{"id":66282,"date":"2026-04-02T04:30:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=66282"},"modified":"2026-04-02T00:08:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T04:08:49","slug":"18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Kraft and Owners Wants 18 Game Schedule<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It isn\u2019t bad enough that the League is starting the season on a Wednesday Night this year, followed by a Thursday Night game in Australia.\u00a0 Robert Kraft made it clear that the owners want an 18 Game Schedule.\u00a0 Kraft went on to say that three conditions must be met: 1.) Add an extra bye week, 2.) Every Team plays an International Game (presumably followed by a Bye Week), and 3.) Elimination of the 3rd Pre-Season Game, which no starters play in anyway.<\/p>\n<p>I would add several other stipulations, some benefitting the players and some the owners.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No Wednesday Night games. Recovering from a Sunday game and having to play on Thursday is bad enough.\u00a0 Making that a day earlier is ridiculous.\u00a0 You can do it for the opening of the season because teams have had months to prepare for the game.<\/li>\n<li>No change in the 50\/50 Distribution. Players will still receive their 50% of the shared money.<\/li>\n<li>Salary Cap will remain in place, but the structure will change. There will be a cap on salaries by position, a redistribution of the wealth amongst the common players who bear the brunt of the 18-game schedule.<\/li>\n<li>The floor, or minimum a team must spend will be raised significantly to help accomplish this.<\/li>\n<li>The Veteran Minimum salary will be raised accordingly to promote a fairer distribution of the money available to the players as compensation for an 18- game schedule<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Salary Cap Increases Nearly Doubles in 10 years<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I have always said the NFL is a license to print money.\u00a0 In the last decade, the Salary Cap has gone from $167M in 2017 to $301.2M in 2026.\u00a0 That is an additional $140+M profit for each Franchise.\u00a0 That increase is nearly double what the salary cap was in 2017.\u00a0 \u00a0This increased profit was realized by expanding the brand to foreign countries, increasing broadcast revenues by expanding to satellite and online subscription services, and getting in bed with legal gambling companies.\u00a0 You might ask why do they need an 18<sup>th<\/sup> game on the schedule?\u00a0 The answer is to simply make more money.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Draft Needs Versus Draft Strengths and Weaknesses (Part 2)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Wide Receiver <\/strong>\u2013 The Patriots have three receivers entering their contract year in Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte.\u00a0 Hollins will be 33 this season and I expect this will be his last in the league.\u00a0 Pop Douglas may have a hard time making this roster.\u00a0 He is very limited in what he can do because of his size.\u00a0 He really doesn\u2019t fit the Josh McDaniels role for the slot receiver, and I could see him being overtaken in the rotation.\u00a0 Stephon Diggs really cut into Douglas\u2019 playing time.\u00a0 Kayshon Boutte made some spectacular plays and is a very reliable deep threat, but his play tailed off as the season wore on.\u00a0 This draft has a very good amount of receivers.\u00a0 Is taking a receiver a priority?\u00a0 No, the Patriots have Romeo Doubs and Kyle Williams.\u00a0 They are still rumored to be a trade partner for AJ Brown after June 1<sup>st<\/sup>.\u00a0 Efton Chism showed some promise as a UDFA.\u00a0 His lack of speed is the only thing holding him back.\u00a0 I could see the Patriots taking a slot receiver and a speedy X receiver in the draft with all the picks (11) they have, especially on Day Three.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Backup Guard and Tackle \u2013 <\/strong>Mike Onwenu will turn 29 in December and is entering his contract year.\u00a0 He will be a UFA in 2027.\u00a0 Alijah Vera-Tucker has missed 3 of the last 4 seasons with injuries.\u00a0 Signing him was a big risk in Free Agency that could pay off handsomely or could blow up in their faces.\u00a0 I\u2019m not satisfied that Ben Brown is the backup Left Guard. \u00a0Caeden Wallace is the backup Right Guard, and James Hudson is the Swing Tackle.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not forget last year\u2019s 7th round selection, Marcus Bryant, is right now the backup Right Tackle.\u00a0 Thayer Munford is presently an Unrestricted Free Agent.\u00a0 He is recovering from an off-season medical procedure and is not yet healthy enough to sign with anyone.\u00a0 Could the Patriots go into the year with the linemen they presently have as backups?\u00a0 Yes, but an upgrade is always welcome, as is competition for roster spots.\u00a0 Brown can fill two positions as backup Center and Left Guard.\u00a0 Do the Patriots look for insurance for Vera-Tucker and\/or a replacement for Onwenu?\u00a0 The Patriots have been linked to several Guards in the Draft.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Running Back \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The Patriots are thin at running back after releasing Antonio Gibson.\u00a0 They do have a promising UDFA, Lan Larison, coming back after a season-long IR.\u00a0 Terrell Jennings was also hurt last year, and he returns. \u00a0Veteran Elijah Mitchell was also retained through a Futures contract. Is that enough?\u00a0 Running back is not a strength of this draft, but I do expect the team to draft a Day 3 Runningback for competition and depth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quarterback \u2013 <\/strong>With the release of Joahua Dobbs, the Patriots will need to add at least one QB in the draft and possibly one veteran QB through Free Agency.\u00a0 Perhaps another rookie UDFA will be added as a camp arm. \u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t do much research on QBs until the recent release of Dobbs.\u00a0 The player I keep coming back to is QB Haynes King of Georgia Tech.\u00a0 He is just 6\u20192\u201d 215 pounds but runs a 4.46 40-yard dash and a 6.89 3-cone drill.\u00a0 King is a legitimate dual threat<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, he was ACC Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC. Finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (given to the nation&#8217;s top upperclassman QB) and Manning Award (nation&#8217;s top QB, including postseason). Led the team with 953 rushing yards (185 carries, 5.2) and 15 rushing TDs. Also in 2025, he had 12 games started (252-361-69.8, 2,951 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs passing). Two-time Team captain. Set school single-season records with 3,920 yards of total offense and 252 completions. Set school career records with 674 completions and by completing 67.6% of his passes. For his career at Georgia Tech he had 34 career starts. Another local product is UConn QB Joe Fagnano. He is more your prototypical NFL QB, especially with his size.\u00a0 I did see a little of him at the Combine, and I thought he was erratic.\u00a0 Just the type of player to bring into camp as a UDFA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cornerback \u2013 <\/strong>Last season, Carlton Davis never missed a game.\u00a0 That is the 1<sup>st<\/sup> time in his 8-year career that he has played a full season.\u00a0 In December, he will turn 30. \u00a0Although Cornerback is not a high priority, finding a developmental type Corner should be one of the team&#8217;s selections in the upcoming draft.\u00a0 Charles Woods filled in admirably for Christian Gonzalez when Alex Austin failed miserably when given the starting nod for Gonzalez.\u00a0 Woods was an Undrafted Free Agent who made the Los Angeles Rams 53-man roster out of camp in 2024.\u00a0 The Patriots claimed him on Roster cutdown day.\u00a0 His PFF Grade was 57.1 but didn\u2019t have enough snaps to qualify for a ranking.\u00a0 If any of the starters go down, I don\u2019t feel confident that Woods would be a long-term solution.\u00a0 \u00a0Kindle Vildor was signed as veteran insurance, and his PFF grade was slightly better than Woods&#8217; at 59.3.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Patriots to be Featured on Hard Knocks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This would never happen in the Bill Belichick era.\u00a0 The NFL announced at the league meeting on Monday that the Patriots will be the stars of the Training Camp version of the Hard Knocks show this summer.\u00a0 Mike Vrabel is always entertaining with the media and should be the star of the show.\u00a0 Vrabel is always itching to get in there and mix it up with the players.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I think this will be a fascinating look inside the Patriots organization and way they conduct their business.\u00a0 Also, the new Training facility is scheduled to open this spring, so I think the Kraft\u2019s would like the opportunity to show off their new toy. Especially to any potential Free Agents.\u00a0 For years, the Krafts have received low grades in the NFLPA Players Survey.\u00a0 They improved this year with Mike Vrabel at the helm, and having the new facility, weight room, lockers, cafeteria, and food choices should ingratiate the players.<\/p>\n<p>I have always liked the Hard Knocks show from the days of Rex Ryan wanting to go and get a snack to the discovery of \u201c7-11\u201d Chris Hogan when he played for the Dolphins.\u00a0 Why did they name him \u201c7-11\u201d, because he was always open!\u00a0 Another player I discovered watching on Hard Knocks was Danny Woodhead, playing for the Jets in 2010.\u00a0 They featured him and his journey from DII Chadron State in 2010.\u00a0 \u00a0Note: I still have my Woodhead replica jersey and actually own several Danny Woodhead, Chadron State Football cards.<\/p>\n<p>I thought Mike Vrabel\u2019s reaction was precious when asked about appearing on Hard Knocks.\u00a0 He simply stated, \u201cCan\u2019t wait.\u201d\u00a0 I bet you can\u2019t, that will be must-see TV.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Head Coach Mike Vrabel Speaks at Owners Meetings<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Vrabel had some interesting comments about Christian Gonzalez&#8217;s future with the team and wants to see his extension done quickly.\u00a0 The Patriots have exercised his 5<sup>th<\/sup> year option, which is a no-brainer.\u00a0 Vrabel wants to see Gonzalez stay as a linchpin to the Patriots&#8217; defense for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about DeMario Douglas he stated \u201c(Pop) needs to get more involved \u2026we have to try and find a way to get him the ball\u201d.\u00a0 I find this interesting since in the earlier segment, I thought that Douglas might be on the bubble.\u00a0 This statement seems to back Douglas as a key contributor in the Offense plans for the 2026 season.\u00a0 I felt that Stefon Diggs robbed Douglas of snaps and the chance to be a bigger contributor in the Offense.<\/p>\n<p>On Harold Landry\u2019s recovery, \u201c Harold continues to rehab. You know, I\u2019m just disappointed, obviously, for him and for us, because I\u2019ve known Harold for quite a while. You know, a player I became really close with. We drafted him in Tennessee, and he did a great job for us there. And it\u2019s unfortunate. I think that anybody who watched the tape could see Harold before hurting his knee, and then after. And so another player that cares deeply about the team, and his performance, and the impact that he makes. And so I was disappointed for him, but he, like everything else, works his tail off right now to get back. And so I don\u2019t really know where it\u2019s at right now because he\u2019s going through the rehab process. With that being said, we\u2019ll continue to strengthen each and every position, whether that\u2019s the interior of the defensive line, that\u2019s the edge, inside linebacker. So again, I like the guys that we have, but that doesn\u2019t mean that we won\u2019t continue to try to add to that position.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the brand new, shiny New Balance Training Facility, he said: \u201cWell, just from an efficiency standpoint, I think it\u2019s, from an energy, I think when our players come in on April 20th, I think there\u2019s going to be an energy. They\u2019re going to enjoy coming to work just from how nice it is, the functionality, the space, all those types of things. Be a great place for learning, great place to develop our players. And just the weight room to the training room to the locker room, cafeteria, just the meeting space that we have is going to be really nice.\u201d\u00a0 This will be a plus in the next year\u2019s NFLPA survey of each team.\u00a0 The Patriots have improved but there is a ways to go.\u00a0 The Survey will not be available to the media next year, but I am sure it will get leaked out at some point.\u00a0 When the NFLPA released the results of its annual Team Report Card from the 2023 season the Patriots received a &#8220;D&#8221; grade for weight room, a &#8220;C-&#8221; grade for training room, and a &#8220;B&#8221; grade for nutrition. The only team that scored worse in the weight room category was the Arizona Cardinals (&#8220;F&#8221;).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Looming NFL Officials Strike \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The NFL Officials do not have a new contract in place for 2026 yet.\u00a0 They are looking for something similar to what Major League Baseball has in Full Time Officials.\u00a0 The League is preparing a plan if the Officials union does not have a new contact by the time the season is ready to start.\u00a0 That would probably mean Replacement Officials.\u00a0 More oversight by the league to make the critical calls on the field is one proposal, speeding up the challenges or changing calls as needed by the eye in the sky official.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Patriots face an 18-game schedule push and will star on Hard Knocks. Coach Vrabel addresses player contracts, draft needs, and the new team facility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":62751,"comment_status":"open","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":[10],"tags":[24477,24419,23269,130,23280,165,2211,24478,23333,664,24480,1967,24479,23931,8,24209,33,24214,24078,24043],"class_list":["post-66282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-18-game-schedule","tag-alijah-vera-tucker","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-cornerback","tag-demario-douglas","tag-hard-knocks","tag-harold-landry","tag-haynes-king","tag-mike-onwenu","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-new-balance-training-facility","tag-nfl-draft","tag-nfl-officials","tag-offensive-line","tag-patriots","tag-quarterback","tag-robert-kraft","tag-running-back","tag-salary-cap","tag-wide-receiver"],"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>MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Patriots face an 18-game schedule push and will star on Hard Knocks. Coach Vrabel addresses player contracts, draft needs, and the new team facility.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Patriots face an 18-game schedule push and will star on Hard Knocks. Coach Vrabel addresses player contracts, draft needs, and the new team facility.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T08:30:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Morse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167\"},\"headline\":\"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-02T08:30:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2116,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"18 Game Schedule\",\"Alijah Vera-Tucker\",\"Christian Gonzalez\",\"Cornerback\",\"Demario Douglas\",\"Hard Knocks\",\"Harold Landry\",\"Haynes King\",\"Mike Onwenu\",\"Mike Vrabel\",\"New Balance Training Facility\",\"NFL Draft\",\"NFL Officials\",\"Offensive Line\",\"Patriots\",\"Quarterback\",\"Robert Kraft\",\"Running Back\",\"Salary Cap\",\"Wide Receiver\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Patriots News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/\",\"name\":\"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-02T08:30:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Patriots face an 18-game schedule push and will star on Hard Knocks. Coach Vrabel addresses player contracts, draft needs, and the new team facility.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Sep 21, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; CEO of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft during halftime during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/02\\\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patriots News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/patriots-news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167\",\"name\":\"Mark Morse\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark Morse\"},\"description\":\"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/markmorse5\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes","description":"The Patriots face an 18-game schedule push and will star on Hard Knocks. Coach Vrabel addresses player contracts, draft needs, and the new team facility.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes | PatsFans.com","og_description":"The Patriots face an 18-game schedule push and will star on Hard Knocks. Coach Vrabel addresses player contracts, draft needs, and the new team facility.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_published_time":"2026-04-02T08:30:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mark Morse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@patsfans","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/"},"author":{"name":"Mark Morse","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167"},"headline":"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes","datePublished":"2026-04-02T08:30:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/"},"wordCount":2116,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","keywords":["18 Game Schedule","Alijah Vera-Tucker","Christian Gonzalez","Cornerback","Demario Douglas","Hard Knocks","Harold Landry","Haynes King","Mike Onwenu","Mike Vrabel","New Balance Training Facility","NFL Draft","NFL Officials","Offensive Line","Patriots","Quarterback","Robert Kraft","Running Back","Salary Cap","Wide Receiver"],"articleSection":["Patriots News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/","name":"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-02T08:30:32+00:00","description":"The Patriots face an 18-game schedule push and will star on Hard Knocks. Coach Vrabel addresses player contracts, draft needs, and the new team facility.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Sep 21, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; CEO of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft during halftime during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/04\/02\/18-game-schedule-and-other-patriots-notes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patriots News","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/category\/patriots-news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"MORSE: 18 Game Schedule and Other Patriots Notes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/db6ff3fd6d44db4d259b674785ea2167","name":"Mark Morse","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/edac4d42d2c985795df98560d6b4a8771bc8502406d21e7a8ee977393412af3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark Morse"},"description":"Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob \u201cHarpo\u201d Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/markmorse5\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/USATSI_27139147_168390408_lowres-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66282"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66289,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66282\/revisions\/66289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}