From our local tv
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (WHDH) -- Come early, stay late. Team above self, or else.
The New England Patriots’ philosophy, the Patriot Way, is a way of life.
“We always talk about if you want to be a good football team you’ll never be stuck in rush-hour traffic,” said Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo.
It’s not about being a player, but also a person. The philosophy starts at the top with ownership and the Kraft family and extends through every corner of the organization.
“The first thing that comes to your mind is you can’t be selfish playing here. It’s not about you. It’s team. If you buy into that you’ll be very successful,” said New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.
The Patriots’ formula is championship tested, Lombardi Trophy approved. So much so that it has become a tradition passed on from year to year and player to player.
“I learned a long time ago when Tedy Bruschi, [Steve] Raible, Willie McGinest, Rodney Harrison, [Richard] Seymour. I learned from some of the best that played around here,” said Wilfork.
Everybody learns no exceptions. Even the Patriots oldest and longest tenured player took his turn.
“I was one of those guys that had to learn that too. When Tedy Bruschi took me aside and Willie McGinest took me aside and Lawyer Milloy took me aside, and I think that’s part of the responsibility as a veteran player that you learn from these experiences and you try to convey the message to some of the younger players so they don’t have to learn the hard way,” said quarterback Tom Brady.
There is only one way. The message is simple and it’s been the same since Bill Belichick took the reins.
“I think coach always talks about doing your job so that’s -- you do your job so that everyone around you can do their job. When people trust each other then you can play with anticipation and confidence,” said Brady.
The Patriot Way may not be the most exciting kind of football, but it’s hard to argue with winning. Especially with a franchise that, with a win on Sunday, will tie the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers with most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history.
Read more:
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/spor ... z2ICSP0OPS
FOXBOROUGH (AP) - There's something about the Baltimore Ravens that brings out the worst in Tom Brady.
Against most teams, he plays like one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. Against the Ravens, he gets outplayed by Joe Flacco.
On Sunday, Brady leads the New England Patriots against the Ravens in the AFC championship game for the second straight year. He's 5-2 in his career against them but other statistics are less impressive.
His 58.6 completion percentage and 74.1 passer rating are the lowest against any of his opponents. The Ravens are the only team he's thrown more interceptions against (eight) than touchdowns (seven). And they've sacked him 16 times, one of five teams averaging more than two per game.
Read more:
http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/206063 ... z2ICT1nJLZ
BOSTON (CBS) — Last week, a Boston columnist earned a lot of national attention for expressing over-the-top optimism for the home team. This week, some Baltimore sports writers are taking the opposite route.
Members of the Baltimore Sun sports staff gave their predictions for Sunday evening’s AFC Championship Game in Foxboro, and five of the seven people said that the Patriots will beat the Ravens.
Kevin Cowherd, Edward Lee, Matt Vensel, Aaron Wilson and Jeff Zrebiec all picked the Patriots to come out on top. Four of them called for a close margin of victory of four or fewer points, while Cowherd forecast a nine-point Patriots win.
“The Ravens will need more than emotion from Ray Lewis’ ‘last ride’ to neutralize Vince Wilfork in the middle of the Patriots D-line,” Cowherd wrote.
“I’m not a big believer in the whole ‘Team of Destiny’ storyline, but the Ravens are making it hard not to at least contemplate the possibility, Zrebiec wrote. “However, it’s even harder to go against Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in a big game at home.”
The two writers who picked Baltimore, Mike Preston and Peter Schmuck, called for tight games that are decided by a field goal.
“The Ravens have already proved the oddsmakers dead wrong once and now they are going to do it again,” Schmuck wrote. “They’re on a mission and they’ve already proven they can compete with the Patriots in the postseason at Gillette Stadium. Now, it’s time to get over the hump.”
“Quarterback Joe Flacco and the offensive line are hot, and desire and the law of averages should put the Ravens over the top,” wrote Preston.
