Boston Sports Then and Now

The Patriots announced today that former linebacker Ted Bruschi will be the next member inducted into the team’s Hall Of Fame.  Bruschi edged out former head coach Chuck Fairbanks and offensive tackle Leon Gray. It was just a matter of time before Bruschi, who embodied “The Patriots Way, would receive this honor.

“Mr. Kraft called me on the phone last night and let me know, gave me the news,” Bruschi said. “He told me he was very proud of me to be inducted in the Patriots Hall of Fame, and I told him how much it meant to me.”

Bruschi was drafted in 1996 in the third round out of Arizona University. He appeared in five Super Bowls with the Patriots winning three. However, championships did not define the man or the player. He was measured by his dedication, leadership and courage. The latter being tested after he suffered a stroke in 2005.

Most players would have called it quits after such a health scare, but not Mr. Full Tilt, Full Time.  The word quit is not part of Bruschi’s vocabulary. He fought and clawed his way back and returned to play three more seasons for the only NFL team he knew.

And gave Patriots fans a lifetime of memories…..Congratulations Tedy.

Looks like former Patriots teammates Tom Brady & Tedy Bruschi are quite the fans of Kentucky Derby winner Orb. TB12 was rocking his bow tie and giddy as a school girl before he was gang tackled by Bruschi and others.

Patriots fans everywhere remember last time Tom & Tedy went this BONKERS!

Hopefully, Orb can return the favor when Tom leads the Patriots to their first Super Bowl victory in nine years.

Pot of Baked Beans Goes To Patriots Life.

If Gronk could spike the “Patriot Way” he probably would.

Date: February 6, 2012

Time: Sometime in the wee hours of the morning

Location: Indianapolis

Superbowl party goer #1: “This after party is awesome!”

Superbowl party goer #2: “Yeah I know, I wish the Patriots had won the game though. I can’t stand Eli Manning.”

Superbowl party goer #1: “Hey look! Isn’t that Gronk? Why is he dancing without a shirt on? Isn’t his ankle all busted up?”

Date: February 4, 2012

Time: Once again, early in the morning

Location: Las Vegas

Superbowl party goer #1: ”This after party is awesome!”

Superbowl party goer #2: “Yeah I know, I wish the Patriots were playing today though. I can’t stand Ray Lewis.”

Superbowl party goer #1: “I think Belichick had something to do with the lights going out during the game. If he can’t play in the Superbowl, nobody can!”

Superbowl party goer #2: “Dude, you’re totally right that makes so much sense! Hey look, isn’t that Gronk? Why is he dancing without a shirt on again? Isn’t his arm all busted up? DID HE JUST DDT HIS BROTHER?!”

Deja vu right?

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The last time the Patriots played the Texans, it was pretty easy. This time, however, it likely won’t be.

It’s almost here. The rematch of the biggest game in Texans history. Thus, the new biggest game in Texans history. As kickoff between the defending AFC Champion Patriots and the revenge-minded Texans approaches, here are some things to keep in mind.

While many of the core of the Patriots players have been there early (and often) in their careers, it is the first playoff game for eight key members of the team. They include Brandon Bolden, Alfonzo Dennard, Aqib Talib, Shane Vereen, Michael Hoomanawanui, Dont’a Hightower, Chandler Jones and, perhaps most notably, Brandon Lloyd.

Lloyd has played the most regular season games without getting to play one in the postseason with 128 in his career.

In his 23rd career postseason game, Tom Brady could become the first quarterback to ever amass 17 playoff wins. His idol, Joe Montana had 16 in his 16-year career. Brady’s playoff record currently sits at 16-6. So, we got that going for us.

Also, we have the support of self-proclaimed nerd and eerily accurate predictor, Nate Silver, who has an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what will happen before it happens. Silver, who appeared on ESPN’s First Take earlier this week, explained why it will be the Patriots and Seahawks facing off in Super Bowl XLVII three weeks from now.

Silver correctly predicted the winner of 49 of the 50 states in the 2008 presidential election and was also right on the money in all 35 of the Senate races that year. Needless to say, he’s caught the ear of a few people. It can’t hurt to have him on our side.

Just to make things seem a little more comfortable, 11 of 12 ESPN experts have picked the Pats to win the rematch against the team they dominated a little over a month ago. Tedy Bruschi, Mike Reiss and Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com all picked the home team to win as well and were joined by simulations run by Madden ’13 and AccuScore.

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Chad Ochocinco has 7 catches and 6 first downs.

On July 28^th, the Patriots acquired Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth. Just about two months later, we are still waiting to see what they can do with this team. Despite having a 3-1 record and being tied for first place in the AFC East, neither of the two have done much to contribute.

Haynesworth is his own story though; at least Ochocinco is actually on the field.

When Chad arrived in New England there was a lot of conversation about how he would fit into this team. One of the most talked about things with Ochocinco was, of course, Twitter. As an avid twitter user, I could tell you that since Chad’s been with the Patriots, he hasn’t been tweeting as much. But one of the few times Ochocinco has tweeted, he was criticized by a few people. One of those being a former member of the Patriots, Tedy Bruschi. After Tom Brady’s 517 yard passing game against the Dolphins, Ochocinco tweeted:

“Just waking up after a late arrival, I’ve never seen a machine operate like that n person, to see video game numbers put up n person was WOW.”

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Myra's presence will be missed on and off the field this coming season

When one looks at the dynasty that the New England Patriots have become over the course of the past decade, they often mention the likes of Bill Belichick, Troy Brown, Tom Brady, Tedy Bruschi, and owner Robert Kraft.  However, there is no question that the underlying morals and principles that were instilled in those players, and the rest of a very successful organization came from Kraft’s wife, Myra.  Myra, despite her small stature, had one of the biggest hearts in the game and was someone who transcended the sport by getting everyone involved with her charity work.  It was with great sadness that she passed away last Wednesday at the age of 68.

When the Kraft’s bought the New England Patriots in January of 1994, for a record $172 million, Myra was hesitant and afraid that it might affect her charitable giving.  But even with the threat and risk to some of her philanthropy, she saw an opportunity.  From that day forward each Patriots player that stepped through the locker room at old Foxboro Stadium (now Gillette Stadium) had a clause in their contract that mandated they take part in 10 charitable events per year.  This specification has helped mold the shape of a Patriots organization, whose players have appeared in four Super Bowls under the Kraft ownership, winning three of them.  The very same organization hadn’t won a Super Bowl prior to the Kraft’s ownership.  This underlying clause in players contracts not only shed a good light on the organization, but it made them responsible to others in their everyday lives.

In a sport like football, which sometimes can get so out of hand (think Adam Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens, and Ray Lewis), she was the moral compass which guided and made sure everyone on the field was being held to a higher standard off it as well.  She had the uncanny ability to realize that success on the field can also translate into success off the field.  She took the initiative to talk to the players and explain to them creative ideas where they could give back to the community that they belonged to.  Her stance on player integrity, and their professional attitudes, is more than admirable considering it came from a woman that hadn’t been to a NFL game until her husband bought the Patriots. In fact, there is a strong belief that a 1996 fifth-round draft pick, Christian Peter, was cut on her behalf.  It was presumed that Myra Kraft took this action.  Her reasoning?  She had learned that the former Nebraska defensive tackle had a history of violent behavior, particularly against women.  It only took a week for the Patriots to release him after the draft.

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