Hollywood Donahoe

I don't know if it was BB toying with the media as much as it was ESPN making an assumption based on the fact that Maroney hadn't practiced the previous week. But ESPN has been on a downhill slide for so long, are you really surprised that they report something as fact while doing no research whatsoever? (You're right, though, about Belichick loving to toy with the media. Brady has been listed as probable with a shoulder injury since the end of September 2003.)

Probably not, since this schedule has been determined since 2002.

Your pathetic Photoshop skills betray you. You are a poor impostor.

It was him.

Invited by a Bills fan who posted on one of my Pats boards. No.

Meaningless and inaccurate predictive conjecture. Baiting is poor etiquette. Repetition != Truthfulness

The Patriots obviously deserved to lose that game, blown calls or not. But you can't deny that calls were blown. In any case, I was merely illustrating that last year's team, which few would deny was likely capable of going deep into the playoffs, was older than this year's team.

Yes. No one is disputing the key fact - that the average age of the 53-man roster has decreased by nearly a year. The team is no older than they were a year ago when they came within a handful of freak fumbles and miscalls of going to the AFCC game.

What facts? All I saw was an ill-founded opinion. Wrong. That's what a fact is, if you were wondering.

Nah.

So, how would you rate your capacity for other repetitive behavior? When I tire of spending time on this board, I usually navigate to another website or log off the computer altogether. So the answer is yes. You realize that you're inserting the words "pretty well-known fact" in place of "thing I just made up?"

Do you ever get tired of repeating this delusion?

I'm sure he was injured, but it looks like it was nothing serious, and shouldn't keep him out of any action. Well, the guy the Pats cut to make room for him made it to the practice squad, so I'm cool with it.

ESPN appears to have been talking out its ass.

Looks like ESPN might have jumped the gun a bit.

The difference, of course, being that the Patriots have recently done things that warrant positive media attention, while the Dolphins haven't.

After his 17th catch, then.

I'll remind you of this statement after Gabriel's 10th catch. Anyway, Patriots.com is reporting that the pick is "believed to" be a 5th rounder. Seems a little low to me, but I'd welcome if it turns out to be true.

Good thing this guy wasn't a FA, then.

How can I argue with such an in-depth and convincing argument?

Oh, really?

I doubt they'll go to a 4-3 base, but I do expect them to mix in a little more 4-3 than usual, given that DL depth is a strength and LB depth a weakness. I think Sullivan is a guy who's always had the talent but has serious character/motivation issues. Hopefully, a change of scenery will help, and the realization that he got kicked off his old team in what was essentially a dump move will serve as a wake-up call. He's made enough plays in the preseason to convince me that he can be, at worst, a serviceable body along the DL. The WR situation is troublesome, but as you say, the rest of the offensive personnel is as dynamic as it's been during the Pats' 3 for 5 run. Watson came on strong at the end of last season, and he looks ready to become a force in the passing game.

No, quite the contrary. Complete and properly structured sentences are what I'm asking of you. Bethel's gone to the Saints for fellow bust Johnathan Sullivan. I believe you're confusing Bethel for someone else, because he's come up clutch exactly once in his career, against the Titans in the '03-'04 divisional playoffs. Pats evidently found the Jets' compensation package unreasonable, which it seems is well within their rights due to the vagueness of the verbal agreement. Thus, a pointless grievance. No, both showed nothing in their year+ as Patriots. It never has been. People just have higher standards for the Patriots' under-the-radar FA signings now because so many have worked out.

Any explanation that Branch and Chayut provide as their motivation for filing a grievance will be woefully unsuitable. Branch is in breach of contract and the Patriots are under no circumstances required to do anything but hold him to his contract. By "nothing," I meant nothing serious. He'll likely be ready to go against the Bills. Capital letters and paragraph breaks are your friend.

Branch has filed a grievance with the NFLPA over the Patriots turning down whatever the Jets offered, which probably does effectively end his Patriots career. I just don't see the team welcoming back under any circumstances anymore. The grievance filing is just further confirmation that Branch's agent is an idiot - how can you file a grievance when YOU'RE IN BREACH OF CONTRACT? Maroney showed nary a limp when leaving the field after his last play against Washington. Probably nothing. The Pats have played him surprisingly sparingly since the first game - I guess they feel they know what he's capable of and they don't want to burn him out. Having a go at the prediction business again?