Daily Notebook: Friday Patriots News and Notes 4/7
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It’s finally Friday, and here’s a look at this morning’s top stories:
Blount: “Give Me Some Money” – Things have remained quiet with free agent running back LeGarrette Blount, but on Wednesday night he joined his teammates courtside at the TD Garden to take in the Celtics battling the Cavaliers.
After watching Boston fall 114-91 to Cleveland, Blount was spotted weaving in and out of the crowd and jokingly admitted that for anyone wondering, he hasn’t lost a step after his 2016 performance.
According to Chris Mannix, Blount smiled and said, “See, tell them I still got it. Give me some money.”
LeGarrette Blount, at C's-Cavs, weaves through a group of reporters, turns and says, "See, tell them I still got it. Give me some money."
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) April 6, 2017
The veteran back finished the 2016 campaign with 18 touchdowns along with a career-high 1,161 yards. For now, he remains unsigned and whether or not he’ll get another opportunity to carry the football in 2017 for the Patriots remains to be seen.
 Joe Thuney enjoyed an incredible rookie season. |
Thuney Humbled By “Wild Year” – Seeing a rookie contribute as much as offensive lineman Joe Thuney did in his first season with New England was pretty remarkable, and the left guard ended up being a key part of the Patriots’ championship run.
He was part of a big resurgence in their ground game, which played a big part in LeGarrette Blount’s career year and a much more physical approach by a group that was much-improved from 2015.
For Thuney, he enjoyed every minute of it and he’s looking forward to building on the success he never saw coming.
“It was a wild year,” Thuney said via the North State Journal. “Fortunate to land with a great team, great franchise in the Patriots organization. I’m still very humbled by the whole experience and can’t wait to get back at it and prove myself again.”
One thing that stands out in his mind was the fact that despite the deficit they faced in the Super Bowl against Atlanta, they never believed they were out of it.
“We just kept playing and knew we were never out of it with [Tom] Brady under center,” Thuney said. “It was so incredible to be a part of that game. Seeing the referee throw his hands up after that final touchdown was euphoric. It’s not something I even dreamed of seeing in my first year with [New England].”
Hopefully, he’ll do it again in his second year as well.
 There have been whispers of Sherman coming to New England, but that seems unlikely. |
Clark Says He’ll Quit if Patriots Trade for Sherman – While most Patriots fans are probably hoping that the rift between Malcolm Butler and the team eventually finds a solution, there’s at least one reason to root for New England to execute a trade to bring Richard Sherman into the fold.
Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, who is now an analyst for ESPN, is apparently frustrated with the fact the Patriots are among teams who are interested in trading for the Seahawks’ cornerback. In fact, Clark said he’ll even quit if it happens.
“If he [Sherman] goes to the Patriots, I’m letting you know now it’s the last day I’ll work for ESPN, because I’m tired of this and I can’t take it no more. And if they get another good player, I’m done,” Clark said via SteelersDepot.com.
Here’s a video with his claim:
Welp … let's hope @RSherman_25 doesn't go to the @Patriots. pic.twitter.com/S1NHfbD1cK
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 6, 2017
While losing Butler would be disappointing, the addition of Sherman and seeing Clark leave would make up for it a little.
However, Clark may not have to worry about a career change just yet as Tom Curran of CSNNE reported that the team doesn’t have an interest in Sherman.
That may be a positive sign for anyone hoping Butler is sticking around, although it may be a while before that story finishes playing itself out.
Owners Believe Goodell is Overpaid – There’s no love lost when it comes to Roger Goodell here in New England, but it sounds like the owners in the NFL might believe he’s not being compensated appropriately.
And it’s not because they believe he’s not being paid enough money for what he brings to the league as commissioner. In fact, it’s apparently quite the opposite, with Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com saying that at the annual owners meetings, team owners actually discussed the idea of how they might be negotiating Goodell’s next contract.
“Some in the room,” Florio wrote via DeadSpin.com, “think they may be paying Goodell too much money.”
Goodell’s annual salary has reportedly been right around $30 million annually and according to the Florio, the speculation is that the owners would like to see Goodell’s salary reduced back down closer to where it was prior to the lockout, which would be around $11 million.
The effort to reduce his salary was reportedly spearheaded by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, which given the amount of weight his opinion carries among owners, means Goodell should be worried about his future earnings.
His current deal expires in March of 2019, at which time Goodell will be 60. Some believe he might retire at that time and it’s safe to say, if that happens, he definitely won’t be missed by anyone around here.
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