By: JessLander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
This could be the biggest game of the season. After the Colts debacle, the Patriots have one more chance to really make a statement. One more chance to show the NFL the type of team they can be. To show they are true Super Bowl contenders.
In debatably the best MNF game this season, that Patriots (7-3) will take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints (10-0) and attempt to stop another team from having a perfect season, a feat only they have accomplished.
How they match up:
Going against the Patriots is having to play this game on the road, where they are only 1-3 this season, however they are 4-0 at the Superdome in New Orleans. They have also won the last three meeting against the Saints.  But, the Saints are a new team this year, and making winning look easy, for nine of the Saints ten wins were won by more than a touchdown. New Orleans has outscored New England by 79 points, but the Patriots defense is definitely superior and has held opponents to 40 less points than the Saints.
Quarterbacks: Drew Brees has completed 218 passes with 22 TDs, a 68 percent completion rating and nine interceptions. [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
On Turkey day, it’s only appropriate that we recognize what we’re thankful for this season from the B’s, who are finally gaining steam after busting out of the gate with the energy of an overweight grandpa in a tryptophan-induced coma:
1. Patrice Bergeron’s return to form
Without a doubt, Bergeron has been Boston’s most reliable forward this season, resembling the star player he was becoming before Randy Jones nearly ended his career back in 2007. While it’s taken him considerable time to regain his edge, he currently leads the team in scoring and is already one goal shy of his total from last season. Monday night’s contest with St. Louis was an accurate summation of his value to the team: an assist on all four Bruins goals–one on the shorthand and two on the man-advantage–in 17:20 of ice time. It’s pretty scary to imagine what the Bruins’ offense would have been like last season with a healthy, aggressive Bergeron in the mix.
2. The emergence of Tuukka Rask as a much better and younger Manny Fernandez for Tim Thomas
While Thomas’ numbers have been solid (.918 SV%, 2.33 GAA), this season hasn’t exactly been a cakewalk for the defending [...]

By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Patriots made the Jets look like turkeys Sunday with a 31-14 win at home.  And afterwords I heard Rex Ryan will be crying on Oprah’s show sometime soon.
Quarterbacks:
Tom Brady tied a franchise record with his fifth straight 300 yard game.  Looked comfortable in the pocket all game, even against heavy blitzes in the second half.  Drove the dagger into the Jets early with three straight scores after New England jumped to a 7-0 lead courtesy of Leigh Bodden.  My Grade: A
Runningbacks:
Did you know Laurence Maroney has scored six touchdowns in the last five games?  He also coughed up the ball for the second game in the row.  Kevin Faulk was reliable as usual in passing situations.  My Grade: C+
Receivers/Tight Ends:
If ever a wide-out were considered an MVP candidate, it would have to be Wes Welker, wouldn’t it?  The Pats struggled earlier this year against without #83.  But Sunday he caught 15 passes for 192 yards.  Randy Moss was again nearly shutdown by Daryle Revis, but this time he came up with key touchdown grab.  Converted QBs Isaiah Stanback and Julian Edelman continue to show development at the receiver spot.  The tight ends weren’t targets [...]

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor.
If there is one sport in Boston that is lacking championship trophies, it is college football. For a city with more than a hundred colleges and universities, college football is an unusually small deal.
Today, it was announced that Northeastern is cutting its 74-year old football program after a 3-8 losing season, making it the 6th losing season in a row for the Huskies. These six unsatisfactory seasons come after the Huskies first Atlantic-10 title in 2002. However, this year, the 3 million dollar program was deemed too expensive considering its lack of success. Northeastern home games averaged 1600 fans a game. To put this in perspective, Women’s Professional Soccer team the Boston Breakers, drew more fans in their inaugural 2009 season.
That’s right. Women’s soccer.
Northeastern follows Boston University, who cut their losing football program in 1997.
The only successful college football team in Boston is the Boston College Eagles, now the only remaining Division 1 football team in the area. This season, they are 7-4 with one game remaining. They still aren’t even ranked in the top 25.
But why is one of the best sport’s towns in America one of the worst for college football?
One obvious reason is [...]

By: Joe Ballway, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Picking on the 3 “M”s: Time for Mark, Michael, and Marco to Put up or Shut up
Since I’d rather not explore the abyss of Boston’s embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Islanders last night–and since Dennis Wideman is just way too easy to pick on–I figured I’d analyze our most underachieving, high-profile offensive players not currently injured or named “David Krejci.”
At the quarter mark of the season, none of the following are on pace to crack the 40-point barrier. Viewed as key forwards heading into the campaign, all three will certainly need to pick it up over the last 3/4 of the season if the Bruins hope to overcome their dismal start. Along with pinpointing their struggles, I provided an appropriate “Bermanism” for each player (for you sports fans who grew up under a rock, those are nicknames punning off of the player’s last name):
Mark Recchi: He’s morphed into the second coming of Glen Murray during his final stages with the B’s–an old, tired, and frequently invisible spare part. While Recchi is a highly respected member of the NHL community and an extremely tough cookie–he played Game 7 within 24 hours of kidney stone removal last [...]

By: Dan Massar, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
The Celtics may wear green but they aren’t green.
They have a few players that make a lot of green but they aren’t green.
Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca may be running for Senator and trying to bring green jobs to Massachusetts but the Celts aren’t green.
In other words, the Celtics are OLD!
The big three and Rasheed Wallace are all in their 30’s.  Paul Pierce is the youngest at 32.
This was exposed over the weekend.  First the Celts took on the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at the TD Garden.  The Hawks are young and athletic.  They have a number of weapons in Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Jamal Crawford.  Throw in a terrific veteran point guard in Mike Bibby and it’s a very solid team.
Celtics fans will remember how tough the Hawks played Boston two years ago in the first round.  Now the Hawks are even better and are still young while the Celtics are even older.
The Hawks were fresher on Friday night.  They dominated the boards and the game.  The Celtics weren’t cohesive on offense and lacked their usual intensity.
Things got worse Saturday night in Indiana.  The Pacers are an even younger team then [...]

By: Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Two minutes, eight seconds remaining. That’s all that separates you from being the first team to knock off the undefeated Colts. It’s fourth down, two yards to go, and you’re on your own 28-yard line. Oh, and you’re winning—not losing—by six points.
Unless you’re a Madden madman, you punt. Surely, the coach recognized as one of the best in the league would know this.
He obviously didn’t and it was a costly decision.
The Patriots failed to convert, giving Peyton Manning 1:57, the ball needing to only gain 28 yards to keep the Colts unbeaten.
New England outplayed the Colts all game. They had more passing yards, more rushing yards, and more time of possession. The turnover battle was even. A Stephen Gostkowski field goal gave them a 13-point lead with only a little over four minutes remaining. All this was done in Indianapolis as the visitor. Truly, it was an inspiring performance.
However, great teams are able to close out games. The Patriots could not close, could not finish off the Colts.
“We didn’t finish,” said receiver Wes Welker. “When it comes down to it, the other stuff doesn’t matter. Coming down to the end, we’ve got to finish. We didn’t [...]