PATS vs. Ravens Monday night

Trash taken out
Thomas won't rant at Ravens
By Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff November 27, 2007
FOXBOROUGH - Home for Adalius Thomas is Nixburg, Ala., but for the first seven seasons of his NFL career, his address was Baltimore. The Patriots linebacker returns to his old stomping grounds Monday, when the Patriots face the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
If there were any doubt that Thomas, who departed the Ravens during the offseason for a five-year, $35.04 million contract with New England, left Baltimore's brash-pack persona behind him, it was erased yesterday.
Quoth the ex-Raven: "It's another game, man. It's not Baltimore vs. me. The biggest thing is to just prepare for this game just like any other game.
"It's just the fact that you know some of the guys that are there; I know a lot of the guys that are there. I was there for seven years. There is nothing more than that."
Thomas returns to Maryland as a member of an 11-0 Patriots team that is still chasing history after pulling out a gutsy 31-28 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night, despite surrendering a season-high-tying point total and a season-high 391 yards of offense.
Adding to the intrigue is the war of words Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis sparked with Thomas earlier this season after the Ravens ringleader took offense to a quote attributed to Thomas in a Sports Illustrated piece that compared the Patriots and Ravens.
"People there wanted the limelight; people sought out the limelight, starting with the head coach," said Thomas, according to the piece. "It was a star-studded system. Here it's about as different as you can get. Everybody here shies away from being the star guy. Nobody on this team beats his chest. They just all go about their business. And win."
Lewis, an eight-time Pro Bowler, fired back in a Baltimore radio interview, saying, "When you take a shot at men that you claim to love to go to war with, I call those cowards. If you have something to say privately, you don't have to go to a newspaper. If you have something to say to a man, speak it."
Yesterday, Thomas was not interested in rehashing the saga.
"I'm not talking about that because you're going to take one thing I say and print half of it and put it in the paper and make it into something it's not," said Thomas. "I have talked to Ray. We talked, and all the nonsense that was printed that was half-true, all of that's done with."
Houston Texans safety Will Demps, who played with both Lewis and Thomas in Baltimore from 2002-05, said he thinks Thomas's quote in the Sports Illustrated article was never intended as a shot at his former team. Thomas was seen as a favorite of Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, and Demps said the buzz around the league among players is that Bill Belichick and the Patriots do things a different way.
"Knowing how he is, it wasn't nothing against Baltimore. All he said is it's a different organization," said Demps. "I left for New York [in 2006] and it was a totally different organization. What A.D. said was misinterpreted, and Ray took it as a shot to the organization and him.
"A.D. is a class act and he would never take shots at an organization that gave him an opportunity. He never would have been given that opportunity in New England if it was not for Baltimore."
Thomas's reputation as a jack-of-all-trades defender and disruptive force was cultivated in Baltimore's 3-4 defense. That versatility is part of what attracted the Patriots to him. It came in handy against the Eagles, as Thomas started the game at inside linebacker and ended it at outside linebacker after Rosevelt Colvin was injured in the third quarter.
Yesterday, Belichick said there was no news on Colvin, who left with what was announced as a foot injury, even though the Patriots medical staff appeared to be attending to his right arm. When the discrepancy was pointed out to Belichick, he cryptically said, "It was announced as a foot? Then we'll leave it with that."
Thomas, who was coming off a career-high 2 1/2-sack game against the Bills Nov. 18, said it was fun to reprise his role as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. He made the Pro Bowl for Baltimore playing there last year, leading the Ravens in sacks with 11, but has been primarily an inside linebacker with the Patriots, although he has lined up as a rush end in passing situations.
"It's always fun to change up and go different places," said Thomas, who has three sacks this season. "I think it gives the offense something more to look at it, being that you're here and you're there.
"A lot of guys have done that. I'm not the first guy to do it and I'm pretty sure I won't be the last. If I'm told to go somewhere, I go."
Even though his former team is struggling - the reeling Ravens are trying to snap a five-game losing streak that has left them tied for last place in the AFC North at 4-7 - Thomas expects their best effort.
"None of that matters. Whoever plays best on Monday night, that's who is going to win the game," said Thomas. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be a challenge. They're a very physical team and a veteran-laden team, and we have a challenge cut out for us again."

Pats D needs to be tip top

Colvin done for the season
Foot injury puts linebacker on IR
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff November 28, 2007
He had his right hand on the ground and was peering left toward the football before exploding out of his stance and shooting himself like a missile toward the quarterback.
For Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin, it was the routine act of rushing the passer, something he'd made a name for himself doing over his nine-year NFL career.
But this time, Sunday night against the Eagles, the quarterback wasn't sacked. Colvin was.
Colvin sustained a foot injury on the play, one serious enough to end his season. The Patriots placed him on injured reserve yesterday and signed veteran Chad Brown, who had been with the team in training camp and for four regular-season games.
Colvin's injury figures to have a significant trickle-down effect on the linebacking corps.
At outside linebacker in the 3-4 alignment opposite Mike Vrabel, Colvin was responsible for rushing the passer and setting a sturdy edge to limit running plays from getting to the outside. After he was hurt, the Patriots moved Adalius Thomas from inside to outside linebacker, and inserted Junior Seau next to Tedy Bruschi inside.
Now the Patriots have issues to consider.
Seau, 38, and Bruschi, 34, essentially had been splitting time, with Bruschi playing on early downs and Seau coming on in passing situations. Will they now assume full-time roles?
Thomas primarily played inside linebacker on early downs through the first eight games of the season before recently expanding his duties to include work on the outside. Should he make a permanent switch to the outside?
Among the players who could see increased playing time are the newly signed Brown, second-year player Pierre Woods (outside linebacker), and third-year player Eric Alexander (inside linebacker).
As a 15-year veteran, Brown has the most experience of the group and could back up at all four linebacker spots. The 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Woods, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan who was a surprise performer in 2006 training camp, has played sparingly in the base defense but is a solid special teams performer. Alexander (6-2, 240) has one career start, in last year's AFC Championship game against the Colts, and is also a core special teams player.
The Patriots could play a 4-3 defense more regularly, taking one linebacker off the field and adding a defensive lineman (Jarvis Green).
Colvin, 30, is the first opening-day defensive starter to be placed on injured reserve this season. In 11 games, 10 of which were starts, he was credited by coaches with 27 tackles, and his four sacks tied for second on the club. He also intercepted one pass, forced two fumbles, and recovered two fumbles.
An outside linebacker on early downs, he would often stay on the field and play a defensive end-type role on third down. That's when he sustained the injury.
On a third-and-10 play late in the third quarter, the 6-3, 250-pound Colvin came out of his stance and tried to speed past left tackle William Thomas. He lunged toward Eagles quarterback A.J. Feeley as the 6-7, 335-pound Thomas pushed him, and his left foot dragged underneath him.
When medical personnel tended to Colvin on the field, they held his arm, creating the impression that might have been the area of the injury. But it might have been that Colvin was being helped to maintain his balance.
It marked the second time Colvin has sustained a serious injury against the Eagles. In 2003, his first year with the Patriots, Colvin sustained a season-ending hip injury in the second game, at Philadelphia.
Colvin is signed through 2008, although he carries a high salary-cap charge next season at $7.63 million, which means his return isn't a guarantee. That currently projects to be the second-highest cap figure on the team, behind quarterback Tom Brady, and it's possible the Patriots will approach him about restructuring, similar to Willie McGinest's situation in 2005.
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.

Veterans are the glue that hold everything together

Old boy network in place
At LB, Patriots prefer experience
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff November 29, 2007
It was Bill Belichick's third season as coach of the Cleveland Browns, in 1993, and Clay Matthews remembers one distinguishing trait among his fellow starting linebackers. If the NFL were a golf course, they were all on the back nine.
Matthews was in his 16th and final season with the Browns. Counting his time in the United States Football League, Mike Johnson also had double-digit years of pro experience. And then there was the free agent signee Pepper Johnson, who was in his eighth season.
In Matthews's view, Belichick put a high value on experience among his linebackers. It was something about the responsibilities of the linebackers in the detailed system that seemed to lend itself more to gray-haired veterans than hotshot rookies.
That appears to still be the case with Belichick and the Patriots.
In the wake of 30-year-old outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin (foot) landing on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday, the Patriots could have turned exclusively to the youth on their roster in the form of backups Eric Alexander (third year) and Pierre Woods (second year), picking one to add to the five-man rotation that had been established.
Instead, they moved quickly to sign 37-year-old Chad Brown, with Belichick noting that Brown gives the Patriots "a level of depth and experience" that they are "fortunate to be able to have at this time of year."
To Matthews, the idea of turning to a veteran is consistent with what he experienced under Belichick, who often stresses the concept of team defense, with the linebackers the glue holding it together. Because of that, Matthews believes Belichick generally wants players who know some tricks of the trade.
"It's the type of situation where you might look at the individual parts and see some older guys who are not necessarily the fastest, but because of their experience they are less likely to make mistakes and are efficient at what they do," Matthews said. "You put all that together and the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts."
The Patriots have nicely filled holes on their roster in recent years, and are seldom shy about turning to youth when they feel a player is ready. Yet if there is one position where that hasn't been the case, it is linebacker.
Part of the reason is that the Patriots have drafted few of them.
In the eight seasons in which Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli have run the Patriots' football operation, seven linebackers have been selected by the team. One was in the fifth round, two in the sixth round, and four in the seventh round. Only one, 2007 seventh-rounder Oscar Lua, is still with the club (injured reserve). The biggest hit was 2003 seventh-rounder Tully Banta-Cain, who signed with the 49ers as a free agent last offseason.
Part of the reason for the lack of linebacker selections is that in the Patriots' 3-4 system, the outside 'backers are usually college defensive ends, making for a challenging projection for scouts.
Belichick also recently explained that another challenge in identifying linebackers, specifically inside linebackers, is determining how they will adjust to the pro passing game.
"It is a lot more sophisticated as it relates, especially, to the linebacker position," he said. "A player that can excel in the passing game at this level has a lot of value. I'm not sure in the college game there's as much of that. College is a lot more downfield throws, tear screens, plays to the perimeter. They don't have as many inside combinations like you see in a dropback passing game in the NFL."
So perhaps that explains why the Patriots have leaned more heavily on veterans at linebacker, as players such as Alexander and Woods - former undrafted free agents - continue to transition to the NFL game.
The linebacker position was a hot topic yesterday at Gillette Stadium, with players questioned on how the Patriots will adjust following the loss of Colvin.
Adalius Thomas, who moved outside to replace Colvin last Sunday night, said it "depends on what Coach sees fit." Brown said he's happy to be back and will do whatever is asked of him. Alexander said he'll be prepared for whatever opportunity comes his way. Woods referred all questions to Belichick.
Asked about the situation, Belichick said: "We certainly didn't want to lose Rosie, but that's where we're at so we'll just move on with what we have. Whatever we feel like is the best thing to do, we'll use those combinations of people."
Reflecting on his three years playing under Belichick in Cleveland, Matthews remembers those combinations being filled mostly with veteran players. He's not surprised the current Patriots have a similar look.
"A lot of it is not only understanding what you have to do, but what all your teammates have to do," he said. "That can be a lot harder for a younger player to grasp."
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.

Just some free time at work

My friend and her production team at an advertising firm created this website.
http://buildyourwildself.com/

Stooopid

Man with $1M bill busted at bank
A bank teller had a million reasons to deny this transaction.
Police say a man tried to open an account with a $1 million bill, which does not exist. The teller refused and called police while the man started to curse at bank workers, said Aiken County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Michael Frank.
Alexander D. Smith, 31, of Augusta, Ga., was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery, Frank said.
The second forgery charge came after investigators learned Smith bought several cartons of cigarettes from a nearby grocery store with a stolen check, Frank said.
Smith has a bail hearing scheduled Wednesday, but Deputy Angela Shunn of the Aiken County Detention Center did not know if he had an attorney. An off-hours call to the public defender's office went unanswered.

Some Holiday Reading!

I am currently reading "Girls who like boys who like boys"... it's a compilation book of essays about relationships between gays and their straight female friends. It's really good.
Over Thanksgiving, I finished reading "Middlesex" about an intersexed individual. It won the Pulitzer Prize and was a really good book. A little "heavier" in reading than my usual light fun fare stuff but it was really good nonetheless.

Back to the drawing board

Learn from this Bill!!!

No disguising Eagles' success
Defense had the right mix
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff November 26, 2007
FOXBOROUGH - The natural question following the Patriots' nail-biting win last night is: Has a blueprint been created to finally slow them down?
After running roughshod over their opposition - outside of the Colts and in one half against the Cowboys - the Patriots faced a stiff challenge from the Eagles. So, how did the Eagles do it?
Those looking for the simple answer can fall back on this: it was complementary football executed at a high level, a blend of offense, defense, and special teams coming together the way coaches hope it will when the plan is drawn up early in the week.
They possessed the ball on offense, thus keeping the Patriots' explosive offense - which had just eight total drives - off the field. That meant third downs were converted (8 of 13) against the NFL's top-ranked third-down defense. New England's normally aggressive pass rush never truly got in gear - and the secondary paid the price.
The Eagles masterfully mixed their pressure on defense, sometimes coming with blitzes and overloading certain sides of the field, while other times dropping seven players into coverage. They played fast and without fear - blitzing on about 50 percent of Patriots pass plays. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said the Eagles' top two goals were pressuring quarterback Tom Brady and not letting receiver Randy Moss get behind the defense for big plays.
And on special teams, the Eagles played clean and gutsy. Despite one offside penalty on a second-half punt that ultimately didn't hurt them, the Eagles played to a stalemate in the field-position game, and even recovered a first-half onside kick.
The Eagles, who were called for just three penalties in the game, came with all they had last night, and if not for two Asante Samuel interceptions, perhaps they would have sprung the upset. While it wasn't the Patriots' best night, a lot of that was because the Eagles took it to them.
"They gave us a number of problems in all three phases of the game," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
While the Eagles' offense and special teams did their part, the segment of the Eagles' plan that will surely be inspected by NFL coaches around the league was the team's defensive approach.
It was all about getting to Brady.
"We felt the only chance we had was that we had to pressure," Johnson said. "That was our game plan. We didn't know if they were going to run the ball, but we knew they were going to throw it. Even if we didn't get to him, we had to throw off his timing and make him move around the pocket a little bit. At times, we did."
The Patriots opened the game in a no-huddle, four-receiver set, with a lone running back. That meant they were determined to throw, playing mostly six-man pass protection.
Favoring an all-air approach, the Patriots (25 passes, 2 rushes) had some success in building a 24-21 halftime lead, but make no mistake, the Eagles still made life quite difficult for the offense, something no defense outside of the Colts had consistently accomplished.
The Patriots went away from the four-wide packages in the second half, but the pressure never stopped coming.
The Eagles' most significant wrinkle was using linebacker Chris Gocong as their "joker" - a cross between a defensive lineman and linebacker. The idea was to confuse the Patriots by mixing up Gocong's responsibilities.
"That was our game plan, to use him to drop into coverage and blitz, and he did a good job," Johnson said.
In all, the Eagles had three sacks of Brady and were credited with four quarterback hits. Considering Brady had been sacked just 10 times in 348 dropbacks entering the game, the second-best percentage in the NFL, it was a solid night's work.
Yet while all teams would like to dial up pressure, the concern is committing too many players to the rush, and thus leaving the back end of the field vulnerable. Johnson was concerned about that against the Patriots, specifically with Moss, and had J.R. Reed playing a deep safety on Moss's side to provide help.
"That was the biggest thing, we took their deep ball away," Johnson said.
The Patriots still finished with 380 passing yards, and 48 rushing yards, but it still seemed as if there was a bit of a dent in their armor.
So if future Patriots opponents watch the film of the game, might they be able to follow a blueprint to slow down New England's explosive offense?
"I think the blueprint is that you can't allow [Brady] to sit back and throw the ball," Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "If it's a 7-on-7 drill, you'll never win. They have too many great athletes. Like I said before earlier in the week, the hardest thing coming into this game is the matchups they present. I felt we matched up pretty well. It was just [making] the plays. We competed. Nobody worried about giving up the play.
"We played it how it was supposed to be played."
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.