In The Red Zone – 9/11

 

First on this day all of our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors and the families who lost loved ones in the tragic, cowardly acts that occurred 6 years ago today.  The images of that day were horrific but it brought a nation together, it made us stronger and it focused our resolve.    

Also I send a special thanks to our troops here and overseas for protecting our freedoms and making our country a great place and to all the emergency workers everywhere who live with this on a daily basis.  You folks are the true American heroes.

Thank you.

I’ll never forget watching former Patriots lineman Joe Andruzzi talk about his two brothers who are FDNY firefighters and how they were in the building but they they were able to get out and were okay.  I’ll never forget watching him on the field with them the following weekend.  I’ll never forget Jack Buck before the Cardinals baseball game in St.Louis.   I’ll never forget the strike that President Bush threw on the mound at Yankee Stadium before the first game of the 2001 World Series.  I’ll never forget Robert Kraft on the podium of the Super Dome covered in red, white and blue confetti saying “Today we are all Patriots”.   I’ll never forget U2 at the Super Bowl half time show with their salute to all those who were lost.  I’ll never forget the men and women of the FDNY who I got to visit shortly after the attacks, some of the firehouses I visited  lost as many as 12 firefighters.  I’ll never forget the people I knew that lost their lives that day trying to save others but most of all I’ll never forget September 11, 2001.

I mentioned in the post game report on the Patriots win over the Jets that there was an illegal touching penalty on the Patriots and that Phil Simms of CBS and the referee Jeff Triplett failed to explain it.  According to Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe, the penalty was called because Willie Andrews at some point on his way downfield went out of bounds and then was the first player to touch the ball when he downed the ball around the 2 yard line. 

The new rule this year states that if the illegal touch occurs within the 5 yard line the ball is brought out to the 20.  In the past it was assessed as a five yard mark off. 

Head coach Bill Belichick’s Monday press conference. 

The grounds crew at Gillette is preparing to lay grass over the field turf for the Brazil-Mexico exhibition soccer match on Wednesday.  It is believed that the real grass will be pulled back up in time for Sunday night’s game with San Diego.  No word on whether Juan Valdez and his donkey were the one’s who trucked in the turf. 

The Patriots signed defensive back Gemera Williams to the practice squad.  Williams, who had been cut by the team on August 18th , showed some promise on kick returns returning two for 64 yards in the preseason game against Tampa Bay.  He was placed on the practice squad after TE Marcellus Rivers were released.  CB Tory James was also released to make roster space for DB Asante Samuel. 

Here’s more on the Patriots stealing signs from the Jets and other teams.  I reported earlier on the Green Bay incident well supposedly the Lion’s caught the Patriots steaing signals during New England’s 28-21 win over Detroit in Foxboro last December as well.    The Buffalo Bills also think something was up last year with stolen signals and are currently reviewing film of the two games against the Patriots. 

The Boston Herald’s John Tomase wonders why the Patriots would do this against the Jets seeing as most of Eric Mangini’s staff is former Patriot coaches/players and they would know the “trick”.  He also mentions that Jets QB coach Brian Dabol was the Pats receivers coach last year and almost assuredly would have ratted them out before hand. 

According to the NFL, Patriots DB Asante Samuel won’t be franchised next year if he plays 6o% of the Patriots defensive snaps or if  the team wins 12 games.   That means even if he gets hurt he can still become a free agent with a dozen Patriot wins. 

It is unsure as to the reason why Matt Cassel wasn’t the holder for Stephen Gostkowski on the fourth quarter field goal.  We don’t know if he was replaced because of the bad hold earlier in the game or if he hurt a finger on his throwing hand as is being rumored.   I think he’s hurt because at the end of the game it was third string QB Matt Gutierrez on the field for the last plays and not Cassel.   

It was reported last week that the Jets talked to former Patriots WR Reche Caldwell about the team, well the game goes two ways and the Patriots brought in former Jets Tim Dwight and Bobby Hamilton, both also former Pats players, to discuss the Jets.  Caldwell signed a one year deal with the Redskins on Tuesday.

As someone who spent 23 years working in communications comes this gem during the Monday Night Football broadcast of Baltimore and Cincinnati on ESPN.  Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser and Mike Tirico are in the booth discussing all the guys on the Bengals roster with the last name of Johnson ( I think there is 4):

      Jaworski: “Do you know who the biggest Johnson is”? 

      (after the laughter stopped and with Jaws trying to worm his way out)

       Kornheiser” “I’ll leave you all alone with that one big guy“.