Patriots Football Weekly Blog

Setting the scene

PFW’s Andy Hart is spotted listening in at Jets head coach Rex Ryan’s press conference at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine. AP Photo.

Gostkowski tutors Revs' Reis on kicking field goals

Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski spent some time tutoring New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reiss on how to kick field goals.

Pro Bowl Day 2 Recap

Matt Smith of Kraft Sports Productions is on hand in Hawaii gathering all sorts of information regarding the Patriots. He’s mainly overseeing the coverage from a video standpoint but is also providing some updates for us via the blog. We’ll post his submissions here at various points throughout the remainder of the week.

By Matt Smith

HONOLULU — Sorry New Englanders don’t shoot the messenger.  Day 2 from Honolulu and its 82 degrees under partly cloudy skies.  Just reporting the facts.

We spent some time observing Bill Belichick as we had him mic’d up for a future “All Access” segment.  He spent a lot of time chatting with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne.  Also had a funny exchange with Titans running back Chris Johnson, which you can see on “Patriots Today” later this evening.  He was also marveling at the leg of Raiders punter Shane Lechler.

Belichick held court with the media after practice.  It was mentioned to him that today marks the 11th anniversary of his hiring as Patriots coach.  He seemed genuinely surprised, and couldn’t believe 11 years had gone by so quickly.

Patriots players we caught up with were Brandon Meriweather and Wes Welker, both of whom are having a great time.  Welker was wearing a helmet camera at practice today … we’ll show you and hear Welker’s thoughts on it tomorrow on “Patriots Today.”

Also had a chance to speak to Ravens linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs.  T-Sizzle enjoys his role as the villain, playing in the Pro Bowl for the good guy, Coach Belichick.

Lots of military folks at practice today.  Patriots players and coaches spent a lot of time posing for pictures and signing autographs.  Also, the students at Kapolei HS were in the bleachers watching practice.  Nice study break.

That’s it for Day 2.  Mahalo!

Wilhite gets his kicks

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Some players sleep in between meetings and practice.

Others play backgammon or dominoes.

Jonathan Wilhite turns the Gillette Stadium locker room into his own private soccer field.

Although he makes his living playing professional football, not fútbol, Wilhite hasn’t lost his passion for soccer. A former midfielder and fullback at Quachita High School in Monroe, La., Wilhite has developed a daily ritual of dribbling a soccer ball through the locker room before practice, showing off his fancy footwork in front of teammates and reporters during media availability.

“It’s just something that gets you warmed up before practice and gets you sweating and gets your hips and stuff loose,” Wilhite said. “It’s also fun. A lot of the guys in the locker room enjoy it.”

The game starts with Wilhite dribbling the ball and bouncing it off his knee for a few minutes before another teammate – usually Deltha O’Neal or Wes Welker, who Wilhite credits with starting the trend – saunters over to his side of the room. Soon, there’s a circle of defensive backs and receivers in the middle of the floor holding court until it’s time to head out to practice.

Every now and then, a kick goes awry and the ball either rolls into a teammate’s locker or temporarily dislodges a panel in the ceiling, much to the chagrin of head coach Bill Belichick.

“I’ve seen it around,” Belichick said Friday with a smile. “If I get close enough to it, I will put it over the fence.”

Oddly enough, Wilhite never even thought of playing soccer until he was forced to do so in high school.

“Football’s been No. 1 for me all my life,” Wilhite said. “Soccer was something my [football] coaches made me do. I was a running back in high school, so it helped out with my footwork or whatever and it also helped me for cornerback.”

Wilhite enjoyed soccer so much he even considered playing in college, but Auburn University doesn’t have a men’s program, so he stuck with football after transferring from Butler County (Kan.) Community College.

Since his arrival in New England, Wilhite has worked his way up the depth chart and is quickly developing into a regular contributor on the team’s nickel and dime packages as a slot defender. He played on 15 defensive snaps last weekend in San Francisco.

“It was good to get out and see what happens for the first time. I was happy for the opportunity,” Wilhite said. “I just tried to do my job on every play. I think the coaches were patient with me during the week and I got in there and just tried to do my job.

“I think the coaches prepared us good throughout the week. When you get out there, you’ve just got to be able to think on the move. I think, so far, things have gone pretty good. I just want to continue to keep doing what they ask me.”

As long as he’s making plays in the secondary, he’ll continue to kick that soccer ball around the locker room, too.

“Everybody’s here for a reason and everybody’s just got to be ready when their time comes,” Wilhite said. “My time has come and I’m just trying to take advantage.” 

'Aiken' to make an impact

SAN JOSE, Calif. –- Even as a prolific wide receiver during his college years at North Carolina, Sam Aiken always had the mindset of a defensive player.

“I’d rather hit them before they hit me,” Aiken said.

No wonder he’s such a star on special teams. Now in his sixth NFL season, Aiken has taken his talents to New England, where the Patriots have always emphasized the importance of special teams under the tutelage of head coach Bill Belichick.

After missing all of training camp and the first two regular-season games with a knee injury, Aiken is back on the field resuming his role as a specialist on New England’s coverage and return units. Aiken – a former Buffalo Bill – admits the Patriots’ coverage is still a work in progress. The team is ranked ninth in kick return yards allowed and 20th out of 32 teams in punt return coverage.

“All of us are clicking, staying in our coverage lanes and watching more film,” Aiken said. “We’re definitely getting there.”

Aiken entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick in 2003 following a successful college career in which he finished third on the school’s all-time list for receiving yards, but he had to hone his skills on specials teams just to earn playing time.

“The [Bills’] special teams coach Danny Smith, he came to me and told me, ‘In order to get on the field, you may have to play special teams,’ and ever since then I took that and ran with it,” he said.

From 2003 to 2007, Aiken helped anchor a special teams’ unit that consistently ranked among the best in the league. Looking for a bigger role on offense, he hit the free agent market at the end of last season and ultimately signed with New England, where he has continued to play an important role in the kicking game.

Asked what makes him a great special teams’ player, Aiken said, “Probably having a defensive mindset – being the physical player that I am and being able to multitask between being a receiver and being on special teams.”

The process of learning the system while nursing an injury took it’s toll on Aiken, but he sought out the advice of well-respected special teams’ captain Larry Izzo, who gave him helpful pointers along the way.

“He was one of the main keys when I first got here in terms of telling me, ‘Watch film,’ or, ‘This is what we’re going to do on this [play].’ He’s a smart guy,” Aiken said. “When we see things on the run, we’ll go to the sidelines and [talk] or, as we’re watching film, we’ll come up with new ideas.”

The two had their share of battles over the years since Aiken played for a division rival, but there was always a mutual respect between the two special team standouts.

“No matter where he lines up, I always had to watch out for him or cover him or watch him because he’ll hit you,” Aiken said.

Aiken and Izzo will team up again this weekend in an attempt to slow down Chargers’ specialist Darren Sproles, who continued to set the standard among all NFL kick returners on Sept. 14 by becoming just the second player in league history with at least 50 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and 100 return yards in the same game.

“He runs real hard,” Aiken said, “so we’ve all got to come together and tackle.”

Driving Miss Perillo

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Thankfully, Erik drove to Alcatraz on Tuesday, which means I didn’t have to hear Paul’s insipid whining from the back seat.

No one like’s a Monday morning quarterback and even fewer people appreciate a backseat driver.

Our excursion Monday night went fine. No one died. No one got injured. No one vomited. Brian Lowe managed just fine as my trusty co-pilot and is welcome to join my foxhole anytime. Paul and Erik can take a cab netx time for all I care.

For the record, it’d be physically impossible to not hit someone driving 75 miles per hour if everyone else, as Paul incorrectly stated, was driving the speed limit. Paul only casually mentioned we were traveling in the car pool lane, which featured far less traffic and gave us the luxury of driving like men, not blue-haired old women who push 45 in the high-speed lane with their left blinkers on.

This is America. I’m entitled to drive like an @$&!#@% if I damn well please. In fact, I think anyone who drives the “suggested” speed limit in a major freeway and does not follow the flow of traffic is an even bigger @$&!#@% than someone with a lead foot like myself. The bottom line is if you want to waste valuable time behind the wheel, drive with someone else, but if you want to get to your destination in one piece ahead of schedule, hop in.

Alcatraz was fantastic — a wonderful piece of history tucked away on a small island off the coast of San Francisco. Yes, the entire island smelled like urine, but it was historic urine. We may have very well been walking along the same paths used as a toilet by Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. The view from atop the island is breathtaking. You can see almost all of downtown San Francisco flanked by the Golden Gate Bridge.

Yes, I bought a tasteless T-shirt. What else did you expect? Life in California is great so far. I do not have my phallic protein shots with me, but I did find a Safeway supermarket stocked with plenty of Muscle Milk so I can get my swell on at the hotel fitness center. Unfortunately, the free weights only go up to 50 pounds, which makes it difficult for a perfectly-trained physical specimen like myself to get a decent workout.

I am looking forward to seeing the setup at San Jose State on Wednesday. It’ll be interesting to see how the Patriots adjust to their temporary surroundings as they prepare for Sunday’s game in San Diego. There’s enough veteran leadership on this team to make sure everything is status quo. If they lose, the extended stay out West won’t be a valid excuse and I doubt you’d hear any of the players lament these unique conditions.

Stay tuned as we bring you more from Santa Clara!

Thoughts from Sunday's win

Since Paulie got the ball rolling by breathing life into this stagnant blog, I figured I’d do the same.

I am reporting live from my hotel room at the Santa Clara Marriott, enjoying the sights (my window overlooks the swimming pool!) and sounds of northern California. Since Erik, Paul and I might not be able to provide much insight on PFW In Progress this week due to our schedule out West (Fred and Andy will do the show from Gillette Stadium during the week before rejoining us in San Diego), I’d like to offer a few of my thoughts on Sunday’s win against the 49ers.

To me, the biggest play of the game was Randy Moss’ tackle on Matt Cassel’s first-half interception, not Moss’ 66-yard touchdown catch. Sure, the Cassel-to-Moss bomb is a positive sign as the passing game looks to rekindle the magic from 2007, but Moss’ heads-up play on the pick near the goal-line shows how his value to the team extends beyond his physica gifts.

With the Patriots trailing, 14-7, in the second quarter, Cassel tried for another touchdown on a deep pass to Moss, but the quarterback underthrew the ball and Nate Clements came up with the interception at the 6-yard line. With no one else in sight, Clements might’ve been able to return the ball another 25 to 30 yards and possibly set up great field position for the 49ers had Moss not wrapped him up immediately and tackled him at the 6.

Instead of starting with the ball near midfield, the 49ers were pinned against their own goal line and eventually punted. Now the battle for field position had swung in the Patriots’ favor with their ensuing possession starting at the 43-yard line. The drive ended with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal, cutting the deficit to 14-10.

The Patriots scored 20 unanswered points over the next two quarters before the 49ers made a late surge — too little, too late as New England held on for a 30-21 win. Plays like the one Moss made on Clements don’t show up on the stat sheet, but are equally-important in deciding whether or not the team wins or loses.

We’ll be here all week providing some insight, analysis and tastless humor, so stay tuned!

Goodbye, and goodnight

That is all for today since the field goal unit is on the field.

Hope you guys enjoyed (and appreciated) the updates. Later, kids!

Cassel's in the sky …

Now it’s Cassel’s turn.

His first pass gets batted down by Shawn Crable.

The second one gets thrown into the ground.

Third down?

He tries to force the ball into double coverage looking for C.J. Jones. Out of bounds.

Finally, on fourth down Cassel hits Marcus Pollard over the middle for a first down. The field goal unit comes out and Stephen Gostkowski connects from about 35 yards out.

Three points are better than zero!

Rollin', rollin', rollin' …

Tom Brady’s on a roll right now during the two-minute drill, completing passes to Wes Welker, Dave Thomas and Jabar Gaffney in succession.

In my eyes, this is the best the first-team offense has looked in a few days — no drops, no untimely penalties.

Onto second-and-10, Welker just got open again on a slant over the middle, but failed to get out of bounds, forcing Brady to spike the ball and set up fourth down.

Never fear, though, because Ty Warren saved the day by committing an neutral zone infraction, giving the offense an automatic first down.

For good measure, he did it again on the following snap, and subsequently started running a lap around the practice field.

Ouch.

Finally, we get a play and Moss makes a leaping grab in the end zone over (poor) Ellis Hobbs for the touchdown.

That’s how it’s meant to be done.