Deal With The Devil: Patriots to sign QB Tim Tebow.

Per ESPN's Ed Werder, the Patriots will reportedly sign QB Tim Tebow.

Tebow, who spent last season with the division rival New York Jets, was a free agent for much of the Spring after being released on April 29.

The former Florida Gator spent his rookie season under then-Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels, who is currently the Offensive Coordinator in New England.

More on this story as it develops.

Keys To The Game: Patriots host Dolphins, playoff implications

On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will travel to the frozen tundra of Gillette Stadium to take on the playoff-bound New England Patriots.

Though all eligible contenders in the AFC are locked in, the format of the 2012 playoffs is to be determined. All eyes in New England will be on the 1PM matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. The implications of that matchup will largely determine where the Patriots stand at kickoff.

There are many playoff scenarios – none of which come to fruition with a Patriots’ loss. For the Patriots, the modus operandi is to win. At 4:25PM, New England will have to put on the blinders and focus on these three factors:

Protect Tom Brady

Pass protection has been a nagging issue in recent weeks. It is task numero uno for opposing defenses: get to Tom Brady. Sacks and quarterback hits must be significantly reduced in order for this Patriots team to be successful tonight.

Stick to the Run

Part of successfully protecting Tom Brady stems from having a viable running attack. The run is what saved New England in their last meeting with Miami, and will be a big part of the gameplan this week,

Tighten up on the Secondary

I haven’t said this in a few weeks, but it certainly needs to be said: we need the secondary in order to win today. Keeping  Miami’s offense on the bench will allow Tom Brady & Co. to develop a rhythm where they can put up the obligatory 50+ points that led to New England’s midseason success. I’m nodding my head in the direction of Aqib Talib to be a difference maker. Let’s hope McCourty stays out of the CB spot.

I’m seeing the Patriots walk away from this one quite comfortably.

Patriots 34, Dolphins 20 (12-4)

Stay updated with New England Football Live on Facebook and Twitter!

Key Matchups for Pats-Texans

At this point in the season, Patriots fans are used to tuning into the second Monday night game of the year. Unconventionally, the matchup against the Texans is New England’s lone appearance on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. On the upside, we’re only forced to listen to Jon Gruden rant about ‘this guy’ or ‘the sheriff’ just once this year. The Monday night showdown against the Houston Texans will be a great barometer to evaluate just where the Patriots are at in this point of the season.

The Texans come in at an astounding 11-1, a record the seemingly deserve, as they have played some very resilient football over the course of the season. Their victories range from close calls, come from behinds, and blowouts. They rank 5^th and 6^th in offense and defense, respectfully, and rank in the top ten of nearly every major statistical category. Simply put, Houston has proven that they can win in nearly every fashion.

On the media front, all has been quiet from either side. Texans’ WR Andre Johnson said last week claimed that, “it’s the biggest game in (Texans) franchise history.” That’s about as much as you’ll hear from either side, as both teams have the upmost respect for one another.  

Here are some key Matchups to look for in tonight’s contest:

Tom Brady vs. J.J. Watt

Highly regarded as the top players at their respective positions this year, Brady vs. Watt should pan out to be one of the greatest head-to-head matchups you’ll see all season. It’s understood that the O-line will be directly responsible for defending Watt, but keep your eyes open pre-snap – this is where Brady will audible receivers to run opposite Watt in order to throw away from Watt, who leads the league in tipped balls this season (15).

Andre Johnson vs. Aqib Talib/Devin McCourty

This is when we get to see how good Talib can be. Acquired at the trade deadline, Talib had just over a week to get adjusted to the New England defense and has shown flashes of greatness. At times, Talib has also let players burn by him where there was apparently no safety help.

Safety help is also crucial. Johnson has the ability to torch the New England secondary on literally any play. It’s important for McCourty to keep an eye out, and to shut down all passing lanes.

Pats’ 3^rd Down Offense vs. Houston 3^rd Down Defense

Each team comes in ranked tops in either 3^rd down conversion (Patriots) and 3^rd down defense (Houston). This is a crucial in determining a victor tonight. If they want to win, The Patriots must either a). be successful on 3^rd down, or b). be very, very successful on 1^st and second down. The fan in me wants the latter, the analyst in me needs it to be the former.

In all, this will be a great contest that is arguably the game of the year. Stay locked to New England Football  Live for updates throughout the game.

Prediction:  Patriots 26, Texans 21 (10-3)

Stay updated with New England Football Live on Facebook and Twitter!

Pats face Jets on Thanksgiving Night

The Patriots close out a short week in a primetime matchup with the New York Jets on Thanksgiving night.

New England enters Thursday’s matchup with somewhat of a bruised ego, as All-Pro Tight End Rob Gronkowski, the focal point of the passing offense, has been sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Gronkowski broke his forearm on the Patriots’ final extra point in Sunday’s 59-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

New York headlines have found Gronkowski’s injury as something to give thanks for, as the New York Post’s headline on Tuesday simply read, “Thanks, Bill”. The Jets, as well as other teams around the league, believe that New England’s offense is stymied without the presence of Rob Gronkowski.

A New England fan, however, would find it hard to believe this to be true. The Patriots currently have 4 Tight Ends on the active roster, and can plug any of them in as needed in order to replicate Gronkowski’s presence. Furthermore, it is believed that Aaron Hernandez will return to the lineup vs. the Jets.

As for the Jets, I firmly believe that this is a make or break game for Rex Ryan. The Jets have lost three straight regular season contests; their last win came in a 28-21 upset at Gillette Stadium in the divisional round of the playoffs (I’m still not ready to talk about that game..)

There is reason to believe that the Patriots’ offense will come into Thursday’s game with more momentum than their initial Oct. 21^st matchup with New York. After dropping 59 on a pretty decent Indy defense, their confidence is sky high coming against an offense led by Mark Sanchez.

The loss of Rob Gronkowski will make very little difference; the Patriots should roll to victory very easily in the Meadowlands. 

Prediction:  Patriots 31, Jets 21 (8-3)

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski suffers broken forearm

Comcast SportsNet reported late Sunday evening that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has broken his left forearm in Sunday’s win against the Indianapolis Colts.

The injury, which typically carries a 6 to 8 week rehabilitation period, would sideline Gronkowski until late December; perhaps mid-January.

Gronkowski's injury was believed to be sustained on a reception he made early in the 4^th quarter. Following Sunday’s win, Gronkowski had compiled 10 touchdowns on 53 receptions for a total of 748 yards.

Gronkowski had been a stalwart in the Patriots’ offense, and the workload now falls upon Tight Ends Aaron Hernandez, Visanthe Shiancoe, Daniel Fells, and Michael Hoomanawanui to replicate his production.

More to come on this story as it develops.

Stay updated with New England Football Live on Facebook and Twitter!

Patriots release WR Deion Branch

On Saturday, the Patriots released veteran WR Deion Branch… again.

The move comes less than 24 hours before the Patriots’ matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Branch, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX, was previously released just before New England’s week 1 matchup with the Tennessee Titans, only to be re-signed two weeks later.

The release of Branch seems strictly business, as the Patriots used Branch’s roster vacancy to activate newly acquired CB Aqib Talib. Additionally, the Patriots promoted WR Greg Salas from the Practice Squad. Branch must clear waivers before becoming a complete free agent. Judging by the shuffling of receivers this year, one would be hard-pressed to believe that Branch has played his final game in a Patriots’ uniform.

More to come on this story as it develops.

Pats' Preview vs. Indy; let Luck pass

After Colts owner Jim Irsay took it upon himself to gut the entire organization from the front office to the players, the Patriots welcome the new-look Indianapolis Colts into town. With QB Andrew Luck at the helm, this proves to be a rather intriguing matchup.

 The number 1 overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft has conducted himself in a Manning-like manner – promoting hard work, and quickly taking on a leadership role. Despite Andrew’s skills, as well as his will to win at the next level, it is hard to believe that there will be much luck at Gillette on Sunday.

Exceeding his expectations out of Stanford, Luck has drawn comparisons to Peyton Manning from every angle. While it is impossible to compare a rookie to a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Luck hasn’t quie fallen short of the outline set before him.

At 6-3, Luck has been a pivotal factor in each of Indianapolis’ victories – exhibiting heroic leadership along the way.

Be that as it may, Andrew Luck has the insurmountable task of going punch for punch with the one and only Tom Brady. It is because of this that his attempt at heroism in Foxboro will ultimately be unsuccessful.

While Luck is fully capable of carving up the Patriots’ secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey, the old adage stands: Rookies make rookie mistakes. Just a theory here, but with Colts RB Donald Brown questionable, the Patriots may be in the fortunate (perhaps unfortunate?) position of forcing Luck to pass more often by stifling the run. If the defense can exhibit more of a zone-blitz scheme than last week, the Patriots can pressure Luck into those second and third reads that rookie QBs often struggle to make. Containing Indy’s receiving corps – Reggie Wayne, in particular – will be of chief importance to make this plan work.  While the secondary catches a lot of heat for the defenses’ woes, a victory on Sunday will be up to the front seven and their ability to pressure Luck.

For a matchup vs. a rookie quarterback, this one will probably be closer than expected. The Patriots have just enough firepower on O to keep Andrew Luck at bay

.

Prediction: Patriots 31, Colts 23 (7-3)