I'm going to try to not over-react like I normally would as a proper Boston-sports-team-fanatic... even though the four worst syllables you can hear in the same sentence with Tom Brady "torn ACL" is apparently going to be confirmed tomorrow.

For years, pundits, journalists, bloggers and even players on other teams would say the Patriots would be nothing without Tom Brady. And now, we are most likeley about to find out if those observations are indeed true.

It's time for the Patriots to go back to their roots. Run the ball, control the clock, play great defense.

Game Recap: http://andretippettsuperhero.blogspot.com/2008/09/week-1-2008-oh-yeah-there-was- game.html

Dear Big Ticket -

Just wanted to let you in on a few things as you are undoubtedly working your way into a frenzy:

Despite Dr. Phil Jackson's analysis, we can all see that Paul Pierce is hurt. He's probably going to need surgery in the off-season. He's probably not going to play well after having flown across the country after that hideously timed delay with no access to treatment until today. We can't count on 38 from #34.

Jesus Shuttlesworth, the other member of the Big Three, is getting into Boston even LATER, and has the health of a child on his mind. As much of a gamer as he is, you can't expect the productivity you have gotten in this series from him tonight. Expect the worst, hope for the best.

Your starting point guard (and beloved Yard dweller) has been slowed by his ankle and had his confidence shaken by the Lakers' strategy to defend him. While I am hoping he can turn back the clock to give us a Rondo-Game-2 performance, you have to assume that he is not going to be a full 100% and that the Eddie House/ Sam Cassell two headed monster will be manning the point. Sure, they can score, but they can't create those easy buckets for you like Rondo can.

And your cohort in the front court is most likely not going to play (though if I were him, I'd inject myself full of cortisone and just focus on boxing people out all game), leaving you with a 93-year-old and a 6-6 PF (Doc, you should try out Big Baby tonight, I have a good feeling) as your centers. As you learned in Game 5, Gasol/Odom can dominate that matchup when they get it for a full 48.

In simplest terms, we need you to win #17 for us tonight KG. We need a 20/20 night, hell we need a 30/20 night. We don't want a game 7. You don't want a game 7. This game is on your shoulders, this is why we traded for you. This is your opportunity to earn your keep as one of the NBA's all-time elite (you've certainly been paid like a member of that group). I don't want to see 20' jumpers, I don't want to see 15' fadeaways, I want you to drive at Gasol and Odom like this is the game of your life. I want baby hooks, layups and DUNKS (seriously, did you even get one in LA?).

This is your time KG, this is your opportunity to join Russell, Hondo, Cousy, Cowens, Bird, Parish, McHale, DJ and Pierce (yes, he's in that group now). Do not waste it. We need the real Big Ticket to show up tonight, and nothing close to a repeat 13 point/11 rebound/5 foul Game 5 effort. It is on you Big Ticket.

Sincerely,

Celtics Fans Everywhere

P.S. - Bennett Salvatore is reffing the game tonight. Though this is much better than seeing Bavetta, please stay out of foul trouble.

1. The reason you actually need to have an offense and offensive plays was more than evident in the 4th quarter - you would think a head coach of a 66-win team would know this.

2. Our best player looks to pass first when he's 10 feet from the basket and open, even when he's on his way to a 33 point night.

3. Our shooting guard can't dribble anymore and always looks to blame our point guard when he turns it over (though he did play really well on defense, he played Jesus-Shuttlesworth-on-his mommy-killing-daddy good defense tonight).

4. Speaking of our point guard, he had the worst 13 assist and 4 steal game a point guard has ever had, passing up open jumpers, missing ELEVEN shots and committing one of the biggest cardinal sins in the final minutes of a game you are winning: fouling a great free-throw shooter on a 3 pointer.

5. Speaking of cardinal sins in the final minutes of a game your team is winning: our center got a technical to ruin what was a career game (or a career 3 quarters) in a game were the refs were whistle happy.

6. Did I mention the bench combined for 3 points total?

7. I have nothing bad to say about the small forward, I think by the quote in this article, he knows we got lucky and that we need better, smarter performances from numbers 1 through 6 on this list if we're going to win Game 7 (this fan has already given up on Game 6).

I realize a W is a W, but this is just how I feel, even though I totally realize I should be jumping up and down for what was a critical game 5 victory (Larry Legend always said Game 5 was the most important game in any series and I am a big LB believer).

What can I say? I'm a Red Sox fan :)

Let's face it Pats fans, this just wasn't meant to be. Randy Moss won't be walking through that door, just like Lawyer Milloy didn't walk through it, like Willie McGinnest didn't walk through it, like Ty Law didn't walk through it (though I really think we should be stalking him to come back -- there are no good corners on the market this year, he knows the system and would be a great stop gap.)

The saddest thing is that we should have all seen this coming. So let's stop pretending there's still a chance (and the only chance we have is if TB takes a huge paycut to supplement Moss' straight cash homey!) and let's move on.

I think his injury was a very underrated part of the Pats inability to dominate defensively in the second half of the year, and now the Globe is reporting Rosevelt Colvin is getting dropped due to a $7.6 million cap charge (which I admit, is high).

We're going to miss him off the edge, when Vrabel and him were both going in the early part of the season the Pats were unstoppable.

This leaves 3 massive holes in my opinion at the LB. Has any team's fortunes ever started so high and gone so low in the matter of weeks? Ugh.

What is it with Belichick and old middle linebackers? We're supposed to get younger, not older and more fragile!

My quick thoughts if this was to happen is that it might not be a good fit and that I'd much prefer Jason Taylor join us to play OLB. Thomas has always played 4-3, he's coming off a year where he only played in 5 games and, oh yeah -- he's 34!

Come on Bill, let's get younger here. Trade down, take Keith Rivers. Stop the insanity.

Well, it's been a while. I've spent the last two weeks doing my best NOT to think about football, the Super Bowl, the season, etc. And now I'm ready to reflect.

I put myself in the "this is a huge failure of Schiraldi proportions" camp. I don't see a silver lining in an 18-1 season. I don't really care about the regular season. 2007 was a failure, a huge fat failure (I mean orca fat). A bigger failure than last year's disappointing loss to the Colts, bigger than losing to the Broncos the year before, and yes Sox fans, even bigger than Aaron Bleepin' Boone's walk off.

But I think I'm ready to move on. Well at least that's what I'm telling myself as my mind constantly questions almost every coaching decision made in that game while I see 100 replays in a row of Asante Samuel dropping that game clinching INT.

Yeah, clearly I'm not over it, but here's 19 reasons why I haven't thrown myself in front of a 'T' train since SB42 (other than the fact that I live 3,000 miles away).

Including, the latest SpyGate nonsense, why Gregg Easterbrook is a douchebag (I could name much more than 10 reasons why), key matchups, Andre Tippett = HOFer, Belichick's bitches and more in this fun filled Super Bowl spectacular done in the vein of Peter King's MMQB.

P.S. - Sorry, I don't have an anecdote about traveling and I didn't go to Starbucks this week. I know those are two points of the column that you all love to read.

Hoo-ray! We won't be stuck watching Peyton Manning during every commercial this weekend!

Check out the latest Nike "Leave Nothing" ad for Super Bowl weekend featuring none other than Tom Brady, Wes Welker and my man Kevin Faulk -- the digital Maddenized versions (don't worry they didn't take time off this week to go film a commercial). The Giants have a version too, but if you want to watch that one, go find it yourself.

Looks like BookGate is over. Not only do the Giants have their own 2008 Super Bowl championship book, but there are more like it for pre-sale on Amazon.

Funny thing is, the Boston Herald took a swipe at the Globe in this morning's edition for having this book done: (http://news.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1069692), hiding the fact that they had their own book up on Amazon all along. Can't we all just get along fellas? Needless to say, someone at the Globe realized that the Herald had to be planning something too (b/c after all the newspaper business is dying and they need to supplement low subscriber numbers with anything they can) and printed this article: (http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/01/29/herald_comes _clean_on_super_bowl_book/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+New+England+Patriots+news_).

Can't we all just get along fellas?

In other news, Plaxico Burress is still a moron.

Not the way I wanted to start my day. I know I'm sounding paranoid here, but I do believe fully in karma when it comes to sports. I don't bet on my teams (their winning is joy enough) and I don't like to talk sh*t before a game... I don't even rub it in after (well, unless its the Colts, Jets and of course, the Yankees).

So you can see why I'm a tad disappointed and upset by an email I got from Amazon.com stating that, "19-0: The Historical Championship Season of New England's Unbeatable Patriots" by the Boston Globe was now available for pre-order.

(link:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1600781500/ref=pe_snp_500).

I got the email because I have previously purchased Red Sox championship collections from the Globe -- they are a great way to re-live the glory days. One thing was different though -- THEY DIDN'T START SELLING IT UNTIL AFTER THE SOX WON THE DAMN WORLD SERIES.

I usually complain when there are two weeks between the Championship games and the Super Bowl. But this year, it's been a bit of a blessing (except for the boot scare/non-scare). But now we're back into it and after having just watched Bill Belichik and Tom Brady's first Arizona press conferences, I'm back too and will be fully participating in the Super Bowl hype.

Speaking of the hype, here's some of the top storylines I think we should be looking at this week, but that will ultimately get lost amidst talk of Brady's ankle (he should not be clubbing!), the Belichick - Coughlin relationship (they used to work together!), the disappearance of Randy Moss (looks like the football filed a restraining order against him too!), everything about Eli's breakthrough (he made a Super Bowl five years earlier than Peyton!), Plaxico's mouth (you can always count on him to say something stupid!) and of course the continuation of the Boston vs. New York sports rivalry (because hearing about it 19 times a year during the baseball season just wasn't enough!)

Let's just say everyone in Patriot Nation's pulses will start racing when they read more about Brady and this walking cast. People may even start throwing up spontaneously. I think I had a stroke when I saw the report. We need to know more. We should be sending doctors to Gisele's apartment. Patriots fans should be ready to donate spare ligaments.

And yes, I waited a while to write this because 1) I had to calm down. 2)I didn't want to overreact. :p

Hello friends, just a few thoughts before the AFC Championship game... That Billy Volek -- he's no Jim Sorgi... When was the last time LaDainian Tomlinson smiled? Talk about a sourpuss... Norv Turner vs. Belichick - ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... Watching Stephen Gostkowski kick field goals is kind of like having six heart attacks... That Philip Rivers is a delightful young man, he's a great role model for other kids with Tourette's... We will see who knows what's up Igor...