Category Archives: Patriots News

Wednesday Patriots Notebook 4/25, Gronk Returning, Final Mock

Steve Balestrieri
April 25, 2018 at 8:30 am ET

Gronkowski Announcement Doesn’t Change Much:
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and his agent Drew Rosenhaus met with Bill Belichick on Tuesday telling the coach that he’s returning for the 2018 season. Adam Schefter reported this first on ESPN. This ends months of speculation that he may retire.

“It was very positive and Rob is committed,” Rosenhaus told Schefter.

Gronkowski then took to Instagram to announce his intentions:

Jeff Howe reported that just a few days ago, Gronkowski didn’t have a date to return and now he’s all in. Howe believes that Belichick issued him an ultimatum.

Regardless, it doesn’t change much for the Patriots needs wise in the draft this weekend. While they have Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, Troy Niklas, Jacob Hollister and Will Tye on the roster, they still have a need there as Gronkowski has committed to playing in 2018. The next question becomes, what happens in 2019? While the need may be significantly lower this year, they still may opt to address the position.

The interesting tidbit was that Schefter announced through a source that Gronkowski will not be traded in 2018. Just as an FYI, that is what was said about Jimmy Garoppolo.

Van Noy Tells Patriots Nation to Chill Out:
When the news of the Gronkowski “decision” was aired, Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy had some fun with it and laughingly told everyone to calm down and was hoping for the media to leave it alone as well.

Something tells us that more than one player will pipe in now in regards to this latest Gronkowski saga.

Patriots 4th and 2 Podcast Dates Upcoming:
Be sure to check out our Patriots 4th & 2 podcasts right after each day of the 2018 Draft and the guys will break down who the Patriots added through each round.

Final Mock Draft Has the Patriots Moving Up

The Patriots have several options in the upcoming draft on Thursday night. And while we all talk about “positions of need”, the fact of the matter is, with the roster as currently constructed (if healthy), they’d be okay. Obviously, there are questions of depth at LT (Waddle, Garcia) and at LB, but with Hightower, Langi and Rivers returning, that should help quite a bit.

For our final mock draft, we explored the buzz that has been making the rounds, that the Patriots may decide to move up in the draft. And much of the talk has centered around the #9 pick of the San Francisco 49ers. We’ve heard a ton of talk that John Lynch “owes Bill Belichick” for the Garoppolo trade and frankly that is not how it works. Lynch owes the Patriots nothing, both sides went into that deal with their eyes wide open. If Belichick dials the phone on Thursday night, Lynch will certainly listen but doesn’t owe him a thing.

The thought moving up to #9 centers around the QBs obviously but in researching it, the top QBs (Rosen, Allen, Mayfield, Darnold) were all gone. We looked into it with the hope that LB Roquan Smith or DE Bradley Chubb may still be on the board due to the QB feeding frenzy going on. That didn’t happen. However, there are still opportunities.  

So, for our final mock draft ( conducted 4-22), we still decided to explore a trade up. PatsFans Mock 4.0. We looked at pick #13 for the Washington Redskins. So in our mock, we made a deal with Washington. The Patriots slide up 10 spots and give the Redskins the #23 and #43 picks for Washington’s #13 and #109 in the 4th round, where the Patriots don’t have any picks. The value works out, Washington gets added value in the early second round and the Patriots get their move up as well as a pick in the 4th round. So who did they take?

Round 1, Pick #13 Quarterback, Lamar Jackson, Louisville:

Once the team decides (if Jackson is the guy) who their QB of the future is, then they have to go get him. The Patriots brought him in for an official visit on the sly and judging from their supposed interest, he could be a guy they are interested in. We’ll see.

Jackson is a tremendous athlete with incredible moves in the open field when forced to run and rushed for 3000 yards over the past two seasons. He has a cannon for an arm and threw for 57 touchdowns the past two seasons as well. He is still raw in the passing department but will have the time to work on his mechanics and learning the offense.

Belichick had his eyes opened last season by a rookie QB (Deshaun Watson) who is a mobile QB much like Jackson. Working with Josh McDaniels, Belichick and learning at the side of Tom Brady for the next couple of seasons should have him ready to go.

Round 1, Pick #31 LB, Malik Jefferson, Texas:

Jefferson is another one of those great athletes at the linebacker position and has the added advantage of being able to play on the inside or slide outside as an edge defender or blitzer off the corner. He’s good in coverage in both man or zone.

Jefferson is a great anticipatory player but is explosive, very athletic and a powerful tackler. He’ll learn to be a true off the ball linebacker and can be very effective.

Round 2 Pick # 63 Edge, Sam Hubbard, Ohio State:
We have said all along that Hubbard is a proto-typical Patriots type of edge defender.

He gives that needed depth on the edge, can step in and play at a high level on Day 1, can play either side so he’s versatile and can do a bit of everything.

To see our draft profile on him click here:

Round 3, Pick #95 OT, Jamarco Jones, Ohio State:

Jones was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes who have developed quite a pipeline for tackles in the NFL. Jones has good size at 6’5, 310 and is a very good pass blocker, and has shown the quick feet and agility to rarely get beat by speed rushers on the edge. He’ll need to get stronger and become more physical, especially in the running game at the next level but under the tutelage of Dante Scarnecchia, he’ll get there. With the Garcia news that he’s healthy and ready to go, Jones won’t be hard-pressed to produce as a rookie.

Round 4, Pick #109 S, Marcus Allen, Penn State:

Allen has great size (6’2, 215), and athleticism for the position. He was a starter since midway thru his freshman season and was one of the leaders of the defense. He’s one of the most physical safeties in the class and a big-time hitter

He can play deep but is best suited to be the player in waiting to replace Pat Chung in the box. Excellent in run support, can cover tight ends and will be a perfect player to play the LB slot in the Patriots “big nickel” package.

Round 6, Pick #198 Edge, Dorance Armstrong Jr., Kansas:

Armstrong had a tremendous 2016, with 20 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks as his coaches had him pinning his ears back. In 2017, going to a more read-and-react style, those numbers dropped to 9.5 TFL and just two sacks. But he has very good speed and a quick first step. Armstrong has dropped into coverage at times, something the Patriots ask their edge players to do occasionally. He’s a good, athletic player who tackles well but needs to add some bulk at the next level.

Round 6, Pick #210, CB, Arrion Springs, Oregon:

Springs has decent size at 6’0 and 205 pounds but was insanely productive for the Ducks with 42 passes defensed, including 17 in 2017 alone. He tracks the ball in the air as well as anyone. However, his top end speed isn’t great and looked a bit stiff when turning at times. He is very bowlegged which hurts his athleticism.

Round 7, Pick #219 RB, Jaylen Samuels, North Carolina State:

Samuels is a true jack of all trades, we wrote he is chameleon-like as he can do just about anything. He rushed for 404 yards and 12 touchdowns while being the leading receiver for the Wolfpack with 76 receptions for 597 yards and four scores. He’s a good route runner that played tight end in college, can run between the tackles and can do just about anything on the field. He’s a Bill Belichick type of guy.

Samuels draft profile that we wrote can be referenced here:

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.

New England Patriots News 4-22, AFC East Notes

Steve Balestrieri
April 22, 2018 at 5:00 am ET

Good morning, here are your Sunday’s Patriots news 4-22, & AFC East Notes

Quick Hitters: 

Rob Gronkowski had a bizarre press conference where he clearly was sending a message to Bill Belichick and it wasn’t a very pleasant one.

It has been said that Gronkowski wants a new deal, there are ways to get that without resorting to what transpired. It wasn’t an off-the-cuff remark, it was planned. Gronkowski’s dad was with him and laughing at his comments.  The Patriots gave him a long-term deal when his health was an issue. They backed him, and now he’s acting like the wronged party here. That could be a big miscalculation.

The weather this week for the Boston Marathon was hardly the ideal conditions for running that or any kind of race. A cold rain was falling with winds blowing right in the runners faces. Congratulations to all who participated in and finished this year’s race. The Patriots Marathon Team all finished this year and raised more than $223,000 for charity. Well done.

The 2018 NFL Schedule was released this week and of course the first thing everyone does is (and we’re all guilty of it), is to try to analyze the schedule and predict what the final outcome of the season will be. It is an exercise in futility of course. Before the draft, no one knows what the landscape across the league will look like yet.

But of course it never stops some, and the first on deck was the Washington Post to loudly proclaim that the Patriots once again have the easiest schedule in the league. Playing seven playoff teams and few others (Green Bay, Houston, and Detroit) who will no doubt again be in the mix hardly seems like a cupcake schedule, but it always seems that way. BTW the much-maligned AFC East had two playoff teams in both 2017 and 2016.

One thing that definitely stands out is the final month of the season, which is a carbon copy of the 2017 season. Road games at the Dolphins and the Steelers, followed by home games to finish the regular season versus the Bills and Jets.

James Harrison announced his retirement from the NFL this week, citing the desire to spend more time with his family. The long-time Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker was released at the end of the regular season and signed by the Patriots.

“I’ve missed way too much for way too long…and I’m done,” Harrison wrote on Instagram. “Many thanks to my family, coaches, the fans, and everyone who played a role in my football life.”

Despite having to learn the defense on the fly, Harrison played very effectively, logging nearly 90 percent of the defensive snaps in the Super Bowl, having arguably the best game of anyone on the team’s front seven.

Kudos to Johnny Manziel and his agent, with the draft upcoming, the media buzz around him has noticeably cooled from a few weeks ago. So Manziel just happened to have himself photographed wearing Patriots garb this week. No other team will garner such a visceral reaction on social media. And Bingo!, he’s news again. Well played.

Quoteworthy Belichick Tidbits:
Bill Belichick was in a presser speaking about the team-building process last week and had this gem, that puts his philosophy out there…in case anyone forgot.

“So the preseason schedule was released and I noticed that there are no games in May, June, or July. Preseason games are in August, so it doesn’t look like the regular season is going to start until September this year.”

Patriots Lose an Icon From the Booth:
Late in the week, we got the very sad news that long-time Patriots radio announcer Gil Santos had passed away on his 80th birthday and also his 57th wedding anniversary.

Santos was the final announcer from the old AFL days, having begun his stint with the Patriots as their color man during the 1966 season. In 1970, he took over as the play-by-play man for the Patriots thru the 1979 season. Working for WBZ, the station lost the rights to the Patriots games from 1980-1990 and Santos was out. However, in 1991, they regained the rights to the Patriots broadcasts and Santos would be the “Voice of the Patriots from 1991 thru the 2012 season.

His final game was the 2012 AFC Championship Game loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It was his 759th Patriots game called on the air. He is a member of the Patriots’ Team Hall of Fame as a contributor. He and partner Gino Cappelletti worked the booth from 1972-79 and again from 1990-2011 when Cappelletti retired and was replaced by Scott Zolak.

Santos rich baritone and always exquisite timing made him one of the very best in the business. From all accounts, he was a very gracious man who never made the moment about himself and had a manner of announcing that made the listener feel that they were right in the booth with them. No one who follows the Patriots can forget the final drive call of his from Super Bowl XXXVI which will remain an icon for the team and the fans.

For a guy who saw the very lean years in the late ‘60s and early ‘90s to finally see the team win their first of five Super Bowls was one of those moments that transcend just the call of a football game. Santos was one of us and you could hear the emotion in his voice as well as Cappelletti, who played in those years. “Well New England, you have the best football team in the world now.”

Growing up in that era, Boston was blessed with some of the best radio voices ever. Santos covering the Patriots, Bob Wilson with the Bruins, Ned Martin calling the Red Sox and Johnny Most covering the Celtics. There were too many school nights to recall where we’d turn an old transistor radio down way low while we were supposed to be sleeping on a school night to hear Wilson or Martin calling a game from the West Coast.

Santos was a frequent guest in the family car on fall weekends when we’d travel to see relatives who lived all over the New England area. His work never changed whether the team was very good or very bad and many times in-between. The mark of a true professional. For those who may have missed it, I’d recommend the book Santos and Cappelletti wrote, “A View from the Booth” which was a great look behind the scenes.  

RIP Gil and thanks for so many great memories. And a call I never get tired of listening to, thanks to Kliff Kingsbury:

Decisions, Decisions, Trying to Decipher What the Pats Will Do in Round 1:
The Patriots have a lot of draft capital in the upcoming draft with two picks in both the first and second rounds. Now everyone is trying to predict what the team will do with all of that capital.

Will they trade up for an elite prospect or one of the quarterbacks, stay put at 23 and 31 and draft some impact players that will immediately help the team or trade back to acquire more draft capital for the middle-to-late rounds. One thing does appear certain, that the team will at one point trade back since they don’t have any picks in the fourth or fifth rounds.

Just some history here, this will be the 14th time in the Patriots history, (if they keep the picks) that they’ll use two or more picks in the first round. Back in the 1970s, the team under Chuck Fairbanks drafted exceptionally well. He had two (2), three pick first rounds taking John Hannah, Sam Cunningham and Darryl Stingley in 1973, And Mike Haynes, Pete Brock and Tim Fox in 1976. Fairbanks then drafted Raymond Clayborn and Stanley Morgan in the first round of 1977.

Bill Belichick has dipped twice in the first round on two different occasions. He took Vince Wilfork and Benjamin Watson in 2004 and Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower in the 2012 NFL Draft. How he decides to proceed on April 26, will depend on how the board plays out. But if he does decide to move up, two slots to keep an eye on are #9 currently held by the 49ers and # 14 held by the Packers. It should be quite an interesting night this week.

Team Hall of Fame Finalists Announced:
The Patriots announced their finalists for the 2018 Team Hall of Fame. All three were teammates on the early 2000’s three-time Super Bowl winning teams. Matt Light, Richard Seymour, and Mike Vrabel are this year’s finalists.

This is the first time for Light to be named a finalist while Seymour is a finalist for the second straight year, while Vrabel is a finalist for the third straight year.

Fans can vote at patriots.com/2018hof through May 14. The Pats will announce the 2018 Patriots Hall of Fame selection that week.  

One interesting footnote is that if Vrabel were to get selected, he’d be the first former player, who also happened to be a head coach of a team the Patriots would play later in the season.

The Patriots have the only team Hall of Fame that is elected by the fan base, which is both a positive and a negative in the process. However, this year’s selection will be the 27th player or contributor to enter the team’s Hall. From the Pats’ website, the following greats are listed in alphabetical order and the year that they were inducted.

Houston Antwine (2015)
Bruce Armstrong (2001)
Raymond Clayborn (2017)
Drew Bledsoe (2011)
Troy Brown (2012)
Tedy Bruschi (2013)
Nick Buoniconti (1992)
Gino Cappelletti (1992)
Ben Coates (2008)
Sam Cunningham (2010)
Bob Dee (1993)
Kevin Faulk (2016)
Steve Grogan (1995)
John Hannah (1991)
Mike Haynes (1994)
Jim Lee Hunt (1993)
Ty Law (2014)
Willie McGinest (2015)
Stanley Morgan (2007)
Jon Morris (2011)
Jim Nance (2009)
Steve Nelson (1993)
Vito “Babe” Parilli (1993)
Andre Tippett (1999)

Contributors:
William H. “Billy” Sullivan, Jr. (2009)
Gil Santos (2013)

Eastbound and Down…AFC East Notes:

Who Comes Up With This Stuff? Bills Already Picked to Be Worst:
The Buffalo Bills were a playoff team in 2017 but according to ESPN’s Mike Clay, they should stay home in 2018 because according to him, the Bills will own the #1 pick as the NFL’s worst team this season. This is before the draft takes place.

Buffalo made great strides in 2017 and own five draft picks in the first 65 of the upcoming draft…but that didn’t let stop him from predicting the bottom to fall out. Clay didn’t stop there, he picked Buffalo to finish 2-14 along with Miami. And the Jets? Clay gives them a whopping four wins at 4-12. So the Bills and Jets will have the top two picks in 2019 with the Jets picking fourth. Wow.

And for anyone keeping score at home, Clay last year reported that Bills’ secondary was the fifth worst positional grouping in the NFL.

Dolphins Fans Remain Optimistic Despite Lackluster Predictions:
The Miami Dolphins as referenced above by ESPN’s Clay were picked to finish 2-14, they were considerably better in ESPN’s Mike Rodak prediction going 8-8 improving from last year’s 6-10.

The Palm Beach Post’s Jason Lieser also went thru the Dolphins’ slate also going with a 8-8 record, predicting a New England Patriots sweep this season while predicting a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Meanwhile, Dolphins fans were feeling much more confident than Clay, (they may not want to see his piece). Going thru each game, Dolphins fans picked how they saw the season playing out and gave the Fins a very respectable 10-6 record. A couple of surprises there as 79 percent feel that the Fins will beat the Titans in Week 1. In a close pick they mainly feel confident against the Jaguars 51-49, but much so against the Patriots at home, 64 percent predict a win.

Mayfield to the Jets Gaining Momentum:
The New York Jets with less than a week to go before the draft are still looking for that elusive franchise quarterback. And the rumors that they are going to go for Baker Mayfield over Josh Allen, who they just had in for a visit. We’re not going to lie, Mayfield would be a fun fit in New York and with his fiery demeanor would immediately put the Patriots – Jets rivalry right back where it should be. Thursday night can’t get here fast enough.

In other news, longtime Jets standout offensive lineman Nick Mangold announced his retirement. And the team announced that they have picked up the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.

Patriots Draft History: The 1998 Season Of Robert Edwards

Robert Alvarez
April 20, 2018 at 9:00 am ET

Entering the 1998 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots were a team in transition.

One season removed from the abrupt departure of Bill Parcells after Super Bowl XXXI, the Patriots were very much still a contending team in 1997. Winning 10 games and a playoff game under new head coach Pete Carroll, but the team was thrown for an unexpected loop when star running back Curtis Martin entered free agency the following offseason and signed with the rival New York Jets, coached by Parcells.

Martin’s departure from Foxborough was filled with controversy when the Jets and Parcells discovered a free agency loophole that prevented the Patriots from matching their offer. In response, the Patriots filed a complaint with the NFL that claimed the Jets offer violated the terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement at that time. The league agreed with the Patriots and as compensation, the Pats were given the Jets first and third round picks in the 1998 draft. 

Now armed with the Jets pick at 18th overall, the Patriots and Carroll began the replacement process for Martin heading into 1998 and beyond.

On draft day, April 18th 1998, two running backs were taken before the Patriots selection, Curtis Enis of Penn State University went to the Chicago Bears at five and Fred Taylor of The University of Florida went ninth to Jacksonville.

At 18, the Patriots selected University of Georgia running back Robert Edwards. Edwards was coming off a strong senior season where he set a school record with five rushing touchdowns in one game. However, Edwards battled injuries throughout his college career that prevented him from ever playing a full season, but the Patriots took a chance and took advantage of his decreased draft stock.

Edwards would have an immediate impact on the 1998 Patriots, scoring at least one rushing touchdown in seven of the teams first eight games during the teams 5-3 start. Edwards set a rookie record for most consecutive games (six) with a touchdown to start his career.

At the seasons midway point, Edwards rushed for 580 yards, and seven touchdowns to go along with an additional 17 receptions for 169 yards and a receiving touchdown.

The 1998 Patriots settled for a wild card spot and a 9-7 record at the conclusion of the 1998 season. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered a broken finger in the final two regular season games and was replaced by backup quarterback Scott Zolak, who went 1-1 in relief.

Edwards meanwhile would continue to be a reliable weapon the remainder of the season, finishing 1998 with 1,115 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 35 receptions for 331 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He started 15 of the final 16 regular season games.

Highlights courtesy @fearthe_beard11

Although the Patriots would be eliminated in the wild card playoffs by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Edwards was rewarded for his successful rookie campaign with an invite to Hawaii for the annual rookie flag football game during Pro Bowl week.

In what was intended to be a fun conclusion to his first professional season quickly turned into a nightmare.

Edwards, while diving to breakup a pass, dislocated his knee in a gruesome fall to the sand.

WARNING: Graphic Video. 

Video courtesy jfstoyaz

“It was discovered that Edwards’s anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments were all completely torn. A fourth ligament was nearly shredded. In addition, he suffered severe nerve damage and a severed artery that had to be repaired immediately. One doctor said it looked as though Edwards’s knee had been hit by a hand grenade” as told by David Naylor in a 2005 feature on Edwards in Toronto’s The Globe And Mail.

“In 24 years as the Patriots’ team doctor, it is one of the worst injuries I’ve ever seen,”  Patriots team doctor Bertram Zarins told Naylor. “But he was very determined to get back and worked harder than anyone I’d ever seen.”

NFL Commissioner Paul Taligabue cancelled all future beach events at the Pro Bowl in response to the injury.

Edwards was fortunate enough to escape any amputation on his knee, but his future in New England was in serious doubt.

Edwards would miss the entire 1999 and 2000 seasons while rehabilitating his knee. He returned to the practice field in June of 2001 and participated in the Patriots mini-camp.

Unfortunately his hard work wasn’t enough, and Edwards was waived by the Patriots at the end of training camp in late August 2001.

“This in no way detracts from the remarkable accomplishments Robert has achieved through two years of dedication and commitment,” Bill Belichick said in a statement. “He has our lasting respect and admiration and his story will always be an inspiration to everyone. We just reached the point where we ran out of time.”

In speaking with The Globe And Mail, Edwards has no regrets for what happened with the Patriots.

“I think my story has helped a lot of people,” Edwards said. “There’s situations I’ve talked to kids or different people, people who call and say my son needs some inspiration, will you please call him. And I don’t think it’s done yet. It’s yet to be finished.”

“I was always taught that no matter how bad something is, something good has to come of it if you have faith.”

In November 2001, Edwards made significant gains in his rehab and returned to New England to try and win his job back, it didn’t happen.

“I think they were in shock that I went through the workouts like I’d never been hurt,” he said. “I felt like I was back.”

Edwards didn’t give up hope and returned to Foxboro during 2002 training camp, but suffered another setback when he endured a groin injury unrelated to his knee and was cut for a second time.

His 2002 season proved to be his last in the NFL, but managed to earn a spot and play in 12 games for the Miami Dolphins, scoring a rushing and receiving touchdown in his debut. For his efforts, Edwards was awarded the Pro Football Writers Association Halas Award for his comeback.

Edwards would go north of the border to the Canadian Football League from 2005-2008, splitting time with the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonaunts but finding a resurgence in the process.

Edwards was the Alouettes leading rusher in his first two seasons and was named a CFL Eastern Division All Star both times, his CFL career would end in January 2008 following a release by the Argonaunts.

Presently, Edwards can be found in his home state of Georgia coaching high school football in Greene County.

When asked if he ever thinks about what could have been with coach Belichick and the Patriots, Edwards told The Globe and Mail;

“I’m happy for [the Patriots].”

“But God had different things for me, so I continue to think that way. I know I missed out on a lot of big contracts. I just stay humble and continue to work hard and go out and do the best I can.”

Julian Edelman Wishes James Harrison Good Luck Following Retirement

Robert Alvarez
April 17, 2018 at 9:13 pm ET

On Monday, linebacker James Harrison formally announced his retirement from the NFL after 15 NFL seasons with a posting on his Instagram account.

Today, teammate Julian Edelman sent some good luck wishes to his former teammate and fellow Kent State alum over social media.

Podcast: Patriots 4th & 2 Video Interview with BSJ Greg Bedard

Steve Balestrieri
April 16, 2018 at 11:05 am ET

The PatsFans.com  podcast, “Patriots 4th & 2” did a video podcast of an interview we did with Boston Sports Journal’s founder Greg Bedard late last week as we spoke about the upcoming NFL Draft.

We also took a look at where the roster is and tried to get a feel for how the Patriots will proceed in the first two rounds of the draft.

You can click on the link to take you to the video, it will also be released later as just an audio podcast soon on our BlogTalkRadio site.

We also encourage our readers to subscribe to our YouTube channel and to our podcasts.

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.

New England Patriots News 4-15, AFC East Notes

Steve Balestrieri
April 15, 2018 at 5:00 am ET

Good morning, here are your Sunday’s Patriots news 4-15, & AFC East Notes

Quick Hitters: Some interesting NFL news this week, the league waves goodbye to those hideously awful “color rush” uniforms for Thursday night contests. Perhaps the only thing worse than the uniforms were the awful slate of games that fans were subjected to. Here’s hoping for a much better 2018 slate.

The league wants an independent investigator to look into the concussion settlement with the players, claiming that there is rampant fraud on-going isn’t a good look for the league or the players association.

And the Dez Bryant release by the Cowboys and reports that wants to play in the NFC East to play Dallas twice a year, makes for some interesting times ahead. Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal penned a piece earlier this week stating he’d be a great one-year rental for the Patriots. But now, that probably won’t happen.

The Patriots conducted a pre-draft press conference on Friday morning and Bill Belichick talked about how the team would prepare for the draft by conducting some in-house mock drafts to prepare themselves for the volatility of the draft boards.

He also spoke about trying to draft for need. “You can’t manufacture a guy. It’s a name on the board right now. Until that player gets on the field and performs, then you never really know for sure what that’s going to be.”

“You start talking about the third guard and the second corner, the third guard and the eighth corner, or however those grades will line up,” Belichick said. “Or, you talk about players that are specialty-type players, role players that are maybe very good at a certain role but they’re not three-down players. What are their values relative to other players who may be three-down players with a lesser skillset?”

The Patriots always move around the draft board with trades up and down and this year with two picks in each of the first two rounds promises to be an interesting time to watch how they approach those rounds.

Martellus Bennett had an interesting story on Belichick and his meticulous approach to game planning. Appearing on Fox Sports, Bennett spoke about a game against Buffalo.

“We’re getting ready to play against the Buffalo Bills. The scouting report on the Buffalo Bills punter is he doesn’t have the best hands, and it’s going to be raining,” Bennett said.

“So at practice we practice the punter dropping the ball, scooping and scoring because Bill’s like ‘it’s going to happen in the game.’ And I’m like ‘yeah, well, it might happen.’ You know how coaches say something, everyone’s doing it, right? Well, sure enough on Sunday, it’s drizzling and he drops the ball.”

Bennett was then asked if the Patriots scored.  “No, we didn’t do what (Belichick) said. But on the sideline, I looked at him like, ‘who is this guy?’ All the little things like that he prepares us. I don’t think there’s another team better at situational football.”

Garcia and Rivers are Kind of Hidden Draft Picks in 2018:
Last year the Patriots top two draft picks (taken at #83 and #85 overall) Edge Player Derek Rivers and Tackle Tony Garcia were both lost for the season during training camp and if not for Deatrich Wise, their 2017 draft would’ve been of zero help.

Tony Garcia blocks Kony Ealy during Patriots minicamp 2017. (SBalestrieri photo)

Now they both Garcia and Rivers are slated to return and ready to compete. While they didn’t play any meaningful snaps in 2017, both were able to sit in the meetings and probably have a much better idea of the Patriots system this year.

Garcia spoke with Greg Bedard last week and said he’s feeling the best, he’s ever felt, and his weight is back up to 290 (his playing weight at Troy). He and LaAdrian Waddle will no doubt be competing for the starting role this summer of the Patriots left tackle position vacated by Nate Solder.

Derek Rivers returns ready to go in 2018. SBalestrieri photo

Rivers, who came from Division 2 Youngstown State, seemed a bit overwhelmed in the first few days of training camp. But once he got used to the speed of the NFL game, you could see the light gradually coming on and just as he was starting to flash a bit, was injured during a joint practice against the Texans.

This year I could see Rivers in kind of a hybrid OLB/DE role on the edge in the sub-packages, at least initially and see if he can maybe vie for a starting role later during the season.

Rivers doing an interview after an early TC practice. (SBalestrieri photo)

Nate Solder’s Letter to New England Perfectly Stated:
Former Patriots left tackle Nate Solder and now New York Giant penned a large thank you letter to the Patriots coaches, front office and fans this week and it was a poignant, heart-wrenching account of his son’s struggles with cancer and what he and his wife were going thru behind the scenes.

The characterization of the Patriots of this cold, hard-hearted organization takes a backseat to how he describes how Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels allowed him to miss team meetings to be with his son during his cancer treatments.

It is a must-read piece by Solder and gives the reader a real up-close look at the man behind the number. The Giants are getting a very good player and Solder. They are getting an even better man.

Patriots Offer to Amendola, Wasn’t Close to Miami’s:  
Danny Amendola returned to New England this week and he was the featured guest of the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” event at Merrimack College, where ESPN’s Mike Reiss rode with him to the event.

Danny Amendola at training camp 2017. SBalestrieri photo

Amendola was very forthcoming in the piece, talking about his contract, “When free agency broke, I came to the realization that he wasn’t going to really come close to any of the other offers I had,” he said. “I had to make a decision for my family and go down to Miami and continue my career there.”

And then about the Malcolm Butler benching,  “I have my thoughts about it because I was out there putting my blood, sweat, and tears out on the field that night, and one of our best players wasn’t on the field,” he told Reiss.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know why. I did ask, but I didn’t get any answers. I can’t make decisions like that, so I don’t necessarily worry about it, but I know Malcolm is a great player and he could have helped us win. For whatever reason, he wasn’t out there. He’s going to play more football in his career, and he’s going to be a great player for a long time.”

But at the event, Amendola called Belichick, “the best coach to ever coach in the game” and even said that he respected the hard work that went into getting to the Super Bowl. “I didn’t like practicing in the snow, I didn’t like practicing in the rain, but that was going to make us a better football team and that was going to make me a better football player. It wasn’t easy, and he’d be the first to admit, at the [Super Bowl] ring ceremony, that it wasn’t easy playing for him. The silver lining was that we were at the ring ceremony.”

Jordan Matthews Signing Keeps Looking Better:
The signing of former Bills and Eagles WR Jordan Matthews continues to look better and better on paper as we wait for the off-season workouts to start. Matthews bet on himself, knowing how tough a place New England is to play, and with the Patriots already having a slew of wide receivers on the roster, he picked the Patriots.

He spoke AL.com about his decision this week and said, “I don’t feel like I’m called to be comfortable, and I knew this would be a great place for me to grow, not only as a player, but as a man in general.”

“When I walked into the building I could feel that there was an aura of ‘Let’s get better every day,'” Matthews said. “I think sometimes in the offseason it’s easy to kind of slip into that kind of monotonous mindset and just saying, ‘OK, we’re just bringing people in,’ or whatever. But there was a lot of intentionality during the visit. They were very detailed. They were very specific with me on what they thought about me and areas that they thought I could grow in. I appreciated that more than anything. I appreciated that type of honesty.”

Matthews knows how tough the Patriots’ offense can be to pick up, but having played at Vanderbilt, considered the “Harvard of the South” he should be plenty smart enough. He also knows that with a solid 2018 season, he’s setting himself up for a nice payday.

Matthews was a very productive receiver for the Eagles, averaging 75 catches a year for three years before being traded to Buffalo last year. He was injured three times and his production plummeted. But it takes two to tango. A receiver has to have an innovative system and a good QB to be productive. Buffalo had neither last year. He can play outside the numbers or in the slot so, he’s a guy we’ll be looking at closely this summer.

Eastbound and Down…AFC East Notes:

McCoy Wants the Bills to Sign Dez Bryant
The Buffalo Bills definitely need help at wide receiver, right now having only Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones and Andre Holmes on the roster. With A.J. McCarron and no doubt a rookie QB on the roster this summer, adding a veteran WR would definitely help whoever is under center. This is why RB LeSean McCoy is stepping up.

McCoy tweeted out asking Bills management to sign recently released Dallas Cowboys’ WR Dez Bryant. He doesn’t seem to be a fit, either in the Buffalo offense or in the city but he does make things intriguing if the Bills would throw their hat into the ring.

Richie Incognito had stated earlier this week that due to physical ailments that he was retiring. “I’m done. That’s it. It’s been a long career. Went to the doctor. My liver and kidneys are shutting down. The stress is killing me. It’s just about doing what’s right. I just want to be in the Hall of Fame.”

Now he’s saying that he’ll be at the Bills off-season workouts starting on Monday. This too will bear watching tomorrow.

Dolphins Bringing in Kenny Vaccaro for an FA Visit:
There are still some quality free agents out there despite the draft being right around the corner. The  Miami Dolphins are bringing in former Saints first-round pick Kenny Vaccaro for a free agent visit. The Fins are pretty much set at safety with Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald and courting Vaccaro, while a high impact player, doesn’t really have a position to fill unless they envision him in a role that the Patriots characterize as the “big nickel” in a linebacker kind of slot.

Vaccaro, 6’0, 214 pounds, had played that type of role as well as nickel, strong safety, and free safety while with the New Orleans Saints.  

Even more intriguing is that ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Dolphins drafting another safety, FSU’s Kerwin James in the first round. That would be a surprise. However, what isn’t a surprise is that the Dolphins struggle covering tight ends, especially Rob Gronkowski.

But Vaccaro was smoked for a pair of touchdowns last year during Week 2 by Gronkowski, hardly the only one that has happened to, however.

Latest Kiper Mock Has Jets Taking Rosen:
The New York Jets moved up in the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft to the #3 spot in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts and now the only question is, which QB will they draft. And Mel Kiper is sticking with Josh Rosen.

Kiper has stuck with his guns all winter long and has been touting Rosen as the next franchise QB for the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. Many draft pundits have been touting Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield for Gang Green.

Each has their strong points, and Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy winner makes some people pause with his offbeat persona but he’s a tremendous talent. The first round of the draft is shaping up to be a very intriguing night. In our humble opinion, Mayfield would be a great fit in New York and has the persona to handle the rough times.  

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.

ICYMI: Tom Brady Praises Lamar Jackson With Instagram Comment

Robert Alvarez
April 13, 2018 at 10:00 am ET

Since its 2018, whenever quarterback Tom Brady makes comments or posts on social media, it garners attention.

It happened again on Wednesday when the quarterback commented on a posting about Louisville quarterback and former Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson as a potential draft target by the New England Patriots.

https://twitter.com/ByKevinDillon/status/984271350725533696?tfw_creator=NESN&tfw_site=nesn&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnesn.com%2F2018%2F04%2Fdid-tom-brady-endorse-lamar-jackson-as-eventual-successor-on-patriots%2F

“He’s a beast” Brady said in response to a comment made by Deion Sanders.

Is this an official Brady endorsement for his future replacement? Or is he just being a nice, truthful guy?

Whatever it may be, its apparent Brady likes what Jackson could offer the Patriots heading into the future should he be available. Currently Jackson is projected by many to be drafted late in the first round, where the Patriots currently sit at 23 overall.

Jackson took note to Brady’s response a short time later.

https://twitter.com/Lj_era8/status/984280699380346880?tfw_creator=NESN&tfw_site=nesn&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnesn.com%2F2018%2F04%2Fdid-tom-brady-endorse-lamar-jackson-as-eventual-successor-on-patriots%2F

Matthews Requested Permission From Amendola For New Patriots Jersey Number

Robert Alvarez
at 9:30 am ET

Speaking with the media on Thursday, newly signed wide receiver Jordan Matthews revealed his jersey number that has a very familiar and successful recent history with the franchise.

Matthews, who wore 81 in Philadelphia and 87 in Buffalo, selected the newly open 80, but only after requesting permission from its previous holder, Danny Amendola.

“He said I could have it. I have a lot of respect for his game,” Matthews told reporters

“I know what he did here. I don’t think you have to get a number retired and all that stuff to understand you need to have respect for what guys do in a place like this. They call him ‘Danny Playoff,’ and I think he earned that nickname. I just wanted to make sure, ‘Hey, is this cool?’ He said it was.”

According to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, Matthews had met Amendola previously at Sam Bradford’s wedding.

Matthews, who wore 87 last year and in college at Vanderbilt University, had the following to say regarding that number.

It didn’t take long for Matthews to update his Twitter account with the new changes.

Matthews will share a number with previous successful Patriots such as Troy Brown and Irving Fryar in addition to Amendola.

Matthews signed a one-year, $1-million dollar contact that includes just $170,000 in guaranteed money but can earn an additional $700,000 in incentives in 2018.

New England Patriots Mock Draft 3.0, Building Depth on Defense

Steve Balestrieri
at 9:25 am ET

 

Most Draft Boards Are Starting To Stabilize

The Patriots have several options for the first two rounds in the upcoming draft that begins on April 26. They may opt to move up to take a quarterback to eventually succeed Tom Brady, stand pat with their picks or slide back, something they’ve done quite often.

While most people had the Patriots taking a tackle early if not in the first round of the draft, we felt that was not going to be the case. After investing in Tony Garcia last year and bringing back LaAdrian Waddle, our take is that they may draft one, but more for depth. Now with the news that Garcia is fully ready to go, we’ll double down with that.

For our third mock draft, we didn’t do any trading to move up or down the draft board, however, the feeling is that the Patriots will be moving around the board. They currently have no 4th or 5th round draft picks, and that will undoubtedly change. But we went with building the depth especially on defense with two linebackers, two edge players and a corner. Future concerns at QB and TE were addressed, and the latter is ready to produce immediately.

We have been using the draft tool that the folks at Fanspeak.com that we’ve been touting for awhile and it is really good and highly recommended.

In their “On the Clock” simulator, you are the GM for any NFL team. You can choose how many rounds you’d like to draft for (1-7), and pick one of several big boards to choose from. The boards are all updated every Tuesday.

The big boards for each site differ and the site has a random selection process that picks for the other 31 teams based upon the best player available and team needs that are constantly updated until it is your time to pick.

For this third mock draft (4-12), I used the big board of NFL Draft Scout.

Here is our third mock draft attempt this year: PatsFans Mock 3.0

Round 1, Pick #23 Linebacker Rashaan Evans, Alabama:

Once again Evans was still on the board at #23 and was too good a prospect to pass up. He has tremendous speed, range, and agility. Evans was the Alabama team leader in tackles, flies around the field from sideline to sideline, can cover, blitz off the edge and stuff the run. A Day 1 starter and the kind of sure-hit player the Patriots like to take in Round 1. Subsequent rounds are for reaches Read our draft profile on him here:

Round 1, Pick #31 CB, Mike Hughes, Central Florida:

Hughes is a very good press man, lock-down corner, despite not having great size, (5’10, 195-pounds) has the mentality and skill to be a very good corner at the next level. He is a physical corner that is adept at throwing receivers off their timing and is a very good tackler and run defender. He’s a versatile player with special teams value, returning a kickoff, punt and interception for touchdowns in 2017.

Round 2, Pick #43 TE, Mark Andrews, Oklahoma:
The Patriots could use an eventual replacement for Rob Gronkowski and Andrews has the same qualities as a receiver, with excellent hands, the ability to stretch the field and attack the seams and is an absolute mismatch against linebackers and most safeties.  Andrews has good size at 6’4, 254 pounds, who won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end catching 62 passes for 958 yards and eight touchdowns for the Sooners. He’s not a great blocker…yet, but with some coaching can improve there.

Round 2 Pick # 63 QB, Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State:
Rudolph has the boxes checked with the prototypical size of NFL QBs at 6’4, 230 pounds and was a four-year starter for the Cowboys in their spread, up-tempo passing game. He throws an excellent deep ball with very nice touch and ball placement. The knock on him is that he played in a very simplified system and had a tendency to stare down his receivers. He’ll have to learn to process faster in the NFL and go thru his progressions, something he’ll have time to learn behind Brady.

Round 3, Pick #95 OT, Jamarco Jones, Ohio State:

Jones was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes who have developed quite a pipeline for tackles in the NFL. Jones has good size at 6’5, 310 and is a very good pass blocker, and has shown the quick feet and agility to rarely get beat by speed rushers on the edge. He’ll need to get stronger and become more physical, especially in the running game at the next level but under the tutelage of Dante Scarnecchia, he’ll get there. With the Garcia news that he’s healthy and ready to go, Jones won’t be hard-pressed to produce as a rookie.

Round 6, Pick #198 Edge, Dorance Armstrong Jr., Kansas:

Armstrong had a tremendous 2016, with 20 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks as his coaches had him pinning his ears back. In 2017, going to a more read-and-react style, those numbers dropped to 9.5 TFL and just two sacks. But he has very good speed and a quick first step. Armstrong has dropped into coverage at times, something the Patriots ask their edge players to do occasionally. He’s a good, athletic player who tackles well but needs to add some bulk at the next level.

Round 6, Pick #210 LB, Kenny Young, UCLA:

Young is an undersized, speedy, athletic linebacker who may be a candidate for the “big nickel” linebacker role the Patriots like to run in their sub-packages. He’s got plenty of speed and athleticism to play sideline-to-sideline and cover backs and tight ends in the passing game. However, he lacks the bulk and strength (6’1,236) to play on every down. He may be a Special Teams player first and work his way into a subpackage role.

Round 7, Pick #219 Edge, Joe Ostman, Central Michigan:

Ostman is a guy who’s draft profile is all over the place. While most have him as a 6th-7th round draft pick, others have him as high as a 3rd-4th round selection. He’s a high-motor, slightly undersized edge player at 6’2, 250 pounds that wins with second effort. He uses his hands well and possesses a nice spin move. He was very productive in the MAC but will have to get stronger at the next level.

Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]

Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.

PHOTO: Brady Family Visits Qatar

Robert Alvarez
April 12, 2018 at 9:15 pm ET

“Where in the world is Tom Brady?” could become a series every Patriots offseason.

On Twitter Thursday, it was revealed that Tom, his wife Gisele, and children Ben and Vivan, traveled halfway around the world to Doha, Qatar as part of a special event with Tom’s primary charity Best Buddies.

A press release was provided from Best Buddies founder Anthony Kennedy Shriver.

“Tom Brady has served as an exemplary Global Ambassador for Best Buddies since 2003, and has helped bring an even greater awareness to the infinite abilities people with intellectual and developmental disabilities possess,” said Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Best Buddies International. “Tom has proven himself to be a committed advocate for individuals with disabilities, always going above and beyond the call of duty to help promote a world of inclusion and opportunity for this population. Tom’s work in Qatar on behalf of Best Buddies will change lives for the better.”

“During his visit to Qatar, Tom Brady will be hosted by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani to some of the country’s most prestigious national gems and historic landmarks which includes the Museum of Islamic Art; a visit to Al Shaqab, an ultramodern equestrian facility; Khalifa International Stadium and a trip to enjoy the spectacular landscapes in Qatar’s sealine desert and will conclude by attending the opening ceremony of Qatar National Library.”

You can find out more details on Brady’s trip and updates on the Best Buddies website.