Archives for December 30, 2011

‘The Bills won the first meeting in large part because of four Tom Brady interceptions. That’s unlikely to be repeated so Buffalo must rely on their resurgent rushing attack to move the chains and extend drives thereby reducing the number of possessions in the game for New England’s offense.’

‘The Bills finally beat the Patriots. Buffalo hadn’t defeated New England since 2003, so a win over the Patriots on Sept. 25 was the highlight of the Bills’ season. The Bills fell behind, 21-0, but Rian Lindell kicked a 28-yard field goal on the last play of the game to wrap up a 34-31 win.’

‘The catch total isn’t bad. But the Bills’ yards-per-catch total — 9.7 — is the lowest in the league from the Z position.’

‘Brady landed hard on his left shoulder with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Miami when he was tackled by Kevin Burnett on a scramble in a 27-24 win over the Dolphins. Brady also scored on two 1-yard keepers.’

‘The Patriots do everything better than the Bills, and nowhere is that more obvious than at the tight end position. The Patriots have Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The Bills have, well … let’s not even get into that.’

‘”Defensively, (they’re) a turnover team, a team that takes the ball away a lot,” he went on. “They did it against us, did it against Denver.”‘

‘”We got embarrassed out there,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said. “They outplayed us. … They put it on us good.”‘

‘”They have some very skilled players,” Brady said, “guys that if you make a mistake, they’re ready to capitalize, especially the guys in the secondary. Hopefully there’s no repeat performance.” Through the first five weeks of the year, the Bills had the top-ranked red-zone offense. During the losing streak, they were just 8-19 in the red zone and even in the victory over the Broncos were only 1-6 inside the 20. You have to score touchdowns in this league,” Gailey said. “You can’t just go out and kick field goals. We were fortunate last week to get by with that, but normally you can’t.”‘

‘”Those guys, we owe them one,” defensive lineman Vince Wilfork said. “They beat us earlier this season. I’m pretty sure they’re riding high coming in. They haven’t beaten us a lot lately, but I’m pretty sure it’ll feel good for them to come in and sweep us.”‘

Patriots run up YAC total (Boston Globe)

Tom Brady of Patriots back at practice (Boston Globe)

Gerard Warren loves game and everyone in it (Boston Herald)

Seeds of conspiracy theory (Boston Herald)

Tom Brady soap opera ends with QB on field (Boston Herald)

Brady, Patriots won’t take Bills lightly in rematch (Providence Journal)

Pats expect Mankins to be back for playoffs (Providence Journal)

Polite to keep Brady company (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Patriots looking to get revenge against the Buffalo Bills this weekend (Springfield Republican)

Report: Tom Brady has X-ray on shoulder (Springfield Republican)

Patriots defensive end Shaun Ellis says it has been a ‘challenging’ year for him (Springfield Republican)

Give Brees the record, give Brady the credit, but give Rodgers the MVP (Brockton Enterprise)

Brady will be able to shoulder the load (Brockton Enterprise)

New England Patriots hope to avenge defeat (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

No. 1 seed in AFC, home field Patriots’ goal (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

It’s all on Brady’s shoulders (ESPN)

Brady returns to practice after report of injury (AP)

Pats in good shape for home advantage in playoffs (AP)

Brady limited in practice by shoulder injury (The Sports Network)

Tom Brady Returns to Practice After Missing Wednesday’s Session (NESN)

Report: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Bet $1 Million That Patriots Would Beat Tim Tebow, Broncos (NESN)

Stevan Ridley Taking Advantage of Increasing Opportunities in Patriots’ Backfield (NESN)

James Ihedigbo, Patriots Getting Late Opportunity to Adjust to Freezing Weather (NESN)

Vince Wilfork, Patriots Looking For Payback, Hoping to Send a Message Sunday Against Bills (NESN)

A Polite introduction (CSN New England)

Downturns in penalties, turnovers yield positive results for Patriots (WEEI-AM)

Patriots release DE Alex Silvestro (Patriots.com)

‘With Buffalo (6-9) preparing to close its schedule at New England (12-3) on Sunday, Johnson is 36 yards receiving shy of becoming the first Bills player to reach 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.’

‘Bills receiver Brad Smith is unlikely to play in Buffalo’s season finale at New England after missing his second straight practice because of a hamstring injury.’

‘A source close to the situation told WGR’s Joe Buscaglia that Stevie Johnson’s asking price placed in to the Buffalo Bills during negotiations was an annual salary of $7.5 million. The source indicates that there have been no contract offers issued to Johnson from the Bills over the course of the past month.’

‘The chemistry he has developed with Fitzpatrick; his production despite being the only true threat the Bills have had at wide receiver most of this season; his performances against top cornerbacks such as Darrelle Revis and Champ Bailey this season; the fact he has played with numerous injuries throughout 2011, and how he has embraced the city of Buffalo since arriving here four years ago are all factors in his favor.’

‘”Being in the city and they’ve adopted me, and I’ve thought about it, I’m still pretty sure that I’ll be here next year, but if not, it’s pretty crazy.”‘