Faulk a giant loss for the Patriots

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The Patriots absorbed a big loss in Sunday's game vs. the hated Jets. Third down specialist Kevin Faulk was injured in the game and it was found that he suffered an ACL tear to his knee.

Obviously, not good news for the Patriots.

Around the country, it may not seem like a big loss at all since Faulk isn't a great tailback or even a full-time starter.

But everyone here in Patriots Nation really knows how important Faulk was to the success of this team.

Faulk is that total team player that every coach hopes to have on his team. He didn't complain about not starting, he was great in the locker room, he helped the young guys and he produced every time he was allowed to touch the football.

On the field, Faulk was the secret weapon not many clubs have. On third down, you could bet Faulk was in the backfield or split out wide. Faulk was a great draw running back, but his best trait was catching the ball and picking up much-needed first downs. Didn't it seem like every time the Pats were in a third-and-long situation, Faulk got his paws on the pigskin and picked up a first down to keep a drive alive? Lets not forget about how great he was picking up blitzes and keeping Tom Brady clean from attacking defenders.

Basically, Faulk did it all from that running back slot. And since the Pats decided to trade away Laurence Maroney, they are left with aging Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris and the Law Firm to carry the load. Yes, no one from that above list can do what Faulk did. The depth in the backfield isn't good, either, so expect to see Brady throw more passes. It' a big loss, no doubt about it.

Future Super Bowl Champs? Not Yet.

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I admit it. I bought into the hype that was the New York Jets. I actually thought that maybe Rex Ryan was right when he stated that the Jets were the future Super Bowl champs.

With all the talk, with all the player acquisitons such as Jason Taylor, Santonio Holmes, LT, and Antonio Cromartie, there was reason to beleive that he Jets were the real deal. Now it looks like they may a complete mess.

I normally don't like to read too much into one game, but Monday's loss to the Ravens was telling. It was a huge game for the Jets, and they fell flat on their face.

Opening a new stadium on national TV, against a top team like the Baltimore Ravens, you would have expected the Jets to be on top of their game. Instead they looked like pretenders instead of contenders.

Now the Jets get to face an angry Patriots team who had to sit around all off season hearing about how the Jets had passed them as the class of the AFC East. There now is a ton of pressure on the Jets this week. An 0-2 start, with both loses coming in the Meadowlands, could put Gang Green in an early season hole from which they cannot recover.

The problems for Jets start with QB Mark Sanchez. It almost looked like Jets did not have faith in their young QB. Maybe Tedy Bruschi was right about Sanchez being a front runner. Maybe he is not ready for prime time. After all, he was not even able to crack 80 yards passing. As good as the Ravens are on defense, there is no excuse for putting up those kind of numbers. The best you can say is that he did not turnover the football, but at some point he will have to make plays.

The entire offense looked inept, not just Sanchez. Shonne Greene looked terrible. The only time you heard Braylon Edwards name was for a penalty. And speaking of penalties, how about the Jets defense. All night long, the Jets bailed the Ravens out of 3rd and long with penalties. That shows a lack of discipline. All the talent in the world means nothing if there is a lack of focus and discipline. That all starts with the head coach. If Rex Ryan cannot display self discipline, then how can anyone on his team be expected to show discipline.

Maybe the critics were right about the whole Hard Knocks thing. Now an an angry Patriots team comes to town. You know the Patriots will be ready, and you now Tom Brady will not make mistakes. The Patriots defense may not have the talent of the Jets, but at least you know they will be well coached and not beat themselves with penalties. Can you say the same about the Jets after what we saw in week one? I don't think so. Expect the Jets to fall to 0-2.

It will be a fun week for New York sports radio, that much is certain.

I'm going to miss Maroney

By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
While he never lived up to his first-round hype, I'm still going to miss Laurence Maroney.
I know I might be in the minority here, but there was just something about Maroney that had me rooting for him, even when other fans were kicking him down for not running hard enough, being too soft or dancing before he hit the hole.
I guess I liked his upside, he showed flashes of brilliance that always made me hope he'd do that all the time.
But when you're hurt, don't produce enough, etc., I guess that's when an organization has had enough.
For the Patriots, they had obviously given up hope that Maroney would produce on a full-time basis.
So, in the end, the Pats and Maroney parted ways. And go figure, Denver coach and former Pats assistant Josh McDaniels decided to trade for Maroney. See, I guess McDaniels must feel the same way as me that the running back still has enough potential to be a factor in this league.
Was this a good trade (getting a fourth-round for Maroney), or do you think the Pats hurt themselves as far as depth at the running back position? I think they are in big trouble if Fred Taylor goes down. Do you really trust Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk or the Law Firm to carry the load or even come close to being a featured back?
No way.
Expect Tom Brady to air it out even more now.

NFL Season Picks: Chad & Jim

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Well, technically the 2010 NFL season has already begun, but Chad and I wanted to make sure we got our predictions out prior to the first full day of the schedule. Despite the fact that Chad and I have different opinions on pretty much everything, we apparently seem to agree on what's going to happen this season. As you'll see below, we pick the exact same list of Division winners, as well as both the participants in the AFC & NFC Championship game, and even the Superbowl. We do, however, disagree on the outcome of that game. Well, enough of the build up, read below for our picks. Make sure to let us know what you think!

Durand makes the active roster for Titans

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

There's no substitute for hard work.

A friend of Fan Fanatic Sports, Ryan Durand, is a perfect example of that.

The second-year Tennessee Titans guard, who spent all of his rookie season on the Titans' practice squad, officially made the 53-man roster in his second season.

Obviously, Fan Fanatic Sports would like to congratulate Durand on working hard and getting rewarded with a roster spot.

Durand, who played his high school football at St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School (in Fitchburg, Mass.) and Syracuse University, is listed as the backup behind starter Jake Scott at right guard and the third-stringer at left guard.

The 6-foot-5, 301-pound Durand is an athletic offensive lineman and is known for his tremendous smarts on the gridiron.

Take a look at Durand's bio on the Titans' web site.

Here is the Titans' roster for 2010.

Again, congrats Ryan on a job well done.

Best of luck this season.

PHOTO CREDIT /TENNESSEE TITANS

Pierre Woods proves he's a class act

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Normally, the first reaction when someone gets cut from any team in any league is the player is upset.

Some will blast an organization in the media, others will avoid comment (which means they are ticked off) and some simply don't care because they know they'll get picked up by another team.

In the case of New England Patriots linebacker Pierre Woods, he should be praised for his professionalism after he was released by coach Bill Belichick.

Woods, a solid pro who did his job and was very productive on special teams and in certain cases as a fill-in linebacker, proved to me that he's a stand-up guy and one that actually appreciated the Patriots giving him a job years ago as an undrafted free agent.

Woods' fanfare isn't like the success story of a Kurt Warner (from stock boy, to Arena League to NFL MVP), but he's a guy that's all positive and no negative as far as attitude and willingness to be a total team player.

If you're not familiar with what Woods said about the Patriots organization, take a look here.

Woods appreciated the ride, respected the organization and obviously is leaving on very good terms, even though he was basically told that he wasn't good enough to be on the roster.

Woods could have easily blasted the organization, bad-mouthed players and the fans, but he took the high road. He showed his true character -- a class act on and off the field.

Wish there were more guys like that in the NFL and all of professional sports.

Take a hike Burgess

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The Patriots made their final cuts today to get down to the mandatory 53-man roster limit.

And while there weren't many shockers as far as cuts -- not like Arizona releasing quarterback Matt Leinart -- the biggest name to get his walking papers was Derrick Burgess.

The outside linebacker, who was clearly a major bust last season and apparently considered retiring in the offseason, isn't going to be a big loss anyway.

Burgess was brought here to rush the quarterback, but his five sacks last year just didn't and aren't going to cut it. Burgess became a liability anyway, since teams this preseason continually ran to his side and he couldn't do a darn thing about it. Burgess couldn't stop the run and didn't seem to want to for that matter. I can see if he was so outstanding at sacking the QB that holding the edge on running plays wasn't a top priority, but Burgess proved he couldn't do either.

In the end, the Patriots coaching staff knew it was time to cut bait. It really says something about the player when one of the Pats' weaknesses is getting pressure on the QB, and a guy they cut has been known as a edge rusher his whole career.

Well, maybe now you can officially retire Burgess.

The other decent name to be cut by the Pats was Sam Aiken, the Patriots' special teams captain. Granted, Aiken has been a special teams star, but he simply doesn't offer enough (face it, he's not a good receiver) on offense to warrant a roster spot. I love guys that can play special teams and Aiken would get a spot if he was better than any other receiver on the team, but he's not. So, in the end, Aiken was let go but I know he won't be out of work for long.

Check out this link for the complete list of Patriots cuts.