Good morning, here is your Sunday Patriots news 11-1 and AFC East notes this week.
We hope that despite the snow, the kids had a fun Halloween, or at least as fun as it can be during the coronavirus pandemic. It wasn’t a very good October for the Patriots…here’s to a better November.
Non-football related, but RIP to actor Sean Connery who passed away at age 90. Having been a James Bond fan as far back as my memory goes, he was fantastic as the British super-spy driving an Aston Martin and sipping a vodka martini…shaken not stirred.
And we’d be remiss without mentioning “mazel tov” to Brady Goldman, Russ Goldman our host for Patriots 4th and 2, had his son (named after Tom Brady) celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday. Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, the temple and the resulting celebration was limited to just a handful of people. We’re sorry we missed it but congrats Brady!
Quick Hitters For the Pats, and the NFL:
Julian Edelman/N’Keal Harry: Both wide receivers are out of this game this week with injuries. Edelman (more below) had knee surgery and Harry suffered a concussion last week against the 49ers. For an offense already struggling to throw the ball, the combination of these injuries and the weather forecast for today makes for a very suspect day of throwing once again.
Did You Know?… On this day in 1987, the Patriots improved to 4-3 with a late 26-23 win over the Raiders in the old Sullivan Stadium. Steve Grogan and Mosi Tatupu each threw a TD pass. Irving Fryar had 6 catches for 107 yards and a TD while Stanley Morgan has 6 catches for 140 yards. Tony Collins ran for 75 yards and caught two passes for 34 more and a touchdown.
Non-Football Related Pt II: Older Red Sox fans may have felt the angst of Tampa Bay fans earlier this week when they saw Blake Snell removed, perhaps too early. In the 1975 World Series in Game 7, the RS pinch-hit for pitcher Jim Willoughby with two outs and nobody on for Cecil Cooper who was 1-18 in the Series. Willoughby was almost unhittable against the Reds pitching 6.1 innings in the Series without giving up an earned run. They brought in rookie Jim Burton for the ninth…and we all know how that turned out.
4th & 2 Podcast – If you haven’t checked out our PatsFans.com podcast, “Patriots 4th & 2” in a bit, please check it out. Russ and Derek and I recorded a podcast on Friday talking about the debacle with the Niners, whether the team should blow it up and be sellers at the deadline, as well as the upcoming Bills game.
Russ Francis/ Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach both should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame…this will be on our Sunday posts until it happens.
Edelman Injury A Bad Omen For His Future:
Although Bill Belichick has said that he doesn’t believe that the injury that Julian Edelman has been dealing with and just had knee surgery on will be a season-ending one, another report saying the star WR has a bone-on-bone issue which could not only put the rest of the season in jeopardy but his career after that.
“We’ll see how the return goes. I don’t think this is a season-ending situation. But we’ll see,” Belichick said. “Hopefully he’ll be back. I know he’s worked awfully hard. Nobody’s more competitive than Julian is. So, he’ll do everything he can to be back out there.”
However, the NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported on Thursday that “My understanding is Edelman is dealing with bone on bone in the knee.”
If indeed Edelman is suffering from “bone-on-bone” pain, it is a classic case of osteoarthritis (OA). OA results from the breakdown of the knee joint’s cartilage. Your knee cartilage acts as a cushion on the ends of the joints and helps them to move more easily. When the cartilage that covers the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone) breaks down, you’re left with bone rubbing against bone when you move the joint, which can lead to damage to the joint itself. The result is pain, stiffness, and interference with joint movement that is characteristic of OA.
Depending upon how serious it is, sometimes a knee brace can help. Injections of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid into the knee are often prescribed. Having had gel injections in both knees due to bone-on-bone under the kneecap, they’re painful as well as short-lasting and have diminished effectiveness as time goes on.
It may be time for Edelman, considering the wear and tear on his body to consider calling it a career. It won’t get any better. If he does retire at the end of the season, he’s had a helluva career.
With Edelman and N’Keal Harry out, the Patriots could activate Isaiah Zuber, from the practice squad as well as receivers Mason Kinsey and Kristian Wilkerson.
“Zuber’s got good skill. He’s got good size, runs well, catches well. He’s made some plays with the ball in his hands. So, we’ll see,” Belichick said. “They’re all young players, working hard, getting better. We’ll see. There may be an opportunity here. We’ll see how things shake out as we go through the next couple of days,” Belichick said. “Zuber’s been up for some games this year. But I’d say all those guys have good qualities to work with. … If they get an opportunity, I hope they’re ready to take advantage of it.”
Jakobi Meyers Gets An Opportunity to Carve Out a Role:
With Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry out with injuries at least for this week, it is an opportunity for the 2nd-year wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers, to showcase his talent. And while he’s excited for the opportunity, he’s not thrilled with the circumstances surrounding his playing time.
“I definitely don’t want my guys to be injured or hurt, and I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with everybody but I do pray for their safety and I hope they are going to bounce back soon because we miss them already,” said Meyers adding, “I’m definitely excited for this opportunity and I’m going to do my best to go out there and put my best foot forward and continue to try to play the way I know I can play.
“I’m not exactly where I want to be but I feel like I’m taking a couple good steps forward from last year to this year, being able to learn all the different positions.”
Meyers got to play some significant snaps as a rookie, catching 26 passes. But this year, it has been a tough go for the former QB turned wide receiver. But after Harry was injured last week, he came in and caught 4 passes for 60 yards. Sometimes, although unfortunate, an injury can open a door for a player to make an impact and carve out a role for himself.
“I don’t need too many people to be on the bandwagon or boost me up, but I do need people to believe in me and know that when they put me out there and they put their name behind me, I’m something they can stand on proudly.”
NFL Schedule Week 7, 2020, Who Are Your Winners:
How are you feeling about the games this week? We have a post on our PatsFans Forum where our readers can predict the slate of games for that week.
Last Week: 10-4
Season Total: 76-28-1
Last Season: 162-93-1
Thursday Night Football –
Carolina over Atlanta 0-1
Sunday:
Green Bay over Minnesota
Tennessee over Cincinnati
Kansas City over NY Jets
Detroit over Indianapolis
Baltimore over Pittsburgh
LA Rams over Miami
New England over Buffalo
Las Vegas over Cleveland
LA Chargers over Denver
New Orleans over Chicago
SF 49ers over Seattle
Sunday Night Football:
Philadelphia over Dallas
Monday Night Football:
Tampa Bay over NY Giants
***Washington, Arizona, Jacksonville, Houston Bye Week***
Eastbound and Down AFC East Notes:
Bills Also Short-handed This Week As Injuries Continue to Mount:
The Buffalo Bills will be missing both Cody Ford and Josh Norman this week and several other defensive players are questionable as they meet the Patriots for the first time this year at 1:00 p.m. today. While Ford along the offensive line is a significant loss, wide receivers John Brown and Isaiah McKenzie will return and QB Josh Allen will have all of his skill position players.
But the defense, which has been banged up this season, has several players questionable. Defensive tackles Quinton Jefferson and Vernon Butler, defensive end Jerry Hughes, linebacker Matt Milano, cornerback Cam Lewis, and safety Micah Hyde are listed as questionable.
The Bills also get back offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and tight end Lee Smith (COVID) this week. Fellow tight end Dawson Knox has been dealing with a concussion and was on the COVID list due to his close proximity to Smith, Tommy Sweeney, and practice squad tight end Nate Becker.
It’s Tua Time for the Dolphins:
The Miami Dolphins have made the decision to change their QB and it is time for rookie Tua Tagovailoa to shine. It won’t be an easy one, as they face the Los Angeles Rams, who boast arguably the most dominant defensive player in the NFL, defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
Tagovailoa is making his first start since being at Alabam and suffering a hip injury on Nov. 16, 2019, that required surgery. Donald had seven pass pressures against the Bears on Monday night. But Tagovailoa, at least before the injury, had the mobility to escape and make plays with his feet.
While making his first start in the league, Tua could conceivably struggle mightily in his first NFL start. But make no mistake, this is a big…no a huge moment for the franchise. This is the guy they wanted all last year during college football season and now they have him. He has a long way to go, but the fan base is anxious for a QB to really take over for the team and be the kind of QB they’ve been waiting for since Dan Marino retired.
Jets Fans React Hilariously to Unintentional Diss By KC’s Jones:
The New York Jets fans haven’t lost their sense of humor. While the Jets are a mess at 0-6, and facing the World Champion Kansas City Chiefs, who are overwhelming 19.5 point favorites, the Chiefs players are all trying to say the right things and not overlook the game. But Chris Jones’ comments, while not intentional, show the futility of the Jets season so far.
Jones, speaking to the media on Thursday tried to give pump up the Jets tires a little bit but it came out all wrong. Jones said “That’s a very good football team. People forget that because they haven’t won a game.” He added that the Jets had been in a lot of close games.
Instead of calling Jones to task, Jets’ fans were breaking out their one-liners. One fan wrote, “They’ve been in a lot of close games.” He must define “close” as winning the coin toss lol.
Another tweeted that “Chiefs should get the W just for him providing these answers with a straight face.” One fan tweeted that “That’s straight up the nicest thing anyone has said about the jets this year. I’m buying his jersey now 😂”
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“First of all just on behalf of the team, pass along our condolences to Travis Roy’s family,” Belichick said. “He’s been such a great inspirational story to all of us. Nationally but certainly in this area. His positive outlook and the way he handled his difficult situation was just incredible. Glad I had an opportunity to interact a little bit with him and his foundation. Just a sad day for a kid that went through so much and handled it in an incredibly positive way.”
“We supported their foundation,” Belichick said. “Our family has some connections with the foundation as well. So we’ve been supportive, as everybody has in this area, and again, just a lot of admiration and respect for Travis and what he did and his approach to life.”
Bill Belichick speaking about the passing of Travis Roy who died 25 years to the day that he suffered a terrible hockey injury just 11 seconds into his first college game and left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
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“So, how was your week?”
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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)
