New England Patriots

 

By now you've surely seen the video, below, of Tom Brady getting super, duper excited about Orb winning the Kentucky Derby. In it, he runs over to congratulate Ogden Phipps II, son of co-owner Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps. I'm not sure how they know each other. Maybe Brady just really revels in the good fortune of other fantastically rich people. Also, he apparently bet $4,700 on the colt and won $25,000 . (In some versions of the video you can see the other co-owner, Maryland resident Stuart Janney, roam through the shot in a tan rain coat and Orb hat, looking for all the world like maybe he'd mistakenly arrived in that place at that time.

This time, the late-game heartbreak belonged to the New England Patriots. And wide left turned into just right. Rookie kicker Justin Tucker barely kept a 27-yard field goal inside the right uprights as time expired to give the Ravens a frantic 31-30 victory Sunday night in front of an announced 71,269 at M&T Bank Stadium. Trailing by nine points with 7:29 to play, Joe Flacco threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith, and then led another drive in the final two minutes that set up Tucker for the chip-shot game winner.

Two days after the end of the NFL draft, former Maryland defensive lineman Joe Vellano has found a home. Vellano, a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference honoree, signed Tuesday with the New England Patriots, according to Terps coach Randy Edsall. Vellano is the fourth former Terp to join an NFL team as an undrafted free agent. The others are tight end Matt Furstenburg (Baltimore Ravens), defensive lineman A.J. Francis (Miami Dolphins) and linebacker Darin Drakeford (Kansas City Chiefs)

Two days after the end of the NFL draft, former Maryland defensive lineman Joe Vellano has found a home. Vellano, a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference honoree, signed Tuesday with the New England Patriots, according to Terps coach Randy Edsall. Vellano is the fourth former Terp to join an NFL team as an undrafted free agent. The others are tight end Matt Furstenburg (Baltimore Ravens), defensive lineman A.J. Francis (Miami Dolphins) and linebacker Darin Drakeford (Kansas City Chiefs)

Family Guy 6 p.m. [Ch. 45] You can watch this and still make Super Bowl kickoff. It's a football-themed show, with Peter joining the New England Patriots. Tom Brady voices the cartoon version of himself. Bill Belichick supplies the lead voice on a stirring musical number. OK, he should have.

Phoenix -- When it comes to stopping the New England Patriots' vaunted offense, the New York Giants are putting it all on the line. That is, their defensive line. Super Bowl Patriots vs. Giants, Sunday, 6:17 p.m., Glendale, Ariz., chs. 45, 5, 1090 AM Records: Patriots (18-0), Giants (13-6) Line: Patriots by 12

"All this loss means is we can't go undefeated." Ben Roethlisberger Steelers quarterback, on the significance of Pittsburgh's loss to the New England Patriots "I didn't do rehab for the first time since the summer of '99. It was strange. I didn't know what to do with myself." Grant Hill Often-injured forward for the Orlando Magic "The reaction of the fans didn't bother me; losing the game bothered me." Eli Manning New York Giants quarterback, on his reception in San Diego, whose Chargers he spurned when drafted

PRO FOOTBALL New England Patriots @New York Giants 8 p.m. [CBS, NBC, NFL Network] Just a week ago, it looked as if you might have to make special arrangements to see the Patriots go for their historic 16th regular-season victory, against the Giants. Instead, the game is getting the kind of coverage usually reserved for presidential addresses to the nation. Along with a 16-0 record, other historic marks within the Patriots' grasp are single-season touchdown passes (Tom Brady) and single-season touchdown receptions (Randy Moss)

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Walking onto the field on which he will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Adalius Thomas looked lost yesterday at the start of the New England Patriots' media day. After a couple of minutes, Thomas asked someone for the location of his podium. The answer: He wasn't assigned one. Super Bowl Patriots vs. Giants, Sunday, 6:17 p.m., Glendale, Ariz., chs. 45, 5, 1090 AM Records: Patriots (18-0), Giants (13-6) Line: Patriots by 12

NFL Socci named Patriots play-by-play announcer Bob Socci , who has called radio play-by-play for Navy for the past 16 years, has been named radio play-by-play announcer for the New England Patriots on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Socci, who replaces Gil Santos , will join color commentator Scott Zolak (Maryland) in the booth. Santos retired after the 2012 season after 36 seasons of calling Patriots games. Socci, 45, of Milton, Mass., is the lead announcer for CBS Sports Network's coverage of Patriot League college basketball and calls games for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. Varsity Gaels' Williams to play for U.S. All-Stars in Capital Classic Mount St. Joseph senior guard Kameron Williams will be one of 10 players on the U.S. All-Stars basketball team at Sunday's 40th annual Capital Classic in Virginia.

I couldn't help but notice a couple of trends with the Ravens' four offseason additions so far. First, the Ravens signed four players who were cut by other teams this past offseason. Why is that significant, other than the chips they might have on their shoulders? By signing players who were released and allowing unrestricted free agents such as Paul Kruger, Cary Williams, Ed Reed and Dannell Ellerbe to sign elsewhere, the Ravens are again setting themselves up to secure a few more compensatory picks in next year's NFL draft.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too. RUNNING IT BACK Four events turned the Ravens season on their path to the Super Bowl. ... Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is looking to bring his same-sex marriage cause to the Super Bowl.

For a big chunk of Sunday's AFC championship game, the New England Patriots dominated the 60 yards between their 20-yard line and the 20-yard line of the Ravens. The Patriots refused to let the Ravens flip field position in the first half and spent much of it entrenched in Ravens territory. But when the Patriots crossed that 20-yard line, the Ravens, as they have done all season, protected the red zone with a barricade of bodies. The Patriots scored just one touchdown on three red-zone trips in the first half and took a 13-7 lead into halftime.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco quickly came to a realization Sunday night while trailing the New England Patriots at halftime of the AFC championship game. It was a realization shared by coach John Harbaugh . Flacco was adamant in his belief that the AFC North champions needed to become much more aggressive in the passing game. During the second half of a 28-13 victory that propelled them to the Super Bowl, the Ravens attacked the Patriots' secondary as Flacco delivered three second-half touchdown passes.

They wanted the New England Patriots, told the world that they would beat them and then went into their stadium and dominated the second half as no visiting team had ever done. It didn't seem possible when they limped into the postseason losers of four of five, or when they trailed the Denver Broncos last week by a touchdown with under a minute to go, or during Sunday night's first half, when they were having trouble getting quarterback Tom Brady off the field. But it's reality now: The Ravens are going to the Super Bowl.

Since being signed Sept. 3, James Ihedigbo has been a versatile player for the Ravens. The 6-foot-1, 214-pound Ihedigbo started three games at strong safety for Bernard Pollard when he was dealing with a rib injury and finished the regular season with 19 tackles and one sack. The six-year veteran has also contributed on special teams, finishing with six tackles in the regular season. Ihedigbo spent the first four years of his career with the New York Jets before going to Super Bowl XLVI last season as a member of the New England Patriots, the Ravens' opponent in Sunday's AFC championship game.

A long list of accolades is connected to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's career. On Sunday, he became the all-time passing leader in the postseason with 5,949 yards, surpassing Brett Favre. But it was 4 yards in the fourth quarter of Sunday's AFC championship game against the Ravens that the Patriots needed most and didn't get. Facing fourth-and-4 at the Ravens' 19-yard line, Brady lofted a pass to the end zone that landed short of wide receiver Deion Branch's grasp.