Live Blog: Patriots versus Bills

This is a new experiment at the blog, I am going to write a live diary of the game. We'll see how it goes.

1:05 - Thanks CBS for your excellent coverage. Nothing like watching commercials instead of the opening kickoff.

1:09 - Patriots defense on their heels already, giving up some big runs, especially to Marshawn Lynch. Not the best start for them. Patriots can't make the Bills look like the Saints.

1:12 - McCourty with the breakup, the rookie has been the best defensiveback so far on the Patriots this season. A fieldgoal is forced, I would have preferred to see a better effort to start off this game from the defense.

1:18 - Congratulations to #39 Danny Woodhead for making the active squad and getting some playing time. We all have to be Woodhead fans after watching him in Hard Knocks.

1:19 - Aaron Hernandez end around. this kid is a match up nightmare. A WR/TE is a hard player to find. He is going to always get either a linebacker or the 4th or 5th best CB covering him, and it'll be in his favor.

1:23: Moss.

1:36: Interesting to see Edelman line up at the RB position in the shotgun. Perhaps he will be used in the pass catching role in an attempt to replace Kevin Faulk.

1:45 - Mayo with the sack. He is flying around to the ball today. Would be good to see him blitz more.

1:55 - Brandon Tate not eliciting confidence from Brady with the bad fumble. Let's see how the defense reacts.

2:01 - Bills take the lead off of the turnover. New England is going to have a tough time covering the 14.5 point spread to say the least.

2:08 - Danny Woodhead with his first career NFL touchdown. Great running drive for the Patriots in response to the Bills' score.

2:18 - Patriots defense still on their heels and getting pushed around. Fitzpatrick definitely provides a spark Trent Edwards could not.

2:25 - Brady seems more focused on spreading the ball around today. Good throws to Hernandez, Welker, and Tate so far. Great 24 second drive to score 3 points and get Gostkowski off the schneid after 3 consecutive misses.

2:44 - Moss. Great start to the second half with a good quick touchdown to Moss. Strong throw from Brady, the kind of thing we came to know and love from 2007.

2:48 - Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. Kick coverage has to make a stop on that play. Just as momentum is in New England's favor, a Buffalo return for a 95 yard score to steal momentum back.

3:01 - Clutch open field tackle by Pat Chung to prevent the first down and force an eventual 51 yard FG miss by Ryan Lindell. Patriots hang on to the lead.

3:08 - One thing about BenJarvus Green-Ellis: though he may not have the straight line speed of the traded Laurence Maroney, when he is hit he always falls forward.

3:11 - Gronked. That man is made for the red zone. Defense needs to make some stops.

3:19 - Rookie LB Cunningham forced the bad throw by Fitzpatrick which resulted in an important interception by Chung. Good to see someone who Belichick actually drafted to rush the passer succeed in doing so.

3:25 - SeaBass, Sebastien Vollmer, was taken out and replaced at RT. Hopefully the future starting left tackle comes back soon, the offensive line has done very well today.

3:30 - Patriots are in total control right now. Evidenced by Brady's mental wherewithal to wait until the play clock was down to 1 second before calling a timeout. Another score puts this out of reach.

3:41 - Devin McCourty is proving to be quite a solid open field tackler. Belichick likes his corners to be competent tacklers.

3:43 - The problem with the young defense: they blew the chance to potentially seal the game on 3rd and 6, and eventually yield the touchdown. A championship quality defense makes the stop there to crush the opponent and end it right there and then.

3:45 - Cool hair, Steve Johnson. Celebration was kind of funny too.

3:49 - Offense shooting themselves in the feet; 1 play resulting in 2 penalties and 1 sack. All it takes is a first down to win this thing.

3:52 - Let's see if the defense can play some ball and win this thing.

3:53 - Brandon Merriweather with the play of the game, huge interception to squelch the comeback chance.

4:03 - Another classic case of Law Firm falling forward, getting the first down, and winning the game.

4:05 - Patriots rebound from the bad Jets loss with a high scoring win. Good to see Moss involved, a strong rushing attack of over 200 yards, and Brady made some great decisions. Defense needs to tighten up, they let up 30 on the NFL's worst offense. When they face teams like Indy, Baltimore or even the Jets again, the chances of them dropping 38 on them will be slim. The young guys need to learn up quick.

Well that's what I got for my running diary of the game. It was fun to write down observations of the game. Maybe I'll do it again next week.

RAAAAANND University

So there has been much a hullabaloo about this Randy Moss complaining about his contract thing this week, and I decided to deliver my most important perspective you will ever read on this subject to lay it to rest. No one can doubt that Randy has a certain lack of tact that Mr. Bill Belichick might prefer in his football players, the way, say Tom Brady has, but when you cut through the horrible timing of the complaints, you realize maybe he should get what he wants.

When the Patriots signed Tom Brady to his extension just before the season, they secured him for what should be the rest of his prime. By the time the contract is finished he will be 37 years old, and it just so happens to be the same rumored time Belichick's deal expires as well. The two contracts seem synchronized for a four year shot at dominance. Randy Moss is the same age as Brady. I see no reason in not appeasing him and having on board for the ride. A receiver as talented and as unique as he is a once in a generation type player; Moss will still be able to help the team, even at 34, 35, 36 years old.

Moss wants to be here. This is the first team he has been on that has a competent coach and quarterback, who can consistently win and make him happy. Randy even took a pay cut to stay on the team. He could have left the Patriots of the Eagles for more money but he chose to stay in New England at end of 2007. He seems to be an incredibly insecure person. When he was up on the podium he reminded me of a boy trying to tell a girl he liked her, but in his nervousness and in the process of over thinking, he just blurted out nonsense and dug himself into a hole when he finally got a chance to speak . By the end of the confernce you could see the sweat beading up on his forehead. It sounds ludicrous but Randy just wants to be wanted.

As for the Patriots, they should pull out the stops and go after Lombardi number four. The fourth trophy would separate them from the Cowboys of the 90s, the Giants and Redskins of the 80s, and put them into all time status with the 49ers and Steelers. From a historic standpoint they are just on the cusp of G.O.A.T. and are outside looking in.

They have acquired 24 players in the last 2 drafts and are awash with young talent. I don't know how many more drafts you can have with it just being 3 second rounders, 3 third rounders and 5 6th rounders and hope some value is there. I hope they decide to go after the few solid top tier players that can have an immediate impact.

They have a set deadline, four years, and in that time the Patriots should go after their championships before teams like the Jets, Ravens, Colts overtake them. Give Randy his money. He is well liked on his team, even if he lacks a sensitivity to the situation he is in. A happy Moss will play many times better than a disgruntled one.

The Albert Haynesworth Complex

As inevitable as the bright green leaves of summer turning to red, orange, yellow and brown each year, is the annual fat-defensive-lineman-showing-up-out-of-shape saga at NFL training camps. Each season head coaches require their players to run conditioning tests which usually involved wind sprints on the field of a certain distance under a certain time threshold, depending on position. Coaches around the league justify this as a minimum physical requirement to be able to withstand the rigors of the hot summer practices, and the games to follow. Players who cannot pass the test do not get to practice with their teammates. Players who do not practice with their teammates do not get to play; which means no game checks.

One might think there was an incentive for Mr. Albert Haynesworth to be able to pass his physical upon showing up at Redskins Training camp 3 weeks ago. Going into his second year of his 6 year, $100 million contract, one would think he would want to prove his worth after being so vastly overpaid. When new head coach Mike Shanahan took over the team last winter he wanted to switch the defense from a 4-3 alignment (4 down defensive linemen, 3 linebackers behind them) to a 3-4 (3 down defensive linemen and 4 linebackers), which Haynesworth believed would restrict his playmaking ability. He promptly called for a trade and skipped mandatory offseason workouts in protest.

When July rolled around and players were showing up for camps, Shanahan declared that Haynesworth had to pass a special conditioning test to prove he stayed in shape during the offseason since he refused to train with the team. The test involved 6 50 yard dashes that needed to be completed in 2 minutes, with a 3 minute break between another round of 6 50 yard dashes. Albert was unable to complete the test on his first try; or his second, third, or fourth. After taking a few days off because of an ankle injury, he finally completed the test, after missing a week of camp.

A permanent rift has been created between player and team because of the ordeal, and the end result will probably not be clean. The missed practices and preseason games will start Haynesworth off at a disadvantage and may affect him for the entire season.

Can this man run 300 yards?

New England Patriots defensive lineman Ron Brace is currently in his second year of the NFL, and after a poor rookie season the young player came into camp needing to assert himself to keep his roster spot. Upon showing up he failed his conditioning test for over a week. For a young player with much to prove a failed conditioning test is devastating.

Can this man eat 300 hotdogs?

The odd thing is these players are massive and fat. How can they keep their massive sizes and weights while still retaining the ability to run several hundred yards? These athletes are some of the most unique specimens in

the world. They are capable of short, quick bursts of speed and strength that can only last a few short seconds. To see them completely gassed on the field, sweat dripping off their faces, fat bouncing as they run, is a strange sight. A fat man who can run 600 yards in only a few minutes is almost oxymoronic.