Thursday Daily Rundown 6/30: New England Patriots News and Notes

Good Morning. As we round out the last day in June, here are the latest stories concerning the Patriots today.

Vince Wilfork Bares It All for the ESPN Body Issue:
Former Patriot and now Texan defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was doing a bit of unveiling on social media on Wednesday, prepping fans for the 325-pound (+) tackle to appear sans clothing in the annual ESPN Body Issue.

The issue will appear on newsstands on July 6 and besides Wilfork, the magazine will feature 19 other athletes including Dwayne Wade, Connor McGreggor, and Von Miller. But they’ve never had anyone close to the body type of Wilfork.

If you think, it makes the big man nervous, think again. Wilfork was throwing down the gauntlet on Wednesday evening, challenging Tom Brady and even played with his former QB telling him to have his supermodel wife Giselle Bundchen to “tell her people to call my people.”

Brady’s answer was short and sweet, tweeting “Beastmode”

Wilfork’s video can be seen here: https://t.co/jyKJjN8n6E

Chris Simms Continues to Spew on Tom Brady. “He Deserves to be Suspended”:
In another uncomfortable segment, former QB, and now media member Chris Simms was on another rant about Deflategate and Tom Brady, praising NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Filling in on the popular “Boomer and Carton” show in New York, Simms stated that Goodell acted “100 percent within his power” and added that if Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft didn’t like it, “they should’ve changed that back when the CBA was under negotiation a few years ago.”

Simms didn’t stop there, calling the science of the Ideal Gas Law, “a bunch of crap.” He even referred to it as Murphy’s Gas Law at one point. Simms added, “Of course he deserves to be suspended for this. He took the integrity of the game into his own hand. It’s like, you know, there’s a lot of examples you could come up with regardless. But it does give you a competitive advantage.”

He went further, which must have been music to the ears of the NYC crowd. “If there weren’t advantages and it wasn’t a big deal, then why didn’t you just pump the footballs up to 13.5 and be, ‘Oh, I’m not worried about it’? He had every ball, they said before the game started was at 12.5,” Simms said. “Now I know everyone wants to claim the weather and that whole theory and all that crap, right? That’s a bunch of crap.”

Simms went on to add, “I don’t think it’s minor, to me. I think this is a guy that took the football and basically gave himself a competitive advantage, where the other quarterback on the other team did not have those advantages. And if the size of a football didn’t matter, then why do we have a high school football, why do we have a college football? Of course, the size of the object in your hand matters, because you can manipulate it better with your hand.”

Needless to say, I don’t think Simms will be getting Christmas cards from the Brady household this holiday season and be assured, his latest foolishness guaranteed him at least two radio spots in Boston today….stay tuned.

Julian Edelman to Hold Women’s Football Clinic in Foxboro:
Patriots’ wide receiver Julian Edelman is hosting a ladies day football clinic in Foxboro this October 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Registration begins today for the event, which features Edelman’s “insight on football basics in a fun and relaxed atmosphere,” according to the ad on procamps.com. Women must be 21 or older to attend.

Packages start at $199 to attend and get a team pic with Edelman, an autographed piece of memorabilia and a t-shirt. But the big package ($2395) will get a lucky lady camp goer, access to a private cocktail party with Edelman, a selfie, Q&A, and appetizers and cocktails with him. Plus, you’ll get picked by the Gronk party bus and ride to the event with Rob Gronkowski.

So guys, looking to give that special lady friend something special this year? Here is a prime opportunity to do just that.

Andrew Luck Signs Largest Contract in NFL History:
Now things get interesting… The Indianapolis Colts just signed QB Andrew Luck to a six-year contract extension worth $140 million-dollars with a full $87 million guaranteed. It is the richest contract in NFL history and puts Luck firmly in the crosshairs to produce.

Luck has put up tremendous numbers from his rookie 2012 season thru 2014 in terms of yards and touchdowns. He also (with the benefit of a weak division), vaulted the Colts from a 2-14 team to an 11-win team in the playoffs.

But the flip side is, he’s been remarkably careless with the football, always among the leaders in interceptions and fumbles. He’s also coming off his worst statistical season of his career, and injury-shortened nightmare where he led the league in picks into Week 11 even though his season was cut short by Week 7. He was on pace to throw 27 interceptions in 2015 and the fans of Indy as well as the organization have been remarkably patient and allowed him to grow into the position.

But there will be no more “Luck being Luck” from here on out. The pressure will be on him to continue to produce those big numbers but also to cut down on those turnovers which have plagued him which include 55 interceptions and 32 fumbles.

It will be interesting to see how with resurgent Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars teams how Luck responds in 2016.

Amendola “Feels Good”, Has Faith in Garoppolo:
Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola was a guest on ESPN’s NFL Insiders and said that he had a pair of offseason procedures, on his knee and to remove bone spurs from his ankle but feels good and is ready to go.

“I feel really good. I had a couple minor procedures done after the season. Everybody knows how long the season can be. I wanted to go into next season feeling as fresh and ready as I can,” he said.

He was asked about the possibility of backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo being asked to start the first four games of the season if Tom Brady’s suspension holds up in court. He answered much the same as TE Rob Gronkowski.

“He’s a great player,” Amendola said. “He’s been in the system a couple of years now and he’s learned a lot. He’s picked up everything that Tom has taught him and then also what Coach [Bill] Belichick has to offer him. So we’re all excited to see where he goes and see what the future holds for him.”

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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Tags: Bill Belichick Julian Edelman New England Patriots NFL Patriots Rob Gronkowski Tom Brady

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