Lazy Man and Sports

There are few notes to pass as the Free Agency started a couple of hours ago…

• Asante Samuel - It looks like it’s time to say sayonara to Asante. Quite a few sources say he’s going to the Eagles for a 5-6 year contract at 50-60 million. I think he’ll be good, but not worth that kind of money outside of Bill Belichick’s defense. He might want to look at Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy’s success outside of New England. It’s hard to turn down that kind of money, but I wonder how much endorsement money would be available to him if he had a career of winning. With a superstar smile and continued good play, the sky was the limit
• Tedy Bruschi - It looks like he’s ready to sign, not just a one year deal, but a multi-year deal according to some reports. Either way, it’s almost a lock that he’s back.
• Randy Moss - Everyone is talking about him, but from everything he said this year, he’ll be the happiest person in the world to finish his career with Tom Brady. Contrary to popular belief, he’s a brilliant person and realizes that if he stays with the Patriots he’s got a very good chance at the Hall of Fame. If he leaves he runs the risk of going back to a team like Oakland. He’s got more than enough money and is just looking for a situation that is good for him. He knows he found it.
• Randall Gay - Even though he’s testing free agency, I get the feeling that he’ll be back with the Patriots. Unlike the other thoughts, this is just a hunch.Ke
• Kelly Washington - It looks like he’ll be back. I look forward to seeing him play WR for a change. This is a probability because…
• Donte Stallworth - …looks to be leaving. I loved him as a player, but he was under-utilized.
• Eugene Wilson - It looks like you are leaving… it wasn’t supposed to end like this. I thought you’d be the Atwater/Lott of the Patriots with the way you hit. And I expected you to fill in at CB because that’s what you were drafted for.
• Colvin - Goodbye… I thought you’d be great for us, but injuries did you in. Like Smelly Cat, it’s not your fault. Maybe you’ll end up signing with us at a discount. I doubt it, but you never know. The team can use you and other teams might not take a chance with your injuries.

Wrapping things up…
I think the Patriots need to trade down from their #7 pick. They need too much help at LB and CB. Of course if they can sign Lance Briggs and work him into the system that would work too.

I still have to focus on breathing… I can’t figure out what happened. I’m playing the “What-If” game, when I should be at the gym. Here are the top what-ifs

• What if the referees called the fumble recovery by Pierre Woods correctly? Even New Jersey fans saw it was clearly recovered by Woods until the Giants flipped him over and took the ball away. I can only assume that’s not a reviewable play. It should be.
• What if the Patriots kick the 50-yard field goal instead of going for it on 4th and 13? Gostkowski can hit a 50-yarder in a dome.
• What if one of three Patriots actually sack Manning on Tyree’s amazing 30+ yard circus catch?
• What if Asante Samuel brings down the interception at the end of the game?

I’m reminded that sports are a game of inches. There are times when the ball bounces against you. This was one of those times.

After two weeks of waiting it’s finally game time. I must have watch at least 72 different analysts talk about every possible aspect of the game. With this much media coverage no stone has been left unturned. With a nod to Peter King, here are ten things I think I think:

1. Motivation - The Patriots didn’t need any more motivation than the possibility of going 19-0. However, with renewed talk of Spygate, the Patriots could have a little extra.
2. Best Quarterback - Tom Brady has set nearly every quarterback record in history.
3. Complementary Wide Receivers - It’s pretty rare to have a Hall of Fame deep threat in Randy Moss and a great possession receiver who can break tackles like Wes Welker. Stallworth could be a #1 or #2 receiver on a lot of teams. On the Patriots he’s number 4.
4. Laurence Maroney - He’s always going to be compared to Joseph Addai of the Colts. They came out of the same draft, were picked at around the same time, and went to the best two teams of the decade. Ten weeks ago, you’d say that the Addai was by far the better running back. Today, it looks a lot closer. Some of that is that Addai’s production dropped off a little, while Maroney is running like a champion.
5. Week 17 Match-up - The Patriots came out tight on this game. I don’t think they expected the Giants to care or play hard in week 17.
6. Best Coach - The Patriots have a Hall of Fame coach and one of the best at making in-game adjustments.
7. Humble Pie - In the history of great teams, it seems that every team has had to deal with getting over-confident. I haven’t heard one analyst say that’s a fear for the Patriots.
8. Experience and Pressure - There’s a lot of pressure on the Patriots, but is it any more than any other Super Bowl game? I’m not sure. The Patriots do have a lot of experience in the Super Bowl with a quarterback who has already won three.
9. Kickers - A lot of analysts (including ESPN’s Hammering Hank) have reminded us that the Patriots have one 3 super bowls by 3 points each. I don’t think the past is an indicator of future performance.
10. Prediction - I think the Patriots start of strong and maybe go up 14-3. If that happens it will take the Giants a little out of their game and it could snowball on them. I could see a 34-17 game coming from that.