Samer Ismail Article Archive

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Patriots Kicker Stephen Gostkowski: Worth His Weight in Gold

At $1,100 an ounce, 210 pounds of gold is worth about $3.7 million. Patriots placekicker Stephen Gostkowski, whose rookie contract expires this year, could get that much or more as a signing bonus next year...

Written by Samer Ismail about 18 days ago 338 reads 4 comments
What Should the Penalty Be for Tampering with Michael Crabtree?

Earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers filed charges against the New York Jets, claiming they had tampered with the Niners' ability to sign rookie holdout Michael Crabtree...

Written by Samer Ismail about 2 months ago 3,183 reads 21 comments
Standing Pat: Will New England's Quarterback Roster Gamble Pay Off?

The New England Patriots are no strangers to quarterback controversies. They had to weather one in 2001 when Drew Bledsoe returned from the chest injury that had sidelined him; in his absence, ...

Written by Samer Ismail about 2 months ago 645 reads 4 comments
New England Patriots Trade Richard Seymour to Oakland Raiders

A week ago, the New England Patriots shocked many in the NFL when they abruptly cut ties with quarterback Kevin O'Connell, a third-round pick from 2008...

Written by Samer Ismail about 2 months ago 665 reads 11 comments
Farewell, 54: Patriots Linebacker Tedy Bruschi to Retire

The average NFL career is less than five years. Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi defied the odds more than once in his 13-year career...

Written by Samer Ismail about 3 months ago 520 reads 7 comments
New England Patriots Cut 2008 Third-Round Pick Kevin O'Connell

A year ago, many Patriots fans were clamoring to send Matt Cassel packing, and to make Kevin O'Connell, a rookie from San Diego State University, Tom Brady's backup...

Written by Samer Ismail about 3 months ago 782 reads 18 comments
An Uncapped 2010 in the NFL Could Hurt Teams and Players

A few months ago, I wrote an article here at B/R on the impending poison pills added to spur both owners and players to negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement before the salary cap expires at the end of the 2009 league year...

Written by Samer Ismail about 3 months ago 963 reads 14 comments
The Third Phase: New England Patriots 2009 Special Teams Preview

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is fond of talking of "all three phases of the game": offense, defense, and special teams...

Written by Samer Ismail about 4 months ago 488 reads 11 comments
When Did the New England Patriots Become the Reform School of the NFL?

On Friday, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com opined that many people in the media believe that "the New England Patriots could be a perfect destination for former Falcons quarterback Mike Vick," and that, "there could be something to the chatter...

Written by Samer Ismail about 5 months ago 1,036 reads 7 comments
Three Reasons the New England Patriots Will Not Sign Michael Vick

Many sports journalists—including those at The Boston Globe, ESPN, and even here on B/R—believe the New England Patriots are a likely destination for Michael Vick. They are mistaken...

Written by Samer Ismail about 6 months ago 1,539 reads 23 comments
Top Ten Signs You're Probably a New England Patriots Fan

Note: Not all of these things apply to me (one obviously so). I leave it to you to figure out which ones do. From the home office in Foxboro, Massachusetts, here are the Top Ten Signs You're Probably a New England Patriots Fan: 10...

Written by Samer Ismail about 6 months ago 1,424 reads 27 comments
Economics 101: Why New England Patriots Drafts Are Such Mysteries

If there is one constant about the plethora of mock drafts out there, it's that the vast majority of them will get draft picks for the New England Patriots wrong. In fact, sometimes they're hilariously wrong...

Written by Samer Ismail about 7 months ago 819 reads 8 comments
New England Patriots' Top Draft Picks of the Decade

Recently, John Czarnecki of Fox Sports graded team's draft efforts from 2003 to 2008, and gave the Patriots the only A+. This came on the heels of a mathematically correct but horribly shortsighted Forbes...

Written by Samer Ismail about 7 months ago 887 reads 16 comments
New England Patriots Prepare for the NFL's Poison Pills in 2010

By now, you've probably heard that the NFL is facing the possibility that there will be no salary cap for the 2010 season...

Written by Samer Ismail about 8 months ago 2,031 reads 23 comments
Economics 101, or Why Julius Peppers to the Patriots Makes Little Sense

A couple of weeks ago, Vic Carucci of NFL.com reported that the New England Patriots are expected to trade for Julius Peppers, the defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, presumably for the No...

Written by Samer Ismail about 8 months ago 1,630 reads 16 comments
Economics 101: Why Matt Cassel Plus Mike Vrabel Equals No. 34

The sudden trade of Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs on the first day of agency for "an undisclosed draft pick" stunned most Patriots fans...

Written by Samer Ismail about 9 months ago 4,268 reads 29 comments
Matt Cassel Will Sign a Long-Term Deal in 2009—But Where?

A couple of weeks ago, here on Bleacher Report, I discussed the possible outcomes of the Patriots franchising Matt Cassel. In that article, I proposed five possibilities...

Written by Samer Ismail about 9 months ago 671 reads 7 comments
Matt Cassel Is Franchised: Now What?

In a move that surprised almost no one, the Patriots have franchised Matt Cassel. So, what does this mean for Cassel, for the Patriots, and for the rest of the league? First off, it means that ...

Written by Samer Ismail about 9 months ago 690 reads 31 comments
Three Reasons the New England Patriots Will Not Trade Tom Brady

Ever since Matt Cassel became the fifth NFL quarterback to throw for 400 yards in back-to-back games, there has been talk that the Patriots should keep Cassel and trade Tom Brady...

Written by Samer Ismail about 10 months ago 1,237 reads 12 comments
Matt Cassel and the Franchise Tag: Myths and Facts

Update: I originally wrote this article in January 2009. I have added updates in italics, and left the original text unchanged. Michael Lombardi of NationalFootballPost...

Written by Samer Ismail about 10 months ago 2,257 reads 9 comments
The Rise of Matt Cassel (Part 1): Why His Success Isn't a Surprise

A legend is gone, and the New England Patriots need a replacement. They call on a young, untested player waiting in the wings. He does well initially, but a few weeks into the season, he struggles...

Written by Samer Ismail about 11 months ago 296 reads 0 comments

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Samer Ismail Article Archive

Patriots Kicker Stephen Gostkowski: Worth His Weight in Gold

What Should the Penalty Be for Tampering with Michael Crabtree?

Standing Pat: Will New England's Quarterback Roster Gamble Pay Off?

New England Patriots Trade Richard Seymour to Oakland Raiders

Farewell, 54: Patriots Linebacker Tedy Bruschi to Retire

New England Patriots Cut 2008 Third-Round Pick Kevin O'Connell

An Uncapped 2010 in the NFL Could Hurt Teams and Players

The Third Phase: New England Patriots 2009 Special Teams Preview

When Did the New England Patriots Become the Reform School of the NFL?

Three Reasons the New England Patriots Will Not Sign Michael Vick

Top Ten Signs You're Probably a New England Patriots Fan

Economics 101: Why New England Patriots Drafts Are Such Mysteries

New England Patriots' Top Draft Picks of the Decade

New England Patriots Prepare for the NFL's Poison Pills in 2010

Economics 101, or Why Julius Peppers to the Patriots Makes Little Sense

Economics 101: Why Matt Cassel Plus Mike Vrabel Equals No. 34

Matt Cassel Will Sign a Long-Term Deal in 2009—But Where?

Matt Cassel Is Franchised: Now What?

Three Reasons the New England Patriots Will Not Trade Tom Brady

Matt Cassel and the Franchise Tag: Myths and Facts

The Rise of Matt Cassel (Part 1): Why His Success Isn't a Surprise

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