{"id":16836,"date":"2018-04-22T05:00:03","date_gmt":"2018-04-22T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=16836"},"modified":"2018-04-21T23:07:16","modified_gmt":"2018-04-22T03:07:16","slug":"16836","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/04\/22\/16836\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots News 4-22, AFC East Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, here are your <\/span>Sunday\u2019s Patriots news 4-22, & AFC East Notes<\/b><\/p>\n

Quick<\/b> Hitters:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

The weather this week for the<\/span> Boston Marathon<\/b> 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\u2019s race. The <\/span>Patriots Marathon Team<\/b> all finished this year and raised more than $223,000 for charity. Well done. <\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>2018 NFL Schedule<\/b> was released this week and of course the first thing everyone does is (and we\u2019re 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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. <\/span><\/p>\n

James Harrison<\/b> 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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

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\u2019s front seven. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kudos to <\/span>Johnny Manziel <\/b>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\u2019s news again. Well played.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quoteworthy Belichick Tidbits:<\/b>
\n<\/b>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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo 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\u2019t look like the regular season is going to start until September this year.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Patriots Lose an Icon From the Booth:<\/b>
\n<\/b>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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u201cVoice of the Patriots from 1991 thru the 2012 season. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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. <\/span><\/p>\n

For a guy who saw the very lean years in the late \u201860s and early \u201890s 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. <\/span>\u201cWell New England, you have the best football team in the world now.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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\u2019d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Santos was a frequent guest in the family car on fall weekends when we\u2019d 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\u2019d recommend the book Santos and Cappelletti wrote,<\/span> \u201cA View from the Booth\u201d<\/span><\/a> which was a great look behind the scenes. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RIP Gil and thanks for so many great memories. And a call I never get tired of listening to, thanks to Kliff Kingsbury:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

From the Pats 2001 Yearbook: Gil Santos’ call on the final drive of Super Bowl 36! #RIPGilSantos<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8UooX8vG7V<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ’03 Kliff Kingsbury (@fearthe_beard11) April 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n