Bay Area Sports Blogging

There was a big media frenzy when the Patriots were caught taping call signals from the New York Jets at the start of the 2007 season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell dished out $750,000 worth of fines and took away the Patriots' first round draft pick. Months later, a Boston Herald report cited an anonymous source's claim that the Patriots taped the St. Louis Rams' walk-through before Super Bowl XLII (2002), which gave the underdog Patriots the competitive advantage and allowing them to defeat the Rams.

Low and behold, fingers started pointing at Matt Walsh as the anonymous source. Matt Walsh worked as a video department employee for the New England Patriots from 1997 - 2003. Walsh, for his part, has said he is in possession of videos that the Patriots taped of opposing teams, but would not give up the tapes without some legal agreement with the NFL.

Ask any bookie and they'll tell you its true: information is power. No one in the NFL understands this more than Bill Belichick. And no one plays the system for his cause more than Bill Belichick. He's a genius; a Dr. Evil of sort.

That's why I am not surprised at Tom Brady missing practice and hiding from the public. The lack of information regarding Brady's health status is buzzing around the media. Every outlet is pinging their inside sources trying to get the latest scoop. If the Patriots stay on course, there won't be any scoop. Belichick will not give out any information unless absolutely required.

That was a wild NFL weekend. We had the New England Patriots versus the San Diego Chargers for the AFC championship and the Green Bay Packers going against the New York Giants for the NFC championship. The Patriots continue their pursuit to perfection with a win over the Chargers while the Giants upset the Packers big time.

The Chargers had injuries to key members of their offense: Philip Rivers - starting quarterback, LaDainian Tomlinson - starting running back, and Antonio Gates - leading receiver. Throughout the week, there had been reports that LT would play, but Rivers and Gates were doubtful. When the game began, all three would be active and started for the Chargers. LT, however, would only last 3 plays, being taken out due to "coach's decision".

Another weekend of NFL action passes by, and we're another day closer to the biggest mis-match in NFL history. I'm talking about the Week 16 matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots.

After 14 weeks of football, the New England Patriots are undefeated with a record of 13 wins, 0 losses. The Patriots march towards a perfect season. Standing in their way? The winless Miami Dolphins, challenging the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only other winless season for a NFL team. This is as "David vs Goliath" as you can get.

And the dust settles. The New England Patriots win SuperBowl Mini over the Indianapolis Colts in a tough football game. The game was overly hyped, and would have been hard pressed to live up to the hype, but it was an exciting game to watch. The Patriots stay undefeated and improve their record to 9 - 0. The Colts suffered their first loss of the year, with a record of 7 - 1.

The SuperBowl Mini had drama, suspense, and excitement throughout the entire game. As predicted by me, the total score was in the 40s. Both defenses played well, forcing turnovers and making big stops. If Joseph Addai had not gotten his 70 yard reception for a touchdown seconds before the second half, the game could have been different.

The Patriots vs the Colts. Bill Belichick vs Tony Dungy. Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning. Randy Moss vs Marvin Harrison. Donte Stallworth vs Reggie Wayne. Laurence Maroney vs Joseph Addai. This is the NFL's biggest modern day rivalry, and it meets head on this Sunday. These two teams account for four of the last six NFL SuperBowl winners . Both the Patriots and the Colts could dismantle the NFC Pro Bowl team. That is how good they really are.

The Patriots travel to Indianapolis with a a perfect 8 - 0 record. The Patriots have been steamrolling their opponents. The Colts also hold a perfect record, at 7 - 0, but their wins have been less impressive. These two teams will meet again in the AFC Championship game, so consider this a warm-up game.

The New England Patriots will be 16 - 0 at the end of the NFL regular season. They are that damn good. With league leading offense and defense, the Patriots are off to a perfect start at 4 - 0. All of their wins have been decisive wins, scoring 34+ points in each game and holding their opponents to 14 points or less.

Looking over the Patriots remaining twelve games, three hurdles remain that pose a threat to the Patriots undefeated season: Dallas Cowboys (week 6), Indianapolis Colts (week 9), and Pittsburgh Steelers (week 14). The other nine teams combine for a 11 - 24 record.