WATCHING A NESN STATION THEY HAD DICUSSIONS ABOUT TOMMORROW AND SAID BRADY WILL PLAY ONLY A COUPLE OF SERIES AND HE WIIL SIT PLUS OTHER STARTERS. IMO I WOULD TAKE THE TEXANS AND CASH IN, PLEASE DONT SHOOT THE MESSENGER LOL.
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big PATS fan but have to agree with you on that one , i think they would rather be the 4th seed any wayComment -
Agreed also pats fan since 1960 my father played for the pats when they were as bad as a pro team could be.Comment -
meh, bad news. i was hoping to watch this game.Comment -
They are going to lay down in this gameComment -
tough weekend to capComment -
Hey!!!! I'm on NE.
Best of luck.
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ol' bill doesn't ever let up... this is the gift of the season... pats fighting for a higher seed plus +7.5....$$$Comment -
CRAP i already bet 3Units on NE +8... thought Uncle Bill always plays all his players but hearing same thing no Moss, Welker n brady only to play a few reps... now my only hope is Hou chokes...Comment -
Just look at the line of the game.Do you really think NE would be getting the points if the starters were gonna play?If it looks to good to be true..........then it is.Houston rolls.sbrComment -
Where are you getting your info??? The line was set knowing folks will bet INTO a playoff scenario....in this case, Houston must win to stay alive, versus a team, NE, that is already IN. Same thing applies to CIN/NYJ....That line went UP as soon as it was posted. Vegas follows trends, too, especially in week 17. I assure you that this means NOTHING. You mustn't worry about naysayer posts.
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they are trying hard to justify this Patriots pick. Even with their full complement of players they are 2-5 on the road ! So somehow they are going to go into Houston and be competitive? How??Comment -
Brady wants to play
He sees value in regular-season finale
By Monique Walker
Globe Staff / January 1, 2010
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FOXBOROUGH - The playoff berth is clinched. The last game of the regular season is two days away. Yet Tom Brady isn’t interested in rest. He wants to play Sunday against the Texans in Houston, so much so that he shared his thoughts with coach Bill Belichick.
DiscussCOMMENTS (26)
Belichick’s response, according to Brady: “You’ll play. Don’t worry about that. You’ll be playing.’’
While some view this as a chance for the Patriots to get players healthy for the playoffs, Brady declared Sunday’s game far from meaningless. If anything, he said, the Patriots are interested in building momentum that could carry over into the postseason.
“I think as players we don’t factor into any of those decisions that Coach Belichick makes,’’ Bra dy said. “It’s our job to prepare to play, and I certainly am. I’m out there doing all of my regular practice stuff.
“I want to play and I want to do great, and I want to have a great game against a team who’s fighting for their playoff lives and has a lot of great players, and really challenges you in some different ways.
“This is a meaningful game for us. It’s a meaningful game for them, too. It would be great for us to go and win on the road in a really tough environment against a good team.’’
The Texans need a victory and some help to make the playoffs. Seedings also could be affected by the result. But with a playoff spot clinched, there has been talk of Patriot players resting. Brady sat out of practice Wednesday with listed injuries to his right shoulder, right finger, and rib, but returned yesterday and had limited participation.
Aside from the health concerns, Sunday’s game could give the Patriots a chance to play with a full lineup, something that hasn’t happened in a while.
Brady was asked his thoughts on the Colts pulling Peyton Manning in the third quarter last Sunday, when they lost to the Jets, ending their undefeated season. Whether an undefeated season is on the line or not, a loss is hard to take, according to Brady.
“Losing in general stinks,’’ Brady said. “My dad said, ‘Are you guys going to play this week?’ Of course, I want to play. I don’t want to lose a game. It’s not like you just forfeit these games for us. I’m playing Houston. I don’t want them in the offseason to see one of these guys and be like, ‘Hey, we beat you guys.’ Screw that. I just think you’ve got to go out there and play.’’
There has been plenty for Brady to build on as he enters this weekend. On Tuesday, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time, and he was selected AFC Offensive Player of the Week (for the third time this season) for his performance in last Sunday’s 35-7 win over the Jaguars.
If Brady plays in Houston, the possibility exists that he will be hit by the player who ended his 2008 season. Safety Bernard Pollard, now a Texan, was with the Chiefs last year and hit Brady in the left knee, resulting in torn ligaments.
DiscussCOMMENTS (26)
“I don’t have many feelings toward that,’’ Brady said. “That play has really come and gone in my mind. He’s a real good player for them, does some good things for them. He’s someone we have to do a good job keeping away from the quarterback. No real feelings other than that.’’
Pollard said he isn’t interested in rehashing the past but understood why the topic is of interest and that it may stick with him the rest of his career.
“It doesn’t bother me,’’ Pollard told reporters in Houston. “It happened in the game, and when the game is over, I leave everything on the field. It was nothing intentional. Me and him, we’ve talked indirectly and I’m pretty sure we’ll speak on Sunday. But like I said, it’s football, you take the good with the bad.
“When stuff like that happens to any other quarterback - I’m pretty sure if [Houston’s Matt] Schaub would’ve gone down with something like that, it wouldn’t be as big as it was with Brady. You understand the monster you’re dealing with.’’
Brady returned this season and didn’t appear to show any ill effects from the injury. With a playoff game in the near future, Brady said he is seeing increased consistency from his teammates.
“I think we found some things late in the year that we really like doing and I think the level of play has gone up consistently over the course of the year,’’ Brady said. “It’s a good time for the playoffs for all of us to really be clicking and getting things the way we need them, a lot like we were last week. I’d love to see us go out there and put together another great week.’’
I'd like to add that the story says Brady sat out Wednesday practice and followed up with limited participation on Thursday. That has been common parlance since at least preparing for the 12/13 game vs. Carolina (if not before), and before they were locked in for the playoffs.Comment -
Can you trust the Hoodie
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I agree. While i don't like the news about Brady, Moss, Welker, Wilford, et al., you have to recognize that the HOU must-win and NE potentially resting players was factored into the line from the start (same as CIN/NYJ), so we were sort of expecting this news. The books obviously were expecting it, yet at the same time have set the line for CIN/NYJ based upon the expectation that Pats upset Texans so Bengals have nothing for which to play. There is value in both dogs, particularly Bengals assuming Pats lose SU.
Where are you getting your info??? The line was set knowing folks will bet INTO a playoff scenario....in this case, Houston must win to stay alive, versus a team, NE, that is already IN. Same thing applies to CIN/NYJ....That line went UP as soon as it was posted. Vegas follows trends, too, especially in week 17. I assure you that this means NOTHING. You mustn't worry about naysayer posts.
To each his own, but my only changes to general capping principles this week were to play everything smaller than usual and to avoid games with no meaning whatsoever (IND/BUF, NO/CAR).Comment -
Trust is a must or my theory is a bust
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I think that people are quick to seize upon a single factor and let that factor determine which side of the wager they take. My numbers say Pats are 6-6.5 points better than Houston on a neutral field, so even with HOU home-field advantage and Pats' 2009 road woes, Pats by 2-2.5 at worst. No way I'm giving 15+ points of credit to HOU must-win/NE resting players (only way i'd back HOU here is if i saw them winning by 13+). If the spread was under two scores, i might no-play it. If NE was favored at home (e.g., Colts last week), no way would i give points in this spot. I might be wrong, but if i am, it won't cost me that much. As a general rule, I don't switch sides and play against my number (if anything, just no-play it) - the few times i have switched sides in the past seem to have resulted in hitting my head against the wall or throwing something.
BOL today to you too. I'm going to the Browns game. If you're looking for some sprinkle for your card, you could do a lot worse than Browns -1.5 and the under. Weather is bitter cold and windy (not as bad as Bills game couple of years ago when the total dropped more than 7 points over the course of the morning, but passing will be tough) and Browns players have actually been talking about how important it is to win this for Mangini and Rob Ryan (funny, no mention of Daboll). I rarely bet my teams, but this is a solid spot, particularly after watching Jags mail it in at Foxboro last week and with Browns suddenly coming together and playing for their coaches with Holmgren watching.Comment -
Pats have been playing lousy away from homeComment
