FanHouse Patriots

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around pointing skyward, while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Studs

Carson Palmer, QB Cincinnati (20-24, 233 yards, 5 TDs) -- There was an interesting moment during "Hard Knocks" on HBO this year when Palmer was giving his center, Kyle Cook, a little bit of grief about the smell that Carson had on his hand after taking snaps. It was essentially boys being boys, but Palmer played it well and had some fun at the expense of Cook.

LONDON – If you hated the thought of Toyota entering NASCAR or some Belgian company buying Anheuser-Busch, you won't like what Roger Goodell said Friday.

London is calling, and the NFL is listening.

It's thinking of putting a franchise here. Forget what you may have heard about warm beer and pickles on pizza, London would be a great spot for an NFL team.

A few candidates come immediately to mind. Buffalo, St. Louis, even Oakland unless Al Davis demands his old job back as the warden at the Tower of London.

But one franchise is at the top of the relocation list -- Jacksonville.

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around pointing skyward, while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Studs

Tom Brady, QB New England (29 of 34, 380 yards, 6 TDs) -- People were questioning his knee this season. He seemed jittery in the pocket, made throws he didn't used to make, and wasn't leading the Patriots like he had during those three Super Bowl years and undefeated regular season in 2008.

For five years Asante Samuel was a key cog in the Patriots secondary, shutting down his side of the field and snatching interceptions by the boatload (27, to be exact, including five in the post-season). Of course, Patriots fans might remember the interception he didn't make more than the ones he did make, and perhaps that explains, at least in part, the cold shoulder he received in his return.

Last night, Samuel, now sporting Philadelphia green-and-white after signing a massive contract as a free agent, made his first appearance in his former stomping grounds. And it would seem the once friendly confines of Gillette Stadium aren't quite as friendly as they once were. Case in point, from Baxter Holmes at today's Boston Globe

Samuel returned to Gillette Stadium last night, and though he wasn't the star he was in last year's regular-season game between the teams (the Eagles' special teams outshined everyone last night), he still received an introduction that, if anything, showed how little fans remembered of his five years with the Patriots.

"I was kind of doing an interview on the sideline with somebody, some TV network, and they were chanting [negatively] over there," Samuel said after the game.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: All Tom Brady, all the time. Honestly, he's got it all: a rocket for an arm, Madison Avenue good looks, dreamy eyes (that's what the ladies say, anyway), a few Super Bowl rings, Hall of Fame career, lingerie model girlfriend. He's living the American dream, and as he goes, the Patriots go. Unfortunately for New England, he hasn't played a snap this preseason, and as a result, the Patriots' offense has gone from a battleship that bombed opposing defenses into submission, to a rowboat missing an oar, aimlessly spinning in circles. A healthy Brady is the key to the season, because if the two Matt's (Cassell and Gutierrez) can't get it done in fake games, what's going to happen if they face defenses that have actually game planned and are trying to stop them? Brady will play on one leg, if he has to. Heat Index: 9

And for this week's off the wall story that doesn't involve Roger Clemens: Randy Moss is getting into the NASCAR business.

Yes, the New England Patriots wide receiver wants to be NASCAR team owner, initially with the Craftsman Truck Series.

Inspired by the efforts of NFL players who have preceded him into the motorsports arena, New England Patriots All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss announced plans Tuesday to field a Moss Motorsports team in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series. [...]

"There are a lot of NASCAR fans in the locker room," Moss said in a statement released Tuesday. "We've seen a lot of football players get involved - guys like Dan Marino and Troy Aikman, to name a couple. I think it's a good fit and gives some of the companies I am already working with an additional outlet. It's a smart move on the marketing side of things, but on the personal side of things, I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

Moss cites Marino and Aikman as NASCAR owners, but Marino is no longer in the NASCAR business after a very unsuccessful attempt and Aikman has since sold his interest in the No. 96 DLP Toyota to an ownership group that also heads the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The statement that Moss released said that they have already put the ball in motion to find sponsorship and a manufacturer to drive for, and hopes to create a team that up-and-coming drivers can utilize.

There are two separate parts of today's story that former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson is suffering serious medical problems as a result of concussions, and that he blames Bill Belichick for telling him to play despite those concussions.

The first is that concussions are a serious issue that the NFL needs to address. Far too many players suffer permanent brain damage on the field, and the league simply must take steps to change that, including mandating more time off for players who suffer concussions, as sports leagues in other countries do, with Australian football leading the way.

The second is that Johnson doesn't have much credibility when criticizing Belichick. As recently as Dec. 20, 2006, Johnson said that if Belichick had called him, he would've played this season after Junior Seau went down. If Johnson thought Belichick had forced him into a situation in which he suffered a brain injury, why would he still want to play for Belichick? Johnson sounds more angry that the team didn't want him than anything else.

The NFL needs former players to speak out about how serious concussions are, but Johnson is the wrong spokesman for this effort, and any criticism he levels against the Patriots needs to be viewed through a lens of skepticism.

Brady had a solid game yesterday and the Pats did a good job against Buffalo -- in Buffalo -- on their way to a long week of preparation as they ready for MNF. Dillon had two touchdowns but the real story of the game was on defense, where the Pats looked strong again and continue to make the big plays when they have to. Guys like Junior Seau, who had 9 tackles and Rodney Harrison, who hit Losman hard.

Although the best team defenses in the league are known for guys like Champ Bailey or Ray Lewis, the truth is that the Pats defense has been keeping us in the game all year long and ranks right up there.

The team continues to yield few points, and in fact is ranked 4th if the NFL in terms of the fewest points allowed. (Behind Denver, Chicago and Baltimore). So while the team may give up some big plays, and yesterday gave the Bills nearly as much yardage as the Pats themselves recorded, the fact is the team stiffens when the opponent gets close to the Red Zone. That reluctance to give up any points is key as the season moves on because there will obviously be many games where we are unable to score any big plays.

Like Denver, the Pats will be able to win games because the D will give us opportunities. Yesterday we gave up one field goal in the 1st quarter and one more in the 4th quarter. If we give up 6 points a game, December will look pretty good for the Pats.

The first play of the season is etched upon Tom Brady's mind. He was hit hard, dropped the ball and the Bills went on to score. It was awful, but no less memorable than any of the three Super Bowls the Pats have won under Brady's steady hand.

Brady has enough of a sense of humor that he now jokes about the play a bit. Tellingly, he won't blame anyone in the backfield or the offense line for the breakdown that let Takeo Spikes to rush in untouched:

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2006/10/19/brady_wont_pass_protection_blame/

But the play scared Patriots nation because it showed a. that Brady is one hard play away from being injured on the bench and b. that even a crummy team like the Bills is capable of putting a licking on the team given the intense rivalry that marks all our division play.

So I'll be watching Brady closely this Sunday. He's had a week off to rest up and get to know his receivers a bit better. I know he will be thinking of that play but I also think that he'll be looking to make a strong statement on the field to show that it's nothing but a memory.

Rodney Harrison was asked this week about the story in Sports Illustrated, where other players labeled him the dirtiest player in the league. I disagree with the premise and agree with Harrison: dirty is another way of saying he plays very hard. Dirty is stomping someone on the face without their helmet and Harrison would never do that.

"All I can say is, as many guys that say I'm a dirty player, just as many guys walk up to me and say they admire the way I play and my hard work, commitment, toughness, everything," said Harrison. "I would call myself a hard-nosed, old-school football player that loves and respects the game."

In the SI piece, Harrison reflects on the image that many people around the country associate with No. 37, if they think of him at all: It's the photo after the Pats won the Super Bowl, where Harrison is standing amid confetti and crying his eyes out. Harrison said he has the photo on his wall at home.

"Tears are flowing down my face, and my arm is broken: It signifies my career and life. There was so much pain and hard work." Check out the article for yourself:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/players/10/17/first.person1023/index.html

Harrison is emotional but not dirty.