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.

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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