Without Adam Vinateri, the New England Patriots wouldn’t have won three Super Bowl titles. Without Tom Brady , Adam Vinatieri wouldn’t have been in a position to give the Patriots those titles. Without Bill Belichick, Tom Brady’s quarterbacking wouldn’t have set-up Adam Vinateri to hit the kicks to win those titles. And without Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick wouldn’t have been in New England to help both Brady and Vinateiri win those titles. And without Michael Jackson (yes, that Michael Jackson), Bob Kraft wouldn’t have bought the New England Patriots and the dynasty that was may never have been. 

As Forbes described in a 2005 article, Michael Jackon’s 1984 Victory tour was directly responsible for Kraft purchasing Foxboro Stadium in 1988 , a transaction that eventually led to him being able to buy the team in 1994.

In 1988 Kraft and a partner put up $25 million to buy the Foxboro stadium from the Sullivan family, besting a $16 million offer from the Pats’ owner, Kiam. (Kraft would buy out his 50-50 partner for a small premium five years later.) [Former Patriots owner, and current Foxbor Stadium owner] Charles Sullivan had used the stadium as collateral to fund [Michael Jackson's] Victory Tour back in 1984. Overleveraged, Sullivan went bankrupt and was forced to sell the arena. To this day Kraft’s collection of photos and mementos includes a poster from the ill-fated tour.

Basically, Sullivan got in over his head funding Michael Jackson’s Victory tour (something that those concert organizers in London can commiserate with now) and was forced to sell the stadium because of the bad investment, a move which furthered Bob Kraft’s quest to own his hometown Patriots. (Because Kraft owned the stadium, the team couldn’t be sold without his approval. When new owner Victor Kiam wanted to sell to a St. Louis businessman intent on re-selling the team or moving it, Kraft stepped in and bid 50 percent more, buying the Patriots for $172 million in 1994.

It was a transaction that began a run toward three Super Bowls, a perfect regular season and the career of one of the greatest coaches and quarterbacks that the league has ever seen. And to think, it was all set in motion by the guy with the glove moonwalking across the stage. "Wanna’ Be Startin’ Somethin’" indeed.

Former Washington Redskins return man Brian Mitchell says his recent firing by a radio station owned by the team is not due to economic factors but for critical comments made about the team and its performance.

Mitchell told USA TODAY’s Michael McCarthy that Red Zebra radio cut him as an analyst because he was critical of the Redskins. Station executive Bruce Gilbert said the move was "100% driven by the economy."

Mitchell made $150,000 per year.

"If you never discuss any money, or any changes in my money with me, then you already have your minds made up. This didn’t have a damn thing to do with the economy," Mitchell told McCarthy.

The New York Giants announced on Wednesday that linebacker Michael Boley will be out of action for eight-to-ten weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, Profootballtalk.com reported.

The arthroscopic procedure was conducted Wednesday, by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the New York Hospital for Special Surgery.

Boley, a weakside linebacker, joined the Giants earlier this year as a free agent after spending four seasons with the Falcons. Last season, three different players started at weakside linebacker for the Giants: Gerris Wilkinson , Bryan Kehl , and Chase Blackburn .

Entering his 14th NFL season, New England Patriots lineback Tedy Bruschi admits it could be his final professional season. He also admits it may not be his swansong, according to the Boston Globe.

Bruschi, whose contract expires after the 2009 season, is leaving his options open.

"I have to give them everything I have this year and only think about what’s next. I’m going to prepare myself for this season, only think about this season, and when the season is over, which is a long ways away, then you think about delving into those decisions.”

Bruschi, who turned 36 June 9, is coming off a 2008 season in which coaches credited him with 71 tackles, fourth on the team. He started 12 games before a knee injury ended his season Dec. 7 against the Seahawks. Throughout the year, Bruschi was mostly utilized on first and second down, coming off the field on third down, according to the Globe.

Source: Boston.com

After making a career of shoving his own quarterbacks into the woodchipper, I sort of hoped that eventually, someone would do the same to Terrell Owens . What I didn’t figure was that it would be model Joanna Krupa.

ABC’s got this new show called "The Superstars" where a celebrity pairs up with an athlete in a series of athletic competitions. The winner gets … I don’t know, to be on television more, I guess. Last night was the first episode, and Terrell Owens and Joanna Krupa, probably the favorites, were the first couple eliminated. 

From there, Joanna turned into Terrell Owens, and she turned Terrell Owens into Jeff Garcia .

Oh, that’s fantastic. My favorite part is right at the end when she throws in a forceful little "Shut up." I think I’ve watched it about 843 times.

Did Owens deserve to be yelled at like a little boy? No, probably not; the poor guy’s foot got caught in the net. Tough break. But Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb probably didn’t deserve the treatment they got from Terrell Owens, either.

It happened, though. Miss Krupa is probably used to having everything in the world she wants, and probably has a pretty healthy ego of her own. That doesn’t make her right, of course, except in the grander, karmic scheme of things.

Maybe, in the end, it’ll be good for Owens to experience what it’s like to be on the wrong end of a media tirade. Joanna Krupa may have just done Trent Edwards a huge favor.

The 72 x 160-foot LED wall at the center of the new Cowboys Stadium is certainly impressive enough when it’s showing game highlights or concert footage, but no giant screen ever truly earns its credentials until it’s been put to some real use: playing video games. Thankfully, Jonas Brothers video director Steve Fatone somehow pulled himself away from concert preparations to do just that earlier this week, and apparently became the first person to ever play Xbox 360 on the display in the process. As you can see above and in the gallery below, the two certainly seem to be made for each other, although it looks like the controller can get a tad touchy if you stray too far while trying to play it.

Bill Parcells has a plan in Miami. In year two of his tenture running the Dolphins, Parcells has overhauled the secondary. 

The Dolphins signed free agent safety Gibril Wilson to a lucrative contract, added cornerback Eric Green in free agency, and drafted cornerbacks Vontae Davis (first round) and Sean Smith (second round) — four moves aimed at improving a pass defense that ranked 25th in yards surrendered per game last season (227.8).

The Boston Globe believes Parcells had stopping the Tom Brady -led passing game of the New England Patriots in mind when he began rebuilding the Miami secondary.

In assessing some of the new personnel, Miami coach Tony Sparano pointed out that part of the appeal to drafting Davis (5 feet 11 inches, 203 pounds) and Smith (6-4, 214) was their physical stature. It also helped that they were the best players available in an area the Dolphins had targeted for improvement, according to the Globe.

If the sources of the Boston Herald’s Inside Track are correct, Gisele Bundchen’s womb currently houses what might be the next great NFL quarterback prospect, just as soon as we figure out its gender.

The Herald hears from "a source close to the new Mrs. Tom Brady " that Brady and Bunchen are expecting a child in December .

The Brazilian bombshell told a pal she got pregnant on their honeymoon. The magazine says that the newlyweds want to keep the baby secret but have told a few close friends and family. The bump watch is officially on!

Oh, I do love a good bump watch. Wheee!

Inside Track speculated on the same subject a couple of days ago when they spotted Bundchen wearing a baggy shirt , possibly in an attempt to conceal her and Tom’s tiny little ball of genetic perfection.

Obviously, I’m giddy for these two crazy kids, but I do wonder about the timing. December, Tom? That’s pushing awfully close to playoff time. I’d hate for your new little sack of joy to be a distraction.

You might have to drag the wife into Coach Belichick’s office and have him lecture the bump on the importance of sacrificing for the greater good. No one wins a championship without sacrificing, and if that means that Tom Jr. has to spend an extra couple of months in the womb, then he’s just going to have to take one for the team.

Word on the street is that the UFL’s Vegas franchise (they don’t have a nickname/mascot yet; I’d like to suggest the Galifianakises ) is close to agreeing on a contract with former Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman .  

I always wonder if that makes a guy like Losman happy or sad. Sad, I’d imagine, because he’s no longer in the NFL, but happy because the UFL plays up the fact that he’s a former first round pick, and no one in the NFL was ever going to think of him that way again.

Here’s a snippet of the report from UFL Access , a UFL news site, which is kind of amazing in and of itself.

Now word has spread that J.P. Losman, formerly of the Buffalo Bills and the NFL 1st Round, is scheduled to sign with the Las Vegas team headed by Jim Fassel. The rumors began swirling this morning and UFLAccess.com tried to track down the facts. One well-placed source pointed out that roster spots have dried up on virtually every NFL depth chart at QB. The league declined comment with their spokesperson saying that “as of yet no ink has hit paper.”

Interesting. Five years into his career, and J.P. Losman can no longer find a spot on anybody’s three-deep at quarterback. Maybe I’m wrong — and believe me, I’m not telling you that J.P. Losman is a great quarterback — but it seems to me that there are guys out there worse than J.P. Losman who have NFL jobs. I guess I can’t name any of them off the top of my head, but Losman at least has some degree of youth to him. I’d think that added a little value.

The same article reports that Tim Rattay is on his way to the UFL, and that Ken Dorsey would love the opportunity. It also says of Michael Vick , "rumors have spread that [he] and his agent have papers in hand that if signed would start the Vick redemption tour in Orlando."

The Dallas Cowboys plan on moving DeMarcus Ware around more than in previous seasons, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Ware has primarily chased quarterbacks from the blind side. However, he will get the chance to play on the left sometimes in Dallas’ base defense. According to the Morning News, he figures it’ll allow him to get more involved in the running game. 

The Morning News reported the Cowboys have used a version of the nickel with a 3-3 front that allows Ware to move around before the snap some the past two seasons. Because of the increased confidence in the secondary’s coverage ability, Phillips can be more aggressive with his schemes on passing downs this season, so we should see more of the package they call "Cowboy."

"It creates a lot of mismatches," Ware said. "I might be able to get on a back, get on a tight end."

There isn’t a back or tight end in the league that can handle Ware one-on-one. Every offensive coordinator the Cowboys face knows that, and that’s why Ware will be the focus of every pass protection game plan, according to the Morning News.