For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Cliff who? The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.J.A. Happ said all the right things, just as the crafty lefty always has.Julian Assange, founder of the website that published more than 91,000 secret U.S. military reports from Afghanistan, says he’s revealing injustices. President Barack Obama says he’s concerned that disclosure of sensitive information may harm military operations.1. Will the Jets regret cutting Faneca?For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?
Between the Lines with Bruce Allen
Call me crazy, but I'm thinking the Patriots have a good shot to come out of the AFC.
Look at the field. The Titans are 9-0 and could stretch that a few more games, the Steelers are 6-3, as are the Ravens and Jets. (As of this writing.)
What do all of those teams have in common? They're primarily ground-based teams. Ben Roethlisberger has been hurt and inconsistent for the Steelers, and Brett Favre seems to have finally been reigned in (somewhat) by Eric Mangini in favor of the running game of Thomas Jones. The Ravens are playing a rookie quarterback, Joe Flacco, who has looked good at times, and shaky at others. Their success has again been driven by their defense and running game. Finally, the Titans have been perfect thus far, but with their two-headed running game of rookie Chris Johnson and the bruising LenDale White, they've rendered veteran QB Kerry Collins into basically a middleman between the center and running backs. Collins has 5 TD passes all season long. (Matt Cassel has 7) Johnson has 5 TD's and White leads the NFL with 11 TD's. Collins showed a little more in the passing game against the Bears, with two touchdown passes, but does he strike fear in your heart come the postseason?
A large part of my reason for optimism with the Patriots is the fact that their biggest strength on defense has been against the run. Erase the debacle against the Dolphins' wildcat offense, and the numbers look even better.
The Patriots have had their struggles in the secondary this season, but even that seems to be tightening up a bit as the year goes on. The last few games have seen the team avoiding getting burned by the deep pass, while coming up with the big play when needed. Deltha O'Neal has looked horrible at times - the San Diego game stands out - but has also come up with a few very clutch interceptions. The young cornerbacks have shown some promise back there, and we have reason to hope that they're going to continue to improve as the season goes on.
The foundation of the Patriots defense though is the front seven. With Seymour, Warren and Wilfork looking much better than they did at just about any point last season, the linebackers have been able to make more plays behind them. If Adalius Thomas is indeed lost for the season, that of course is a huge blow, but the Patriots have shown the ability to keep plugging guys in on the fly. Rookies Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton give the defense something that it has lacked at the linebacker position for years - speed. We've seen Mayo in on tackles downfield and wondered if he had been burned, when in fact, he had already completed his assignment at the ball, and was now able to chase the ball and make a play.
The top AFC teams are all very solid units, but from these Patriot-blue colored lenses, I can see the Patriots defense standing up to any of them on a given day. They're going to get their chance in the next few weeks, with the Jets coming in tonight and the Steelers in two weeks from Sunday.
By that time we're going to know a whole lot more about this so-called "lost" season for the Patriots.
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