Patriots Links & Off-Season Updates

All quiet on the Patriots front?  Not quite.

ROOKIES VISIT 'BRAND' UNIVERSITY: Former Patriots CB Mike Haynes, who now works as the NFL's Vice President of Player and Employee Development, has been hosting "Brand University" sessions for NFL rookies. Patriots' rookies "enrolled" on Tuesday, with Haynes explaining that the program “is designed to help players develop and execute a brand strategy that will help them maximize their NFL experience and enjoy a successful career within and beyond the game." Later this month, NFL rookies will take part in the annual rookie symposium in San Diego.

The Official New England Patriots News-Blitz reports that Tedy Bruschi was doing his thing for charity on Monday, playing some golf at TPC in Norton, MA in support  of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.  Bruschi talks about his involvement with this outstanding hospital and also about "how he never really wanted to play anywhere else but in New England."  Gotta love Bruschi!

Also at the event was QB Matt Cassel, who is in his 4th and final year of his contract with the Pats.  He had this, among other things, to say to Mike Reiss:

You try to approach every year the same. For me, I try not to worry about whether it’s a contract year, or my fourth year. The one thing I will say is that you start to learn things as you move on, and being my fourth year, I feel very comfortable in the system.

"I look forward to working with Tom [Brady] again and learning as much as I can and being ready to go. It’s just one of those things where you go out and compete, and you get going, just like you [media folks] do, competing against each other for the best stories. I have to go out and compete with the other guys and try to put my best efforts out there each and every day to come out and show the coaches and everybody else that I’m ready to go.

Reiss's column is a great stop for his "mailbag" responses.  This week covers Ty Law, the O-Line, defense, Junior Seau's possible return and the competition at linebacker, just to name a few topics worth mulling over before training camp.

Remember the old Saturday Night Live skit with John Belushi about the thing that wouldn't leave?  Sen. Arlen Spector, playing the part of Belushi, told the New York Times in a phone interview that his comments to the editorial board of The Philadelphia Daily News earlier this week “didn’t really come out with the proper flavor.”

“My view on the overall situation is that we may well see the other shoe drop somewhere,” Specter said. “We went about as far as we could go, given the public attitude today about the economy and gas prices and Iraq. We’re always very careful about initiating a Congressional investigation.

“But that isn’t to say, by any means, it’s over.”

Whew!  For a few days there, I thought the beloved Pennsylvania Senator had shown signs of lucidity by dropping this idiotic government waste of time and money, but it's good to know he's back to normal.

 

Posted at: 17.07.2008
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