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About Christopher Price

Christopher Price has covered the Boston sports scene for more then a dozen years, working for ESPN.com, SI.com and Baseball America as well as The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and Boston Metro. In that time, he’s established himself as an award-winning sportswriter who has been honored by Northeastern University, the New England Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. In addition, he’s the author of the just published, “New England Patriots: The Complete Illustrated History” and two other books “Baseball by the Beach” and "The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower.”

 
COLUMNS
Christopher Price
08/14/2009 - 2:01am
Tom Brady’s numbers don’t really tell the story. They were good -- 10-for-15 for 100 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. But that's not why we’re here, right? It’s all about the left knee. And by those standards, it’s all good, especially after 11 months away from the football field. “I think there’s no place I’d rather be,” Brady said after the game. “That about sums it up.”
Christopher Price
08/12/2009 - 8:06pm
In preseason football, wins and losses are incidental. Never was this more deftly illustrated than last season, when the Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason -- and 0-16 in the regular season. The lesson? In the preseason, there are far more important things to watch than the scoreboard. To that end, here are five things we’ll be keeping an eye on Thursday night in Philadelphia when the Patriots take the field for the first time in the 2009 preseason.
Christopher Price
08/11/2009 - 7:49pm
FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pronounced himself ready to go for Thursday’s preseason contest against the Eagles in Philadelphia, saying he’s “expecting” to see the field for the first time in more than 11 months.
Christopher Price
08/10/2009 - 7:18pm
FOXBOROUGH -- Someone’s hearing footsteps. Veteran tight end Benjamin Watson was back on the practice field Monday morning, his first appearance in training camp since the fourth practice session, back on July 31st. In between his last appearance and Monday, Watson missed 15 practices, a whopping total for anyone not on the physically unable to perform list.
Christopher Price
08/09/2009 - 11:43pm
FOXBOROUGH -- They have been liberated. Linebacker Derrick Burgess and quarterback Andrew Walter are the two latest ex-Raiders to escape football’s version of Shawshank State Prison. Think we’re overstating the situation? Walter showed up last week, a pickup off the wires. Burgess was picked in a trade last Thursday. The first thing Walter told Burgess when the linebacker showed up at Gillette Stadium? “Congratulations,” said Walter, who was a teammate of Burgess in Oakland from 2005 through 2008.
Christopher Price
08/06/2009 - 10:59pm
FOXBOROUGH -- The Derrick Burgess the Patriots acquired Thursday afternoon isn’t the same player who terrorized opposing quarterbacks in 2005 with a league-high 16 sacks. But according to some who’ve spent time watching him the last few seasons, if his talents are used properly, he can still be a pass-rushing force for New England this season.
Christopher Price
08/06/2009 - 4:43pm
FOXBOROUGH -- Even for a veteran, trying to pick up the nuances of the Patriots’ defense can be a daunting task. But in his first training camp in New England, Leigh Bodden has an ace in the hole.
Christopher Price
08/04/2009 - 10:34pm
FOXBOROUGH -- Sure, Kevin O’Connell and Brian Hoyer are football players. But they’re also human beings. So when they heard the news Monday that fellow quarterback Matt Gutierrez had been released to make way for Andrew Walter, they were initially bummed. The Patriots’ quarterbacking fraternity is a small one, and any time there’s a change, there’s a sizable effect on the rest of the signal-callers. Then, they moved on.
Christopher Price
08/03/2009 - 8:16pm
FOXBOROUGH -- Julian Edelman has only been a member of the Patriots for three-plus months, but he sounds like he’s well aware as to how they do things at Gillette Stadium. Through the spring practices and the first week or so of training camp, the 6-foot, 195-pound Edelman has worked as a receiver and punt and kick returner. A seventh-round pick who played quarterback at Kent State, he knows he can’t afford to focus on doing just one job -- positional flexibility is going to be what lands him on the final 53-man roster.
Christopher Price
08/02/2009 - 10:53pm
FOXBOROUGH -- The band could be breaking up. Patriots’ defensive linemen Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green are all entering into the final year of their contracts -- among the veteran contributors, only Ty Warren is signed beyond the 2009 season (his deal runs through 2013). That means that a large part of the group that has dominated the trenches in the AFC for the better part of the decade could be playing elsewhere next season.
Christopher Price
08/02/2009 - 2:35pm
FOXBOROUGH -- Laurence Maroney hears everything. The running back, sent to enter his fourth season with the Patriots, is well aware of just how he’s perceived by his critics: an injury-ridden bust of a first-round pick; dances too much before he hits the line; not durable enough to stay healthy for a full season. No matter -- he’s just going to keep on doing what he’s been doing.
Christopher Price
07/31/2009 - 8:25pm
FOXBOROUGH -- Despite wild speculation Friday, the only backup quarterback on the New England roster who wore No. 7 all day was Matt Gutierrez. Rumors -- fueled in part by a series of vague answers from coach Bill Belichick on the topic -- swirled around Gillette Stadium all day Friday that Michael Vick was not only in New England, but working out with the Patriots in what was surely just a prelude to his signing a deal.
Christopher Price
07/30/2009 - 9:09pm
FOXBOROUGH -- So Kevin Faulk: Does it look like Tom Brady has changed after taking a year off to rehab his knee and get married? “Same old Tom,” Faulk said. The running back then paused for a moment. “I got married a few years ago and nobody talked about that,” he added with a smile.
Christopher Price
07/29/2009 - 10:59pm
When training camp opens to the fans and media Thursday morning in Foxborough, they’ll be plenty of stuff to keep an eye on. Here are five body parts I think will demand some extra attention.
Christopher Price
07/21/2009 - 11:59pm
The Patriots are a team full of veterans, most of whom are well-entrenched. But come training camp next week, there are a few spots that remain up in the air. Here’s a look at five position battles we’ll be watching when camp opens next Thursday in Foxborough.
Christopher Price
07/20/2009 - 11:20pm
With less than a week before rookies are scheduled to report for training camp, the Patriots have nine of their 12 draft picks in the fold. But even though all dozen aren’t yet present and accounted for, according to league sources, there is real optimism that they’ll all be ready to go when needed.
Christopher Price
07/16/2009 - 10:55pm
The Patriots continue to sign draft picks at a rapid rate, as it was learned Thursday three more members of the 2009 draft class have agreed to contracts and two others are likely just days from signing deals of their own.
Christopher Price
07/15/2009 - 11:11pm
With rookies scheduled to report for training camp in less than two weeks, the Patriots are inching closer to getting all their first-year players in the fold. On Wednesday, it was learned that two more picks -- second-rounder Sebastian Vollmer and seventh-round selection Darryl Richard -- have agreed to contracts with New England. According to sources, Vollmer has agreed preliminarily to a deal, while Richard signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that one league source called “a pretty standard four-year deal.”
Christopher Price
07/12/2009 - 6:39pm
Over the last few months, Patriots.com has started compiling a series of “Top 10 All-Time” lists, a series that has included the Top 10 personnel moves, draft classes, rookies and opponents in the history of the franchise.
Christopher Price
07/05/2009 - 1:28am
In the long history of the National Football League, few men were tougher than Steve McNair. The quarterback -- a three-time Pro Bowler who played for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens -- was grittier than a nickel steak. He was so bad-ass he could make Bear Grylls cry uncle. Google “Steve McNair” and “tough” and your computer starts to smoke.
Christopher Price
06/30/2009 - 10:59am
You don’t flip the car keys to a kid as soon as he turns 16. He’s got to go through driver’s ed.
Christopher Price
06/28/2009 - 5:13pm
As of Sunday, the Patriots have signed one of their 12 draft picks -- fourth-rounder Rich Ohrnberger officially agreed to a four-year, $2.2 million contract with New England on June 16. But each of the other 11 has hit the traditional “dead period” of the NFL calendar without a deal.
Christopher Price
06/22/2009 - 10:26pm
LEDYARD, Conn. -- When Joe Theismann got a chance to see Bernard Pollard’s takedown of Tom Brady in the 2008 season-opener, he instantly knew what had happened to the Patriots’ quarterback. “I look at that hit constantly,” Theismann said of the blow to Brady’s left knee that sidelined him for the rest of the season. “He double-clutches going forward and basically steps into a right hook -- unfortunately for him, it was a left knee.”
Christopher Price
06/18/2009 - 10:52pm
Sparked by the reaction to this story from Sunday -- as well as the urging of some e-mailers and other posters over at the patsfans.com messageboard -- we’ve decided to expand our post-minicamp/OTA look at the team to include more of the current Patriots roster.
Christopher Price
06/16/2009 - 9:06pm
It’s the deadest period on the NFL calendar. In the NFL, the run between the end of minicamp -- usually sometime the middle of June -- and the opening of training camp in late July is given over to the occasional low-level transaction or draft-pick signing. It’s a laid-back stretch, one that’s the complete opposite of the white-knuckle, 20-hour workdays that dominate the rest of the year.


Audio On Demand

Former Patriot Matt Light…

Former Patriot Matt Light on the Pats offseason

Matt joined the program to discuss his first ever cornhole contest and to break down the Patriots offseason. He told the guys that he was upset that the Pats were unable to bring Wes Welker back to the team.

Tom Brady on the loss of Wes Welker

Tom Brady joined the program to discuss his upcoming charitable event supporting Best Buddies and his off-season. Tom said that he has learned not to worry about free agency decisions since he cant control any of them. Lastly he defended his over the top celebration at the Kentucky Derby.

It Is What It Is Cast: Examining the New England Patriots offseason

In the latest edition of the "It Is What It Is" podcast, Chris Price and CSNNE's Mike Giardi take a look at the Patriots offseason on both sides of the ball, try and get a handle on which new guys will make an impact first, and whether or not the Patriots have altered their style when it comes to drafting and developing wide receivers.

Jackie MacMullan on Doc: …

Jackie MacMullan on Doc: "He's coming back"

Jackie MacMullan joins Mut and Merloni to discuss the latest rumors surrounding Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and whether he'll be back next season with the team.

Celtics President Danny Ainge with Salk and Holley

We check in with Danny Ainge for our first talk to him since the Celtics season ended last weekend. We talk about the future of the team, KG, Pierce, Doc Rivers and more, as Danny directly answers the rumors being floated by ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

Jackie MacMullan, ESPNBoston.com: "Gut" tells me Doc will stay

Jackie Mac joins the show to discuss the trade rumors swirling around Paul Pierce, KG, Doc Rivers and the Celtics. She also discusses the future of the Celtics head coach.

Kevin Millar, MLB Network…

Kevin Millar, MLB Network, on Tito's return to Fenway

Kevin Millar joins the show to discuss the slumps of Jacoby Ellsbury and Will Middlebrooks, Tito's return to Fenway, and his reaction Dan Shaunghnessy's controversial column.

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington on Jacoby Ellsbury

Ben joined the program to discuss the return of Terry Francona and said that he always had a good relationship with the former manager. Ben added that he thinks Ellsbury is in a slump due in part to the amount of left handed pitchers the team has faced.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia postgame with Joe and Dave

Salty spoke with Joe Castiglione & Dave O'Brien after he helped his team to a 6-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox tonight. The Red Sox return to Fenway after going 6-3 on the road trip.

Andy Brickley, NESN, says…

Andy Brickley, NESN, says he's not worried about Tuukka

Andy Brickley joins the show to discuss his reaction to game 4 of the Bruins-Rangers series, and how he sees the rest of the series playing out

NESN's Barry Pederson Bruins still in control

Barry joined the program to discuss the Bruins disappointing loss last night at MSG. He said that he was impressed with how Rask responded to questions after the game.

Rangers analyst Dave Maloney on game 4

Dave Maloney returned to the show to discuss his Rangers unlikely win in game 4. He said that in all his years playing and calling hockey games he had not seen a softer goal than the one Rask allowed.

NESN's Barry Pederson Bru…

NESN's Barry Pederson Bruins still in control

Barry joined the program to discuss the Bruins disappointing loss last night at MSG. He said that he was impressed with how Rask responded to questions after the game.

Rangers analyst Dave Maloney on game 4

Dave Maloney returned to the show to discuss his Rangers unlikely win in game 4. He said that in all his years playing and calling hockey games he had not seen a softer goal than the one Rask allowed.

Andy the bee keeper on his hives

Andy from Dartmouth called in to talk Bruins but the discussion quickly got off track when he mentioned his nine bee hives.

Andy Brickley, NESN, says…

Andy Brickley, NESN, says he's not worried about Tuukka

Andy Brickley joins the show to discuss his reaction to game 4 of the Bruins-Rangers series, and how he sees the rest of the series playing out

Kevin Millar, MLB Network, on Tito's return to Fenway

Kevin Millar joins the show to discuss the slumps of Jacoby Ellsbury and Will Middlebrooks, Tito's return to Fenway, and his reaction Dan Shaunghnessy's controversial column.

Andy Brickley, NESN, on why B's match up well against Rangers

Andy Brickley joins the show to discuss what he expects to see from the Rangers tonight, why the Bruins match up well against them, and potentially closing out the series tonight.

Tom Brady plays the good …

Tom Brady plays the good soldier role in discussing departure of Wes Welker

Tom Brady appeared with D and C this morning and talked about the team's OTA's, the comings and goings, and most importantly what went down when Wes Welker left town, and how does he feel about it?

Salk and Holley's Four at Four - 05/23/13

Four guys, four topics we haven't mentioned today. Mark Sanchez, the Pacers blow it and more.

John Tortorella's Fraud Flag is flying, plus who's your 2013 Bruins MVP?

We talk about the mystique and respect around John Tortorella, and whether or not it's warranted. Plus we discuss with you who the 2013 Bruins MVP has to be. Tuuka? Bergeron? Claude?

Daily Planet Tuesday May …

Daily Planet Tuesday May 21st

The Bruins look to take a 3-0 series lead, Jon Lester gets his first loss, Dwight Howard has options in free agency.

Daily Planet Monday May 20th

Today on the Daily Planet the Bruins have a 2-0 lead over the New york Rangers, the Red Sox are back on the winning sde of things, and the noteable birthdays of the day.

Daily Planet Thursday May 9th

The Bruins have almost finished raking the Leafs, the Red Sox struggle from the mound, Miami Heat fans show their level of class.

Salk and Holley's Miked U…

Salk and Holley's Miked Up and Answer the Question - 05/23/13

Kirk's still a jerk, but we want a SWEEP!

Salk and Holley's Miked Up and Answer the Question - 05/22/13

The Jerks are joined by another, Jerk Minihane.

Salk and Holley's Miked Up and Answer the Question - 05/21/13

They're like a ray of morning sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day.

Tom Brady on the loss of …

Tom Brady on the loss of Wes Welker

Tom Brady joined the program to discuss his upcoming charitable event supporting Best Buddies and his off-season. Tom said that he has learned not to worry about free agency decisions since he cant control any of them. Lastly he defended his over the top celebration at the Kentucky Derby.

More from this show

Linda calls in to describ…

Linda calls in to describe the scene on Dexter St in Watertown

Linda explains how the shootout transpired in Watertown during the early morning hours. She saw the first suspect mortally wounded and police beginning the manhunt for the second suspect.

More from this show

Former Red Sox manager Te…

Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona catches up with D&C

Terry Francona joins the Dennis and Callahan Show to discuss his first-place Indians team as well as his time in Boston. The former Boston manager also touches on his recent book co-authored by Dan Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy's recent dust-up with David Ortiz.

More from this show

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington…

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington on Jacoby Ellsbury

Ben joined the program to discuss the return of Terry Francona and said that he always had a good relationship with the former manager. Ben added that he thinks Ellsbury is in a slump due in part to the amount of left handed pitchers the team has faced.

More from this show

Bobby Valentine: Job has …

Bobby Valentine: Job has been miserable, but part of my life's journey

A fiery Bobby Valentine joined Glenn Ordway and Michael Holley and fired back about rumors of him being late to the ballpark, the perception that he's given up on the year, and more on the 2012 Red Sox debacle.

More from this show

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