This particular incarnation of the Patriots is starting to look like a combination of the Sports Illustrated and John Madden curses. Everyone with face time goes down.
This week the victims are Randle Gay (goodbye and good riddance...unless of course we can't get anyone better...which we can't...) and Dan Koppen (of BC fame). Each were placed on injured reserve and are done for the season.
The Patriots now have 9 players on injured reserve. Most of the teams the Patriots have played this season have not had that many players listed on their weekly injury reports.
I ask you, tossing grammar and manners to the side, what the hell?
The loss of Gay is barely worthy of comment at this point. This season has been a genocide to the secondary, one more loss, albeit one of the players who has actually made a contribution in the past, will not sink this ship. They stink with our without him.
Dan Koppen, a center on the other hand is yet another big loss. He is the lynchpin of the offensive line, i.e. the only thing that keeps Brady from joining the parade to IR list. He calls many of the formations at the line, much like a safety in the secondary, and while his loss will be nowhere near as crushing as the loss of Rodney Harrison, it is too much to hope that there will not be a dropoff with Hochstein filling in.
With this team where it is right now I can't even begin to guess how these losses are going to affect them. In the long run I think the prognosis remains the same. They'll win the division, make the playoffs, go out early. The only x-factor: if there is a total breakdown, even if it's just once, by Hochstein and Brady gets his bell rung it could be all over.
Other Stuff:
- Everyone is praising baseball's new steroid policy and while I agree that's it's an improvement my enthusiasm is tempered by one aspect of it. 50 games for a first offense, 100 for a second, and a lifetime ban for a third all make sense. But there's a catch. If you weren't watching closely you might have missed it on Sportscenter and none of the other news outlets that I've read or watched are reporting it. 2 years after the lifetime ban players are eligible to be reinstated. Why? If it is a lifetime ban they should never be eligible to be reinstated, thus: LIFETIME. In reality it's a 2 year ban, which isn't all that much different from the penalty for a third offense in the original system. Also, if after 2 years a player's appeal is denied can he continue to appeal whenever he wants or does he have to wait another 2 years, or God forbid is he now actually gone for life? I give MLB no credit for, "taking a stand," when Congress had to get invovled before they would act and once they did act they fell short of cementing a Pete Rose style punishment for a crime worse than gambling. Baseball continues to fail to put this wholly behind them, as if they still secretly want the 'roids in the game.
- Donovan McNabb wins the VH1 "Worst Day Ever" award for this week. A game losing interception and a potentially season ending injury on Mondy night may have buried the hopes of an entire city. Even we in New England cannot relate to Phili...yet.
-The question on everyone's mind after the Dallas v. Philadelphia game (not regarding McNabb) was, "Would T.O. have caught that ball?" That ball being the dropped pass at the 20 by Philadelphia backup receiver Reggie Brown which would have put the Eagles in field goal range trailing 21-20. The answer is yes he would have caught THAT pass, but the the more important question is, "Would they have won the game?" No. T.O. would have been double covered and there is no way Mike McMahon or anyone else is throwing that floater up into double coverage when an interception ends the game. Too bad he didn't catch it though, a win in that game would have silenced a lot of doubts.
- Albert Pujols won the NL MVP for the first time. Just rename it the Albert Award because he's not giving it up in the meager NL.
- There is something wrong with the fact that the all of the headlines regarding the NBA today revolve around the matchup between Larry Brown and Phil Jackson tonight. Are they playing? No. This isn't football where coaching matchups really matter on an individual game basis. Over the course of the season of course coaching matters but there isn't anything that Phil or Larry are going to do tonight that warrants this much attention. Unlike the NFL where preparation and game plan can make the difference on any given night the NBA is all about individual performances by the guys on the court not on the bench. Focus on the guys who have to make the plays if you're going to focus on this game. On second thought, don't even focus on this game, the Lakers and Knicks are both under .500!
- Did Chad Johnson guarantee that the Bengals will beat the Colts this weekend yet? Just wait for it, he will. I'm not guaranteeing it but the Bengals are the best team the Colts have played this year.
- The Yankees resigned Hideki Matsui for 52 million over 4 years. Good move by the Yanks, he's been an absolute machine. He hasn't missed a game in his career in the MLB and is only 31. He'll be a stud for another 6 or so. I still hate him.
Don't miss the Northern Illinois v. Toledo game on ESPN 2 tonight. If anyone can tell me why I have a connection to both of these schools (one is easy, one insanely hard) I'll buy you dinner.
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