(still more) key injuries & playing with heart

what would a New England Patriots season be if not plagued by season-ending injuries to key players? an already patched together defense, with a noticeable hole left by Tedy Bruschi, Matt Light (top) was carted off the field with his leg in a cast, no formal announcement made either by his agent or the team, as to the extent of the injury--just the vague answer that the injury report would be released on Wednesday. and it's already official that Rodney Harrison (bottom) is done for the season with a torn ACL. *sigh* i know they won the Super Bowl last year with guys playing multiple positions, injuries on even the back-up players' back-ups & almost no one who *was* on the field could have really been considered healthy. but how many times can they pull off the unbelievable?!



speaking of injuries. as much as i am not an Eagles (translation: Donovan McNabb, T.O.) fan, i like a player who shows heart & dedication. i have a whole lot of respect for the Eagles kicker David Akers, who despite an injured hamstring that was causing him a good deal of obvious pain, he came out onto the field to kick the winning field goal. he did his job & then dropped to the ground in visible discomfort. but that's the kind of passion i enjoy seeing on the football field--players who don't cry about every hangnail & who tough it out on the field when the game is on the line.

in other football news: week 4 picks will be updated in the sidebar sometime this evening.