{"id":42004,"date":"2022-06-26T05:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-26T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=42004"},"modified":"2022-06-27T11:57:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T15:57:50","slug":"patriots-news-06-26-david-andrews-steps-up-ne-a-12-win-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2022\/06\/26\/patriots-news-06-26-david-andrews-steps-up-ne-a-12-win-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots News 06-26, David Andrews Steps Up, NE A 12-Win Team?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning; here are your weekly <\/span>Patriots news 06-26 <\/b>and some NFL notes this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots 2022 training camp opens in about a month and should be an exciting time once again this year. The rookies report early on July 19, traditionally when injured or rehabbing players also report. The veterans report on July 26. Then the 2022 football season will get underway in earnest.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RIP to former Colts and Ravens player Tony Siragusa, who parlayed a successful NFL career into a television gig with Fox Sports. His sidelines reports were always spot on and mixed with humor, where his love of the game shined through.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Siragusa did the dirty work inside for the Ravens 2000 Super Bowl-winning team, eating up double teams to allow linebacker Ray Lewis to roam free and make plays. The 2000 Ravens set the defensive record for a 16-game season by allowing the fewest points and rushing yards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He was just 55 years old.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Deshaun Watson Negotiating His Own Suspension?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Yes, that isn\u2019t a typo, the ongoing saga with Watson has taken a bizarre twist this week.\u00a0 CBS Sports\u2019 Josina Anderson was the first to report that \u201cthere’ve been recent attempts by the NFL, the NFLPA & Deshaun <\/span>Watson’s advisors<\/span><\/a> to negotiate a discipline settlement. However talks involving a potential number of games missed “fell apart” not being on the same page. As of now, the process moves forward, per league sources.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Watson has said through his lawyers throughout this process that his wish was to clear his name. However, despite this, he has reportedly settled with 20 of the 24 lawsuits that have been levied against him. While one can argue the semantics of his not having any criminal charges brought against him, that isn\u2019t clearing your name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, the questions remain, \u201cHow long is the suspension for Watson going to be, and\u2026\u201d who ultimately decides it, Commissioner Roger Goodell or the NFLPA, Watson\u2019s advisers and the league? The answer may end up being all three.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the Tom Brady suspension in the Deflategate fiasco, Commissioner Goodell wrote in upholding Brady\u2019s suspension, citing Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that the Commissioner has the authority to decide what constitutes conduct detrimental and if a player has committed conduct detrimental, what the appropriate punishment should be.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, the Commissioner based his suspension of Brady on evidence of \u201cmore probable than not\u201d, would probably rule likewise that Watson\u2019s settling of at least 20 lawsuits would probably fall under the \u201cmore probable than not\u201d category. And it would seem that his planned suspension of Watson may have very well been more than 17 games, although that is speculation here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the bigger question remains why are the three parties negotiating Watson\u2019s suspension? That is uncharted waters for the Commissioner\u2019s office. And while he\u2019s been anything but consistent in his rulings, this one is different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The NFL wants to avoid a messy appeals process that Watson\u2019s lawyers will ask why the league is intent on suspending Watson, yet Washington owner Daniel Snyder has <\/span>gotten off<\/span><\/a> basically untouched. However, that appeals process is a sword that cuts both ways. It could also result in more evidence coming to light for the remaining four cases against Watson. Attorney Tony Buzbee indicated that two more lawsuits could be forthcoming. The negotiation between the three parties would apply closure to this and therefore no messy appeals process come to light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Browns were fully aware that Watson could be suspended this season, the numbers of his contract in Year 1 reflect that.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This situation won\u2019t fade away anytime soon and will be a headache for the league for some time to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quick Hitters For the Patriots and the NFL:<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Pat the Patriot: <\/b>The team\u2019s iconic uniforms are finally making a comeback this year. The last time the team wore them was in 2012 and former QB Tom Brady seemed to think that the team should have wore them more. Brady\u2019s reaction from Twitter:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/t.co\/E18tYLXLrC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7N9SpTNYtd<\/a><\/p>\n

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) June 22, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n