Replaces Josh McDaniels: According to Chris Gasper, the New England Patriots will name Bill O’Brien as their new quarterbacks coach. O’Brien will replace former offensive coordinator/QB coach Josh McDaniels who left to coach the Denver Broncos. O’Brien has been with the Pats for two season, spending last season as the wide receivers coach. [Reiss’s Pieces]

No timetable for return: During an interview on Fan 590 in Toronto to promote a toxin-free cream, injured New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was asked about his knee. Here’s what he had to say.

[Reiss’s Pieces]

Patriots 6-1 favorites: The New England Patriots have been chosen as 6-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl next season by the Las Vegas Sports Consultants. The Pittsburgh Steelers are second at 7-1. “The Patriots coming into this year were overwhelming favorites based on what they did last year,” said Mike Seba, Sports Consultants’ senior oddsmaker. “They’re going to have pretty much the same team as long as Brady comes back, so they should be the favorites again.” And in a sign of the apocalypse, Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells were seen sitting together at the Senior Bowl. [Houston Chronicle]

O’Brien Reunited With Belichick: According to a report in the Denver Post, Denver Broncos special teams coach Scott O’Brien will take over the same role with the New England Patriots. Patriots special teams coach Brad Seely is expected to join Eric Mangini with the Cleveland Browns as their special teams coach. O’Brien and Belichick worked together back in Cleveland in 1991 with Belichick was the head honcho there. [Denver Post]

The New England Patriots released a statement from head coach Bill Belichick on the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who was named Denver Broncos head coach.

“Josh McDaniels is one of the finest people and brightest, most talented coaches I have ever worked with. Since joining us eight years ago, Josh performed a variety of roles and excelled in every one of them. Between his work on defense, in scouting, player evaluation and coordinating the offense, Josh is a very well-rounded coach whose outstanding body of work speaks for itself. He is the product of a pure football environment which is evident in his approach to the game. On behalf of the entire Patriots organization, we thank Josh for tremendous success in New England and congratulate him and the McDaniels family for this most deserving opportunity for advancement.”

McDaniels received a 4-year contract from the Broncos and will be introduced tonight in Denver at a 7 PM EST press conference.

Here is a press release from the New England Patriots media relations staff concerning the signing of 5 players to future contracts.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots signed five players to future contracts today – defensive lineman Titus Adams, linebacker Angelo Craig, punter Tom Malone, linebacker Darrell Robertson and offensive lineman Ryan Wendell. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed. All five players ended the 2008 season as members of the Patriots practice squad.

Adams, 25, spent the entire 2008 regular season on the Patriots practice squad. He was originally selected by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Nebraska. The 6-foot-4-inch, 305-pound defensive lineman has not played in an NFL game, but has been signed by the New York Jets (2006 training camp), New York Giants (2007 offseason), San Diego Chargers (2007 training camp) and Cincinnati Bengals (2007 practice squad). He was released by the Bengals on July 7, 2008 and was signed by the Patriots on July 24, 2008.

Craig, 23, was a member of the Patriots practice squad from Dec. 3 through the end of the 2008 season. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of the University of Cincinnati. The 6-foot-5-inch, 242-pound linebacker was released by the Bengals in the final preseason roster cutdown on Aug. 31, 2008. He was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad on Sept. 3, 2008 and was released the following day.

Malone, 24, had two stints on the Patriots practice squad in 2008 – from Sept. 10 to Sept. 15 and from Nov. 26 through the end of the season. He was also on the Patriots practice squad late in the 2006 season and was with the team for its 2007 training camp. He was signed to the Patriots practice squad on December 20, 2006, and was signed to the active roster on January 23, 2007 before being released on Aug. 22, 2007. The 6-foot, 205-pound punter was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie free agent on May 5, 2006, out of the University of Southern California.

Robertson, 22, was a member of the Patriots practice squad from Nov. 17 through the end of the 2008 season. He was originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent following the 2008 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4-inch, 246-pound linebacker was released by the Cowboys on Aug. 30, 2008. He was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League on Sept. 9, 2008 and played in two games for Edmonton, recording six tackles before being released on Sept. 29.

Wendell, 22, was a member of the Patriots practice squad from Sept. 24 through the end of the 2008 season. He was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Fresno State on May 2, 2008. The 6-foot-2-inch, 275-pound guard/center was with the Patriots throughout their 2008 training camp and was released on Aug. 26. Wendell was a four-year starter at Fresno State and was a first-team All-WAC selection as a senior in 2007.

With wins by the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots are now eliminated from the playoffs. Commence crying now!

Good season for the Patriots though. Considering everything they went through with all the injuries this season and having an unproven quarterback, they probably exceeded most people’s expectations when the franchise, Tom Brady, went down in Game 1.

The Patriots are the first team since 1985 (Denver Broncos) to finish the season 11-5 and not make the playoffs.

More on this in the coming days.

This is how the AFC stacks up for the playoffs.

1. Tennessee Titans (BYE)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (BYE)
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Denver Broncos/San Diego Chargers
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Baltimore Ravens

Result

While it was a very important game for the New England Patriots, it was a boring game watching the two teams run the ball due to the heavy wind. In the end, it was the Patriots and their running game along with the foot of Stephen Gostowski that got the job done as the Patriots took care of their business beating the Buffalo Bills 13-0 in windy Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.

The Patriots now await their fate as they need the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins or have the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Baltimore Ravens to make the playoffs.

It is the 11th straight time the Patriots have beaten the Bill and the 15th time in the last 16 games.

Honestly, it was a boring game watching both teams run the ball. Given the wind conditions though, you can’t fault the coaches for running the ball. The Patriots tandem of Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan combined for 149 yards with Matt Cassel rushing for 19 yards, including two big rushes on 4th down.

Passing was at a premium in the game as Cassel attempted just 8 passes hitting on 6 of them for 78 yards while Trent Edwards was 14-of-25 for 128 yards. Most of Edwards passes came in the 4th quarter into the wind that had died down.

Even the field goal kickers had fun as one of Stephen Gostowski’s field goal attempts looked like it was going in only to have it blown sideways out of the end zone just in front of the goal posts. Rian Lindell’s field goal attempt was way wide right when the wind pushed. Honestly it was just really ugly for the kickers. How Gostowski made those 2 field goals is beyond me. Gostowski’s PAT attempt in the 3rd quarter barely got across the goal posts as the wind blew it back.

Now all the Patriots can do is watch the Jets/Dolphins game and the Ravens/Jags game to find out what they will be doing this week. Will it be practice for a playoff game or will they be the second team since 1985 (Denver Broncos) to be 11-5 and miss the playoffs. We should have that answer in about 3 hours.

Scoring Plays

PATRIOTS	3	0	7	3	13
BILLS	0	0	0	0	0

1^st Quarter

• NE – Stephen Gostowski 33 yard field goal

2^nd Quarter

none

3^rd Quarter

• NE – LaMont Jordan 2 yard run (Gostowski PAT)

4^th Quarter

• NE – Gostowski 23 yard field goal

Offensive Player of the Game

Stephen Gostowski was 2-0f-3 on field goals, hitting from 23 yards and 33 yards. Considering the havoc, the win played, his two field goals were key in the victory.

Defensive Players of the Game

Junior Seau had 9 tackles and Jarvis Green filled in admirably for Richard Seymour with 5 tackles and 2 sacks and a forced fumble.

Turning Point(s) of the Game

1. The Patriots winning the coin toss and electing to take the wind in the 1st quarter.
2. At the end of the 2nd quarter, Fred Jackson was stopped at the Patriots 9 and a mini-fight broke out. The officials never stopped the clock and the Bills were unable to get on to the field to kick the field goal which possibly could have tied the game at 3 going into the half.

Continue reading →

It’s do, get some help or die for the New England Patriots in the final game of the regular season against the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots need to win and hope the New York Jets beat the Miami Dolphins or have the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Baltimore Ravens.

If the Patriots and Jets win, the Patriots are the AFC East Champions and would receive the 3rd seed in the AFC and host a divisional matchup next weekend. If the Patriots and Dolphins win, the Patriots need Jacksonville to win so they can secure the final wild card spot in the AFC and go on the road in the playoffs.

If the Patriots win their game, they will have to wait until around 7 PM or so to find out their fate as the NFL moved the Jets/Dolphins and Ravens/Jaguars games to 4:15 PM. Nonetheless, it should be an interesting day.

If you missed the official SOX & Dawgs Patriots vs Bills Game Preview, don’t forget to check it out.

The Patriots will be without Richard Seymour this afternoon as he was officially ruled out yesterday.

The Patriots are only focused at the task at hand and not worried about anything else right now.

Gary Marbry of WEEI.com has some Patriots/Bills nuggets for us to chew on before the game.

Lamont Jordan already has one special ring.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe has a look at what the Patriots will miss with Ray Ventrone being out after undergoing surgery on his jaw.

Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com has his take on today’s game.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe has some nuggets for us as well.

Ty Warren helped out a Warwick, RI family after he found out they had lost their home in a fire recently.

Reserves Mike Wright and Le Kevin Smith are happy to be helping their teammates out.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe spends a few minutes with Dan Koppen.

Former Patriots player Danny Villa was arrested yesterday on rape charges.

Wes Welker doesn’t care much for breaking records.

Here’s a look at how the Patriots have fared in games played in the wind this season.

Will this be the last time we see Matt Cassel in a Patriots uniform during the regular season?

This Week

The New England Patriots visit the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY on Sunday at 1 p .m.

The Patriots are 5-2 on the road, 3-2 in the division and 6-5 against the AFC. The Bills are 3-4 at home, 0-5 in the division and 5-6 against the AFC.

The Patriots beat the Bills 20-10 in Week 10 at Gillette Stadium.

Here are the rosters for the Patriots and Bills.

Here are the projected starting lineups for the game.

The Line

As of Wednesday the line on the game from Yahoo! Sports is Patriots -6½. The over/under is 41.

Tickets

Tickets to the game, if available, may 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 Buffalo make sure you check out the links.

Here is the current weather forecast for Buffalo from weather.com

Click for stadium directions, parking, stadium information and a Ralph Wilson Stadium seating chart. Here is some information on the Buffalo area.

Tailgating

Here’s a bunch of different tailgating recipes from Tailgaiting America. 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 for good measure here is one of my own.

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 by theme.

Whether it’s at the game, a bar or someone’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

CBS is televising the game regionally and Greg Gumbel will do the play-by-play while Dan Dierdorf will handle the game analysis. You can see if you are getting the game and look for your local CBS Station.

Direct TV NFL Sunday Ticket has the game on Channel 706.

For those of you overseas here is some general information on NFL Broadcasts for the 2008 season.

Patriots All-Access airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on WCVB TV 5 in Boston. It will also be simulcast on the team website at the same time. Make sure you check out the Patriots Football Network for information on when you can see Patriots All-Access in your market.

Radio

The Patriots Rock Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBCN-FM 104.1 in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play and former Patriot Gino Cappelletti does the color.

It all starts with Gary Tanguay, Scott Zolak and Andy Gresh and the pregame show at 10 a.m. along the network.

The post game starts after the final gun and continues for three hours.

If you are outside of the broadcast area of the stations on the Patriots Rock Radio Network you can purchase NFL Field Pass which allows you to listen to any NFL game live. You can also pick which teams broadcasters you want to listen to.

All NFL games are also available on Sirius Satellite Radio. The Patriots Rock Radio Network call is available on Channel 122, the Bills Radio Network has John Murphy calling the game while former Bills DB Mark Kelso provide the game analysis. Their call is available on Channel 147.

Since the satellite merger XM Satellite Radio also carries all the NFL games and in most cases has just the radio call of the home team. This game can be heard on XM Channel 102.

Last Week

 

The Patriots whipped  the Cardinals 47-7 at the Razor, while the Bills beat the Broncos in Denver, 30-23.

History

• This is the 98th meeting between the Patriots and the Bills since they started to face each other as AFL foes in 1960.
• The Patriots lead the series 56-40-1 and the 56 wins are the most the Patriots have over any opponent.
• New England has won 10 straight games in the series and 15 of the last 16. The only loss coming on opening day 2003 when the Bills dismantled New England 38-0.
• The Patriots have won 7 of the 8 games played in Buffalo since Bill Belichick took over in 2000.
• The Patriots beat the Bills, 20-10 in Week 10 at Gillette Stadium as rookie RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 105 yards on 25 carries and scored a TD.

Connections

• Bills head coach Dick Jauron is a native of Swampscott, MA. and was a three-sport standout at Swampscott High, where he was named one of the top 10 Massachusetts prep athletes of the 20th Century by the Boston Globe.  He played college football at Yale University in New Haven CT.
• Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the Detroit Lions’ assistant special teams coach from 1976-77, while Bills head coach Dick Jauron played safety for Detroit.
• Bills DT Spencer Johnson and Patriots RB Heath Evans were teammates at Auburn University.
• Patriots CB Deltha O’Neal and Bills OT Langston Walker were college teammates at Cal.
• Bills DT Marcus Stroud and Patriots DE Richard Seymour are fomer teammates at Georgia.
• Patriots RB LaMont Jordan and CB Lewis Sanders were college teammates of Bills OL Kevin Fowler at Maryland.
• Bills WR Roscoe Parrish spent time as teammates with NT Vince Wilfork and S Brandon Meriweather at the University of Miami.
• Bills TE Robert Royal and WR Josh Reed were teammates with Patriots LB Eric Alexander, DL Jarvis Green and RB Kevin Faulk at LSU.
• Patriots OL Russ Hochstein and Bills DE Chris Kelsey played college football together at Nebraska.
• Bills CB Jabari Greer and Patriots WR Kelley Washington went to Tennessee together.
• Patriots TE David Thomas and Bills OL Derrick Dockery were college teammates at Texas.
• Patriots running back Sammy Morris was drafted by the Bills in the fifth round (156th selection) of the 2000 NFL Draft. Morris played for the Bills from 2000-03.
• Patriots wide receiver Sam Aiken was drafted by the Bills in the third round (127th selection) of the 2003 NFL Draft. Aiken played in his first five season with the Bills before signing with the Patriots in March 2008.

Other News

This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference on the Bills. You can also see what Buffalo head coach Dick Jauron had to say about the game in a conference call with the New England media.

 

Here is the injury list for the game.

Bill Belichick coached teams are 15-3 vs Buffalo. Belichick was 0-1 vs Buffalo as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 137-86 in 14 NFL seasons. He is 15-4 in the post season, when you combine the regular season and postseason Belichick is 152-90.

Matt Cassel is 9-5 since he took over for the injured Tom Brady.

The Patriots overall franchise record is 376-354-9. They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXIII, XXXIX) in 6 appearances.

The Patriots are even in turnover differential for the season which is good for 16th in the league

Based on points per game the Patriots offense is ranked 3rd in the league, while the defense is 12th.

New England is 38-11 against the rest of the AFC East since 2001.

Since 2001 the Patriots are 69-17 in games played on November 1st or later.

2008 Patriots schedule/results

News from this weeks opponent:

Buffalo head coach Dick Jauron is in his third season in Buffalo.  He is in his 9th NFL season as a head coach and owns a 57-75 career record. He is 21-26 with Buffalo; 1-4 as an interim head coach with Detroit and 35-45 in 5 years with Chicago.

Jauron is 1-6 in his career against New England (0-5 in Buffalo and 1-1 with Chicago).

Since he took over the Bills for the 2006 season they are 7-9 against the AFC East.

Bills QB Trent Edwards is 0-1 in his career vs. New England.

After starting out 4-0, the Bills have gone 3-8 since.

Buffalo is -7 in turnover differential which is good for 26th in the league.

Based on points per game, the Bills offense is ranked xxth, while their defense is xxth.

Buffalo’s all-time record is 348-383-8 , they are 14-15 in the post season with their last post season appearance coming in 1999 when they lost to Tennessee in the AFC Wild Card game . They last played for a conference championship in 1993 when they beat Kansas City in the AFC Title game, 30-13. They then went on to lose to Dallas in Super Bowl XXVIII . They have never won a Super Bowl title in four appearances.

The BIlls franchise started in 1960 in the AFL and they won two AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965.

In the 2008 NFL Draft, Buffalo had one first round pick, they selected DB Leodis McKelvin (Troy – 11th overall). In all the Bills made 10 picks in the 7 rounds.

The Bills have more players on their roster from Virginia and LSU (3) than any other schools. They have 21 players on the 53-man roster with two years or less of NFL experience.

In 2007 the Bills had DE Aaron Schobel and T Jason Peters make the Pro Bowl.  They had no First Team All-Pro’s.

2008 Bills schedule/results

Next Week

NFL WIld Card Playoff Weekend if Pats win and Jets win or Pats win and Ravens lose.

Editors note: Steve did most of the prep work for this post.