Samuel Playing Patriot Games

Offensive Coordinator Bill O'Brien will still finish playoffs with Pats

(NEWSER) - Penn State has at last found its replacement for Joe Paterno: New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien will take the job, sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN , with another league source saying O'Brien will finish out the playoffs with the Pats before starting his new gig. Penn State coaches contacted by the AP , however, said they'd received no word yet that a hire had been made. More»

Patriots top Bills, Saints crush Panthers, 49ers thump Rams

(NEWSER) - The New England Patriots overcame a 21-point deficit today with 49 unanswered points to rock the Buffalo Bills 49-21, the AP reports. The win earned the Pats home-field advantage and the AFC's top seed. Tom Brady threw for 338 yards and finished with the second-most passing yards in NFL history, 5,235—behind only Drew Brees, who threw for 5,486 this year with the New Orleans Saints. More»

Hopefully check takes sting out of auto accident

(NEWSER) - The "Golden Boy" got a golden ticket yesterday, turning around what had threatened to be a rather crappy day. Just hours after a two-car accident earned him a brief ride in an ambulance, the Patriots awarded Tom Brady a new four-year deal that will make him the highest-paid player in football, in terms of average salary, according to the AP . The deal guarantees Brady $48.5 million, and carries an average annual salary of $18 million (Eli Manning makes an average $16.25 million; brother Peyton currently makes $14 million). More»

(NEWSER) - Tom Brady has a busy life even if you don’t include answering questions about his ex-girlfriend, kid, wife, and his return to football after a devastating injury. But a perfectly literal statement about his sport sums up his approach to everything else. “The game goes on,” he tells Details. “They line up for the next play, and nothing stops. The game doesn't stop for anything or anybody. It just keeps going.” More»

But hold your bets: Rankings show winning isn't everything

(NEWSER) - Great NFL organizations don’t always win Super Bowls, so Adam Schein separates the well oiled from the well Lombardi’d for Fox Sports, ranking franchises on everything from their coaching staffs to public-relations people. The top three:

• New England Patriots: “The model franchise in all of professional sports.”
• Pittsburgh Steelers: A penchant for toughness and even tougher fan base.