The Patriots shared new footage from the Super Bowl LIII ring party on Friday over social media.
Check out the video below containing a few players and coaches discussing the importance of their Super Bowl LIII championship ring.
Video courtesy: Patriots.com
Malcolm Mitchell continues to show love and appreciation for the New England Patriots.
On Twitter this week, Mitchell sent out tweets reflecting back on his short, but memorable time in Foxborough, calling the Patriots one of his “guardian angels”.
The tweets come on the heels of an injury grievance he filed against the Patriots back in September.
Mitchell was cut in August 2018 without an injury designation, so he didn’t receive any of his $630,000 season salary and is seeking full recoupment.
His NFL career started strong, finishing with 401 yards receiving on 32 receptions and four touchdowns in 14 games played in 2016.
Mitchell also had a key role in Super Bowl LI, hauling in six of his seven targets for 70 yards during the historic comeback. Five of those receptions came in the fourth quarter.
His biggest play of the game came on a 12-yard catch that resulted in a first down on third-and-11.
The reception helped set up a touchdown and two-point conversion that trimmed the Patriot deficit to 28-20.
Since his promising rookie season Mitchell has battled knee injuries, including one that sidelined him the entire 2017 season.
His injury history dates back even further to his time at the University of Georgia.
Mitchell tore his ACL in 2013 and suffered another knee injury in 2014.
The Patriots elected to cut ties with Mitchell when it became apparent his knee issues were going to linger into 2018.
“He did everything he could. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work out…I don’t know how he could have put in any more than he did,” head coach Bill Belichick said last August.
ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss caught up with Mitchell in his native Valdosta, GA before Super Bowl LIII.
“I’m still motivated, I’m still encouraged, I’m recovering — the last surgery totaled out to be No. 10, and it takes a little while to come back from it,” Mitchell told ESPN.com. “But I am working my way back. And I’ll be back.”
Despite the legal matters and recovery process, Mitchell still keeps in touch with old teammates and holds no ill feelings towards the franchise that drafted him.
“I still have New England in my heart. I think I always will, Jonathan Jones and I were great friends even before we ended up on the same team. On New Year’s, I texted everyone, from Devin McCourty, to Matthew Slater, to Tom, to Julian [Edelman]. I know Danny [Amendola] isn’t on the team any more, but we still talk. It’s fun. Duron Harmon has been a huge encouragement. So I try to keep those relationships. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be there.”
During his time away from the football field, Mitchell remains active in the community as an advocate for the importance of reading, including an author of multiple children’s books.
With four wide receivers hitting free agency this off season, perhaps the Patriots haven’t seen the last of Malcolm Mitchell.
The New England Patriots released more behind the scenes Super Bowl LIII video this week.
Check out how Matthew Slater, Sony Michel, Dont’a Hightower, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, Julian Edelman and Rex Burkhead celebrated on the field in Atlanta.
Video courtesy, New England Patriots YouTube Channel.
The New England Patriots released the fourth and final episode of “Do Your Job”, a documentary series.
In the final episode, the Patriots pull back the curtain and share how the organization prepared for its trip to Atlanta for the Super Bowl.
From hotel arrangements to equipment transportation, check out the conclusion to the behind the scenes series below.
Special teams captain Matthew Slater, again provides narration.
Video courtesy, The New England Patriots.
Patriots Report Card In Super Bowl LIII Win Over LA
Nobody saw that kind of low-scoring game playing out, but Bill Belichick and Brian Flores put together a masterful game plan and totally shut down the Rams offense, which was the #2 scoring unit in the league, holding them to nearly 30 points below their weekly average.
Julian Edelman was the most uncoverable receiver on the field and very much deserved the MVP Award, although the Patriots offense moved the ball well all night long, they couldn’t finish drives. But they found a way to win late and that’s what champions do, And the duck boats are gearing up for a parade on Tuesday morning. Super Bowl win #6 is a testament to how teams win victories and not always the more talented.
So, check out our grades and see how the team fared in this week’s blowout win:
Tom Brady didn’t have the eye-popping numbers 21-35 for 262 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT in the game as the Rams did a very good job of mixing things up and changing coverages especially after the Patriots would cross mid-field.
While Brady didn’t get hit a lot, the Rams did have pressure and were all around him enough to influence many of his throws. So, while the Patriots could move the ball consistently, they weren’t able to finish drives. Until crunch time.
With the game tied at 3-3 with ten minutes to go, that’s when Brady engineered a perfect drive where he made it look easy. First, he lobbed a perfectly drop in the bucket to Rob Gronkowski for 18 yards to get the offense moving. Next, he hit Edelman right down the middle for 13 yards. This was followed by a 7-yard pass to Rex Burkhead on the right sideline. On 2nd and 3, from the Rams 31, he made his best pass of the night, a beautifully placed touch pass to Gronkowski who beat double coverage. Gronkowski hauled it in as he went to the ground for a 29-yard gain. Sony Michel easily powered it in from the 2-yard line on the next play….Boom. Welcome home Lombardi Trophy #6.
The Patriots were patient with the running game and it paid off in the end. They ran for 154 yards on 32 carries as the Rams wore down in the end and the running game gashed them while running the 4-minute offense.
Sony Michel, you remember that “waste of a 1st round pick”? Well, he led all ball carriers with 94 yards on 18 carries including the only touchdown in the game. His biggest play was a 26-yard scamper that got the Patriots out of the deep hole in their own end.
Rex Burkhead chipped in with 7 carries for 43 yards and two catches for 15 more. On the same drive that started at the Patriots 4-yard line, Burkhead also got a 26-yard run where he burst thru the line and then cut back against the grain. Those two runs took the Patriots from deep in their own end into scoring range.
James White was a total non-factor in the game, carrying just two times for four yards and with just one catch for five more. The Rams did a tremendous job of taking him away.
Julian Edelman was absolutely uncoverable, and he rates an A+. The rest of the receivers? Not so much. Edelman roasted Nickell Roby-Coleman, frequently having 3 or more yards of separation. Roby-Coleman was doing a lot of talking early in the week, but didn’t walk the walk. The Rams then tried Aqib Talib on Edelman, but his quickness was too much for Talib off the line. Then Phillips trotted out Marcus Peters who was blown away off the line allowing a big catch down the seam for 25. Nobody could cover him on Sunday night. He finished with 10 catches for 141 yards on 12 targets.
Chris Hogan was targeted six times and had zero catches. Brady’s interception, on the first pass of the game, was well behind him. But he was unable to get any separation. Phillip Dorsett wasn’t targeted. Cordarrelle Patterson had two catches for 14 yards and added a pair of runs for seven.
Rob Gronkowski was excellent in the running game blocking for the backs. On the Patriots touchdown, they went to a two-tight end set and he and Dwayne Allen helped the line blow the Rams off the line of scrimmage for a too-easy touchdown that was the difference in the game.
But in the passing game, Gronkowski had six catches for 87 yards on seven targets. Like Brady, he saved his best for last. On the Patriots touchdown drive he had catches for 18 and 29 yards, the latter a really nice catch as he was going to the ground.
The Patriots offensive line put together another very impressive performance. While the Rams were able to stop the running game early on, they did a good job of protecting Brady, despite the pass rush of Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh getting some pressure. The only sack was more of a coverage sack than anything else. Brady had forever to throw but no one was open and he probably should have thrown it away.
But late in the game, with the Patriots backed up at their four-yard line with four minutes to go, the Rams knew they were going to run the football. And they did. On Sony Michel’s 26-yard run, David Andrews destroyed Suh, pushing him three yards to the left and dumped him on his backside.
The Patriots defensive line was absolutely terrific. The Rams potent running attack with Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson never got untracked and had just 62 yards on 18 carries. The Rams motion tries to get linemen moving sideways, but the Patriots attacked and were getting very good penetration. Danny Shelton blew thru a gap and nailed Anderson for a loss.
Trey Flowers also burst thru and had a tackle for a loss. But the front also did a very good job at getting pressure on Jared Goff. Adrian Clayborn and Lawrence Guy had QB hits while Flowers had two.
The Patriots linebackers were outstanding. Both Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy were all over the field and they were a very disruptive force all night long. With the team running a 6-1 look, the outside backers were essentially lining up on the line of scrimmage. They did a tremendous job of setting the edge in the running game and took away those shallow crosses and slants the Rams like to run.
Hightower, who in every Super Bowl plays like a man possessed, was everywhere. He had two tackles for a loss, two QB sacks, a pass defensed and three QB hits. Van Noy was also everywhere. He had four tackles, a tackle for a loss, a sack, and three QB hits. Hightower, on the Shelton run stuff absolutely destroyed Tyler Higbee in the interior of the line. Ouch.
Elandon Roberts and John Simon each saw action and as a whole, the linebackers totally took away the Rams RBs in the passing game, which was supposed to be a mismatch. Rams RBs had three catches for 11 yards in the game.
The Patriots secondary played a different look mixing in man coverage with Quarters zone coverage and held the Rams to a net 198 yards passing which was far below their average of 281 per game. Stephon Gilmore was outstanding as he has been all season and chipped in with the interception that sealed the deal for the Patriots.
Slot corner Jonathan Jones played some safety in their Quarters looks which showed off his versatility. Jason McCourty had the play of the game where on a busted coverage, Brandin Cooks was wide open in the end zone. McCourty flew over from his side and knocked the ball away.
Pat Chung was having an excellent game, but early in the third quarter broke his arm. In stepped “the Closer” Duron Harmon, who played very well. Harmon blitzed and forced Goff into throwing a floater that was picked off by Gilmore.
Ryan Allen and Matthew Slater were fantastic in this game. Allen dropped three punts deep in the Rams zone where Slater was there to cover it up. They were able to force the Rams to go the length of the field.
Stephen Gostkowski missed his first field goal attempt but made his next two tries, including the one with a minute to go to put the game out of reach. The coverage units were solid and Patterson took the opening kickoff back 38 yards.
Bill Belichick and Brian Flores gave a master’s class on having a great game plan that the players were able to execute perfectly. Of all the Patriots Super Bowl wins, this one could arguably be considered their best defensive effort, holding a team that averages almost 33 points a game to just a field goal.
They flummoxed Sean McVay and Jared Goff on the opposite side of the field all game long. The Rams offense never looked like it was getting into anything resembling a rhythm or a comfort level all game long. McVay admitted after the game that Belichick outcoached him. It wasn’t the first time that Belichick has done that.
Josh McDaniels tried mixing things up offensively where the team could move the ball but kept stalling. They did figure it out late in the game and the team put together two impressive drives to finish the game, and win another Super Bowl.
So, who’s ready for a parade?
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as our writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
During Week 13 of the 2018 NFL season, players and coaches around the league will be participating in the “My Cause My Cleats” campaign.
According to the NFL, “My Cause My Cleats gives NFL players the opportunity to personalize their cleats and raise awareness for the charities and foundations they passionately support. The initiative also gives players a platform to share their stories and why the causes are important to them.”
On Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings, more than a dozen players and coaches on the Patiots will wear their customized cleats and sneakers.
In total 19 Patriots players and head coach Bill Belichick will participate in the campaign.
Here is the full list of players and their foundation/cause of choice.
[Courtesy CBS Boston and PatsPulpit]
David Andrews (Warrior Dog Foundation)
Tom Brady (Best Buddies & The Ellie Fund)
Rex Burkhead (Team Jack Foundation)
Adrian Clayborn Brachial plexus injury awareness
Phillip Dorsett Depression and anti-bullying
Nate Ebner (Fuel Up To Play 60)
Stephon Gilmore Depression and anti-bullying
Lawrence Guy (My Life My Choice & Show Your Soft Side)
Duron Harmon (Autism Speaks)
Brian Hoyer (MSPCA-Angell)
Dont’a Hightower (One Family Inc.)
Chris Hogan (Headstrong)
Jacob Hollister (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
Devin McCourty (Players Coalition)
Jason McCourty (Embrace Kids Foundation)
Sony Michel (Earthquake In Haiti Relief)
Derek Rivers (Jar Of Hope)
Matthew Slater (International Justice Mission)
Kyle Van Noy (Van Noy Valor Foundation)
A few Patriots shared photos and video on their social media accounts but you can also check out the Patriots website for a full photo slideshow of all the cleats.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqsqgC7H9yk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqx6_6aBscG/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=koqp2gt2jqzy
It's our honor and pleasure to share this video from our friend, WDF supporter, and @Patriots center @dandrews61 David Andrews.
We are caring for 18 K9s with more waiting to arrive.
Donate today at https://t.co/sJ13Ih34JC#MyCleatsMyCause #NFL @MRitland #GivingTuesday2018 pic.twitter.com/zuwTz5tFxS
— WarriorDogFoundation (@WarriorDogs) November 28, 2018
For more information, check out nfl.com/mycausemycleats
On Wednesday, The New England Patriots released the first episode of “Do Your Job”, a team produced four-part documentary series that provides a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the team.
From Patriots.com “Go beyond the field and enter the world of Football Operations. In the first of four episodes, we take a look behind the scenes of the Patriots equipment staff led by Head Equipment Manager Brenden Murphy.”
Episode one, narrated by special teams captain Matthew Slater, follows Murphy’s day to day routine and responsibilities.
Do Your Job Episode 1: Brenden Murphy
From the practice field to the game field and the home locker room to team travel, Do Your Job takes you behind-the-scenes with the Patriots equipment staff.
Posted by New England Patriots on Wednesday, October 3, 2018
With the 2018 regular season set to begin in three days, the New England Patriots selected their six team captains.
As first reported by the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride on Thursday the captains are as followed.
QB Tom Brady
OC David Andrews
RB James White
SS Patrick Chung
FS Devin McCourty
ST Matthew Slater
For the first time in their Patriots careers, James White and Patrick Chung have been selected captains while Tom Brady is selected for the 17th straight season dating back to his first in 2002.
McCourty and Slater have earned the honor every year since 2011.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski, Linebacker Don’ta Hightower, and safety Duron Harmon were removed from serving as captains.
During his Friday press conference, head coach Bill Belichick praised the 2018 group and newest captains Chung and White.
"I think the leaderships extends far beyond the guys that were elected for that… It's about as strong as a room as you could have…" Bill Belichick on #Patriots captains and leadership of the safeties in particular.
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 7, 2018
"Done a great job on and off the field. He's earned that confidence and trust by doing it on a consistent basis. No magic to it." Bill Belichick to @PatriotsCLNS colleague @ezlazar on James White named a #Patriots captain.
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 7, 2018
"Whenever we played a safety we didn't know what he'd do, we'd tell Mike to out there and drive Tom crazy. And he did that." Bill Belichick on what Mike Vrabel did on scout team to annoy Tom Brady. Belichick compares Chung to Vrabel and Harrison. High praise indeed. #Patriots
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 7, 2018
Your 2018 #Patriots captains. #GoPats pic.twitter.com/696tfzHqKu
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 6, 2018
Entering the 2018 season, New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung will be playing in his ninth season with the team during his 10 year NFL career.
Selected with the 34th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Chung is presently the seventh longest tenured Patriot on the roster despite spending a season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. (Brady, Gostkowski, Slater, Edelman, Gronkowski, and McCourty all ahead of him.)
On Instagram this week, Chung shared a photograph of him and teammate Julian Edelman, both of whom where drafted in that same 2009 draft and he reflected back on their lengthy time together as teammates.
“Ten years and counting bubs” Chung wrote.
Back in March, Chung signed a two-year, $7.80 million contract extension that will keep him in Foxborough through 2020.
The wait is nearly over as the Patriots head into training camp tomorrow. NFL Football is back among us until February, and not a moment too soon.
The Patriots offseason has been mired in innuendo, speculation, with an almost soap opera-like aura that seems more like “keeping up with the Kardashians” than the Patriot Way. So now we can fill the airwaves of football talk again.
There should be no shortage of competition at a number of spots. But for our final position there shouldn’t be a lot of movement at the key spots. We’re on to the Special Teams.
So, with that in mind who is locked in and who is on the bubble?
Roster Locks- Stephen Gostkowski, Joe Cardona,
The team brought in no competition for their kicker and long snapper which speaks volumes in the confidence they have in both.
Gostkowski had a nice comeback season in 2017 in the kicking game. He was good on 92.5 percent of his field goals, hitting on 37 of 40 attempts including going 4 – 4 on attempts over 50 yards including career-long 62-yarder against the Raiders.
Gostkowski continues to be outstanding with his kickoffs. The Patriots were very good at pinning opponents back inside their 25-yard line or better during the season with the changes to the touchback rule. And Gostkowski had that developed into an art form, angling his kicks on one side of the field near the corner of the end zone. Opponents drives average start was their 24 yard line, the best in the NFL.
Cardona has been a solid accurate long-snapper since entering the league. A testament to his prowess is that you very, very rarely hear his name called in a game. Which means his snaps on field goals, extra points and punts are usually spot on. He’s done a terrific job of balancing his job with the Patriots and his duties as a Naval Officer which isn’t an easy task as well.
Facing no camp competition again this year, Gostkowski and Cardona need only worrying themselves to be ready to go for the season opener.
On the Bubble: Ryan Allen, Corey Bojorquez
Allen is facing competition for the first time in his tenure since besting Zoltan Mesko in the 2013. And while his punting average has gone down each year for the past three years, he has actually become more effective at pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line.
Rewind to the 2nd half of the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Allen pinned the Jags offense inside the 10-yard line three times in the second half, flipping field position for the Patriots and having a big role in the comeback victory to send the team on to the Super Bowl.
But he’s in the last year of his contract, and this is something we’ve seen before with the Patriots, Bill Belichick will change things up every few years with his punters. We’ve seen Ken Walter, Josh Miller, Chris Hanson and Mesko, who lost his job to Allen. He’s been here five years but faces serious competition for the first time.
Bojorquez is another left-footed punter from New Mexico. Last season for the Lobos, he punted 67 times with an average of 47.3 yards, so he has a tremendously strong leg. He had 12 of those turn into touchbacks, which will need to be remedied. But despite his average, 25 of his punts were fair caught by the opposition which speaks highly of the amount of hang time.
We were witnesses to that during June’s minicamp. Bojorquez was absolutely booming the ball with incredible hang time. One punt which went well over 50 yards, hung up so long, punt returner Riley McCarron would have been forced to fair catch the ball during a game.
This should be a fantastic competition, while Bojorquez has the edge on leg strength and distance, Allen’s directional punting and consistency gives him the nod there. This should be fun to watch.
The Patriots place a premium on players who excel on Special Teams among them Matthew Slater, Brandon Bolden, Nate Ebner, Brandon King, Geneo Grissom, Nicholas Grigsby among others. Those players were listed elsewhere as positional players but are truly more special team’s aces than offensive or defensive players.
Ebner in particular was missed for his expertise as the personal protector on punts after he went on IR last year.
Some of the new players or ones returning from injury are also special teams mavens such as Cordarrelle Patterson, who besides being the NFL’s best kick returner, is a very good gunner. Marquis Flowers was brought over last season for his STs experience but parlayed that into a role on defense as well.
What it means is that these players will be fighting for their roster spots every day as well as the positional players. Keep an eye on the kickoff and punt coverage units during training camp. Because those positions will ultimately tell the tale for some of the bottom of the roster players who will either make the team or be released. Bill Belichick and ST’s coach Joe Judge will have some interesting decisions to make.
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.
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