By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer
Hey, it was a tough end to the season for Patriot Nation.  If the bashing by Baltimore kept you from watching the rest of the playoffs, here are five reasons why you should pick-up the remote and tune in on Sunday.

4- Battle of the Reality Stars: Sure, American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is singing the national anthem during the pregame.  But she might not be the biggest reality at the big game.  That honor goes to Kim Kardashian, girlfriend of Saints running back Reggie Bush.  Or it could go to Kendra Baskett (see picture), wife of Colts wideout Hank Baskett.  Kardashian stars in the E! series “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”  Kendra is a former playmate who starred in E!’s “The Girls Next Door” before moving to her own show, “Kendra.”  Let’s start celeb-insanity.
3- Ex-Pats abound: Randall Gay, David Thomas, Heath Evans, and Kyle Eckel all spent time with New England, and now play for the Saints.  Gay started seven games at corner for New Orleans, recording 37 tackles and an interception this season.  Thomas caught a career high 35 passes backing up Jeremy Shockey at tight end.  Not bad for players cast aside from [...]

By: Andrew Buss, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
Just to make us feel better this weekend when the Pat’s aren’t playing.
A lot of hometown sports media has been getting down on the Pat’s over their season-ending loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy said “In the end, they’re mere mortals.” Fans of the New England Patriots are obviously let down over the seasons end, and no one will be surprised to see “changes” on the defense staff, but this is still a Patriots team who will forever be known as having tied the record for three Superbowl wins in four years, and having the longest winning streak in the NFL.
More importantly, history will show that Bill Belichick’s Patriots were a more historically significant team than any of the so-called franchise’s still hoping to open for The Who at Dolphin Stadium on February 7th.
Bret Favre is hoping to grab one last Superbowl ring in the hopes of somehow justifying a “career comeback” that has burnt the bridge with the people who’ve made him a legend.
No matter what happens with the Colts, the fact will always remains that Peyton Manning is, first and foremost, a credit card salesman who was bred to play [...]

By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor
The Patriots play Houston today, but what’s more important is the other games. Today’s games will determine who the Patriots play in the first round of playoffs. So, which team would you rather see the Patriots have to play?
In the wild card race:
NY Jets: make it with a win today
Baltimore Ravens: make it with a win today and won. They get a wildcard.
Pittsburgh Steelers: won
Houston Texans: won
Miami Dolphins:out
Jacksonville Jaguars: out
Denver Broncos: out
Five of the teams need a win and have to depend on other teams for their fate. Who would you like to see face the Patriots in the first round? My vote goes to the Jaguars, Steelers, or Ravens.

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 Ian Tasso, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent
He read the play. He jumped the route. He looked the ball into his hands. He did everything right.
That’s what made it all the more surprising when the pass clunked off his fingertips and fell to the ground. Meriweather blankly stared at his hands in shock. Meanwhile, the clock still read :51, and while the safety’s world stopped, Super bowl XLII went on.
Two plays later, Eli Manning gently lofted a pass high over Ellis Hobbs and right into the hands of a wide open Plaxico Burress. Giants 17, Patriots 14; a shocking end to greatness. A dagger into the heart of perfection.
It could have never happened that way. It should have never happened that way. And for Brandon Meriweather, it almost didn’t.
But for number 31, it was just another small hurdle on the route to greatness – of which he’s faced many.
The hardships started at an early age for Meriweather, whose mother gave birth to him when she was only 13-years old. She then succumbed to the difficulty of raising a son at such a young age, handing over legal guardianship to his high school assistant principle, Mary Bridgeses, and her husband Tom when Meriweather was just [...]

By: Scott Jackson, YawkeyTalkies correspondent

Sometimes late at night I wonder what celebrities would sing to each other at karaoke.  I bet the Broncos would serenade Tom Brady with “Brady We’ve Got Your Number,” a parody of Tommy Tuone’s 1982 hit “867-5309/Jenny.”  After Sunday’s mile-high quagmire, Brady is just 1-5 against Denver.
Quarterbacks:
Going 5-for-14 in the second half doesn’t cut it.  Especially if you’re a two-time Super Bowl MVP.  Included in that second half was a throw that fell at the feet of a wide-open Wes Welker with less than four minutes to play.  Welker wasn’t the only one he missed as Brady sent passes sailing over Randy Moss’ head three times on the day.  On the other hand, he did throw for two touchdowns, so it’s not all bad.
My Grade: D+
Running Backs:
Sammy Morris averaged four yards per carry.  Solid.  He also had a key 35-yard catch on the Pats’ first scoring drive.  Kevin Faulk caught three passes.  Laurence Maroney was good at blitz-pickup.  Not a dazzling performance from the group, but its what they’re asked to do.
My Grade: B-
Receivers/Tight Ends:
Its not their fault Brady couldn’t get him them the ball.  Moss’ stats would’ve been better had Tommy hit him on [...]

By Phil Shore, YawkeyTalkies Correspondent

 
Maybe the Patriots aren’t in as much trouble as everyone thought.
Maybe Tom Brady really is on his way back to form.
Patriots fans can be excited today. After much discussion about how the Patriots were out of form, how Tom Brady didn’t look like the pre-knee injury Brady, and how maybe the Patriots wouldn’t be ok (even with a 2-1 record), New England took it to an undefeated Baltimore Ravens team that looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender the first three weeks, beating them 27-21.
Sure, it took a drop on fourth down by Mark Clayton to ensure the Patriots would escape with a victory. However, it took a true rise in performance from the Patriots to even be in that situation, after looking very shaky in the initial games of this young season.
Brady, who had looked uncomfortable in the pocket recently, had a huge task ahead of him going against an intense Ravens defense, lead by Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs. Brady, true to his old character though, stepped up to the challenge and performed admirably.
Brady went 21-32 passing, for 258 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball five times for 11 [...]