The New England Patriots cheerleaders are hitting the road this season and it's not for football games. The Patriots cheerleaders will be out and about throughout New England during the football season spreading the word about Patriots football, bringing joy to small children and smiles to faces of men everywhere.

In order to keep this post neat and efficient I am going to list the Connecticut events and anything else I consider worthy of a mention. I will also provide you with this link where you can see the entire Patriots cheerleader appearance schedule.

One of the cool things is that Bob's Discount Furniture is the official furniture store of the Patriots and the cheerleaders are making regular appearances at Bob's Discount Furniture Store's throughout New England this fall.

I never realized a team needed an "official furniture store" but hey if it puts me that much closer to a Patriots cheerleader or two I am all for it.

The schedule kicks off this Friday September 7^th. Pats cheerleaders will be in four Massachusetts towns Franklin, Boston, South Yarmouth and Springfield. The Boston event is a charity auction while the other three are Grand Opening's for new stores of various types.

Sunday they will be in Portland ME and Providence RI to help kick off the season.

Then on Monday September 17^th, Monday October 15^th and Monday December 10^th the cheerleaders will be at various Bob's Furniture stores throughout New England from 7p-9p. The CT stores they will appear at on those dates are:

Newington CT, Manchester CT, Orange CT, Bridgeport CT, Southington CT, and Niantic CT.

Hopefully through the three appearances they will send different girls each time so the fans have a chance to meet more of the squad.

The following Patriots cheerleaders hail from the Constitution State:

Cortney Bennett, Kelly Looke and Jessica Wanzie. While they're great make sure you check out the entire 2007 squad here.

They also have a 2008 swimsuit calendar coming out so it might be cool to get one and have them sign it at some of the appearances.

 

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Former New England Patriots punter Danny Baugher was arrested just hours after being released by the team for assaulting his father.  Baugher and his father, Erle, were in a fast food restaurant parking lot at 4 a.m. when police were called for two men fighting. Police say Baugher, 23, was drunk at the time of his arrest for assault.    According to the police report, a spat between father and son inside a vehicle escalated to the point where Danny Baugher punched Erle in the face. Erle Baugher, 54, declined medical treatment. The police report described Baugher as "very evasive with his answers" and, when ordered out of the car, unable to keep his balance "due to high level of intoxication." According to the Boston Herald, Baugher pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Hingham MA District Court.  He was released on his own recognizance.    no comments

 

Former New England Patriots punter Danny Baugher was arrested just hours after being released by the team for assaulting his father.  Baugher and his father, Erle, were in a fast food restaurant parking lot at 4 a.m. when police were called for two men fighting. Police say Baugher, 23, was drunk at the time of his arrest for assault.    According to the police report, a spat between father and son inside a vehicle escalated to the point where Danny Baugher punched Erle in the face. Erle Baugher, 54, declined medical treatment. The police report described Baugher as "very evasive with his answers" and, when ordered out of the car, unable to keep his balance "due to high level of intoxication." According to the Boston Herald, Baugher pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Hingham MA District Court.  He was released on his own recognizance.    no comments

New England Patriots WR Randy Moss practiced in pads Monday with the team for the first time in more than a month. Moss missed all of the preseason with an apparent hamstring injury. He is hoping to play Sunday against the Jets but as of yet there is no official word on that. Newly signed S Asante Samuel also appears on track to be on the field for Sunday in the Meadowlands. With the sight of Moss practicing with his teammates word came out that the Patriots cut fellow WR Reche Caldwell. Caldwell was the Patriots leading receiver last season and was one of six receivers listed on the 53-man roster submitted to the league on Saturday. Last season Caldwell caught 61 passes, including 4 TD's. But it may have been what he didn't catch in the AFC Championship game in Indianapolis that led head coach Bill Belichick and Player Personnel guru Scott Pioli to drastically overhaul the receiving corps. In addition to Moss the Pats added Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Kelly Washington in the off season. The move leaves the Patriots with a roster spot. Besides Moss and Samuel practicing, DB Eugene Wilson, TE Kyle Brady and TE David Thomas all were on the practice field as well. From the Pats Blog on the projo.com website via the Patriots media department here is the transcript of the Tom Brady interview with the media on Monday. The Minnesota Vikings claimed former Patriot TE Garrett Mills off of waivers but it wasn't until after Vikings head coach Brad Childress was called by Bill Belichick to try to persuade him to allow Mills to slide so they could put him on the practice squad. Belichick told Childress he would claim one of his guys he wanted for his practice squad if Childress claimed Mills. Childress didn't flinch and claimed Mills and placed him on the active roster. Belichick went and claimed LB David Herron from Minnesota and placed him on the roster.

According to Childress, Belichick said: "Is there any way that you don't take our guy and we don't take your guy?" Childress said he replied: "Well, I'm really interested in your guy. We'll have to let our guy slide." "He didn't really care for that," Childress said. "He was trying to leverage. You always find out who is honest and straightforward."

Now profootballtalk.com weighs in on the situation:

"Regardless of his motivation for sharing with the media a conversation that he claims to have had with Pats coach Bill Belichick regarding maneuverings at the bottom of their respective rosters, the early reaction from league insiders regarding the harsh comments from Vikings coach Brad Childress regarding Belichick is that Childress made an enormous blunder. Said one source: "Why, in God's name, is Brad Childress talking about Bill Belichick to the press? Is [Childress] a complete and senseless moron? He basically insults one of the most powerful coaches in the league by calling him out as dishonest. He's an idiot coach." We tend to agree. As a reader astutely observed, the coaching industry at the NFL level is fueled by relationships. When a coach is fired and begins to look for other work, he relies on those relationships. So why would any head coach gratuitously alienate a current head coach who has plenty of friends? Indeed, if Childress is accurate in his belief that Belichick was trying to leverage the Vikings into not claiming tight end Garrett Mills on waivers, who's to say that Belichick won't eventually try to leverage some other team into not giving a job to Childress when/if he's fired by the Vikings?"

First this guys offense gets dismantled by the Pats in the Super Bowl XXXIX, then last season Belichick bitch slaps his new team on Monday Night Football, now this guy is calling out a hall of fame caliber coach. Most people inside the NFL agree Childress is a tool. You know what they say, it's hard to match wits when the opponent shows up with no ammunition. "Who are you calling a cootie queen, you lint licker". no comments

New England Patriots WR Randy Moss practiced in pads Monday with the team for the first time in more than a month. Moss missed all of the preseason with an apparent hamstring injury. He is hoping to play Sunday against the Jets but as of yet there is no official word on that. Newly signed S Asante Samuel also appears on track to be on the field for Sunday in the Meadowlands. With the sight of Moss practicing with his teammates word came out that the Patriots cut fellow WR Reche Caldwell. Caldwell was the Patriots leading receiver last season and was one of six receivers listed on the 53-man roster submitted to the league on Saturday. Last season Caldwell caught 61 passes, including 4 TD's. But it may have been what he didn't catch in the AFC Championship game in Indianapolis that led head coach Bill Belichick and Player Personnel guru Scott Pioli to drastically overhaul the receiving corps. In addition to Moss the Pats added Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Kelly Washington in the off season. The move leaves the Patriots with a roster spot. Besides Moss and Samuel practicing, DB Eugene Wilson, TE Kyle Brady and TE David Thomas all were on the practice field as well. From the Pats Blog on the projo.com website via the Patriots media department here is the transcript of the Tom Brady interview with the media on Monday. The Minnesota Vikings claimed former Patriot TE Garrett Mills off of waivers but it wasn't until after Vikings head coach Brad Childress was called by Bill Belichick to try to persuade him to allow Mills to slide so they could put him on the practice squad. Belichick told Childress he would claim one of his guys he wanted for his practice squad if Childress claimed Mills. Childress didn't flinch and claimed Mills and placed him on the active roster. Belichick went and claimed LB David Herron from Minnesota and placed him on the roster.

According to Childress, Belichick said: "Is there any way that you don't take our guy and we don't take your guy?" Childress said he replied: "Well, I'm really interested in your guy. We'll have to let our guy slide." "He didn't really care for that," Childress said. "He was trying to leverage. You always find out who is honest and straightforward."

Now profootballtalk.com weighs in on the situation:

"Regardless of his motivation for sharing with the media a conversation that he claims to have had with Pats coach Bill Belichick regarding maneuverings at the bottom of their respective rosters, the early reaction from league insiders regarding the harsh comments from Vikings coach Brad Childress regarding Belichick is that Childress made an enormous blunder. Said one source: "Why, in God's name, is Brad Childress talking about Bill Belichick to the press? Is [Childress] a complete and senseless moron? He basically insults one of the most powerful coaches in the league by calling him out as dishonest. He's an idiot coach." We tend to agree. As a reader astutely observed, the coaching industry at the NFL level is fueled by relationships. When a coach is fired and begins to look for other work, he relies on those relationships. So why would any head coach gratuitously alienate a current head coach who has plenty of friends? Indeed, if Childress is accurate in his belief that Belichick was trying to leverage the Vikings into not claiming tight end Garrett Mills on waivers, who's to say that Belichick won't eventually try to leverage some other team into not giving a job to Childress when/if he's fired by the Vikings?"

First this guys offense gets dismantled by the Pats in the Super Bowl XXXIX, then last season Belichick bitch slaps his new team on Monday Night Football, now this guy is calling out a hall of fame caliber coach. Most people inside the NFL agree Childress is a tool. You know what they say, it's hard to match wits when the opponent shows up with no ammunition. "Who are you calling a cootie queen, you lint licker". no comments

We all know the big news out of Foxboro was the four game suspension of safety Rodney Harrison for admitting he bought HGH online through an Internet pharmaceutical ring out of New York State. There was more bad news for the Patriots defense this weekend. Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. This means that Seymour can not play at all for the six weeks of the season. Seymour, who had off season keen surgery, was bothered by knee problems all through training camp will be eligible to return to the team anytime between Week 7 and 9. Until that point he can not practice with the team but can attend rehab and meetings. After Week 7 they have three weeks to either activate him or place him on injured reserve for the season. The Patriots also cut 21 players including veteran quarterback Vinnie Testaverde, linebacker Chad Brown, tight end Marcellus Rivers and cornerback Dante Wesley to get down to the league mandated 53 by 4 p.m. on September 1^st (Saturday). Testaverde and Wesley were just signed within the last few weeks as insurance policies. The Patriots also released wide receiver Bam Childress who had a pretty good preseason but with the numbers at wide out he ended up being left out. Quarterback Matt Gutierrez, an undrafted free agent competing in his first training camp, was the biggest surprise. The Patriot brass felt that if they kept Testaverde they would lose Gutierrez, who played very well earning himself the roster spot, to another team. Another factor into keeping Gutierrez over Testaverde is the obvious strides that Tom Brady's backup Matt Cassel has made. This is Cassel's third year and he showed that he knows the offense and has grown in his knowledge of the Patriots system. Feeling confident in Cassel's ability made going with the rookie Gutierrez over the 21-year vet Testaverde an easier decision. That's not saying that this had to be an easy decision because Testaverde has long been a favorite of head coach Bill Belichick. This was evident as the two kept in touch all off-season leading to Testaverde signing a one-year deal just a short time ago. It is believed that Testaverde may be re-added to the roster later in the season as he was last year to add an extra quarterback for the stretch run and playoffs. In addition to the five veterans here are the other players that were released in the final roster cut down: The other players released by New England on Saturday were defensive back Larry Anam, wide receiver Chris Dunlap, offensive lineman Mike Elgin, tackle Corey Hilliard, tight end Brian Jones, wide receiver C.J. Jones, wide receiver Kelvin Kight, linebacker Corey Mays, tight end Garrett Mills, defensive lineman Rashad Moore, offensive lineman Gene Mruczkowski, tackle Clint Oldenburg, linebacker Justin Rogers, running back Quinton Smith, defensive lineman Santonio Thomas and defensive lineman Zach West. 7^th round draft choice linebacker Oscar Lua was placed on the injured reserve with a leg injury ending his season. Lua, from Southern Cal, was performing extremely well and looked to be earning a roster spot until he had to be helped from the field Thursday night during the Patriots 27-20 win over the Giants in the final preseason game. The Patriots chose some depth at wide receiver keeping six guys: Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell and Kelly Washington. That is one dangerous receiving corp. One name missing there is Troy Brown. Brown has been placed on the PUP list with a knee injury and is under the same conditions as Seymour. Because of the suspension of Harrison and the roster exemption given to Asante Samuel they do not count against 53-man limit. The Patriots open the season on September 9th on the road against the New York Jets. no comments

We all know the big news out of Foxboro was the four game suspension of safety Rodney Harrison for admitting he bought HGH online through an Internet pharmaceutical ring out of New York State. There was more bad news for the Patriots defense this weekend. Pro-Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. This means that Seymour can not play at all for the six weeks of the season. Seymour, who had off season keen surgery, was bothered by knee problems all through training camp will be eligible to return to the team anytime between Week 7 and 9. Until that point he can not practice with the team but can attend rehab and meetings. After Week 7 they have three weeks to either activate him or place him on injured reserve for the season. The Patriots also cut 21 players including veteran quarterback Vinnie Testaverde, linebacker Chad Brown, tight end Marcellus Rivers and cornerback Dante Wesley to get down to the league mandated 53 by 4 p.m. on September 1^st (Saturday). Testaverde and Wesley were just signed within the last few weeks as insurance policies. The Patriots also released wide receiver Bam Childress who had a pretty good preseason but with the numbers at wide out he ended up being left out. Quarterback Matt Gutierrez, an undrafted free agent competing in his first training camp, was the biggest surprise. The Patriot brass felt that if they kept Testaverde they would lose Gutierrez, who played very well earning himself the roster spot, to another team. Another factor into keeping Gutierrez over Testaverde is the obvious strides that Tom Brady's backup Matt Cassel has made. This is Cassel's third year and he showed that he knows the offense and has grown in his knowledge of the Patriots system. Feeling confident in Cassel's ability made going with the rookie Gutierrez over the 21-year vet Testaverde an easier decision. That's not saying that this had to be an easy decision because Testaverde has long been a favorite of head coach Bill Belichick. This was evident as the two kept in touch all off-season leading to Testaverde signing a one-year deal just a short time ago. It is believed that Testaverde may be re-added to the roster later in the season as he was last year to add an extra quarterback for the stretch run and playoffs. In addition to the five veterans here are the other players that were released in the final roster cut down: The other players released by New England on Saturday were defensive back Larry Anam, wide receiver Chris Dunlap, offensive lineman Mike Elgin, tackle Corey Hilliard, tight end Brian Jones, wide receiver C.J. Jones, wide receiver Kelvin Kight, linebacker Corey Mays, tight end Garrett Mills, defensive lineman Rashad Moore, offensive lineman Gene Mruczkowski, tackle Clint Oldenburg, linebacker Justin Rogers, running back Quinton Smith, defensive lineman Santonio Thomas and defensive lineman Zach West. 7^th round draft choice linebacker Oscar Lua was placed on the injured reserve with a leg injury ending his season. Lua, from Southern Cal, was performing extremely well and looked to be earning a roster spot until he had to be helped from the field Thursday night during the Patriots 27-20 win over the Giants in the final preseason game. The Patriots chose some depth at wide receiver keeping six guys: Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell and Kelly Washington. That is one dangerous receiving corp. One name missing there is Troy Brown. Brown has been placed on the PUP list with a knee injury and is under the same conditions as Seymour. Because of the suspension of Harrison and the roster exemption given to Asante Samuel they do not count against 53-man limit. The Patriots open the season on September 9th on the road against the New York Jets. no comments

 Being a New England Patriots football fan the last 7 seasons have been good for the many long suffering fans of the team. And really this started prior to the last seven seasons it goes back to the Kraft family's purchase of the team and the hiring of former coach Bill Parcells. It took a little dip in the Pete Carroll era but came back strong when the Patriots hired Bill Belichick as head coach 8 seasons ago and teamed him with Scott Pioli. With the a cohesive front office, better talent, improved on field play, a new stadium and of course the 3 Super Bowl Titles the demand for tickets to see the team has soared to all-time heights. It is now very difficult to get tickets to see the Patriots play. As a New England sports fan we love our teams but over the last few years it has been increasingly difficult to see the Pats or the Red Sox at face value. Red Sox fans, frozen out of sold out Fenway Park, have taken to the road to see the club play. Many Patriots fans have done the same. The Patriots offer 4 price points for seats at Gillette Stadium. The prices are: $59, $75, $89 and $125. Lower Level seating is $89 and $125, Mezzanine seating is $89 and Upper Level seating is $59 and $75. The Patriots also offer a limited amount of Standing Room Only tickets for each home game at $49 each. Doing a quick check of Ticket Master in search of Patriots tickets for the 2007 season I put in for 2 tickets at any price and best location in Gillette Stadium or any of the road games and this is the results I got as of August 31, 2007. All of the Patriots home games are SOLD OUT for both regular seating in all levels and for Standing Room tickets. These are the tickets that are available through Ticket Master. I'm sure you can find tickets through an agency, broker or private third party. As for seeing the Patriots on the road every game except one is SOLD OUT. The only game with available tickets at this point is against the Dolphins in Miami. Once again those are through Ticket Master. As I said earlier, if you're willing to spend the money you can find tickets through an agency or a broker service. Also a lot of times tickets are released within 48 hours or game time. These are tickets that were generally held for the opposition, the league, sponsors, groups, etc that haven't been sold and are returned to the team. So it's best to try Ticket Master again in the final 48 hours prior to kickoff. Happy searching. no comments

 

While Tom Brady didn't play tonight for the Patriots, the Giants actually put Eli Manning on the field for the first drive of the game before removing him for Jared Lorenzen. Manning did well in his 8 minutes of work going 5 for 8 for 58 yards and leading the Giants on a 16 play 80 yard drive that was capped by a Brandon Jacobs 1 yard scoring run. The scoring drive a mix of 8 runs and 8 passes ate up 8:13 on the clock and mostly showcased Jacobs, the replacement for Tiki Barber, who ran the ball all 8 times for 22 yards. Patriots back up quarterback Matt Cassel, got the start in place of Brady and he was able to get the Patriots on the board with :38 seconds left in the quarter when they got a 37 yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to cut the Giants lead to 7-3. Starting at their own 49 Cassel had two big completions. One went 24 yards to Bam Childress the other a five-yard out on 3^rd and 7 to Garrett Mills got Gostkowski closer for the attempt. The first time the Patriots got the ball in the second quarter, they marched 83 yards in 13 plays that was topped off with Heath Evans going in from one yard out and a 10-7 New England lead. It was a lead the Pats would take to the half. In the 3^rd quarter the Patriots would up their lead to 17-7 on the first drive behind 21-year veteran Vinnie Testaverde. Testaverde, who took over for Cassel after three series, took the Patriots 70 yards in just 6 plays with Quinton Smith scoring from a yard out. Testaverde showed he still has it as he completed passes of 3,15,23,15 and 8 yards to get them to the one where they punched it in for the score. The Giants would get three back later in the quarter when rookie Josh Huston, who's in a battle for the kicking job, kicked a 33 yard field goal to cap a 14 play, 49 yard scoring drive and cut the Patriots lead to 17-10. Lawrence Tynes, would stake his claim to the kicking job when he, booted a 43-yard field goal on the Giants first possession of the 4^th quarter to cut the lead to 17-13. But Gostkowski would get it back shortly thereafter with 23 yarder of his own to re-establish the 7-point lead at 20-13. Both teams played as many players as possible while leaving most of their starters off the field. Matt Gutierrez, who most likely gets cut as the fourth quarterback, threw a 12-yard TD pass to Childress to put the Pats up 27-13 with just 3 minutes left. The Giants would come up with a touchdown in the final minute by Ryan Grant on a 1-yard run to cut the score to 27-20. The rush capped a frantic two-minute drive that went 67 yards on 7 plays. Both teams had key players miss the game and it wasn't because they were ready for the regular season. The Giants were without Michael Strahan, who is thinking about retiring, and WR Plaxico Burress, who has a back injury. The Patriots meanwhile played without WR Randy Moss who is injured and newly returned Asante Samuel. The Patriots open the season on September 9^th at the Meadowlands when they play AFC East Rival, the New York Jets. Be sure to stay with Sox and Dawgs all NFL season long for the latest on the Patriots and the attempt to win their 4^th Super Bowl in the last 7 seasons. no comments

This Week

The Patriots host the New York Giants in the preseason finale for both teams at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets

Tickets to game, if available, may be purchased through Ticketmaster. You can check the availability here.

Note: As of this posting there are some tickets still available.

Getting To The Game

If you're going to the game make sure you check out the links.

Click for stadium directions, parking information, parking map, specific MBTA train times for this game and a Gillette Stadium seating chart. BROADCAST INFORMATION Television The Patriots Preseason Television Network will broadcast the game. It can be seen in Boston on WCVB Channel 5. The game will also be televised live in the following markets: Providence, R.I. on WNAC -TV Ch. 64, Manchester, N.H. on WMUR-TV Ch. 9, Portland, Maine on WMTW-TV Ch. 8 and Springfield, MA. on WWLP-TV Ch. 22. Veteran CBS broadcaster Don Criqui has the game call, former NFL Pro-Bowler Randy Cross will handle the analysis and Mike Lynch will be the sideline reporter. Radio The Patriots Rock Radio Network broadcasts the game from flagship station WBCN-FM 104.1 in Boston. Gil Santos handles the play-by-play and former Patriot Gino Capelleti does the color. It all starts with Gary Tanguay, Scott Zolak and Andy Gresch and the pregame show at 4 p.m. along the network. For the low down on the Patriots Rock Radio Network and stations in your area.

Last Week

The Patriots won on the road defeating the Carolina Panthers rather handily 24-7, improving to 1-2 in the preseason. The Giants lost to their Meadowlands brethren, the Jets, 20-12 .

History

This game is the Patriots final tune up for the season opener September 9th when they travel to face the New York Jets in the Meadowlands. With a win the Pats will finish the preseason at .500 or better for the 7th time in the last 8 years. This is the 17th time the teams have squared off in the preseason. This is the third straight year it is the preseason finale for both clubs. The Giants won 27-3 at Gillette in 2005 and 31-23 at home in the Meadowlands in 2006. The Giants hold a 10-6 advantage in the preseason while the Patriots hold a 4-3 series edge in the regular season. The two teams will meet in the regular season during Week 17 at the Meadowlands on December 29th. Connections Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent 12 seasons with the Giants and won two Super Bowl championships while on the staff. Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson played 7 seasons with the Giants and won two Super Bowl championships. Giants LB Zac DeOssie is the son of former Giants and Patriots linebacker Steve DeOssie. Giants safety Michael Stone played for the Patriots in 2005. Giants QB Tim Hasselbeck is a Boston College grad. His dad, Don Hasselbeck, was a Patriots TE. Other News The teams cut their rosters to 75 this past Tuesday and will have to cut them to the final 53-man limit on September 2nd. Player matchups for the game, the Patriots roster and the Giants roster. no comments