The Patriots live by a series of core beliefs: Don’t believe the hype. Stay hungry and stay humble. Do your job. Well done is better than well said.
With this week’s Patriots-Jets divisional playoff showdown looming, it’s the last one — a phrase coined by Benjamin Franklin — that’s worth remembering. Saturday’s wild card game between New York and Indianapolis was barely over before the Jets started talking about how this weekend’s divisional playoff was going to be different than the 45-3 butt-whuppin’ the Patriots laid on them in December.
“I remember what happened, but at the end of the day we know we’re better than them,” said wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
“What happened in the last game definitely is not going to happen again,” added defensive back Dwight Lowery.
“The defense doesn’t [typically] give up 45 points. I don’t care if it is Tom Brady. They just don’t. So I definitely think it’s going to be different this time around,” said tight end Dustin Keller.
On Monday, Jets coach Rex Ryan joined in, saying this game was personal between him and Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and adding that the reason New York lost in December was because of bad coaching. He also said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady “took a shot at me by his antics on the field.”
“Just Brady being Brady,” Ryan added when pressed. “I don’t like seeing that; nobody does. No Jet fan likes to see that. And I know he can’t wait to do it. He’s not going to say anything publicly, but he does it. It’s what it is. It’s my job to get him out of the end zone.”
Meanwhile, there was radio silence coming from the Patriots. Other than some innocuous comments from Belichick on Sunday and Monday conference calls, he’s done little to stoke the fire. On Monday, Belichick tweaked Ryan slightly, suggesting that a matchup between the two coaches wasn’t necessarily something people were interested in seeing.
“I might have a little quickness on him, he’s probably got a little strength and power on me,” Belichick said, his tongue firmly in his cheek. “I don’t think either one of us is making any blocks or tackles or runs or throws or catches. At least, you won’t see me doing that. That’s probably a good thing for our team.”
But that’s been it. Even on Twitter — the Wild West when it comes to communication between players — it’s been quiet. (This is the closest that a Patriots player has even come to acknowledging who they’re playing.)
But then again, the Patriots have never been ones to try and fan the flames. Sure, they’ve taken an occasional shot at a bystander (hello, Charley Casserly), but they’ve steered clear of offering any bulletin-board material. Instead, they’ve usually stood back with bemused looks while opponents have covered themselves in steak sauce and marched into the lion’s mouth. Really? Are you sure you want to do that? OK…. Remember Marcus Pollard? Mike Vanderjagt? Freddie Mitchell? Anthony Smith? Plaxico Burress?
Actually, maybe that last one didn’t work out so well. But the point remains the same: When the media gets its first chance to head into the locker room on Tuesday morning, the Patriots will be in lockdown mode when it comes to communication. Since Belichick took over in New England, the incidents of pre-game trash talking can be counted on one hand.
There was Lawyer Milloy riling things up before the 2001 AFC Championship Game, and Rodney Harrison taking a mild jab at Vanderjagt in early 2005, calling him “Vanderjerk.”
However, the best came in 2001 when Bryan Cox unloaded on Peyton Manning, saying he wasn’t afraid of the Indianapolis quarterback.
“They can be beat. They put their pants on just like we put our pants on. We can compete. We can play. We can win. I’m looking to knock Peyton [Manning’s] head off. That’s point-blank football. You can make them out to be Supermen. You can give them credit — they’ve put up a lot of points this season. But I’m not built like that.” (Later, Cox told reporters who asked why he said it, “I’m not the kind of man to [expletive] another man’s [expletive.]”)
With Milloy playing for the Seahawks, Harrison a TV analyst and Cox a defensive line coach for the Browns, don’t expect any rejoinders from New England, at least not this week. The scorched-earth style is one that’s preferred by Ryan and the Jets. Look for the Patriots and Belichick to opt for Franklin’s approach.
“I just try to coach my team,” Belichick explained Monday. “I’m not really worried about how everybody else coaches theirs. Everybody’s got their own style, and a lot of coaches do a great job. Rex does a great job with his team. I’m just trying to coach mine. I’m not really worried about what anybody else is doing.”
CHRISTOPHER PRICE
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.
Mike Florio joined the program to discuss the Jets decision to release Tim Tebow, he said the situation is as disaster all around for the Jets and that the problems begins with owner Woody Johnson. Mike also said that he was disappointed with the Pats moving back in the first round.
One of the hardest working men in the biz, Mike Petraglia aka "Trags", sits down with Butch Stearns live in Foxborough to help break down all the latest Pats moves. He discusses his reaction to the trade in Round 1 and the guys those picks produced. Also, the boys talk about the decent trade the Pats made in acquiring LeGarrette Blount from Tampa Bay for Jeff Demps and a 7th rounder.
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 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.
Stephen A. joined the program to discuss the trade rumors he has reported regarding a possible trade including Doc Rivers and the Clippers. Stephen A. also told the guys that he has heard that Danny and Doc may be tiring of working together.
Buster Olney joins Mut and Merloni to talk about the struggling Ellsbury and what that is doing to his contract value when he becomes a free agent.
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.
Joe Castiglione talked with John Lackey after he picked up the W against the Twins. Lackey threw seven innings, and retired the 1st twelve batters of the game.
Shawn joined the program to discuss his big night at MSG. He told the guys that it is not Marchand's job to fight and that he needs to be on the ice and out of the penalty box.
Cleveland Indians hottest team in baseball, yet remain last in attendance May 19, 2013 By AJ Kaufman 6 Comments There’s a scene in Major League where Bob Uecker, portraying the radio voice of the Indians, bemoans, “In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven’t, the Indians have managed to win a few here and there, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.” Well, that was nearly 25 years ago and fictional, but today’s reality is that Cleveland has won 17 of its last 21, and currently tops the AL Central with a mark of 25-17. No one in the majors is better than the Indians in the past month (20-7). That’s great news. The bad news, however, is the Tribe somehow remain in the MLB cellar when it comes to attendance. How can this be? The fact that I wrote on this same topic almost to the day last year – when only Tampa Bay drew fewer fans than Cleveland - may be even more troubling. Though roughly 34,000 watched a walk-off win Friday night against Seattle, perfect weather and free caps weren’t enough to draw more than 36,000 Saturday and Sunday combined. What did the Indians do in those tilts? They nabbed another walk-off win on Saturday, then the Indians crushed the great Felix Hernandez Sunday behind Justin Masterson, arguably the AL’s best pitcher right now. Fun fact: The Indians have already faced eight Cy Young Award winners in 2013: Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Jake Peavy, David Price, Justin Verlander and Hernandez. They have won seven out those eight matchups. Simply astounding. This offseason, the much-maligned Indians front office finally made a legitimate attempt to improve the team through free agency. I’m not talking an Ubaldo Jimenez-like trade, but rather smart acquisitions that brought veterans Mike Aviles, Michael Bourn, Jason Giambi, Scott Kazmir, Brett Myers, Mark Reynolds, Drew Stubbs and Nick Swisher to Cleveland. In addition to being a fantastic place to watch a game due to great egress and ingress, with extremely affordable tickets, the best promo lineup anywhere, Jacobs Field boasts overall, cooler, less muggy summer weather than most Midwestern locales. The team also lowered beer and hot dog prices to $4 and $3 respectively. What other professional stadium in any sport offers that? I have visited 28 of the 30 current Major League Baseball stadia, and few top The Jake when all angles are considered. I say that as a baseball fan, not an Indians fan. As for the putative “economic” angle, these are the same people who spend insane amounts of money to watch terrible football every fall and show up in decent numbers for putrid basketball in the winter. Irrespective of season length, those sports charge up to 10 times the price for a ticket, and the atmosphere isn’t half as fan-friendly as baseball. I understand fans’ lack of willingness to get on board to some degree. A decent recap of Cleveland’s decade of “rebuilding” can be read here and the team suffered a horrific collapse last August. However, in addition to all the benefits of attending games at Jacobs (now Progressive) Field, fans should also realize the team has potential and often exceeds preseason aspirations at any point without warning. Cleveland hosts the rival Detroit Tigers — heavy favorites to repeat as AL Central champs — Tuesday and Wednesday nights before hitting the road. The temperature should be pleasant at first pitch each evening so you’d expect The Jake to be full to watch the best hitter on the planet right now — but don’t count on it.
Eddie Olczyk joins the show to discuss the Bruins Rangers series and what to expect with Game 3 back in NY. He also talks about Seguin's inconsistency and the role of Jaromir Jagr.
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.
Shawn joined the program to discuss his big night at MSG. He told the guys that it is not Marchand's job to fight and that he needs to be on the ice and out of the penalty box.
Our afternoon host Mike Salk was offended at Gerry and Kirk's conversation on his favorite band Rush, the guys responded.
Buster Olney joins Mut and Merloni to talk about the struggling Ellsbury and what that is doing to his contract value when he becomes a free agent.
Mut and Merloni discuss the Derek Dorsett, Brad Marchand, and Shawn Thornton altercation and how great it was.
LB joins the guys in studio to discuss John Torterella's coaching, Shawn Thornton sticking up for Marchand, and the fourth line.
We talk to #54 about his career and well deserved induction to the Patriots Hall of Fame.
We tackle four off-topic topics! Today including RGIII's wedding registry, Tiger Woods, new putters in golf and more.
We check in with ESPN's great hockey analyst and former NHL coach Barry Melrose to get his take on this Bruins-Rangers series. We also ask the coach in him how he'd deal with the great play of the rookie defensemen when the vets get healthy... and his answer might surprise you.
The Bruins look to take a 3-0 series lead, Jon Lester gets his first loss, Dwight Howard has options in free agency.
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.
The Bruins have almost finished raking the Leafs, the Red Sox struggle from the mound, Miami Heat fans show their level of class.
They're like a ray of morning sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day.
....uhhhh.....a bunch of bombs over there....
Sounds like a prostate exam to me!
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 showJeff Bauman, a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing, joined the show to give the guys an update of his condition and a first-hand account of that terrible day. Jeff told the guys how he wrote the description of the bomber as soon as he could. Mr. Bauman added that he is aided every day with the knowledge that he is alive and the terrorist that detonated the bomb is dead.
More from this showShawn joined the show to discuss the teams great performance in game two against the Rangers. Shawn said that he wouldn't mind playing for John Tortorella because he seems like a funny guy.
More from this showElliotte Friedman joined the show to discuss the Bruins domination of the series thus far. He said that while nothing is certain he cannot see a way in which the Rangers come back and win the series.
More from this showBy and large, the focus of development in the minor leagues is on players. Still, there is a developmental path for coaches and managers in the farm system, as is evident from the fact that the previous two managers of the Red Sox' Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket -- Torey Lovullo (2010) and Arnie Beyeler (2011-12) are now both on the Red Sox' big league coaching staff. They share their insights about the differences between player and coaching expectations in Triple-A vs. the majors, while discussing professional development from the perspective of former minor league managers who aspire to similar positions in the big leagues.
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