Cespedes and the Value of Protection

Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Boston Red Sox doubles in a run in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on September 6, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts.

When the Oakland A’s traded Yoenis Cespedes to Boston, something weird happened to Brandon Moss.

Moss has never been a great hitter. His batting average is low, his strikeouts are high – but he has power. He hit 30 home runs in 2013 and looked to be on his way to putting up similar stats this season. Moss, along with Cespedes and Josh Donaldson, comprised the core of Oakland’s hitting attack.

Swapping one of those power hitters for Jon Lester, an ace starter, seemed like an even deal. Oakland would score less runs, but pitching matters more than hitting in the playoffs. This trade shouldn’t have backfired.

But after Cespedes left, Brandon Moss became a shell of the hitter he was in 2013. In fact, Moss’ stats without Cespedes being on Oakland’s roster look similar to his stats when he hit behind Cespedes in the batting order instead of hitting in front of Cespedes.

This is interesting, because if Moss performed worse when Cespedes wasn’t protecting him in the batting order, this suggests that Cespedes provides value in the protection he provides to hitters in front of him. Sluggers protecting hitters is one of those facets of baseball that aren’t reflected in measures like WAR.

I will not call WAR a “stat” because it’s a weighted measurement of players, and as far as I’m concerned, the linear weights attached to calculations that comprise WAR are biased. Therefore, WAR is an opinion and not a stat. And the opinionated bias of WAR is reflected in things that those calculating WAR choose to ignore, like the protection power hitters provide to other hitters in the lineup.

To see what effect sluggers protecting hitters has, let’s look at what happens to Moss when Cespedes isn’t hitting behind him.

Cespedes mostly hit 4th when he was with Oakland; sometimes he hit 5th. Moss generally hit in front of Cespedes, but Oakland’s manager likes to switch the batting order around a lot so there’s a decent sample size of times when Moss hit behind Cespedes. During those times, when Moss bats 5th or 6th in Oakland’s batting order, he’s hitting .188 with a .317 OBP, and he has 5 HR. That’s one homer every 18 AB, which isn’t that bad, but you have to hit the ball to get on base and drive in runs. As a .188 average attests to, Moss was not hitting the ball when he batted behind Cespedes.

That stat line looks similar to Moss’ stats post-Cespedes. Here’s how Moss has done in August and September: .163 AVG / .317 OBP. His power has dropped off as well, with Moss hitting only 2 HR in that time.

Moss’ strikeouts are up as well. With Cespedes on the roster, Moss was striking out once every 4.22 plate appearances. But since Cespedes’ departure, Moss is striking out once every 3.24 PA. Similarly, when Moss hit behind Cespedes, he’s K:PA ratio jumped to 2.87.

Coincidentally, while Moss has regressed, David Ortiz‘s stats have received a boost since Cespedes arrived in Boston. Before the trade, Ortiz was hitting .250 with a .344 OBP, and he averaged a home run every 15.36 AB. Which isn’t bad, but look at Ortiz’s stats with Cespedes hitting behind him: .307 AVG / .393 OBP, and he’s averaging one HR every 14.11 AB.

What does this mean?

Brandon Moss regressing without Cespedes and Ortiz improving with Cespedes could just be a coincidence, true. But I’m reminded of something my favorite International Politics professor, one of those genius intellect type of people, told me when I was an undergrad: “I don’t believe in coincidences.” In baseball, just like in anything else, if something remarkable happens, there’s probably a clear and concise explanation for this event.

Something remarkable is happening to hitters when Cespedes is behind them in the batting order. Personally, I think slugger protection of hitters is the main factor here – but I could be wrong. Something I haven’t seen may be in play here; or it could be a combination of factors.

One thing all reasonable baseball fans should agree with, though, is Cespedes and slugger protection makes for an interesting discussion. I’d hate to see a discussion of Cespedes’ value devolve into an argument over what his WAR is, as so many discussions about players devolve to these days. This is interesting and worthy of further discussion. Let’s talk about it.

photo credit: getty images

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Huskies Roundup – 9/21/14

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a DAILY basis.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Report Card: UConn Vs. South Florida [desmond conner – hartford courant]

UConn losing the field position battle [jim fuller – new haven register]

Seniors Have Time To Make A Mark [hartford courant]

UConn kept it conservative in loss to South Florida [new haven register]

UConn football may not be at rock bottom yet [new haven register]

Offense still an issue for UConn [the day]

Huskies continue to schedule Power 5 teams [waterbury republican-american]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

UConn Nearing Accord To Play Ohio State [john altavilla – hartford courant]

U.S. rolls past China [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Say A Little Prayer For Me: Dorothy Ollie In Jacobs’ Corner [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Splits A Pair of Matches With Bryant and Hofstra [uconn huskies]

Field Hockey. Field Hockey to Play in Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Game [uconn huskies]

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Huskies Roundup – 9/20/14

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Early Turnover, Lack of Offense Dooms UConn in 17-14 Loss To USF [sox & dawgs]

Video: Highlights From USF’s 17-14 Win Over UConn [sox & dawgs]

Near record offensive struggles dooms UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

Offense, passing game fizzles [john silver – sny uconn]

UConn Football: USF Post Game Wrap [uconn huskies youtube]

UConn Loses To South Florida, 17-14 [hartford courant]

Jones’ Interception Was Bright Spot [hartford courant]

UConn’s Offense Reported Missing In Florida [hartford courant]

UConn falls short against South Florida [new haven register]

Punchless Huskies fall in the mud to South Florida [waterbury republican-american]

USF beats UConn [tampa times]

Rodney Adams scores memorable TD for USF [tampa times]

USF beats UConn 17-14 in wet AAC opener [tampa tribune]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Auriemma, Moore, Stewart, Taurasi Talk Australia [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Say A Little Prayer For Me: Dorothy Ollie In Jacobs’ Corner [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Zuniga’s Equalizer Helps UConn Earn 1-1 Draw Against Iona [uconn huskies]

W. Soccer. UConn Closes Non-Conference Slate With Brown On Sunday [uconn huskies]

W. Soccer. UConn Falls to No. 5 Florida State – Game Wrap [uconn huskies youtube]

M. Tennis. Huskies Sweep Siena, 4-0 [uconn huskies]

W. Volleyball. UConn Drops Columbia in Five Sets On Friday Night [uconn huskies]

Field Hockey. No. 5 UConn Downs UMass, 2-0, On Friday Afternoon [uconn huskies]

UConn Student-Athletes Participate In Husky Reach BBQ Kickoff [uconn huskies]

Video: Highlights From USF’s 17-14 Win Over UConn

Here are the highlights from the South Florida Bulls 17-14 win over the UConn Huskies on Friday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.

Early Turnover, Lack of Offense Dooms UConn in 17-14 Loss To USF

South Florida running back Marlon Mack finds a hole in the UConn defense on September 19, 2014 at Raymond James Stadium.

Guess what happened again? Yes that is right, an early turnover. And yes, it was converted into seven points.

For the fourth straight game, the UConn Huskies opponent, this time the South Florida Bulls, converted an early turnover into seven points. And unlike the Stony Brook game, UConn couldn’t recover as they fell to USF 17-14 in front of 28,723 rain-soaked fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL on Friday night.

The Huskies fall to 1-3 (0-1 American) while South Florida evens up their record at 2-2 (1-0).

The conditions were absolutely brutal with torrential downpours at time. You could say the same thing about UConn’s offensive line as they were brutal with huge gaps allowing USF’s defense to look like the Steel Curtain.

Chandler Whitmer had no chance when he fumbled the ball after being hit by Chris Dunkley, who recovered the fumble at UConn’s 19. Dunkley came in untouched as Gus Cruz didn’t even see him and he walloped Whitmer.

Two minutes later, USF true freshman running back Marlon Mack put the ball into the end zone with a one yard one.

Pre-snap penalties killed UConn’s next drive, you know those things that cause losing.

South Florida then drove the ball down to UConn’s 30 yard line. But the defense toughened up, stopping Mack on first and second down, then they watched, Mike White throw an incomplete pass.

With the rain beating down and a sloppy turf, USF coach Willie Taggert decided to go for it on 4th and 10 instead of having Marvin Kloss try the 47 yard field goal. It turned out to be the right call as Rodney Adams burned Obi Melifonwu for a 30 yard touchdown reception.

“Just, again, no way to start a game.” UConn coach Bob Diaco said. “Hostile territory, on the road, inclement weather, all the challenges, all the adversity.”

“The youth and inexperience and beginnings of our program continue to show themselves, as victimizing moments, in terms of winning and losing. You start the game and a few short minutes it’s fourteen to nothing.”

With the rain and the lackluster performance of the offensive line, Diaco played it conservative. The defense played strongly and kept the Bulls off the scoreboard.

With halftime approaching and USF driving, the Huskies caught a break when a White pass bounced off of Rodney Adams and Byron Jones scooped it out of the air and brought it back 70 yards for a touchdown.

The teams traded punts for the third quarter and then UConn defense came up strong in the 4th when they stopped a goal to go situation and forced a Kloss field goal.

It would turn out to be the difference in the game as the Huskies got the ball back late and went down the field in four plays culminating in a Geremy Davis touchdown reception.

But with no timeouts, it was a little too late as the Bulls recovered the onside kick.

“It was a night of gain a little bit and do something to shoot ourselves in the foot and take a step back.” said Diaco.

Scoring:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
UConn Huskies	0	7	0	7	14
South Florida Bulls	14	0	0	3	21

1st quarter

USF – 11:22 – Marlon Mack 1 Yd Run (Marvin Kloss Kick)

USF – 3:24 – Rodney Adams 30 Yd pass from Mike White (Marvin Kloss Kick)

2nd quarter

CON – 0:05 – Byron Jones 70 Yd Interception Return (Bobby Puyol Kick)

3rd quarter

NONE

4th quarter

USF – 6:03 – Marvin Kloss 19 Yd Field Goal

CON – 1:19 – Geremy Davis 32 Yd pass from Chandler Whitmer (Bobby Puyol Kick)

Offensive Player of the Game:

USF running back Marlon Mack was the first opposing rusher to get over 100 yards against UConn as he finished with 103 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive Players of the Game:

While they lost, UConn LB Marquise Vann stood out with 14 tackles (nine solo, five assisted) and Byron Jones who had a 70 yard interception return for a touchdown.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

Chris Dunkley‘s sack-fumbled on Chandler Whitmer on UConn’s first drive set the tone for the game.

Offensive Notes:

Chandler Whitmer was 6-of-10 for 88 yards and a touchdown. He was also sacked twice. Max DeLorenzo led the team with 36 yards rushing on 10 carries. Arkeel Newsome had four carries for 30 yards. Deshon Foxx had two catches for 30 yards with Noel Thomas adding two catches for 18 yards. Geremy Davis had a catch for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive Notes:

Marquise Vann had 14 tackles to lead UConn. Graham Stewart added nine tackles while Andrew Adams and B.J. McBryde had six each. Byron Jones had one tackle and an 70-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Special Teams Notes:

Justin Wain averaged 44.5 yards on eight punts. One of those eight went for a touchback. Bobby Puyol converted both of his extra points. Arkeel Newsome had four kickoff returns for 86 yards with a long of 24.

Game Notes:

UConn Huskies @ South Florida Bulls 9/19/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Bob Diaco and South Florida head coach Willie Taggert.

Injuries:

UConn LB Junior Joseph suffered an upper body injury.

ESPN reported UConn QB Tim Boyle was not available for the game. Diaco refuted the report saying Boyle had been cleared but is dealing with a lower leg thing.

AAC Games and Results:

Saturday, September 20

Tulane
Duke, 12:30 p.m.

Delaware State
Temple, 1 p.m.

(6) Texas A&M
SMU, 3:30 p.m.

North Carolina
East Carolina, 3:30 p.m.

Bethune Cookman
Central Florida, 6 p.m.

Miami (OH)
Cincinnati, 7 p.m.

Middle Tennessee
Memphis, 7 p.m.

UNLV
Houston, 8 p.m.

Things to Work On:

Continue to work with the offensive line as they were ineffective at just about everything
Continue to eliminate the things that cause losing

Up Next:

UConn returns home to Rentschler Field next Saturday as they’ll host the Temple Owls in an American Athletic Conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

photo credit: brad horrigan – hartford courant

Video: UConn Football On Importance of First Conference Game

With just over 30 minutes until kickoff against the South Florida Bulls on ESPN (8 p.m.), UConn Huskies QB Chandler Whitmer, head coach Bob Diaco and WR Geremy Davis talk about the importance of the first conference game.

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco & QB Chandler Whitmer on South Florida

With kickoff just about an hour away, here’s what UConn Huskies head coach Bob Diaco and QB Chandler Whitmer think of tonight’s opponent, the South Florida Bulls.

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Huskies Roundup – 9/19/14

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies football team as they are in Tampa, FL to take on the South Florida Bulls in an American Athletic Conference game. Kick is scheduled for 8 p.m. If you missed our UConn vs South Florida preview, be sure to check it out.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

First down woes costing UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

What a difference a couple years makes for UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn and USF Face Off in Conference Matchup [the american]

Win over South Florida will improve UConn season’s disposition [ct post]

UConn Needs Offense To Step Up Against South Florida [hartford courant]

Like UConn, South Florida In Rebuilding Mode [hartford courant]

UConn offensive line has major work to do [new haven register]

UConn football team begins AAC play at South Florida tonight [the day]

Former UConn Husky Danny Lansanah returns an interception for a touchdown [nfl]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Team USA Practices Twice; Set To Play Australia [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Shabazz Napier’s impressive trick shot [david borges – new haven register]

Other UConn related links

W. Tennis. UConn Women’s Tennis Continue Strong Start with 4-3 Win at Quinnipiac [uconn huskies]

W. Soccer. Hill Nets Two Goals In 3-2 Setback Vs. No. 5 Florida State [uconn huskies]

UConn Club. Paul Samele: UConn Is Family [uconn huskies]

In the Red Zone: Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots Preview Week 3

This Week

The New England Patriots host the Oakland Raiders at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA on Sunday at 1 p.m. It is the Patriots home opener for 2014.

The Raiders		The Patriots
Overall Record	0-2	Overall Record	1-1
Road Record	0-1	Home Record	0-0
AFC East	0-1	AFC West	0-0
AFC Conf	0-2	AFC Conf	0-1

Pete Morelli is the referee for the game.

The Line/Prediction

As of Thursday, the line on the game from Sports Betting via Yahoo Sports has the Patriots at MINUS 14. The over/under is 46.5.

My Prediction is Patriots 30, Raiders, 21. Take the points (Raiders) and take the over. I am 1-1 against the spread and 1 of 2 on calling the over/under in 2014.

Tickets

The Patriots are reporting the game as a sell out. It is the 219th consecutive sell out dating back to the 1994 season opener. The record includes preseason, regular season and playoff games.

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

After market tickets are available through the Official Patriots Ticket Exchange where season ticket holders can sell their unused seats to fans on the season ticket waiting list.

Getting to the Game

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

Here is the up to date weather forecast from the Weather Channel for Foxboro MA.

Click for all the game day information including Gillette Stadium directions, parking information, seating chart and map.

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 drive sober or get pulled over.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Television

CBS in televising the game regionally, Greg Gumbel will do play by play, former NFL QB Trent Green will provide the game analysis and Evan Washburn works the sidelines. You can look here for your local affiliate.

See if you’re getting the game courtesy of J.P. Kirby at the506.com.

The DirecTV designation is Channel 709.

Here are all the rules on NFL TV broadcasts including explaining the blackout rules; flex scheduling and commercial breaks.

Radio

The Patriots Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBZ-FM, 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston. Bob Socci handles the play-by-play and former Patriots QB Scott Zolak will do game analysis. It all starts with Gary Tanguay and Andy Gresh with the pregame show at 10 a.m. on 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 113, XM Channel 230 and SiriusXM Internet Channel 818.

The Oakland Raiders Radio Network has Greg Papa calling the play by play, former Raiders head coach Tom Flores does the color and former Raiders player Lincoln Kennedy is the sideline reporter via their flagship station KGMZ-FM 97.5, The Game.

Their call is available on Sirius Channel 140 and on SiriusXM Internet Channel 822.

Patriots All Access

Patriots All-Access features behind the scenes looks, interviews and breakdowns with head coach Bill Belichick and in depth features on the team. It’s hosted by Steve Burton of WBZ-TV (Boston) and airs weekly in most New England television markets.

Boston MA on TV 38 Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
Providence RI on WNAC Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
Manchester NH on WMUR Saturday at midnight
Portland ME on WMTW Saturday at 5 a.m.
Hartford CT on WCTX Saturday at 5 p.m.
Springfield MA on WFXQ Saturday at 7 p.m.
Bangor ME on WVII Sunday at 11 a.m.

You can also watch it anytime on the teams website in the media section.

Last Week

The Patriots got their first win of the year demolishing the Vikings, 30-7 at Minnesota.

The Raiders dropped their home opener and 2nd game in a row to the Texans, 30-14.

History

This is the 34th meeting between the teams with the Patriots holding a 17-15-1 advantage including the playoffs.
The Patriots are 10-5-1 as the home team in the series.
The teams first met in 1960 (AFL) the Raiders won at home, 27-14.
This is just the fifth game between the two franchises since 1989.
Patriots have won last three meetings, including last two in Oakland.
Teams last played in 2011 with the Patriots winning on the road, 31-19.

Patriots Team Notes

Here is the Patriots roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2014 Patriots Schedule/Results

The Patriots overall franchise record is 439-374-9. They have won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) in seven appearances. Overall they are 25-18 in the post season.

They last appeared in the playoffs in 2013 when they beat Indianapolis in the AFC Divisional Round 43-22 and lost at Denver 26-16 in the AFC Championship Game.

It was the 3rd consecutive AFC Championship game appearance for the franchise and 10th overall. They are 7-3 in those AFC title games.

The Patriots were 12-4 (1-1 in playoffs) in 2013 and are the defending five-time AFC East Champions. They have won the division 11 times and the conference 5 times since 2000.

New England is the only NFL team to finish .500 or better in each of the last 13 seasons (2001-2013).

They have 11 consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins.

They are the first team in the free agency era (1993) to win more than half their games in a 13-season span.

Since 2003 the Patriots have the NFL’s best record at 139-39.

Since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, the Patriots have the best NFL regular season home record at 81-15 and are 92-18 including playoffs also a NFL best.

This kicks off their 13th season at Gillette Stadium and they are 11-1 in the previous home openers.

In franchise history the Patriots are 29-25 in home openers.

New England has won the last 9 home games against AFC West opponents, their last home loss vs. an AFC West team was in 2006 to Denver, 17-7.

Overall against the AFC West since the 2002 realignment New England is 18-11 including playoffs.

They are 11-3 vs. the AFC West at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots and the Raiders have the most overall wins among the original eight AFL teams.

Overall Victory Total of All AFL Teams (including playoffs)

Team	Win	Loss	Tie
New England Patriots	462	392	9
Oakland Raiders	459	395	11
Denver Broncos	454	396	10
Kansas City Chiefs	423	410	12
San Diego Chargers	420	419	11
Tennessee Titans	414	435	6
Buffalo Bills	392	451	8
New York Jets	386	453	8

Under Bill Belichick the franchise is 38-1 when they have a 100-yard rusher. Last week Stevan Ridley had 101 rushing yards.

Last week the defense had 6 sacks and 4 INT’s for the 4th time in team history.

With last weeks win at Minnesota the Patriots are 35-4 since 2003 after a loss.

New England has 24 penalties this season in two weeks (31st in NFL) and has been penalized 263 yards.

New England is PLUS 5 in turnover differential tied for 2nd in the NFL. They have 5 INT and have recovered 2 fumbles while they have thrown 0 INT’s and lost 2 fumbles.

The Patriots are tied for 8th in points scored averaging 25.0 points per game and are 14th in fewest points allowed with 20.0 points per game.

This is the 21st season of Patriots ownership by the Kraft family. Since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994 they:

Have the most Super Bowl wins, 3.
Have the most regular season wins, 218.
Have the most wins including playoffs, 239.
Have the most conference titles, 6.
Have the most division titles, 13.
Have the most playoff wins, 21
Have played the most playoff games, 33.
Are tied for the most playoff seasons, 15.
The fewest head coaches within the division, 3.
Have drafted the most Pro Bowl players, 20.

From 1960 to 1993 the New England/Boston Patriots won a total of 225 games.

Patriots Staff Notes

This is the link to head coach Bill Belichick’s Wednesday press conference on the Raiders.

Bill Belichick is 6-1 against the Raiders, 4-1 as the head coach in New England.

Overall in his NFL career Belichick is 200-106 in his 19th NFL season as a head coach. He is 164-62 with New England and 36-44 with Cleveland. He is 19-9 in the playoffs, 18-8 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season. When you combine his regular season and post season records he is 219-115.

Belichick’s 219 wins are good for 5th all-time. Hall of Fame member Curly Lambeau is 4th with 229 wins.

He has won 5 conference titles; he needs one more to tied Don Shula’s record of 6.

He is the first head coach to have had 4 teams that scored at least 500 points in a season.

Belichick is one of five head coaches in NFL history whose father (Steve Belichick) played in the league. The others are former Kansas City head coach Todd Haley (Dick Haley), former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan (Dick Nolan), former Cincinnati head coach David Shula (Don Shula) and former NY Jets head coach Joe Walton (Frank Walton).

Belichick is one of just four coaches to win three Super Bowls, joining Chuck Noll (4), Joe Gibbs (3) and Bill Walsh (3). Those men are all in the Hall of Fame.

He is the only coach in NFL history to win three championship titles in four seasons.

No coach either as the head coach or an assistant has appeared in more Super Bowls than Belichick who has been to 8 (five as a head coach).

He is the only coach in NFL history to have led his team to 10+ wins in 11 consecutive seasons.

He has been NFL Coach of the Year three times he and Chuck Knox are the only three time winners, while Don Shula won four times.

Patriots Possible Starters

Offense:

LT: Solder
LG: Cannon
C: Stork
RG: Connolly
RT: Vollmer
TE: Gronkowski
WR: Edelman
WR: Amendola
QB: Brady
RB: Ridley
RB: Develin

Defense:

DE: Ninkovich
DT: Wilfork
DT: Vellano
DE: Cha. Jones
LB: White
LB: Mayo
LB: Hightower
LCB: Revis
RCB: Arrington
S: Chung
S: McCourty

Patriots Players Notes

Tom Brady Notes:

This is his 15th NFL season he is 3-1 vs. the Raiders in his career including playoffs. He is 83-13 at home in the regular season.

Brady’s first win over Oakland was the “Tuck Rule” game a 16-13 Patriots overtime win in the AFC Divisional Game. He was 32 of 52 for 312 yards and 1 INT in the snow.

Overall he is 149-44 as a starting QB and is 18-8 in the playoffs for an overall record of 167-52. He is a 9 time Pro Bowl QB; 3 time All-Pro selection; two time NFL MVP and has won 3 Super Bowls while twice being named the games MVP. He is also listed as the 21^st Greatest Player in the History of the NFL according to the NFL Network.

He now has 41 wins in his career (34 in the regular season and 7 in the playoffs) in which the team was trailing or tied in the fourth quarter. He had 5 comeback wins in 2013.

The 5 comeback wins in 2013 tie his career best set in 2003.

Has not thrown an INT in first two weeks of the season.

361 TD passes in his career makes him 5th in NFL history 4 TD passes behind John Elway.

149 career wins are 3rd all-time behind only Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.

He has thrown for 2 or more TD’s in 115 games; the team’s record is 98-17.

Needs 453 passing yards for 50,000 in his career. He is 6th all-time in passing yards.

Rob Gronkowski notes:

Has caught a pass in 52 consecutive games it’s the 4th longest streak all-time for a tight end. Heath Miller is 3rd with a catch in 82 consecutive games.

Needs 4 points to move into Top 10 in franchise history.

Is 7th in team history with 44 touchdowns.

He is 4th in team history with 43 TD catches.

Julian Edelman notes:

Has a streak of 8 consecutive games with at least 6 catches.

Had a 34-yard punt return at Minnesota Week 2 it was the 11th punt return of 30 yards or more in his career. That ranks third in team history.

Opened the season with a 95 receiving yards at Miami and added 81 yards receiving at Minnesota Week 2.

Had 156 total yards Week 2 at Minnesota (81 receiving, 9 rushing and 66 on punt returns).

Had his first 100-catch, 1000-yard season in his career in 2013 and just the third Patriot behind Troy Brown and Wes Welker.

Set career high with 13 catches and 139-yards at Miami Week 15 (2013).

Stevan Ridley notes:

Had his first 100- yard rushing game of the season Week 2 at Minnesota when he ran for 101 yards on 25 carries and had 1 TD.

Shane Vereen notes:

Set franchise record with receptions (12) and receiving yards (153) by a running back in a single-game Week 14 (2013) vs. Cleveland.

Became just fourth NFL running back to post 150 receiving yards in a single-game in the last 10 seasons.

Stephen Gostkowski notes:

Has not missed an extra point since Week 17 2006 at Tennessee in his rookie season. He has made 366 consecutive extra points. He is 404 for 405 in his career for 99.8%.

The 366 XPA converted in a row is fourth longest streak in NFL history.

Lead NFL in scoring in both 2012 and 2013.

Has scored at least 1 point in 109 consecutive games a franchise record.

He is 3rd in team history in points with 1,043 trailing only Gino Cappelletti (1,130) and Adam Vinatieri (1,158).

Has team record of 12 career field goals of 50+ yards.

Vince Wilfork notes:

Played only 4 games in 2013 after suffering a torn Achilles.

Prior to 2013 had played in all 16 games in 5 of the previous 6 seasons.

First defensive player to have played 10 seasons under Belichick.

Has been a team captain since 2008.

Has 7 fumbles recoveries since 2010 the second most in the NFL in that span behind teammate Rob Ninkovich.

Darrelle Revis notes:

Has 22 career INT’s and is one of the top shutdown corners in the NFL.

Since 2007 has the most passes defensed in the NFL with 110 including a record 31 in 2009.

In Patriots debut Week 1 at Miami had 1 tackles, 2 passes defensed and recovered a fumble.

Had his first Patriots INT Week 2 at Minnesota against Matt Cassel. Also had 3 tackles and 1 pass defensed.

Jerod Mayo notes:

Had streak of five consecutive 100+ tackle seasons snapped last year due to injury. He has led the team in tackles in those five seasons (2008-2012).

Shares franchise record for leading team in tackles for 5 seasons with Steve Nelson and Vincent Brown.

Week 1 at Miami he had 12 tackles and the teams only sack.

Rob Ninkovich notes:

In 6 seasons with New England has only missed one game.

Week 2 at Minnesota had 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and 2 QB hits.

Dont’a Hightower notes:

Along with Chandler Jones he led team with 8 tackles and 2 sacks Week 2 at Minnesota. He also had 2 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits and 1 pass defensed.

Had his first career 2-sack game Week 2 at Minnesota.

Chandler Jones notes:

Scored his 2nd NFL TD Week 2 at Minnesota when he blocked a field goal attempt and returned it 58-yards. His first NFL TD was Week 16, 2013 at Baltimore on a fumble recovery. It was his second blocked field goal attempt (2013 Week 8 vs. Miami).

Had the 5th blocked field goal returned for a TD in Patriots history Week 2 at Minnesota, first since 2010 when Patrick Chung returned one at Miami.

Now has 5 career 2-sack games with a pair at Minnesota in Week 2.

Along with Dont’a Hightower he led team with 8 tackles and 2 sacks Week 2 at Minnesota. He also had 3 tackles for loss, 3 QB hits, the blocked field goal attempt and return for TD.

Kyle Arrington notes:

Week 2 at Minnesota had 3 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.

Dominique Easley notes:

The 2014 1st Round pick (Florida) had his first NFL INT Week 2 at Minnesota. It was his first INT since high school.

There are only two players on the team who played on at least one of the Super Bowl championship teams, Brady (3) and Wilfork (1).

Roster moves this week:

Signed LB Deontae Skinner from practice squad.
Released LB Darius Flemming
Had DL Kelcey Quarles signed off practice squad by Indianapolis.
Released RB Marcus Thigpen from practice squad.
Released DL Cameron Henderson from practice squad.
Re-signed LB Darius Flemming to the practice squad.
Signed OL Caylin Hauptmann to the practice quad.
Signed DL Kona Schwenke to the practice squad.

Patriots team captains for 2014:

QB Tom Brady
G/C Dan Connolly
WR Matthew Slater (special teams)
DT Vince Wilfork
LB Jerod Mayo

Former Raiders on the Patriots:

none

Players with New England roots:

none

Players with California roots:

CB Brandon Browner (Suspended) – Sylmar CA
S Patrick Chung – Rancho Cucamonga CA
WR Matthew Slater – Anaheim CA
QB Tom Brady – San Mateo CA
C Ryan Wendell – Pomona CA
WR Julian Edelman – Redwood City CA
RB Shane Vereen – Valencia CA
RB Tyler Gaffney (IR) – San Diego CA

Players from New England based colleges and universities:

RB James Develin – Brown

Players from California based colleges and universities:

RB Tyler Gaffney (IR) – Stanford
RB Shane Vereen – California
WR Matthew Slater – UCLA
C Ryan Wendell – Fresno State
T Cameron Flemming – Stanford

The Patriots have 6 retired numbers:

20 – Gino Cappelletti
40 – Mike Haynes
73 – John Hannah
78 – Bruce Armstrong
79 – Jim Lee Hunt
89 – Bob Dee

Raiders Team Notes

Here is the Raiders roster, depth chart and injury report for the game.

2014 Raiders Schedule/Results

Oakland’s all-time record is 434-377-11. They have won three Super Bowls (XI, XV and XVIII) in five appearances. Overall they are 25-18 in the post season with their last post season appearance coming in 2002.

That year they beat the New York Jets 30-10 at home in the AFC Division Game, beat the Tennessee Titans 41-24 in the AFC Championship and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, 41-24.

Oakland also has one AFL Championship in 1967.

The Raiders franchise has had 20 National Football Hall of Fame members wear their uniform including owner Al Davis and head coach John Madden.

First NFL team to play in a Super Bowl in four different decades.

Only one of two NFL teams to play for a conference championship in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. Minnesota is the other.

They were one of the very first professional sports team with an online presence launching raiders.com in 1995.

The Raiders along with the Patriots are the only two former AFL teams with 3 Super Bowl victories.

Oakland is only one of five AFC teams to win more than one Super Bowl since 1980. The others are Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Denver and New England.

The Raiders are on an 11-game road trip they play Sunday in Foxboro and Week 4 they are in London to face to face the Dolphins. They leave for England after Sunday’s game.

This is Oakland’s first trip to Gillette Stadium since 2005 and only second time in Foxboro since 2002.

Raiders are 5-10-1 on the road against the Patriots their last win in Foxboro was Oct 9, 1994 they beat the Patriots 21-17 as the Los Angeles Raiders at Foxboro Stadium.

The Raiders are yet to attempt a field goal in 2014. It is the longest the franchise has gone without a FGA to open a season in team history.

The Raiders are tied for 28th in the NFL in points per game with 14.0. While they allow 24.5 points per game tied for 21st in the NFL.

Oakland is MINUS 2 in turnover differential, tied for 20th in the NFL. The offense has given up 2 INT’s and 4 fumbles, while the defense has 1 INT and 3 fumble recoveries.

Raiders Staff Notes

Read what Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen had to say to the New England media about the match up.

Oakland’s Dennis Allen is in his 3rd season as a NFL head coach and he is 8-26.

He has never faced New England.

Before taking over the Raiders in 2012 Allen was the Defensive Coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 2011. He also spent 5 seasons with the New Orleans Saints as the Asst. Defensive Line coach (2006-07) and Secondary Coach (2008-10).

He is the 19th head coach in Raiders history. And since the glory days of John Madden (1969-78) and Tom Flores (1979-87) he is the 12th man to occupy the top spot for the Silver and Black.

Greg Olson is in his 2nd season as the offensive coordinator. He previously held the same position for Tampa Bay (2009-11), St. Louis (2006-07) and Detroit (2005).

Jason Tarver is in his 3rd season as the defensive coordinator. He previous was the defensive coordinator at Stanford (2011) and spent 10 seasons in San Francisco (2001-10) mostly coaching the 49ers linebackers.

Assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tony Sparano is a native of

West Haven CT and he played center at Richard C. Lee HS in New Haven CT attended the University of New Haven. Sparano had a stint at his alma mater (1984-

87) as the school’s offensive line coach. He also coached at offensive line at Boston University (1988-93); and was the offensive coordinator from 1990-93. Sparano returned to New Haven to serve as the team’s head coach from 1994-98.

Raiders Possible Starters

Offense:

LT: Penn
LG: Jackson
C: Wisniewski
RG: Howard
RT: Barnes
TE: Ausberry
WR: J. Jones
WR: Holmes
QB: Carr
RB: Jones-Drew
RB: Reece

Defense:

DE: Woodley
DT: Smith
DT: Sims
DE: Tuck
LB: S. Moore
LB: Maiava
LB: Mack
LCB: Carrie
RCB: Brown
S: Woodson
S: Branch

Raiders Players Notes

Derek Carr notes:

Was Oakland’s 2nd round pick out of Fresno State in the 2014 NFL Draft. In his first season in the NFL he is 0-2.

He has never faced New England.

His brother David Carr, was the Overall 1st pick by Houston in the 2002 NFL Draft.

Has more passing yards (414:398), TD passes (3:2) and a better completion percentage (63.5:56.4) than Tom Brady after two weeks.

Is tied for 3rd place with Todd Marinovich and David Humm among for most TD passes by a Raiders rookie quarterback with three.

Maurice Jones-Drew notes:

This is his first season in Oakland after spending his entire career in Jacksonville.

Is the 4th leading active rusher in the NFL with 8,082 rushing yards and 2nd among active running backs with 68 rushing TD’s.

Has 81 career TD’s 4th among active players.

Three time Pro Bowl selection with Jaguars.

Is the host of SiriusXM fantasy football show “Running with MJD”.

Has 27 games with 100 pr more rushing yards.

Darren McFadden notes:

Is 8th in Raiders franchise history in rush attempts with 899.

Is 7th in Oakland history in rushing yards and 11th in all-purpose yards.

Has 13 games with 100 or more rushing yards.

Charles Woodson notes:

Has 57 career INT’s, 12th all-time in NFL history.

Has 13 career defensive INT’s tied for first all-time in NFL history with Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper.

Second all-time in INT return TD’s with 11, one behind Rod Woodson.

Owns his own wine label called “TwentyFour by Charles Woodson”.

One of only two NFL players to win the Heisman Trophy, AP Rookie of the Year, AP Player of the Year and a Super Bowl in their career. The other is Marcus Allen.

Justin Tuck notes: