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(PHOTO: David Butler II - USA TODAY Sports) It’s almost Friday and as we close in on the weekend, here’s a quick look at some of the news stories for today.
Cowherd believes Brady won’t reach another Super Bowl – One of the biggest problems with the offseason is there’s obviously plenty of time to kill, which tends to bring out the worst among the talking heads in the sports world. On Wednesday, Colin Cowherd decided to try and ruffle some feathers with some thoughts on Tom Brady, who he believes will retire before he reaches another Super Bowl.
According to Cowherd, he believes that not only will Brady not reach the Super Bowl this season, but he even believes Brady will hang it up at the end of the year.
“Andrew Luck returns with an improved (Indianapolis) Colts team,” Cowherd said via NESN.com. “Derek Carr and Jon Gruden, (Oakland Raiders’) offense will hum. I also believe Deshaun Watson with that Houston team will be a real threat. And I think they (Patriots) can lose now to Buffalo (Bills) if Buffalo can get the quarterback right. We’ll see what the Bills do in the next week in terms of trading up for the draft.
“Listen, I said it last year: I didn’t think it was a Super Bowl roster, and they lost Nate Solder. They’ve added some nice pieces: Adrian Clayborn is a good pass rusher at times but not dominant. I have no problem acknowledging this: Tom Brady, 19th year, will not play in another Super Bowl and will retire — I’ll put it out there — at the end of the season.”
Expect this prediction every year now moving forward, since every year into his 40s obviously increases Brady’s chances of calling it a career. You don’t need to be an expert to figure that one out since it’s just simple logic given his age. Cowherd just happens to be one of many who we’ll be hearing these types of statements from in the coming year.
Losing Nate Solder and Danny Amendola hurts, but you don’t know whether Julian Edelman will come back strong or what type of contributions they’ll get from Malcolm Mitchell. To take it a step further, the biggest thing that’s also flying under the radar is potentially what type of players Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan will be with a shifty possession receiver like Edelman and Rob Gronkowski together again on the field. In 2016 Hogan and Mitchell each shined with those two, so who knows how much better Cooks may be with teams now forced to account for New England’s two best offensive players.
Needless to say, barring injuries, Brady will have the tools he needs to move the football and have success. With some improvements on defense in Danny Shelton, Adrian Clayborn and Jason McCourty, they’re off to a good start for them to potentially compete again in the AFC. Factor in the return of Dont’a Hightower and any further free agents they acquire before training camp and it’s a group more than capable of having a good year.
As a result, Brady and the Patriots find themselves in familiar territory, heading into another season with plenty of people hoping they’ll fail. Just another day in Foxboro.
 Bennett hasn’t closed the door on a return to the Patriots. |
Will Bennett Return? – Martellus Bennett may not currently have a team, but he hasn’t closed the door on a potential return to New England in 2018.
According to NESN’s Doug Kyed, Bennett said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that the prospect of coming back under a new deal has been discussed.
“I mean, yeah, ” said Bennett. “It came up in conversation.”
The Patriots only had Bennett for two games after they brought him back following his release from the Packers last season, with the tight end ending up on injured reserve. He did catch six passes for 53-yards over that span, but unfortunately, his return was short-lived.
Bennett proved to be a good insurance policy for Rob Gronkowski in 2016, stepping up in a big way after the Patriots lost Gronkowski to injury. Bennett did say he’s preparing to play in 2018, but the Patriots may actually be his only option after what he did to the Packers, which could make teams leary of signing him. Now the question will simply be whether or not he’s willing to put the effort in to try and make another Super Bowl run.
Either way, the fact that the possibility has been discussed is interesting. But whether or not it comes to fruition may be another story.
Clayborn Ready to Go – Adrian Clayborn hasn’t spent much time in Foxboro but so far, he likes what he’s seen.
Clayborn talked to the media in a conference call on Wednesday and said that he spent his time last Thursday visiting with the coaching staff and getting comfortable with the system. Clayborn said this defesnse reminds him of his college days in Iowa, which was something that appealed to him.
“I mean, just talking to the coaches, they explained what could be my role,'” said Clayborn. “I mean, it kind of brings me back to my Iowa days where you’ve got to work for what you get, and I’m all for that. I’m just looking to try to help the team out in any way I can.”
The potential for a big season is certainly there, and he’ll be settling in with an entire group that will be adjusting to coaches who will be settling into new roles following the departure of Matt Patricia, who took over the head coaching vacancy in Detroit. As the Patriots begin putting their defense together for 2018, Clayborn provides them with a player who definitely gives them options. The only question now is going to be what role he plays, which will be up to him to show them what he can do.
“I mean, without getting into the details, just pretty much whatever I prove I can do,” said Clayborn. “I mean, I know I can rush the passer and I know I can set the edge in the run, so I mean, there’s a couple different positions that they believe I can play. So, it’s up to me to prove I can play them.”
Edelman Spotted in Bangor – As Julian Edelman continues getting ready for the upcoming season, he’s been enjoying some time off and was most recently spotted in Bangor, Maine.
The city, which is located four hours north of Boston and features places like Arcadia National Park, the Statues of Paul Bunyan and the Bangor Historical Society, is certainly secluded enough for him to avoid the normal crowds he probably deals with in Boston.
He was actually able to enjoy dinner at a local restaurant, with WGME reporting that while he was there he dined at Evenrood’s, which is located downtown.
He reportedly “had the halibut, and said it was delicious.”
Before he left, he was kind enough to take a photo, which was featured in the article (see below). One amusing note – the filename of the photo is “Two Mainers and a Hunk”. Too funny.
*Photo via WGME.com
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