My thoughts on sports and life

Last Season : When we last left the New England Patriots, they were on the losing end of a 28-13 game against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. It was a another disappointing ending to a season for a team that contends every season, having made the playoffs in seven of the last eight season since their last Super Bowl win. Tom Brady and the offense was spectacular, as usual, but the defense was one of the league's worst, a fact that came back to haunt them against the eventual champions in the playoffs. Offense : The 2013 version of the Patriots will once again be led by sure-fire Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady. At age 35, Tom Terrific is still one of the NFL's elite QBs and there's no reason to think the coming year won't be another great one. He will, however, have to deal with some changes around him. Gone is his former #1 target, Wes Welker, replaced by Danny Amendola. Brandon Lloyd is also out. Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Jones, and two rookies...

In a sport like the football, injuries are inevitable, with the smallest of measurements between a minor pain and a season-ending catastrophe. Injuries have slowed, and even ended, the careers of more than one player, and sometimes great players, or players who could become great. New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is hoping to avoid adding his name to that list. In 2011, "Gronk" recorded 90 receptions for over 1,300 yards and a league-leading 17 touchdowns (He also had one carry for two yards and another TD). He was elected to the Pro Bowl and was a first-team All Pro as well, and seemed to be on the verge of extended greatness. He began the 2012 season strongly as well, but was beset by a broken forearm and missed five games, returning at the end of the year. Unfortunately, he re-injured the arm in a playoff game and needed another surgery to repair it. That's when the major problems began. An infection set up in his arm and he had to undergo another proced...

The Cincinnati Bengals have an agenda in 2013. Having made the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in three decades, they now have even loftier goals, a trip, not only to the postseason, but the ultimate prize, a Super Bowl victory. The Bengals haven't made it to the NFL's championship game since their heart-breaking, tear-inducing loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII, a loss that most fans have yet to fully recover from. Now, after a dark era of being a league doormat, and a long rebuilding period, the team stands on the verge of consistently being among the top teams, and a deep playoff run would solidify their status as a team to watch.  The main catalyst behind the revival of such a downtrodden franchise has been their success in the NFL Draft. During the down times of the 1990's, the draft was a source of frustration for both the Bengals and their fans, with bad picks being more common than good. There were some bright spots, but top se...

If you ask most of the men on this planet about their mother, they'll say that she's a saint, and it's probably true. If a child grows up and becomes a successful adult, they almost always had a mother who raised them the right way, and who serves as a driving force behind who they are in life. It is said that behind every good man is a good woman, and while that particular saying is usually in reference to a wife (which is certainly true), it should be in connection with his mother, who likely is the reason he's a good man in the first place, having molded him from birth. Mother's Day is when we all take the opportunity to say thank you to our moms for all the thankless jobs they've done over the years. However, one day just isn't enough for all that they do. They serve as our doctors, teachers, cooks, chauffeurs, counselors, lawyers, and when needed, our jailers, along with a thousand other things, and they never complain. A mother's work is, literal...