A Farewell to the Past

What a week it has been for Boston sports, huh? Hernandez, Bruins losing the Cup, all the roster decisions to be had by the B's, and the continuing Celtics saga. Last night at the NBA Draft, we saw rumor come to fruition. The Boston Celtics will be sending Jason Terry and two future Hall of Famers in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets in return for Gerald Wallace, Kris Kardashian, I mean Humphries, Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, one-time Celtic rookie Kris Joseph and 3 first-round draft picks (2014, 2016, 2018). This is a major overhaul signaling the end of an era and the start of the rebuilding period. Doc Rivers is gone. Kevin Garnett is gone. Paul Pierce is gone. Now the longest tenured Boston athlete is, you guessed it, Tom Brady. I, like countless others, wanted Pierce and Garnett to just retire in green and see the jerseys go up to the raters. Now the Celtics are without a Captain, the role Pierce played so well in his time in the Garden. No one on the current roster should be named Captain. In fact, I think it will be years before we see anyone who could possibly be thought of as Captain material. This trade was for the best; the Nets can win now and the Celtics can set up for the future. Without a doubt it will be weird seeing our three veterans go to the Nets and be COACHED by recently retired Jason Kidd. I can barely come to terms with this trade as it is. But, life goes on. Farewell to Celtics forever: "NUMBER FIVE, KG! KEEVINNN GAAARNETT! and, THE CAPTAIN AND THE TRUTH, NUMBER THIRTY FOUR, PAAAAUUUUUULLL PIIEEEEEEEERCE!"

Good night, sweet princes...

                                                        An Emotional End of an Era

Who's Up Next for Patriots?

Well, if you haven't been sleeping under a rock you know that Aaron Hernandez has been arrested and charged with murder, or as I like to say, Hernandez has been Cunceled (phrase courtesy of KFC-@KFCBarstool). With Hernandez released and the possibility of Rob Gronkowski starting the season on PUP, the Patriots have to go to other options. My guess is they will go run-heavy with a strong stable of backs lining up behind Tom Brady. So here's a list of the Patriots best options with no Gronk or Hernandez:

Stevan Ridley

1. Running Backs
Putting this one as a collective group. The Patriots have their work-horse in Stevan Ridley, but he is being pressured by Shane Vereen for playing time. Behind them you have the bulls of the bunch in Brandon Bolden and LeGarrette Blount, two heavier backs with a lot of leg power and short yardage ability. I can also see Return Specialist Leon Washington working into the rotation, possibly sharing some snaps with projected 3rd down back Vereen. This looks to be a VERY promising group.

2. Julian Edelman, WR
Edelman is now the target with whom Brady has the longest track record, so the chemistry between the two is greater than any of the other options. He's a shifty receiver who can get open quick. Edelman has suffered some injury setbacks as of late, but he should be ready to go from the start of camp. He has an added bonus in that he can play special teams as well. If he can stay healthy, he can have a career year.

3. Danny Amendola, WR
Been waiting for this one? Amendola has been touted as Welker 2.0 from the get-go. Theres no denying the similarities that I won't get into here as they've been beaten into the ground already. The interesting similarities for Amendola happen to be with Edelman. Both play the slot, utilize speed and agility and are always compared to Welker. Amendola is 5'11" and 188 lbs. Edelman is 5'10" and 200 lbs. Starting to catch my drift?

Jake Ballard

4. Jake Ballard, TE
Many Pats fans may remember Ballard form his days with the Giants when they beat New England twice in one season, once for the Super Bowl. One thing I have noticed about Ballard is he has a similar build to Gronkowski: each is 6'6" and Ballard weighs 10 pounds more, 275 compared to Gronk's 265.We've seen that Ballard is more than capable of catching the ball, and also can take quite the hit, as seen two years ago when he was leveled by Brandon Spikes in Foxboro. He may not have the speed that Hernandez had to make the Boston TE Party the Thunder and Lightning attack we once saw, but when #87 returns, we may be seeing double with this duo on the field at the same time.

5. Rookie Receivers

Rookie Aaron Dobson

I am of course referring to Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce, from Marshall and TCU respectively, who were both drafted this year by the Patriots. Boyce is more of a burner, running a 4.38 40-Yard Dash at the Combine, good enough for 4th among wideouts. He also did 22 reps on the bench, which gave him 2nd among receivers. He measures 5'11" and 203 lbs. Dobson was unable to participate at the Combine due to injury, but at his Pro Day he ran a 4.43 average 40 and did 16 reps on the bench. He measures 6'3" and 203 lbs. Each man is a physical specimen, and even though Dobson has been knocked for his small hands (9 inches), Pats fans need not worry about his ability to catch. This could be another dynamic tandem, especially in the future.

And finally...
6. Tim Tebow, Utility Man(?)











Couldn't keep a straight face typing that...

6. The Rest of the Bunch
More options include Tight Ends Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui, as well as veteran receivers Donald Jones and Michael Jenkins. Fells and Hooman are more blocking tight ends than the pass catching breed we have become accustomed to. Jenkins is the tallest receiver the Pats have on the roster heading into camp at 6'4". This makes him a good red-zone target. Jones has big play potential, which can be brought out with Tom Brady throwing to him rather than Ryan Fitzpatrick.

There you have it. Remember, it's still early and many more moves are yet to be made. The Hernandez release could potentially see Brandon Lloyd re-sign or possibly have the team sign David Thomas and/or Dallas Clark to fill the Hernandez role. Thomas is familiar with the Patriots system as he was drafted by the team in 2006. Each man has played with intelligent quarter backs as well (Thomas with Brady and Drew Brees, Clark with Peyton Manning). Any way you want to spin it, this season will  be an interesting one for New England.

Patrice Bergeron: Ultimate Warrior?

The more that starts to come out about what Boston Bruins center and alternate captain Patrice Bergeron battled with throughout the playoffs, and specifically the Stanley Cup Finals, the more you have to wonder: What am I complaining about? During Game 5 in Chicago, Bergeron was injured; injured enough that he did not play the rest of the game after going down the tunnel to the dressing room. It was later reported that he had left the United Center in an ambulance. I, like the rest of the Bruins fan base, began worrying. After the game, however, it was reported he had left the hospital and was on the team flight back to Boston, while coach Claude Julien was optimistic he would play in Game 6, a do-or-die scenario for the B's. Bergeron gave a valiant effort, throwing his weight around with reckless abandon. But he did not look like himself, registering no points and dipping below 50% on faceoff wins during the Bruins collapse that led to the Blackhawks 2nd Stanley Cup in 4 years. Today, as Bruins players clean out their lockers, Bergeron is still in the hospital under watch, the same place he has been since the conclusion of the clinching game. What's ailing Bergy? A broken rib, a separated shoulder (suffered DURING the game), torn cartilage and now, as heard on "Gresh & Zolak" on Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub radio show, a small hole in his lung, presumably from the rib. Oh, he also froze his nerve so he could play through pain. No biggie. Just shutting down normal bodily functions to play hockey. Another day at the office for #37. Fred Toucher (@FredToucher) form 98.5 has been saying it all along: Bergeron's number will be in the Garden rafters someday. It's just a matter of when he decides to call it quits. Although that day probably won't come for a long time.

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