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Your completely biased source of New England Patriots, football and entertainment stories

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2016/04/30/roger-goodell-true-heel-wwe-missing/

Roger Goodell in True Heel Mode at NFL Draft. Embraces Hate

You have to respect Roger #Goodell sticking it to fans at the #NFL Draft

I’ve always hated Goodell – and that hatred grew after the Deflategate fiasco – but after watching this video, I honestly can’t help but respect this clear power move. In fact, I’ll go as far as saying I appreciate his willingness to finally embrace the contempt he clearly knows everyone has for him.  I have to respect him for being true to himself. Sure, he’ll give hugs  to a bunch of 22-year-old rookies who basically won the lottery. He’ll bring out kids who are battling all types of diseases, tell them how great and strong they are for continuing the good fight. He’ll smile and give handshakes to NFL HOF’s right before they announce draft picks for their former teams. However, we all know these seemingly kind acts are all for show, and Goodell has always known its an act. So to see him confirm, at this year’s draft, all these “special”  moments are actually just PR bull shit is actually refreshing. It’s a big F U to political correctness. In fact, it’s kind of like Vince McMahon continuing to shove Roman Reigns down everyone’s throat despite the fans, for over a year, continuously rebelling against it. The former is just going to do what he wants to do, and as much as you hate McMahon for it, you respect the man’s self-awareness.

Further, on that note, I’m pretty certain that, at this point, Goodell is actually the heel that WWE desperately needs right now. For those of you who are wrestling fanatics, you know exactly what I mean. The WWE has two heels on their current roster who receive sincere heat. (Kayfabe heat, sure, but respectable, believable animosity because these wrestlers embrace their characters and the fans know it. They respect them for it.) And those stars are Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho. The WWE does have another star heel in the making with Roman Reigns, but they refuse to pull the trigger, and instead trot him out there to say things like “Tater Tots” and make awful jokes. If they aren’t going to turn Reigns full heel, bring in Goodell and make him the Raw GM. People would hate him, but they’d respect him. Ratings would sky rocket.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2016/04/29/patriots-troll-nfl-instagram-bradys-jersey/

Patriots Troll NFL. Post Instagram Photo of Brady's Jersey

Source: CBS Boston

If you didn’t have have a chance to puke all over your TV screen while watching Roger Goodell sit in front of CBS This Morning and speak about how awesome he is, let me help you out. For the past several months, we (NFL fans) have had the pleasure of not really hearing much from Goodell’s camp. Somehow he’s managed to stay out of major controversies (I think? Or am I missing something? I don’t watch ESPN anymore, so maybe I am). Anyway, he recently said the following after CBS This Morning asked him whether it was worth it for the NFL to spend $20 million on an investigation about deflated footballs:

“Well this wasn’t about the actual violation,” Goodell said. “This was about the rights we had negotiated in our collective bargaining agreement, that we had in our collective bargaining agreement, and that we wanted to make sure we retained.”

And then, just in case you didn’t get it out of your system the first go-around, he also replied, in response to a question regarding whether he’s spoken to Robert Kraft and if everyone has moved on from Deflategate:

“Yes I have, I’ve spoken to Robert Kraft, Johnathan Kraft on several occasions, on several different matters. So we are moving forward.”

What he’s really saying is, “Yes, I did speak to the Krafts and I told them to fuck off, you’re not going to win, this is bigger than you. And I told them to move on, so we did.”

If anyone actually thought the Krafts had dinner with Goodell and had moved on, you need to put down the beer. Put down the hard stuff because, prior to yesterday’s draft, the Patriots (with the likely blessing of Mr. Kraft) posted this masterpiece on their Instagram. No one knows how to troll better than the Patriots. They have you beat there Roger.

A photo posted by New England Patriots (@patriots) on Apr 28, 2016 at 5:01pm PDT

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2016/02/01/patriots-win-super-bowl-49/

On this Day in NFL History -- Patriots Win Super Bowl 49 (video)

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This reaction never gets old.

Posted by New England Patriots on Monday, February 1, 2016

Not sure if people are honestly getting excited about Super Bowl 50. Read somewhere that without the Patriots in the big game, things are much calmer around NFL headquarters, and that’s exactly the way Goodell and his minions want it. In any case, today is the 1st anniversary of our Super Bowl 49 win and the best day of 2015.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2016/01/21/nfl-forgets-patriots-kicking-balls-at-hotel/

NFL Forgets Patriots Kicking Balls at Hotel Before Chiefs Divisional Game

BOSTON (CBS) – State Police confirm they helped the NFL deliver footballs and pressure gauges to Gillette Stadium on Saturday after an official forgot them at their hotel.

Approximately two hours before the Patriots were set to host the Chiefs in the playoffs; State Police at Logan Airport were notified by the Hyatt Hotel that the equipment had been left behind.

Scott Zolak of 98.5 The Sports Hub first reported that the referees forgot the balls at the hotel Saturday night.

  I’m convinced this story will never ever go away. I started to realize that during the summer when Brady beat the NFL in court and Goodell and his cronies immediately filed for a re-do in 2016.  This Deflategate story, unlike SpyGate, will die a very slow, excruciating death. In fact, it’ll be like one of those Walkers from the Walking Dead. You know the ones…not when they’re running around kind of discolored. The Walkers that are being half consumed by some oak tree in the middle of the forest. The only time they move is when a faint whisper passes by them. They can barely turn their head or move a limb. That’s literally this story. You want it to just go away, but every so often a faint breeze passes by and every so slightly lifts the pages of The Wells Report into the air for all to see.

I love football.  I’ll never stop watching the NFL, so call me a hypocrite, but is it so wrong to call it how it is? The NFL is a fucking joke.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2016/01/20/4-simple-reasons-why-the-patriots-will-beat-broncos-sunday/

4 Simple Reasons Why the Patriots Will Beat the Broncos Sunday

Here are the three reasons why the Broncos simply don’t have a shot at getting to Super Bowl 50. Actually, they may not make it out of the game.

Number 1: Brother 1

  Number 2: Brother 2

  Number 3: A pissed off Rob Gronkowski

  Number 4: A pissed off Bill Belichick

All week, analysts have been breaking down the Patriots and the Broncos. They’ve run through both teams’ offenses and defenses (and some special teams). They’ve gone over the stats. They’ve already begun to open Manning’s grave. And, at least in New England, and in Vegas, the general theme has been that the Patriots are superior. They should win and advance to Super Bowl 50.

Yet, while these analysts ran through their reasons, many others around New England still couldn’t get one fact out of their minds: Brady is 2-6 when playing in Denver. Call it some weird voodoo or Mile High air, but they’ve sucked out there.

That poor road record had been haunting me all week, but then these four gems popped up, and I couldn’t help think to myself: How the fuck is Denver seriously going to win this football game. Sure, there’s always a chance for the reasons we mentioned above. But you have a relaxed, and very focused, Patriots’ team, which is proven by Brady’s and Edelman’s Facebook posts. Then, you have a very aware (and likely pissed off) Gronkowski after the Broncos basically said they’re gunning for his legs. And finally, Belichick has been in no mood to talk all week. He’ll joke around after he wins the Super Bowl and he’s on his boat cruising the Atlantic.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2016/01/20/patriots-pump-up-video/

Patriots Pump Up Video Gets You Ready For Sunday's AFC Championship Game

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2pr2xu_tom-brady-the-g-o-a-t_sport

Absolutely awesome Patriots pump up video. Love everything about it. Great story from beginning to end. These are the types of videos you can watch at work in the middle of February or March when football season is over and you’re bored out of your fucking mind and need some motivation. Put this baby on and watch your productivity skyrocket from 0 to 60 in under three minutes.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/11/30/schefter-gronk-could-be-ok/

Adam Schefter: Per Source, Gronkowski Could Be Ok

Adam Schefter soothing the anxious hearts of Patriots fans.

So all the way up until Gronkowski lay on the field writhing in pain, the only thing I gave a shit about was the Patriots’ keeping their perfect record in-tact. And then when it happened, I realized how completely selfish I had been. There were more important things in this world, and the football Gods made sure to remind me and everyone else in Patriots Nation. That is, Rob Gronkowski.

First because of the young guy’s career. And second because of the Patriots’ Super Bowl aspirations.

By now, a mere 10 hours after Gronkowski went down, the news has progressively gotten better. But if any face summed up how Pats’ fans felt immediately after the incident, it was Brady’s.

Tom Brady immediately after Gronkowski was injured against the Broncos

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/11/19/fluties-parents-die-within-hour-of-eachother/

Doug Flutie's Parents Die Within an Hour of Each Other

  Doug Flutie’s mom and dad

Not sure I can write up a post that will appropriately respect the gravity of the situation and honor Flutie and his family. There’s no words that can describe it. Devastating doesn’t even come close.  I’m not sure Flutie had any idea his parents only had a short time left–it didn’t seem like it–but it doesn’t matter. Whether you know someone is slipping away or not, it’s still shocking. It still absolutely ruins you inside.

You don’t hear about stories like this. Hell, I only thought this type of love happened in the movies. And yes, we’re all thinking about The Notebook when Noah an Allie die together. That’s not a joke. Literally watched that movie and thought to myself, could someone actually love someone else that much that when the former goes the latter does also? The fact that kind of love actually exists gives us all a little hope.  “They say you can die of a broken heart and I believe it,” said Flutie.

RIP Dick and Joan and bless the Flutie family.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/23/mo-lewis-began-bradys-career/

14 Years Ago Today Mo Lewis Propelled the Patriots into a New Era

What were you doing 14 years ago today? Forget? Well, there’s a good chance you were watching the evening news waiting for updates on the condition of the Patriots’ $100 million quarterback, Drew Bledsoe.

On September 23, 2001, Jets’ linebacker Mo Lewis changed the Patriots’ franchise forever.

With about 5 minutes left in regulation, Bledsoe was trying to get the 0-1 Patriots back into the game. He had failed to do much up to that point, posting a measly stat line of 18-28, 159 yds, 0 tds and 2 ints. The Jets were leading 10-3, but the game wasn’t even that close.

It was these types of awful performances that had always infuriated Belichick and given him more reasons to want the quarterback gone.

According to one Jets’ coach who had been standing on the sideline prior to the game, Belichick “and [then offensive coordinator] Charlie Weis were saying, ‘We’re going to get fired.’ They [the Patriots] were struggling and they didn’t want Bledsoe as the quarterback, but they couldn’t get rid of him because he had too much power in the locker room.”

Better put, Bledsoe had too much power and too much money. Just that offseason, Kraft had opened up his wallet to sign the 9-year veteran to a new 10-year, $103 million contract. It included an $8 million signing bonus, $6 million injury guarantee clause and three option periods for later restructuring.

“I remember feeling sad when Bobby Orr left,” Kraft said upon making the deal official. “I saw this as an opportunity to sign one of the great Patriots for the rest of his career.”

The thing was, Kraft had little idea that just over six months later, Bledsoe’s career would unexpectedly come to a screeching halt to make way for a young quarterback out of the University of Michigan.

Belichick responded to the signing by saying, “As a coach, it’s very important to know that your key players will be with you for a while. It makes it a lot easier for our planning.”

As we now know, Belichick was lying. For quite some time, he had felt Bledsoe was too slow. He was too stiff moving around in the pocket. He couldn’t avoid the rush. And, for all of these reasons, he had wanted to replace the team’s signal caller.

However, because of the coup Belichick nearly faced while the head coach of the Browns for releasing local legend Bernie Kosar, he was hesitant to abandon Bledsoe. If he had, especially after the quarterback just signed such a rich deal, it would have likely cost him more than his job. It’d cost him his career.

Fast forward to September 23. It was 3rd and 10. The Patriots’ offense set around their 18-yard line. Bledsoe took the snap and rolled to his right. He crossed the 20 and ran up field toward the sideline. Lewis quickly saw Bledsoe and sprinted across to meet him.

“We were in a nickle or dime package and when I dropped back all I could see was Drew Bledsoe rolling out to my left trying to get the first down, and I could hear [cornerback] Ray Mickens say, ‘Mo, go get him,” Mo Lewis recalled. “I thought Drew was going to slide, but he never did. He stood up and tried to get the first down, so he and I collided on that sideline.”

Instead of running out of bounds like he normally would have, Bledsoe leaned his shoulder into the oncoming 6-foot-3-inch, 256 lbs. linebacker. It was a mismatch and Bledsoe tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.

What many forget is that Bledsoe actually went back into the game for one more series. At the time, no one knew Bledsoe was actually suffering from life threatening internal bleeding and a collapsed lung. He’d bee transported to Mass General Hospital in Boston soon after. No one also knew it’d be the last regular season game the $100 million man would ever play for the Patriots.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/20/patriots-brady-will-struggle-sunday/

History Indicates Tom Brady will struggle on Sunday vs Bills

The Patriots always have success against the Bills. New coach Rex Ryan looks to change that.

As soon as the NFL released its regular season schedule, Rex Ryan circled this game and began licking his chops.

If history has told us anything, the Bills’ head coach might feast Sunday afternoon, much like he has in the past. And that’s scary for Patriots’ fans. For proof, we only have to analyze how his Jets teams competed against New England during his first two years sat the team’s head coach.

(His last few years were an anomaly, and I blame Ryan’s lack of success mostly on the Jets’ former, incompetent general manager Mike Tannenbaum.)

In 2009 the bombastic Ryan took over as Gang Green’s captain. His arrival instantly swept away decades of dust that had piled up on a franchise that won its last Super Bowl in 1968. He brought swagger to a franchise that fans hadn’t witnessed since “Broadway Joe” roamed its sideline.

From 2009 to 2010, New York was stacked with defensive talent, similar to how the Bills are currently constructed, and Ryan knew how to deploy his defense effectively against Tom Brady. During the teams’ first two September matchups, Brady completed just over 50 percent of his passes for roughly 460 yards, 2 tds and 3 ints. The Patriots lost both games.

However, later in the year, during both seasons, the Jets faltered and Brady thrived. The Patriots quarterback hit 70 percent of his passes for 630 yards, 5 tds and 0 ints. The Patriots and Brady had adjusted. They had figured Ryan out.

Again, if history has shown us anything, it’s to expect more of the same this season.

As further evidence the Patriots adjust to Ryan as the season wears on, we can look New York’s success rate pressuring Brady. The amount of pressure Brady received during the first two games of 2009 and 2010 is consistent with the amount he received during the last two games between the same time period. The similarity helps prove the Patriots and Brady rebound by modifying their strategy.

Here is the breakdown:

The Jets defensive pressure on Brady

Finally, what if we examined how the Jets played against the Patriots from 2011 to 2012? Sure, Ryan had inferior squads and Brady put up exceptional numbers, but the proof is there as well. Here are Brady’s stats:

Conclusion

While Pats on Tap, of course, always predicts a Patriots’ win and 19-0 season, we won’t be surprised if the Bills upset the Patriots. As we noted, history isn’t on the Patriots’ side and this Bills’ team may be the most talented squad Ryan has ever coached. At the very least, it’s dripping with 2010 Jets’ swagger.

To emerge victorious, the Patriots’ offensive line has to hold up against a Bill’s defensive front that includes three players who had double digit sacks last season. Is that possible? Very.

According to Pro Football Focus, New England’s front five is already off to a better start than it was last year despite playing three rookies. During last year’s season opener, New England’s line had a miserable pass blocking efficiency (PBE) of approximately 68. The offensive line allowed 3 sacks, 6 hits, 16 hurries and 25 total pressures against the Dolphins. They ranked 31st in the league.

After last week’s victory over the Steelers, the Patriots’ offensive line only allowed 2 hits, 5 hurries and 7 total pressures. It also didn’t allow a sack. Its PBE after that game stood close to 85, ranking 12th overall.

If the Patriots’ can keep Brady protected, expect Ryan to go home with an empty stomach.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/14/miss-america-tom-brady-cheated/

Introducing Miss America: "I Think Tom Brady Cheated" (Video)

  Here’s Miss Georgia on #DeflateGate #MissAmerica pic.twitter.com/87il8KDcDO

— Hilary Sargent (@lilsarg) September 14, 2015

Miss America is part of the reason America thinks Tom Brady, the Patriots and the rest of New England are a bunch of arrogant (m)assholes.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we aren’t. Proudly we certainly can be, for example, between the hours of 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. while driving on 1-93 and 1-95. Or, upon meeting someone for the first time, we feel like we made a genuine connection, only to find out half way through the night the other person is a Jets’ season ticket holder. Like, fuck that guy. I just wasted half of a night getting to know someone I thought had the potential to be a drinking buddy.

But this Miss America. Her arrogant remarks are insulting. They spit in the face of intelligence and intellect, if both were people. At least when someone calls a New Englander a “masshole” for the reasons given above, their reason has legs to stand on. There’s usually rational thought that guided their statement. And sure, New Englanders will naturally throw a fit because who likes to be insulted? They might even throw a punch or two. But after a beer or three and taking a deep breath, they realize that person was probably telling the truth.

Miss America, however, gave a response she knew would win her the crown. She sold out. Funny thing is, she almost ate dirt during the evening wear portion of the night. Karma is a bitch, bitch. You think the Patriots don’t have a stake in heaven too? Like they haven’t made a few draft-day trades with the Almighty? He sees and hears everything.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/14/bradys-banner-on-opening-night/

Tom Brady's Banner Would Have Looked Beautiful

This is what fans would have seen on opening night if Brady had been suspended. Credit: Redditor Kerbonaut2014

In a previous post, I noted how I wanted to see Brady’s banner unveiled even though the quarterback had been reinstated. I had imagined how the ceremony would take place and if there would still be as much hoopla surrounding the event. Maybe more? I had wondered if the Patriots would still bring in the Dropkick Murphys to play. The Springfield Symphony Orchestra? Would Kraft still get his hood on with T-Pain?

Doesn’t matter. Drop the bands and the trophy presentation and replace them with the unveiling of a #12 banner–a direct shot at the league–and the stadium’s energy would have still been electric.

Just after Judge Berman passed down his not guilty sentence, some had asked if the Patriots would have held off their Super Bowl ceremony until the fifth week of the season when Brady returned. Robert Kraft noted in an 98.5 radio interview that the Patriots would have waited for their golden child to return.

“I’m going to give you a little secret,” Kraft said. “So if you look up there, you’ll see our Super Bowl banners, ’01, ’03, ’04 and that fourth banner. If Brady weren’t playing, that would have been his shirt with Super Bowl MVP three times. We wouldn’t have unveiled our 2014 banner.”

Now, what about that Brady banner? Certainly it wouldn’t go to waste. Kraft shed some light on what the plans were for it.

“We have a little surprise for you, you’ll see when you’re here (tonight),” Kraft said. “And when you go out the door, every fan in this place is will get a banner and will get the banner that would have been if he wasn’t playing. You get two gifts.”

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/13/brady-under-armour-commercial/

Here's the Untold Story Behind Brady's Chilling Under Armour Commercial (video)

If you’re Rodger Goodell, how did you not watch this during Thursday’s opening game and jump out of your seat? After everything that has transpired between you, the quarterback and his franchise, the last thing you want to see is a million clones of Brady.

I can just see Goodell thinking to himself, “Shit, didn’t prepare for this one. It’s just a commercial, but could it actually be real? It’s definitely something the Patriots would try.” And yes, they absolutely would try to build an army of Brady’s. At the minimum, it’d be at least a passing thought.

I can just imagine it now. Here’s how the Brady clone scheme would begin:

It’s March 20th, 2015, a little over a week after Darrelle Revis bolted back to the Jets. Belichick brings Kraft into his office. It’s Monday morning, 6 a.m. That’s assuming, of course, Kraft doesn’t arrive at Gillette Stadium at the ass crack of dawn like Belichick because he’s still waking up next to smokeshow girlfriend Ricki Lander. Anyways, they sit down, Belichick rolls up his sleeves. Kraft sits silently, still rubbing out the fatigue from under his swollen eyes.

The Genius leans back in his chair, takes a breath and says, “So, we have some money left over from not signing Revis…I have an idea.”

Kraft still sits quietly, listening.

Belichick: “No one in the NFL has ever thought of this before. It involves Tom.  I think it could help us take down the NFL for good.”

And then, because we all know the Patriots adjust quickly on the fly, a few months later an army of Brady’s are created. The Under Armour commercial is nothing but a preview of things to come for Goodell and his minions. It’s a quick glimpse into what’s forming up north.

If that’s not further proof for you, look no further than Patriots’ defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The Patriots don’t let these images leak out unless…they mean to.

#TheNorthRemembers

This was distributed before Under Armour’s commercial. For a reason, folks.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/11/tomlin-hearing-patriots-radio-broadcast-video/

Mike Tomlin PISSED Team Was Hearing Patriots' Radio Broadcast (Video)

get ready for a full season of this pic.twitter.com/6KHNbCb7p4

— El Flaco (@bomani_jones) September 11, 2015

Ok, first, this is hilarious. What are the odds that after ESPN released an article specifically about the Patriots and their supposed criminal ways, the Steelers would have problems with their headsets only several days later? What’s even better is the Steelers’ coaches were hearing the Patriots’ radio broadcast.

Can’t make this stuff up.

If you haven’t read ESPN’s crazy, incriminating report, it’s definitely worth the read. About half way through the article, authors Don Van Natta Jr and Seth Wickersham note that opposing team’s headsets mysteriously seem to poorly work at Gillette.

“At Gillette Stadium, the scrambling and jamming of the opponents’ coach-to-quarterback radio line — “small s—” that many teams do, according to a former Pats assistant coach — occurred so often that one team asked a league official to sit in the coaches’ box during the game and wait for it to happen. Sure enough, on a key third down, the headset went out.”

Tomlin was pissed post game, reiterating exactly what the report said. However, the NFL finally got off its ass to rebuke the budding controversy.

““In the first quarter of tonight’s game, the Pittsburgh coaches experienced interference in their headsets caused by a stadium power infrastructure issue, which was exacerbated by the inclement weather. The coaches’ communications equipment, including the headsets, is provided by the NFL for both clubs use on game day. Once the power issue was addressed, the equipment functioned properly with no additional issues.”

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/11/where-is-roger-chants/

"Where is Roger?" Chants Break Out During Patriots Opener (Video)

For those who didn’t know, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was not present because he “believes the focus should be on the game on the field and the festivities celebrating the Patriots’ Super Bowl Championship.” In other words, “I want to make it through the night alive, and if I show up, it’ll be a war zone.”

About midway through the fourth quarter when Patriots’ fans knew the game was in hand, they turned their attention elsewhere: Roger Goodell. Trolling the NFL’s commissioner, a deafening “Where is Roger?” chant broke out and could easily be heard over the broadcast.

Awesome.

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/11/the-tom-brady-banner-that-was-almost-hung-tonight/

The Tom Brady Banner That Was Almost Hung Tonight

THIS is the banner the @Patriots would have unveiled tonight if Tom Brady did not play @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/VemK9oNyY6

— melissa stark (@melissastark) September 10, 2015

This is the banner the Patriots were planning on hanging from the rafters had Brady’s 4-game suspension been upheld. I love the fact Berman exonerated Brady and officially declared a start to the NFL season. However at the same time, there’s a small piece of me that wishes the Patriots would just drop this Brady banner anyway.

I’m sure Goodell is just squirming in his seat every time the camera pans to Brady. I’m sure he thinks every time Brady points at the camera, winks at the camera or smiles at the camera, he’s really smirking at the Commissioner and all of his executive cronies.

#TheNorthRemembers

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New Post has been published on http://patsontap.com/2015/09/10/offensive-game-preview-steelers/

Offensive Game Preview: We're onto the Pittsburgh Steelers

Credit: New England Patriots. Rob Gronkowski scores against the Steelers back in 2013

When did the off season begin and end? Seriously. Between all the headache-creating talk about Deflategate and Gisele and Tom’s perfect marriage being on the ropes, I must have spent just as much money on Aspirin as the NFL did on the Wells Report.

But, finally, we’re back to football talk. X’s and O’s, player analysis and game recaps…or at least my biased opinions and crazy predictions. So, let’s get started.

If I’m the Patriots this week, I’m polishing the muskets because all reports indicate this will be a slaughter for the home team. Let’s explain why that’ll likely be the case by focusing on New England’s offense and how it could dissect Pittsburgh’s not-so-steel defense.

Patriots’ Offense vs Steelers’ Defense

In the nine games Brady has played the Steelers, including the playoffs, his stat line reads 2,638 passing yards (yds), 20 touchdowns (tds) and 3 interceptions (ints). If we break that down further, Brady has averaged 300 yds, 2 tds and .3 ints per game against Roethlisberger-led teams.

Yes, you read that correctly: .3 (as in, point-3) interceptions per game. Brady just doesn’t make mistakes against them.

So, if history is telling us anything, it’s that the Patriots aren’t running the ball Thursday against a Steelers team that has never been able to stop Brady’s aerial attack. Mind you, Dick LeBeau and his porous zone-blitzing defense is gone, but I still don’t see the Patriots approaching the Steelers much differently this time around.

What we’ll likely see is the Patriots line up in a heavy set (2 TE, 2 WR, 1 RB) for most of the game. With injuries along the offensive line (Brian Stork) and receivers (Brandon Lafell and Julian Edelman, to a point), this type of formation helps the team better protect Brady while also allowing them to attack the Steelers on multiple fronts.

The Steelers pass defense:

At this point, the Steelers’ pass defense basically sucks, and they don’t appear as if they’ll improve from their 27th ranked defense last season. In 2014 they were the 9th least likely team to be thrown on, but opponents still completed roughly 65 percent of their passes when they did throw. They also surrendered a little over 250 pass yards per game, bad enough for 25th in the league, and close to 2 touchdowns per game, which ranked 29th.

Tomorrow night the Steelers will deploy an unproven secondary which could be over matched. They did draft three new cornerbacks this past offseason, but they’re either shit (for the lack of a better term) or hurt. Second-round pick Senque Golson is on injured reserve. Fourth-round pick Doran Grant played himself out of the starting lineup and onto the practice squad and seventh-round selection, safety Gerod Holliman was also released.

We could spend awhile talking about the Steelers’ defensive woes, but will leave it at that.

Other notes:

While they aren’t being discussed much, watch out for the Patriots’ running backs. Most expect the Steelers to key in on Rob Gronkowski and then Juilan Edelman, leaving the Patriots’ running back by committee to steal part of the show. Brandon Bolden, Travaris Cadet, James White and Dion Lewis all bring an element of speed, pass catching and blocking ability to the table. And because New England is thin at receiver, we wouldn’t be surprised if this unit played a key role early in the game to help the Patriots kick start their offense.