Putting the Band Back Together

Cooler heads don’t always prevail. Thankfully, this time they did. Big Vince will be back in 2014.

Waiting By The Telephone

So, I guess I understand how women feel waiting for that call after the first date. The first week of free agency was amazing and it seemed to promise so much more. And then? Nothing. Why doesn’t he call?

Big and Tall

Wait, what? Kenny Britt is still coming to Foxborough?

There's No Place Like Home

Who are you and what have you done with the real Bill Belichick?

A Change is Gonna Come

It’s been a crazy 48 hours, compounded by the fact that I’ve suffered through a brutal head cold. Sinus pressure and pain that brought me quite literally to tears. In between a dry unproductive hacking cough I thought would turn my face inside out. Yuck! The loss of Talib, the signing of Revis followed hard by Wilfork’s request to be released. There would be no restructuring of Big Vince’s contract, no cap relief. I’m reminded once again that everything ends badly or else it wouldn’t end.

Business is Business

Sometimes you can prepare yourself for the inevitable but when it happens, it’s still something of a shock.

Rumor Mongering

Patriots Nation’s second favorite rumor – Larry Fitzgerald is still #1 – surfaced again on Saturday; several pigskin pundits and bobbleheads reported or confirmed retweeted Houston’s interest in a trade for Ryan Mallett. By the end of the day this rumor had been summarily dismissed by pigskin cognoscenti. Unfortunately, rumors Aqib Talib will play for Washington in 2014 only seemed to be gaining something like momentum. By Monday, it seemed a fait accompli.

Tamper Time

The so-called “legal tampering period” is about to begin. Aqib Talib, Julian Edelman and LeGarrette Blount are about to find out what their markets are. I’m sure their agents have that full page ad in the Globe thanking the fans for all the love ready to go. Love, as we should all know by now, is never enough.

Waiting for the First Shoe to Drop

Essentially, nothing has happened so far other than the Patriots not applying the franchise tag to any of their free agents. Yes, the Combine has come and gone and pigskin pundits and bobbleheads are pumping out mock drafts at a dizzying pace but the all important Pro Days have yet to transpire. Oh, and the NFL bumped the salary cap to $130m+ for 2014. So, yes, those things have happened but until March 11^th when free agency kicks off all fans can do is wait. Hope their own team’s free agents re-sign. And worry. And make supplications to the pigskin gods that their team trades for Darrelle Revis. Okay, maybe that’s just me.

99 Pigskin Problems But The PAT Ain't One

Remember back in January when Bill Belichick said extra points lacked any sense of drama? Apparently, he was on trend as The League is now looking at ways to moderate the 99.6% return on investment professional kickers enjoy when attempting extra points.

RIP Patricia Hobbs Winchester Ploutz

My Aunt Pat passed away yesterday. My condolences go out to her children and her grandchildren and her sisters.

Dickensian Dominoes

So it begins. The Combine. Franchise tags. Salary cap cuts. Free agent fits. Mock drafts. The time of year when even Cleveland Browns’ fans can think “Super Bowl” and “yeah, it could happen” in the same sentence with at least a glimmer of optimism. It’s that Dickensian time of the NFL year. For some it’s the best of times; for others, not so much. If you’re a veteran cut by the Browns, you’ve got a shot at signing with a winner. If you’re a veteran cut by the Seahawks, well, your Super Bowl party is officially over.