{"id":13331,"date":"2017-11-05T05:00:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-05T10:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=13331"},"modified":"2017-11-05T17:46:03","modified_gmt":"2017-11-05T22:46:03","slug":"new-england-patriots-news-11-5-afc-east-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/11\/05\/new-england-patriots-news-11-5-afc-east-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots News 11-5, AFC East Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, here are your <\/span>Sunday\u2019s Patriots news 11-5, & AFC East Notes.<\/b><\/p>\n

The Patriots are on the bye this week, and it couldn\u2019t come at a better time. The team is beat-up with a slew of injuries and the extra time will hopefully give their hurt players a chance to heal up and get back on the field. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check back with us this week as we\u2019ll give our Mid-Season Report Card by position and see where the team is in terms of getting to where they want to be. <\/span><\/p>\n

Patriots Trade Garoppolo, Add Hoyer During the Bye:<\/b>
\n<\/span>The Pats made a very big surprise move at the trade deadline, moving Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Many felt (including us here), that after not trading him this spring that the team would make a move to keep him around Brady\u2019s backup. Bill Belichick said in his comments after the trade that they wanted to keep Garoppolo but it wasn\u2019t sustainable. The draft pick for Garoppolo is expected to be either the 33rd or 34th in the 2018 NFL Draft which is essentially a late first rounder. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team made another move the next day bringing back former Brady backup QB Brian Hoyer as the new backup quarterback, giving Hoyer a three-year deal. That could be a significant development as it could signify the team hopes to have Brady\u2019s replacement in place by then, or it could mean nothing. According to ESPN\u2019s Field Yates \u201cthe deal is worth a total of $4.41 million, with Hoyer set to earn $476,000 in 2017, $915,000 in 2018 and a base salary of $2.85 million ($1.5 million guaranteed with a $200,000 roster bonus) in 2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoyer was a UDFA in 2009 from Michigan State and was here from 2009-11.He has since had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2012), Arizona Cardinals (2012), Cleveland Browns (2013-14), Houston Texans (2015), Chicago Bears (2016) and 49ers (2017). He should quickly re-learn the Patriots offense as while some things have changed, the terminology remains the same. So, without further ado…<\/span><\/p>\n

No Guarantee the 2018 Draft Will Hold Brady\u2019s Successor:<\/b>
\n<\/b>With two early picks in the NFL Draft in the first 33-34 selection range, the Patriots will be expected to take another quarterback. That player will immediately be judged as Tom Brady\u2019s successor. Right or wrong, good or bad, that player will be under the microscope from the first minicamp practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

But as the Patriots well know, this is a calculated gamble. This wasn\u2019t the arrogance that they can easily find another franchise QB. They know there is zero assurance that anyone they draft, early or late, can ever become \u201cthat guy\u201d despite being outstanding at recognizing and building a talent-laden team, year in, year out. Look around the league at the players that have been drafted to replace legends. They\u2019ve drafted a slew of QBs during the Belichick era and other than Brady and Garoppolo, most of them, including Hoyer, are eminently forgettable. <\/span><\/p>\n

While there are some intriguing names out there this upcoming draft, it will be interesting to see who the team likes in the draft process, as this young player will be immediately tied to the Patriots which may drive up that player\u2019s draft stock. The vultures are already circling around Patriots Place waiting for Belichick and Nick Caserio to make a big mistake and then scream, \u201cgotcha!\u201d Two factors will bear watching to ultimately tell if the trade was a good or a bad one. The first is how well Garoppolo plays as the #1 QB. Is he a true franchise signal-caller? And the second is how well the Patriots draft the \u201cnext\u201d Patriots QB. That may take some time to find out. Because the drafting of Garoppolo lifted Brady\u2019s play and at an age where he should have begun a steady decline, he elevated the level of his game to even higher heights. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kraft, Jones Deposed in Kaepernick\u2019s Lawsuit Against the NFL:<\/b>
\n<\/b>Well, this is going to get ugly quickly\u2026. Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones are among the owners who have been deposed to testify at the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL. <\/span><\/p>\n

ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported on Friday that Kraft will be deposed for the case and that he, Jones and others will be asked to turn over all cell phone records and emails in relation to the case. Kaepernick\u2019s lawyers filed suit against the league on October 15, charging that the team\u2019s owners colluded against him being offered another job as a quarterback in the NFL. <\/span><\/p>\n

One owner being deposed is Texans\u2019 owner Bob McNair. His team had Kaepernick in for a workout this week after DeShaun Watson blew out his ACL in practice this week. Despite the many people carrying a torch for Kaepernick on social media because of his social stances, the fact of the matter is, he\u2019s no better than on par with most of the QBs already on rosters in the league. In five seasons he averaged less than 180 yards passing per game. Those are hardly the numbers of a \u201cmust sign\u201d quarterback. <\/span><\/p>\n

And there remains the question of a fit for his strengths. The Texans, Cowboys, Panthers and a few others that use a mobile quarterback where they have a run-pass option. Teams like New England? Zero fit. But that won\u2019t stop the silly cacophony of every team \u201cmust sign CK.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Thuney Fined Same Amount as Alonso, Suh? Nada:<\/b>
\n<\/b>Who would have \u201cthunk\u201d it? The NFL\u2019s track record for being consistent in doling out player discipline has always been suspect at best so the news this week is hardly shocking, but it never fails to amaze, especially when the league is constantly touting \u201cplayer safety\u201d as one of its primary concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the Patriots-Chargers game, New England guard Joe Thuney was flagged for clipping and the Bolts\u2019 Hayes Pullard got flagged for a facemask. Each of them was fined $9115 for their infractions. So what\u2019s the beef? <\/span><\/p>\n

The NFL flagged Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso the same amount for knocking Joe Flacco out of the game with a deliberate hit to his head. Flacco was going into a slide when Alonso who neither pulled up or tried to deflect away from Flacco\u2019s head. Instead, he targeted him and delivered a crushing blow that caused a concussion. \u00a0Ndamukong Suh wasn\u2019t fined at all after he grabbed QB Ryan Mallett around the throat because, in his words, he was afraid that Mallett was going to attack him. That defense is ludicrous concerning Suh\u2019s track record and while not a slam on Mallett, but he isn\u2019t exactly known for terrorizing those poor defenseless defensive linemen after the whistle. Once again, the league makes a joke over their lack of consistency concerning player discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who Do You Like This Week NFL Week 8: <\/b>
\n<\/b>Last week was a good one with some of the easier picks of the season and I finished with an <\/span>11-2 <\/b>mark. Season Total: <\/span>78-41.<\/b><\/p>\n

This week\u2019s Thursday Night Football Game I went with the <\/span>Buffalo <\/b>over the Jets (0-1). Now for the rest of the slate:<\/span>
\n<\/span>Falcons at Panthers – <\/span>Carolina<\/b><\/p>\n

Bengals at Jaguars- <\/span>Jacksonville<\/b><\/p>\n

Rams at Giants – <\/span>New York<\/b><\/p>\n

Bucs at Saints – <\/span>New Orleans<\/b><\/p>\n

Ravens at Titans – <\/span>Baltimore<\/b><\/p>\n

Redskins at Seahawks – <\/span>Seattle<\/b><\/p>\n

Colts \u00a0at Texans – <\/span>Indianapolis<\/b><\/p>\n

Cardinals at 49ers – <\/span>San Francisco<\/b><\/p>\n

Chiefs at Cowboys – <\/span>Dallas<\/b><\/p>\n

SNF Raiders at Dolphins – <\/span>\u00a0Oakland<\/b>
\n<\/b>MNF Lions at Packers – <\/span>Green Bay<\/b><\/p>\n

Bye week: Bears, Browns, Chargers, Vikings, Patriots, Steelers<\/span><\/p>\n

Next Thursday Night <\/span>Seattle<\/b> over Arizona.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eastbound and Down\u2026AFC East Notes:<\/b><\/p>\n

Bills Incognito Critical of Thursday Night Football: <\/b><\/p>\n

The Buffalo Bills Richie Incognito wasted few words in slamming the league for the Thursday Night Football schedule. In a scathing review, Incognito blasted the NFL, ESPN\u2019s Mike Rodak reported on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

“They suck,” Incognito said. “They throw a wrench in our schedule. It’s absolutely ridiculous that we have to do this. As physical as this game is, as much work and preparation that goes into this, to force us to play games on four-day weeks, it’s completely unfair and bulls—. The league makes money off it, and that’s all they care about anyway.”<\/span><\/p>\n

We are in total agreement with Incognito on this issue as well. Especially when a team has a physical contest on a Sunday and then has to travel? What you commonly witness is what we saw on Thursday night. The Bills were sloppy, missing tackles, and taking stupid penalties. However, Bills\u2019 Coach Sean McDermott wasn\u2019t buying that as an excuse.”[The Jets] were challenged with the same short week as us and had the same amount of time to prepare, so give them credit.”<\/span><\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t an excuse, but the fact remains most Thursday Night Football games are a far cry from the Sunday versions of the same games. And once again the issue of \u201cplayer safety\u201d rears its head as well. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gase Shakes Up Dolphins, Offense with Trade of Ajayi:<\/b><\/p>\n

The Miami Dolphins are 4-3 but their offense which was supposed to be a juggernaut …or close to it this season has been awful. Adam Gase ripped his team and RB Jay Ajayi last week and just sent a big message to his team. He made a huge trade, shipping Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 4th round draft choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to find ways to make sure that we can move in the direction that we need to move into, not just this year, but into the future,\u201d Gase said. \u201cWe kind of need to figure out what we want to do [offensively] moving forward, see who we have and give guys opportunities. Really, at the end of the day, we need the offense to play a greater role in these games. Right now we\u2019ve been holding this team back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dolphins currently rank last in the league in both total offense (252.4 yards per game) and points per game (13.1). Besides Ajayi, there were rumors that the team was trying to deal leading WR Jarvis Landry. Landry leads the team with 50 catches for 398 yards and three touchdowns but is a pending free agent. Rumors have it that he will be a difficult free agent to keep this offseason, but the team stood pat with him. Miami hosts the Oakland Raiders today, another team that has underachieved this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jets Tanking for #1 Pick? No One Told Bowles, Players:<\/b><\/p>\n

The New York Jets were supposed to be 0-16 in 2017, at best 2-14 and in firm control of the #1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft so that they can draft the franchise quarterback that has eluded them for decades now. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Jets were supposed to be bad, even historically bad. But no one told coach Todd Bowles and his Jets players. One can imagine him giving a speech like Lou Brown in Major League before the first game of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n