Here’s a quick rundown of this morning’s top stories:<\/p>\n
Johnson Looking to Surprise Old Team –\u00a0<\/strong>There’s been quite a change in defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, who now that he’s with the Patriots is looking forward to going up against his former team this weekend when the Dolphins come into Gillette Stadium.<\/p>\n When Johnson played in Miami back in 2014, he was a bigger player, with the veteran hitting as high as 325 pounds while he worked on moving inside to nose tackle, which isn’t far off from the 330 he weighed as a freshman at LSU.<\/p>\n Now he’s down to 280 and he’s been much quicker and more effective thus far here in New England and he expects his former teammates to be surprised when they see him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s gonna mess them up,\u201d Johnson said via NESN<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s going to mess them up. You better believe it. I\u2019m looking forward to it. I think I\u2019m going to be a mismatch for a lot of teams. These coaches are going to put us in the best position to make plays. I\u2019m just ready to help this team go out and win the best way we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson has fit in well so far in the Patriots’ defense, finishing with a tackle in Week 1 but was disruptive las Sunday as he made Carson Palmer miserable on a night where played in 20 snaps on defense in his first regular season game with his new team.<\/p>\n This week he’ll be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder as he gets ready to face the team that cut him last year, and he told NESN he’s been spending extra time working hard to make sure he plays well this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to go out and have a good game against your former team,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m working hard at practice. I\u2019m going in, putting in the extra work day in and day out, not changing anything from my routine, but I\u2019m ready to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Gronkowski a Football Mastermind –\u00a0<\/strong>Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated had a terrific article on Rob Gronkowski, where he really went deep with the tight end as Gronkowski discussed a variety of nuances and scenarios he faces on a week-to-week basis on the field, while offering up some pretty incredible insight for a player who sometimes doesn’t get much credit for his football I.Q.<\/p>\n The veteran has put a lot of time in since coming to the NFL learning the nuances of the game, which he explained has helped make him a better player. \u00a0Gronkowski told Benoit that figuring out little things, like being able to read the safeties and adjusting his routes based on where they’re lined up, has made him more productive.<\/p>\n “There are a lot of routes, about five or six in the playbook, where if it\u2019s split-high , I have to run one certain route, and if it\u2019s single-high [one safety deep], I have another route,” Gronkowski said. My rookie year I always got it wrong. But just learning the game, studying film, listening to my coaches, figuring out the techniques of the team I\u2019m playing that week, to know if it\u2019s split safety or post high, was hugely helpful. Eventually you know it in a second. You won\u2019t even have to think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Another area that Gronkowski discussed was how he learned to improve his route running, learning how to show the same look in the beginning and being able to break it off to catch defenders off guard. \u00a0A lot of players rely on just their athleticism to beat opponents, while Gronkowski has also learned to outsmart them.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving defenders think you\u2019re going somewhere else, and always remembering to run what looks like the same route as before, but boom: At the top you stick it off one way or you stick it off the other,” explained Gronkowski. ” But all the way to the top of the route, it looks the same. I\u2019ve worked on that a lot throughout my career.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill Belichick told Benoit that Gronkowski’s athletic versatility really also extends to his intelligence, which has been the difference why he’s been able to figure out what many other players who have come into this system\u00a0haven’t been able to do. \u00a0It’s helped turn him into one of the best of the game, and also why he remains such an important part of their offense.<\/p>\n \u201cRob is a versatile athlete, but he\u2019s also a versatile guy mentally,” said Belichick. \u00a0“He can handle a lot of different assignments. Some guys can\u2019t. Either they mentally can\u2019t do it, or it\u2019s just too much and their game slows down. They don\u2019t play to the same skill set you see athletically because they\u2019re thinking too much. That\u2019s not the case with Rob.\u201d<\/p>\n There you go. \u00a0Gronkowski is just as incredible with his mind as he is in pads, and it’s definitely a story you’ll want to take some time and check out<\/strong><\/a> if you haven’t already.<\/p>\n Former BC Guard Hits the Practice Squad –\u00a0<\/strong>The Patriots continued shuffling their practice squad on Thursday, releasing Clay DeBoard while adding offensive guard Ian Silberman.<\/p>\n Silberman played football for both Florida and Boston College and was a sixth round pick for the 49ers in last year’s draft. \u00a0He’s originally from Florida, growing up as a native of Orange Park and having played for Fleming Island High School.<\/p>\n He played three years at the University of Florida and then after graduating in 2013, he transferred to Boston College where he used his final year of eligibility to play a season with\u00a0the Eagles, playing at right tackle. \u00a0He had been previously released by the 49ers back on August 27th.<\/p>\n Amendola Became Inspired By Tillman’s Story –\u00a0<\/strong>There’s been a lot of controversy about players not standing during the national anthem, but Danny Amendola has his reasons for why he took part in the opening ceremonies when he held the flag during the pregame ceremony last Sunday and for what the Spar Spangled Banner\u00a0means to him.<\/p>\n Amendola told NESN that one of the things that inspired him was reading Pat Tillman’s story, who was a former NFL player who joined the Army following the 9\/11 attacks and was killed in a friendly-fire incident back in 2004.<\/p>\n Danny Amendola lent a helping hand during tonight's pregame ceremonies. https:\/\/t.co\/GVoBiVIvtz<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/nOd9wSK7Ms<\/a><\/p>\n — Zack Cox (@zm_cox) September 12, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n