{"id":21273,"date":"2019-01-06T05:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-01-06T10:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=21273"},"modified":"2019-01-05T10:07:25","modified_gmt":"2019-01-05T15:07:25","slug":"new-england-patriots-news-01-06-afc-east-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2019\/01\/06\/new-england-patriots-news-01-06-afc-east-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots News 01-06, AFC East Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Good morning, here is your <strong>Sunday Patriots news 01-06, &amp; AFC East Notes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some Quick Hitters this morning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>No&#8230;This IS 41: <\/strong>Last week in the aftermath of the Jets game, another hot-take artist of Fox Sports radio with an ax to grind, first complained that the league conspired to get the Patriots the bye because of what he called a terrible call of roughing the passer by the Jets against Brady. \u201cNFL badly needed the Patriots to get that #2 seed. This call is total garbage. Patriots eventually score, up 21-3.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he cherry-picked a missed throw by Brady to Hogan in the end zone to claim, \u201cThis is 41.\u201d The funny part was the next day, he called out another writer for having a \u201cgarbage take\u201d on the Antonio Brown saga. Glass houses, especially when in the game against the Jets, Brady completed over 70 percent of his throws, threw 4 TDs and had a passer rating of 133.8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we can cherry pick too, so&#8230;here\u2019s your \u201cThis is 41\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Perfect pass.<br>Beautiful grab.<br><br>TB12 to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ceeflashpee84?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ceeflashpee84<\/a> for the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Patriots?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Patriots<\/a> TD!<br><br>&#x1f4fa;: CBS <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoPats?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GoPats<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rnziraOYbE\">pic.twitter.com\/rnziraOYbE<\/a><\/p>\u2014 NFL (@NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1071841336515416064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 9, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Did you Know?<\/strong> Since 2001, the Patriots have had 13 byes, the most in the NFL. The next closest teams are the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers with 5. This is the ninth consecutive year earning a bye, the most prior to this Patriots run has been four. . Dallas and San Francisco earned four straight byes from 1992 through 1995 and Denver had four straight from 2012 through 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Did you Know Pt. 2: <\/strong>The only NFL team to win a championship and is no longer in the league was from New England. The Providence Steamroller was part of the league from 1925 -1931 and won the NFL Championship in 1928. Besides being one of two teams (Chicago Cardinals) to be the first to play a night game in 1929, Providence, due to a scheduling snafu and bad weather played four games in a six-day stretch which the night game, attended by 6000 fans was the second game of the stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Patriots Unveil 2018 Playoff Motto:<\/strong> The Patriots, as part of their M.O., have unveiled a motto for the playoffs this year, \u201cEverything We Got.\u201d They unveiled a short video that showed many of the national pundits calling for the demise of the Pats dynastic run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then the video shows the team in a quick series of vignettes and then the narrator says:<br>To get everything,<br>It\u2019s going to take everything.<br>So we\u2019re going to give everything.<br><strong>EVERYTHING WE GOT<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is it as good as \u201cDo Your Job\u201d? Nope. But it is a step up from \u201cOne More\u201d in our opinion. Enjoy the Wildcard Weekend\u2019s slate of the games. There were 12 good teams entering the playoffs this weekend, 11 of them will lose their last game of the year. That\u2019s why our motto, which we\u2019d steal from Hollywood, would be. \u201cThere Can Be Only One!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>With McDaniels and Flores Being Courted, Focus on O\u2019Shea, Bielema: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Like clockwork, the staff of Bill Belichick is being raided again as multiple teams have requested interviews with coordinators Josh McDaniels and Brian Flores. McDaniels is rumored to be the top choice for the Green Bay Packers and is very much in the mix for Cleveland, he turned down a request to interview with Cincinnati. It might sound strange but the better job overall and probably better for McDaniels may be Cleveland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Packers have a 36-year old QB who got his last coach fired. The offense runs through Rodgers, it is doubtful, he\u2019s going to want to learn a new system at this stage of his career. Cleveland has a good young defense, an exciting rookie QB that knows how to win and is a team trending up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we digress\u2026 If one, or both leave who will take over the reins as the coordinators for the Patriots in 2019? On offense, it seems like a no-brainer in that Chad O\u2019Shea will take over the play calling there. He\u2019s been being groomed for that spot for some time now. O\u2019Shea has been with the team for 10 years and called the plays during the preseason last summer. That one seems like a slam-dunk. However, O\u2019Shea\u2019s name is being floated around as a possible Offensive Coordinator for Matt Patricia in Detroit. We\u2019ll have to monitor that situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Defensively, the situation will be difficult as they have no clear-cut coach lined up to take the reins. In reality, Flores isn\u2019t even a \u201ctrue\u201d defensive coordinator, as he\u2019s not been even given the title of it yet\u2026 why, is a story for another time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bill Belichick would probably take most of the onus on himself as the defensive coordinator for 2019, however, there isn\u2019t a clear-cut successor ready yet. The best choice? Bret Bielema who was a head coach at both Wisconsin and Arkansas. Brendan Daly, who coaches the Defensive Line, may become a candidate in a year or two, but right now, the odds would be against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>AB to the Pats? Not Happening: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When the news broke about the deteriorating situation in Pittsburgh with Antonio Brown, it was amazing how dysfunctional that team truly is. Mike Tomlin has always run a loose ship and that has come home to roost. But as soon as the story broke about Brown requesting a trade, Patriots fans jumped all over the story, wanting Belichick to swing a deal for Brown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there is no way that\u2019s happening. For one, the Steelers would still be on the hook for Brown\u2019s huge 2019 cap hit. They\u2019ll probably try to mend the relationship between Brown, QB Ben Roethlisberger, and Tomlin. Barring that, if they do decide to trade him, one place they never would trade Brown to would be New England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as ridiculously talented Brown is, I can\u2019t imagine that there would be a mutual interest in bringing him here. Can you imagine Brown\u2019s Facebook Live video going on while Belichick is addressing the team in a post-game setting? And Brown, although in the midst of a terrific season, was mad because Roethlisberger was making JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had an even better 2018, the focal point. I can\u2019t see Brown accepting a role where he\u2019s not \u201cthe guy\u201d that the offense runs thru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After last season and the tabloid-like story on the divorce of Brady\/Belichick, while the team was going 13-3 and on their way to another Super Bowl, is there going to be a big breaking piece on the disintegration of the Steelers\u2019 locker room? Their two most talented offensive players quit on their team this season&#8230;but we\u2019re not holding our breath on that one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Young QBs Have Fans Excited in Several Markets:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The NFL had an influx of young QBs this year and many of them played big roles for their teams right off the bat. And it is a great thing for several NFL franchises that have been downtrodden for a number of years as these young QBs generate hope and excitement for the next generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The league has their established stars in QBs like Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers but the story this season really wasn\u2019t about any of them but Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes, while technically not a rookie lit the league on fire this fall. While perennial bottom feeders in Cleveland now have an exciting young QB, Baker Mayfield who has instantly brought hope and respectability to the franchise. Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen have had different levels of success but at least have their fans tuning in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No one knows if any of these young studs can keep up the long-term success that they\u2019ve found in their first year of playing. &nbsp;There are no guarantees, injuries occur as well as other issues that can arise, but right now, the 2019 season looks to be, on paper one to really look forward to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who You Have This Week? NFL Wildcard Weekend Predictions:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week: 12-4 <strong>Final Regular Season 165-89-2<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wildcard Weekend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saturday &#8211; <strong>Houston<\/strong> over Indy, <br> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0   <strong>Seattle<\/strong> over Dallas<br>Sunday &#8211; \u00a0\u00a0<strong>Baltimore<\/strong> over LA Chargers (tough start time for West Coast teams)<br> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0   <strong>Chicago<\/strong> over Philadelphia<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Eastbound and Down AFC East Notes:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bills Have Their Man in Josh Allen, Now Need a Surrounding Cast:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Buffalo Bills picked their guy in the QB Class of 2018 in the person of Allen, the big, strong-armed youngster from Wyoming who had a very up-and-down year, which isn\u2019t a rarity for rookie QBs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allen has some obvious flaws in his game. He can be woefully inaccurate at times, but those are mechanical issues that can be solved thru coaching. But for a big guy (6\u20195, 237) he runs deceptively fast from the pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bills need to surround Allen with better weapons next year. Although they have Zay Jones and Robert Foster, they could use another WR, RB, TE and a heckuva lot better support along the offensive line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Allen ended the season in dramatic fashion, throwing for three TDs and running for two more, the first Bills QB to account for five TDs in a game since Jim Kelly. That left fans in Western NY, itching for a winner, looking forward to 2019. That may even stop them from throwing sex toys on the field during games\u2026 Maybe not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Dolphins Search For the Next Head Coach:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Miami Dolphins, in a mild surprise, fired head coach Adam Gase after the season was over, but the way the team finished their final quarter of the season, it shouldn\u2019t have been. After an improbable, last-second fluke win over the Patriots, Miami was blown out in Minnesota, lost by 10 to Jacksonville and by 25 to Buffalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Dolphins are busy trying to find their next head coach. GM Chris Grier has interviewed the Patriots\u2019 Brian Flores, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and now are set to interview Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. For Bieniemy, this season was just his first as a coordinator but it was his fourth interview this week. He also met with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Cincinnati Bengals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other names included in the search include Vic Fangio, Mike Munchak, Jim Harbaugh, and Dolphins\u2019 Special Teams Coach Darren Rizzi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Jets May Have Interest in Baylor HC Matt Ruhle :<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The New York Jets are in Texas this weekend, interviewing Cowboys\u2019 assistant coach Kris Richard but multiple sources are reporting that the Jets may also have a lot of interest in Baylor head coach Matt Ruhle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ruhle would be an interesting choice as he\u2019s been instrumental in turning around a couple of college programs. Ruhle was born in New York City and spent a year on Tom Coughlin\u2019s staff as an assistant offensive line coach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was the QB coach and offensive coordinator at Temple before becoming the head coach for four seasons. His last two in Temple, the team won 10 games, the only time in the program\u2019s history that they accomplished that. &nbsp;He then moved to Baylor to a program that had been rocked by a sexual assault scandal. In 2017, his team went 1-11. This season, they went 7-6. Ruhle got some interest from the Colts last year in their coaching search. He\u2019d be a good coach it is believed to work with Sam Darnold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/patspub.patsfans.com\/stevebpatsfans@gmail.com\"><em> <\/em><em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><em>Listen to our<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.blogtalkradio.com\/patriotsfourthandtwo\"><em> <\/em><em>Patriots 4th and 2<\/em><\/a><em> podcasts on blog talk radio as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and myself from<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/\"><em> <\/em><em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a><em> discuss the latest Patriots news.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bill Belichick would probably take most of the onus on himself as the defensive coordinator for 2019, The best choice? Bret Bielema who was a head coach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":21027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1893,1198,1519,11,274,10,907],"tags":[1888,751,206,1744,1890,1787,46,1889,1892,1743,256,1741,1891,45,44,47,70,1880,310,1782,13],"class_list":["post-21273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2018-patriots-playoffs","category-nfl-commentary","category-nfl-news","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-film-room","category-patriots-news","category-patriots-rumors","tag-2018-patriots-playoffs","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-antonio-brown","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-bret-bielema","tag-brian-flores","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-chad-oshea","tag-coaching-carousel","tag-josh-allen","tag-josh-mcdaniels","tag-lamar-jackson","tag-matt-ruhle","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-news","tag-ryan-tannehill","tag-sam-darnold","tag-tom-brady"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New England Patriots News 01-06, AFC East Notes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bill Belichick would probably take most of the onus on himself as the defensive coordinator for 2019, The best choice? 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