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Old Grumbly’s Patriots Season in Review

Well, you get to the end, and it doesn’t always go your way. The AFC Champion New England Patriots lost 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks in a result that I expected the least.

Frankly, Seattle’s defensive line dominated the left side of New England’s offensive line. Left tackle Will Campbell had his worst game of the year. That led to Drake Maye being sped up, and just not playing steady for the first three quarters of the game. When he finally hit a rhythm in the fourth, he was trying to win the game on one play, and began playing into Seattle’s strength, giving up the ball 3 times in the late 3rd quarter and early 4th. A back breaking 45 yard pick six by Seattle’s Uchenna Nwosu when the Patriots were driving after a key defensive stop by the Patriots defense.

Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III had a dominant game on the ground, and let Seattle play to its strength, running the ball while ahead. Seattle held the ball 33:11 but it was even more lopsided before the Patriots offense got going in the fourth quarter. Seattle forced 8 Patriots punts, and never allowed the offense to find consistency, the one trait they carried all year.

Although Seattle was only ahead 12-0 in the middle of the third, it felt like they were up by a million when they scored a touchdown after Maye’s fumble in the 3rd. Going up 19-0, with the steady dose of Walker made it seem like an insurmountable deficit. In the end, that proved true.

It is the first championship for Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald in his second year as a head coach, and the first for quarterback Sam Darnold in his 8th season in the NFL. Darnold played ok, but importantly did not turn the ball over which prevented New England’s defense from getting any emotional resurgence.

This is Seattle’s second Super Bowl title in three tries. Seattle and New England are now 1-1 against each other in the Super Bowl.

Old Grumbly’s Season Review

The New England Patriots exceeded all expectations for the year. In fact, Old Grumbly’s prediction was, “For the season, which is now 17 games (weird) I predict a 10-7 record with maybe a squeak into the last playoff spot.”

The Patriots finished 14-3, and 3-1 in the playoffs for a 17-4 final record, winning the AFC title for a record 12th time. Under Robert Kraft’s ownership, the Patriots are now 6-5 in the Super Bowl, 12-4 in the AFC title game, and have won 20 division titles. Their playoff record is 36-17 in that time. The New England Patriots franchise is tied with the San Francisco 49ers for the most playoff wins in NFL history.

This team, in its first year under Head Coach Mike Vrabel, after back to back 4-13 seasons, was not expected to compete for a championship so quickly. They were dominant on the road, becoming the first team ever to go 9-0 as the visiting team. Drake Maye blossomed into a superstar, finishing second in the MVP race to Matthew Stafford by only 1 vote.

Christian Gonzalez, who had a tremendous Super Bowl, showed why a dominant corner is essential in the NFL. Milton Williams earned his contract, and Stefon Diggs was one of the best free agent signings in Patriots history, stabilizing the receivers room and being a genuine leader.

The first draft class of the Vrabel era went well, with contributions throughout the season. There is much work to do in the offseason to rebuild depth and add key pieces to contend with a retooling Buffalo trying to take advantage of Josh Allen’s elite QB window. Miami and New York are starting over yet again, which should help offset the pressure of a first-place schedule.

Expect Vrabel to add to the offensive line, at receiver, and with depth at the linebacker and edge rusher positions. Old Grumbly will return with offseason coverage.

Thank you for following along all year!

Worcester Taxpayers to Pay Holden Nearly $30 Million

WORCESTER – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court in the state, has declined to review a case between the Town of Holden and the City of Worcester related a 1999 contract for sewage disposal.

The Supreme Judicial Court’s refusal to review the case leaves Worcester with a bill that has reached nearly $30 million owed to Holden, when accounting for interest. .

Holden Town Manager Peter Lukes previously said he would demand full payment after Worcester has delayed resolution of this case for over a decade.

When a jury decided the case in 2022, it awarded Holden $14.6 million. In December 2022, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge rejected appeals of the jury verdict.

Worcester filed for review by the Appeals Court of Massachusetts on Aug. 18, 2025. The court affirmed the decision of the Superior Court.

The city filed for review by the Supreme Judicial Court in September.

In 1999, Holden and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) contracted for transport of Holden’s sewage through Worcester. The contract said that DCR would charge Holden “proportionate applicable transit costs” to use Worcester’s system.

Worcester and DCR entered an agreement in 2000, which included the rate DCR would pay Worcester for the transport of Holden’s sewage.

Holden never executed that agreement, claiming the rate charged Holden for costs unrelated to sewage transport. However, DCR billed Holden every quarter since 2000 based on the fees in the Worcester contract. Holden paid those fees for over 13 years.

Haxhiaj Found Guilty on One Charge, Not Guilty on Second

WORCESTER – A jury found former Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj guilty of assault and battery on a public employee and not guilty of interfering with a police officer in connection with an arrest by federal agents on May 8, on Eureka Street in Worcester.

The judge sentenced Haxhiaj to six months of probation and 40 hours of community service.

Ashley Spring, who was also arrested on May 8, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on Tuesday. She will perform 40 hours of community service without admitting fault or having a conviction.

The trial began on Tuesday, Feb. 11, and reconvened on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Only Haxhiaj testified on Wednesday. After the closing arguments, the judge put the case in the hands of the jury of four women and two men shortly after noon.

On Tuesday, one Worcester police officer said during testimony that the department responded to support ICE agents, contradicting statements by city officials in response to the incident last year. Others said they were there to preserve the peace.

Officer Shauna McGuirk, whom Haxhiaj was charged with assaulting, said that she initially approached Haxhiaj after an ICE agent asked her to “deal with” the daughters of the woman ICE arrested that day and Haxhiaj.

McGuirk also said that she attempted to escort Haxhiaj away from the scene with one hand. Haxhiaj’s attorney, Elizabeth Halloran, played the video of the contact between the two women, which clearly showed McGuirk grab Haxhiaj with both hands.

McGuirk also alleged that the push caused her to lose balance.

The segment of video selected by the prosecutor does not appear to show any loss of balance.

Haxhiaj testified that while a city councilor, her standard practice was to show up for constituents in crisis, including after fires and a roof collapse. She said she saw the situation on Eureka Street as a crisis.

Haxhiaj also said that in the video clip cited by prosecutors, she was attempting to create space after being grabbed from behind and spun around by McGuirk, and she was obstructed from backing away.

This is the video clip that the prosecutor said shows the assault.

On May 8, federal agents used the daughter and grandchild of Roseanne Ferreira De Oliveira to lure her from her home, according to multiple public statements and news agency reporting. The agents did not possess a judicial warrant to enter her home. When Ferreira De Oliveira arrived at the scene, the agents took her into custody.

Several individuals attempted to prevent federal agents from leaving the scene with Ferreira De Oliveira in custody. The U.S. Department of Justice did not file any charges related to the incident.

Worcester Police responded to the scene and enabled the agents to leave with Ferreira De Oliveira in custody.

During that scene, the Worcester officer claims Haxhiaj pushed her while attempting to reach Ferreira De Oliveira. Haxhiaj denied all charges.

Ferreira de Oliveira was lawfully present in the United States at the time of her arrest by federal agents. She had a pending legal claim for asylum. Applicants for asylum may legally remain in the United States during the adjudication of the claim.

At the time of her arrest, Ferreira De Oliveira faced a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a pregnant victim. The police report filed in the case said that the complaining witness claimed that Ferreira de Oliveira “struck her with a phone charger cable, causing visible welts on her arm.”

Prosecutors dropped that charge on July 18, as the complaining witness declined further cooperation with the prosecution of the case.

Ferreira De Oliveira remained in federal custody from May 8 until after the approval of her asylum claim in September. Although the federal government had the right to appeal the decision to grant asylum to Ferreira de Oliveira, it declined to do so.

Advance Placement Honor Roll Includes Two Worcester Schools

WORCESTER – The Advanced Placement Program (AP) named two Worcester Public Schools to its 2025 2025 AP Honor Roll.

The AP Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs deliver results and broaden inclusion. It uses three benchmarks of college readiness to designate recognition: College Culture (participation), College Credit (performance), and College Optimization (early pathway engagement).

Both Doherty Memorial High School and University Park Campus School (UPCS) earned overall bronze designations.

Doherty earned the following designation in each benchmark category:

  • College Culture: Bronze (49% of seniors taking at least one AP exam)
  • College Credit: Bronze (29% earning a qualifying score of 3 or higher on at least one AP exam)
  • College Optimization: Platinum (16% of seniors completing five or more AP exams, including at least one in ninth or tenth grade)

University Park Campus School earned:

  • College Culture: Gold (73% of seniors took at least one AP exam)
  • College Credit: Gold (39% of the graduating class earned a score of 3 or higher on at least one exam)
  • College Optimization: Bronze

“While we celebrate the AP School Honor Roll recognition earned by Doherty Memorial High School and University Park Campus School, we are also encouraged by the progress taking place across Worcester Public Schools,” said Superintendent Brian E. Allen. “The achievements of Burncoat, Claremont, North, South, and Worcester Technical high schools reflect a districtwide commitment to expanding access to Advanced Placement coursework and building college readiness for all students.”

Other Worcester Public Schools that met one or more AP benchmarks include:

  • Burncoat High School – College Culture (49%) and College Optimization (10%)
  • Worcester Technical High School – College Culture (44%) and College Optimization (4%)
  • Claremont Academy – College Culture (71%)
  • North High School – College Optimization (6%)
  • South High Community School – College Optimization (15%)

Four Indicted in Death of Trooper Enrique Delgado-Garcia

BOSTON – Massachussette Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Attorney David Meier announced that a Worcester County Grand Jury returned indictments against four Massachusetts State Police officials in connection with the death of Trooper Enrique Delgado-Garcia

Campbell appointed Meier to lead the independent investigation on Sept. 23, 2024, ten days after Trooper Delgado-Garcia’s death. Worcester County District Attorney Joe Early. Jr. recused his office from the investigation, as Delgado-Garcia previously worked there as a victim witness advocate.

The announcement also said that the independent investigation is over.

Meier said that during the morning of September 12, 2024, Delgado-Garcia sustained “multiple blunt force injuries to the head and massive brain bleeding as the result of the failure of Academy staff to intervene and bring a stop to a competitive boxing match between Mr. Delgado-Garcia and a fellow trainee.” He also said that “members of the State Police Training Academy committed a series of wanton acts in connection with various ‘Defensive Tactics’ and ‘Physical Confrontation’ training exercises conducted at the Academy” in the days leading up to his death.

According to Meier, on Sept. 11, 2024, Delgado-Garcia suffered from “concussion-like symptoms as the result of unauthorized, unapproved, and unsupervised boxing-related sparring exercises that occurred during Academy training.”

The supervisor and three full-time instructors of the academy’s Defensive Tactics Unit had ongoing interactions with Delgado-Garcia on Sept. 11, when he suffered concussion-like symptoms, and on Sept. 12, when he was knocked unconscious and transported to a hospital.

Meier said that these four individuals “had direct management and direct control over the physical training exercises themselves.” He added that factually and legally:

  • Each of these individuals owed a duty of care to Enrique Delgado Garcia and his fellow trainees;
  • Each of them interacted with Mr. Delgado Garcia and his fellow trainees on a daily basis; and
  • Each of them committed a series of wanton and reckless acts and omissions that resulted in Enrique Delgado Garcia’s death.

Meier did not speak about any of the facts of the case or evidence that substantiates the indictements. He also made no comments on his apparent decision to decline to pursue charges against the individual in the ring at the time Delgado-Garcia was knocked unconscious on Sept. 12, 2024.

The four individuals facing indictments “have not been and will not be arrested,” according to Meier. They will receive a summons for arraignment.

Those indicted are:

Sergeant Jennifer Penton

  • Involuntary Manslaughter (G. L. c. 265, § 13)
  • Causing Serious Bodily Injury to a Person Participating in a Training Program Involving Physical Exercise (G. L. c. 265, § 40)
  • Perjury (G. L. c. 268, § 1)

Trooper Edwin Rodriguez

  • Involuntary Manslaughter (G. L. c. 265, § 13)
  • Causing Serious Bodily Injury to a Person Participating in a Training Program Involving Physical Exercise (G. L. c. 265, § 40)

Trooper David Montanez

  • Involuntary Manslaughter (G. L. c. 265, § 13)
  • Causing Serious Bodily Injury to a Person Participating in a Training Program Involving Physical Exercise (G. L. c. 265, § 40)

Trooper Casey LaMonte

  • Involuntary Manslaughter (G. L. c. 265, § 13)
  • Causing Serious Bodily Injury to a Person Participating in a Training Program Involving Physical Exercise (G. L. c. 265, § 40)

Marlborough Hospital Evacuated Overnight

MARLBORO – UMass Memorial Medical Center in Marlboro activated emergency operations and began the evacuation of all patients at around 12:30 AM on Monday, Feb. 9.

The hospital describes te issue as an “operational challenge” with its heating and hot water systems. Multiple news agencies report that a boiler failure led to some flooding at the facility.

The evacuation of the hospital took about four hours, with patients moved to other UMass Medical facilities.

The hospital did not provide a number of those evacuated at the time of publication.

Fire and ambulance services supported the transport of patients, including the Northborough Fire Department.

The hospital has not provided a timeframe for resolving the problem.

 

Image courtesy of UMass Memorial Health

See the Neighborhood Meetings This Week in Worcester

WORCESTER – The Worcester Police Department is encouraging residents to attend their neighborhood watch meetings to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in their neighborhoods and to share any concerns or questions they may have. Representatives from the city also regularly attend these neighborhood meetings.

There are over 50 Neighborhood Watch Groups in Worcester. Meetings are held regularly — often once a month in various locations in the city.

Contact the Worcester Police Department’s Neighborhood Response Team at (508) 799-8664 for more information.

Here are the neighborhood meetings this week in Worcester.

Monday, Feb. 9

  • Tatnuck Square Neighborhood Meeting, 1070 Pleasant St. – 6 PM

Wednesday, Feb. 11

  • Saxon Road Neighborhood Meeting, Beth Israel, 15 Jamesbury Dr. – 5:30 PM

Thursday, Feb. 12

  • South Lenox Street Neighborhood Meeting, First Congressional Church, 1070 Pleasant St. – 6 PM
  • Burncoat/Greendale Neighborhood Meeting, 340 Burncoat St. – 6 PM

Worcester Schools Opening Delayed 2 Hours on Monday, Feb,. 9

WORCESTER – Worcester Public Schools announced schools in the district will open after a two-hour delay on Monday, Feb. 9.

The National Weather Service announced a cold weather advisory on Sunday, Feb. 8, that began at 7 PM and ends at 10 AM on Monday. Teh advisory warned of dangerously cold wind chills as lo2 as 20 degrees below zero.

Schools will have no part-day head start or preschool. Offices are open during regular hours.

Old Grumbly Fan’s Super Bowl Preview

Your New England Patriots are the first 9-0 road team in NFL history. Pretty cool! With a 10-7 victory in miserable, snowy Denver, the Patriots did something no team has ever done, and in returning to the Super Bowl for the 12th time, advanced the franchise’s championship record.

  • 12 AFC Championships (most all time)
  • 16 AFC Championship appearances (tied with Pittsburgh who is 8-8 in their 18)
  • 9-0 road record.

Twelve teams have now gone undefeated on the road to the Super Bowl since the merger in 1970. Of the 12, ten advanced to the Super Bowl and five have won.

The Denver game was ugly, but the Patriots did what they needed to do in miserable conditions.

In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, your traditional media channels have to fill time, so everyone picks a side and digs in on that position.

The vast majority of national media have picked the Seattle Seahawks to win, with the team favored by 4 and 1/2 points. That spread has stayed steady. Let’s jump into our Old Grumbly breakdown, and make a fair and accurate pick.

Old Grumbly Super Bowl Predictions

The biggest criticism of the Patriots all year has been their schedule, and in the playoffs, the criticism has fallen on Drake Maye.

Let’s start with the schedule.

Comparing teams across divisions is basically useless. The Seahawks clearly played in a tougher division than the Patriots. The Rams and the 49ers made the playoffs, and while Arizona was a 3 win team to match the Jets in the AFC East, the Dolphins played terribly almost all season, and two of their 7 wins came against the Jets. Buffalo was the only tough team in the AFC East, and the Patriots split with them. Let’s look at common opponents.

Both teams played the Houston Texans (12-5), Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7), Carolina Panthers (8-9), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9), Atlanta Falcons (8-9), New Orleans Saints (6-11), Tennessee Titans (3-14). Both went 6-1 against these teams. Seattle lost to Tampa in Week 5 and the Patriots lost to Pittsburgh in Week 3.

The Seahawks played these games in the regular season, and the Patriots played one playoff game against Houston. There is little to gain here because many of these games were earlier in the season. The Seahawks outscored the Patriots 33.0 to 27.4 in these games. The Patriots held their opponents to 17.7 versus 18.6. Basically, a wash.

You can look at the aggregate winning percentages, and you can compare those, but two of the teams who faced worse overall winning percentages were the 1999 Rams (Greatest Show on Turf) and the 1972 Dolphins (the last undefeated team). Those teams are historic Super Bowl champions, and no one remembers they played soft schedules.

In the end, it comes down to matchups. In the matchups, we find some interesting things.

Quarterbacks: Sam Darnold vs. Drake Maye

Darnold is in his eighth season in the NFL. While this year was not his best statistically (last year in Minnesota was by far) it is the farthest he has ever gone in the playoffs.

This year Darnold went for 4048 yards, a 99.1. rating and a 25/14 touchdown to interception ratio. In the playoffs he is 470, 122.4, 4/0 in 2 games. Seattle has been 9-0 in their last 9 games including the playoffs, and has met all tests with Darnold at the helm. Many of the games Seattle has been up comfortably and their defense is at its most stingy when in the lead.

Maye is in his second season in the NFL. He finished second to Matthew Stafford in the MVP race 24-23 and received national recognition for taking a leap toward elite QB status.

This year Maye went for 4394 yards, a 113.5 rating, and a 31/8 touchdown to interception ratio. In the playoffs, he is 533, 84.0 and 4/2. He has also rushed for a touchdown and fumbled 6 times, losing 3 while the team went 3-0.

In the regular season, Maye was by far the focal point for the Patriots’ offense. Darnold has never been the focal point in his career, although he has been sometimes spectacular the last two years.

If you look at both quarterbacks as being first-year players in a new offense, it sets the scene much better.

Darnold is on his 7th offensive coordinator in 8 years (more if you count mid-season changes), and his 5th team. His tenure with the Jets was not his fault as that dumpster fire of a franchise hasn’t been able to nurture quarterbacks for almost 60 years. Darnold was a high pick because of his great college career, and it makes a lot of sense that good coaching has gotten more from his immense talent.

Maye was a stud since high school and highly recruited in multiple sports. He is a superior athlete at the QB spot, who has also never experienced a Super Bowl run. His coordinator Josh McDaniels, fresh off an assistant coach of the year award, has been to 10 Super Bowls now, 7 as the OC. Maye has faced three elite defenses in a row, and the higher speeds and intensity of the playoffs have led to him speeding things up and making mistakes we didn’t see this year.

That said, it isn’t as if we haven’t seen it before. Last year, under harder coaching circumstances, Maye had struggles with ball security and consistency. Facing NFL defenses for the first time, he needed time to find his way.

More than any other figure in this year’s Super Bowl, I think Maye benefits most from the 2 weeks of preparation. There is a shot at bigger numbers in this game for Maye than Darnold, but the offensive line will be a big factor.

Edge – Patriots

Coaching: Mike Macdonald vs. Mike Vrabel

Macdonald was born in Boston, but grew up mostly in Georgia. His coaching life began at Georgia, and he ended up with the Baltimore Ravens for years, with 1 stop in Michigan. He has been the head coach of Seattle for 2 years now, going 24-10 in the regular season. This is his third playoff game, having won his first two this year. Strong secondary play and run defense have marked his defenses in Baltimore and Seattle.

Vrabel is in his seventh season as a head coach, with a record of  54-45 with the Titans, including 2-3 in the playoffs. This year he is 14-3 in his first year with the Patriots and 3-0 so far in the playoffs.

Vrabel’s head coaching career has featured with strong running teams and straightforward hard-tackling defenses. This year, with an elite QB, his team has shown downfield aggression with Maye leading the NFL in most long-play categories.

Vrabel’s teams, including this one, have been stingy with turnovers. He makes you beat his team.

Vrabel also played outside linebacker for 14 years in the NFL, including 8 years with New England. He was a consistent factor on 3 Patriots Super Bowl teams during the first Brady-Belichick cycle. He also was a consistent red zone threat as a tight end, with 12 catches for 12 touchdowns, one of the cooler stats in the NFL.

Both coaches are in their first Super Bowl as head coach, with Vrabel having the most experience as a player.

Edge- Patriots

Noise

This Super Bowl run has been like no other with the dismissal of the Patriots defense. They have played lights out against three offenses that had issues, but holding three playoff teams to combined 26 points is pretty impressive.

Seattle dispatched the 49ers in their first game 41-6 and then held on for their second win of the season against their division rival Rams in the NFC title game 31-27. The Rams’ Matthew Stafford moved the ball up and down the field on Seattle’s defense, but Darnold and company proved too much on the offensive side of the ball. The Rams defense just was not a top-five like Seattle and New England.

Most of the talk has been directed at Maye’s struggles and Seattle being some kind of steamroller. While Seattle had the biggest differential in points this year with +191, the Patriots were 3rd with +170. The Seahawks were only +19 on the next team in the NFC (the Rams) while the Patriots were +32 (Jacksonville).

The AFC has been viewed as down this year compared to the NFC, but outside of the NFC West (where the Seahawks play) the rest of the NFC wasn’t exactly dominant this year. Carolina made the playoffs at 8-9 and Green Bay at 9-7-1.

Sports talk shows have to make their show interesting, and it seems that the go-to take has been to underrate the Patriots.

Edge – Patriots

Offensive Line

There is no doubt here. Seattle has a more cohesive line that has been mostly healthy, and the Patriots have two rookies on the left side.

Edge – Seattle

Defense

Statistically Seattle was the best defense for points against all year. The Patriots were fourth. The Patriots were never blown out the entire season, all three losses were by a single possession. 7, 7 and 4 points. Seattle lost by 4, 3 and 2 points.

The most points the Patriots gave up this year was 35 to the Bills, and that was the only time they allowed 30+ points. Seattle gave up 37 and 38 in a win against the Rams and a 3 point loss to Tampa Bay. Those were the only times this year they gave up 30+ points.

Edge- Even

Special Teams

The Patriots have the best punt returner in football in Marcus Jones, and a rookie kicker in Andy Borregales who has made 96.4 percent of his kicks all year.

Both teams have had 3 special teams return TDs.

Edge – Even

This game may come down to one or two key plays late. Josh McDaniels has to be the X-factor here, with his 10 years of preparing for this game. All things considered, this level of experience is going to come out on the field. Further, both Milton Williams and Mack Hollins have championship experience with the Eagles, and the culture stands out to me. Look for Stef Diggs to have a big game, and Hunter Henry to reappear.

All things lead back to Foxborough, it is what it is.

Old Grumbly Prediction

Patriots 27 – Seattle 17

MVP – Drake Maye

1st Touchdown Scorer – Mack Hollins