Bruschi out again, this time with wrist injury

Football Betting Lines

08/09/2006 -

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -Three days before he broke his wrist, Tedy Bruschi didn't want to compare training camps - the one he missed last summer because of a stroke and the one he felt fine in this summer.

``This is a new year,'' the New England Patriots linebacker and defensive signal-caller said on the opening day. ``I had a great offseason and this year I'm looking just to have a good year.''

The comparisons were unavoidable Wednesday when his teammates addressed the loss of Bruschi for at least the entire exhibition season.

``His presence, his leadership, his vocal (presence), his mental understanding of the game is huge for us,'' safety Rodney Harrison said. ``Right now, Tedy has an issue and, fortunately for us, we have time right now. We have other guys. We get a chance to look at other young guys.''

Bruschi, entering his 11th season with the Patriots, was hurt on July 31, just the fourth day of camp, and hasn't practiced since. Two days later, coach Bill Belichick said, ``His wrist is probably sore. I'm sure he has a lot of sore body parts. He's day-to-day.''

On Tuesday night, after Bruschi missed his 10th straight workout, Belichick confirmed that Bruschi had a broken wrist and would not play in any exhibition games.

``The information was new information and I was asked a question so I answered it truthfully,'' Belichick said Wednesday, ``as I did the week before.''

He said he didn't know if Bruschi would need surgery, then added, ``I said everything I'm going to say about that.''

He hasn't said which wrist Bruschi broke or whether the player would be ready for the regular season opener on Sept. 10 at home against Buffalo.

The Patriots didn't have Bruschi last training camp, so they might be better able to adjust to his loss this time.

``I don't know,'' Belichick said. ``We're on a new year, so we've got new people this year.''

Bruschi had a stroke on Feb. 16, 2005, and the Patriots began last season with newcomers Monty Beisel and Chad Brown at inside linebacker. Bruschi returned for the seventh game.

This summer, Bruschi and Beisel began camp as the first-stringers inside. Now Patriots veterans Don Davis, Larry Izzo, and free agent pickup Barry Gardner, primarily a special teams player in his other seven NFL seasons, are among those filling in for Bruschi.

``Any time you come in a new system, you definitely have to learn from those who come before you,'' Beisel said, ``and (Bruschi) has definitely been a guy that's been around here for a number of years.''

The Patriots linebacking corps has been thinned out by the retirement of inside linebacker Ted Johnson the day before training camp last year and the loss of outside linebacker Willie McGinest as a free agent to Cleveland after last season.

``We've been having to deal with that for the last few years,'' Davis said, ``so a guy goes down and that makes an opportunity for somebody else to step up.''

The Patriots also lost kicker Adam Vinatieri and wide receiver David Givens to free agency and have been without their top receiver, Deion Branch, who is holding out for a new contract.

The team did get Harrison, center Dan Koppen, defensive end Richard Seymour, cornerback Randall Gay and defensive lineman Johnathan Sullivan back Monday from the physically-unable-to-perform list.

Without Bruschi, their leading tackler over the last five seasons, the only remaining starting linebacker from the 2004 season, when the Patriots won their most recent Super Bowl and third in four seasons, is linebacker Mike Vrabel. He is back at his outside spot after starting the last 11 games last season inside next to Bruschi.

``I like playing with Tedy just because he's a great friend and we know a lot about each other,'' Vrabel said. ``We're pretty similar so I think that when you see us out there there's a lot of interaction.''

There's another similarity: Vrabel also missed a good portion of last year's training camp after hurting his ankle in the first exhibition game and sitting out the remaining three.

``I don't think it helped me. I think that the games are important,'' he said. ``To what extent, I think that's personal.''

The Patriots play their exhibition opener Friday night in Atlanta without Bruschi.

They probably won't have Brown either. He re-signed just before training camp but has been out with a hand injury of unknown severity.

``He's got a sore hand,'' Belichick said.

Might it be broken?

``I'm not sure,'' he added.

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

MySportsbook.com is the Internet’s largest online sportsbook site serving customers in more than 80 countries worldwide. Founded in 1997, MySportsbook.com was the first sports book to introduce reduced margin wagering, using a -105 pricing model that gives bettors up to 50% better value on wagers than traditional bookmakers. With low minimum bet requirements and the highest maximum limits on the Web, MySportsbook.com has earned an industry leading reputation for providing consistent value to the player, professional customer service and the quickest payouts online. Fully licensed and regulated in Antigua and the UK, the company offers a secure environment for sports betting, horse racing and online casino games.

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