{"id":23849,"date":"2019-06-23T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2019-06-23T09:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=23849"},"modified":"2019-06-22T11:13:41","modified_gmt":"2019-06-22T15:13:41","slug":"new-england-patriots-news-6-23-afc-east-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2019\/06\/23\/new-england-patriots-news-6-23-afc-east-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots News 6-23, AFC East Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Good morning, here is your Sunday Patriots news 06-23 and AFC East notes<\/strong> this week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>Quick Hitters:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bill Belichick – <\/strong>and his long-time girlfriend Linda Holliday took advantage of the downtime before training camp and vacationed on one of the islands of Greece. Ms.Holiday posted some pics on her Instagram account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenjon Barner – <\/strong>a reserve running back had three different stints with the Patriots last season before being released by the team for good in November. So, Barner was surprised when a note from Robert Kraft arrived with his Super Bowl ring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barner was shocked, and on his Instagram account posted this: “Just want to send out a huge thank you to everyone at the Patriots organization again for the opportunity that was given!” Barner wrote on Instagram. “Wasn’t expecting this when I got the call and still wasn’t expecting it when the ring was in my hands! Thank you, thank you, thank you, God is good!” #BacktoBack #2X<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom Brady –<\/strong> and Josh Gordon took the social media pages by storm last week when the two were photographed tossing a football around at Brady\u2019s home. With Gordon still suspended by the league, this led many to question if this was allowable under the league rules…More on these two will follow below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brady was also #1 in NFL royalty cash as his NFL merchandise was the top seller across the league. Not bad for a soon-to-be 42-year old \u201cdink and dunk\u201d QB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eagles –<\/strong> will open only one training camp practice to the public this season. They\u2019ve been trending down the past few years and this summer will only allow fans in to see one session. Personally, I see that as a bad move. When the two teams met at Gillette for joint practices a few years ago, the place was packed and thousands of Eagles fans made the trip up for those. With the NFL pricing itself out of the range for many fans, training camp is the only time many of the fans get to see their teams up close and in person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bills-Patriots –<\/strong> Game in Buffalo this year will be the scene of a wedding. The Bills are going to host a wedding for a couple of their fans to take place at halftime when the Pats visit. That is a good move and will be a memorable way for a pair of Bills\u2019 fans to tie the knot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caserio Story Takes On a Life of its Own:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The on-going saga of whether or not Nick Caserio, the Patriots Director of Player Personnel, would leave this season, seems to be over. The Houston Texans have been courting Caserio to take their GM position for some time now. But the story refuses to die and in fact has grown more legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe wrote a piece titled, \u201cThe Real Story in the Patriots-Texans Clash, Nick Caserio Wants Out\u201d<\/a> which spelled out the reasons Volin believed everything pointed to Caserio wanting out of New England. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is typical for this and most stories today, a ton of people, fans and media began to comment on the story without ever reading it. Nowhere in it did Volin quote Caserio, his agent or any sources close to Caserio or the situation. He wrote it and came to his conclusions by going over the facts as he knew them and made his own analysis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the confusion was in Volin himself. His lede for the story didn\u2019t sound like an opinion piece but rather a statement of fact. When Volin went on Houston radio the next day, he stated that it was his opinion and not a report. A firestorm erupted on social media and Volin, who is a favorite target for Patriots\u2019 fans wrath, was being roasted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This caused him to do a 180 and appear on WEEI on Wednesday and reverse course, stating that his piece wasn\u2019t an opinion but in fact a report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Absolutely. I stand by everything that is written there. It’s all, I think, 100 percent true. Yes,” Volin said. “There’s no other way to interpret this story. The facts speak for themselves. And I know things on background. I know things about the relationship among the guys in the front office. I don’t think this will affect Nick Caserio’s job performance this year. I think he’s good at his job and doesn’t want to affect his reputation and things of that nature. But he looks around the league and he sees all these guys who are less accomplished than him getting general manager jobs, probably making more money than him. He’s been here 19 years, he’s restless. He wants to go be a general manager. And the Houston job, while I do think it’s a lateral move, is obviously a good setup for him.”<\/em> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line is Volin is free to believe and write whatever he wants. No one knows more than he does, that whatever he does write will be faced with a healthy dose of skepticism by the fanbase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the question now is, \u201cdoes Caserio truly want out?\u201d Most people tend to believe that the answer is yes. Houston is going to carry on the 2019 season (at least for now), with no general manager, ostensibly waiting for Caserio\u2019s contract to be over with New England in 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One local radio host was so incensed at Volin\u2019s remarks on a Houston talk show that he lambasted him for printing opinion but then decided that they would take it at face value as the \u201creal truth\u201d and openly called for the Patriots to trade Caserio\u2019s rights to Houston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet we still haven\u2019t heard yet from Caserio, (the Patriots probably won\u2019t make him available for a while) nor Caserio\u2019s agent stating that his intent was to sign with Houston. Or that he was planning on remaining in New England. It is very surprising that neither Volin nor anyone else reached out to either the man or his agent while preparing their stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This much is for sure, this story, like the in-fighting supposedly between Belichick and Brady won\u2019t die. And it will probably continue until we see either the Patriots to lock up Caserio long-term or he does indeed walk next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Touchdown in Israel Trip:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has taken several more players, this year all Patriots either current or former ones on another trip to Israel. It is a unique opportunity for the players who are religious or just lovers of history, maybe both to experience all that the Holy Land has to offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From someone who has been there (several times), it is a beautiful and magical place. The players visited all of the well-known sites, and for the 15 players and their wives, it will no doubt be an experience they won\u2019t soon forget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Patriots owner Robert Kraft and players present a signed Patriots helmet to Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday evening, Kraft was awarded the Genesis Prize in Jerusalem. It is known as the \u201cJewish Nobel\u201d and was given to Kraft for his philanthropy and commitment to combatting anti-Semitism. Along with the award, Kraft was also awarded $1,000,000 which he further pledged to fight anti-semitism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The players also got to see youth football up close at the fields that Kraft built in conjunction with the football officials in Israel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brady-Gordon Dynamic Is More About the People, Not the Players:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The pictures and a short video of Tom Brady and Josh Gordon tossing a football around last week in Brookline set social media afire for awhile. And then the story by ESPN\u2019s Jeff Darlington which came out about the levels that Brady went to last year to help Gordon get acclimated and feel part of the team was, while intriguing, not unexpected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quick clip can be found here:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darlington on the network\u2019s NFL Live show spoke about the commitment by Brady to help Gordon not just on the field but off of it as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe recognized that Josh Gordon made the team better and recognized that he was going to need some attention,\u201d Darlington said. \u201cJosh Gordon was going out to dinner with Tom Brady and Gisele at times because Tom recognized that he needs to bring this guy in, foster him, make him feel like he is at home, recognizing some of the issues that Josh Gordon goes through.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhile that is, in part, a guy just trying to get better, it\u2019s also Tom Brady being a really good person, continuing to try to help out and manifest Josh Gordon …Tom Brady, to this day, really respects Josh Gordon and would love to see him live a better life,\u201d Darlington added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Recently retired QB Josh McCown echoed similar thoughts on Gordon later this week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like Josh, quiet, great… guys like him,” McCown said. “Guys like to be around him, fun guy to be around. Obviously, he\u2019s had his battles. But obviously, when you get to know him… like you\u2019re saying Tom gets to know him… you go, \u2018This is a worthy investment.\u2019 He\u2019s a good guy. He just has a fight that he\u2019s fighting. I think the league and New England, they\u2019re trying to rally around to give him the right support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Gordon remains suspended by the league and there is no timetable for his reinstatement, the Patriots offered Gordon a restricted free agent tender this spring and he remains a possibility for the team to add once again this season. If the league reinstates him and he serves any penalties that they hand down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what this week\u2019s story really shows that despite the fact that the player being suspended and the very real possibility that he may not play at all in 2019, the Patriots …and Brady are investing in the person. Gordon\u2019s long-term health and well-being outweigh everything else. And that is cause for optimism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simms\u2019 Ignites Social Media Over Clickbait QB Piece: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d be remiss without mentioning Pro Football Talk\u2019s Chris Simms who penned his annual Top 40 QBs of the NFL. And Simms who\u2019s made a habit out of dismissing Tom Brady out of his Top 5 NFL QBs, this year added to his annual Brady dismissal by dropping #12 all the way to #9 and with Drew Brees at #10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while fans went haywire, (shocked face), even Kurt Warner, a former rival, took exception to this latest drivel with \u201c Are u kidding me???\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simms of course, rushed to Twitter to proclaim that this wasn\u2019t clickbait\u2026.Um, \u201cchild please.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in trying to track down all of the Simms past QB lists, I came across Mike Dussault\u2019s column (aka @PatsPropaganda) who cataloged several of these. (Thanks Mike!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n