New England Patriots

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Buffalo Bills

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Unless you want to be on the next “Remember last year” blog post, it would be wise to withhold predictions. It’s too early for that. Rosters will change dramatically after the draft and free agency. Therefore, what looks like an easy matchup today may not be in September.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady is practicing with the New England Patriots after being limited in Thursday’s session by an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Two days after sitting out practice, Brady stretched with his teammates during the brief period open to reporters Friday.

Asked what Brady was able to do Thursday, coach Bill Belichick said Friday: “Play quarterback, the usual thing.” When asked if Wednesday was a planned day off for Brady, Belichick said he thought that had been covered.

The Patriots have said Wednesday’s absence was not injury-related.

When asked whether Brady would be able to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Belichick said that, too, has been covered.

Comcast SportsNet has reported that Brady had X-rays to check for a separated left shoulder and was told he was “all set.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady practiced Friday with the New England Patriots after being limited in Thursday’s session by an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Two days after sitting out practice, Brady stretched with his teammates during the brief period open to reporters.

Asked what Brady was able to do Thursday, coach Bill Belichick said Friday: “Play quarterback, the usual thing.” When asked if Wednesday was a planned day off for Brady, Belichick said he thought that had been covered.

The Patriots have said Wednesday’s absence was not injury-related.

When asked whether Brady would be able to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Belichick said that, too, has been covered.

Comcast SportsNet has reported that Brady had X-rays to check for a separated left shoulder and was told he was “all set.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—Tom Brady is practicing with the New England
Patriots after being limited in Thursday’s session by an injury to his
non-throwing shoulder.

Two days after sitting out practice, Brady stretched with his teammates
during the brief period open to reporters Friday.

Asked what Brady was able to do Thursday, coach Bill Belichick said Friday:
“Play quarterback, the usual thing.” When asked if Wednesday was a planned day
off for Brady, Belichick said he thought that had been covered.

The Patriots have said Wednesday’s absence was not injury-related.

When asked whether Brady would be able to play Sunday against the Buffalo
Bills, Belichick said that, too, has been covered.

Comcast SportsNet has reported that Brady had X-rays to check for a
separated left shoulder and was told he was “all set.”

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Read More: Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Matt Light (OT – NEP), Logan Mankins (G – NEP), Sebastian Vollmer (OT – NEP), New England Patriots

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was not present at the media portion of the team’s Wednesday practice as his teammates prepared for their regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Brady, who was seen wearing an ice pack on his non-throwing shoulder after getting hit during the Miami Dolphins game in Week 16, spoke to reporters during media availability and is still expected to play on Sunday.

The Patriots were also without offensive linemen Logan Mankins and Sebastian Vollmer during the media portion of the practice. Mankins sprained his MCL during the Dolphins game and is not expected to play against the Bills. Vollmer injured his right foot against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 27 and hasn’t played since.

Left tackle Matt Light miss Saturday’s win against the Dolphins, but returned to practice on Wednesday.

For more Patriots coverage, visit our team page or our blog Pats Pulpit.

AP PHOTO
New England’s Stevan Ridley finds room to run during Saturday’s 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro. The Patriots can lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over the Bills Sunday.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have one major goal remaining in the regular season: clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. All they need to do is beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

That doesn’t seem so difficult for a team that has won its last seven games and will be at home against one that dropped seven straight before winning Saturday.

The Patriots (12-3) must keep avoiding turnovers and get decent play out of a makeshift offensive line should two starters remain sidelined. But the Bills (6-9) won 34-31 in the third game of the season, handing the Patriots one of their three losses. The Patriots gave the ball away four times in that game, all on Tom Brady’s interceptions leading to 24 points.

“I think everyone still has a pretty bitter taste in our mouths from the last time we lost to the Buffalo Bills,” Brady said Monday on WEEI radio. “It was an incredibly difficult loss for our team. Everyone is going to be excited to go out there and see if we can do a better job.”

They’ve done much better at hanging on to the ball throughout their winning streak. In those seven games, the Patriots have 16 takeaways and just two giveaways. They lead the AFC with a plus-14 turnover differential.

In their first eight games, that differential was zero — 14 takeaways and 14 giveaways.

“In the beginning of the season, it just wasn’t very good,” offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said Monday. “It’s kind of ironic playing

Buffalo this week and the challenges that they present. We turned the ball over four times against Buffalo in that game and we can’t do that. That’s just no way to win.”

Brady has thrown just one interception in the last seven games after having 10 in the first eight.

“Tom has done a much better job of taking care of the ball and he’s very, very conscious of it and it carries over to the rest of the offense,” O’Brien said. “If we can just continue to do that, that’s one of the major stats that equals wins, just taking care of the ball. The way our defense has been playing opportunistic football, that’s going to help us going forward.”

With better protection, Brady has more time to stand in the backfield and allow his receivers to get open. That was a big problem early in Saturday’s 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in which the Patriots trailed 17-0 at halftime.

Left tackle Matt Light didn’t play after hurting his ankle in pregame warmups. Left guard Logan Mankins started but suffered a knee injury in the first quarter that ended his day. There was no word on whether either would face the Bills.

“I don’t really know much more than I knew on Saturday” about Mankins, coach Bill Belichick said. “(Sunday) was Christmas, so today’s not a normal Monday. We’ll see where everybody is today and, more importantly, Wednesday when we hit the field again.”

Brady was sacked twice on New England’s first 10 offensive plays against Miami and was hurried often. But with offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia making adjustments, the protection was much better in the second half with rookie tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, and free agent guard Donald Thomas filling in.

“We have a lot of depth up there because we bring in guys that are multiple position guys,” O’Brien said. “They’re smart guys, they’re tough guys and then Dante gets them ready to play. When one guy goes down, it’s really the next-guy-up mentality.”

Scarnecchia has had plenty of experience with that. He’s in his 28th year as a Patriots assistant, the last 12 as offensive line coach and assistant head coach under Belichick. They also were New England assistants under Bill Parcells in 1996.

“Dante, as I’ve said many times before, is really just an outstanding coach at every level, whether it’s working with experienced players or developing young players or game planning against sophisticated schemes or teaching the most basic techniques to rookies, undrafted players, things like that,” Belichick said.

“He really is very thorough, well prepared, smart, communicates well with his players. … He’s done a great job all the years that I’ve been here.”

Scarnecchia has coached in 32 of the Patriots’ 36 playoff games. He, and the rest of the team, would like to play two at home this season. If they win those, they’ll reach the Super Bowl.

But Brady is focusing on beating the Bills. If the Patriots lose, they can earn the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs only if both Baltimore and Pittsburgh lose.

“It’s hard to not be aware of” possible playoff opponents, Brady said. “We definitely don’t sit there in team meeting rooms and say, ‘These are all the scenarios that can play out.’ … We really are concerned with how we’re performing.”

By beating the Bills on Sunday, Tom Brady and the Patriots can celebrate earning the No. 1 seed in the upcoming AFC playoffs. AP PHOTO

Sun staff photos can be ordered by visiting our MyCapture site.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have one major goal remaining in the regular season: clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. All they need to do is beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

That doesn’t seem so difficult for a team that has won its last seven games and will be at home against one that dropped seven straight before winning Saturday.

The Patriots (12-3) must keep avoiding turnovers and get decent play out of a makeshift offensive line should two starters remain sidelined. But the Bills (6-9) won 34-31 in the third game of the season, handing the Patriots one of their three losses. The Patriots gave the ball away four times in that game, all on Tom Brady’s interceptions leading to 24 points.

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker outruns Miami Dolphins inside linebacker Kevin Burnett during the second half last Saturday. AP PHOTO

Sun staff photos can be ordered by visiting our MyCapture site.

“I think everyone still has a pretty bitter taste in our mouths from the last time we lost to the Buffalo Bills,” Brady said yesterday on WEEI radio. “It was an incredibly difficult loss for our team. Everyone is going to be excited to go out there and see if we can do a better job.”

They’ve done much better at hanging on to the ball throughout their winning streak. In those seven games, the Patriots have 16 takeaways and just two giveaways. They lead the AFC with a plus-14 turnover differential.

In their first eight games, that differential was zero — 14 takeaways and 14 giveaways.

“In the beginning of the season, it just wasn’t very good,” offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said yesterday. “It’s kind of ironic playing

Buffalo this week and the challenges that they present. We turned the ball over four times against Buffalo in that game and we can’t do that. That’s just no way to win.”

Brady has thrown just one interception in the last seven games after having 10 in the first eight.

“Tom has done a much better job of taking care of the ball and he’s very, very conscious of it and it carries over to the rest of the offense,” O’Brien said. “If we can just continue to do that, that’s one of the major stats that equals wins, just taking care of the ball. The way our defense has been playing opportunistic football, that’s going to help us going forward.”

With better protection, Brady has more time to stand in the backfield and allow his receivers to get open. That was a big problem early in Saturday’s 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in which the Patriots trailed 17-0 at halftime.

Left tackle Matt Light didn’t play after hurting his ankle in pregame warmups. Left guard Logan Mankins started but suffered a knee injury in the first quarter that ended his day.

There was no word on whether either would face the Bills.

“I don’t really know much more than I knew on Saturday” about Mankins, coach Bill Belichick said. “(Sunday) was Christmas, so today’s not a normal Monday. We’ll see where everybody is today and, more importantly, Wednesday when we hit the field again.”

Brady was sacked twice on New England’s first 10 offensive plays against Miami and was hurried often. But with offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia making adjustments, the protection was much better in the second half with rookie tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, and free agent guard Donald Thomas filling in.

“We have a lot of depth up there because we bring in guys that are multiple position guys,” O’Brien said. “They’re smart guys, they’re tough guys and then Dante gets them ready to play. When one guy goes down, it’s really the next-guy-up mentality.”

The New England Patriots cut two players from their practice roster today: defensive back Ross Ventrone and defensive lineman Cedric McKinley.

Ventrone played in eight games this season for the Patriots and made two solo tackles. The Patriots originally signed Ventrone in 2010 as a rookie out of Villanova. He remained on the practice squad of New England for most of the 2010 season.

McKinley did not play in any games for New England in 2011. McKinley was undrafted out of Minnesota and signed to the Vikings’ practice squad in 2010. The Patriots signed McKinley to the practice squad roster on Dec. 20., 2011.

The Patriots (12-3), which have already won the AFC East division, are preparing for the final regular season game against the Buffalo Bills (6-9) at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m.

For more coverage of the Patriots, visit our team page or our blog Pats Pulpit.

Patriots, Dolphins still have plenty to play for

By HOWARD ULMAN

AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) The New England Patriots are in the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years. The Miami Dolphins missed them for the ninth time in 10.

Both, though, have a lot at stake on Saturday with the Patriots going for a first-round bye and many Dolphins playing for jobs next season.

And both have the same approach to moving toward those goals. Forget about them.

“Right now, all we’re worried about is Miami,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters. “All the rest of it is just something for you guys to write about.”

Todd Bowles, a head coach for just one NFL game compared with Belichick’s 291, isn’t focused on what a victory would mean for his future in that position.

“I don’t have any expectations, really,” he said. “I’m just trying to get the guys to play hard and play better and play fast and try to come out with wins. I don’t control those decisions.”

The Patriots (11-3) clinched their third straight AFC East title last Sunday with a 41-23 win at the Denver Broncos. There are several ways for them to secure a bye this week, the easiest being a victory combined with a loss or tie by the Houston Texans. They even can clinch the top seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs if they win and Houston, Pittsburgh and Baltimore all lose or tie.

“I don’t think we think about any of those things other than Miami,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “We prepare hard, focus on what we can focus on, control what we can control, go out there and play with great effort, good execution and we’ll be in good position.”

The Dolphins (5-9) will focus on stopping Brady. They couldn’t do it in their season-opening 38-24 loss in Miami in which Brady threw for a franchise record 517 yards. Bowles, who led the Dolphins to a 30-23 win over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday after replacing the fired Tony Sparano, was the secondary coach then.

“It was the toughest game for me as a coach,” Bowles said. “You don’t see those kind of numbers every day. Nothing worked. .man (to man), zone, pressure, prevent. He completed everything. You write it off as a bad loss.”

But he remained confident and the secondary has improved considerably since then.

“I just think it was a bad game,” he said. “You just write it off and move on next week.”

The Patriots also have a dangerous offensive threat to handle. Reggie Bush rushed for a career-high 203 yards against Buffalo last Sunday, the same day New England allowed 167 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.

In their last two games, the Patriots have been burned for a total of 422 yards on the ground.

“He’s a special guy,” New England linebacker Rob Ninkovich said of Bush. “A guy like Reggie can do a lot of different things. … So you’ve just got to make sure you don’t let him do those things.”

Bush already has shown he can thrive as an every-down back, something he didn’t do in his other five NFL seasons, all with the New Orleans Saints.

So what motivates him with his team out of the playoff race?

“It’s the New England Patriots,” he said. “Anytime you’re playing a divisional opponent it’s always big and we want to finish the season strong. At the same time, we know that we’re still being evaluated. No matter what the record says, we’re all still being evaluated on a daily basis, on a weekly basis.”

Bush’s job for next season is secure.

Matt Moore is still trying to enhance his resume as the starting quarterback after Chad Henne suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fourth game.

The Dolphins rebounded after losing their first seven games with a 5-2 record, but Moore has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in each of the last four games.

Still, Bush said, “he’s been the backbone of this team. I honestly believe that. Without him, we wouldn’t (have) been able to put together the stream of wins that we have. …I think you see when we give him time to throw the ball he can be dangerous, he can be effective.”

He very well could be against the Patriots. Starting with the third week of the season, their defense has been ranked worst in the league in both total yards and yards passing allowed. And now they must go on without defensive end Andre Carter, the team leader with 10 sacks who suffered a season-ending injury to his left quadriceps against the Broncos.

“He works incredibly hard and he’s been having a great season,” cornerback Devin McCourty said. “To lose a guy like that, we just have to come together as a group.”

If they succeed, they could lock up a playoff bye with one regular-season game left. But if the Dolphins play spoilers?

“We’re not trying to spoil anything,” Bowles said. “We’re just trying to get better as a team and try to close out the season on a winning note. So we’re just going to worry about us now.”

Updated December 22, 2011

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—The New England Patriots are in the playoffs for
the ninth time in 11 years. The Miami Dolphins missed them for the ninth time in
10.

Both, though, have a lot at stake on Saturday with the Patriots going for a
first-round bye and many Dolphins playing for jobs next season.

And both have the same approach to moving toward those goals. Forget about
them.

“Right now, all we’re worried about is Miami,” Patriots coach Bill
Belichick told reporters. “All the rest of it is just something for you guys to
write about.”

Todd Bowles, a head coach for just one NFL game compared with Belichick’s
291, isn’t focused on what a victory would mean for his future in that position.

“I don’t have any expectations, really,” he said. “I’m just trying to get
the guys to play hard and play better and play fast and try to come out with
wins. I don’t control those decisions.”

The Patriots (11-3) clinched their third straight AFC East title last Sunday
with a 41-23 win at the Denver Broncos. There are several ways for them to
secure a bye this week, the easiest being a victory combined with a loss or tie
by the Houston Texans. They even can clinch the top seed in the AFC and
home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs if they win and Houston,
Pittsburgh and Baltimore all lose or tie.

“I don’t think we think about any of those things other than Miami,”
quarterback Tom Brady said. “We prepare hard, focus on what we can focus on,
control what we can control, go out there and play with great effort, good
execution and we’ll be in good position.”

The Dolphins (5-9) will focus on stopping Brady. They couldn’t do it in
their season-opening 38-24 loss in Miami in which Brady threw for a franchise
record 517 yards. Bowles, who led the Dolphins to a 30-23 win over the Buffalo
Bills last Sunday after replacing the fired Tony Sparano, was the secondary
coach then.

“It was the toughest game for me as a coach,” Bowles said. “You don’t see
those kind of numbers every day. Nothing worked. .man (to man), zone, pressure,
prevent. He completed everything. You write it off as a bad loss.”

But he remained confident and the secondary has improved considerably since
then.

“I just think it was a bad game,” he said. “You just write it off and
move on next week.”

The Patriots also have a dangerous offensive threat to handle. Reggie Bush
rushed for a career-high 203 yards against Buffalo last Sunday, the same day New
England allowed 167 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.

In their last two games, the Patriots have been burned for a total of 422
yards on the ground.

“He’s a special guy,” New England linebacker Rob Ninkovich said of Bush.
“A guy like Reggie can do a lot of different things. … So you’ve just got to
make sure you don’t let him do those things.”

Bush already has shown he can thrive as an every-down back, something he
didn’t do in his other five NFL seasons, all with the New Orleans Saints.

So what motivates him with his team out of the playoff race?

“It’s the New England Patriots,” he said. “Anytime you’re playing a
divisional opponent it’s always big and we want to finish the season strong. At
the same time, we know that we’re still being evaluated. No matter what the
record says, we’re all still being evaluated on a daily basis, on a weekly
basis.”

Bush’s job for next season is secure.

Matt Moore is still trying to enhance his resume as the starting quarterback
after Chad Henne suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fourth game.

The Dolphins rebounded after losing their first seven games with a 5-2
record, but Moore has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in each of
the last four games.

Still, Bush said, “he’s been the backbone of this team. I honestly believe
that. Without him, we wouldn’t (have) been able to put together the stream of
wins that we have. …I think you see when we give him time to throw the ball he
can be dangerous, he can be effective.”

He very well could be against the Patriots. Starting with the third week of
the season, their defense has been ranked worst in the league in both total
yards and yards passing allowed. And now they must go on without defensive end
Andre Carter, the team leader with 10 sacks who suffered a season-ending injury
to his left quadriceps against the Broncos.

“He works incredibly hard and he’s been having a great season,” cornerback
Devin McCourty said. “To lose a guy like that, we just have to come together as
a group.”

If they succeed, they could lock up a playoff bye with one regular-season
game left. But if the Dolphins play spoilers?

“We’re not trying to spoil anything,” Bowles said. “We’re just trying to
get better as a team and try to close out the season on a winning note. So we’re
just going to worry about us now.”

Here is how Week 15 impacted the division:

New England Patriots (11-3)

Results: W, 41-23 against Denver

Power Ranking: No. 4 (up one spot)

Walker’s vote: No. 3 (up two spots)

Analysis: I think the Patriots got shafted a little this week. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens lost ahead of New England, but the Patriots only moved up one spot. The San Francisco 49ers jumped the Patriots after a big win over the Steelers on “Monday Night Football.” Either way, the Patriots just need to win their final two home games against Miami and Buffalo to secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC. New England will be hard to beat at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs if quarterback Tom Brady continues to play at an MVP level.

New York Jets (8-6)

Results: L, 45-19 against Philadelphia

Power Ranking: No. 12 (down two spots)

Walker’s vote: No. 14 (down four spots)

Analysis: The Jets continued their trend of not showing up on the road. They fell to 2-5 away from MetLife Stadium with an embarrassing 45-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets played their worst game all season and dropped two spots in ESPN.com’s Power Rankings. I voted New York No. 14 and NFC West blogger Mike Sando vote the Jets the lowest at No. 15.

Miami Dolphins (5-9)

Results: W, 30-23 against Buffalo

Power Ranking: No. 23 (same)

Walker’s vote: No. 22 (same)

Analysis: The Dolphins are finally ahead of the Bills in the Power Rankings. I’ve been voting Miami ahead of Buffalo for weeks after watching both teams trend in opposite directions. Our panel finally was convinced after Miami swept Buffalo in the season series. The Dolphins deserve a lot of credit for playing hard in the second half of the season, despite inner turmoil and the eventual firing of former head coach Tony Sparano. Miami has two tough games against the Patriots and Jets to finish the season.

Buffalo Bills (5-9)

Results: L, 30-23 against Miami

Power Ranking: No. 26 (down four spots)

Walker’s vote: No. 26 (down three spots)

Analysis: The Bills continue to drop after their seventh consecutive loss. The defense hasn’t stopped anyone in weeks and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been too streaky and inconsistent to lift his team. Buffalo needs to take a hard look at its roster in the offseason. The defense needs a major overhaul, but the offense also needs several pieces. Until then, Buffalo needs to try to win at least one of these next two games to help with confidence.

FOXBORO (CBS) –  The New England Patriots secondary will get a boost on Sunday when corner Devin McCourty returns against the Indianapolis Colts, but safety Patrick Chung is among the seven inactive for the game.

Chung will miss his fourth straight game after suffering an ankle injury against the New York Giants on November 6.

McCourty returns after suffering a separated shoulder two weeks ago against the Jets.

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

Also inactive for the Patriots on Sunday are offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer, linebacker Brandon Spikes, quarterback Ryan Mallett, running back Shane Vereen, offensive lineman Dan Connolly, and linebacker Dane Fletcher.

Read: Pats-Colts Predictions

Running back Danny Woodhead was a game-time decision with an abdomen injury. He was seen working on the field during warmups and is active for the game.

Tune in to the Patriots-Colts game Sunday on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV at 1 pm. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5 at 10 am and on WBZ at 11:30 am with Patriots Gameday. Stay tuned after the game for all the reaction and analysis on the postgame show, and on Patriots Fifth Quarter on WBZ-TV.

By Jay King

– Newsdesk Contributor

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Nov 15, 2011 – In beating the New York Jets on Sunday, the New England Patriots reestablished themselves as the AFC East favorites and surged up the SB Nation Week 11 NFL Power Rankings. 

After the Patriots’ thorough dismantling in New York, the Patriots moved from No. 10 to No. 7 in the latest rankings. “It’s looking like a familiar refrain in [the AFC East],” writes Joel Thorman.

The Patriots (6-3) have only one game remaining against an opponent with a winning record. Considering that the Patriots will have six straight games against sub-.500 teams before ending the season against Buffalo, New England could potentially clinch the AFC East before meeting the Bills in Week 17.

With Buffalo struggling and the Jets basically two games behind the Patriots (due to the Patriots’ season sweep), even the Jets believe the AFC East is New England’s to lose.

“We win this game, we got kind of a stranglehold on the division — and you let it slide,” Jets safety Jim Leonhard said. “So obviously there’s a lot of frustration. 

“It was a big goal of ours to go ahead and win this division, and we put ourselves in a hole again. Not saying it can’t happen, but it’s unlikely to happen at this point.”     

– For more Patriots coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Pats Pulpit.

Read More: New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers

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