Thursday, November 29, 2007

Pats vs. Ravens

Ok guys, here's my latest email!  First of all, I will be sending out an email shortly regarding an AWESOME free tailgate event in baltimore!! I don't have the Evite yet, but I will get it this afternoon and will forward it to you all, including parking/metro info. It's going to be at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore... it is a bipartisan even, ie: both Pats AND Ravens fans will be there... cash bar, and it should be awesome! Like I said, as soon as i get it, I will forward the Evite to you guys... for those of who really wanted something to do but didnt' have tickets, I highly reccomend this... and also, PLEASE promote our fan club when you meet other Pats fans there!! There will be a silent auction for a chance to win a $400 snowboard. This event is sponsored by the dad foundation... check them out at dadfoundation.org. More on that when I get the info.
 
As you all know, we meet the Ravens in Baltimore this coming Monday night, 12/3.  Since the beginning of the bmore raven's franchise in 1996, we have played them just three times, Monday being the fourth. I can't seem to figure out how many times we have played Baltimore total... I'll keep digging around.
 
My favorite tidbit: As you all know, we have activated T. Brown for this weeks game... this will be our fourth time against the bmore ravens, and the fourth game that both Teddie and Troy have played in! This will be a little nostalgia for them. I'm very excited to have Brown back, and I have also activated him on my fantasy team as well! Had to pull Clinton Portis to do it, but it looks like they may not play on Sunday, so it wouldn't matter anyway.
 
The ravens are one of two teams (the other being the Giants) that Tom Brady hasn't ever thrown a TD pass against. God knows, as many records as we are breaking these days, that's just one more to add to the list! This will also be our first time in the M&T stadium, leaving just Arizona and Seattle's stadiums left that we have never played in.
 
This week, with a win, we will join the Canton Bulldogs (1922 and 1923... entire season), and the Chicago Bears in 1985 as having won the first 12 Games consecutively. The 1922 and 1923 seasons were 12 game seasons, so they technically should be in the same league as the '72 Dolphins I think... but they did have a couple ties each year, and back then those counted as wins, so TECHNICALLY they didn't really sweep the season!
 
The highest amount of TD's in a single seaons happened in 1984, by Miami, and the record stands to date at 70. HOWEVER, we the mighty record breaking Patriots, are now at 58! We are averaging 5.3 TD's per game, and we have five games left = 26.5 TDs... add that to the 58 TD's we already have and we stand to break the record by 14+ TDs!!
 
The NFL record for most completed passes in a season is held by Gannon, from Oakland, in 2002...As it stands, Brady has completed 284 passes, for an average of 25.8/game. If he maintains that average, he will hit 413, just missing the record by 5 completions... IF he can step up his average just one completion a game, we can tie it... With 413 completions, he will however, Break my dear Bledsoe's third place NFL record in 1994, with 400 completions.
 
As we are ALL well aware... Manning currently holds the record for most TD passes for a single season...Brady currently has 39, over the past 11 games, that's an average of 3.5/game... multiply that by the 5 games we have left, and that's the potential of 17 and some change more TD passes... if he keeps traveling on the path he's on, that could bring us to a record breaking 56+ TDs... Considering we have the Jets and 'Phins left, I don't see ANY of these goals posing a problem!!
 
Ok, I hate math, so I'm exausted now! As I said, as soon as I get the Evite from the dad foundation, I will send that along. I think it's a great idea for anyone wanting to go up to Bmore, but not going into the game.
 
Talk to you all soon
 
Heather Barclay
GO PATS!!!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Sorry, one more email

Hey guys, Steve sent me this sometime this week and I thought I'd pass it along... I'd hate to see Manning get QB for the AFC...:
 
Hey Heather I saw this at http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm i think we need to get everyone in the club to help sway the voting away from the little bitch Peyton.  its our duty at patriots fans .
have a good day
steve
 
 
POSTED 6:53 p.m. EST, November 15, 2007

FAVRE LEADS PRO BOWL VOTING

With four weeks to go before voting closes on the 2007 Pro Bowl, Packers quarterback Brett Favre is leading the way with 458,837 votes.

It's a testament to the stunning rebirth Favre has experienced in 2007, his best season in years.

In second place is Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, with 441,852.  Pats quarterback Tom Brady is in third, with 440,354.

The leading non-quarterback is Patriots receiver Randy Moss, with 342,250. 

Here are the leading AFC vote-getters at each position:

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

QB

Peyton Manning, Colts

441,852

DE

Dwight Freeney, Colts

209,272

RB

Joseph Addai, Colts

297,504

IL

Vince Wilfork, Patriots

100,032

FB

Lorenzo Neal, Chargers

194,880

OLB

Shawne Merriman, Chargers

148,287

WR

Randy Moss, Patriots

342,250

ILB

Tedy Bruschi, Patriots

121,099

TE

Antonio Gates, Chargers

199,593

CB

Champ Bailey, Broncos

183,109

T

Matt Light, Patriots

179,054

SS

Troy Polamalu, Steelers

134,868

G

Eric Steinbach, Browns

188,052

FS

Ed Reed, Ravens

110, 412

C

Jeff Saturday, Colts

168,502

P

Chris Hanson, Patriots

52,131

K

Adam Vinatieri, Colts

82,922

ST

Larry Izzo, Patriots

105,147

KR

Wes Welker, Patriots

69,590

 

 

 

And now the NFC:

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

QB

Brett Favre, Packers

458,837

DE

Osi Umenyiora, Giants

166,529

RB

Adrian Peterson, Vikings

317,388

IL

Tommie Harris, Bears

96,227

FB

Tony Richardson, Vikings

79,499

OLB

DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys

151,589

WR

Terrell Owens, Cowboys

255,490

ILB

Nick Barnett, Packers

96,140

TE

Jason Witten, Cowboys

238,598

CB

Charles Woodson, Packers

137,925

T

Flozell Adams, Cowboys

138,986

SS

Roy Williams, Cowboys

108,450

G

Leonard Davis, Cowboys

124,316

FS

Sean Taylor, Redskins

93,639

C

Andre Gurode, Cowboys

121,462

P

Mat McBriar, Cowboys

85,609

K

Nick Folk, Cowboys

107,372

ST

Keith Davis, Cowboys

70,490

KR

Devin Hester, Bears

249,212

 

The Pro Bowl teams are determined by a combination of fan voting, coach voting, and player voting.  Each segment counts a third toward the final tally.

Votes can be cast on NFL.com and on Sprint phones by texting "PRO" to 7777.  Fans who vote are eligible for a five-day, four-night trip to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.  Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is the leading vote-getter through the Sprint balloting.


Superbowl Rematch...

While we haven't played the Eagles since the '04-'05 bowl, that is not the only point of significance in this match up. If the Patriots win this game, and/or the Bills lose theirs (they are playing the Jaguars I believe, and I don't think the Bills have a prayer against the Jags running game), the the Patriots will join three other teams in the NFL, as having clinched the championships by week 11. Are there any other records out there we can beat?? Oh, well actually... when we rematch against the Jets, it is rumored that the point spread will be the highest in NFL history... That's something I guess...
 
So many good articles, so little time. I suggest you read this one, found in a Philly newspaper of all things!! I don't think this could have been more favorable towards us if it had been written by a Patriots fan!! It's very well written, and in between my reading it, I punctuated with the occasional "hell ya," or, "it's about goddamned time someone gets the picture!"
 
 Here is a Blog that i found, and I have to tell you, it too is wonderfully written... much like the Philly article, I couldn't help but nodding and muttering little affermations througout reading it... the comments on the end make me laugh too... Some people really are idiots. I mean, I LOVE the Patriots... so how do I prove that? By sitting here for hours and writing these emails, going to every game, branding my entire state on my back, not owning anything other than dress clothes, and patriots stuff... how OTHER teams show love? By going on to various websites, and leaving ignorant comments on Patriots articles and blogs... GET A LIFE!
 
This one is another blog, written by the same author above. It's outdated, as it is talking about the Pats/Colts game... but if you have the time, it's hysterical... I think I'm in love with this guy!
 
Here's an article written about Moss, and why he's more valuable than Brady. It's a good article, however I'm not sure I can agree with it 100%  God knows, I'm not the biggest Brady fan... However, i've found myself saying an aweful lot of nice things about him recently... I still think he's a big dork, and that Bledsoe got a raw deal (leave me alone, I had to put that out there ok?!) But he's really proven himself to be a great QB, and a great representitive of the NFL. Ofc, we all know that there is a level of expected and forced humility, but you can tell the difference between a humble Brady and a, for example, "humble" T.O.  I've never wanted to slap someone more than I do when T.O. gets on TV running his mouth like he just won the Oscar: "I'd like to thank the fans, my family, and above all else, God for giving me this amazing body, albeit a medeocre brain..." (paraphrased of course..) The point here, tho I got a little far afoot, is that while I don't deny the fact that Moss is simply not human! You can't put enough men on him... Single/Double/TRIPPLE cover him, go ahead, we dare you! He's still gonna reach out somehow and snatch that ball out of the air. That said, if he had Jason Cambell throwing to him, would his numbers still be as good? I mean, give him a break, he can't be THAT good! And the reason Brady is so unstopable this year is because he finally has some decent weapons on his offense! Could Moss be as good as he is without Brady rocketing the ball to him? And could Brady has such a sick completion rating if he had no one to throw to? I think that both could be good on their own, but the reason they are unSTOPABLE is because of the amazing bond... I mean christ, you see them sitting on the sidelines together holding hands and whispering sweet nothings... they make a hell of a pair, on the field and off  (yes, I do belive they are dating.... I saw that Oprah special on the Down Low Brothers... heh)
 
Yet another example of how the Brady/Moss team is unstopable.. here's an article talking about all the amazing players of the week... no OTHER team had two players on this list(honerable mentions don't count)... But Brady and Moss both did. Remember that whole Bennifer(Ben Aflek and Jennifer Garner) or Brangalena (Brad Pitt and Angelna Jole) thing? Should we start calling these two Bross? hmm...
 
Ok, those are just a few of my favorites... there are millions of other ones as well, that I'm sure you're capable of finding and reading on your own, SO... here are some useless facts for you:
 
 This is the 10th time the Pats have played the Eagles only 10 times during the regular season... and not since the Superbowl match...  This is the first time in 20 years that the Eagles have made the trip to New England... the last time was November 29th, 1987 in SULLIVAN Stadium.. ah, nostalga! After Sunday, we will have played 3 or the 4 teams in the NFC East... The Giants will be the last one. The Pats, as you well know, have DISTROYED both the Redskins(formerly the BOSTON Redskins, prior to '34) and the Cowboys.. why should this game be any different? The last time the Pats played all four teams was in 2003... overall, the Pats record against the NFC East is 12-22, ugh!
 
Because we are so good, and the Eagles are so bad... lets do a little Colts V Pats... the reason behind this is simply that we will most likely see them in the AFC's so it doesn't hurt to have some foddor for the Retarded ass colt's fans that tend to run their mouths when they meet a Pats fan on the street...
 
Start by reading this... make sure you have some time set aside, because it's a long one... this is the cold hard truth as to how and why Brady is better than Manning ... a lot of reading, but a great and very deep and detailed article... For example, it compares the Brady vs Manning post season preformance... each of manning's Ends with: "manning chokes, colts lose" and ours end: "Brady gets it done in crunch time, patriots win..." Of course, there are exceptions to the rules.. but we don't like to talk about those!
 
Here's an up to date "matchup" between Manning and Brady... note things like, times sacked, or yards lost due to sacks... Here's the matchup of Moss and Reggie Wayne... heh... note Moss' 16 Recieving TD's.... booya.
 
Here are power rankings for the NFL.... we are leading the pack of 12 referred to as the "Dominant Dozen..." Please note that Manning and his Pony's are number four... HA..
 
Alrighty folks... that's all for now... Because it's a late game, I will most Likely be at the Union Pub, as I have been for the 8pm games this season...
 
The good news? This will be the last late Sunday night game! In theory, only three teams are allowed to have a max of 6 games... we get 7, so the rest of our game, while will still most likely be flexed, will be no later than 4:30... awesome!
 
If you or anyone you know plan to come on the bus next week, let me know because as it stands, I'm cancelling it on Monday...
 
Heather Barclay
GO PATS
10-and-0nly

Monday, November 5, 2007

OK... Cheating Ponies!!

Well, sure enough it looks to be true! Here is a little article that addresses this issue and has "expert testimony" from sound nerds etc... Through a little more digging, here is an article that lays out the rules of pumping in sound during a game. There has been a lot of crap on the various blog sites and whatnot regarding this issue, and of course there are so many people saying: well, what the PATS did was Illegal... this is just kind of a cheap shot, so it's apple's and oranges... WELL my friends, that's not true, it IS illegal, and therefore is apples and apples... If you want to get really Pissed off... go to this yahoo question, and read some of the answers... I love reading stuff like this, because when the league DOES find that the Colts were cheating, then these assholes all get to eat crow! And here is more proof on PFT rumor mill also. I'm not surprised honestly, because we had suspicions about this during the AFC championship game, and we KNOW that they were heating things up on purpose... literally... Yep, gotta love those classy colts!

Ah well, they will get theirs... karma is a mother! And when it comes down to it, we still managed to pull out a win... with the illegal noise, and bad Refs, we are undefeated and the colts are NOT!

Heather

One more...

LOL I just got a kick out of this comment left at the end of an article, entitled "10 Truths: Whole Truth about Pats-Colts":


All the hate generated towards the NE PATRIOTS is because:

1.) Games are being won - but NOT by their team.
2.) Team records are being broken - but NOT by their team.
3.) NFL records are being broken - but NOT by their team.
4.) QB records are being broken - but NOT by Peyton Manning.
5.) A SB drive is being made - but NOT by their team.
6.) There is one team that stands above all others - it is NOT their team.
7.) There is only one CURRENT team with three SB rings and maybe more - IT is NOT their team.
8.) There is only one 8-0 team, it is NOT their team.
9.) Bill Bellicheck is a great coach, he does NOT coach their team.
10.) BB was in violation of league rules - FINALLY, You feel justified.
GO PATS!!!!!!!!!!!


The first part of the article annoyed me a little but hopefully now, after winning by just four points, that score running crap will soon stop! The rest of the article was interesting, but I think the comments were my favorite part... even had one guy say that If Manning were a black QB, he'd get more respect... LOL I'm not even sure how to respond to that... I guess when your team/qb/coach etc isn't getting the kind of press you want, pull the race card! Makes sense ya?

Heather

How do they like us now!?

So, I sit here typing this, tired, hungover, and voiceless! I got to work this morning, still laughing about a drunken email from Ari "Maroney" or should I call him, Ari-rhymes-with-Ferrari (i LOVE drunk people!!)... Whichever. IN any case, I couldn't have said it better: "Today was the best and most energetic Pats turnout at the times i've ever seen. And the fact that there was not only a great game, but the triumphant return of the Manning Face as well, just adds to the fantastic result." It's true! Yesterday was a HUGE turnout, and a hell of a good time! And I have to tell you, as nervous as everyone was, I wasn't concerned at all! LOL... ok, that's a lie, I think I almost had a stroke to be honest. I kept running to Brendan saying "tell me something to make me feel better," and he did every time. But just like true Patriots fans, simply a win isn't good enough... there was a lot of grumbling that we didn't cover the spread... LOL

At the risk of sounding like our beloved coach, we still have a LONG way to go defensively! And if we could work on the coverage for Brady, that would be good too! We let the Colts D get after him too many times, and at one point, he looked like he was coming unglued for a minute, and how often do we see Brady lose his temper on the field? VERY rarely... Of course, a great deal of his frustration, and ours too, may have stemmed from the BLATANTLY bogus calls, and lack thereof, by the joke of a Ref team! There were as many missed pass interference calls as we have wins for Gods sake! Not to mention there is NO WAY IN HELL that was a legitimate INT by the colts. You can't honestly sit there and tell me that was a catch... when you knees hit ground before you hands touch ball, and it's called a catch... that's BS, and everyone knows it. I'd love to see what the score would have been if we had a fairly called game. I guess it's neither here nor there, because when it comes down to it, as paltry as it may have been, it's still a check in the "W" column!

First thing's first, lets do a little light Monday morning reading! The first article I need to point you to, is entitled: "Sorry, Bill, but your team's going undefeated." It's a great article, and basically says what we are all thinking... If the Colts can't stop us, who the hell can? Look at the rest of our schedule: Bills, Eagles, Ravens, Steelers, Jets, Dolphins, Giants!! There once was a time that half of those teams were something for the Pats to be concerned about: Jets, Dolphins, and Steelers were all teams, along with the broncos and chargers, that stood to give us a run for our money, however this year I don't see it! Dolphins have yet to win a game, Jets have only won one game, and the Steelers are a good solid, middle ground team! They aren't in the upper echelon of the AFC like the Pats, or Colts, but they aren't in the pits with the Jets or 'fins either. I'll be watching the Monday night game between the Steelers and the Ravens, and I'm interested to see who comes out on top...as we will see both teams in the first two weeks of December. The second article to check out, also on ESPN, is just kind of a break down of yesterday's game. The third article, much like the first, kind of rags on our tendency to not be happy, even on the doorstep of perfection, and claims that "Patriots stay perfect... but they aren't happy."  I would say that statement is only 50% true, we AREN'T happy... yes, it's a win, but it really exposed our weaknesses... it will give everyone a lot to think about over the next three bye weeks.. well, one bye week then a game against the Bills, followed by a game against the Eagles.. so basically three bye weeks! This was another good article on NFL.com... hell, you go to any sports site, and I'm sure there will be some good articles, they ALL seem good when you're the winning team!

If you get a chance to grab the USA TODAY, today, do it. The cover picture now adorns my wall at work: Picture Randy Moss in mid air, with Antoine Bethea of the colts, wrapping him up (with his hands FIRMLY inside Moss' collar...) and a ball simply falling into his arms! The headline is: PATRIOTS ACT, REMAIN UNBEATEN. There are also more pictures and an article on the sports section as well. I can't remember where I heard it, because I've read every website, and got up early enough to watch an hour of mike and mike in the morning... but someone today said: "Patriots, 9-Only" and I think I love that term! Here we are, all alone in the world of the undefeated! Home field advantage for the playoff games seems to be clinched. Our AFC East game looks like it will be Pats/Bills... and I'm not concerned about that in the least... and then we know who we will see in the AFC champs...

Well, I'll miss everyone during our BYE week... I won't know what to do with myself! If anyone in the area just wants to hang out and get drunk, I'm sure that's what I'll be doing anyway! Also, I'll send out final info about the Pats/Steelers pregame event for the 8th of december. It WILL be at McFaddens and it's going to be something under $25 for all the beer you can drink and something like dollar liquor drinks... Also, if you haven't RSVP'd for the Bus please do so now, because I'll need to collect money at the Eagles game.. thus far we don't have enough  people to sustain it, so I need to know ASAP if I'm somehow not going to be able to fill it..

Talk to you all soon, and as always, GO PATS!! 9 and ONLY... well on our way to becoming the '72 Dolphins!

Heather Barclay
Founder
Cell: 978-407-1655

Friday, November 2, 2007

Yep, I'm nervous...

Like I said, when I'm nervous, I send even MORE excessive emails than normal... I got home early from work yesterday (around 3pm) and from that point forward I did NOTHING except watch the NFLNetwork until about 3AM...yep, 12 hours my little mathminds! I got up only to let the dog in or out, answer the door for my landlord coming to pick up rent, and get another Miller Light Heavy... ah, the Heavy can... shades of Umass all over again! Anyway: Here are some more useless tidbits.. but first, check out this article that Mike sent... It's hilarious!

Ok, for those of you who read articles, but don't read all the crap along the sides, let me point out what I noticed while reading that article. Since September of 2001, we have played the colts 9 times, including the AFC... ::retch:: game. They didn't beat us until four years and one month later... and for the record, they beat us BAD! 40-21. For those of you who don't remember, that was the game that they played that MISERABLE Manning commercial in the fourth quarter: Tickets to the game $blah blah blah, Beer at the game $blah blah blah... Breaking the curse, beating the pats, and doing it at Gillette, Priceless... May I add, I almost cried... i was PISSED! And it was hard losing games, because we had just done SO well over the past couple years, so to lose, and to lose to a team that we ALWAYS beat... then have them shit in our cornflakes by playing that commercial before the game was actually done was nearly more than I could stand!

IN ANY case... Since the first time we lost to the colts, till now, our margin of loss has dropped drastically. First was 19 points, then in November of '06 it was by 7 points (27-20) and finally, as I'm sure we all remember, it was a loss of 4 points (38-34, thank you VERY much Tom Brady). Ugh, bad memories! In any case, as much as we are "running up the score" these days, and as much as Sir Thomas would like to see "a total blowout," I'd be happy with a check mark in the "W" column... I don't know if I would care that we wouldn't win by 17+... (of course, it wouldn't hurt...) Point being, the colts came up big in 2005, but I think this is the year when they go back to being unable to beat the Pats... I'd love to see it, and I'd LOVE to see it happen in that miserable RCA dome... In fact, they were saying on NFLNetwork today, that this may well be the last time we ever step foot into that dome, as the new stadium will be built and running for next season. Good riddance.

Another cute article is called "Halfway home in the NFL," and has a couple good references to the Patriots. The first category is: HALF THE CREDIT THEY DESERVE: Randy Moss, Green Bay's Aaron Kampman, Keith Bulluck (an annual selection in this category), the Steelers' offensive line (ditto) and Dick Jauron. Then (this is a good one): HALFWAY TO MVP: Randy Moss, Adrian Peterson, Osi Umenyiora, Bob Sanders, Peyton Manning ... Oh, who are we kidding? The ballot's closed. It's Tom Brady. Then there is no Patriots reference here, but it made me snort: HALF: The amount of Gatorade I spit out of my mouth this summer at the Manning Passing Academy after watching Eli Manning demonstrate his brother Peyton's dork-o-ramma running style. (LOL), Then, this one was wonderful...: HALF THE LEAGUE: In all of 2006, half the teams scored fewer points than the Patriots already have racked up in 2007 (331). The Pats are either really great, or the NFL really stinks. Hmm... I don't think that the ENTIRE NFL can stink, so i'm going to have to go ahead and say, we really just are that good! Now THIS one echoes my opinion nicely: HALF CRAZY: Any player who whines about the Patriots running up the score. My god. Is there no shame or pride left in the world? If you don't like it, do something about it. If not, cash your check and be quiet. And so on... there are others that are pretty funny, but non-patriots in nature, thus not worthy of my cut/paste skills!

If you get the chance, pick up USA TODAY, today! The cover article is the same picture used in that blasphemous epsn.com article with Bill looking mean and focused, and Dungy looking autistic... Er, I mean sweet! The Title is "A Clash Of Styles" with a subtitle of NFL Week 9, It's Dungy's cool confidence vs. Belichic's war games as Colts face Patriots. The opening goes this way: "One is warm and approachable; the other cool and distant. One is sunshine on his worst days; the other is icy on his best. Tony Dungy. BIll Belichick. One with a winning grin, the other grim in winning.." and so on... LOL It's almost like being at home in a way. I'm so used to turning on the tv, opening a newspaper, listening to the radio, etc and hearing Redskins this, Joe Gibbs that... but for once, every sports channel is NESN, Sports Talk 980 is now WEEI, every paper is the Globe or Herald, the FM band is all WAAF or JAMN 94.5! New England is here! Sure, is it mostly because of the caliber of this match up on Sunday, yes, I admit that... but I'll take it!

Talk to you all soon, and see you on Sunday!! As always: GO PATS!!!

Heather Barclay
Founder
Cell: 978-407-1655