Murphy's Patriots II 

Unsung Heros: Who are Yours?

On every team, there are those players who do a lot of work, and yet seem, in the media at  least, not to get a lot of credit.  The Patriots are no exception to the rule, and I thought this week I'd try to hilight some of my favorite unsung heros. 

Number 1) Kevin Faulk! Was anyone as surprised as I was to see him come back last week? I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't even know he was still with the team. I thought there was no way he'd make it back after that injury he suffered, and yet all of a sudden, without any fanfare, there he was.  Talk about a doubletake! And sure enough he was the same old Kevin driving for those downs, and getting those extra yards.  And the commentators really never batted an eyelash.  After all the attention paid to Tom Brady and Wes Welker and their incredible comebacks, this tepid media response to Kevin's return seems unfair.  I mean the attention Wes and Tom received was well deserved, don't get me wrong.  I love those guys as much as anyone, but where were the accolades for Kevin who has also been a major part of the team's success in recent years?

Number 2) Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. This guy is indefatigable; nothing stops him. Ben powers ahead and gets those extra yards, he protects the football, and always puts in that extra effort where others might have given up. He comes up with big downs in clutch situations. He is helping to take some of the heat off Tom Brady and give the Pats a running game.  He gets some credit in the media of course, but only in passing.  He is never really acknowledged as the major contributor he is.

Number 3) Matt Light. This guy has been a staple of the Patriots team as long as Tom, himself has.  Yes, he's had some difficult moments and made some mistakes; he's not  perfect.  Then again, neither is Tom Brady, or anyone else in the NFL for that matter.  When push comes to shove, it is Tom Brady's impenetrable protection that has allowed him and the team to be successful year after year, and Matt Light has always been a key element of that protection.  Now and then, you hear the commentators credit the Offensive Line as a whole and acknowledge that Tom Brady gets the best pass protection in the NFL. You also hear Logan Mankins's name come up fairly frequently in connection with that achievement, but you rarely hear about Matt Light unless it is to point out his faults or mistakes.  This seems to me to be an injustice.  To me, Matt is a critical part of the team's backbone and as responsible as Tom Brady himself for the team's  record achievements these last ten years, so he, of all the players on the team, is my number one unsung hero.

Is there someone I haven't mentioned that I should have, or do you disagree with my choices? Shoot me an e-mail and let me know.  I'll post your comments next week.  In the meantime,  the team  is getting ready today to face the boys in blue (and white).  Eli has matured a great deal since the last time the Pats played the Giants, so this should be an interesting game, and you know where to watch it! There's no place like Murphy's on Sunday people, so grab those jersey's and head on out.  Doors to the upstairs open at 2:30 p.m. for the 4:15 game.  See you there.  Go Pats!

You can read all about Murphy's inthe history page, and you can see specific game details in the game day news page. If you need directions or help finding the bar, you can find all you need to know on the contact page.  Check it out! Trust me, if you want to watch the Pats, and you can't get to Foxboro, then there's no place like Murphy's!