Shutout city

By Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff, 9/11/2003

It's history in the making this weekend when the o-fer New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles face off. Not quite Adam Vinatieri splitting the uprights kind of history, but nonetheless, we're talking really sorting through the annals sort of stuff.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Sunday's game will mark the first time in 71 years that two NFL teams will face each other in their second game of the season, after each was shut out in its first game. It last happened in 1932, when the Chicago Bears played the Staten Island Stapletons in Game Two, after each had scored zero points in its first game. That game ended in a 0-0 tie. Those Bears, mind you, went on to go 7-1-6, an.875 winning percentage, the best in the league that season.

Wow, let's hope things can be as good as that scoreless tie. There may be no better way to spend a day in the life of the NFL than watching no points being put on the board, that's for sure. And eating strained carrots through a straw. Hoo-doggy!

This just about sums it up for the Patriots, doesn't it? (Sports Illustrated)

At any rate, you would expect the Pats and Eagles to perform better than their opening day not-so-wonderful showings. Or, at least you would hope. On paper, at least, this was going to be one of the Patriots' toughest games of the season. In reality, it should be one of the Patriots' toughest games of the season.

In Philadelphia, where the panic starts quicker than the collective Red Sox Nation under an interrogation lamp, Frank Fitzpatrick of the Inquirer puts a little bit of calm into Eagles fans by telling them, hey kids, things are even worse up there in New England.

"Unlike the Eagles' Monday night collapse, the blowout in Buffalo might have a logical explanation. And it might not be the locker-room dissension being discussed so intensely in New England this week," he writes.

Of course, that involves the whole Bill Belichick-Lawyer Milloy situation, which I think everybody but the Phantom Gourmet has weighed in on by now. Worse news for the Patriots, is that they're starting to lose the players ON the team. Ted Johnson had surgery on his broken foot yesterday, a process that apparently had as much secrecy as the location of the Ark of the Covenant in Foxborough, and will be out for half the season.

Therefore, Roman Phifer will make the String Cheese Incident and go from outside to inside Sunday. Down in Philly though, the Eagles will likely be without standout cornerback Bobby Taylor and safety Brian Dawkins (both are listed as doubtful), which won't help a defense that allowed just 15.1 points per game last season, second-best in the NFC to the team that beat them Monday, the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.

Both teams may be 0-1, but let's not kid ourselves, one of those teams played significantly well in losing to the defending champs, despite not scoring a single point. And the Bills ain't the champs, folks.

Lisa, Lisa and cut jam

Now, I don't want to turn this into a Lisa Guerrero-bashing forum, but Lance Bradley of BoDog.com SportsBook and Casino informs me that they have already started taking bets as to whether the Monday Night Football sideline reporter would be invited back next season.

According to BoDog.com's oddsmakers, Guerrero is unlikely to return to the sidelines for Monday Night Football next season. The "No" option on her returning is listed at (-150), meaning players would have to risk $150 to win $100. The underdog is the "Yes" option. Wagering on the "Yes" option would return $110 for every $100 wagered.

Ah, the modern face of gambling.

Bruins can't wing it

Today is Day One of Bruins training camp, a camp that will lead us into the NHL Season of Hockey Armageddon, what with the lockout looming next summer. But for now at least, things are normal. After all, the Bruins have a couple star players in contractual discussions, so it's same as it ever was.

Mick Colageo of the Standard Tomes tells us today that Nick Boynton's deal seems to be imminent, Sergei Samsonov could be another story. The Group 2 free agent has been angling for a multi-year deal, but the Bruins, like they have done with everybody outside of Joe Thornton, want to sign him to just one year in lieu of the lockout. Otherwise, Sergei could go the way of Anson Carter and Jason Allison, just another star that fell through Boston's fingers.

But Samsonov is different. He is the playmaker on that team, and one of the major reasons the Bruins went into a tailspin last season was that it coincided with his injury. The Bruins got a good piece in Glen Murray in return for Allison, and Mike O'Connell said it would take a Top 5 player in exchange for Samsonov.

The Bruins can ill afford to lose Samsonov, and if they realize that, will take whatever it takes to get his name in ink.