I would like to know if there was ever a player from the Patriots {either from the old Boston team or early New England teams} whose son also was drafted and played or is still playing in the NFL or if there is a former Patriots players son currently playing NCAA football that has a chance to make it in the NFL in the near future?
Wayne German
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Sam Adams' son, Sam, plays defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills. Julius Adams has a son, Keith, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. Former Patriots linebacker Steve King has a son, Tyler, who is a three-year starting defensive end at UConn. Don Hasselbeck's son, Matt, is the quarterback in Seattle. There may be more, but that's all I know.
Bryan Morry

During Matt Chatham's fumble recovery and TD run during the Giants game, Rodney Harrison was flagged for unnecessary roughness, which, by the way, looked legal from my seats in section 305. Anyway, where would the ball have been placed if Adam Vinatieri kicked the ball out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff? At the Giants 40, like the normal penalty or would they have moved the ball to the Patriots 45 because of the penalty?
Shane
Middletown, Conn.

Shane, Harrison decked a guy on sideline unnecessarily after Chatham crossed the goal line and got the penalty he deserved on the play. He plays at 200 mph, but he crossed the line on that hit and was flagged. Hey, at least it didn't nullify the touchdown. If Adam Kicked the ball out of bounds, the Giants would have had it at the 40.
Bryan Morry

Do you know of any patriots fan clubs in the UK?
Stephen
Liverpool, England

I don't, but perhaps this post will draw some response. It did when looking for a Patriots hangout to watch games in LA, so why not the UK?

Why do the Pats always run those awful draw plays that only gain them a few yards if they even get a few yards? I can remember two instances where they were used at the end of the game: Redskins with less than 2 minutes to play and again last week against the Dolphins. If they were to try a pass downfield like they did against Miami in OT then they might have had a chance to prevent OT all together. I understand the need to run the ball but small Kevin Faulk running right up the gut doesn't work. Maybe they should try a lead blocker rather than getting stuffed in the backfield. Other than that I think they are doing a tremendous job covering for all the injured players. I think we have Belichick to thank for that.
Philip Malfy
Centerville, Mass.

I don't always agree with those types of play calls and some of those late-game running plays leave me scratching my head. But there are a couple of reasons why they run them. In Washington, they tried to catch the defense off guard. It didn't work. In Miami, they were trying to pick up a few more yards while letting the clock run down to nothing. They wanted to either win it in regulation with no time left or go to overtime without Miami getting a possession. At the 45, however, I think they were still a pass play away from employing that strategy. They figured with two runs, they would pick up a few yards and attempt a long field goal. They didn't want to risk a negative passing play or an incompletion that would stop the clock and perhaps lead to an eventual punt, which would give Miami another chance. I would have thrown on first down and then run the ball to use the clock and then Adam Vinatieri. I didn't like the way it was handled, but I think the theory was good. The corner blitz certainly blew up that last play, however.
Bryan Morry

Ok guys, I'm going to continue asking questions until you get it right and post mine up amongst the others. When are we going to stop this nonsense with all the penalties each week? Where are we ranked amongst the league in penalties, because every week I watch us play, between bonehead mistakes by our guys or the refs, we are stopping drives with terrible mistakes. When might this be corrected?
Jon Dowling
Bergenfield, N.J.

Jon, the coaches always emphasize playing clean football. I'm sure you can appreciate that some penalties are going to happen and in some rare cases, may even be good to take. A player who commits an infraction in practice is sent running. There's not much else you can do. Do you want to bench everybody? With all the injuries, there will be nobody left. It was a problem until the Miami game so maybe that represents a turning point. They just have to play with more discipline and focus at times. I don't know what else to tell you on that one.
Bryan Morry

Why didn't the Pats pick up Ron Dayne when the trade deadline came? He's a young back who the Pats could use for years to come.
Travis Simpson
Waltham, Vt.

C'mon Travis. Ron Dayne hasn't done anything. The Giants gave him every opportunity to perform and he didn't. They don't need a young back who can't play. I haven't scouted the guy, but the Giants certainly tried to use him along with Tiki Barber. How'd that work out?
Bryan Morry

I'm a Pats fan in Ohio. This week the Pats play the Browns. Do you know when the Patriots will be consistent with running the football? They're currently 17th in the NFL in rushing yards per game. None of the opponents that the Pats play for the remainder of the season are pushovers. Will coach Weis convince the offensive line to get mean and control the line of scrimmage for a consistent running attack?
Janet Ferrari
Cleveland, Ohio

Janet, I think the running game has improved greatly since last year if that means anything. They have at least committed to it and the numbers took a big hit Sunday in Miami when they ran for just 59 yards on 29 carries against one of best run defenses in football. It's not one of the better running games in the league, but the Patriots don't have one of the better running backs in the league either. They have run the ball 204 times and thrown it 229. That's pretty good balance and you're not doing that if you have no production. They have run for more than 100 yards in five of seven games after doing it five times all of last season. Other than that, it is what is. It's not going to be great. Just hope it stays productive enough to give the offense balance.
Bryan Morry

Hey PFW writers, I was just wondering if you knew the name of the song that the Pats come out to during home games. It the one that's kind of "cathedraly" and doesn't have any words.
John
Smithfield, R.I.

Carmina Burana by composer Karl Orff.
Bryan Morry

Hi. My first question is regarding the different rules for an onside kick and any other kickoff: If the kicking team's goal is to get the ball back and the receiving team obviously wants the ball, why can't the receiving team just get out of the way of the kicked ball and let it go dead when it stops rolling (the kicking team touches it, or goes out of bounds, etc)? Can the receiving team fair catch the (onside kicked) ball? Are there specific rules or game plan strategies I'm missing here? My second question is in regard to the OT coin toss in Miami. Will there be any sort of official investigation into what happened?
Jennifer
Cambridge, Mass.

That's a good question. First off a kickoff is not like a punt. On a punt, the receiving team must touch the ball first or it is illegal touching and the receiving team gets the ball at the spot where the kicking team touched it. But on a kickoff, the ball can be recovered either team even if it hasn't been touched by the receiving team as long as the ball covers 10 yards on the kick. It can be fair caught if the ball has not touched the ground. So if the kick was popped straight up, it could be fair caught. But most onside kicks hit the ground off the tee with the kicker hoping for a high bounce. Once that ball covers 10 yards, either team can recover it. If the receiving team lets it go, the kicking team can recover it. If it goes out of bounds untouched, the kicking team is penalized 5 yards and has to re-kick it. As for the coin toss, I don't have an answer for you. It seems as though it's Brady's word vs. the ref's but my wife told me the replay showed him turning the coin over. I didn't see that.
Bryan Morry

>Hi guys! First of all I wanted to let you know how surprised I was to see my question answered last week. I apologize for being surprised for I should have known better. Thank you for good job you are doing! Now to my question: how good do you think Bill Belichick's chances of snatching Coach of the Year award are with all the "unexpected winners" out there. In my opinion he has done more then anyone in the league. Anyone can make winners out of starters, but it's hard to make winners out of 7th round rookies and unknown free agents. Thank you.
Dmitriy Sokolovskiy
Newton, Mass.

I think it's only Week Eight and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. Bill has done a terrific job. So has Dick Vermeil, John Fox, Tony Dungy, Jeff Fisher, Mike Holmgren, Mike Tice and Bill Parcells. If the season ended today, Bill Belichick would be in my top three for certain.
Bryan Morry

WITH THE PENALTIES AND THE TURNOVERS THE PATRIOTS ARE PROVING TO BE A VERY POORLY TRAINED TEAM. THEY NEED NEW COACHES AND THEY DEFINETLY NEED A NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR. HIS PLAYS ARE TERRIBLE AND EVEN I CAN TELL YOU WHAT THE NEXT PLAY IS AND I AM 70. THIS TEAM IS NO FUN TO WATCH.
Joe Horgan
Quincy, Mass.

Joe, Joe, Joe. Get off the ledge. You're 70 and you've seen many more Patriots games than I have, but the team is 5-2 despite an injury epidemic. The last question asked me if Bill Belichick should be coach of the year and you want to fire him. With all due respect, I think you should be pleased with the team's standing through seven weeks. If the penalties don't subside (as they did in Miami) then it may cost them a game or two and that would not be good. But I know I enjoyed watching Sunday's game. Also, their plus-7 turnover ratio is second best in the AFC and fifth in the NFL.
Bryan Morry

My problem is with Brady and the offense. First of all Brady is a one-year wonder, his skills about being very few cool under pressure and making the right choices are way overrated. He has about 3 options on pass plays but always throws the screen pass and that's why he has good stats. As soon as they ask him to throw down the field he's done. Why not give Damon Huard a shot. Believe me you wouldn't lose anything. I think he's 6-1 as a starter. If Bledsoe never got hurt you wouldn't even know Brady's name.
Dan Coscia
West Peabody, Mass.

A one-year wonder? He led the NFL with 28 touchdown passes last year. He throws screens when screen passes are called. The coverage dictates where the ball is thrown and if you have been watching any of the games this year, he has thrown down field with more regularity and better success. I can't imagine the tone of some of these ASKPFW questions/comments if the Patriots were 2-5 instead of 5-2. Brady may not be on some Hall of Fame path at this stage of his career, but he's a capable quarterback who plays well in the clutch.
Bryan Morry

Was Brian Cox part of the Super Bowl championship team in the 2001-2002 season?
Steve D
Burlington, Vt.

Sure was. He broke his leg in Denver on a cheap block by Dan Neil and missed a few weeks, but returned on a more limited basis about a month later.
Bryan Morry

I would like to know why they do not put in Bethel Johnson, the rookie, over David Patten? He has more speed and has some good skills for being a rookie receiver in the NFL? Thanks
Jim Smith
Tucson, Ariz.

I think Bethel Johnson is a raw receiver with great speed who may not be quite ready to be a starting wideout. The offense he played in at Texas A&M didn't feature a polished pro style passing attack. He has dreaded potential and his ability flashes at times. But give him time. He is not yet ready to unseat David Patten, who's not exactly slow you know. David is a little banged up right now, but he's been a clutch receiver since coming here in 2001. Patten is still No. 2 in my book.
Bryan Morry

What is the name of the song that is played throughout the stadium after the Patriots score a touchdown?
P.J. Keating
Nashua, N.H.

It's called "Rock 'n Roll Part II" by Gary Glitter
Bryan Morry

What is the status of Kenyatta Jones? When do you think he will back on the line?
David Markfield
Lynnwood, Wash.

Kenyatta will likely start practicing this week and begin his 21-day window permitted by rule for players on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) before the team has to decide his fate. He could be activated as soon as this week though, much the same way Tully Banta-Cain was last week. As far as when he plays or starts, I can't answer that. I think Tom Ashworth has played well enough to keep that job for now.
Bryan Morry

We have all seen plays where the offensive player catches the ball, has it knocked free and recovered by the defense. The officials rule incomplete pass, but the replay show's that it was a catch. Every time that happens the defensive coach is trying to call for a replay and is told that he cannot because the whistle blew due to the incomplete ruling and there can be no recovery of a fumble after that. What I would like to know is, why can't the offensive coach challenge the ruling and get the ball at the spot of the catch, even though there was a subsequent fumble and recovery by the defense?
Eric
Providence, R.I.

The no-challenge rule on such a play also applies to the offense. If they reviewed that play and determined it to be a catch, they also would have to rule the play a fumble. And since the whistle blew the play incomplete, the players have no reason to attempt to recover the fumble. The replay would then have to determine who would have recovered the fumble – an impossible feat given that the whistle blew the play dead. It's a nice theory, but impossible to implement. Good question though if that means anything coming from me.
Bryan Morry