Tag Archives: Patriots

Big Blue Choking Crew

This season has been a rough one for Giants fans across the country, myself included. The New York Giants just can’t seem to string together a few wins. Before winning last night against the Miami Dolphins, the Giants had dropped 3 straight games. In fact yesterday was the first time the Giants hadn’t choked in 3 games, something that has been all too common this season. In the 3 games leading up to the Dolphins game, the Giants have led going into the 4th quarter in 2 of the 3 games. The Giants were leading 23-17 going against the Patriots and 20-10 against the Jets going into the 4th quarter, yet they still managed to lose both games. In the Redskins game, the Giants managed to make a mini comeback in the 4th quarter just to fall short. The Giants just haven’t been able to finish games, whether it be against the Cowboys, Saints, Patriots, Jets, Redskins, and Falcons. These are six games in which the Giants could and should have one. In fact if it weren’t for this constant inability to finish games, the Giants would be 11-1. A great example of choking is when they lost to the Cowboys in week 1, big blue allowed the Cowboys to score 2 touchdowns in the last quarter. One of which came in the last minute and a half, a situation where the Cowboys didn’t even have any timeouts. The Giants chances at the playoffs are becoming thinner week by week, and this team can only be remembered as what could have been.

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This season has been as painstaking as it can get for a Giants fan. I’ve felt the pain of watching this promising Giants team come up short every week. This team really could have been good. As I stated in the paragraph above, if the Giants weren’t so prone to choking then they could potentially be 11-1 instead of 6-7. Every week I watch the Giants blow a lead in the 4th quarter. In a very bad NFC East, the Giants should be leading by a landslide,  yet somehow their on the brink of missing out on the playoffs. Each week the Giants manage to mess up in the 4th quarter and inch farther and farther away from the playoffs. It is frustrating to just see a team that should be locked in for the playoffs, slowly fade out of the playoff picture. The Giants chances at the playoffs are looking bleak, breaking the hearts of every Giants fan in the country. As of the current NFC East standings, the Giants are technically in a 3 way tie for first with the Eagles and Redskins. But when you look at the 3 teams final 3 games, you realize that the Giants probably won’t make it in. The Eagles have a decent schedule, playing the Cardinals, Redskins, and Giants. The Redskins have an easy schedule, playing the Bills, Eagles, and then Cowboys. And then your stuck with the Giants who have to play the Panthers, Vikings, and Eagles in their last 3 games. Unless the Giants can pull off a miracle and win all three of these games, their playoff chances may as well be gone. As a Giants fan myself, I’ve withered through the pain of this mediocre team and now realize that they’re not going to make the playoffs. It’s time to give up on this Big Blue Choking Crew and throw in the towel. We can only hope for next season.

~Jeffrey

Are the Patriots Chances of Making the Super Bowl Ruined?

Last Sunday, Rob Gronkowski, the New England Patriots star tight end was hit hard after a passing play. When the medical golf cart came to pick him up and drive him off the field, it was reported that he was swearing from the pain. The Browns defenders went over to Gronkowski before he was driven off to say sorry that he had to get hurt. This act is rarely done and for opposing team members to do that, you know the injury is bad. After the game, Gronkowski’s results were released. They said that he had torn an anterior cruciate ligament and would miss the rest of the season.

I am a big Patriots fan. I’ve went to a game before and I watch every game on TV. When Rob Gronkowski first joined the team, it was clear that he wasn’t like the other players. He was strong, fast and had a mentality that when he caught the ball, not even a tank could knock him over. So when I saw him get hammered by the Browns safety and not get up, it was obvious something was wrong. On all the other plays, he’ll have 2 or 3 guys on his back and he finally goes down but pops right back up but on this play he stayed on the ground. I thought,” There goes our Super Bowl chances. Then the golf cart came out to pick him up and when that cart comes out to pick up a player, it’s usually their last time coming off of the field in the season.

~Ben

Hernandez Case Still Hanging

 

News about professional athletes have the tendency to have as little as possible to do with sports these days, and when dealing with Aaron Hernandez this pattern certainly continues. The 23 year old former New England Patriot was charged with first degree murder, accused of killing a friend of his with five gunshots back in June. Prosecutors are stating that the victim, Odin Lloyd, upset him by talking to people that Hernandez did not like the night before at a nightclub. Less than two hours after his arrest, the Patriots released him from the team. If found guilty, he will most likely be faced with a lifetime sentence in prison. Somewhat predictably, Hernandez pleaded innocent.

Personally, I believe that there is simply too much evidence against him for the jury to even consider him not guilty. The determined location of the murder has tire treads which happen to match the Nissan Altima rented under Hernandez’s name. This same kind of car was returned to the renter damaged and was said to have a bullet inside of it. In addition, it is made apparent that the accused murderer along with the unfortunate victim interacted several times during the previous days according to video evidence and witnesses. Other surveillance was also revealed of the two entering and exiting the Altima, and there was no question that Hernandez had a gun in his hand in this video. Considering the fact that defense attorneys are simply using the “coincidental” point of view and have no true evidence as to why he would not be accused, I strongly believe that Aaron Hernandez should be declared guilty of the murder.

Then again, there is no video evidence, and none appears to ever be released, of the actual shooting occurring. However, there is a large enough amount of evidence against him to make it evident that in one way or another, he was involved with the crime. Sometimes I think it would be best for every person involved with a case such as this, whether they be a judge, lawyer, victim, or other, to take a step back and think about how this is affecting everyone around them. Releasing Hernandez from his sentence would benefit… who? Himself? A few of his family members? If that? Declaring him guilty would put the world, victim’s family members, and all other’s negatively impacted at ease. The fact that he is a professional athlete must be overlooked. Cases such as these happen often, way too often at that. Not every suspect should be charged with their proposed sentence, but when evidence lines up as well as it does here, why hold back? I think that many would agree the world has had enough of O.J. Simpson type scenarios, and Aaron Hernandez does not need to be added to the list of regretted court decisions.

~ Elizabeth Lurz

The Rise of the New England Patriots

The New England Patriots football team is an association that was founded in 1959  by Billy Sullivan and originally played in the AFL. In the 1970’s the Patriots were moved to the NFL and put in the AFC East. In 1985 the patriots made it to the Super Bowl where they lost to the Chicago Bears 41-10. Again, in the late 1990’s the Pat’s made it to the Super Bowl but were to lose yet again; this time to the Green Bay Packers. Finally in 2000 the Patriots decided to take a gamble on Bill Belichick, a young coach fresh out of the New York Jets Association. This was an automatic success and there was a bond between Tom Brady and the new coach that was unlike any other in the league. The patriots went on to win 3 Superbowls in 4 years. They also went 16-0 in the regular season of the ‘07-’08 season.

I believe that as of now the Patriots are the best team out there. They have one of the best QB’s in the league as well as the best tight end and a stellar receiving crew. They have also devoted most of the 2012 NFL draft to defense. They took their first round pick out of Alabama, Dant’a Hightower, as well as a d-end named Chandler Jones and other upgrades in the secondary. Although the Patriots lost the Super Bowl in 2012 to the New York Giants it shows that they still have it in them and are expected to make the Super Bowl this year. The Patriots dominated their first game against the Tennessee Titans, winning 30-13 and shaking off the pre-season rust. The Patriots are the the best team in the league, I have no doubt in my mind that they will have a great season this year.

~Adler Demac

Patriot Pickup

This blog is about the Patriots participation in the NFL draft and it will highlight past drafts and ones to come. The draft is something that takes place every April and allows team to sign college athletes. Thirty two teams participate in the draft and there are seven rounds with 32 picks each. Teams can make deals to get more or less picks or better picks.

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The past 2012 draft that was only about a week ago was very successful for the Patriots. The Patriots specified in the defensive line, which has been a main concern for the team. The Patriots took advantage of the opportunity they received in the draft and they drafted 5 Defensive players. The past few years the Patriots main focus has been offense, now that they have a complete offense they focused defense and used 5 of their six picks on defensemen. The Patriots filled all of their needs for the Draft and still managed to pick up wide receiver Jeremy Ebert in the late rounds. I believe this is the best the Patriots could of done in a draft.

~Paul Dumaine

Truly Talented

I think it’s fair to say the Baltimore Ravens are one of the best performing teams in the National Football League. With star quarterback Joe Flacco, league lead rusher Ray Rice, and Pro-Bowlers Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis, they’re virtually unstoppable. And that’s just a small part of their team. Together this season, the Ravens, I feel, earned their usual respect from beating other superior teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, twice. John Harbaugh has once again put together a great team that consists of an outstanding offense who are good friends with the goal line, and a well-known, grid-iron-tough defense that plays every down like it’s their last, the way the game is supposed to be played. And Right now, they’re looking better than ever!

With only four teams left in the playoffs, Baltimore, coming off of a nice win over Houston, is playing the New England Patriots in this Sunday’s playoff match-up. With what I feel to be a more balanced team, I think the Ravens chances are pretty outstanding. With the Patriots ranking close to last in total defense, and a quarterback who has become somewhat inconsistent in the past few weeks, I’m looking forward to this match-up. A win gets them a ticket to Indianapolis. If you think about it, Baltimore’s not too far away from another Lombardi to hoist in the air. I hope to see my team win it big this weekend, it would simply be making close ends meet.

~Zach Feldman

Victory

The New England Patriots have been living up to last years 14-2 record so far this year. They have been impressive and competitive. Right now they are 3-1 and didn’t let off easily for the Bills to take a victory. The score 34-31gave the Buffalo Bills a small win. Patriots didn’t let up against the Raiders with a victory of 31-19. Tom Brady led the Patriots to a win over the Miami Dolphins 38-24, and passing for 517 yards. The Patriots played another game for another victory over the San Diego Chargers with a score of 35-21. These games prove that great teams both loose and win, but come out with great victories.

The Patriots have an interesting match up this weekend against the New York Jets. The Jets are 2-2 but are not a bad team. The Patriots will have bring their A game, especially after loosing to the Bills. They are going to want to put the Jets in the dirt every play (meaning stop them on offense), to ensure a win. The match up takes place at New England and will be interesting to watch.

~Jeff Tyrrel