belichick’s stance on the matter) why not try to find a better player to return kicks?  I love Matthew Slater – I think more times than not, he’s the best special teams player on the field – but the guy just isn’t very good at returning kicks.  And apparently, neither is Edelman, Ridley, or Woodhead. I don’t care if you give Gronk the ball and let him barrel his way to the 25, but if you’re going to make a conscious choice to take the ball out nearly every time (New England leads the league in kickoff returns attempted!) then at least put a player back there who has even the tiniest sliver of what Ginn and Hester have.

Special teams play isn’t going to make or break a season, I understand that.  But poor play in the kick game and the battle for field position can lose you a game, and with New England, New York, and Buffalo all tied atop the standings in the AFC East, you never know what could end up costing you a playoff spot.  The Jets and the Pats, as they have been of late, are very, very evenly matched teams.  Such a disparity in special teams production could play a role in next Sunday’s pivotal matchup and, ultimately, the season at large.

What do you think? Should this actually be a concern for the Pats?

By Jimmy Cunningham, howiGit New York Writer, Manhattan, NY

I have been very critical of one Czar Goodell on this site for his iron fist, zero consistency rulings in the past. But this weekend NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got it right and Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig got it wrong, very wrong. In fact he could not have been more wrong.

Sunday was the 10^th anniversary of September 11^th. The NFL had moments of silence and taps played before all the games and there were many commercials thanking those that helped and remembering those that were lost. NFL players wanted to show their thanks, remembrance, and pride by wearing red, white, and blue. These colors were mostly worn on their gloves and shoes. Players said they were ready to get fined but they were doing it anyway. Emperor Goodell did the right thing, and none of the players were fined for their “uniform violations.”

Bud Selig on the other hand could not have handled 9/11′s anniversary any worse. The Mets wanted to wear the FDNY, NYPD, and PAPD hats to honor those who rushed into burning buildings to help get people out. Major League Baseball decided that they could not; Mets catcher John Thole wondered aloud “what are they going to do fine us?” It turns out the answer was yes, and the fines were more than what a usual uniform violation would be. This answer came down from Joe Torre, who you may recognize for parading around in his NYPD cap after 9/11. And it gets worse – when David Wright was shown wearing the hat in the dugout, a MLB rep came down and PHYSICALLY TOOK THE HATS OUT OF THE DUGOUT. What slippery slope does this start Mr. Commish? What harm comes from honoring the people that you had a ceremony for? NYPD, FDNY, and PAPD members were allowed into the game for free, but DO NOT honor their fallen brothers and sisters; that would hurt the game of baseball.  Shame on you Bud, you are clueless.