With the team having had their bye week this past Sunday the players were given the weekend off. Everyone was back at Foxboro yesterday morning ready to get to work in preparing for the San Francisco 49ers. I believe because the game is a west coast game that the team is making Friday their travel day instead of the usual travel day of Saturday. I do know this though they are planning to stay on the west coast all week to avoid two cross country trips as they play in San Diego next Sunday night. Sounds like a great plan but Arizona did that last week and got their ass kicked Sunday.
We start where we always do with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s Patriots Monday chat on WEEI.
The team is struggling trying to score touchdowns in the red zone and currently they are 27th in the league with a 36.4% TD rate. In 11 trips they only have four touchdowns but they also have six field goals giving them points on 10 of 11 red zone opportunities. But we all know the name of the game is touchdowns not field goals.
Former Patriots and Southern Connecticut State University offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi has started his own foundation in tribute to all cancer patients and everyone that has been touched by cancer. The goal of the foundation is to improve all levels of patient care and their needs.
Belichick coached teams are generally pretty good after a bye week going 6-2 in the coach’s time in Foxboro and winning the last five.
Here’s how the Patriots rank in several key categories after their first three games. All these numbers need to improve:
Points Scored:
- 26th (16.3 per game)
Points Allowed:
- tied – 11th (19.3 per game)
Third Down Offense:
- 13th (17 of 42, 40.5 percent)
Third Down Defense:
- 31st (18 of 37, 48.6 percent)
Turnover Differential:
- tied – 24th (minus 2)
Red Zone Offense (TDs scored):
- 27th (4 of 11, 36.4 percent)
Red Zone Defense (TDs allowed):
- 29th (6 of 9, 66.7 percent)
After a great start by the Buffalo Bills the Patriots find themselves 1.5 games out of first in the AFC East heading into Week 5.
- Buffalo 4-0
- New England 2-1
- New York 2-2
- Miami 1-2
AFC East Week 5 games are:
- Patriots visit 49ers
- Dolphins host the Chargers
- Bills are in the desert to play the Cardinals
- Jets have a bye week
Patriots players with birthdays in October include:
- DE Richard Seymour (Oct 6th – 29)
- G Russ Hochstein (Oct 7th – 31)
- G Stephen Neal (Oct 19th – 32)
- S Ray Ventrone (Oct 21st – 26)
- P Chris Hanson (Oct 25th – 32)
Players who had birthdays in September were:
- LB Vince Redd (Sept 1st – 23)
- OL Dan Connolly (Sept 2nd – 26)
- LB Bo Rudd (Sept 2nd – 24)
- DL Kenny Smith (Sept 8th – 31)
- WR Matthew Slater (Sept 9th – 23)
- WR Maurice Price (Sept 11th – 23)
- C Dan Koppen (Sept 12th – 29)
- LB Larry Izzo (Sept 26th – 34)
And we conclude with a couple notes from elsewhere in the league:
By know you know the Detroit Lions dumped GM Matt Millen last week after 7 dismal seasons. And then on Monday the St. Louis Rams fired third year head coach Scott Linehan and replaced him with his defensive coordinator and former New Orleans head coach Jim Haslett.
It’s been rumored for a while but it’s confirmed Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be this years halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl in Tampa on February 1st.
Figure “The Boss” will probably get to play about 5 songs in the halftime set. Here is my choice for the five tunes in order:
- Born in the USA
- Thunder Road
- The Rising
- Badlands
- Born to Run
