Patriots owner Rober Kraft wins 2012 PFWA Halas Award

All great Teams start with great leadership.  This is the type of leadership that makes the New England Patriots the "class" of the league.

Bravo Zulu Bob Kraft......well deserved and just awesome.

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It Is What It Is» Patriots owner Rober Kraft wins 2012 PFWA Halas Award

06.18.12

By Christopher Price

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been selected as the 2012 Halas Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America, it was announced on Monday. Here’s a portion of the announcement from the PFWA:

New England Patriots Chairman & CEO Robert Kraft, who played an instrumental role in last summer’s collective bargaining negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association during his late wife Myra’s battle with cancer, has been selected as the 2012 George Halas Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Kraft, the 43rd Halas Award winner, is the first NFL owner and first member of the Patriots franchise to receive the honor from the PFWA.

The Halas Award is given to a NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. The award is named for Halas, a charter member (1963) of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who was associated with the Chicago Bears and NFL from their inception in 1920 until his death in 1983 as an owner, manager, player and promoter. Halas won 324 games and six NFL titles in 40 seasons as a coach.

While Kraft’s wife was battling cancer during the spring and summer of 2012, he shuttled back and forth between his wife’s hospital bed and the NFL’s labor negotiations with her encouragement. Myra Kraft passed away on July 20, 2011, and five days later, a grieving Robert Kraft stood outside the NFLPA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., as the 10-year CBA agreement was announced.

During the announcement, Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday embraced an emotional Kraft, and said, “A special thanks to Myra Kraft, who even in her weakest moment, allowed Mr. Kraft to come and fight this out, and without him this deal does not get done. I don’t want to be climactic in any way, but he is a man who helped us save football, and we are so gracious for that. We’re gracious for his family and for the opportunity he presented to get this deal done.”

Time for talking is over.....the NE PATRIOTS will win the Super Bowl

The two weeks of analyzing and such has been overdone ( as usual ). The PATRIOTS have endured the "pro-Giants" attitude of the media and others who want to see the PATRIOTS fall like they did in 2007.

NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN. The PATRIOTS are going to take NY down.

The Patriots were not favored to be here but earned a spot by being dominant. They earned the spot. NY got lucky. They were 9-7 this season and got to be here becuase other teams made serious mistakes.

The PATRIOTS dedicated their season to Myra Kraft as she was a very giving person and made other's lives better. Her role was to be the one who shared the Karft's success with those who needed help. Thanks Mrs. Kraft for all you did for those less fortunate.

Time to let the game be the measure of success. GO PATS ! We know you will bring the Lombardi Trophy home to FOXBORO.

Prediction is PATRIOTS 27 - NY 13.

Happy 2012.....we all hope for a better year

2012 arrived with the expected fanfare and hopes for the new year. Today is also my daughter's 16th Birthday, and another reason to celebrate.

Enclosed is a picture taken of the early dawn outside my home and the words from " Morning Has Broken ", a song perfromed by Cat Stevens that my Dad has always loved.

Hope all enjoy a good year and that we all are better off as the year progresses. Patriots Football is on today also and our hopes for another run at the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots !!

Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens

Morning has broken
Like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird

Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing
Fresh from the world

Sweet, the rain's new fall
Sunlit from heaven
Like the first dew fall
On the first grass

Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness
Where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight
Mine is the morning
Born of the one light
Eden say play

Praise with elation
Praise ev'ry morning
God's recreation of the new day

Morning has broken
Like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird

Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing
Fresh from the world

New England Patriots take down Philly

Sunday was a good day for football. The Patriots rolled over the Eagles like they were playing a Junior Varisty team. Philadelphia gave up any credibility when they hired Michael Vick, and while he didn't play yesterday, I was glad that New England ripped Philly apart to demonstrate who is the best in the league.

Philly fans were all over their team and staff....Boos were heard early and often. Rightly so. Philly is a tough town and they expect better from their team. For my part, I was glad to see Tom Brady do his best to embarrass Philadelphia at home.

Next week, the 0-11 Indianapolis Colts come to Foxboro. May be the UN will step in to stop the slaughter before game time....we shall see.


Patriots 38, Eagles 20
Brady (three TDs) and Patriots soar against Young and Eagles
By Shalise Manza Young
Boston Globe / November 28, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - Early on yesterday - very early on - it looked as if the Patriots would be challenged by the backs-against-the-wall Eagles.

But then Vince Young showed why he’s been relegated to backup status, Philadelphia showed the type of undisciplined play that’s led to a talented roster being now a near-certainty to miss the playoffs, Tom Brady showed that he is still the reigning NFL MVP, and the Patriots rolled to a 38-20 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

New England is 8-3 and remains tied with Houston, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh for the best record in the AFC. The Patriots even got some help yesterday from their nemeses, the Jets, when New York pulled out a home win over the Bills. New England already has swept the Jets, with one of their three losses coming in Buffalo in September.

“It was a tough week, definitely it was a tough week,’’ a chatty coach Bill Belichick said. “The Eagles are a hard team to get ready for, they have a lot of good players. And the players had a short week [because of a Monday night game against the Chiefs], we were banged up.

“So I give the players a lot of credit for sucking it up and not just physically being out there, but mentally . . . all the preparation and film work and the studying that they did, the extra meetings that they did to really prepare for this game.’’

Eagles fans grew so frustrated by the ineptitude of their team - the squad Young called a “dream team’’ in the preseason thanks to the high-profile free agent signings and trades it made - that they began chanting “Fire Andy!’’ in the third quarter, calling for longtime coach Andy Reid to go.

Reid is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, having been at the helm in Philadelphia since 1999.

“The way we played, I can understand,’’ said Reid.

The Eagles (4-7) took a 7-0 lead just 2:17 into the game.

Young hit Riley Cooper on a 58-yard bomb on the third play of the game. Cooper, a 6-foot-3-inch second-year wideout, was on the field because Philly’s top receiver, Jeremy Maclin, was injured and unable to play.

Cooper was brought down at the 4, and after two handoffs to NFL leading rusher LeSean McCoy, the Eagles were in the end zone.

The Patriots did little on their first drive, and the Eagles went ahead, 10-0, on their second possession after another long play.

This time Young hit DeSean Jackson for 44 yards over the middle, which put Philadelphia well into Patriots territory. The Eagles got to the 25 before the drive stalled with a tipped pass and two drops. Rookie Alex Henery converted a 43-yard field goal at 8:19 of the first.

“The Eagles, they’re a great team despite their record,’’ defensive lineman Andre Carter said. “We knew they were blessed with offensive weapons. Unfortunately they got us on a deep ball; that’s something we have to eliminate. That will be key for us, as well as stopping the run and getting off the field on third down.’’

They did that yesterday, as Philadelphia didn’t convert a third-down opportunity until the third quarter and finished 4 for 13.

The Patriots settled in during their second chance on offense. Aided by two third-down penalties on Philly - one for 12 men on the field and the other for offsides - that gave them a fresh set of downs in each case, Brady was 4 for 4 on the 12-play drive. BenJarvus Green-Ellis also got the ball six times, the final one for a 4-yard touchdown with 1:27 left in the first.

“We have a lot of veteran-type guys that understand it’s a long game,’’ receiver Wes Welker said. “Even though we were down, 10-0, we put a touchdown on the board and put pressure on them. I think it’s guys stepping up and knowing we have to stay resilient no matter what happens in the game.’’

Brady finished with his seventh 300-yard game of the season, completing 24 of 34 passes for 361 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was sacked once and took a few early hits.

Logan Mankins said it took time for the Patriots’ offensive line to adjust to the speed of Philadelphia’s defensive linemen. He tipped his cap to Cullen Jenkins, whom he was tasked with containing; Jenkins got the first hit on Brady, during New England’s opening possession.

New England took the lead early in the second quarter and never looked back.

Deion Branch, who was questionable for the game with a hip injury, had a pretty 63-yard catch-and-run, by far his longest play of the season. Just before he would have been forced out of bounds, Branch stopped and cut back toward the middle of the field, gaining 15 more yards before being brought down at the 1. He lowered his shoulder to try to get the touchdown.

“I tried to run over the tackler, but I didn’t get in,’’ Branch said. “I didn’t make the play myself; all credit goes to the front line and Tom. When Tom scrambles, everybody wants the ball. We work on that in practice all the time.’’

Green-Ellis got the touchdown from a yard out with 13:12 to go in the second, with reserve offensive lineman Donald Thomas acting as fullback.

The play before Branch’s catch, on-the-roster-again Tiquan Underwood missed his chance to announce himself to New England fans. Underwood, a long, fast receiver, received snaps ahead of Taylor Price, who was active but essentially glued to the bench.

Brady hit a wide-open Underwood streaking down the left numbers with an on-the-money pass - and it went off his hands. By his reaction, he may have lost the ball in the lights.

A couple of plays after the Patriots touchdown, Antwaun Molden may have gotten away with pass interference, but he made a nice play on a ball intended for Jackson and returned it to the Philadelphia 34. But the turnover went for naught when Stephen Gostkowski missed a 39-yard field goal attempt wide right.

Still, the Patriots went into the half with a 24-13 lead after a broken coverage led to Welker finding himself wide open near the goal line for a 41-yard touchdown and Gostkowski hit from 45 yards out with 51 seconds to go before the half. In between, the Eagles couldn’t get into the end zone despite having a goal-to-go at the 5 and settled for a chip-shot field goal.

Welker said of his touchdown that the Patriots had run the same play earlier in the game and he noticed that safety Nate Allen bit hard on the play fake. If they called the play again, Welker told Brady he’d run a stutter-go.

It unfolded exactly as the receiver thought it would - Brady ran play-action to Danny Woodhead, Allen bit, and Welker blew past him.

New England got the ball back to start the second half and stayed in the no-huddle it had used with such efficacy late in the first half. Welker scored again, this time on a 9-yard pass, diving over the goal line at the left pylon (he was close enough to being out of bounds that the play was reviewed but upheld) to give the Patriots a 31-13 lead.

It was the eighth touchdown of the season for Welker, tying the career high he set in 2007, his first season with New England.

Rob Gronkowski caught a 24-yard pass from Brady at 8:35 of the fourth quarter to close out the Patriots’ scoring.

“He’s a great player,’’ Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel said of Brady. “They had the running game working and they had the passing game working. They were working on all cylinders. We couldn’t figure anything out.’’

Sunday Musings

While there are news stories worthy of note, I felt like posting some Sunday Musings:

- We are losing the WW2 Vets at an alarming rate. Do the math - as WW2 started 70 years ago (70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor in December 2011), if you were in WW2, you have to be at least 85 years old.

- Occupy Wall Street and other cities have made a fuss but no real change in the political landscape. The movement has been beset with negative actions of individuals who have given them a black eye. The Tea Party protested but went home and went back to work. The Occupy movement needs to produce something substantial besides a major mess in each city where they reside.

- The NFL rules. NFL games have gotten the highest ratings this fall of any TV shows. Today we have PATRIOTS vs. STEELERS. An awesome contest and the game of the week as far as I am concerned. PATS by 7.

- The Presidential Election in 2012 is about one year away and Americans see the POLS (on both sides of the aisle) as inept, ineffective and largely the cause of our problems. Incumbents will be dumped in record numbers, starting with the President and his minions. Start packing Mr. President as there is nothing you can attempt to do in the next 12 months that will change people's opinions that you are the most inept of all POLS.

- Snow hit the Northeast and as expected, those living inland in PA, NY, MA & CT got the worst of it. Those along the coast got wind & rain but little snow. Living near the ocean has always been the best place to be regardless of the season. The mountains are beautiful and I enjoy visiting, but the coast is the place to be.

- The Bruins are off to a slow start. The Stanley Cup champs need to get in the game and prove that 2011 was not a one-off. Boston will do better.

- Enjoy the day. Time is the one item we cannot get back as much as we would like to and it is the item we need to spend wisely.

Let the Trash Talking begin......

Navy has had a rough season this year but we will take the Army down....

GO NAVY ! BEAT ARMY !

Let the games begin

New England looks like the team to beat especially with Indy losing Manning for the season.

GO PATRIOTS...Let the games begin !!!