Football is child's play to Patriot Mike Vrabel. At least it was the day before the Super Bowl.
(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)
Patriots Notebook
PHOENIX - The NFL disputed a published report that indicated the Patriots had filmed the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002.
"We were aware of the rumor months ago and looked into it," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an e-mail. "There was no evidence of it on the tapes or in the notes produced by the Patriots, and the Patriots told us it was not true."
The Boston Herald reported yesterday that the Patriots had filmed the walkthrough, citing an unnamed source.
Early yesterday evening, the Patriots released the following statement: "The suggestion that the New England Patriots recorded the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 is absolutely false. Any suggestion to the contrary is untrue."
Rams spokesman Rick Smith, through team president John Shaw, told the Associated Press, "At this time, we have no comment."
A walkthrough is generally held the day before a game, the players not wearing pads or helmets, and at a slow pace so teams can go over plays and formations one final time.
ESPN.com spoke with a former Patriots video assistant, Matt Walsh, who suggested he might have evidence that could implicate the Patriots. Walsh's tenure with the Patriots ended abruptly in 2003.
The Patriots' videotaping procedures became a hot topic toward the end of last week at Super Bowl XLII, as Senator Arlen Specter, Republican from Pennsylvania, wrote NFL commissioner Roger Goodell asking why tapes that resulted in league fines and penalties had been destroyed. Specter indicated Goodell could be called before Congress to explain the league's actions.
Goodell was asked 11 questions about the Patriots' videotaping at his annual "State of the NFL" press briefing Friday. He indicated the league seized six tapes dating to late in the 2006 regular season, and destroyed them because "there was no purpose for them."
Thomas added
The Patriots promoted defensive lineman Santonio Thomas from the practice squad to the active roster yesterday. Thomas fills the spot on the 53-man roster created when safety Mel Mitchell was placed on injured reserve Jan. 24 with a biceps injury.
Thomas has played in four games this season, recording five tackles. He played in the first three games as a substitute and last saw action Oct. 21 against the Dolphins.
Thomas was released from the active roster Oct. 26 and signed to the practice squad Oct. 29.
On the take
One challenge for the Patriots tonight will be generating turnovers. The Giants have not turned the ball over during the playoffs and their last turnover came in the Patriots' 38-35 victory Dec. 29, when Ellis Hobbs intercepted Giants quarterback Eli Manning in the fourth quarter. Since then, the Giants have gone 33 possessions and 194 plays without a giveaway.
"There's no specific thing you can do to create a turnover," said Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees. "If we play hard, pursue hard, and hit hard, then you've got a chance to knock the ball out. That's what you're trying to do on every down. There's no special thing. Our guys know they haven't had a turnover, and turnovers are a big part of the game. The key is to not make a mental error, be in the right spot at the right time, and that gives you an opportunity to make more."
Take four?
After delivering Patriots fans three Super Bowl titles since the 2001 season, Tom Brady said he would happily "spoil the crap out of our fans" with a fourth "because our fans are the best fans. I think the great thing that the Patriots have accomplished for that region is I think everyone's become football fans, and become educated football fans. For so long, Boston has been a baseball city. The people in Boston know baseball and they know the lineups, they know the players, they know the strategies, and I really feel over the last seven or eight years that's how football has become, a little bit."
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