New England Patriots on Paper: Hired Geeks

"It was Sunday, and Sunday is a good day for revenge. That was all I cared about, nothing more. Football was in my blood. I am a slave to it."

And....yes.  Aren't we all.

It's no secret that the works of Hunter S. Thompson have been an inspiration to me pretty much my entire life, and the fact that his books are categorized in most libraries in the social sciences section speaks of the reverence that people smarter than me have for his razor sharp insights of the social condition, if not for his style.

He wrote of this condition - from mainstream America to the hippie scene in the Bay area, and just about everything in between.  He hung out with people like Ken Kesey, Allister Crowley and the Hells Angels - and for one brief span in the summer of 1973, with the Oakland Raiders.

An insatiable football fan, Thompson wrote of the culture of the game.  The win-loss records and scores of the games rarely found their way into his columns - his primary focus on the human element, and he told stories of the experience, the atmosphere, the faces in the crowd, the sights and smells, the grace, the power - because he figured that there were enough hired geeks and beat writers to recite numbers....

...and he didn't write about football often - but he did enough of it that I'm certain he would be humored by the media spectacle that is Tim Tebow - particularly now that Tebow is a member of the New England Patriots - and that he would focus on the culture and the experience and bring a bit of responsibility to the media, whose main purpose for living in the offseason seems to be to stir the fan population with a big stick.

So when news of the signing of Tebow by New England broke on Monday and polarized fans and media alike, mouth pieces from every media outlet in the civilized world and Maine had an opinion, to the point that even normally friendly social media chats became contentious as Patriots' fans armed with the opinions of these hired geeks battled with supporters of the signing like circa early 70's anti-war protesters and riot cops.

It's a Renaissance of the dark and dirty days of Thompson's prime, when he would hang out on the Oakland Raiders' practice field and jabbered incessantly at John Madden and drew the ire of Al Davis on more than a few occasions.  Davis was a polarizing presence himself, and there was no middle ground - either you loved him or you hated him.

Except Thompson, who thought he was human scum, but got a kick out of the way he would pace the sidelines during practice and get in the players' faces and make Ken Stabler and his receivers work on patterns for hours after practice had ended, which is what caused Thompson to develop a love/hate relationship with Davis.

Thompson was clearly comfortable hanging out with the Raiders but Davis was not comfortable with him, so the Doctor's experiment with the Raiders lasted about two and half weeks - plenty of time for a football mind like Thompson's to learn everything he needed to know.  Davis was the boss of the Raiders, and he didn't spend one second of his life worrying about what people thought of him or his decisions.

Would Thompson think of Belichick as human scum?  For certain Belichick would loathe the good doctor simply because he was a reporter - and Belichick is a lot like Davis in many respects, and also because he has an intense desire to control his environment, and if he wanted to bring in Tim Tebow and take a look, by God he's going to do it - because he's the Boss of the Patriots.

But maybe we can take the words of the dead scribe, from lessons that he learned from being around the Raiders, being around professional football and being around the scene in Berkeley and Altamont and dealing with more street freaks and genuinely dangerous people in one day than any of us will in a year to understand the mind-set of this situation.

Trying to report on the culture of Oakland and it's suburbs was hard dollar, but he was the kind of writer that, by nature of his self-proclaimed style of "Gonzo Journalism", absolutely had to be right in the middle of it.  He got arrested, tossed out of Raiders' headquarters and nearly stomped to death by the Angels, but he kept going back.

Why?  He was fascinated by the people.  He didn't care about their politics, per se, he cared more about their methods - and this is where we are mired now, in this rainy late spring in New England and at each other's throats - but if we take the time to let his words soak into our brainwashed minds, perhaps we can learn a 40 year old lesson as it relates to Tim Tebow and Bill Belichick - because he had seen enough of these personalities to know.

"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright" Dr. Thompson begins, "Or maybe "stupid" is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me."

This story is much about the base for Tebow's charisma and enormous aura, his outspoken nature and deep faith either alienating or edifying sections of the masses, rarely unifying - there seems to be no middle ground, and as Thompson continues, he presents a pretty strong case for fans trying to find a happy median:

"In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone." he concludes, "They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I... And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."

High spots for the New England Patriots are otherwise known as Super Bowl championships, but even those don't bring personal peace and happiness to anyone because once they are won, the euphoria eventually dulls to pleasant memory, and then it's on to the task of winning another. 

It hasn't happened in these parts for nearly a decade now, even though the Patriots consistently have one of the best teams in the NFL year in and year out, and it always seems like they're one play or player short of nirvana - and who's to say who that player could be, that one guy that could make that play to get to the next high spot?

Bill Belichick, that's who.

He's the Boss of the Patriots, and if he chooses to bring in Tim Tebow and pay him many dollars, that's his choice but he, as well as Tebow, will have to learn to live with the idea that they may never find peace and happiness until Belichick wins another trophy and Tebow realizes that what he covets may not be possible, which will make the tabloidal journalism go away...

...but together, they are going to give it a shot - and if it works, great.  If not, well, that's ok, too.  The Patriots are still an elite team and Tebow was looking for a job when he found this one, so nothing would have changed except the fans at each other's throats will continue to divide Patriots' Nation, until it's too late to pretend that it never happened.

Because, after all, football is in our blood, and we are slaves to it - but if we let this episode in Patriots history define us as a fan base, we will have become slaves to something more sinister than football could ever be: Hired geeks.

Hernandez charged with murder; held without bail

A stoic Aaron Hernandez faced a judge for the first time on Wednesday afternoon, just hours after being taken from his home in handcuffs - the proceedings convened to lodge formal charges against the now infamous professional football player...

...the State of Massachusetts charging former New England Patriots' tight end Aaron Hernandez with six crimes, the most serious of which is first degree Murder.

Hernandez was released from his contract with the Patriots on Wednesday morning in response to being arrested, the team and the NFL releasing short statements telling of their disappointment with his alleged role in the homicide, and also expressing their sorrow to the grieving family of the slain man.

Prosecutors laid out in chilling detail the execution of 27 year old Odin Lloyd, the trail of video surveillance footage and cell phone text communications painting a brutal and damning connection between Hernandez and the man whom he considered a friend...

...so castigating the presentation that the Judge ordered Hernandez held without bail, the first of what could be a savage string of losses for the former Patriot and his high-priced legal team.

If one were inclined to follow the elaborately itemized chronology presented by the district attorney - the clarity of detail such that it seemed like something right out of the movie Enemy of the State - it paints Hernandez as nothing but a street thug with a vendetta.

The arraignment at the Attleboro District Court also saw Hernandez charged with possessing a firearm without a license, possessing a large capacity firearm and a firearm without an ID card.

Hernandez plead not guilty to all charges.

As Bristol County assistant district attorney William McCauley presented the synopsis of the State's evidence against Hernandez, the mother of the victim fled the packed courtroom in tears - Hernandez, standing with his attorney and handcuffs adorning his tattooed wrists stood glaring at McCauley, occasionally breaking his focus and peering into the seated crowd.

McCauley concluded his soliloquy by accusing Hernandez of orchestrating Lloyd's "Execution", contacting accomplices and putting into action a plan that would end Lloyd's life - while defense attorney Michael Fee called the prosecution's argument "Circumstantial" and "not a strong case", then addressing the bail portion of the hearing by arguing that his client should be treated as any other member of society and given the opportunity for bail so that he "can return home to his eight month old daughter"...

...an argument that held little weight given the evidence against Hernandez, Judge Daniel O'Shea ordering Hernandez to be held without bail despite the defenses argument that Hernandez had proven that he was not a flight risk.

Part of his decision probably based on the fact that the murder weapon is as yet unrecovered and Hernandez's proclivity for destroying evidence as outlined by McCauley.

Hernandez's legal team promised to appeal the bail decision, but in the interim his next court appearance has been set for July 24th.

New England Patriots on Paper: Hernandez arrested, released from contract

Being arrested and charged with a felony has a tendency to change a persons life for the worse - and Aaron Hernandez is finding out all about that on Wednesday morning.

Hernandez was released from his $40 million contract with the New England Patriots, the team invoking standard language in his contract that voids the deal should a player violate terms of the NFL's personal conduct policy - and being escorted by seven police officers out his posh digs in an exclusive neighborhood just south of Gillette stadium is a good indication that a violation has occurred.

Hernandez has been the focus of a murder investigation since the body of Odin Lloyd was found early last week and a vehicle attached to Hernandez by rental history was connected to the crime scene, and his behavior patter since the start of the investigation has strongly suggested damage control and covering tracks, swaying public opinion and making the talented pass catcher the subject of ridicule.

So on Wednesday morning, the Patriots released the embattled tight end, also releasing a corresponding statement to the media - not an explanation, rather, a tome rife with righteous indignation:

"A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss. Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation. We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do."

Indeed, the right thing to do - and while many around the country are dancing on the metaphoric grave of the Patriot Way, it is important to remember that the actions the team has taken when faced with this grave situation is in line with the very definition of that creed.

They held off with any action against Hernandez out of respect for both the player that they had invested so much in, of law enforcement and the investigative process and of their own legal responsibilities, the language of which states that the team could have released Hernandez the moment that they had confirmation that he was being investigated by police in connection with the homicide:

“If at any time, in the sole judgment of Club, Player’s skill or performance has been unsatisfactory as compared with that of other players competing for positions on Club’s roster, or if Player has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by Club to adversely affect or reflect on Club, then Club may terminate this contract.”

But once it became clear on Wednesday morning that Hernandez was in police custody and about to face an arraignment on some sort of felony charge - be it Obstruction of Justice or even Murder - the team had no choice but to invoke this clause and part ways with the troubled tight end.

Now the team's responsibility to the rest of the players on the roster and preparing for the upcoming season can move forward, a game plan in place without the services of Hernandez, which clears a muddled situation and frees up just over $4 million in cap money from his contract for the team to use as it wishes.

How much of the $16 million in actual guaranteed money the team will be able to either recoup or renege on is unclear at this point, given the legal wrangling that is sure to occur, but the cap hit numbers could ultimately prove to be a boon in the Patriots' favor, since the language contained in the CBA affords cap relief should a team release a player under the auspices of the personal conduct clause.

The team will likely attempt to keep the $3.25 million bonus payment due to Hernandez in March of next year as well as his base salaries for both this season and next - all part of the money guaranteed on his contract extension.

But these things will be sorted out in time.  For the moment, the facts are that Aaron Hernandez is in some very hot water.  How deep it gets is the only intrigue left for a fan base that is resigned to the fact that an incredible athlete that was counted on to produce greatly on the field for the next six years will instead likely spend that time under the watchful eyes of prison guards.

The Fall of the House of....

"my brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rushing asunder - there was a long tumultuous shouting sound like the voice of a thousand waters - and the deep and dank tarn at my feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments of the 'House of Usher .' "

The ending of Edgar Allen Poe's greatest prose finds the death of two siblings, mad from anxiety and hypochondria, their senses heightened by such as to foster torment - mad from what they believe their lives to be, mad because they are compelled to be mad, their family history suggesting no other recourse.

Self-fulfilling prophesy is a common theme in Poe's works, and apparently with some of the more volatile of the sometimes cold New England sports media - using the New England Patriots' recent string of personnel hiccups to justify their beliefs that the so-called Patriot Way is dead or, according to many journalists, never existed at all...

...claiming that the "gullible" public had been fleeced by an illusion of integrity created by Robert Kraft and fostered by success unmatched in the decade and a half that Kraft has had Bill Belichick in charge of his personnel - their eyes veiled by the allure and lustre of three shiny trophies - these scribes choosing to narrate the fall of the house of Kraft as if fulfilling their own dark desires to see and end to their own means.

In The Fall of the House of Usher, the protagonist tells the story of trying to comfort an old friend, a friend whom he had not seen in decades, a friend who had become mentally ill through the anxiety that comes with being repressed by things beyond his control.

A friend who asked him to help entomb his sister after she fell into a cataleptic state - knowing full well that she was still alive, witnessing like-episodes in the past - the sister, now quite unhinged and murderous from being buried alive, appears in the friend's bedroom doorway and exacts her revenge upon her brother, given the strength of panic she strangles him in a rage...

...the narrator escaping the terrifying scene just in time, riding away from the house as quickly as a horse could pull his chariot, a flash of light beckoning him to look back to the house, which splits in two and disappears into the stale water of a pond that surrounded the house.

There are no heroes in Poe's classic tale, nor in the filthy drama currently unfolding in an affluent neighborhood just south of Gillette Stadium - only a short list of ne'er do wells and a litany of victims not unlike what you will find every single time that you open that monument to human ugliness called newspapers...

...yet many fans and Boston area journalists are distancing themselves from the New England Patriots in the wake of the Hernandez saga, and while the homicide investigation is ongoing, both fans and writers alike are preparing their lists of indiscretions, fulfilling their own prophesy of being users and fixers and plagiarists.

The Patriot Way is in itself a self-fulfilling prophesy, a set of standards and clichés conceived by the media to explain how a franchise that had been downtrodden and the doormat of the NFL for many years suddenly became the organization to which all other organizations were compared...

...a set of coattails created for fans and journalists to ride as far as the good times last, and then a springboard from which to jump as far overboard as they can when they perceive the ship is about to sink.

A standard that the Kraft family embraced, though not in so many words - as you will seldom hear anyone in the organization use them - an impromptu and unofficial mission statement that they never tried to do anything but culture and to edify, doing the best that they could to uphold a standard that they knew could never be reached, given the ambiguity of human nature - because they really had no choice.

Because in the end, football is a business and, not unlike any other business, the boss will sermonize to their charges that, as an employee, they represent the company, their family and their core values.  Nobody wants to hire lazy people.  Nobody wants to hire selfish people who have only their own best interest in mind.

Nobody wants to hire someone who may or may not eventually have something to do with the death of another human being, yet it happens every single day in this country - but you seldom open your newspaper to read the type of derogatory swill that the New England media is laying on the Patriots in the light of the Patriots' summer of misery.

In the history of business, there are many corporations in many different fields that have hired people that have ended up committing crimes, that have ended up being fired for incompetence or can not escape their painful past - yet these corporations are not viewed to have strayed from their mission statement.

The United States Postal Service have endured many strange and violent periods, yet the mantra "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" still resonates - and we still get our mail.

Print publications are not immune to hiring people who have had brushes with the law - nor have journalists always followed the canons of ethics like truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability - yet our newspapers are still at the front door every morning.

The New England Patriots are in the business of winning football games.  They hire people talented in their field of endeavor, many college graduates, but with the same unfamiliarity as any other person.  Some businesses take on employees with troubled pasts or with a history of injury in hopes that the past will be left behind and a change in venue will help the person be all they can be.

Taking chances are part of business.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose - and sometimes you take a series of hard knocks that can be construed into a losing streak, but winners never give up - and that is the true meaning of the recently emasculated credo.

The Patriots may have just been doing the same things as everyone else in the Kraft era, as suggested by more than one writer, but also have doing it consistently better and for longer than any other team in the league.

Why?  Because the Patriots Way does exist.

The Patriots Way doesn't mean perfection.  The Patriots way means doing your best, striving to realize the zenith of their profession - along the way affording opportunity to players who may have lost their way - if it doesn't work, then it didn't work.  Not every idea does, but every once in a while a gem emerges as a result of the given opportunity that no other team could absorb without falling apart...

...their want and desire to be better than everyone else a creed that has existed in human nature since the beginning of time, and is essential to the success of any business endeavor - the Patriot Way is strong and it will survive, because to people with souls and consciences it means so much more than something created to be destroyed.

It is at times like these that I wonder why I ever dreamed of being a sports writer, as it seems that people who do actually make it in the world of journalism tend to lose their passion and integrity along the way - but then I stop and think that if someone were to give me the opportunity that I could be different, that there would be no way that I could ever lose my passion for the game and for my teams but, just like any other human, I would be prone to putting my soul up for sale to achieve my goals...

...so I understand how writers corrupt their sense of objectivity, but will never understand how people can ride the coattails of whatever entity took them where they were going, then criticize the manner in which the people wearing the coattails got them to their destination.

The Patriot Way bandwagon is being abandoned like rats fleeing a sinking ship - the Patriots' ship is not sinking, but the perception of the Patriot Way being dead has droves of fickle fans and media criticizing and scrutinizing their every move - which is curious, because since the Patriot Way is a product of people who can't stand upon their skill and merit alone, they are only criticizing themselves...

...so on second thought, please continue.  You are quite good at it.

"Never create anything, it will be misinterpreted, it will chain you and follow you for the rest of your life.”

Dr. Hunter S, Thompson

Victims; aren't we all....except punks

Anger.

Since the beginning of the Patriots' dynastic run with Bill Belichick, football has witnessed all manner of bad behavior, from drunk driving to murder to suicide, the spectrum of malfeasance is so broad that it threatened to take entire teams down into the gutter with it.

And there we were up in the 6 weird little states that comprise New England, Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft with a stern hand on the wheel, not a care in the world as our beloved team stomped everyone in their path - on the football field, that is - shut out from the horrors that enveloped other franchises...

...and then, yes.

Anger.  I am angry.  Perhaps I have no right to be - but as a fan of football, a fan of the Patriots and, most importantly, a fan of humanity and truth, I am angry that on an early Monday morning, a young man that I never knew, a big man, a linebacker for a semi-pro football team was in a situation in which he was powerless to use his strength and his heft, then someone fired a bullet into his brain.

I am angry that someone had such hate in his own brain and heart that he would stand behind this powerful yet powerless man and purposely end his life.

I am frightened.  Frightened that this young man who is considerably younger, bigger and stronger than I was overwhelmed and executed.  How many men did it take to do the job?  One? Two?  More? Did he die immediately or was he left to bleed out in that lonely patch of weeds? 

The details, we don't need to know.  That is for a jury to hear, see and live with for the rest of their lives.  All we need to know is that a young man is dead, and someone killed him.

Was that someone Aaron Hernandez, one of his friends or someone else altogether?  Regardless, 27 year old Odin Lloyd will be laid to rest soon, leaving many family and friends with a huge void in their lives and hearts.

Everyone assumes that they know Hernandez to a certain extent, the "Rainmaker" who wears tattoos all over his body as badges of honor, of courage, and as tributes to his late father - either the fans that know him as a skilled pass catcher and count on him to deliver on the football field, or the close friends who know him in his personal life, the ones who call him "Chico"...

...but who knows Odin Lloyd?  To most of us, he's some dude that turned up dead in some weeds near an industrial park, a bullet fired into the back of his head, execution style - and the guy that got Hernandez in hot water.

This is wrong.

Lloyd didn't ask someone to put a bullet in his brain, he didn't force someone to stand behind him and end his life.  Whoever is found to be responsible for the death of the man, should and will be punished, and if it turns out to be Hernandez, then the pro bowl quality tight end will have to trade in his Patriots' silver and blue for whatever garb is appropriate for prison wear these days.

Whoever did this got themselves in the hot water.

Odin Lloyd played on high school football fields for the Boston Bandits, a semi-pro football league where players have to pay for the right to play, in essence - some in hopes of being noticed by some lower level scout and given a chance to play for pay in the Arena League or maybe even in Canada.

Most are just regular guys, trying to get by and not ready to give up on the game they loved as kids.

"Firefighters, dentists, accountants. These guys play for the love of the game and for the actual physical contact." says Tom Torrisi, the CEO of the well-established New England Football League, of which the Bandits are a charter member.

"Things are hunky dory, well and good, and this ruins everything," Torrisi continued, "The sting is devastating. This isn't the NFL; we're not equipped for this."

Nobody is equipped to deal with something like this - not even the murderers, who don't stop to think that they are taking someone's son, father, brother from them, not until it's too late - if they did stop for a split second to ponder this notion, perhaps it wouldn't have happened - but it did, and in the end all that anyone can hope for is that the killers are caught, though that won't ever bring back the dead.

Same for the people who know about the murder and try to cover it up.  That's a crime as well.  Obstruction of justice, accessory after the fact, what have you.  If Hernandez was involved, he needs to pay the price.  If not, then we'll still cheer for him on Sundays...

...but it needs to be remembered that Hernandez is not a victim here - not in any way, shape or form.  He may not have pulled the trigger, but he knows something about how it happened and, thus far, he isn't saying.  But it bears repeating - Even if it turns out that Hernandez is being set up, as some Patriots' fans are speculating, he still is not a victim.

Victims don't choose to put their careers, friends and newborn daughters on the line, choosing the plaudits of punk friends over the love of their family or the adoration of their fans.  They don't hand over the spoils of their charmed lives for the violence of the streets of their youth.  Victims don't choose handguns and iron bars over touchdowns and millions of dollars.

Victims die in fields.  Victims get a knock on the door in the early morning hours to be told that their son had been murdered.

Victims lie on a cold stainless steel table down at the coroner's office while their families and friends shed tears of grief - victims sit in courtrooms and watch helplessly as the man or men that they thought they knew and loved are sentenced to prison for the better parts of their lives - because when someone commits a murder, it ruins lives on both ends of the gun...

...and whoever killed Lloyd is a punk and a cold-blooded murderer.  If that turns out to be the Patriots' star tight end, then I suppose no one really knew Hernandez - and at least one person wishes he'd have never met him.

If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever.

Odin Lloyd, dead at 27.

Aaron Hernandez: Patriot's Way gives way to can of worms

It's called a can of worms, and it's label reads "81"

According to the Urban Dictionary, to say that one has opened a can of worms for themselves means that they have gotten themselves in a tricky situation which will require a great deal of effort to resolve.

With this being true, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez may want to hide any and all can openers, because there appears to be more than one can in his cupboard...

For the second day in a row, police showed up at the Hernandez residence in North Attleboro, this time as part of an effort to recover the weapon used to kill 27 year old Odin Lloyd, an associate of the Patriots' star tight end, who was found less than a mile from the home with a bullet hole in his head.

Search parties combed the woods and front yards of homes between the crime scene and Hernandez's home - which yielded a gun not believed to be the sought after firearm, which is disturbing enough in itself, but nothing compared to the fact that the search went no further than Hernadez's front door...

...coupled with the news that Hernandez was being sued by another associate for February shooting in which the alleged victim reportedly lost an eye and the use of his right arm when Hernandez pointed a gun that he didn't have a permit for and discharged it into the man's arm after the two men left a Florida strip club, reportedly in a midst of a heated argument suggests a disturbing, at the very least.

Human nature dictates that trust is a most difficult concept for many, and things like this is why.  But in 2010 when Bill Belichick told us that his 4th round draft pick was a steal for the team, and the fact that he was a pot head didn't make any difference in the grand scheme, we believed him...

...and why not?  Bill brought us shiny trophies, and it turned out ok, right?  Good enough for Robert Kraft to offer a historic contract extension for the New England native - which deepened our trust, because Kraft insists on players of good conscience and proper behavior regardless of talent level, and don't we all trust him implicitly?

So how disappointed did Kraft have to be when les flics decended on Hernandez's posh crib not far from Kraft's offices at Gillette Stadium armed with search warrants and tales of dark malfeasance - hoping to explain why a young aquaintence of Hernandez was found not a mile from his home with a bullet in his brain?

How discouraged did Bill Belichick have to be that his not so secret weapon was responsible for a rental car that was somehow a key piece of evidence in a murder investigation, and now instead of playing football on Sundays may instead be entertaining visitors in the prison commons?

How mortified were they both when they found out that the man that they trusted and invested $40 million in to secure his services and were expecting pro bowl quality performance from his enormous potential, is in fact a multiple felon with a gun fetish?

And how disheatened are the fans who counted on Hernandez being on the field, eventually teaming with bookend Rob Gronkowski to form the most formidable two tight end attack in the NFL - and instead may become no more than a bitterly disappointing trivia question?  Not even taking into account how the recent events impact his immediate family?

Hernandez's sudden and shocking fall from grace in the perception of the public has been so abrupt that not even adrenalin junkies can make sense of it - but that's where this thing sits at the moment, leaving much in a capricious state...

...but one thing is certain: Hernandez's actions, whether he is innocent or guilty of the heinous crime, has let down his boss, his coach, his team and his fans, and has every other fan base from coast to coast - and every media outlet in the country trashing the image of the Patriot way.

And not just for the events of the past couple of days, but for anything that comes from the incident in Florida - and it would surprise no one if Hernandez would have to answer questions regarding consealed weapons and lack of proper permits to carry such, not to mention discharging the thing in his friend's face.

It really doesn't matter if he was involved in the killing.  Public perception has convicted him already, because just the fact that every filthy path leads back to his front door, and his reported non-cooperative attitude with the investigation along with the fact that things are being carried out of his house in big boxes marked "evidence" has to give even the most ardent of Patriots' followers pause.

And with the news breaking that he apparently has a history with settling arguments with hot lead, the media and public already have an orange jumpsuit picked out for him, Massachusetts Inmate number 00000081...

New England Patriots: Gronk laid up, Hernandez embroiled in homicide investigation

The New England Patriots offseason of horrors for their stable of talented tight ends has taken another turn, this one right up an alley into the surreal.

While the "Batman" of their dynamic duo lies recovering in a Los Angeles hospital after undergoing back surgery Tuesday morning, "Robin", aka Aaron Hernandez, has become the media focus of a criminal investigation in Massachusetts.

Somewhere in Gotham, the Joker is smiling.

Attempts at injecting humor aside, the grim news out of North Attleboro has Patriots Nation asking how much more the team can absorb without losing their season before it begins.

The news out of Los Angeles is encouraging, sources telling the NFL Network that Rob Gronkowski's back procedure went very well, and he should be ready for contact toward the end of preseason.

The same can not be said for the investigation of a suspected homicide, the body of a man that was discovered by a jogger on Monday evening in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez's home linked to the Patriots' tight end as possibly an "associate of number 81".

Of course, Hernandez wears 81 for the Patriots.

Several major news outlets have reported that police sought and were granted a search warrant for Hernandez home in connection with the investigation, and that two men that were in Hernandez' home when police arrived attempted to leave but were detained by officers.

Though authorities are claiming that Hernandez is not a suspect, the fact that a search warrant was issued and people detained in his home does not bode well for the new father and suddenly wealthy University of Florida product.  If it turns out that either of the men had anything to do with the alleged murder, the consequences to Hernandez could be far reaching.

At issue is a rented 2013 Chevrolet Suburban with Rhode Island license plates being a "vehicle of interest" in the case. It is reported that the vehicle is registered to Enterprise, and that Hernandez's name is tied to the rental vehicle, though the police are releasing few details at this time.

Though rumor and speculation are running rampant, there are confirmed reports that Hernandez has been uncooperative with police, which could mean anything from refusing to speak without an attorney present to not allowing authorities into his house without a warrant.

SI.com, ABCNews.com and USA Today are reporting sources.

New England Patriots on Paper: Tim Tebow's Big Adventure

If Pee Wee Herman played professional football, he would somehow end up winning everyone over and saving the day.  And getting the girl.

Staff meetings would be in his cozy basement.  Chuck would be in charge of the exercise bikes, Amazing Larry has the orange slices and Large Marge would be in charge of transportation.  Pee Wee would be the quarterback, Francis a tight end and the Satan's Helpers motorcycle gang would serve as his line.

How could he lose?

In his quest to find his stolen bicycle in the film Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Pee Wee encounters the confused prison escapee Mickey, the rail-riding, sardine-eating hobo John, a very large jealous boyfriend named Andy and a group of bikers in bar, the afore mentioned "Satan's Helpers"...

...he hitchhikes to Texas on the advice of a jaded old fortune teller only to find that she jobbed him.  When he finally does find his bike, everything comes together and everyone who were once enemies come to appreciate his dedication to finding something that he totally cared about.

And then Pee Wee and the perpetually enamoured, would-be girlfriend Dottie ride off into the glare of the screen at the drive in, leaving the audience curiously certain that absolutely nothing happened between the two.

And this from a 5' 5", 98 pound bow tie-wearing salad tosser.  If he can find his bike after going through so much, shouldn't a 6' 3", 245 pound Heisman Trophy winner be able to find a job in the National Football League?

Well, he's found one, and the media and fans alike are weighing in on the biggest hot-button topic to hit Foxboro since Bill Belichick fired Wes Welker.

Amid wild rumor and speculation, former Broncos' and Jets' quarterback Tim Tebow was signed by the New England Patriots on Monday, but nobody really knows what to make of it.  On one hand you have the "Mario's Magic Shop" crowd, who think that Tebow could come in and run some Wildcat formations or other trickery...

...while on the other you have the people who laugh out loud at the notion, like when Pee Wee thought the Alamo had a basement, as the fortune teller had told him, and he was forced to endure their scrutiny.

In reality, it's somewhere in between the two, because Tebow's presence alone must be game-planned for, whether on the football field or a quick attempt at an incognito trip to Subway, the logistics of which would be an unmitigated nightmare.

Far from the creepy persona that actor Paul Reubens portrays in the Pee Wee Herman brand of comedy works, Tebow is nevertheless a controversy magnet, his every movement followed like the multitudes following Jesus - so it will be interesting to see how the conservative cloak and dagger, NSA manner of controlling information that the Patriots employ as standard operating procedure is able to shield Tebow from the outside world...

...because that's what he needs.  There is no place in the civilized world or Canada that the charismatically churchy Tebow can go without being recognized - and his spectrum reaches far beyond simple football fandom, which can be very disturbing to people like Belichick who want to control everything.

Which begs the question, why bring him in?  Some speculation goes to the Florida/Urban Meyer connection, doing a solid for his good buddy who thought of Tebow like a son, while still others accuse Belichick as feeding his own ego and signing Tebow just because he could.

Again, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle - but make no mistake: The Patriots do not need Tim Tebow - which is exactly why New England is the perfect place for Tim Tebow, because at the end of the day this is just a good coach giving a guy he respects an opportunity.

Not just an opportunity to make the football team - especially since there really doesn't seem to be a place for him - rather, an opportunity to work on his game and to learn from Belichick and Tom Brady under the secretive umbrella that the tight-lipped Patriots provide.

Because Tim Tebow needs the Patriots - and by all accounts, he's willing to do whatever Bill Belichick asks of him - which speaks to what we already know of the Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida, the ultimate team player...

...and somewhere down the road, when a Hollywood producer decides to do a film of the life of Belichick, the Tim Tebow signing will be made into a turning point in the fortunes of the eccentric head coach, where either he's finally gone too far and laughed out of the NFL or he turns the entire football world on it's ear and the Patriots' dynasty regenerates.

Either way, perhaps James Brolin is available to portray Belichick, just as he did for Pee Wee Herman - punching in a cryptologic sequence of numbers into a key pad which sets in motion a series of incandescent lights and switches, the ivy covered wall to the practice facility opening slowly to reveal Belichick's shiny whistle...

New England Patriots on Paper: 4.2 yards and a cloud of rubber tire pellets

It was early in October 1976 and a wide-eyed Bill Belichick stood on the sidelines of the brand new Pontiac Silverdome as his Detroit Lions hosted the New England Patriots...

...this assuming that Belichick has been wide-eyed about anything but cheeseburgers, classic rock or stomping anything that got in his way before or since, so one has to assume that the year 1976 -  when kids just coming out of school were weaned on Led Zeppelin, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Mickey-D's, and were witnesses to the brutality and horrors of the Vietnam War - was smack in the middle of Belichick's formative years and have a great deal to do with his obsession to control his environment, as well as everyone else's.

Belichick, just a year removed from Wesleyan College and earning his stripes as a special teams assistant first under head coach Rick Fazano and then Tommy Hudspeth was in the midst of his second season as an NFL coach and his first with the Lions - a mediocre season which saw them eventually finish 6-8 and afterthoughts in the NFC Central behind the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears...

...it seems like a lifetime ago - and for anyone under 30, it is - but Belichick's memory of the game is crystal clear, intrigued by the size and power of the Patriots as a whole and equally mesmerized by the innovative schemes of Chuck Fairbanks.

Some years later Belichick would proclaim that the Patriots team that the Lions had soundly beaten that day was perhaps the best in franchise history - their size, speed and philosophy on both sides of the ball to physically overwhelm their opponent, to crush their will with violent overtones and cutting-edge design and skill.

At the center of the offensive design were innovators Ray Perkins and Ron Erhardt who along with Fairbanks built a nearly unstoppable balance of force predicated on the size and versatility of their running backs - boasting three backs that topped the 700 yard plateau, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, Andy Johnson and Don Calhoun leading a rushing attack that gained nearly 3,000 yards in 14 games.

210 yards per game average on the ground is unheard of these days, but if Belichick has his way - and he does - the 2013 New England Patriots will attempt to approach that level of ground production.

1976 saw a 6' 3" 225 pound fullback lead the team in rushing. The Patriots carried five backs on the roster, plus the wild card of having the tough as nails Steve Grogan shredding defenses with a 6.6 yards per carry average - Johnson, Calhoun, Horace Ivory and Ike Forte joining Cunningham to pound defenses for an average of five yards per carry...

...which puts last season's 4.2 yards per carry and nearly 2,200 yard effort to shame, but considering that the NFL is now a passing league in which fundamental football has transformed from the run setting up the play action pass, to the play action pass being offset by the run - the Patriots' 136 yards per game was good enough to be the 7th ranked rushing attack in the NFL, but not good enough for Belichick.

At issue was a running game that in its infancy showed an a certain immaturity, a running game that was at times all about glitz and glamour and lacked a killer mentality.  Though it's tough to find fault with Stevan Ridley's 1263 yard effort in 2012, the running game fell into chaos with the rest of the offense when they ran into a gritty Baltimore Ravens' squad in the AFC title tilt...

...Ridley flinched, ducking his head in anticipation of a Bernard Pollard (who else) hit and getting knocked unconscious and losing the football at a critical juncture - a direct result of a mind set that was focused on finesse and technique rather than punishing the defense.

Before Ridley lost the ball, the Patriots were very much in the game and driving - the rest of the game was a comedy of errors and the horror of being dominated, the result was watching the Ravens celebrate the championship on the Patriots logo, which left a very bad taste in Belichick's mouth.

It doesn't matter how dominating the offense was at points in the regular season, because when it failed at the zenith of the season, it counted for absolutely nothing - and the running game was part of that.

His team needed to develop a tough mentality, to exude a confidence that allows for a back to punish a defender, to deliver the hit and run them over, not flinch and absorb the hit and get jacked up and lose the football - and this offseason, the Patriots are accomplishing just that...

The draft day acquisition of LeGarrette Blount from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have told New England Patriots fans everything they needed to know about the mind-set of the team going into the 2013 season.

Blount is a throwback to an earlier time, to the days of Cunningham, Johnson and Calhoun - and was brought in to instill that mentality into the running game.  A bigger back with a history of physical confrontation, the bad boy from the University of Oregon carries over that attitude with the ball in his hands, not trying to dodge anyone, rather, to run them over - to deliver the blow, to punish the defender.

The message got through to Ridley, who showed up at OTA's looking like Tony Stark had gotten hold of him, truly sculpted and at least 10 pounds heavier than his 2012 playing weight of 220 pounds - the hope being that the transformation will give Ridley the confidence to that he can deliver the blow and punish the would-be tackler...

...not necessarily just to improve upon last year's 4.2 yards and a cloud of rubber tire pellets, but to punish and dominate defenses while they're at it - to break their will and not give them the chance to hang around or sneak back into games.

There are other options in the backfield with speedy Shane Vereen providing a slashing change up to Ridley's hammering style, while Blount, Brandon Bolden, Leon Washington and even Aaron Hernandez will vie for reps in different situations - but the backfield belongs to Ridley...

...and with the entire offense becoming bigger and faster, can the running game approach the violent intent of that fabled 1976 squad?  Only the performance of the backs and the offensive line will answer that question. 

A fullback-sized Blount is game, as is a chiseled Ridley - can a string of brutalized defenders be far behind?

New England Patriots on Paper: Belichick stirs the "Haterade", signs free agent Tebow

The polarizing personality in the National Football League is now a member of the New England Patriots.

It doesn't matter what team you root for, what walk of life you hail from or religious denomination you profess, the name Tim Tebow elicits some manner of emotional response from just about everyone...

...and now that he's a member of perhaps the most hated team in the league, the emotional responses should be amplified to that of the fictional rock band Spinal Tap...cranked up to 11.

With mandatory minicamp starting in Foxboro on Tuesday, the already intriguing position battles have momentarily taken a surreal back seat to the signing of the Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida, who was drafted by Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels while he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Tebow spent last season as the New York Jets change-up plan that never materialized, a move that was speculated by many at the time that was meant to keep New England from signing him, which was seemingly confirmed as Tebow was seldom used in any capacity and languished on the sidelines.

The move comes on the heels of Bill Belichcik having to defend himself over remarks that he "Hates" Tebow as a football player, which he firmly rebutted:  "for anyone to have represented that is the way I feel about Tim Tebow is completely untrue, baseless and irresponsible. It is unfortunate that something so inaccurate was reported."

and in the same breath Belichick addressed a question from a member of the Boston media about the possibility of signing him, since he didn't hate him, saying, "I wouldn't get into the probability of us pursuing any free agent. Every single player has strengths and weaknesses."

Belichick and Tebow have been connected with each other in the media since the two had dinner together prior to the 2010 draft, and Tebow's name had popped up on occasion as a possibility for the Patriots in free agency.

Ed Werder from ESPN is reporting that Tebow was signed with the intention of competing for a backup quarterback gig, while Mike Freeman of CBSSports states that Tebow will "study a great deal at Tight End" - and this publication believes that Tebow will be used primarily as an H-Back, lining up all over the formation.

It will not be known for sure where Tebow fits in this Patriots' offense, but one thing is for sure:  The hate for the New England Patriots will probably climb to new heights.

New England Patriots on Paper: Tape cheetahs to their backs...

Taping Cheetahs to people's backs is a phenomenon unheard of mere months ago until a popular communications company suggested in a commercial that the practice could cause old women to go faster - so new and weird and innovative is the idea that some are surprised that New England Patriots' coach Bill Belichick didn't generate the concept.

After all, the Patriots have been without elite speed in their receivers corps since a certain Randy Moss was run out of town, and while last year's tandem of Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd were reportedly faster than old women, it wasn't by much....

...so...Cheetahs.  Not any laws that I can find in regards to taping cheetahs to people's backs, and nothing in the NFL rules books either, but the idea - while provocative - would have too many drawbacks to have long-term success in the league.

For example, what happens when the beast gets hungry during a game?  Cheetahs have a top speed of 75 miles per hour, and there's lots of big, slow meals walking around on a football field, plus they'd knock over the Gatorade trying to get a drink out of the huge vats to wash down snackage.

And things really start to go south when the tailgaters drive into the parking lot only to see vultures circling the stadium, looking for leftovers...so perhaps it's best to leave the idea of duct taping large wild animals to people to a kids' imagination, where things like these aren't discussed...

...besides, Belichick took care of the speed issue this offseason - at least as far as the needs of his Patriots...

The New England Patriots' receiver's corps are going to look much different in 2013 than it did last season - something that shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish.

Gone is last season's tandem of Welker and Lloyd - a fair duo that got the job done every time - except when it really counted - and in their stead comes an intriguing mix of veterans and young greyhounds that in themselves can cause mismatches in the secondary, but when combined with the power and skill sets of the individual tight ends they form an imposing wall of weapons that the Patriots can bring at you in waves.

The popular view is that former St. Louis Rams' receiver Danny Amendola is a replacement for Welker - a job that actually will fall to rookie Josh Boyce if the speedster comes as advertised - and though the skill sets are similar, Amendola's game is more about suddenness and speed as both a slot presence and also a perimeter threat...and he proved to be the guy that coach Bill Belichick wanted all along, as his signing made Welker's agent's whining about money something that the team didn't have to deal with any longer.

And...aw, man...haters...

...Ever since Spygate every hater in the civilized world, parts of Canada and the IRS views the Patriots are cheaters, and said with a heavy Southie accent...you see where I'm going with this?

We can't use Cheetahs - the haters would have a field day with that play on words, and animal rights activists would be up in arms, not to mention that the Hoveround people would be unhappy as well because Cheetahs are much faster and far more dexterous than their machines...

...and if you think Hoverounds take you where you wanna go, wait until you get a load of of one of those big cats slowly coming out of the tranquilizer fog and realizing that its duct taped to a 300 pound man...

So it's good thing that Belichick went all in with receivers this offseason, both in free agency and through the draft - free agent pickups Donald Jones, Lavelle Hawkins and Mike Jenkins represent an odd lot for sure, as either bust or underachiever tags come with all of them while draft picks Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce couldn't be any more different.

While Jenkins has had some success in his 10 years under the shield, many assumed that his best days were behind him, and those days weren't that much to talk about anyway - so who else would have formed an immediate chemistry with Quarterback Tom Brady?

Jenkins earned the unfortunate nickname of "Molasses Mike" due to lack of track speed - which hardly strikes fear in opposing corners - but at 6' 4", 220 pounds he is an imposing target on the perimeter and is a solid blocker,  and seems to have gained favor with Brady, his veteran attitude and work ethic and pass catching skill attributes that instills confidence with the perennial Pro Bowl quarterback.

Hawkins came into the league as a fourth round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2008 and has started one game and has all of 71 receptions and one lonely touchdown to his credit in five full years riding the pine in Nashville.  At first many thought the Hawkins signing was deemed as bringing in competition in camp, but a $150,000 signing bonus suggests otherwise - the team expects Hawkins and his 4.49 speed to carve a niche in the offense for himself .

Patriots fans will remember Jones as the poor geek that Vince Wilfork decleated in their drubbing of the Bills in Buffalo last season, becoming the the poster child for the Patriots' intimidating defense in the process.  Like Hawkins, Jones is not terribly tall but is quick and served as a somewhat reliable possession-type receiver for the Bills after signing a rookie free agent contract with them in 2010.

In fact, the Bills organization was so enamoured with Jones that they were hoping that with his speed he would take charge of the #1 receiver slot on their roster, but the emergence of Stevie Johnson and the recurrence of IgA nephropathy, a kidney disease that can lead to total, abrupt kidney failure dropped Jones to the status of afterthought with the Bills, who released him early in the offseason process.

While none of this sounds intimidating, it is true nonetheless that Amendola and Jenkins will enter camp as the starters at wide receiver, the hope being that second round draft pick Aaron Dobson will supplant Jenkins and relegate him to a backup role - Dobson is much faster but both are big bodied pass catchers with incredible hands.

Dobson has had some concentration lapses in OTA's while Jenkins has been Johnny-on-the-spot on the other end of Brady's bullets, so Dobson's progress in camp will be one of the more intriguing story lines...

...as will be the status of roadrunner Josh Boyce.  A legitimate speed merchant that Belichick drafted in the fourth round, Boyce owns just about every receiving record there is at TCU.  A bigger slot receiver, Boyce can earn his money using his initial move off the line of scrimmage to gain a step on the nickle corner and his 4.38 speed to run away from him.

It is possible - in fact probable - that all of the afore mentioned will make the Patriots' 53 man roster, Boyce and occasionally Amendola in the slot, though Amendola will be used primarily as a perimeter threat, greyhounds Jones and Hawkins providing speedy depth and big bodies Jenkins and Dobson hauling in the tough catches outside the numbers.

Though there are numerous story lines involving broken and mending tight ends, the x-factor in the Patriots offense is still Aaron Hernandez - an H-back for all intents and purposes, Hernandez has to be included in the mix at wide receiver and in the slot, essentially giving Brady the most diverse and potentially talented group he's ever had in New England...

...Belichick leaving nothing to chance, bringing in the pieces that are versatile enough to play it anyway he wants it, with the size and skill sets to make an injury or two not so devastating, and when one stops to consider that at some point the Patriots are going to be able to field a lineup including names like Gronkowski, Ballard, Hernandez, Jenkins and Dobson as bigs with Amendola, Boyce and either Jones or Hawkins as the speedsters, it is collectively intimidating.

Not even mentioned is Julien Edelman who started to blossom as a regular contributor last season, but has had a hard time staying on the field and has reportedly had a setback in his recovery from a broken bone in his foot and it is unclear what the expectations are for Edelman in 2013, but at this point he looks like loose baggage or a candidate for the IR or release.

So it looks as if Bill Belichick has been able to avoid the whole Cheetah/Duct Tape deal by bringing in a few greyhounds to stretch the field and abiding by the most fundamental rule in all of offensive football, that being to make the opposing defense defend the entire field...

...and if things go as planned, the opposition will find itself being stampeded by all manner of metaphoric beasts downfield - and we haven't even struck on the fine stable of horses in the backfield...

Next: 4.2 yards and a cloud of rubber tire pellets...

New England Patriots on Paper: Juggernaut derailed or just rescheduled?

If the New England Patriots learned anything from the past two seasons, its that even the best laid, even keeled plans can take a sideways turn into the surreal, even as far as to plunge into the maw of the preposterous at times...

...and so as free agency opened and the draft approached, it became very clear that something extraordinary was going to have to happen - and that something was insurance against the injury bug that destroyed yet another trophy run in 2013, just as it had the year before.

And it's not as if there was a need for superstars or starting quality rookies, rather, prudence dictated that obtaining quality depth at every position was imperative, with a focus on the defensive secondary and the receiving corps - and they got both, in abundance. 

It wasn't a flashy draft and free agency was void of top-shelf headline material, but the Patriots covered their bases like no other team could have and came away with pure magic.

Even so, the Patriots offseason has veered off into a weird H. P. Lovecraft-style tale, complete with freakishly large men having their bodies cut open and repaired under total secrecy while the team as a whole is going through a collective strength and conditioning program and a continued emphasis on getting younger and faster and staying healthy...

...which has been a very real issue as several core members of the team missed significant time last season, most notably the tight ends and in the secondary.  Had quality depth been in place, we may well be talking "repeat" instead of relaying our hopes for getting a reasonable facsimile of a full season out of several key players.

There's no denying that football is a rough sport - as physically taxing and destructive as any on the planet and sometimes surgery is the only way to repair the damage, but what the Patriots tight end position has been through for the past 18 months borders on absurd - and it has been just recently in that span that we've learned of many of how broad the scope really was.

Rob Gronkowski has now had four operations on his right forearm and is scheduled for a procedure on his spine within the next few weeks.  Chances are high that Gronkowski will be a candidate for the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start the season, becoming eligible to be activated to the roster after six weeks of the season has passed.

Aaron Hernandez had some scope work done on his shoulder and new kid Jake Ballard is coming off microfracture surgery that cost him all of the 2012 season - none of this the kind of news that gives one any sense of optimism going forward...

...and the psychological issue for these players shouldn't be discounted either as there's a certain amount of anxiety that comes with returning to the field after a major injury.  We saw it with Hernandez short-arming balls and favoring his rolled up ankle after he spent three weeks on the skids, also with defensive end Chandler Jones, who clearly did not display the same burst when he returned from his own ankle issues.

But there's not a better example of the effect that a physical injury has on the brain that when the team opted to bring Gronkowski back too early.  When Belichick saw Gronk trying to block as an in line end, that should have been the end for him until the AFC title game - at the earliest.

Giving full effort, the mammoth tight end was reduced to delivering the equivalent of a stiff arm to the defensive end, while holding his broken right arm out and away from his body like a bird would a broken wing...

...sheer brute strength and iron will in play more than technique, unable to protect himself as a blocker without causing further damage to his broken wing - a willing receiver, but the injury forced him into a vulnerability that was a danger to his welfare and he should have been shut down right then, at least until the Super Bowl

Hindsight being what it is, it's easy to sit back and spout off about that now, but the fact is that there were many who felt that way back then - and these are the same people who believe that the Patriots have missed out on at least one more trophy in-part because the athletically gifted tank of a tight end, the very one who creates matchup issues just by stepping onto the field, the one who opens up the field for others and gives Tom Brady a reliable safety valve - was broken and unable to contribute.

Truth.

It's scary to think that the Patriots' offensive philosophy for the past three years in large part took it's parameters from the mismatches that Gronkowski and fellow freakish tight end Hernandez created in theory - a powerful thing to witness, yet we've seen it so seldom the past 18 months that it doesn't even rate a ripple on the NFL seismograph any longer.

Everything on the offense suffered due to their injuries last season, and only the determination of the running game and inspired efforts from Tom Brady and Wes Welker and the stylings of one of the best offensive lines in football had them in the AFC Title game...

...but the wheels fell off as Gronkowski had previously been lost for the season and Aqib Talib came up lame in the first quarter against the Ravens - the result of both injuries were as predictable as the Patriots became because of them, and Baltimore was able to focus on pushing New England's offensive and defensive lines around without having to worry about Gronk trampling them and Talib blanketing them.

Ah, but the secondary is a story all unto itself, and we'll get to that soon enough - right now the focus needs to be on the receiving corps - which has gotten bigger by leaps and bounds, faster and younger by design - a design that has put an emphasis on size to try and protect their oft-injured stars by making the opposing defense defend the entire field.

And that is the point, making the defense defend the entire field.  The Patriots have not been doing this, instead relying on diminutive slot receivers and Brady's arm to move the sticks while leaving their two best weapons, Gronk and Hernandez, on individual islands with zero protection - and when one of them gets hurt, which was inevitable given the protracted number of reps, we get the heartbreak of 2012.  And 2011.

If the Patriots are to have a chance at their 4th Lombardi Trophy, things had to change - and they have, at least on paper - not in the ranks of the tight ends where depth is still an issue, but in the outside targets that in theory will eliminate some of the hazards that have felled the tight ends in recent years...

...the outside speed means that safeties have to cover their deep zones, preventing them from sneaking up in the box to chop their legs and forces the overall defensive scheme of their opponents to go small - in effect, nickle and diming them - and when that happens, we get to see things like running backs sprinting trough gaping holes and the tight ends wide open down the slot.

But chances are that we will not see the athleticism of the tight ends in full effect until after Halloween, what with Gronkowski in Frankenstein mode, but the duo of Hernandez, Ballard, Michael Hoomanawanui and either Daniels Fells or undrafted free agent Zach Sudfeld filling the bill while Gronkowski gets in game shape on the PUP...

...and that should be enough, delaying the juggernaut without midseason injuries cancelling it all together - particularly with the massive upgrade at the receiver positions, which is where we focus next...

Tomorrow: Tape a cheetah to their backs...

New England Patriots on Paper - updating the "Summer of Gronk" debacle

It seems that we are about to get some closure on the nightmare-ish sequel to the Summer of Gronk...

...an offseason that has seen Patriots' tight End Rob Gronkowski vilified by journalist and fan alike for his seeming disregard for his own health - and there is something to it, as Gronkowski's antics have reminded old-school types of the old NFL, where the players worked hard and partied harder.

Gronkowski is a throwback, though it is his apparent naivete to blame for his cavalier behavior rather than any sort drunken irresponsibility or ill will.  His want and desire is to play football and, when healthy, he is the prototype - the standard by which all NFL Tight Ends are compared.

Regardless, he has become a whipping boy for the media and some portend to link the news of his impending back surgery to said disregard for his own health, when in reality it is just some minor preventative maintenance that popped up in the media when the Patriots decided to seize the opportunity to cut a potential problem off at the pass.

It's widely known as the "And While We're At It" syndrome, a common thread among divorce lawyers, football coaches and, apparently, top-shelf orthopedic spine surgeons...

...Dr. Robert Watkins has been commissioned to perform the surgery, which will occur sometime in mid-June at the very nice sounding Marina Del Rey Hospital in Los Angeles - a time frame that will theoretically place the recovery both from his recent forearm surgery and the impending back procedure at similar points in mid-August, which probably has Gronkowski starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

The author of many papers and a couple of books on the subject of spine surgery, Dr. Watkins is a "renowned expert in orthopaedic injuries to the back and neck.", according to his profile on the website for Watkins Spine - for which he is the namesake - and is known for what he terms as "minimally invasive" surgery, for which it is described as the performance of spine surgery through an approach that causes as little destruction to surrounding tissues as possible...

...which is all medical gobbledygook for getting "scoped", doing a little housekeeping in Gronk's spine...

Smack in the middle of the pre-season schedule is no time to be coming off the skids and conditioning will be a real issue, so a common theme among the experts is a debate over whether the Patriots try to integrate Gronkowski into action as soon as possible, or give him a PUP list designation to ensure that he's 100% and is in football shape.

If designated to the PUP, Gronkowski would have the first six weeks of the season to get in shape before he is eligible to return to the active roster and would appear the more prudent choice.

But why the delay?  If they knew he needed the procedure, why wait until now?

Simply, he could have done without the surgery at this point and they probably wouldn't be doing the back procedure at all if the multiple forearm surgeries hadn't set him back - but since they did, and the timing seemed about right, the decision was made.

" 'we're killing two birds with one stone' by getting the back surgery when he's out and recovering with his arm, because he really can't do much right now anyway." said his agent Drew Rosenhaus on a radio interview Thursday morning.

According to league sources, the purpose for waiting on back surgery for the two-time All Pro was to ensure that the infection that had plagued Gronkowski in his broken forearm had been eradicated, thereby providing a solid recovery timetable - and when that timetable had been established with some certainty, the stars aligned and a go-ahead was issued.

"This is a lingering problem that Rob's been playing with, actually through all of last season" Rosenhaus explained, "And now that he's out with the arm for a set period of time, it's something that he eventually would have to do, and the recovery will be very comparable to the amount of time he would have missed with the arm surgery, so why not get it done now and make sure when he is healthy he's 100 percent and he doesn't have to address the back down the road."

Indeed!  Let's cut into Gronk's spine!

The Patriots' seized the opportunity to have a procedure done to reduce the odds for having to deal with it in the future, since he was going to be on the mend anyway.  But what does all of this mean -for not just Gronkowski, but for the very offensive philosophy of the Patriots?

Tomorrow: Part 2 - Juggernaut derailed, or just rescheduled?

Summer of Gronk, the sequel: When you wish upon a star...

...makes no difference who you are - unless, of course, you are Rob Gronkowski, and every mother hen from Connecticut to Maine wants to lock you in a bird cage, where you shall remain until Stromboli - um - I mean Bill Belichick needs you to perform.

They mean well, these doting old-world types, and all they really want is to help you to steer clear of the trappings of fame and fortune, but where the problems start is when you realize that it's not a gaggle of chicken soup toting blue hairs, but pear-shaped, balding fanatics that need you to stay healthy for their fantasy league...

...or random tabloid journalists who are acting as some sort of a wrong-minded, impromptu Jiminy Cricket, a very public collective conscience that seems to go out of it's way to suggest that the infection in Gronkowski's arm was somehow related to him not being "all in" on his recovery from a broken forearm.

Regardless of which it actually is, the summer of the man widely considered to be the best tight end in the league when healthy has been reduced to a nightmare of scalpels and bad publicity - the former can't be helped due to his broken forearm, but the latter is a creation of beat writers who need something to consume their time before training camp...and Gronkowski seems to be their target.

And now, a tale of a potential back issue that reportedly may require surgery - which is random speculation at this point, but it seems a trifle odd that Gronkowski's back issue has arisen in the media just recently, the thing timed with Gronkowski's 4th arm surgery and perhaps meant as a distraction from the fact that the Boston Globe started the Gronkowski hate-fest and the prognosis is far better than their doomsday style blather predicted.

and it's just a little hard to believe that a back issue that plagued the team doctors and trainers all last season was bad enough to require surgery and it wasn't addressed until now?

Perhaps it stems from the infection in Gronkowski's arm, the reason why it hasn't been addressed before now, but still, something ain't stirring the kool aid.

The Patriots don't work that way.  Have you ever seen a Bill Belichick injury report?  Typically there are about two dozen players with assorted maladies, but nary a mention of Gronkowski's back...

...which wasn't the case coming out of college, when it was widely speculated that Gronkowski suffered from Spinal Stenosis - a condition which causes the narrowing of the canal that encases the spinal cord, a condition that could cause paralysis upon the impact of a routine hit or even a twist when making a cut running a route - but that turned out to not be the case, as no NFL team would have touched him in the draft had the rumor been true.

Those concerns came up once again when it was revealed that the 2011 All Pro had undergone an MRI on his back to address what is being termed as "chronic back pain" and will speak with a noted spine specialist sometime in the next few days...

...but perhaps he should speak with a noted wood carver who could make his body strong and a Blue Fairy that could grant wishes, that way the only procedure he'd have to go through is if he tells too many lies and has to have a few inches shaved off his nose so it will fit in his helmet.

Gronkowski hasn't lied about anything, not even responding to the media generated hate-fest that has the public stirred into a froth other than his bright, neon "Sorry for partying" tank top that he sported at Universal Studios - but Gronk doesn't have to be apologetic about anything, because being a real boy comes with it's bumps and bruises...

The State of Patriots' Nation, Part 2: The return of Brady's favorite receiver.

"Journalism is a low trade and habit worse than heroin.”

The sagacious Dr. Thompson knew the heart of journalism, often quoted as calling sportswriters misfits and clowns and fools - the hired help.  He was an Oakland Raiders' fan, a friend of John Madden.  Al Davis didn't trust him but Richard Nixon did, and together they would spend hours talking professional football.

Amendola's injury history is a concern with fans and the media

It was the middle of 70's, a time when a "Balanced" offense was a 65/35 split between running and passing, but players like Cliff Branch and Fred Blitnikoff and Dave Casper piqued his interest.  He saw these players and the Raiders as a whole as the trend setters of the time and saw the growing importance of the passing game - and the defending of such.

He was avid, such a fan of the concept and fundamentals of football that he was said to write his best pieces in complete despair of football season ending each February.  He learned from Madden and from Davis and even from Nixon - his writing capturing not the score nor the stats nor the money, but the essence...

...which makes me wonder what he'd have written when Wes Welker decided to cut his losses and sign with the Denver Broncos in March.  Probably, he would have seen it as inevitable - the result of free agency mixed with bad advice from money hungry agents.

For sure, the reaction from Patriots' Nation was immediate and terse, but not everyone felt the same and the issue plunged the nation into a fervid "he said/she said" debate that was fueled by media speculation.

It got so bad that the normally reserved team owner Robert Kraft addressed the "Welker issue" at a candid impromptu breakfast presser in which he chided the press for blowing things out of proportion and Welker's agent for lying about how things really went down.

Well, yeah.  Isn't that what the press and sports agents do?

Kraft and coach Bill Belichick have little tolerance for either, and since the Patriots losing Welker to the Broncos was all the journalists seemed to want to talk about, Kraft thought he'd give them their money's worth, then turned the floor over to Belichick, which was like throwing meat to a wolf.

Bottom line is that the Patriots do things the way they do them.  They manage the roster, draft and coach the way they see fit, and it's worked out pretty well for the most part - but after last season's patch job in the receiving corps got them to the AFC Championship game for the second year in a row, many fans and media members were wondering openly why Belichick would let Welker fly.

And the answer is simply because it didn't work. 

In the biggest of situations, where the light shined the brightest and the stage and the moment were larger than life itself, it just didn't work.

This is an intangible, something that can't be measured within the mathematical framework of statistics. Belichick had spent his entire tenure since attrition and Brady's torn knee-guts robbed the team of it's identity - and he has retooled every position on the field except receiver...and it was time to try it again.

In 2007, Belichick's attempt to retool the receivers brought in Randy Moss to give the Patriots a big time vertical threat.  That worked like a charm until the lights got bright, then it failed.  Of course, the move to bring in Moss and Brady's reliance on him were only part of the reason why 19-0 turned into 18-1, but it was a lesson learned for Belichick.

The same season he also brought in Welker and the diminutive slot master quickly replaced "The open receiver" as Brady's favorite target.  That also worked well until the moment was biggest - and in subsequent years the trophy slipped through the connection and wobbled to a stop on the turf. 

Three AFC Title games and two Super Bowls and still no trophy.  In fact, two epic failures on the part of the Brady/Welker connection had much to do with those Lombardi trophies ending up elsewhere...

So just as Moss got run out of town, so did Welker - but under the guise of bad timing coupled with bad advice, all the while with former St. Louis Rams' receiver Danny Amendola hunkered down at an undisclosed location in Boston, waiting for the Welker thing to unfold before he and the team made their move.

A lot of the renewed vigor surrounding the hate is due to the turnover at the receiver position, as last year's dynamic duo of Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd are now either unemployed or may as well be, and many are concerned that the production from those spots will decline with the influx of new players...

...and who's to say, really?  If the yardage and number of catches and yards after the catch indeed decline, yet Kraft is up on the podium with a death grip on the team's 4th Lombardi with a team built for two or three more, what do stats matter?

This is where most of the experts climb aboard the Bandwagon of Hate, where they see that the almighty Welker is gone, yet they are blind to the fact that the team still has Tom Brady, and the only thing that has changed is Welker's mailing address.  Brady will find the open receiver, and his options may be among the most plentiful in the NFL, when including the athletic and monstrous tight ends.

And despite attempts by reasonable people to stem the tide of comparing Danny Amendola to Welker, the comparisons persist - the most common of which is between their injury history but that, too, is a fraud...

...the stupid and wrong health questions hanging around Amendola's neck like an albatross due to the media fabrication.   True, Welker is durable, about that there is no doubt.   Dude takes vicious hits and pops right back up. Crazy. There will never be another Wes Welker.  But while it is true that Amendola has missed significant time the past couple of years, it is also true that he hasn't been any more dinged up than Welker, just a victim of bad timing in that regard. 

Both have suffered season ending injuries, Welker tore his ACL and MCL in the final game of the 2009 season, missing the teams' loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round.  He had also missed two games earlier in the year with a knee injury - while Amendola suffered a dislocated elbow at the start of the 2010 season, and missed 15 games.  Last season, he suffered a dislocated clavicle, for which he missed just three games despite coming very close to the bone severing his aorta. 

If my math is correct, that adds up to nearly an even draw, though Amendola's injury history is more recent, which tends to bring more stigma to them. 

Weak argument...next?

With Amendola being a lock to make the roster, there remains three - perhaps four - spots up for grabs, with any one of the contenders capable of helping Patriots' fans forget all about Brandon Lloyd.  Draft Pick Aaron Dobson is a large quick target with incredible hands and body control.  Josh Boyce is a speedster that could become a change of pace guy and someone who could stretch the field, particularly in a 23 personnel alignment.

"Molasses" Mike Jenkins will compete for backup snaps behind Dobson, as will former Buffalo Bills wide out Donald Jones.  Julien Edelman will be in a fight to secure a roster spot behind Amendola.  There are a couple of more players in the mix for backup snaps, T.J. Moe comes to mind, but the fact is that there are capable young options to choose from, where last season there was - um - Deion Branch and Dante Stallworth...

...sure doesn't sound like a downgraded roster to me, and when you stop to consider that these wide receivers are not even going to be Brady's primary targets, you should begin to see that anyone who tells you that the Patriots are in dire straits with their receivers just don't know what they're talking about...

...Just like a junkie.

Patriots continue purge, cut defensive tackle Love

As Kyle Love saw his snap totals decrease towards the end of last season, he had to have taken it as a little writing on the proverbial wall.  So when the Patriots released the man who took his snaps a couple of days ago, he should have taken that as a sign to pack his bags...

Love was released by the team on Wednesday with a non-football injury designation, presumably in response to the 3rd year defensive tackle recently being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

Brandon Deaderick, the main beneficiary of the coaching staff limiting Love's playing time late last season was cut by the team on Monday and landed on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster within a matter of hours.

The sometimes unfeeling business side of professional football aside, releasing the two defensive tackles leave the position very thin if the Patriots retain the 4-3 alignment as their base defense - and with options on the open market slim by this point in free agency, one has to assume that a change in base alignment to either a 3-4 or 3-3-5 may be in the works.

Vince Wilfork still anchors the bigs, with newcomers Armond Armstead of CFL fame and Tommy Kelly formerly of the Raiders in the mix as penetrators.  Marcus Forston and Jermaine Cunningham were also used as a penetrating tackles extensively last season, though Cunningham is listed as a defensive end.

With the secondary well stocked and the linebacking corps loaded, the stage is set for some big happenings with the defense - and it will be interesting to see how this defensive line evolves - whichever way it goes, the look is to be all about speed and lean versatility.