March 2006 - New England Patriots Wiretap

Belichick Playfully Jabs Back At Bengals' Johnson

Sep 12, 2014 9:13 PM

Hey, Chad Johnson, Bill Belichick can talk trash, too. New England's normally dour coach stepped out of character Thursday to playfully jab at Johnson, a day after the Bengals wide receiver vowed to wreak havoc on the Patriots' secondary. Johnson specifically pleaded with "Mr. Belichick" to let cornerback Asante Samuel, whom Johnson described as a good friend, cover him one-on-one. "I won't score," Johnson promised. "I'll stop at the one and go out of bounds or something." "Tell him we'd cover him one-on-one all the time, but he pushes off more than any receiver in the league," Belichick said with a grin. "He must be paying off the officials not to call it, so we're going to have to double-cover him some. ... Not that he can get open."

AP

Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots

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Johnson Lets Words Fly Towards New England

Sep 13, 2014 3:23 AM

During a Wednesday conference call with members of the Boston media, Chad Johnson asked them to relay a few messages to the Patriots' defense. ?You tell 37 (Rodney Harrison) that I?m going to knock his helmet off,? Johnson said. ?You tell Asante (Samuel) to make sure he has help for all four quarters or his 22 is going to be a 55. Isn?t that what it looks like upside down? ?Wait a minute, I?m not finished,? he said. ?You tell Junior (Seau) that when I?m done with him . . . never mind, I?m not going to pick on Junior. That?s not a good one. I could get hurt there.?

Boston Herald

Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots

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Tom Brady Depressed?

Oct 30, 2014 1:30 PM

Tom Brady, as evidenced by his body language and comments he has made, seems to be down on his current situation. John Tomase of the Boston Herald suggests that possibily he is upset that he was lied to when in 2005, he signed a six-year, $60 million contract with the understanding that the extra money would be used to surround him with talent. ?I guess that?s something that?s been brought up quite a bit,? Brady said. ?I think I can be an emotional person, as you guys have seen. It?s just poor performance by our offense and I feel like I?m the leader of that. Sure, it bums me out when we lose. I don?t think you guys would ever expect to see me running around and smiling and joking and laughing on the sideline when we?re losing. That?s just not the kind of person I am. When we win, I?m as excited as can be. When we lose, I?m very disappointed. I?m sure people can read that on my face and mannerisms. ?I?m more concerned about the way we?re playing rather than how we choose to slump our shoulders or carry our head high. If we all went out and played a little bit better, it would be a lot more exciting for all of us.?

Boston Herald

Tags: New England Patriots

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Vinny And The Patriots?

Sep 13, 2014 3:19 AM

Vinny Testaverde was in Foxboro on Tuesday for a workout and visit with team officials. Testaverde hardly needs an introduction to Bill Belichick and personnel director Scott Pioli, whom he played under in Cleveland and with the Jets. The fact the Pats felt the need to get a firsthand look at him, and likely give him a physical, means their interest is beyond cursory. The Pats have now worked out three veteran quarterbacks over the past two weeks - Testaverde, Tommy Maddox and Todd Bouman.

Boston Herald

Tags: New England Patriots

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Patriots And Seahawks To Meet In China

Sep 12, 2014 9:11 PM

The official announcement that New England would face the Seattle Seahawks in an exhibition game on August 8th in Beijing, China was made Sunday by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos 17-7. "It was rumored for a bunch of weeks, so I always think it would be fun," Brady said. "I love traveling so I am looking forward to it. It is a long ways away, but I think it is cool that the Patriots are one of the teams they chose."

AP

Tags: New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks

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Mangini And Belichick: A Strained Relationship?

Sep 24, 2014 5:24 PM

Whenever the Jets and Patriots meet, there are interesting subplots, this year especially. When asked if Sunday's game against New England was a chance to make his own identity by distancing himself from his Patriots roots and former mentor, Eric Mangini replied: "Some would argue that there is some distance now. "This is where I want to be," Mangini said. "That's part of my past. It was a nice part of my past, and now it's about the Jets. It's not about Bill or the relationship or the Patriots."

New York Post

Tags: New England Patriots, New York Jets

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Patriots File Tampering Charge Against Jets

Sep 24, 2014 5:22 PM

The Patriots have filed a tampering charge against the Jets in connection with New York's talks with wide receiver Deion Branch. The move was confirmed Tuesday by a person within the league familiar with the situation who asked anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the subject. On Monday, the Patriots traded Branch to Seattle for a first-round choice in next year's draft.

AP

Tags: New England Patriots, New York Jets

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Branch Holdout Is Over; Pats Trade Wide Receiver

Oct 31, 2014 5:15 AM

The Deion Branch holdout is over, but he won't be playing for the Patriots this season. New England traded the disgruntled wide receiver to the Seahawks for a 2007 first-round draft pick on Monday, ESPN.com's Michael A. Smith has confirmed. The Seahawks, along with the Jets, had fashioned a contract agreement with Branch before the season, agreeing to a six-year, $39 million deal that would have paid him $13 million in combined bonuses and about $23 million in the first three years of the contract. Neither team, however, could satisfy the demands of the Patriots, who were seeking first- and middle-round choices as compensation at the time, and the deadline set by New England passed without a trade.

ESPN.com

Tags: New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks

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Raiders' Moss Has Spoken: 'It's Crazy Around Here'

Nov 27, 2014 10:39 AM

The NFL season can now begin. Randy Moss has spoken. In an interview with Fox Sports radio on Saturday, the Raiders receiver offered some criticisms of the atmosphere surrounding the organization but said he's willing to go along with the program. "It's crazy around here, man," Moss said. "It's something that we're trying to hold on to, and, hopefully, Coach Art [Shell] can move us in the right direction, so I'm just trying to stay away from all of that stuff this year, like I did last year and, hopefully, we can win some games." Moss appeared unhappy with decisions on the receiving corps, specifically the trade of Doug Gabriel to the Patriots.

ESPN.com

Tags: New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders

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Pats' Bruschi Returns To Practice After Wrist Surgery

Oct 3, 2014 7:31 AM

Tedy Bruschi returned to practice Thursday with a cast on his surgically repaired right wrist and was listed as questionable for the Patriots' season opener Sunday against Buffalo. The inside linebacker, who broke his wrist on the fourth day of training camp July 31, was on the field for the stretching period that was open to the media. The injury report issued later Thursday said Bruschi missed a portion of the practice.

AP

Tags: New England Patriots

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NFL Looks To Combine Branch's Grievances
According to one of Deion Branch?s attorneys, Jeffrey Kessler, the NFL filed a motion yesterday to combine Branch?s two grievances into a single one to be heard at one sitting.

Boston Herald

Sources: New England Wants First-Rounder For Branch

Newsday

Raiders Trade WR Gabriel To Patriots

AP

Former RB Meggett Arrested

AP

NFL Players Association Files Grievance On Behalf Of Deion Branch
The Players Association filed a grievance on Friday, on behalf of holdout WR Deion Branch, after the Pats did not trade him before the team-imposed deadline.

AP

Branch Receives Offers From Jets And Seahawks
Sources confirm that Deion Branch has received two offers, from the Jets and Seahawks, in the $36 million to $39 million range.

Boston Herald