New England Patriots

Linked up

By Chad Finn

1 minute to read

A field goal’s worth of Patriots-related links for you this afternoon . . .

  • Tom Brady’s knee injury shouldn’t prevent him from contributing in a significant way to the Patriots this season, writes CNNSI’s Don Banks. He spells out how new starting quarterback Matt Cassel could benefit greatly from Brady’s knowledge and mentorship. One unnamed source told Banks:

    “(Brady) could actually be the best coach Matt Cassel could have in regards to preparing for an opponent every week. He’ll be a huge help to Cassel, in a number of ways. He’s still going to help his team win this year. He’ll do whatever he has to do to help his team win.”

  • Within this Indianpolis Star notebook, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning says he “sick” about the season-ending injury to his friendly rival:

    “Brady texted me and said it must not have been in the cards for him to stay healthy this year, and he’s going to fight hard in rehab and be back next year,” Manning said.

  • ESPN’s AFC East blogger, Tim Graham, gives us a thorough refresher course on the recent history of the rivalry.

    One fun fact from Graham’s piece: Since Bill Parcells became the Patriots coach in 1993, 51 players have played for both teams. Parcells, of course, triggered the rivalry as we know it by jumping to the Jets in ’97.

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