Daily Notebook: Wednesday Patriots News and Notes 5/31
David Butler II - USA TODAY Sports
Here’s a look at today’s top stories.
Hightower Holds Event Inspired By His Mom – Dont’a Hightower has remained busy this offseason and spent Tuesday night making his presence felt here in the community after he held an event in order to raise awareness for diabetes.
According to Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com, Hightower hosted a private screening of the new “Wonder Woman” movie for a group of woman who have diabetes Tuesday night.
The event was held at Showcase Cinema at Patriot Place, and it’s a cause that hits close to home because both his mother and grandmother have been impacted by the disease. Hightower admitted that his mother was the motivation behind him getting behind this cause.
“My mom is my Wonder Woman,” the veteran linebacker said via WEEI.com. “My mom is obviously the reason why I’m here. She made a lot of sacrifices for me and my sister. Ever since she’s gotten diagnosed with diabetes, I’ve tried to do as much as I could to try to promote it and promote awareness and do what I can for it. The opportunity came up, and I couldn’t say no to it.”
Hightower’s mom wasn’t at the event, but he said that “she’s doing well”, which is enough for him.
 Is Danny Amendola battling for a roster spot in 2017? |
Carr Relishes Opportunity – The Patriots have a pretty crowded group at the receiver position and undrafted free agent Austin Carr appears focused on breaking into a group that on the surface seems to lack much room for him.
The former standout out of Northwestern finds himself battling for a spot against a group that seemingly has Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell as the obvious locks to make the roster. From there, it comes down to Andrew Hawkins and Carr, among others, as players potentially trying to unseat Danny Amendola for a spot on the roster.
After making the team as a walk on for Northwestern in his freshman year and going undrafted despite being named a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection following a senior season where he led the conference in receptions, Carr is no stranger to beating the odds.
He fits the mold of past and current slot receivers and is one of the more intriguing prospects at that position heading into training camp. But given how reliable Amendola has been over the years, along with what Hawkins brings to the table, he’s clearly got his work cut out for him. The good news is, he’s also working with a quarterback who he’s rooted for as he was growing up, so the goal now is to hopefully make the team.
“It’s really a dream come true, but at the same time, there’s no time to be star-struck,” said Carr via the Worcester Telegram. “There’s no time to be caught up in that. I have to earn a spot. That’s my goal and I’ve got to grasp the opportunity.”
Carr said that one of the things he brings is a hard-working mentality where he enjoys soaking in the knowledge that comes from being around experienced, talented players. As competitive as he is, he knows he’s stil got plenty of room to improve and he’s humble enough to understand that it’s his job each day to learn and become a better player.
“I bring relentlessness, I bring a hard-work ethic, I bring humility. I think every day is an opportunity to learn,” said Carr. “Every day is a time to humble myself, to become low and to serve the guys that are ahead of me, to watch them closely and to improve.”
 Brady’s MVP second half in February likely fended off Garoppolo. |
Schefter Admitted Super Bowl Comeback Quieted Brady Naysayers – We all know Tom Brady’s intention of trying to play into his mid-forties, which if he can continue playing at a high level, would certainly be impressive given what we’ve seen from past quarterbacks who fell apart after they turned 40.
Adam Schefter appeared on Bleacher Report’s “Stick to Football” podcast and gave his thoughts about the fact that had the Super Bowl turned out differently after the Patriots fell behind 28-3, which included an abysmal first half where Brady also threw a pick-six, the calls for Jimmy Garoppolo would likely have been much louder this offseason.
“Again, I’d like to say this, Tom Brady, that Super Bowl was 28-3 at one point, and if that game had continued on that course, the offseason would have been dedicated to people talking about is it time to replace Tom Brady with Jimmy Garoppolo?” Schefter said via CBS Sports.com. “When Tom Brady turned that game around, not only did he win a Super Bowl for the Patriots, he stayed off all the [naysayers] that would have come, I believe if they would have lost that game as decisively and as one-sided as it was at one point in time. He’s 40 years old. He’s going to be 40 years old this year and he is the greatest quarterback of all-time. None of that is in dispute, and he may play for five or six more years, he may do that, but the chances are he’s not going to because nobody has ever done that before.”
Schefter admitted that Brady’s entering uncharted territory and while he’ll question whether or not it can be done, he’s the last person to challenge a player like Brady who has already proven so many people wrong over this incredible career.
“I’m not going to challenge the great Tom Brady in any way,” said Schefter. I would never challenge that guy ever, but Father Time usually wins that battle. If he can beat Father Time, he’s even more incredible than we think he is. We’ll see.”
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