So the NFL draft has come and gone and we can now welcome seven new faces to the New England Patriots.  They should all be in town this weekend for Rookie mini-camp where they will be joined by some of the free agents that the Pats have signed during this offseason.

As we've come to expect, Belichick and Pioli did some wheeling and dealing on day two of the draft.  They traded their first of three 3rd round picks this year to the San Diego Chargers for the Chargers 2nd round pick next year. 

I'd like to provide you with a complete analytical breakdown of each draft pick but to be honest with you I don't know too much about any of them.  What I do know is the Pats addressed some concerns with age on the defense by taking 3 linebackers and 2 cornerbacks to add an immediate influx of youth and competition on the defensive side of the ball come training camp in July.  The Patriots didn't end up with any of the sexy names that you heard about leading up to the draft which would probably have created a little more buzz around here about the draft picks.  I have faith however in the braintrust at Gillette that they did what was best for this team.  Somehow they always still seem to remain one step ahead of every other team in the league. 

The Picks

Here is a link to Boston.com where they have a short summary about each of the Patriots picks along with colorful pictures and everything!

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/gallery/04_28_08_pats_draft_picks/

Here's a clip from South Park where they take a shot at the Pats main man.

Saw on youbeenblinded.

Looks like he has a found a nice piece at a Florida NIT game.

Fanhouse reports

MIAMI (March 11) - A woman who obtained a restraining order earlier this year in a domestic violence case against New England Patriots star Randy Moss wants the case dismissed, court records show.

Rachelle Washington, 35, filed papers March 3 with the Broward County Circuit Court clerk's office requesting that the order be dissolved and the case closed. The restraining order had required the All-Pro wide receiver to stay at least 500 feet from Washington.

Moss, 31, denied he harmed Washington as she claimed at her Florida home on Jan. 6, or that he prevented her from seeking medical attention. Moss did acknowledge there was an "accident" involving Washington, but would not be more specific.

Moss attorney Richard Sharpstein said Tuesday his client was "extremely pleased" by the outcome. Moss plans to submit a claim to his insurance company for medical bills for services such as X-rays that Washington had for a hand injury, Sharpstein added.

"There has finally been acknowledgment that the injuries were not intentionally inflicted," Sharpstein said.

An attorney for Washington did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment.

As a guest on Philly station's SR950 Jody MacDonald show, former Eagle and now ESPN analyst Ron Jawarski says the deal the Patriots had in place for Randy Moss, "is falling apart."  Jaws made it clear that as of 3:30 this afternoon, Randy Moss had not yet signed on the dotted line with the New England Patriots and the two sides may be arguing over numbers.

Here's the Audio.

How is this stuff happening? Who are Jaws sources?. Info via the700level.

Mike Reiss Reports

A contract agreement between the Patriots and receiver Randy Moss is imminent, according to a source with ties to Moss.

Discussions between the sides intensified today.

This story is developing. More to come.

As I'm sure you can understand, I'm still not mentally capable of spending too much time on the Patriots.  It takes me back to a bad place if I do.  So here are a few quick updates.

• Rosevelt Colvin is expected to be released by the Patriots.  He has the second biggest salary cap number ($7.6 million) on the team after Tom Brady for the upcoming season and the Pats were not going to bring him back at that number with his injury history.  It's possible that he returns to New England with a restructured deal but his health may be a bigger concern than originally thought.
• With the loss of Colvin, the Patriots are still old and thin at the LB position.  That didn't stop the team from releasing LB Oscar Lua who was a 7th round draft pick last year.  Lua spent the season on IR after getting injured before the season even began.
• Kevin Faulk was popped at a Lil' Wayne concert last Friday night with 4 blunts (yup...the marijuana kind) in his pocket as he went through a routine security search on his way to a suite at the venue.  Of course this is another case of poor decision making by a professional athlete.  Either leave the blunts at home or have someone from your entourage carry them!  Hey, at least he wasn't rolling like Willie Andrews.  I don't expect this to be a big issue as far as the Patriots are concerned. 
• Randy Moss was not hit with the Franchise tag last week which means he will become a free agent on Friday.  The original thought was that he must have already worked out a new deal with the Patriots but that has not been confirmed as of yet.  This decision is obviously up to Randy Moss.  Does he want the big money that some team will undoubtedly throw at him or will he stay in New England where he finally found peace and put up record breaking numbers this past season.  If money is not the only factor in his decision, then I expect he will be back with the Pats for some years to come.  The Pats won't pay top dollar but they will not insult him either.
• Eugene Wilson was also released by the Patriots this week.  What the hell happened to that guy by the way?  Do you remember when he was laying wide receivers out during his rookie season?  I was excited about him at the time.  Now he's released and it means about as much as Oscar Lua getting released.  Anyway, he's got rings so thank you for your service Eugene! 

That's all for now.  When will this feeling go away?

That's right, I'm packing up everything here at the BostonsportZ offices and moving to Nicaragua immediately. Not just because it's always 85 degrees and sunny, but because there the New England Patriots went a perfect 19-0 and won Super Bowl XLII. I can live happily as a fan of the greatest team ever in the NFL.

ESPN REPORTS---The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl and ended the season with a perfect 19-0 record -- at least it looks that way in Nicaragua.

The NFL donated 290 Patriots hats and an equal number of team jerseys trumpeting the slogans "Super Bowl Champions, 19-0" to impoverished children from two small communities in southern Nicaragua.

Or maybe one of these children is an aspiring entrepreneur and will put his shirt and hat on eBay, so I won't have to move.

For the first time since 2004, the Patriots are raising ticket prices, and not just by a few dollars. Here's a breakdown from the Globe.

I said that I wouldn't bring up the Pats again for a while, but that rag they call a newspaper in NYC, The New York Post just won't let it go. First they had the asterisk next to the Pats all year in their NFL standings. Now they are making music videos about them.

This will probably be the last mention of Super Bowl XLII here for a long time, but our blogger Mike who had an issue with Sports Illustrated a few weeks back, has this posted on his sports board in his bar. This pretty sums up the feeling of Patriot Nation everywhere.

I'm going to be very honest, I can't bring myself to blog an article right now.  I have many ideas, and although there are many psychiatrists including Dr. Phil and Dr. Drew (if there's an opening on Celebrity Rehab, I'm filling it....Everyday Joe Rehab...so make room Daniel Baldwin)....I just can't blog. 

But I do maintain my commitment to this website and it's readers as well as the bruised and battered members of Patriot Nation like myself.  So I did my research and reached out to an acquaintance of mine Fitzy, who shared his 5 steps of recovery on WBZ for members of Patriot Nation like myself...Enjoy, I hope it helps, if not may I offer my own remedy.....Dr. Magilicutty or Old No.7

CLICK HERE to see Fitzy on WBZ4

Let's go Celtics, Sox and fantasy baseball:

I had been wondering all year about the humble pie.  Frankly, I though Belichick had the market cornered on that dish.  However, last night the Giants served up the biggest plate of humble pie I could ever imagine.  To be honest with you...I really don't care for it.  Must be an acquired taste or something. 

I can't really muster a whole lot of thoughts right now.  If you want a game breakdown...just look at the picture above.  It pretty much tells you all you need to know.  Congratulations to the New York Giants for going out last night and winning themselves a Super Bowl.  They deserved to win the game with the way the came out and played. 

If you need something positive to hopefully brighten your day then just think of this.  Football season is now over (I don't count the Pro Bowl as football season) and at least we don't have to turn our attention to the Knicks to satisfy our craving for sports.  See...the glass is always half full.  Go Celtics!

I'm just sick

Finally…the long (and I mean LONG) wait is almost over. In a little over 24 hours, the game we have all been waiting for will finally be played. I don’t know about you, but I think this was the longest two weeks of work I have ever experienced. Brutal!  By the way...you didn’t think the game would be played without the Spygate controversy coming up again did you? Give the media two weeks of nothing and there was no doubt in my mind that this issue would be raised again before the game. Yesterday, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania (a die-hard Eagles fan) decided he didn’t like how NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handled the matter. Specter wants to bring Goodell in front of Congress to discuss “the inexplicable destruction of the tapes” that were turned in by the Patriots in September. Congress? Is this guy serious? Goodell contends that he destroyed the tapes because the issue was handled and he wanted to avoid any additional leaks like the video that was obtained by FOX. I’m not sure why Goodell even needs to explain himself. Most people would agree that Congress probably has more pressing issues to focus their attention on these days. I don’t even want to get into this too much because it’s a joke to begin with if you ask me and it will not be able to take away from what is about to happen tomorrow night.

I’ve gone through a range of emotions while waiting for this game. Lately, I’ve begun to feel a calm coming over me. If you’re even a casual sports fan…you understand that something very special could happen tomorrow night. Tonight, Mercury Morris will have the last supper before he gets his eviction notice. It’s a strange feeling. I certainly can’t speak for all Patriots fans, but I’m sure many share my feelings when you simply know that the New England Patriots will not lose this game. Yup…I said it. That’s what’s so weird about it. Usually you’d think…this idiot just jinxed us.  Some of you probably just said that. But seriously…the New England Patriots will not lose on Sunday. It just won’t happen. This team is on a mission. They’re in the business of winning football games and Super Bowl XLII is the ultimate prize…a chance at 19-0, a chance at perfection…history in the making.

I give the Giants a tremendous amount of credit for being where they are. They’ve definitely earned this opportunity. Ten straight road wins with three coming in the playoffs. Eli Manning is having the best stretch of his NFL career and Plaxico Burress is showing everyone why he may be one of the top 5 wide receivers in the game. You could look back to Week 17 and believe the Giants only lost by 3 on that night so they have just as good a shot to win on Sunday. Unfortunately for them, that’s not the case. The Patriots have the best offensive line in the NFL. In Week 17, starting offensive linemen Stephen Neal and Nick Kaczur missed the game due to injury and Kyle Brady who is their best blocking TE did as well. They’re all playing on Sunday. The Giants had a kickoff return for a TD in that game and they scored a garbage TD with less than a minute to go in the game. Sunday is going to be a different story. Brady lives for this. A win tomorrow would tie him in the lead for most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Despite what they say, I believe Brady and Belichick know exactly where they stand right now in the discussion of the all time greats at their respective roles. They’re right there in the discussion, but there is a discussion. They both also know that tomorrow night is a chance to begin bringing the discussions to a close. A win tomorrow night makes it four Super Bowl titles in the last seven years and they still have a bright future ahead together. The same thing goes for the team as a whole. Could they be the greatest NFL team of all time? Michael Irvin said if the Patriots win on Sunday night that we would need to invent a new term for them, “Super Dynasty.” That’s coming from a member of the 3-time champion Dallas Cowboys of the 90's.

Tomorrow night is going to be the celebration of an incredible season. You should feel fortunate if you were able to watch every one of the 18 games played so far. The season began with the most explosive offense that the NFL has ever seen blowing teams out week after week. The weather began to play a role in the second half of the season and things didn’t come as easy in the air. Laurence Maroney became a vital piece of the offense down the stretch as the running game began to pick up steam. On Sunday night, you will see the culmination on the biggest stage of them all…Super Bowl XLII. Weather will not be a factor in this game. I see the Patriots doing whatever they want offensively, putting both the passing game and the running game on display. The Patriots defense will determine how close this game ends up being. I think the Giants will move the ball on occasion leading to a couple of scores, but they won’t be able to stay with the Pats offense. Randy Moss will have more than one catch tomorrow. Tom Brady will win his third Super Bowl MVP award. The Patriots will win their fourth Super Bowl championship the last seven years. You will witness history. Appreciate and enjoy!

Patriots – 41 Giants - 20

Here's a time lapse of the University of Phoenix field rolling back into the stadium for the final time before Super Bowl XLII.

All Pats fans can rest easy because the main man, McLovin is a Pats fan! Here's his quote:

"I have been a New England fan since I came from my mother's womb; Eli can't handle the pressure that is known as the New England Patriots!"

Patriots 34, Giants 3

For all the Pats fans in Zona, this looks like the place to hang.

I thought I'd change things up and show you a song from all the Patriot haters out there, that is pretty much everyone outside of New England. I'll just say this, look out for Eli and his cape.