Oh, not Rodney. The report that Rodney Harrison is about to be suspended for four games for human growth hormone use is just crushing. Sure, it’s a hit to the defensive plan for the first games of the season, but that’s not even foremost in my mind. He’s one of the guys I think of when I think Patriots. And when I think of that core group of guys, I have nothing but admiration. I’ve always seen him as a defensive leader, a hardworking guy, with a reputation for hitting hard and getting fined, sure, but ethical nonetheless. And maybe it’s not fair to hold any public figure up to a perfect standard, but I certainly held him to a higher standard than this.

Really, I just can’t think of anything else to say right now.

(Thank you to Patriots Daily for the link.)

Rodney Harrison’s statement can be found here.

Chris can’t post right now because he’s busy trying not to puke. (I’ve given birth twice; I have a slightly stronger constitution.)

One more week until they count for real… This was the last preseason game, and as expected, very few starters played. It is a great game for guys on the bubble to show they should make the team.

On defense, after a rough start, the backups settled down and did a nice job. They had consistent pressure on the Giants QBs and really closed the pocket well from the ends. Pierre Woods had a really good night and should have locked in a position on the final 53-man roster. He had 2 forced fumbles and 2 sacks. LeKevin Smith looks like he can play a lot of positions on the defensive line. They moved him from end to nose to tackle and he was pretty good everywhere. He has a nice push of the line and seems very strong. Santonio Thomas also spent a good bit of time in the offensive backfield.

On the negative side, Oscar Lua was injured early in the game and didn’t come back. It didn’t look too good, so we may see him on the IR before the final cut down.

In the secondary, Dante Wesley played well and may make the final roster. I would have said Mike Richardson had a better camp, but he was placed on the IR earlier this week, so Wesley could be your final DB. Brandon Meriweather played almost every defensive snap and brought the lumber on a few hits. He was at safety for most of the night and once again showed good football instincts. I really like this kid; I think he is going to be a very good player in the NE system.

On offense, Matt Cassel started the game and gave way to Vinny. Matt Guttierez played in the second half. Cassel was inconsistent again, but had his moments. Vinny threw a laser to CJ Jones late in the first half to set up a 56-yard field goal attempt, which Gostkowski had blocked. The pass was an absolute rocket, pretty impressive for a guy that has been playing longer than some of the players on the field have been alive.

It was a night for some of the fringe WRs to step up. Honestly, I don’t see how you keep Bam Childress off the team. He showed good hands and quick moves more than once. He can also return kicks and they ran him out of the backfield a couple times too. He has been cut and re-signed a few times by the Pats and would seem to be a good end of the roster guy. He was the most impressive WR tonight, plus I like to say “BAM!” whenever he gets the ball. Try it, it’s fun, you’ll want him on the team too. Kelvin Kight and CJ Jones both could be practice squad material.

At tight end, Marcellus Rivers had a nice night and could make the team, especially if Kyle Brady is still banged up. Rivers is a big body and blocks well, but the last few weeks he has shown some good hands too. Garrett Mills was finally healthy and caught a few balls. He is an H-Back/TE/FB-type of player. He is either going to be the final guy to make the team or the final guy to get cut.

Finally, new punter Chris Hanson played well. He is a left footer, which the Pats seem to prefer, and had some quality directional punts all night. He may prove to be more consistent than Danny Baugher, who may be re-signed to the practice squad.

Now New England will work on their final cuts and scour the other teams for their potential cuts. I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull off a minor trade late this week too. More than once they have coached up a player who was a fringe guy on their roster and then traded him for a low draft pick. If they decide not to keep either Washington or Caldwell, one of those guys could bring a 4th or 5th rounder. Either way, the next few days should be interesting.

BAM!

This week is the first roster cut down, where teams have to trim their roster to 75. They have to get the roster down to the final 53 on September 1. The final preseason game against the Giants is the last chance for those on the bubble to make a push for the final roster and also to demonstrate their skills for any other team looking to make a pick up and fill out their roster.

I think the starters are pretty well established in New England, but there are some good stories to watch in the final tune-up game. The Boston Globe put out a possible final 53 here. And I like the looks of that team quite a bit. There is a very nice blend of the veterans and some youth with very good potential. Some of the more interesting positions to look for are wide receiver, linebacker, and the defensive backs.

The team brought in so many big names at WR it is hard to imagine some guys are going to get outright cut. I think they start the season with Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Jabar Gafney, and Kelly Washington. I was getting worried about Stallworth, but he seems to be coming around. Washington is big and physical and could be a nice red zone target. He also plays special teams. Last year’s leading WR Reche Caldwell has not shown enough this preseason and doesn’t play special teams like Washington, so he could be a surprise cut. Caldwell had a very good year last year but he is more of a 3rd or 4th WR on most teams. And on this team he is simply the guy who looks like he had one too many Red Bulls - those eyes are truly freaky. Plus I don’t think I can ever trust him again after the AFC Championship last year. If you don’t know what I mean, there will not be a link provided, ask a Colts fan. Troy Brown and Chad Jackson should start the season on the PUP. Once Brown comes back they will have an interesting decision on whether to stick with 6 WRs and cut from elsewhere or cut one of the above. I think Chad Jackson gets sent to the IR and sits out this year.

At linebacker the starters should be Adalius Thomas, Tedy Bruschi, Rosevelt Colvin, and Mike Vrabel. I will take those 4 guys against your starting LBs all day long. Junior Seau is the main back up and should see plenty of playing time. After that I think they keep Eric Alexander, Larry Izzo, Pierre Woods, Justin Rogers, and Oscar Lua. That is 10 linebackers, but for a team that plays the 3-4 and relies so much on their LBs to make plays, that is not too many. Woods, Rogers, and Lua are all good prospects for the future. It does leave out Chad Brown and Corey Mays. I have barely seen Brown play this preseason and I think he is just too old. Mays has played well and could find a home elsewhere, possibly with the Elmo’s favorite football buddy, who is always lurking in the shadows to scoop up the Pats fringe players.

At DB, there are a lot of interesting decisions to make. There has been talk that Asante will show up soon, which is good news. I still think he is a bit of a bonehead, but the dude can play, so pick up your big fat check and grab your helmet, Asante. Ellis Hobbs should start on the other side of the field. Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson should be your starting safeties, with James Sanders the top back up. Outside of Hobbs, Samuel, and Harrison, most of the DBs can play either corner or safety. Wilson, Randall Gay, top pick Brandon Meriweather, Willie Andrews, and even Mike Richardson are the depth at DB. Richardson has been very aggressive and is learning quickly.

If Asante does not report, Dante Wesley could also make the team to provide depth. Mel Mitchell should make the team as a back-up safety. He was signed mainly as a specials teams guy last year and, like Larry Izzo, should make the team based on his special teams play alone. That leaves Tory James, who is a decent player, but has not done much this preseason and may not make the team.

So one more tune-up, then we finally start with games that count.

Last night’s game was an interesting one. There is some growing bad blood between these two teams, stemming from last season’s match up. If you don’t remember, the Titans were fighting for a playoff spot and the Pats were just trying to stay healthy having already wrapped up their playoff spot. The Titans came out a little too chippy and then WR Bobby Wade took out Rodney Harrison’s knee and he was lost for the playoffs. Shortly after that the Pats snapped up their chins straps and did exactly what you would expect a veteran team to do to a bunch of upstarts. They buried them 40-23. They even let old man Vinny Testeverde come in and throw a TD. So last night started with a little more intensity than the average preseason game. First the bad, then the good. Because I want to save the good for last, like eating the strangely refreshing vanilla side of a Hoodsie Cup after the chocolate side.

The Bad

Brady threw and early ugly interception that was returned for a TD and another later in the half. Neither one looks like something you would see in the regular season. Both were to Donte Stallworth, who later said they were his fault for being in the wrong place. Matt Cassel also threw a couple picks. He continues to look really good some times and other times look like what he is, a young QB who needs more reps.

The offensive line did a horrible job in pass protection, letting Brady get beat up way too much for my liking. I know the guys needs some reps but I kept yelling for them to get him off the field before he got hurt. We don’t even need to think about the consequences. Stop it. I mean it.

Wes Welker seems to be slightly off rhythm with Brady. For the second week, it looked like there were a couple passes heading his way and he was in the wrong place. He did catch a nice TD from Brady though.

Steven Gostkowski has developed a curious tendency to make the shorter kicks look tough, missing a 33 yard field goal.

During the second half, the back up defense had a lot of trouble stopping the run. The Titans converted more than a couple third downs on the ground.

The Good

The starting defense was smothering. They even had a goal line stand where they stoned the Titans from getting in.

Jarvis Green started for Richard Seymour and as usual, played great. He even recovered a fumble. This guy doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He could start for well over half the teams in the NFL.

Rodney Harrison played like it was a regular season game. He was flying around, making tackles, being his usual destructive self. On one play he came on a safety blitz and absolutely blew up Vince Young. He doesn’t look to have any lingering effects from last year’s knee injury.

Randall Gay stared at corner and played very well. He has been injury prone, but I hope he shakes the bug and can start to really dig in. He has great ball skills and anticipation. He also hits harder than his small frame would have you think. If you don’t know much about Gay, read a good story here. And then start rooting for him.

The linebackers looked to be in sync. Colvin and Vraebel started outside, with AD and Bruschi inside. Junior rotated in and many times the LB’s were moving around right up to the snap. Having 5 guys that versatile is scary. When the back ups came in Pierre Woods played a pretty good game and Justin Rogers looked good again.

Overall the starting defense looked to be aggressive and swarming. Last season they were not the ballhawking defense we are used to. If they can all stay healthy, I think a return to the type of D we saw during their last two Super Bowls is on the way.

Punter Danny Baugher (can we get one of those phonetic pronunciation doodads over here?) took advantage of Josh Miller’s relase and played a pretty good game. At one point he unleashed a 70 yard bomb. The guess is it is his job to lose.

Overall, like Bill says, there were some good things, and some not so good things.

Keeping with the good and not so good, today the Pats announced the signing of Vinny Testeverde and the release of Artrell Hawkins. You already know what I think about Vinny being on this team. I don’t ever want to see him play, but I’m glad he is there. As far as Artrell Hawkins, I am sad to see him go. He has been injured and has not practiced with the team since early August, so I assume this has something to do with his release, and maybe he will return when he gets healthy. I always like the guy after the Pats signed him. They brought him in as a corner, but Dean Pees looked at him and converted him to safety. Hawkins always had trouble covering good WR’s as a corner, buthad good instincts. Pees saw this and took a guy who might have been playig out of position for his whole career. At safety he wasn’t asked to man up on guys who had more athletic ability than him. He was simply asked to be in the right place at the right time. Which he did more often than notin NE. So here’s wishing Artell to get healthy and maybe the Pats will call him back.

Here you have him, ladies and… well, ladies. Esquire’s best-dressed man in the world (the WORLD), your quarterback, Tom Brady. According to this USA Today article, Tom’s email statement says, in part: “this time of year I care a lot more about how I look on the field than off it.”

Personally, I favor the sweaty post-game look over the snazzy suit (is that velvet?!), but it’s all good, Tommy. It’s all good.

Carry on.*

*You all were warned, occasional quarterback ogling will occur.

The game is over and it was actually pretty entertaining for preseason. Tampa won 13-10 on a last minute field goal, but I don’t think Bill is too upset. There some definite issues to fix, but plenty of things to be encouraged by.

• While Maroney didn’t play, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk has pretty good nights. Faulk continued to provide the burst and change of pace he has done his whole career. Sammy Morris ran tougher between the tackles than I remember him dong in Miami and Buffalo. Morris scored the TD on a nice short yardage run where he made Derrick Brooks look a little slow.
• Oscar Lua and Justin Rogers both looked pretty good in the second half. Rogers is a converted DL from SMU they drafted this year. He looks to have good speed off the edge. Lua played well inside, he seemed to play within his zone and maintain his responsibility - a big deal in this defense.
• Brandon Meriweather can play. He saw a lot of action at corner and safety. He ripped at balls, trying to cause a fumble a few times [a classic Rodney move] and showed pretty good instincts on where to be. He is going to get some playing time this year, especially if Asante holds out until the tenth game as he has threatened.
• Kelly Washington is a big target. He never got much playing time in Cincy. I don’t think he had a big enough criminal record. He has a good shot to make the team in NE. He made a couple of tough, physical catches, and laid out for a ball that was just a bit too long, even though he knew he was going to get drilled by the safety. He is a very good gunner on special teams too. This might be enough to get him a roster spot over any of the other WRs that don’t play multiple roles. Reche Caldwell, try not to drop your playbook on your way to the coach’s office.
• Jabar Gaffney continues to make some nice catches and display a good overall knowledge of the offense and how he fits in. Donte Stallworth did not play at all.
• At QB, Brady looked good during his short time on the field. Matt Cassell had his moments, but was a little inconsistent at times. He does run pretty well though. Matt Gutierrez looked pretty good. He has a nice touch on the ball and plays with a confidence that a good QB should have. He knows what he wants to do when he has the ball. If he doesn’t make the team outright he will be on the practice squad this year.

The most important thing is there were no injuries and no one single group looked bad. It was what it was and that is enough for this football starved fan.

Finally, we will see the Pats take the field against somebody other than their own guys, even if it is the first preseason game. The first game should feature plenty of back ups and very little of the starters. Even so, I am interested in seeing a few things:

• Does Maroney play at all? He has been in the no-contact jersey for training camp, so he hasn’t been hit much. Do they keep him on the sidelines all game and we watch Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk, and Heath Evans?

• What WR steps up and tries to stake his claim? Randy Moss won’t play tonight because of his hammy. Donte Stallworth will play but he just got off the PUP, so I am not sure if he is ready to go a whole lot. I think Jabar Gafney will continue his push to make the team and so will Bam Childress.

• Where will Meriweather play? He started camp playing a lot of corner, and then the last few practices played more safety. They obviously love his versatility and I am interested in seeing where he takes most of the snaps. With Asante still holding his breath waiting for more money, and Chad Scott on the IR, CB is a little thin.

• How will the young LBs play? With an older starting LB core, I can’t imagine they will be on the field much. So the young guys will get a lot of quality time out there. Pierre Woods has had a really good camp and draft pick Oscar Lua has spent camp learning about how to play inside LB from the likes of Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau. These guys could be the future at LB so it will be good to see them in live action.

• What color baseball hat will Brady wear after the first series? No need to have number 12 out there any longer than necessary. Start things off, then grab a seat, Tom.

I’ll touch base again after the game for some more thoughts on what happened.

Stanley Morgan has won the voting for this year’s Patriots Hall of Fame. He is the 12th player elected to the team’s Hall of Fame. This year the voting was between Ben Coates, Ron Burton, and Stanley Morgan. I have never seen Ron Burton play, so I can’t really speak on how deserving he is, I did see Ben Coates’ wonderful career in NE, and I loved watching him catch a pass and carry two DB’s on his back for another ten yards. However, with all due respect to Coates and Mr. Burton, this should not have even been close.

When I started watching football, Stanley Morgan was catching passes from Steve Grogan. Then, shortly after that, from Tony Eason. It didn’t matter who was throwing the ball. If 86 caught it, there was a good chance he was going to bust it wide open. Morgan was one of my favorite players, he was so smooth and had such great hands, sometimes it seems like he was playing at a different speed than the other guys on the team. Morgan has a 19.2 yard per catch career average. Think about that. 19 yards. Per catch. Jerry Rice averaged 14.8. Of the 18 WR in the NFL Hall of Fame, only one has a higher average.

Which brings me to my problem. How is Stanley the Steamer never mentioned for the NFL Hall of Fame? I would never say he is a lock, but shouldn’t he be in the discussion the way Art Monk is? Yes, Monk has a ton more catches than Morgan, but look at the rest of the stats. Monk played two more years than Morgan and has only 2 more TD’s and his ypc is much lower. Per catch, Morgan was much more dangerous than Monk. And I really liked Art Monk and think he should be in the Hall. And so should Stanley.

We went to training camp yesterday and I am now officially ready for the season. For a mid week practice, there were a lot of people there. Practice started at 2:30 and there was a line all the way out to Route 1 practically just to get in to practice. Unbelievable.

While it can be difficult to concentrate on what is going on when your two kids are crawling all over the place, here are a few observations:

Randy Moss is so smooth it is almost stupid. Although he tweaked his hamstring and left practice early, everything he did before that was enough to get the average football fan salivating at the possibilities. There have been reports that his legs are shot and he has lost a step, but if that is the case, he is still one of the fastest guys I’ve ever seen. The athletic ability comes to him so easily, I think he is one of those guys who doesn’t look like he is going 100% even though he is. He caught a couple of long throws where he accelerated as the ball arrived and created the separation needed to make the play. The play where he tweaked his hammy was on a flea flicker where he ran down field and had James Sanders beat by a couple of steps. If any team tries to cover Moss with a safety this year, ring up 6 and bring out Gostkowski.

Wes Welker is like the ball in a pinball machine and is going to provide great field position. On a kick return he ran right behind the wedge and did jump cut to the right then another to the left. The next thing I saw was Welker on the other side of the coverage and nobody had touched him.

Jabar Gafney is going to make this team. And he might be the number three WR. He has clearly benefited from last year’s time with the team. With Donte Stallworth yet to practice, Troy Brown and Chad Jackson on the PUP, and Moss dinged up, Gaffney has a great opportunity to show he can play. He made several nice catches, including consecutive touchdowns from Brady in the red zone. On one drive down the field, Brady had the team in the red zone and was running the no huddle, he stepped to the line, faked the spike and hit Gafney in the end zone, who had established position on the DB.

Pierre Woods wants to play. He was signed as a free agent out of Michigan last year and spent the year as a reserve linebacker. He has spent a ton of time in the off season working on his game and won some team awards because of it. Woods was the first non kicker on the practice field yesterday. I know because I had to look up his number. During TE and RB blitz pick up drills Woods absolutely blew up a couple of guys. One of them was Matt Kranchick, a TE who has been getting some reps with Dave Thomas on the PUP. Kranchick is huge and Woods went right through him. Given the age of the starting linebackers, it is great to see a young guy start to show this kind of promise.

Adalius Thomas is a monster. I am not sure what he ate as a child or what sort of radioactive insect may have bitten him, but a man that big should not move that fast. He played inside, outside, coverage, and on kick returns. Yes, kick returns. Imagine if you will that you are the gunner on kick coverage. You are slightly tapped in the head already, as your job is to run full speed down field with the intention of blasting your way through the wedge and nailing the kick returner. Well, here you are running down field, suddenly you see what appears to be a semi truck with a number 96 jersey coming at you at a rate of speed faster than you are running at him. Next thing you know, AD’s shoe print is on your face.

All was not sunshine and roses though. There was a squad of referees on the field and there were several penalties, many on the defense. As you would expect Rodney argued most of them. Overall though, it was a good time and the team has a lot to work with. Pre season games are just 8 days away.