{"id":6829,"date":"2016-07-03T05:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-07-03T09:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=6829"},"modified":"2016-07-02T17:57:18","modified_gmt":"2016-07-02T21:57:18","slug":"new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, here are\u00a0Sunday\u2019s New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> news 7-3, <\/strong>and \u00a0notes on what\u2019s happening around the AFC East.<\/p>\n

From all of us here we hope everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend.<\/p>\n

Fun fact:<\/strong> Now that we\u2019re in July and training camp is just a few weeks away, July will be the last month with no football games until after next year and the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

Are Pats Fans Paranoid? After the Richardson Suspension by the NFL, One Must Wonder with the League\u2019s Latest Head Scratcher:<\/strong>
\nPlenty of Patriots fans were left shaking their heads at the lack of consistency with the NFL and Roger Goodell\u2019s system of punishment.<\/p>\n

The Jets\u2019 Sheldon Richardson was suspended under the personal conduct policy of the league for just one game after he led police on a high-speed chase where his car reached speeds of 143 mph with a minor in the car.<\/p>\n

Richardson will miss the Jets opener but be available for the second game of the season, a Monday Night Football tilt against the Bills. He missed the first four games of 2015 for violating the league\u2019s substance-abuse policy.<\/p>\n

After he was arrested for resisting arrest, police detected a \u201cstrong odor of marijuana\u201d in the car. He pleaded guilty to four lesser charges and was fined $1050 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service and two years of probation. Child endangerment and drug possession charges were dropped.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Patriots QB Tom Brady faces the first four games of 2016 being suspended for the bovine excrement that was the Wells Report and Deflategate. An equipment violation that in the past was the source of a $25,000 fine or a not-so-strongly worded letter.<\/p>\n

\"Brady-lets-it-fly\"<\/p>\n

And the beat goes on\u2026 well speaking of the Commish>>><\/p>\n

Goodell Takes \u201cPaycut\u201d to $32 Million in 2015:<\/strong>
\nPro Football Talk reported this week that the NFL released its financials for 2015 and that for the fourth year in a row, Commissioner Roger Goodell\u2019s went down but he\u2019s hardly starving. The league paid NE\u2019s least favorite red-head the tidy sum of $32 million last year down from $34 million in 2014.<\/p>\n

While most fans in New England would like to see that number drop to zero, the bottom line in the NFL is the almighty dollar and the shield is raking it in. His compensation is mainly tied to revenue, so with a $32 million-dollar salary the owners are really doing well as evidenced by the Commissioner\u2019s pay.<\/p>\n

Pats DL Will Bear Close Watching During Training Camp, Especially Sheard:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite trading away Chandler Jones and losing Akiem Ayers in free agency, the Patriots defensive line is deep entering the 2016.<\/p>\n

The flexibility and versatility that they have make this group one of the ones to watch for training camp and into the regular season. With a core group inside of Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Terrance Knighton and Vincent Valentine, the remaining big men (Markus Kuhn, Frank Kearse, Anthony Johnson,\u00a0Joe Vellano,\u00a0and Woodrow Hamilton), will have a tough time making the roster.<\/p>\n

But on the edge is where they have an intriguing group. Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer and kick inside as an interior pass rusher.<\/p>\n

While Long looks to reignite a career derailed by injury the past two seasons, it is Sheard who bears the closest scrutiny. He was the Patriots best edge player in 2015 despite playing far fewer snaps than Jones. He\u2019s excellent at setting the edge in the running game and was very effective at rushing the passer. The team will look to him to provide even more of that this year.<\/p>\n

\"Sheard\"<\/p>\n

Logan Ryan Gives Back, Helping Homeless Dogs:<\/strong>
\nNew England CB Logan Ryan was the subject of a nice column on Patriots.com<\/a> on how he helps homeless dogs find forever homes. Doing community service is an underrated if very important task while a member of the Patriots. Ryan has embraced his charity and each month highlights a new dog that needs a home.<\/p>\n

He and his girlfriend got into this particular cause after adopting a dog and finding out the need for loving homes as well as the mistreatment that many dogs suffer. To find out how you can help Ryan\u2019s cause see the link here:<\/a><\/p>\n

We\u2019re also involved with an Animal Rescue service here in Massachusetts. Odie\u2019s Place Animal Rescue is located in Southeastern Mass. Brian and Kerrie Harrington do a fantastic job of rescuing, bringing back to health and finding new homes for homeless dogs. They always have a roster of beautiful animals looking for a permanent home. Check out their Facebook page here:<\/a><\/p>\n

Summer of Gronk Continues, He\u2019s behind Ben Affleck\u2019s Rant:<\/strong>
\nPatriots TE Rob Gronkowski is seemingly everywhere these days. Between commercials with David Ortiz, Gronkowski rarely goes a few days without appearing somewhere.<\/p>\n

The big guy, likes to have fun and plays as hard as he works. His work ethic is one reason why the team isn\u2019t cracking down on the celebrity tight end who reminds fans of the \u201ckid they knew back in high school\u201d. \u00a0He\u2019s the lovable goofball who\u2019s strong enough to throw you out of the club\u2026. right Sergio Brown?<\/p>\n

But when he sat down with Access Hollywood, Gronk\u2019s feelings about Tom Brady\u2019s suspension came out and he was 100 percent with Ben Affleck\u2019s rant on the Bill Simmons show.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe (Affleck) was passionate\u2026 I loved it. Couldn\u2019t agree with him anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

When pressed further, Gronk admitted that Affleck\u2019s rant was sometimes how he feels but is constrained by league rules. \u201cTo tell you the truth, that\u2019s how I really want to talk about it, too. We just can\u2019t go on air as an athlete and say all that. I can\u2019t just go do that. But Ben Affleck basically just said it how I want to say it. So he did a great job. \u2026 Us as athletes [and] NFL players can\u2019t just go out there in the media and start dropping F-bombs everywhere. \u2026 You get fined for press conferences, for criticizing people. So you can\u2019t really do it. You have to keep it professional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cut loose Gronk. Fans will love it.<\/p>\n

East Bound and Down\u2026AFC East Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dolphins to Improve Fan\u2019s Experience at Training Camp:
\n<\/strong>With the improvements being made at the Miami Dolphins stadium this year, the team has also announced that they\u2019re adding to the fan\u2019s enjoyment for training camp.<\/p>\n

Dolphins.com announced this week that among the new amenities for the fans will feature a brand new canopy over the seated area, providing fans with shade from the blistering Florida sun. A new children\u2019s area for fans 12 years old and younger will provide them with special access to get player\u2019s autographs after practice. In addition, weekend practices will feature food trucks, inflatables and fun-filled games for fans and families.<\/p>\n

Practice times were announced and the Dolphins will start earlier due to the heat with open sessions beginning at either 8:35 or 9:00 a.m. The only drawback is that practices are open to only 2000 people and fans must reserve tickets off the team\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Jets\u2019 Forte Comes to the Aid of Jay Cutler:
\n<\/strong>New Jets running back Matt Forte was asked about his former QB in Jay Cutler by Pro Football Weekly this week. But unlike WR Brandon Marshall who joined the Jets a year ago and criticized the Bears\u2019 QB, Forte came to his defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel bad for him because the cameras are constantly on him,\u201d Forte\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey show his body language, and I mean, if you look on the sideline and something goes bad, everybody\u2019s body language is that way. He\u2019s the quarterback. He\u2019s the one in the spotlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forte believes that Cutler gets a raw deal and that he\u2019s not the same player he was when arriving in Chicago. \u201cIn the media, that\u2019s the thing to pick on. That\u2019s the thing that sells papers, so that\u2019s what they\u2019re gonna pick on,\u201d Forte added. \u201cThat\u2019s what they\u2019re gonna write about no matter what he says.\u00a0I\u2019ve seen him grow from when he came in, it was my second year, all the way till now.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Forte getting a fresh start with the Jets, those words will undoubtedly resonate very well in the Jets locker room as he\u2019s a player that will have a teammate\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

Rex Ryan, Bills Out to Honor Buddy Ryan\u2019s Legacy:
\n<\/strong>Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan and his brother Rob lost their father this week. Buddy Ryan, the architect of the Bears \u201c46 Defense\u201d that they rode to a Super Bowl championship, passed away at the age of 82. Now Ryan is looking to dedicate this season to his dad\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

Ryan sat down with MMQB this week and spoke about his father, his legacy and his impact on the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis season means a hell of a lot to us. Our name, our legacy, means a hell of a lot,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cOur dad is recognized as being one of the great defensive coaches, probably arguably the best, in the history of the game. You can\u2019t say he\u2019s not in the top five, certainly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019ve been pretty successful through the years ourselves, but nothing like we want to be. We have won five Super Bowls as a family, but we want to win our sixth at some point. And I want to win it as a head coach\u00a0because that has never been done in our family,\u201d Ryan added.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it\u2019s not like these teams are going to roll down for us. We have to earn everything we get, and we\u2019re a long-a** way away from it. It\u2019s going to take a ton of work. But I really like my team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n

All photos used in this article are property of PatsFans.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer or kick inside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"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":[11,10],"tags":[799,48,34,46,37,69,16,17,45,44,47,70,8,38,104,117,36,13],"class_list":["post-6829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-news","tag-2016-patriots-roster","tag-53-man-roster-projection","tag-bill-belichick","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-chandler-jones","tag-deflategate","tag-jabaal-sheard","tag-julian-edelman","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-edge-rushers","tag-rex-ryan","tag-rob-gronkowski","tag-rob-ninkovich","tag-tom-brady"],"yoast_head":"\nNew England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer or kick inside.\" \/>\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\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer or kick inside.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-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:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-03T09:00:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Brady-lets-it-fly-1024x684.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SteveB7SFG\" \/>\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\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\"},\"headline\":\"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-03T09:00:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1732,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/Brady-lets-it-fly-1024x684.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2016 Patriots Roster\",\"53 Man Roster Projection\",\"Bill Belichick\",\"Buffalo Bills\",\"Chandler Jones\",\"DeflateGate\",\"Jabaal Sheard\",\"Julian Edelman\",\"Miami Dolphins\",\"New England Patriots\",\"New York Jets\",\"NFL\",\"Patriots\",\"Patriots edge rushers\",\"Rex Ryan\",\"Rob Gronkowski\",\"Rob Ninkovich\",\"Tom Brady\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Patriots Commentary\",\"Patriots News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/\",\"name\":\"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/Brady-lets-it-fly-1024x684.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-03T09:00:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer or kick inside.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/Brady-lets-it-fly-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/Brady-lets-it-fly-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1711},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2016\\\/07\\\/03\\\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-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\":\"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East 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\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\",\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Steve Balestrieri\"},\"description\":\"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/steve.balestrieri\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SteveB7SFG\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/sbalestrieri\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes","description":"Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer or kick inside.","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\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes | PatsFans.com","og_description":"Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer or kick inside.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","article_published_time":"2016-07-03T09:00:15+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Brady-lets-it-fly-1024x684.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Steve Balestrieri","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SteveB7SFG","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/"},"author":{"name":"Steve Balestrieri","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da"},"headline":"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes","datePublished":"2016-07-03T09:00:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/"},"wordCount":1732,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Brady-lets-it-fly-1024x684.jpg","keywords":["2016 Patriots Roster","53 Man Roster Projection","Bill Belichick","Buffalo Bills","Chandler Jones","DeflateGate","Jabaal Sheard","Julian Edelman","Miami Dolphins","New England Patriots","New York Jets","NFL","Patriots","Patriots edge rushers","Rex Ryan","Rob Gronkowski","Rob Ninkovich","Tom Brady"],"articleSection":["Patriots Commentary","Patriots News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/","name":"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East Notes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Brady-lets-it-fly-1024x684.jpg","datePublished":"2016-07-03T09:00:15+00:00","description":"Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Trey Flowers and Geneo Grissom give them plenty of options to set the edge, rush the passer or kick inside.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-notes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Brady-lets-it-fly-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Brady-lets-it-fly-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1711},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/07\/03\/new-england-patriots-news-7-3-afc-east-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":"New England Patriots News 7-3, AFC East 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\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da","name":"Steve Balestrieri","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Steve Balestrieri"},"description":"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","https:\/\/x.com\/SteveB7SFG"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/sbalestrieri\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6829","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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6829"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6832,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6829\/revisions\/6832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}