Cool or concerned?

hey mike-im more concerned then chilled.it isnt just brady to worry about.its the secondary that is getting sliced,and diced.its the O-Line being injured.now wes welker is injured,and we dont know how long he will be out.we obviously know there isnt anyone good behind brady,and i dont understand why we dont try,and sign a culpepper.yes he wants to start,but if a team like the pats were to call him,and moss lobbying he may sign.ty law knows our system,and could really help our non-existant secondary im sure he would sign if called on.

Great article with one major exception. In the last "reason to worry" when has Brett Favre won the "big game". He folds up like a lawn chair in the playoffs. The Jets are better but aren't even close to the Pats.
I'm not worried.

I'm not worried. I don't worry until the games count. I think Belichick likes to experiment with things, like Mike reported they started rushing more than 4 in the second half against Philly. I'm sure they want to get it done only rushing four, but, that has never really been the case in a Belichick D.

I still think they keep 4 QBs, but that's a valuable roster spot with a lot of talent that will be let go...

Besides the first string offense, defense and special teams...there is nothing to be concerned about!

there is no telling right now!!!! preseason has been a total wash so far. very very few bright spots. BUT if our D pulls it together and T Brady is healthy im a little less worried even with a sketchy line.

I am worried mainly because I dont think you can turn good performances, good technique, habits, etc, on and off like a tap.
Yes I think BB is scheming less (or not at all) and this will make a huge difference come the regular season, but right now I dont think any phase of the team is covering itself in glory.
I hope Welker guts out his rib injury, whatever it is. Given that he goes across the middle a lot and gets banged a fair bit, a rib injury is worrying, too.

Pre-season really is a no win situation. All you can do is hope to avoid major injuries 'cos the victories dont matter, and the losses just give you bad momentum.

Hi Mike, thanks for the link.

Banks wrote, "-- it appears the Patriots dodged a potential bullet with the news that the leg injury suffered by second-year safety Brandon Merriweather at Tampa Bay shouldn't cost him anything more than the final two preseason games."

What Merriweather's status?

Dave

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Hi Dave.

I believe Don Banks' comments on Brandon Meriweather are based on reading this notebook item last week in the Boston Globe from my colleague Christopher Gasper.

--Mike

What concerns me more than the fact Brady hasn't played is; Where is he? He didn't even make the trip to Tampa and I didn't see him on the sidelines against the eagles. I cut him a little slack for the Tampa game because of travel time. But No slack for a home game. He should have been there for support of his team. He stood up to Marshal Faulk and Shannon Sharp for blasting Cassel in their broadcast...BUT he can't even be there when he is getting pounded on the field...Maybe give him a little advice, or tell him what he sees in the constant blitzes the eagles were bringing. Just not the same old Brady I'm used to seeing. Where is the fire...I can't even see smoke.

What concerns me the most, surprisingly, is the man himself Tom Brady. He just isn't the same guy we know since the loss at AZ. From him skipping the voluntary program to telling the media things like "I told Coach Belichick that I wanna spend more time with my family in the west coast" (and not to mention the numerous Europe trips and mail pickups for Gisele), he isn't THAT focused on football no more.

What makes Brady great despite being a 6th round pick? Even he admitted himself, his under-estimated competitiveness, preparation and simply working hard. Without these, he is just any other 6th round QB.

Not terribly worried, but concerned. The schedule is an easy one, and we only need to win the division, and get things set for the end of the season.

The defense looked terribly vanilla to me. At times it looked like only the front three were rushing. That doesn't help the secondary. The only thing in the secondary that worries me is Hobbs. He is giving one heck of a cushion out there. So far in three games the other team has attacked him all day, and has largely succeeded.

The offensive line is a worry, but we still don't know who will be ready for that first game.

I won't worry until the first game is here.

Fascinating comment Stan since Hobbs has only played in one game. If you think you anything about football, you don't.

And Supreme, your comments are even more stupid than Stan's. Tom's played the equivalent of an extra season and even great players need to change things to recharge their batteries - but this won't sink in anyway because the sky is falling.