The New England Patriots weren’t done with their roster when they submitted their mandatory cutdowns to get to the league roster limit on Friday night.  Saturday, they traded a late round pick in 2015 to the St. Louis Rams for WR Greg Salas.

Salas, a former fourth round pick of St. Louis in 2011 out of the University of Hawaii, played in six games last season for the Rams under current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.  He had 27 catches for 264 yards but also fumbled 3 times.

Salas, who is 6’1”, 209 lbs., was a three-year starter for the Warriors.

The team also made a waiver claim getting former Boston College center Matt Tennant from New Orleans.  Tennant, a 2010 5th draft pick, has played in 28 games (no starts) for the Saints over the last two seasons.

To make some room on the roster the team announced they released LB Bobby Carpenter, which surprised many.  Carpenter was added for depth because he can play all three linebacking positions and was thought to have solidified a spot among Top 5 linebackers on the team because of this versatility.

The Patriots also announced their practice squad on Saturday.  The eight members are:

• WR Sam Kirkland, who was released by Washington
• G Thomas Austin, former Patriots practice squad player, released by Houston
• RB Eric Kettani
• T Matt Kopa
• TE Alex Silvestro
• LB Jeff Tarpinian
• DB Malcolm Williams
• RB James Develin, who was released by Cincinnati

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: getty images

The New England Patriots as well as the other 31 NFL teams had until 9 p.m. ET on Friday evening to get their roster down to the league maximum of 53 players and if you had a Super Bowl ring or two it didn’t mean you were safe in Foxboro.

Gone are two time Super Bowl Super Bowl champions C Dan Koppen and WR Deion Branch.  Also apparently having dressed for the last time as a Patriot is fourth year QB Brian Hoyer.

Those released were:

• WR Deion Branch
• C Dan Koppen
• QB Brian Hoyer
• S James Ihedigbo
• DE Aaron Lavarias (PS)
• CB Derrick Martin
• S Sergio Brown
• RB Eric Kettani (PS)
• OL Matt Kopa (PS)
• OL Darion Weems (PS)
• TE Alex Silvestro (PS)
• G Derrick Dennis (PS)
• WR Jeremy Ebert (PS)
• WR Jesse Holley
• LB Niko Koutouvides
• LB Jeff Tarpinian
• WR Kerry Taylor (PS)
• TE Tyler Urban (PS)
• OL Dustin Waldron (PS)
• G Jeremiah Warren (PS)
• CB Malcolm Williams (PS)
• DL Marcus Harrison

Injured Reserve

• RB Jeff Demps

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Koppen has been a long time staple at center for the Patriots, 9 seasons in fact.  Drafted in the 5tth round he went on to be a key member of a strong offensive line that won two Super Bowls, went to two more and played for 5 conference championships and only missed the playoffs once in his career.

Branch, also a member of two championship teams, came back to New England in 2010 after the Seattle Seahawks traded him.  Branch had left four years earlier in a contract dispute with the Patriots and was dealt to Seattle only to spend most of his time in the Pacific Northwest in the trainer’s room.  In his first stint in Foxboro Branch won a Super Bowl MVP award in 2004 when they beat Philadelphia.

According to sources Branch is still holding out hope of a return to Foxboro.  It’s pretty clear this is the place Brach is meant to play and is clearly a fan favorite judging by the response to his release on Twitter.

Hoyer has been the backup to Tom Brady since he came to New England as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2009 when replaced the departed Matt Cassel.

Ihedigbo, a UMass grad, grew up in Western Massachusetts and was a Patriots fan as a teen.  After being released by the New York Jets he came to the Patriots and played well in a variety of situations but with the upgrades made in the secondary in the offseason and through the draft he is an odd man out.

Martin just signed with Patriots after playing last season with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.  Like Ihedigbo, it appears that the play of the younger defensive backs sealed his fate.

The players cut reveal the defensive overhaul the squad when through after last season, especially with the releases of Tarpinian, Koutouvides and Ihedigbo who all played significant time in 2011.

The only draft pick in this years class to be released was Ebert who was taken in the 7th round and the only offensive player the Patriots selected.

Demps was placed on IR after he hurt his leg on Wednesday in the preseason finale.  It is not known if it is the season ending IR or if he was placed on the newly formed IR that allows a player to return during the season.

All of the players in the list with (PS) after their name are practice squad eligible and could return once they clear waivers.  Each team is allowed to keep 8 players for their practice squad.

To be eligible you need to be a rookie, first year player or a player who has played in less than 9 games in each of his first two seasons.

Players on the practice squad do not have to come from the players the team cut.  They can sign eligible players to the squad who were cut by any of the other NFL teams.

New England actually cut its roster to 52 one below minimum to have a spot available in case someone who was released by another team fills a need.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

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The New England Patriots came to MetLife Stadium on Wednesday to face the team they absolutely could not beat in 2011.  Last season as well know the New York Giants had the Patriots number beating them in the preseason, regular season and in Super Bowl XLVI.

It’s important to note that this is not seen as a revenge game because of the Super Bowl.   In the 4th and final preseason game of the year New England kept back many of the starters and went with a slew of young guys who are in heavy competition for just a few roster spots.

On Thursday the Giants beat the Patriots, 6-3 in the final tune-up for the season opener.  The Giants as the defending Super Bowl champs will open on Wednesday September 5th at home with the rest of the league opening the following Sunday or Monday night.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Patriots got on the board first when Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8:27 to play in the half.  It capped a 12-play, 51-yard drive and was the only points of the half that featured more punts (11) than a regular season game.

In the third quarter the Giants tied the game 3-3 when Lawrence Tynes kicked a 51-yard field goal around the mid point of the quarter.  The Giants had driven to the Patriots 24 only to see the drive stall and had to settle for the field goal.

The Patriots split the playing time at quarterback Wednesday night with Tom Brady dressed but not playing.  2nd year QB Ryan Mallett (8 of 15 for 40 yards 0 TD 0 INT) played the first half and fourth year QB Brian Hoyer (9 of 15 for 96 yards 0 TD 1 INT 1 fumble) played the second half.

In the fourth quarter the first turnover of the game occurred when Hoyer got strip sacked by New York’s Adewale Ojomo and recovered by Marcus Thomas deep in New England territory.  The Giants were unable to move the ball and with just over a minute left Tynes hit a 39-yard field goal to give the Giants a 6-3 lead and the eventual win the was sealed when LeRon Scott picked Hoyer at the 1-yard line with 13 seconds to play.

New England rookie RB Brandon Bolden looked good as a running back but not so hot as a punt returner.  As a return man he muffed another punt but recovered.  By count of the Patriots media that’s the fifth time in camp and games that Bolden has put the ball on the turf.  As a back he was good gaining 59-yard on 15 first half carries and 16 receiving yards on 3 catches before being replaced by newly signed RB Jeff Demps in the second half.

Defensively for the Patriots standing out was DE Jermaine Cunningham who had 3 tackles, 2 of them solo and 2 quarterback sacks, 1 of Eli Manning who played the first quarter and the second was on David Carr, the Giants 2nd string quarterback.

LB Mike Rivera had 12 tackles (11 solo) and Niko Koutouvides had 8 tackles before he was hurt. LB Jeff Tarpinian had 7 tackles (6 solo) while DE Trevor Scott had 3 tackles and a sack as he looks to find a spot on the team either along the line or at linebacker.

On special teams rookie Nate Ebner from Ohio State continues to make people notice as he is always around the ball during return coverage.  If he makes the team and runs special teams with Matthew Slater and Tracy White the trio could be very dangerous to opposing return units.

To continue reading the New England Patriots @ New York Giants preseason week four recap, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Game Notes:

This was the 22nd preseason meeting between the teams.

The Giants lead the preseason series, 14-8.

This was the 8th consecutive season that the teams have closed the preseason against each other (2005-12).

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

• LT Weems
• LG Dennis
• C Wendell
• RG Warren
• RT Vollmer
• TE Fells
• WR Holley
• WR Ebert
• QB Mallett
• RB Bolden
• RB Kettani

On Defense:

• DE Scott
• DT Deaderick
• DT Brace
• DE Cunningham
• LB Carpenter
• LB Rivera
• LB Koutouvides
• CB Dennard
• CB Dowling
• S Wilson
• S Ebner

The Patriots starting secondary was made up of rookies and a second year player who missed all but one game in 2011 with an injury.

Among the Patriots not in uniform during pregame warm-ups were:

• RB Stevan Ridley
• S Patrick Chung
• RB Shane Vereen
• LB Brandon Spikes
• LB Tracy White
• OL Nick McDonald
• OL Matt Kopa
• TE Visanthe Shiancoe
• WR Wes Welker

Former Patriots David Patten and Billy Yates are with the team as coaching interns as part of the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship.

The replacement referee for the game was Don King.  No I’m not kidding.

LB Niko Koutouvides injured his wrist in the third quarter.  He left with the training staff but did return to the sideline.

Next Week

The Patriots open the regular season on Sunday September 9 when they visit the Tennessee Titans at LP Field in Nashville TN.  Kick off is at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: ap photo

This Week

The New England Patriots visit the New York Giants at Met Life Stadium on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

The Patriots (2011)                      The Giants (2011)

Overall          13-3                       Overall          9-7

Road record   6-2                        Home record  4-4

NFC East       3-1                        AFC East       4-0

NFC Conf       3-1                        AFC Conf       4-0

The Patriots are 1-2 and the Giants are 1-2 in the preseason.

The Line/Prediction

As of Tuesday the line on the game from Yahoo Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 2.  The over under is 41.5.

My Prediction is Giants 27, Patriots, 21.  Take the points (Giants) and take the over.

Tickets

The Giants are reporting the game as a sell out.

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in the Meadowland’s make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Met Life Stadium.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions and parking information, parking map and a Met Life Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

The Patriots Preseason Television Network is televising three of the Patriots four preseason games through out New England and Hawaii.

Longtime national play by play announcer Don Criqui and former NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman Randy Cross will call the games.

Stations in the Patriots Preseason TV Network include:

• WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston MA
• WNAC-TV Channel 64 in Providence RI
• WMUR-TV Channel 9 in Manchester NH
• WMTW-TV Channel 8 in Portland ME
• WCTX-TV Channel 9 in Hartford/New Haven CT
• WWLP-TV Channel 22 in Springfield MA
• WVII-TV Channel 7 or WFVX-TV Channel 22 in Bangor ME
• WVNY-TV Channel 22 in Burlington VT
• KFVE-TV Channel 5 in Honolulu HI

Check your local listings for your station.

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket is not allowed to carry preseason games per the NFL Broadcast Rules.

Preseason television rights belong to the teams and not to the league, hence no DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket until Week 1 of the regular season.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play; former Patriot Scott Zolak does the color. It all starts with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh with the pregame show at 4:30 p.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 92 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 818.

To continue reading the New England Patriots @ New York Giants Preview Preseason Week 4, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

The Patriots lost to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, 30-28.  The Giants lost to the Bears, 20-17.

History

• This is the 22nd preseason meeting between the teams.
• The Giants lead the preseason series, 13-8.
• The Giants beat the Patriots 18-17 in Preseason Week 4 last year in Foxboro.
• The Giants beat the Patriots three times in 2011.  Once in the preseason, once in the regular season and again in the Super Bowl.
• They also met three times in 2007 with the Patriots winning the preseason and regular season games only to lose in the Super Bowl.
• This is the 8th consecutive season that the teams have closed the preseason against each other (2005-12).
• The first football game played in Foxboro was a preseason game against the Giants.

Game Notes

Last season the teams met in Foxboro in Week 9 both came into the game with matching 5-2 records.  The Giants finished out at 4-5 for a 9-7 final record and won the Super Bowl.  The Patriots went 8-1 for a final record of 13-3 and didn’t lose again until Super Bowl XLVI.

Giants President and Chief Executive Officer John Mara is an alumnus of Boston College.

Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin was an assistant coach at Boston College from 1981-83. Coughlin was the wide receivers coach on the Giants‘ coaching staff while Bill Belichick was also on New York‘s staff (1988-90).

Chris Mara Vice President of Player Evaluation went to Springfield College to play football before transferring to Boston College.

Giants Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride is a native of New Haven, CT.

Giants WR Victor Cruz went to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.

G Chris Snee was drafted out of Boston College in the 2nd round (34 overall) in the 2004 draft and has spent his whole career with the Giants.

Giants LB Mathias Kiwanuka went to Boston College and was drafted in the 1st round (32nd overall) in the 2006 draft.

Giants LB Zak DeOssie is a native of North Andover, MA and attended Phillips Academy in Andover before continuing on to Brown University. Zak is the son of Steve DeOssie, who finished his NFL playing career as a linebacker and long snapper with the Patriots in 1994 and 1995.

Giants T Will Beatty played football at the University of Connecticut from 2004-08.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent 12 seasons on the Giants‘ coaching staff, and was the team‘s defensive coordinator for their victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV.

Patriots Defensive Line Coach Pepper Johnson was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft.

TE Jake Ballard played for the Giants from 2010-11 and was a key contributor on the 2011 Super Bowl team.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2003 draft. Shiancoe played for the Giants from 2003-06 and played in every game during his tenure in New York.

S Derrick Martin was a key special teams contributor on the 2011 Super Bowl championship Giants team.

Last year the Giants had the 9th best scoring offense and the 25th best defense based on points allowed.  The Patriots had the 3rd best offense and 15th best defense.

2011 Takeaway/Giveaway ratio: Patriots were PLUS 17 and the Giants were PLUS 7.

The Giants are the Patriots most frequent preseason opponent (22 games).

Next Week

The Patriots open the regular season on Sunday, September 9 when they visit the Tennessee Titans at LP Field in Nashville TN.  Kick off is at 1 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

The New England Patriots like the rest of the NFL had to cut down their rosters to 75 men by the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Monday.

In order to get down to the 75-man limit the Patriots have announced the following players have been released.

• S Ross Ventrone
• DL Tim Bulman
• WR Donte Stallworth
• WR Jabar Gaffney
• DE Gerard Warren

Assigned to the PUP List was:

• TE Jake Ballard
• DL Myron Pryor

Assigned to the Reserve Non Football Injury List was:

• OL Markus Zusevics

Placed on the Injured Reserve List and done for the year were:

• S Josh Barrett
• FB Spencer Larsen
• CB Will Allen

Ventrone is used to this as he was on the transaction wire 21 times in 2011 between signings, releases and being added to the practice squad.  Ventrone a Pittsburgh PA native played his college football at Villanova.  If he clears waivers he could be brought back when an injury occurs.

Bulman, a Milton MA native and Boston College product, was brought in for depth along the defensive line.  But with the play of rookies Jake Bequette and Chandler Jones along with the commitment the team made last week in Kyle Love it appears Bulman was part of the numbers game.

Stallworth was a veteran receiver they brought back to be with Tom Brady.  He was someone from the past (2007) who knew the offense and having been through several real life situations recently he was there to provide yet another steady, veteran presence.  But know it appears it just didn’t work out for Stallworth who was very happy to be back in Foxboro.

Gaffney returned this year along with Stallworth; he had previously spent three years with New England (2006-08).  Originally drafted by Houston out of the University of Florida in 2002 he has also played for Denver and Washington in his 10 year NFL career.  Gaffney’s release is being labeled as a surprise in the Boston media as he ran with the 1’s most of camp but he did suffer a thigh injury and didn’t play against either the Eagles or the Buccaneers.

Warren, who was entering his 12th NFL season out of the University of Florida, can play both defensive tackle and defensive end.  He was originally the first round draft pick of the Cleveland Brown (3rd overall) in the 2001 NFL Draft.

I expect Warren, who has been bothered by an undisclosed injury, will sit by his phone waiting for Bill Belichick to call when the team needs help along the defensive line.  The same could also be done with both Stallworth and Gaffney at the receiver spot if they go unclaimed by the rest of the league.

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Ballard was placed on the PUP list as he is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the Super Bowl while playing for the New York Giants.  On the PUP he will have to miss the first six games of the season and then the team has until Week 10 to activate him or put him on the IR.

Pryor is also on the PUP list and will follow the same timeline as Ballard.  Pryor, out of the University of Kentucky, spent most of 2011 on the injured reserve missing the last 14 games.  His current injury involves his shoulder.

Zusevics was a two-year starter for Kirk Ferentz at Iowa starting all 13 games last season at right guard and was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention.  He was passed in the draft because he tore his pectoral muscle during the bench press reps at the February NFL Combine and this is the that presumably has keep him from practicing right now.

Barrett was expected to be among the contenders for a starting safety job but with the additions of rookie Tavon Wilson and veteran Stephen Gregory he got pushed down the roster even with his special teams work and then he suffered the season ending calf injury that landed him on the IR.

Larsen appears to play a position the Patriots have no use for.  After signing every fullback known to man in the offseason chances are good the Patriots will go into the 2012 opener without a fullback on the roster.  He has been nursing a knee injury he suffered earlier in training camp.

Allen was signed as a free agent in March after spending the last 6 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.  He was originally a first round pick of the New York Giants in 2002 out of Syracuse University.  With the unknown injury he suffered and the play of the other safeties and no special teams contribution this isn’t a real surprise.  He is expected to come back next season and compete for a job in 2013.

In addition the Patriots announced that they have claimed WR Kerry Taylor off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings.  In 2011 he spent one week on the Patriots practice squad after originally being signed and released by Green Bay after going undrafted out of Arizona State University.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: ap photo

The New England Patriots have announced they signed TE Aaron Hernandez to a five-year contract extension.  The extension keeps Hernandez in Foxboro through the 2018 season.

Hernandez along with fellow TE Rob Gronkowski form one of the most potent tight end duo’s in NFL history.  Recently the team signed Gronkowski through 2019.

The deal calls for a total of $37.5 million added onto the nearly $2.4 million he has left on his rookie contract signed in 2010.  The third year player will get a guaranteed $16.5 million with $12.5 million in a signing bonus.  When paired with his current contract, Hernandez can earn nearly $40 million over the next six seasons.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: ap photo

The New England Patriots came to Tampa Bay a few days early so that they could hold some joint practices with the Buccaneers.  It also allowed them to catch some Florida sunshine and take in area attractions with their families.  They finished the trip off with a preseason game on Friday night at Raymond James Stadium that saw the Bucs end up on top 30-28.

While the practices and such seemed to go well the game did not especially for the New England offensive line, and specifically Marcus Cannon, whose poor play led to what should be unacceptable hits on starting quarterback Tom Brady.  RB Stevan Ridley also failed at times in getting the blitz picked up.

One such hit led to a yet another sack and forced fumble, the third in three games by Patriots quarterbacks and the second alone for Brady, although this time they kept possession.

Despite the miscues, Brady had a fairly efficient half as he and his receivers work to get their timing down and he works on getting in some much needed reps.

Tampa Bay jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead on the strength of two drives.  The first drive was capped by Doug Martin punching it in from one yard out to cap an 8-play 64-yard drive to start the game.

The defense on the first Tampa Bay drive was overmatched.  While the interior run defense was good the pass defense left a lot to be desired.

New England’s first offensive drive went three and out and on their second drive Brady ended up throwing a pick six to defensive back Mark Barron and a 14-0 Buccaneer lead. Another poor blocking job by the offensive line led to the bad throw and the points.

New England’s offense finally got on the board in the second quarter when Ridley plunged in for a score after setting it up with a 29 yard run on the drive to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 14-7.

Later in the quarter Ridley got stuffed on a fourth down attempt as Bill Belichick once again worked on situational football whenever the chance presents itself in the preseason.

After a pair of Buccaneer field goals the teams went to locker room at half with Tampa Bay leading 20-7.

In the third quarter the Bucs added yet another field goal to go up 23-7 while late in the quarter the Patriots were able to put a touch down on the board.  New England scored with less than a minute left in the third when Brady hit Rob Gronkowski with a TD pass in which the massive tight end just manhandled his defender who was left helpless to watch Gronk spike the ball as they cut the lead to 23-14.

Former UConn quarterback Dan Orlovsky saw some playing time with Tampa Bay and even threw a fourth quarter 8 yard TD pass to WR Sammie Stroughter to increase the Bucs lead to 30-14 midway into the final quarter.

The Patriots answered quickly in just under 3 and half minutes second year third string QB Ryan Mallett led the team on a scoring drive that was finished off when he threw to Jeremy Ebert, the rookie from Northwestern, for a 3 yard TD with 4:13 remaining in the game.

With just a two minutes remaining New England got the ball back and Mallett led them on a drive that saw them get all the way to the Tampa Bay 8-yard line.  They used their final timeout with 0:50 seconds to play and a 3rd and five call hanging in the balance.

A defensive holding penalty moved the ball to the 4 and gave New England a 1st down.  Mallett then found WR Jesse Holley in the end zone for a 4 yard strike with 0:33 seconds to play to get the final score to 30-28.

To continue reading the New England Patriots @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers preview week 3 recap, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Game Notes

The Patriots started their Top 3 rookies DE Chandler Jones, LB Dont’a Hightower and S Tavon Wilson.

Patriots offensive starters

• LT Solder
• LG Mankins
• C Connolly
• RG Thomas
• RT Cannon
• TE Gronkowski
• TE Hernandez
• QB Brady
• RB Ridley
• WR Lloyd
• WR Edelman

Patriots defensive starters

• DE Ninkovich
• DT Wilfork
• DT Love
• DE Jones
• SLB Hightower
• MLB Spikes
• WLB Mayo
• CB McCourty
• CB Arrington
• S Wilson
• S Gregory

This was the 10th preseason meeting between the two teams.

The Buccaneers lead the preseason series 8-2.

This is the second consecutive season the teams have met in Tampa during the preseason.

Nine of the ten meetings have been played in Tampa Bay.

RB Shane Vereen and RB Spencer Larsen both suffered injuries in the first half as did CB Kyle Arrington.

In the third quarter S Stephen Gregory suffered an injury that doesn’t appear serious in nature.

Jeff Demps made his Patriots debut and returned a kick off from deep in the end zone to the 16-yard line.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: ap photo

This Week

The New England Patriots visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The Patriots (2011)                      The Buccaneers (2011)

Overall          13-3                       Overall          4-12

Road record   6-2                        Home record  3-5

NFC South     0-0                        AFC East       0-0

NFC Conf       3-1                        AFC Conf       1-3

The Patriots are 1-1 and the Buccaneers are 1-1 in the preseason.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday the line on the game from Yahoo Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 6.  The over under is 44.

My Prediction is Patriots 24, Buccaneers, 10.  Give the points (Patriots) and take the under.

Tickets

Tickets to the game, if available, can be purchased through Ticketmaster.  You can check the availability here.

Getting to the Game

If you’re lucky enough to be going to the game in Tampa Bay make sure you check out the links.

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Tampa FL.

Click for all the game day information including stadium directions, parking and stadium information, parking map and a Raymond James Stadium seating chart.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgating.com.  There’s something there for everyone and every type of meal or snack.  I’ve tried some of the recipes and they’re very good.

And with tailgating many people enjoy some adult beverages.  With that in mind check out Drink Nation for how to make all sorts of great drinks.  You can look things up by name, ingredient(s) or theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or a friend’s house moderation is always the key to a great time.  Please don’t drink and drive and designate a sober driver.  Remember You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

The Patriots Preseason Television Network is televising three of the Patriots four preseason games through out New England and Hawaii.

Longtime national play by play announcer Don Criqui and former NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman Randy Cross will call the games.

Stations in the Patriots Preseason TV Network include:

• WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston MA
• WNAC-TV Channel 64 in Providence RI
• WMUR-TV Channel 9 in Manchester NH
• WMTW-TV Channel 8 in Portland ME
• WCTX-TV Channel 9 in Hartford/New Haven CT
• WWLP-TV Channel 22 in Springfield MA
• WVII-TV Channel 7 or WFVX-TV Channel 22 in Bangor ME
• WVNY-TV Channel 22 in Burlington VT
• KFVE-TV Channel 5 in Honolulu HI

Check your local listings for your station.

DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket is not allowed to carry preseason games per the NFL Broadcast Rules.

Preseason television rights belong to the teams and not to the league, hence no DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket until Week 1 of the regular season.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play, former Patriot Scott Zolak does the color. It all starts with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh with the pregame show at 4:30 p.m. along the network. The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours along the network.

The Patriots radio network call is available on Sirius Channel 85 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 818.

To continue reading the New England Patriots @ Tampa Bay Buccanneers preseason week 3 preview, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Last Week

The Patriots lost at home to the Eagles, 27-17.  The Bucs lost at home to the Titans, 30-7.

History

• This is the 10th preseason meeting between the two teams.
• The Buccaneers lead the preseason series 7-2.
• This is the second consecutive season the teams have met in Tampa during the preseason.
• The Patriots beat the Buccaneers 31-14 last preseason in Week 2 in Tampa.
• Nine of the ten meetings have been played in Tampa Bay

Game Notes

The two teams held joint practice sessions in Tampa Bay on Wednesday and Thursday.

Last year the Patriots were third in points scored while the Bucs were 27th.

In 2011, the Patriots were 15th in points allowed per game, while the Bucs were 32nd.

The Patriots were 3rd in takeaway/giveaways at PLUS 17 while the Buccaneers were 32nd at MINUS 16.

Tampa Bay QB Dan Orlovsky is a UConn alum and a Shelton CT native.

Tampa Bay C Moe Pietrus played at UConn for four seasons and started a school record 52 consecutive games.

Patriots rookie OL Jeremiah Warren is a native of Panama City FL and played at USF.

Tampa Bay WR Tiquan Underwood was a Patriot in 2011 and C/G Ted Larsen was drafted by New England in the 6th round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Bucs defensive front seven coach Bryan Cox was a member of the Patriots that won Super Bowls XXXVI.

Tampa Bay senior offensive assistant Jimmy Raye was the Patriots offensive coordinator in 1990.

Tampa Bay defensive line coach Randy Melvin had a similar position with the Patriots in 2000 and 2001.

Patriots CB Kyle Arrington was once on the Tampa Bay practice squad for 14 weeks in 2008 and played one game for them in 2009.

Patriots TE Daniel Fells was once on the Bucs practice squad in 2008.

Steven Belichick, a Patriots assistant and son of Bill, played football last year at Rutgers for Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano.

Next Week

The Patriots visit the New York Giants Tuesday at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford NJ.  Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. on the Patriots Television Network.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

Back in mid March the New England Patriots signed former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Jonathan Fanene to a contract for 3 years and $12 million with a signing bonus of just under $4 million.

After taking part in some offseason conditioning, minicamp and OTA’s Fanene came to training camp and reportedly hurt his knee.  The 6-foot-4, 290 lbs. defensive end hadn’t practiced since late July and on Tuesday had his contract terminated.

Head coach Bill Belichick has repeatedly over the last two days said, “it just didn’t work out” which we New England know is code for “I’m not totally happy with the situation”.

Then earlier on Wednesday SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Ross Tucker tweeted:

According to NFL source, Pats cut Fanene under “Failure to Disclose Physical Condition”. Likely going after that $3.85M SB he got.

— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) August 22, 2012

Seems that even though Fanene passed two physicals given by the team, one at the time of the signing and one before training camp, it appears as though Fanene hid this injury from the team, an injury that now will require surgery.

This is seemingly a case of an injured player trying to allegedly defraud a team for a long-term contract and a decent signing bonus.  You have to wonder if other teams didn’t sign Fanene because they had an inkling to the injury.

It really doesn’t much matter at this point because the team seems to feel it was bilked out of nearly $4 million dollars.  You can bet that the Kraft’s and Belichick will pursue this matter legally and try to get a majority of that signing bonus back.  I believe because he took part in earlier activity that he should be allowed to keep a portion of the bonus but that some where in the 65-80% range should come back to the team.

Because the Patriots terminated Fanene’s contract, after he recovers from surgery, he will be eligible to sign with any NFL team.  It’s a shame that this situation took this road, Fanene was expected to add some serious depth along the New England defensive line.  He was looked at as a legit run-stuffing end that could rush the passer from either inside or outside.  He was projected to help replace Mark Anderson, who signed with Buffalo, and Andre Carter, who is still a free agent and making visits after recovering from an ACL injury he suffered against Denver late last season.

In 2011 with Cincinnati, he had 6.5 sacks in 2011 and 6 sacks in 2010.

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photo credit: nesn.com

New England Patriots defensive lineman Kyle Love, a restricted rights free agent this past offseason, got a one year contract extension and is now with the team though the 2013 season.

Earlier this spring Love signed his RFA tender and there was word all along the team was looking at giving him a two year deal with a signing bonus that would keep him away from unrestricted free agency after the 2012 season.

The extension has a maximum value of $3.1 million with a $500,000 signing bonus.

The 6’1”, 310 lb. Love, who played his college ball at Mississippi State, has been with the Patriots since the 2010 season when he was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent.

In 2011 Love, 25, had 33 tackles and 3 sacks and played in more than 50% of the teams defensive snaps.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: getty images