McDaniels to start immediately with Patriots

NECN and NBC Sports are both reporting that the New England Patriots have reached a deal with Josh McDaniels to start immediately as assistant to Bill O'Brien for the remainder of the season, and then take back the reigns as offensive coordinator when O'Brien leaves.

Although O'Brien has done an admirable job as offensive coordinator, and I wish him great success in his new job at Penn State, I'm kinda psyched that Josh is coming back. I don't think there was any chemistry between O'Brien and Brady. and it showed in the up and down play of the offense.

It's about being on the same page. It's why Welker and Branch shine with Brady, and Ocho Cinco doesn't. We've seen the relationship between Tom and Josh, always talking on the sidelines; picking apart the failures and successes, planning the next move. I want that back. Lately when the camera finds Brady on the bench, he's sitting alone and stewing. That gets you nowhere fast.

It's simple really, sports teams need a combination of chemistry and talent, along with a smattering of good luck, to succeed. Somethings been missing with this Patriots team, maybe this will be the thing that brings consistency to the offense and pushes them to that next level. It sure as hell can't hurt.

Can you smell what BB is cookin? It smells like Indy to me.

That is all.

Welker Out, Pats Blow Another Lead

Looks like the Patriots have lost Wes Welker for the season. Initial reports are that it may be a torn ACL and MCL, and if that’s the case, we won’t be seeing him again until next season.

This is a devastating blow to the Patriots offense, Wes has been a first down machine, and there’ll be no end to the second guessing this week as to why Bill had him in there in a meaningless game. My thoughts are that it was a non contact injury and it could have happened on the practice field this week even if he had sat out today. This guy has taken a ton of punishment this season and something was bound to give.

To make matters worse, the Pats blew a substantial lead in the 4th quarter, again. What’s up with that? Well, we also found out today that Brady has been playing with a broken finger on his throwing hand and 3 cracked or broken ribs. If this is true, it would go a long way in explaining the offense’s late game drop off. By the 4th quarter you know Brady has to be one hurting buckaroo.

The good thing is that like Welker, Brady is an iron man and can play through the pain. I’ll put my money on him, hurt or not, in a playoff situation every time. I also like the match up with the Ravens next week. The Pats will have all 4 running backs healthy, Edelman will be a passable substitute for Welker, and Wilfork, Warren and Bodden will be back on defense. Plus it’s a home game, and the Pats thrive on home cookin’.

After that, who knows?

Patriots Go 11 And 5 But Miss Playoffs

The Patriots finished off their regular season with a 13-0 win over the Bills and an 11-5 record, but it just wasn’t enough for a playoff berth in the hotly contended AFC.

The Dolphins clinched the AFC East Division Championship when they beat the Jets today, even though they finished the season tied with the Pats at 11-5 overall and 4-2 in their division, by virtue of a conference record tie breaker (Dolphins 8-4, Pats 7-5).

Chances of a Patriots wildcard spot went down in flames today also, when the Ravens beat the Jags, finishing 11-5 and clinching one of the two wildcard spots by virtue of the same conference record tie breaker (Ravens 8-5). The Colts had already locked up the other spot.

Although I’m bitterly disappointed that the Patriots season is over, especially since the craptastic Cardinals made the cut with a 9-7 record, I have to give the homeboys credit. They did way better than we could have expected this season, and had really jelled into a first level team, finishing off their impressive 11-5 season with a 4 game winning streak. I’ve said before that I’ve seen some pretty bad Patriots teams in my day, and this isn’t one of them.

Kudos to Matt Cassel for a season well played. He grew into his roll a little more each week, and was playing like a veteran down the stretch. He’s certainly a better quarterback than most that will start next week. The Patriots stable of standout receivers helped out a great deal, but it still comes down to on field decisions, and the kid is getting very good at them. He becomes a free agent now, and I hope he does well for himself and gets the payday he deserves.

That being said, if Brady is the least bit questionable for the start of next season, the Pats have got to franchise him. 14 mil for one season isn’t too shabby...

So, thanks to all the players and coaching staff. They gave us their all, even though the season looked dismal from day one. Hey, it sucks having the season end so early, but if we know anything about this team, it’s that they’ll be back next year with a vengeance.

For now, I’m holding out hope for a Falcons-Dolphins Super Bowl showdown. How can you not love Ryan and Pennington? It would sure beat an all Manning Bowl. I'd have to smash all my TVs if that happened.

The CES Followed By The NFL Playoffs - A Sports Freak/Techno-Geek's Dream Week!

I saw some really interesting reports on all the cool stuff at the Consumer Electronics Show last week and man, was I surprised by the outcome of this weekend's playoff games (except for the Pats, of course). Unfortunatley I wasn't able to give either the show or the games my undivided attention, but I did get to watch another Pat's game with my Dad.

I'll find time to talk about both of them soon, I promise. In the meantime, check out Spot, it's one of my favorite new products.

GO PATS!!!