Wes Welker: Contract talks with Pats have ‘gotten worse’ – BostonHerald.com
Wes Welker: Contract talks with Pats have ‘gotten worse’ – BostonHerald.com.
Is this how the Patriots treat their franchise players? History is not on Wes Welker’s side.
With Patriots, undrafted does not mean unwanted – The Boston Globe
With Patriots, undrafted does not mean unwanted – The Boston Globe.
My colleague Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) provides a good overview of some of the top rookie free-agents for the Patriots. There’s always one surprise in the bag from coach Bill Belichick. My guess, which is likely one of Greg’s guesses, is that it’s one of these three guys. Read about it.
Welcome to the NFL, rookie: Jenkins admits he’s out of shape — SFGate.com
He’s out of shape. Guess what? It’s May. I don’t care. He’s got the rest of this month and all of June and July before it even whiffs of mattering. Good thing he shows promise.
Alex Smith says no rust on Randy Moss in first San Francisco 49ers workouts – ESPN
Alex Smith says no rust on Randy Moss in first San Francisco 49ers workouts – ESPN.
Crazy how people thought Randy Moss was washed up. But then again, that was never really the issue. The issue was that he wasn’t motivated, that his head wasn’t into the task at hand. He got comfortable in New England and then got shipped out. This will be Moss’ last chance to change the lasting memory of his career and his work ethic. And if he doesn’t pull it off, the rumors will become reality. That’s Moss’ new motivation. That’s today’s reality.
Patriots draft prospectus
Editor’s note: This was written for Boston.com.
Before considering whether or not the Patriots will trade away either of their two picks (Nos. 27 and 31) in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, which is in the “likely” column, one first has to consider whether or not there is any value in staying put. The key word, as it always is for coach Bill Belichick and company, is value. Do the Patriots envision any more value in multiplying the picks they have in the second round (two, 48 and 62), or the third (93) and fourth rounds (126)? Doing so changes the board for the Pats dramatically. So when considering the Patriots draft prospects, one has to consider the positioning, the projected talent, and then begin throwing darts at a board. Here’s where our darts landed.
Give Rob Gronkowski a break

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has caught a lot of flak for his post Super Bowl activities. (Stan Grossfeld / Globe Staff)
After the Patriots lost to the New York Giants 21-17 in the Super Bowl, it’s more than conceivable that fans would want to blow off some steam.
Whether that was on message boards, blogs and elsewhere, there were a number of rants to be made on the demise of Tom Brady and company. One would only have to turn to their left and then to their right to get varying opinions on the outcome. And frankly, blaming it on Brady, Wes Welker or whoever else is your choosing.To each his own condemnation. But in the aftermath of a loss with this magnitude, it appears that some venting is entirely without merit. Particularly, how the Patriots deal with a loss.
For Brady, it meant draping his heads in a towel for minutes on end to digest the previous 60. For Welker, it meant borderline crying in front of strangers when having to explain what his drop meant for his team. For Brandon Spikes, it meant walking into a room full of reporters with shades over his eyes, desperately trying to hide his emotions. For others, it meant ducking the media.
But for Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots tight end who for two weeks had the most famous ankle in the world, it meant going dancing shirtless.
Context, please!
After finishing his second NFL season with the most dominant display a tight end has ever put forth (90 catches, 1,327 yards, 18 touchdowns), Gronkowski went out partying post XLVI. Without hesitation, he was ripped mercilessly by former players (Rodney Harrison) and pundits alike. The general consensus of the folks in the “Gronk can’t party because he lost crowd” is pretty simple. Partying after a loss gives off the perception that an athlete does not take the loss as seriously as, say, Brady. But this isn’t grounded in anything other than spite. Not one person can lay claim to know how Gronkowski feels. Not you, not I. And yet, the perception remains despite overbearing evidence to explain Gronkowski’s actions post-Super Sunday.
At 22 years old — only one year removed from the legal drinking age — might a culture of alcoholism explain what most Millenials already know? Gronkowski was out doing exactly what most 22-year-olds would do after bitterly going on vacation for six months. Given the nature of the video, the way he sloppily grooved back and forth, and, yes, his lack of clothing, there is some probable cause to believe that Gronkowski was imbibing fire water. (Is anybody even arguing it?)
Forget the setting and circumstance for a moment. The real question for Gronkowski is why get hammered? Why, for generations of young men, do they turn to alcohol to cope with something depressing like a Super Bowl loss?
Before this starts to sound like a pamphlet for your local AA, remember the circumstances of the professional athlete. There’s the public persona, the voluntary and involuntary privacy, the pressure of playing in the National Football League, and then the responsibility that comes with it all. Now understand, sans camera, that no one would question how Gronkowski felt about losing to the Giants. Instead, you and I would point to his postgame interview, judge his demeanor in answering those questions (he was sullen) and then conclude what most in Indianapolis observed long before any video leaked, that No. 87 was upset like the rest of the Patriots.
Is it all the more salacious that he was out and about shirtless? Yes. Of course it is. Does it matter? No, not in the least bit. In seeing Gronk bop back and forth, slaphappy, one could see the reigns being loosened on the 6-foot-6 tight end. He looked like a guy that hadn’t had a drink in months. And being of his age, he looked at home on stage with LMFAO, relaxed for once. Cut him some slack. After his surgery, he’s going to be on the sofa for awhile.
I’m more worried about his dance moves.
For the Patriots, soul searching
INDIANAPOLIS — This time, like last time, the New York Giants owned the New England Patriots in the stretch. But unlike last time, there was just too much funny business for Tom Brady and the gang to pull it out. And it showed in key plays as the Patriots lost 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.
For starters, Ahmad Bradshaw’s 6-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the game was bizarre. Given the Giants’ lengthy drive, and the amount of timeouts the Patriots had remaining, Bill Belichick decided that it was time to play some situational football. What does that mean? That means that Bradshaw got an open lane for a touchdown on 2nd-and-goal at the Patriots’ 6-yard line. The Patriots’ defensive line just stood up while its linebackers watched as Bradshaw hunkered at the 1-yard line, unsure if he was supposed to take the easy touchdown. Turns out, Eli Manning was yelling at him to not score. Manning, also thinking situational football, wanted to kill some more clock before letting Brady have at the Giants defense.
The question is simple: Do you hold for the field goal or lay down and put the game on your offense? Belichick says there’s a 90 percent chance of making a field goal at that range. That would put the Patriots down 18-17 with as little as 10 seconds remaining.
As much as it seems logical to allow a touchdown, everything about it feels wrong. And that proved true as Bradshaw’s touchdown became the game-winning score.
Maybe it’s my junior football mind speaking, but I want that 10 percent chance for something to go wrong. I want the opportunity to load up and go for the block and win the game rather than allow the loss.
These are the kind of decisions that keep you up at night.
Outside of the allowed touchdown, Wes Welker’s drop was every bit as critical as the wide receiver proclaimed it to be in his emotional postgame press conference. It’s tough because Welker’s usually sure hands would normally make that catch, a deep throw that was a little bit behind but still in a spot for him to get his hands on the ball. A reception there would have put the Patriots in Giants territory with a little more than 4 minutes remaining. Surely the Patriots would’ve finished the drive with at least a field goal. Instead, another incomplete pass to Deion Branch forced a Patriots punt that led to the Giants’ game-winning drive.
It was uncharacteristic of the Patriots. Much like Brady’s safety on New England’s first possession, there were too many mental errors for the team to recover. And then there was too little time.
For the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, with the way they played, they needed some help. And unlike the AFC championship, they were the ones making mistakes. For a team known to be smart, that distinction is unfortunately up in the air.
Some radio love
INDIANAPOLIS — I did a radio interview with ESPN Radio 1230/1450 in North Carolina. They were kind enough to send the interview snippet as an .MP3. We talk Indianapolis and the Super Bowl. And, of course, Rob Gronkowski’s ankle. Enjoy.

