by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
Damn you, Neil Rackers.
That’s the story this week, as Pro Bowler Rackers hooked a 32 yard field goal in overtime, opening the door for the San Francisco 49′ers to capture their third win of the season (against eight losses) with a dramatic decision over the Cardinals in Arizona.
End result: if the 2008 NFL [...]

by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
The AFC’s potential playoff field is thinning as we head into the stretch run with just five games left.
This week the Big Board says goodbye to the Chiefs and Ravens, who both dropped to seven losses on Sunday, which gives me all the reason I need to ditch them. I never liked them [...]

With the Patriots/Ravens game being shown on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, analyst Ron Jaworski had a conference call this week with the media to talk about the game. You’ve read bits and pieces of his comments in different stories, here’s a collection of his thoughts from the conference call:
On the potent Patriots offense …
“Quite honestly [...]

By Bill Barnwell
bill@patriotsdaily.com
The Ravens’ acquisition of Willis McGahee this offseason was a curious one. It wasn’t unexpected on McGahee’s behalf, as the then-Bills running back had expressed his interest in leaving Buffalo by criticizing its women. Furthermore, the Ravens understandably wanted an upgrade on Jamal Lewis, who seemed washed up despite only being 27 years [...]

by Dan Snapp
dan@patriotsdaily.com
Arizona may have lost in OT, but it wasn’t in vain. For unknowingly, those scrappy, noble Cards provided the league with the blueprint for beating the San Francisco 49ers:
Don’t suck worse.
The league’s collective mood brightened Sunday night. See, while the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t actually win, they revealed the path to not actually winning [...]

by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
The Patriots today placed starting linebacker Rosevelt Colvin on injured reserve with an as-yet unspecified injury that has ended his season.
In an unrelated move, New England released ‘07 fourth-rounder Kareem Brown and activated veteran Troy Brown from the physically unable to perform list, giving the team seven receivers on their 53 man active [...]

by Christopher Price
chris@patriotsdaily.com
Tom Brady doesn’t list his lucky number in the Patriots’ media guide, but it’s a safe bet the New England quarterback is partial to 83.
When Wes Welker arrived in a deal for a pair of draft picks on March 5, he was given No. 83. It was the same number (and locker) as [...]

by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
So much for the 24 point spread, huh?
Random thoughts from last night’s narrow 31-28 Patriots win over the upstart Eagles:
*First, all due credit goes to Philly for this one. I don’t know about you, but I sure underestimated them. The Eagles probably had more success carrying out their game plan than the Patriots [...]

by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
The New England Patriots captured their fifth straight AFC East title, and the first berth awarded to the 2007 NFL playoffs, when the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Buffalo Bills 36-14 this afternoon in Jacksonville.
The clinch, which comes some four hours before the Pats take the Gillette Stadium field against the Eagles, ties an [...]

by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
It will be another looooooong Sunday for New England football fans as the 5-5 Philadelphia Eagles arrive in Foxboro tonight for the Pats’ second consecutive appearance on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
This is the price we pay for being granted this rare football team, I guess – a prime-time schedule to rival that of [...]

by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
The College Scout has gone on holiday break for now, but Greg will return in a couple of weeks with a comprehensive bowl preview just as soon as all the matchups have been announced. Stay tuned, and as always, I’ll be back tomorrow morning with the Sunday Links.
In the meantime, gear up for [...]

by Scott Benson
scott@patriotsdaily.com
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
You know what’s a great Thanksgiving tradition? Wildly speculating about playoff seedings that won’t be sown for another month and a half yet. Try it with your Grandma today. Here’s a few fun facts to get the ball rolling:
Naturally, we know already that the undefeated Pats still hold the number one [...]