Guest: Steve Muench of ESPN Boston joins the program talking about the Patriots off season moves, what to expect and of course Wes Welker who signed his tender this week, but said contract negotiations have gotten worse.

Audio Quick hits give us Barkley and Shaq having a “shirt off”, Nick Mangold having his chest waxed, and Tim wakefield watching Doug Mirabelli once again being escorted by the police to catch his knuckle ball

Steve Muench of ESPN Boston joins the program talking about the Patriots off season moves, what to expect and of course Wes Welker who signed his tender this week, but said contract negotiations have gotten worse.

By: Tommy Rowe

Before this past season even began for the Patriots, talks about Wes Welker re-signing a long term deal with the defending AFC Champions was as hot of a topic to discuss as it is now. As expected the Pats threw the Franchise Tag at Wes and with a signature, he would be paid the league top average for Wide Receivers with $9.4 Million. Now obviously the Patriots will not pay a man who is truly a slot receiver at best Randy Moss-like money and would lead to a long term deal being worked out. But sources say that it is the years difference in the contract talks that is keeping a deal from being completed, Wes is coming back for the 2012 season for sure now; but what will happen afterwards?

People have been bashing Welker on the talks because it’s all about the money with players and he isn’t a true Patriot for sticking up for what he deserves. People like that need to can it now and clearly have no clue what is going on within the walls of Gillette Stadium. The money was never a problem for either side, the total amount of years being handed out is the true concern. The Krafts do not want to go beyond 3 years due to Wes’ age according to experts close to the team and justify the reasoning. Wes will go no lower than 4 years, but rumors have spread he wants a 5 year deal. This standstill led to the NFL’s best catching receiver to not sign his tender until they could come to an agreement on the length of the deal. By doing this, Welker basically was a free agent and would not be allowed to partake in team exercises or OTA’s.

Something must have happened yesterday, because the tender was sign by #83 and is officially back on the team’s active roster. After stating he would miss no games for 2012 before signing the franchise tag, he made this post on twitter after the news spread of his return. “I love the game and I love my teammates! Hopefully doing the right things gets the right results. #leapoffaith” The Patriots are the idealistic business men in the NFL, hand have been notorious for not handing players money they deserve unless being pushed to the edge with no other alternative. Ty Law, Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork all had to play hard ball with the team and won in the end whether they stayed in New England or were paid else were. Welker here is making the point that he truly wants to be a Patriot no matter what and will be professional till the end; without throwing aside what he deserves. No one has caught more passes or average more yards per catch in the last 5 years than Wes has. The productive ethics he brings on and off the field for the Patriots is too valuable to take for granted. Whatever it takes the Patriots must now work on a “long term deal” that pleases both sides and keep Welker a Pat till his retirement.

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By: Tom Rowe

The defending AFC Champion New England Patriots placed their franchise tag on Wes Welker yesterday afternoon like it was known to happen for months. The 5’10” wide out who has caught more balls in the last 5 seasons than any other receiver in the NFL is now about to make 9.4 million dollars with his new tag under his belt. Despite what fans might think and still feel about the “catch that could have been” in Super Bowl XLVI, a contract is still in the works but Welker will be a Patriot for at least the upcoming 2012 season and with the Patriots history of signing players after a franchise label is placed, no one can argue he will be here for many other years to come. Welker has been a part of an offense that has dominated the league the last 3 seasons in top 5 statistics with 554 catches and has been the leader of an arsenal of outstanding weapons for Tom Brady. Plus, with the way the AFC is shaping out, Welker and the Pats may just be more dominate and have a great shot at going back to the Super Bowl for 2012.

The Pats will be the favorite in the AFC for quite some time now after seeing what the Conference may look like. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a huge financial bind even after releasing a large number of some key veterans that have made them as good as the Patriots. The Colts are going through a major rebuilding stage with the future of their quarterback and owner in question still. The Jets are falling behind within their own divisional race let alone the AFC with chemistry and other work related problems. The Ravens seem to be the only team the Patriots need to keep an eye on, but they aren’t getting any younger as their defensive stars are reaching the bottom of the latter for their careers. The Patriots have Welker in hand and are planning that he will retire a Patriot. With Wes locked up for 2012 along with Gronkowski, Hernandez, and other future options the Patriots may bring in to help them and their Hall of Fame quarterback win another title, New England must be the overwhelming season favorite to not only win the AFC, but win it all one more time.

Matt and Justin get into the Patriots and things they might need.  They also talk about the classless act of what somebody did to Wes Welker.  Listen in to hear what they have to say

Guest: Mike Wilkening From Pro Football Weekly

Matt and Justin discuss the Red Sox latest move for closer Andrew Bailey. Mike Wilkening from Pro Football Weekly joins Matt to talk NFL and Patriots. Closing time predictions are made.

Guest(s): Chris Herren – Former Boston Celtic

Matt & Justin discuss the controversy surrounding Patriots Wide Receiver Julian Edelman, as well as the upcoming showdown at Gillette with the New York Giants. Later the guys talk to Chris Herren. Herren formerly of the Boston Celtics talks about the recent documentary on his life made by ESPN. Closing Time predictions are also made.

By: Tom Rowe

Week 2 of the NFL Preseason is over for the Patriots. After a vicious pounding on the Tampa Bay Bucs last night, the Pats fly home to prepare for the new looked and revived Detroit Lions, but first we look back and dissect the game down in Raymond James Stadium; who was great and who needs improvement. The good thing we can say first off is there are more pros than cons.

Tom Brady looked to be hitting every note and was as sharp as ever. Going 11-19, 118 yards and 2 touchdown strikes to Aaron Hernandez and Chad Ochocinco, it seemed he never left the football field during the past lockout. “The Law firm” BenJarvis Green-Ellis, ran for 2 touchdowns of his own and seems to have secured the starting role at halfback for the Patriots. Rookie Steven Ridley continues to inpress everyone, also Wes Welker and Devin McCourty look to be in mid-season form as well as the Defense which has been impressive so far. But, that’s more than I could say about starting safety and 2-time pro bowler Brandon Meriwether. Meriwether has been nothing but a loose cannon since being handed the keys by former Patriots safety and mentor Rodney Harrison. Now not even the future hall of famer can defend number 31’s wild and reckless behavior on the field now after a season last year where even his fans labeled him as a head hunter. This season will determine whether Meriwether will remain a Patriot in years to come. The same can be said about former pro bowl lineman Matt Light.

After seeing what rookie Nate Solder can do on the starting line, Matt Lights day off may be the start of many to come. The 10 year Left Tackle was brought back for one reason only, to teach his replacement. Light may think he has a lot left in the tank and that’s okay, he just might. But the Patriots are not the team that he will finish his career with whenever that may be. Solder has the mentality and ability to be the long term solution at left tackle for the Patriots and be one of the best in that position. Light just has to accept that sooner or later that this season will be his last as a starter.

Now the Patriots are preparing for Detroit and this won’t be a normal match against the same old Lions. This team is amped up, loaded up with new talented players and will not be accepting another losing season. This is only preseason we all know that, but since the lockout took so much time away from teams, the Lions will be treating this upcoming game as a statement match, so will the patriots as they show no mercy to any team this year.

With the pre season in the books, the 2010 Patriots welcomed TO, Ochocinco, and the rest of the Bengals to town.  The pre season did not end well for the Pats, the defense looked like a young defense and the running game had some questions.  Let’s look at each phase of the game and see how I graded the Patriots.

Overall Offense Grade- A

The Pats looked great entering the game, moving right down the field and scoring on their first possession.  They were outgained by the Bengals, 428 to 376, but the Bengals played from behind the entire game.  They were great on third down, 9-13, and in the red zone, going 3-5 with three touchdowns.

Quarterback- A

You can’t get much better than a 120.9 passer rating as Brady carved up the much hyped Bengals defense.  Brady looked in mid season form, going 25-35 for 258 yards and three touchdowns.  As usual he spread the ball around hitting 7 different receivers and hitting Wes Welker for two TDs.  Brady will face a better defensive backfield in week 2, but these are players he is used to playing against, Revis and Cromartie, so he will make something happen.

Offensive Line- A

Logan who?  This was looking like a big weakness heading into week one, but they O line only let up two QB hits and no sacks allowed.  This will be a up and down season for the offensive line, so let’s not get too excited yet.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- A

How could I not grade them with an A?  Welker came back and had 8 receptions, 64 yards, and two touchdowns in his return game.  Moss had an average game, 5 receptions for 58 yards, no TDs, but an 11.8 average and a 32 yard reception, which shows that he is still a big play WR.  The great thing to see was second year WR Brandon Tate, who missed the 09 season with an injury, had 4 receptions and 36 yards, and also made an impact in special teams.

Running Backs- B+

This is going to be a committee of backs and each week we could have a different guy stepping up.  Fred Taylor lead all backs with 14 carries, 71 yards, and a 5.1 average.  He is healthy now, and will continue to be the starting back until someone else steps up.  Kevin Faulk contributed as usual; the ageless back had 3 carries for 23 yards and four catches for 47 yards.

Overall Defense- B

Yea, I gave them a B.  They looked good at the start and some guys stepped up big and looked to be leaders out there, however, they did let up 24 points, 428 yards, 342 of them were passing yards.  Lastly, they were outscored 21-10 in the second half.  With a lead that big, the defense should have pinned their ears back and went for blood, which leads me to believe that Belichick still has some questions.

Defensive Line- B

We all know in a 3-4 defensive scheme, these guys do not get any glory, but they played well this week.  Vince Wilfork and Ron Brace chipped in with a few tackles and one pass deflected.  Mike Wright did not show up much in the box score, but that is what a true lineman does in the 3-4, take up space so the LBs can make plays.  They are thin at D-line, and will need to continue to improve each week.

Line Backers-B

The Pats have a young group of LBs this year and they will be up and down each game.  Jarod Mayo (12 tackles, 8 solo) will continue to be a rock in the middle of the field and is the leader of the front seven.  Against the Bengals, the LBs were steady, but they were outplayed by the secondary.

Secondary-A

The defensive backfield was the reason the Patriots won this game (and special teams).  Second year safety Patrick Chung was amazing having 16 tackles (12 solo) and seemed to be everywhere on the field.  Darius Butler did give up a TD to Chad Ochocinco, but he was solid as well with 8 solo tackles and a pass defended.  Brandon Meriweather, the most experienced Pat in the secondary chipped in with 7 tackles.  This is a young secondary and they will have their ups and downs, but it seems that they get what the coaches want them to do; we should see some steady improvement throughout the season.

Special Teams- B

Kicking Game-B

Stephen Gostkowski was 5 for 5 for extra points, but the usually solid kicker missed two field goal attempts missing two from 40 plus yards.  It is early in the season and he is a great kicker, so no reason to panic yet.

Rookie punter Zoltan Mesko had one punt for 43 yards.  Not much to discuss here.

Return Game-A

Second year receiver, Brandon Tate had a great first NFL game.  He missed all of last season after a knee injury in the preseason.  The speedy Tate had four returns for 184 yards, averaging 46 yards a return.  He had an electrifying 97 yard return to open up the second half and give the Pats a 31-3 lead.

Overall the Patriots had a great game, jumping out to an early lead and maintaining the lead throughout the game.  The Bengals got some yards and points in garbage time which is to be expected, but I would have liked Belichick to continue to be aggressive with his young defense.  We shall see how things work out next week against the hated Jets.

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The Patriots traveled to Atlanta to face Matt Ryan and the Falcons.  The Falcons are coming off a year in which they missed the playoffs and had many injuries.  The Falcons have many weapons on offense and would put some pressure on the young Patriots defense.  As I mentioned in the last post, the Pats have showed some swagger and look like they have something to prove with each snap.

Game two welcomed backed Wes Welker to the offense and Tom Brady threw to him right away.  Welker finished with 2 catches for 20 yards.  It was a dropped pass that made him feel like he was back; he took a hard hit as he was going down.  As many players say, it’s that first big hit that makes you feel back in the game.  Brady continued to impress, 10/12, 84 yards, and a TD.  He did take a big hit in which he fumbled but the Pats recovered.  Second year backup Brian Hoyer looked good as well, 8/15, 94 yards and a TD as well.

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