Good morning. Here is your Patriots news, 7-13, and NFL notes this week. Training camp is right around the corner. This year is flying by, but the last few days before training camp are going to drag.
What are you looking forward to most this year in Training Camp?
The first day is always fantastic because… it is the first day of training camp. However, Monday will probably be the first day of pads, when the excitement really gets going.
The joint practices are always a blast with 180 players on the training fields. It is a first look at the 2025 Patriots against an opponent. Washington was a playoff team in 2024, and the few days together will be must-see training camp action before the preseason game.
My favorite part was always watching the rookies and new free agent additions as they assimilate into the Patriots system. This year, it is an entirely new system with Mike Vrabel at the helm. There is a lot of excitement. And why not?
After back-to-back 4-13 seasons, the Patriots conducted an overhaul of the roster and coaches. They tore it down to the studs, and we’ll soon get a look at the early results.
Excitement is in the air for 32 teams around the league. And the optimism is warranted. Can’t hardly wait!
Okay, we all know the Boston sports media (well, some at least) love to be Debbie Downers, so… Are they really better this season? We’ll get to that below, but first.
Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News:
Drake Maye: The Patriots’ quarterback married his middle-school sweetheart, Ann Hudson, late last month, but what broke earlier this week was that the pair donated all of their wedding gifts to a homeless shelter in their hometown.
Scott Zolak of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub broke the news on his Tuesday show.
“They did a lot of donating with the local kids’ shelters and stuff for the area he grew up in, and some kids didn’t have the right size shoes, didn’t have some Christmas stuff,” Zo said.
He added, “They didn’t tell anybody, but they took their wedding gifts and sent them to the homeless and help centers down there. Everything that they got, they forwarded it.”
In other news, Maye and RB Rhamondre Stevenson were enjoying some relaxation on the water. And Maye threw a pass to Stevenson as he was falling backwards off his wakeboard, Stevenson accelerated on his jet ski and made a nice one-handed grab. Check it out here:
Christian Gonzalez: The Patriots’ rising star and outstanding cornerback made his debut on the NFL’s Top 100 Players this year at #84.
Entering his third season as a Patriot, the 23-year-old is just scratching the surface of his potential, despite the fact that Gonzo was named a second-team All-Pro in 2024.
Marlon Humphries of the Ravens, himself an All-Pro, was asked what makes Gonzalez so good. Humphries had a great answer.
“His smoothness and ability to get downhill on breaks, it seems like even when he might not have a step, he just hits closing speed and is next level,” Humphrey said of Gonzalez.
With a retooling of the defense by Mike Vrabel and DC Terrell Williams, Gonzalez and free agent signing Carlton Davis will be an intriguing tandem, and possibly one of the best CB duos in the league.
Terry McLaurin: The Patriots’ offense added WRs Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins during free agency. They added Kyle Williams in the NFL Draft. They have a slew of players fighting for roster spots. But McLaurin is in the midst of a contract dispute with the team and didn’t show up for minicamp.
Both sides are at an impasse. Would the Patriots make a move for McLaurin, who is both productive and durable? McLaurin has produced 1,000 yards or more for five consecutive years. And he hasn’t missed a game in four years.
What is the talented WR looking for in a new contract? The floor should begin at the $30 million mark. DK Metcalf, who was in the same draft class (2019) as McLaurin, signed an extension worth $33 million a year after his trade to the Steelers. Brandon Aiyuk signed a four-year extension for $120 million.
The Patriots have the cash for now to pay McLaurin, who would definitely inject more life into the WR position for Drake Maye. But I don’t think they make that move. Would I love to see McLaurin in a Patriots’ uniform? Absolutely, but I just don’t think it is a move they’ll make this season.
Justin Fields: The Jets parted ways with the circus that was Aaron Rodgers, who left a smoking ruin in his wake. Okay, maybe it wasn’t all his fault; it was the Jets after all who foolishly handed him the keys to the family car. And he ran it into a ditch.
Enter Fields, who is looking for another fresh start. But they have a new head coach in Aaron Glenn, who seems like a great fit, heading back to New York. Fields has been inconsistent but is very mobile and has improved each year in the league.
The New York media can be a tough lot, but the new QB/Head Coach combo has a lot of confidence heading into 2025. The Jets will go as far as Fields can take them.
Patriots No Huddle Podcast: Derek, Mike, and I discussed the Patriots in a roundtable discussion. Here is a clip about the offense with Derek talking about Josh McDaniels. You can find our podcasts on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. Please take a look and leave us a review.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.
This will be displayed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
Why The Patriots Will Be Better in 2025:
Mike Vrabel —
Let’s start right at the top. Vrabel was the most important addition to the Patriots this spring. He’s a very experienced head coach, and he recognized what needed to be done.
Vrabel tore it down and rebuilt it in his image. He recognized the players that he wanted to keep, and there will probably be more than a 50 percent turnover this year. No players remain from the Super Bowl years. And it was time, although I admire Joe Cardona for his work both on and off the field.
Vrabel assembled a great staff with a ton of experience. Last year, Jerod Mayo had no head coaching experience. None of his coordinators had been coordinators before. Many of Mayo’s other coaches had no experience. Mayo just didn’t have the contacts to attract new coaches.
Vrabel doesn’t have that issue. While Terrell Williams has never been a coordinator, he and Vrabel were close at Tennessee, and he has his head coach to fall back on. He’s a very well-respected coach.
Josh McDaniels and Doug Marrone both have head coaching experience. McDaniels is an excellent OC who has built offenses in different guises. He was known to change the team’s identity from week to week. Six rings as an assistant or as an OC. Marrone is an outstanding offensive line coach, a stark contrast to the abysmal performance a year ago. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown has two years as an OC and was the Bears’ interim head coach last year.
The Front Seven Will Be A Wagon —
The Patriots’ defense took a big step back last year, especially the run defense. But Christian Barmore missed most of the season with blood clots. Ja’Whaun Bentley went down early in the season and went on IR. Kyle Dugger suffered an ankle injury that hobbled him all year, and Jabrill Peppers had an off-field incident that resulted in him missing most of the season.
That crippled the very middle of the Patriots’ defense, and the running defense dropped to 23rd. The third-down defense was a dismal 26th. In plus-minus, the team was 28th.
Barmore is back, and he is healthy and looks primed to have a big season. Next to him inside is Milton Williams, who the team backed up a Brinks truck with his new contract. With Vrabel’s attacking, aggressive (violent) defense, they won’t be two-gapping. They’ll be teeing off, penetrating, and disrupting plays in the backfield.
The linebackers, Robert Spillane, Jack Gibbens, and Christian Ellis, are a more athletic, faster group that will be expected to clean up. Spillane, in particular, seems a perfect fit for Vrabel’s defensive philosophy.
The Patriots were the worst at generating sacks last year, so they signed Harold Landry, who had his best season with Vrabel in Tennessee. He has 31.5 sacks in the past three seasons. They also added K’Lavon Chaisson, and possibly a steal in the draft with Bradyn Swinson. Keion White looks like he can be a big factor in this defense.
Secondary Looks Ready For A Huge Bounceback:
With no pass rush and having to cheat up in the running game, the secondary allowed opposing QBs to have a 96.9 passer rating, 26th in the NFL. Improvements up front and a new group of pass rushers should limit the time QBs have to throw.
Christian Gonzalez is rapidly becoming one of the league’s best corners. The Patriots signed Carlton Davis in free agency, giving them an outstanding duo at the perimeter. Marcus Jones returns as the slot corner and they experimented with a “big slot” with Alex Austin and Isaiah Bolden.
They’re loaded at safety with Dugger and Peppers returning. Marcus Epps, Jaylinn Hawkins, Del Pettus, and newcomer fourth-round pick Craig Woodson who can play free safety or the slot corner role.
Josh McDaniels Will Turn The Offense Around:
The Patriots offense has been moribund for years now. The last time they had a good productive offense was in 2021, which happened to be McDaniels last year as the OC. He took rookie QB Mac Jones and had an offense that was sixth in the league in scoring with 462 points. They scored 289 in 2024.
QB Drake Maye made some mistakes last season, but with a porous offensive line and a lack of weapons in the passing game, the deck was stacked against him. This year they’ve surrounded him with better (not great) weapons.
The team addressed tackle by drafting Will Campbell in the first round of the NFL Draft and added Morgan Moses in free agency. A new center in Garrett Bradbury was added. Michael Onwenu returns at right guard. The only position that is up for grabs is left guard.
The running game has Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson returning. And the addition of TreVeyon Henderson from the draft should produce some lightning in both the running and passing game. He has some incredible speed with home run ability.
Stefon Diggs (recovering from a torn ACL) and Mack Hollins were added in free agency and Kyle Williams in the draft. Williams should break the mold in the “Patriots can’t draft and develop WRs” theme. Demario Douglas will like the McDaniels offense. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper return at tight end and were arguably the most dependable targets that Maye had.
Yes, all signs point upward for the Patriots in 2025. They will be better in just about every facet of the game. Doubling their win total from last year, should be very attainable, and possibly more.
If the team can gell early, they have a good chance of starting the season off hot, which hasn’t been a thing in recent years. Are they better? You bet.
“Can’t hardly wait.”
_______________
“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel
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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)
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Indeed there is a ton of positives in the coaching staff being more experienced and the roster of players being much better. I’m excited for the long term prospectus. However, theres some caution flags out that the media is blowing right past. The Pats should double their wins to 8 easily, especially given the schedule. But how does it look? And do we really have to endure a media/fan freak out again if it’s a bit rough and ugly to start? It may be. The keys to this season rendering 8 or up to 11 wins, as many have speculated… Read more »
I have never met Aaron Rodgers, but after watching him all these years, I have seen his self-centered attitude and lack of on field leadership enough to opine that he is a locker room cancer. He was once talked up by the media as being on the same level as Brady and Manning. No way! I’d take Drew Brees over him too!
Agreed. I had heard Rogers wasn’t well liked in the clubhouse. He was highly athletically talented of arm and legs and could throw that ball, but that’s not what makes great QBs. Great QBs raise up the team and help cover up gaps. Great QBs adjust to the flow of the game and do what’s needed to win. Rogers won one SB. To me, you could even debate his HOF credentials. Brees better… hell yea.