Necessary Roughness with Kisha » Patriots http://www.nrwithkisha.com 15-yard penalty, automatic first down! Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:58:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Mankins and the Patriots: A messy, ugly, bitter break-up | Patriots Insider: Roundtable! http://www.nrwithkisha.com/mankins-and-the-patriots-a-messy-ugly-bitter-break-up-patriots-insider-roundtable/ http://www.nrwithkisha.com/mankins-and-the-patriots-a-messy-ugly-bitter-break-up-patriots-insider-roundtable/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:26:49 +0000 Kisha http://www.nrwithkisha.com/?p=697 Contracts, deals and trades. These three things tend to bring a lot of action the off-season in the NFL. Although I heavily enjoy watching how players’ true desires and motives surface, it’s never fun to see happen within your favorite team.  Case in point, earlier today Patriots  offensive lineman Logan Mankins (32nd pick overall in 2005)  refused to sign his restricted free agent tender  before tonight’s deadline and has pretty much demanded to be traded.

“I want to be traded. I don’t need to be here any more.” - Mankins to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss

(Read Mike Reiss’ full article here)

As you can imagine, twitter was blowing up all afternoon with comments about Mankins’ selfishness, burning bridges and bitterness.  This goes without saying that some fans that I’ve spoken to also expressed their unhappiness with the Patriots organization and their chosen way of handling this whole dilemma.  I can’t really say I’ve chosen a side during this whole debacle.

The Patriots offered Mankins about $7 million per year which would place him in the top 5 in salaries in his position.  Not bad, but its obviously not what Mankins had in mind.   He felt lied to, undervalued and mistreated. When I saw the report this afternoon, I felt like I walked into a heated discussion which would eventually lead to a nasty break up.  From the looks of what Mankins said about the organization, this is the end.  So say goodbye to the jolly lumberjack looking offensive lineman from Fresno State. It was fun while it lasted.

Photo from Boston Herald

Here’s what I do know about the Patriots:

  • The word “urgency” means nothing to them.  If their Super Bowl winning quarterback’s contract discussions have just been swiftly pushed aside, what makes you think that an unhappy offensive lineman’s contract is going to be first on the to-do list?
  • It’s not a love affair that they team has with their players…except for maybe Tom Brady.  Besides Brady though, they see the players as part of a business.  That’s it. Never anything personal.
  • A move like this by the Patriots isn’t surprising…at all.

On a more positive note…

Patriots Insider did a cool offseason roundtable discussion with all of their writers.  Of course, I got to include some of my opinions :) This is always fun.

Patriots Insider: Offseason Discussions

Some of the questions we discussed were:

Did the move to part ways with Adalius Thomas surprise you?  Who do you expect to fill that…

]]> Contracts, deals and trades. These three things tend to bring a lot of action the off-season in the NFL. Although I heavily enjoy watching how players’ true desires and motives surface, it’s never fun to see happen within your favorite team.  Case in point, earlier today Patriots  offensive lineman Logan Mankins (32nd pick overall in 2005)  refused to sign his restricted free agent tender  before tonight’s deadline and has pretty much demanded to be traded.

“I want to be traded. I don’t need to be here any more.” - Mankins to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss

(Read Mike Reiss’ full article here)

As you can imagine, twitter was blowing up all afternoon with comments about Mankins’ selfishness, burning bridges and bitterness.  This goes without saying that some fans that I’ve spoken to also expressed their unhappiness with the Patriots organization and their chosen way of handling this whole dilemma.  I can’t really say I’ve chosen a side during this whole debacle.

The Patriots offered Mankins about $7 million per year which would place him in the top 5 in salaries in his position.  Not bad, but its obviously not what Mankins had in mind.   He felt lied to, undervalued and mistreated. When I saw the report this afternoon, I felt like I walked into a heated discussion which would eventually lead to a nasty break up.  From the looks of what Mankins said about the organization, this is the end.  So say goodbye to the jolly lumberjack looking offensive lineman from Fresno State. It was fun while it lasted.

Photo from Boston Herald

Here’s what I do know about the Patriots:

  • The word “urgency” means nothing to them.  If their Super Bowl winning quarterback’s contract discussions have just been swiftly pushed aside, what makes you think that an unhappy offensive lineman’s contract is going to be first on the to-do list?
  • It’s not a love affair that they team has with their players…except for maybe Tom Brady.  Besides Brady though, they see the players as part of a business.  That’s it. Never anything personal.
  • A move like this by the Patriots isn’t surprising…at all.

On a more positive note…

Patriots Insider did a cool offseason roundtable discussion with all of their writers.  Of course, I got to include some of my opinions :) This is always fun.

Patriots Insider: Offseason Discussions

Some of the questions we discussed were:

Did the move to part ways with Adalius Thomas surprise you?  Who do you expect to fill that role going forward?

Which rookie will have the biggest impact this year and why?

Is Torry Holt a viable role player or just an extra body?

What is your impression of Wes Welker’s recovery so far and when (if ever) do you think he’ll be able to get back his old self?

Who will have a breakout season this year?

Check it out and let me know if you agree with some of my opinions.

]]> http://www.nrwithkisha.com/mankins-and-the-patriots-a-messy-ugly-bitter-break-up-patriots-insider-roundtable/feed/ 0 Battle of the AFC East and A New England Specialty http://www.nrwithkisha.com/battle-of-the-afc-east-and-a-new-england-specialty/ http://www.nrwithkisha.com/battle-of-the-afc-east-and-a-new-england-specialty/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 12:59:44 +0000 Kisha http://www.nrwithkisha.com/?p=683 I’ve always been a fan of lists, tables or anything that puts things in numeric or alphabetical order.  Blame it on my small case of OCD, but these things always seem to make their way into my everyday life.  In fact, today’s update was on my list of things to do while hanging out at Starbucks at UConn in Storrs, Connecticut.  Other things on this daily list?

  1. Walk Rossi
  2. Make coffee
  3. Eat breakfast
  4. Organize paperwork
  5. Read articles/blogs/news

The fifth thing on the list is definitely one of the most important.  It’s strange because growing up, I really despised reading.  I blame it on the fact that I was forced to read entire series of books in elementary and middle school. God forbid we only read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, nope it had to be the ENTIRE series. But, I digress. The point I was trying to make was that, now as a “grown up” I find a lot of joy in reading a lot every single day.  Perhaps it has to do with my growing thirst for knowledge and the fact that the majority of the things I read are related to football at the collegiate and professional level.  My friends tell me all the time to broaden my horizons but it seems like the football world always has so many things going on.

I promise to try to expand my sports interests soon….but for now, football is my main focus.

One of the more interesting things I read recently was a post by Tim Graham called:

The Big Question: Three Playoff Teams?

Graham briefly but rather accurately, discussed the major debate as to who will dominate the ever so competitive AFC East.  He also describes the very small possibility that the AFC East will produce three equally dominate playoff teams (Sorry Buffalo, maybe at some point we’ll consider you a threat).  We’re all familiar as to why this would come up as an issue.  The Jets have managed to sign every big name imaginable during this off season and to be honest, the Dolphins aren’t doing too bad either.  Last season, the Jets found success all the way to the AFC Championship Game…and the Patriots were embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens at home (ouch.)

I like Graham’s points, especially that the Patriots have the 6th most difficult schedule in the league.  Whereas the Dolphins, Bills and Jets are hanging tight tied at the 16th most difficult.

With the Patriots…

]]> I’ve always been a fan of lists, tables or anything that puts things in numeric or alphabetical order.  Blame it on my small case of OCD, but these things always seem to make their way into my everyday life.  In fact, today’s update was on my list of things to do while hanging out at Starbucks at UConn in Storrs, Connecticut.  Other things on this daily list?

  1. Walk Rossi
  2. Make coffee
  3. Eat breakfast
  4. Organize paperwork
  5. Read articles/blogs/news

The fifth thing on the list is definitely one of the most important.  It’s strange because growing up, I really despised reading.  I blame it on the fact that I was forced to read entire series of books in elementary and middle school. God forbid we only read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, nope it had to be the ENTIRE series. But, I digress. The point I was trying to make was that, now as a “grown up” I find a lot of joy in reading a lot every single day.  Perhaps it has to do with my growing thirst for knowledge and the fact that the majority of the things I read are related to football at the collegiate and professional level.  My friends tell me all the time to broaden my horizons but it seems like the football world always has so many things going on.

I promise to try to expand my sports interests soon….but for now, football is my main focus.

One of the more interesting things I read recently was a post by Tim Graham called:

The Big Question: Three Playoff Teams?

Graham briefly but rather accurately, discussed the major debate as to who will dominate the ever so competitive AFC East.  He also describes the very small possibility that the AFC East will produce three equally dominate playoff teams (Sorry Buffalo, maybe at some point we’ll consider you a threat).  We’re all familiar as to why this would come up as an issue.  The Jets have managed to sign every big name imaginable during this off season and to be honest, the Dolphins aren’t doing too bad either.  Last season, the Jets found success all the way to the AFC Championship Game…and the Patriots were embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens at home (ouch.)

I like Graham’s points, especially that the Patriots have the 6th most difficult schedule in the league.  Whereas the Dolphins, Bills and Jets are hanging tight tied at the 16th most difficult.

With the Patriots having the most challenging schedule, ESPN’s Michael Clayton still gives them the top spot in the division.  I can imagine how this could be somewhat frustrating for Jets fans to hear. Here are my thoughts as to why the Jets are ranked third, behind the Dolphins.   I feel like based on some of their recent transactions, they are acting like the really needy, attention-hungry and overly ambitious middle child of the AFC East.  Let’s look at few things:

  • Rex Ryan has been incredibly vocal in ALL of his opinions about every other team in the league.
  • The Jets have managed to almost every big name that has become available.
  • They are all about their new and shiny quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Given that these points are purely biased and probably not entirely enough reasoning as to why the Jets will not win the division, I still think that there so much intangibles that the Patriots have as a team that makes them the best.  I measure the team intangibles that the Patriots posses is what will get them to the playoffs.  Don’t get me wrong, last year’s Patriots never got into a groove.  They just never seemed to get things going except for a few, a very select few shining moments.  As a fan, I am praying that the 2010 Pats are a better and mentally tougher than that of 2009′s.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the new draft class and off season additions like Holt will bring the Patriots to the playing level that they were three years ago?

God, I hope so.

My newest piece on Patriots Insider just got posted today.

Kisha’s Korner: A New England Specialty

Give it a read and let me know your thoughts.  It’s an interesting look at how the Patriots have strategically picked Special Teams’ players throughout the last 10 years.  It’s pretty interesting to think about how much emphasis New England actually puts into building the special teams department.
Enjoy.

]]> http://www.nrwithkisha.com/battle-of-the-afc-east-and-a-new-england-specialty/feed/ 0 Holt the Phone, we got ourselves a veteran! Kisha is DRAFT BOUND! http://www.nrwithkisha.com/holt-the-phone-we-got-ourselves-a-veteran-kisha-is-draft-bound/ http://www.nrwithkisha.com/holt-the-phone-we-got-ourselves-a-veteran-kisha-is-draft-bound/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:17:27 +0000 Kisha http://www.nrwithkisha.com/?p=589

“I’m not as fast as I once was when I first came into the National Football League. I had a knee surgery, so I think that slowed me down in a sense, but I still have enough speed, enough sense of urgency, enough game speed to play and to be effective and to continue to make plays..”

Torry Holt - 4/21/2010 Boston Globe

Holy mother of experience in the wide receiver position! Just when I thought the off season couldn’t get any better the Patriots go and sign Torry Holt for a one year contract. Of course people are pulling the Galloway card assuming that he’ll struggle just as poor old Joey did.  I personally don’t think this will be the same situation.  Holt’s numbers are nowhere near to what they were before. You know, when he had like 117 catches for 1,696 yards and 12 touchdowns.  The thing is Holt know that he isn’t the player he was before.  He’s not here to try and make mind blowing catches like THIS.   He did average considering that last season he was being thrown to by a not so adequate quarterback in Jacksonville.  With 51 catches, 772 yards and he still managed to average 14.2 yards.  It’s really hard not to be excited about this acquisisiton if you’re a Patriots fan..which of course I am.

Speaking of being a fan, check out what I found deep in my hard drive! I remember entering this contest on MySpace and I ended up winning a pretty sweet “Kiss Me I’m a Pats Fan” shirt. I wanna say this is circa 2006?  Pretty sure I was sporting a legitimate 3 pointed hat and check me out reppin’ Harlingen, Texas! Oh oh!

Patriots Fan of the Week!

Here are my final words on the Holt signing:

1. I think the experience is the most important attribute that Holt will provide for the team.

2. The veteran catch-off between Holt and Patten during training camp will be pretty awesome.

3. Thanks Jets, for taking away our thunder. Really? You HAD to sign Jason Taylor the EXACT same time as the Pats signed Holt?! I get it, you want to win the division. Geez.

So onto the real news….

I WILL BE ATTENDING THE 2010 NFL DRAFT!

Yes, it’s happening.  This time last year, I remember being pretty devastated because I was required to work an event for my university. I was left to work lights and sound for a play…

]]>

“I’m not as fast as I once was when I first came into the National Football League. I had a knee surgery, so I think that slowed me down in a sense, but I still have enough speed, enough sense of urgency, enough game speed to play and to be effective and to continue to make plays..”

Torry Holt - 4/21/2010 Boston Globe

Holy mother of experience in the wide receiver position! Just when I thought the off season couldn’t get any better the Patriots go and sign Torry Holt for a one year contract. Of course people are pulling the Galloway card assuming that he’ll struggle just as poor old Joey did.  I personally don’t think this will be the same situation.  Holt’s numbers are nowhere near to what they were before. You know, when he had like 117 catches for 1,696 yards and 12 touchdowns.  The thing is Holt know that he isn’t the player he was before.  He’s not here to try and make mind blowing catches like THIS.   He did average considering that last season he was being thrown to by a not so adequate quarterback in Jacksonville.  With 51 catches, 772 yards and he still managed to average 14.2 yards.  It’s really hard not to be excited about this acquisisiton if you’re a Patriots fan..which of course I am.

Speaking of being a fan, check out what I found deep in my hard drive! I remember entering this contest on MySpace and I ended up winning a pretty sweet “Kiss Me I’m a Pats Fan” shirt. I wanna say this is circa 2006?  Pretty sure I was sporting a legitimate 3 pointed hat and check me out reppin’ Harlingen, Texas! Oh oh!

Patriots Fan of the Week!

Here are my final words on the Holt signing:

1. I think the experience is the most important attribute that Holt will provide for the team.

2. The veteran catch-off between Holt and Patten during training camp will be pretty awesome.

3. Thanks Jets, for taking away our thunder. Really? You HAD to sign Jason Taylor the EXACT same time as the Pats signed Holt?! I get it, you want to win the division. Geez.

So onto the real news….

I WILL BE ATTENDING THE 2010 NFL DRAFT!

Yes, it’s happening.  This time last year, I remember being pretty devastated because I was required to work an event for my university. I was left to work lights and sound for a play while trying to not go crazy watching the Draft stream live in the sound booth. This is not the situation in 2010 folks! Thanks to my awesome best friend Erica and her awesome boyfriend Anthony, I will be attending the final day of the Draft.

I’m psyched guys.  This was definitely on the list of things I’ve wanted to in my life. Even though it is unfortunate that Erica has to work the day of Saturday, Anthony and I will have a lot of time to chat/bond. haha You better believe that I’ll be grilling this guy.  What can I say? Anyone that dates my best friend has to be pretty awesome..regardless of the fact that you got me tickets to the Draft :)

I know you’re probably thinking why on the earth would I choose to attend the Saturday session?  Besides the fact that I can only to go to NYC for the weekend, I happen to really enjoy the surprises in the later rounds.  Kent State’s Julian Edelman was a 7th round pick in 2009 and he turned out to be a great pick.

Other notable 7th rounders?

T.J. Houshmadzadeh 2001
Marques Colston 2006
Ahmad Bradshaw 2007

All I’m saying is you never really know, 7th rounders have a certain chip on their shoulder. A sense that they have to prove something and whatever that something is, usually brings out a different breed of player.

So if you want to follow my Draft weekend adventure, I suggest you follow me on twitter @KishaT

It’ll be entertaining, hilarious and pretty freakin’ cool.

See ya at the Draft :)

]]> http://www.nrwithkisha.com/holt-the-phone-we-got-ourselves-a-veteran-kisha-is-draft-bound/feed/ 0 PreSeason jitters, Patriots Training Camp, My Hot Fantasy http://www.nrwithkisha.com/preseason-jitters-patriots-training-camp-my-hot-fantasy/ http://www.nrwithkisha.com/preseason-jitters-patriots-training-camp-my-hot-fantasy/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:55:41 +0000 Kisha http://www.nrwithkisha.com/?p=434 I’d like to re-introduce myself.  I’m Kisha and I am a sports fan, I love the Patriots and the majority of other New England Teams.  I love football.  This may seem odd to have to go through formalities again, but I feel as though I have been neglecting this project of mine and I feel like I’ve let you everyone who (still) reads this down.  I’m certain though to win you folks back, I’m much too stubborn of a fan to just let you down and walk away.  So here it is, the rebirth of Kisha’s sports blog.  Get ready, it’s going to blow your mind.

Topics up for discussion:

1. The Pre-Season
2. Patriots Training Camp
3. My Hot Fantasy

The PreSeason

The New England Patriots’ preseason looks something like this:

Eagles – Joe, I’m not sure if you still read this but expect some trash talk texts from me for this game.  Preseason, I know, but my Eagles smack talk is getting a little rusty.

Bengals – I was an OchoCinco fan, and then he’s off field antics just got old.  Chad, already starting the trash talk to Shawn Merriman? Tisk Tisk.  Ochocino, you have so much more to prove on the field this season than ever before.  You’re quarterback is healthy, you got your name change and your jerseys. Now, please play well and prove that you are still a legitimate wide receiver who has more than just clever endzone celebrations to give to fans.

Redskins – Clinton Portis is still there? Right? haha

Giants – I really don’t think I could dislike a team more than the New York Giants.  I’ll admit, it might have something to do with them beating us in the Super Bowl.  Regardless, this team might actually be a threat this coming season and not that preseason will show anything, but please Patriots let’s not lose (although New England seems to like losing all preseason games)

****PATRIOTS TRAINING CAMP****

Folks, being a Texas native, I have never had to opportunity to view a team’s training camp.  I must say, after attending 2 of them at Gillette Stadium, I feel like I was deprived as a football fan.  Mom and Dad, I’m very disappointed in you. Haha actually, you both have been pretty awesome, it’s not your fault that we live 20 mins from Mexico and 6 hours from the nearest professional football team.

Best sister ever.

Best sister ever.

The first session I attended was with my little brother who was visiting for…

]]> I’d like to re-introduce myself.  I’m Kisha and I am a sports fan, I love the Patriots and the majority of other New England Teams.  I love football.  This may seem odd to have to go through formalities again, but I feel as though I have been neglecting this project of mine and I feel like I’ve let you everyone who (still) reads this down.  I’m certain though to win you folks back, I’m much too stubborn of a fan to just let you down and walk away.  So here it is, the rebirth of Kisha’s sports blog.  Get ready, it’s going to blow your mind.

Topics up for discussion:

1. The Pre-Season
2. Patriots Training Camp
3. My Hot Fantasy

The PreSeason

The New England Patriots’ preseason looks something like this:

Eagles – Joe, I’m not sure if you still read this but expect some trash talk texts from me for this game.  Preseason, I know, but my Eagles smack talk is getting a little rusty.

Bengals – I was an OchoCinco fan, and then he’s off field antics just got old.  Chad, already starting the trash talk to Shawn Merriman? Tisk Tisk.  Ochocino, you have so much more to prove on the field this season than ever before.  You’re quarterback is healthy, you got your name change and your jerseys. Now, please play well and prove that you are still a legitimate wide receiver who has more than just clever endzone celebrations to give to fans.

Redskins – Clinton Portis is still there? Right? haha

Giants – I really don’t think I could dislike a team more than the New York Giants.  I’ll admit, it might have something to do with them beating us in the Super Bowl.  Regardless, this team might actually be a threat this coming season and not that preseason will show anything, but please Patriots let’s not lose (although New England seems to like losing all preseason games)

****PATRIOTS TRAINING CAMP****

Folks, being a Texas native, I have never had to opportunity to view a team’s training camp.  I must say, after attending 2 of them at Gillette Stadium, I feel like I was deprived as a football fan.  Mom and Dad, I’m very disappointed in you. Haha actually, you both have been pretty awesome, it’s not your fault that we live 20 mins from Mexico and 6 hours from the nearest professional football team.

Best sister ever.

Best sister ever.

The first session I attended was with my little brother who was visiting for the week before heading back to the Rio Grande Valley.  During the early morning session, the fans came out in great numbers.  Surprising, especially since it was a random Tuesday.  Not gonna lie, the person I was most psyched to see was the long snapper #47 Jake Ingram.  He was doing anything spectacular, nothing truly out of the ordinary but I have a great fascination with his position now and am excited to see how he works with the team.  Other than Ingram, there were some great catches from Wes Welker and Randy Moss, 2 offensive weapons that are always fan favorites.  I even got a little giddy seeing them running routes!

The defense was working harder than ever.  Something tells me that they are playing with something to prove.  The majority of the draft picks were practicing with a little bit of a spark and it was evident.  There were so many fans having to look at their roster again and again trying to figure out what new player just pulled a nice move.  Oh boy did the veterans look good.  Joey Galloway, Fred Taylor and Tedy did spectacular.  I feel a little safer that they are on the field, kinda like the grown-ups are around.

Photo Courtesy of Kristyn Galante

Photo Courtesy of Kristyn Galante

One person who really caught my eye in not just the first, but also the 2nd training camp that I attended was Kent State alum #11 Julian Edelman.  When I say he caught my eye, I mean, he was breaking through clusters of defenders like Adrian Peterson does in Madden, or in real life for that matter.  He’s 6’0 and fast.  I mean this kid does not slow down in turns and jukes better than some of the running backs at practice.  I don’t want to jinx this guy’s season but it would be hard for me not say he has the potential to become an incredible punt returner, wide reciever and whatever else he feels like playing.  Hell, he used to be a quarterback at Kent State so why not.  Watch #11 this season. Seriously.

MY HOT FANTASY..rawwwr

Yeah, ok.  Sorry about that.  This isn’t anything nasty or perverted..it’s about FANTASY FOOTBALL, I mean I guess it could be right? haha  I have officically started up my league on Yahoo! (Nothing fancy I know, but it’s the easierst to use and some of my people are doing this for the first time.)

So as we know, my dear friend Derek, the Canadian mind you, beat me in the championship game and ultimately raising the importance of my undefeated regular season (sound familiar?)  This is not going to happen again.  I will not lose because a team decided to not play their top RB and an experienced kicker just happens to miss field goals (Thanks Frank Gore and Mason Crosby :/)

This is an open invitation to anyone that would like to join my fanasty league.  The more the merrier and also, the more there are of you i can beat.  I can teach you how to play.  It’s so much fun. :)

Derek, you’re going down. Literally.  I mean, they don’t even have serious football in Canada right? Oh wait, Graham Harrell plays in the CFL..good one. :)

]]> http://www.nrwithkisha.com/preseason-jitters-patriots-training-camp-my-hot-fantasy/feed/ 1