Category: Patriots

Patriots Acquire Cordarrelle Patterson from the Raiders

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NFL – “Tom Brady is getting a new toy to enjoy in his offense. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the New England Patriots acquired speedy wideout Cordarrelle Patterson from the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, pending a physical. Per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, the Patriots will swap their fifth-round pick for a Raiders sixth-round pick in order to make the move.”

Not an earth shattering move nor is it as sexy as the last time the Patriots traded for a Raiders receiver…

but Cordarrelle Patterson can be an exciting player with the ball in his hands. Patterson has always been a player that has never been able to necessarily put it all together, but if he could be put in the right positions he could take any play to the house. Putting players in a position to succeed is what Bill Belichick does better than anyone else in the NFL. Whether its returning kicks or a package of screens and slants, I’m confident Bill has a very specific role in mind for this guy. This is a player that the Patriots can line up in the slot, go deep, run screens, reverses or take handoffs. He has a career average yards per reception and yards per rushing attempt of 10+ yards. That type of versatility has me drooling to see what Bill and Josh McDaniels have in store for Patterson.

Although, I would be lying if I didn’t say I am a bit concerned with the recent stockpiling of wide receivers that have made a habit of disappointing coaches and fantasy owners alike in Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, and now Patterson.

If nothing else Patterson can FLY and while I don’t think relying on deep ball go routes from our 41-year-old QB is a great option, he should make an immediate impact in the return game. Belichick may be looking to replace some of the sheer athleticism his team has lost with the recent departures of guys like Dion Lewis. But hey, the guy was on Sports Science so how can this be viewed as anything other than a raging success?

The Pats Haven’t Done Shit In Free Agency Which Makes Me Scared And Sad

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In case you have been living under a rock NFL-wise free agency got off to an absolutely chaotic start yesterday. I’m sure if they tried to show a visual of players changing teams it would look like the daily FAA domestic flight tracker – that wild. the Patriots have done a whole lot of nothing however, save trading for Danny Shelton which isn’t a FA move as much as it is also just happens to coincide with the beginning of the league year. Now don’t gt me wrong, I really like the Shelton move. We gave up very little for a guy who was seen as a Pats target a few years ago before he was taken #13 overall. He is GIGANTIC (~340lbs) and if he can play up to even 75% of his potential, he’ll team with Malcolm Brown to form of the most formidable interior d-lines around.

That’s where it ends for the Pats though, in free agency, for now. And it’s stressful to watch. Trumaine Johnson, a great CB I thought for sure the Pats would look into went to the in-division rival Jets. Swiss Army Knife LB Anthony Hitchens, who may have been created in a dream Coach Belichick had in 2nd Grade, signed with the Chiefs. to add salt in the wound, Danny Amendola left town to make a guaranteed $8.5 million over 2 years with the (again, in-division) Dolphins. I know he’s getting up there and injury prone, but that’s not a bad price for Danny Playoffs and we could have at least hedged our bets of losing him and keeping another aging, oft-inured WR in Julian Edelman with making a play for the Dolphins own Jarvis Landry, but nope.

Look, I know goes more into this than the headlines, The Fins got two picks for Landy. The last do-it-all LB Belichick made a splash with ended up being the worst deal in Pats history (rhymes with Spragalius Domus). Still, It’d be nice to see us at least doing some more visible due diligence, maybe getting in a bidding war or two. Anything to make it seem we’re trying to make it worth Brady and Gronk’s while, among other things. In the end it will always be in Belichick we trust, and we all know that. I guess I just wish he didn’t make us live in constant fear.

The Stars Are Aligning for Richard Sherman to Join the New England Patriots

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It would appear that the stars are aligning for Richard Sherman to join the New England Patriots. The Seahawks informed Sherman that they planned to release him on Friday, per Adam Schefter. It hasn’t happened yet, but Schefty’s word is God as far as NFL circles are concerned so its coming. Sherman will now enter Free Agency with a certain team just south of Boston in the market for a cornerback. Why does the fit make sense? A few reasons:

    • Richard Sherman has always been very vocal about his immense respect for Tom Brady and the Patriots.

  • He’s a veteran coming off an injury who’s likely looking for a short term “prove it” deal as he’s unlikely to get the big money long term deal he would want.
  • The Patriots have a history of buying low on veteran players from Corey Dillon to Rodney Harrison, Randy Moss, to more recent examples like Chris Long, Dion Lewis, and Martellus Bennett.
  • Sherman is TALL for a cornerback. He’s 6’3″ and as Bill Belichick is known to do, he routinely constructs his roster for the upcoming year tailored to the types of teams they’re playing. In 2018 the Patriots will play the Packers, Vikings, and Texans who feature receivers over 6’0″ including:
    • Jordy Nelson – 6’3″
    • Stefon Diggs – 6’0″ / Adam Thielen 6’2″
    • DeAndre Hopkins – 6’1″
    • Not to mention teams in their division like the Bills who feature a 6’5″ Kelvin Benjamin.
  • You could see it last year when they went out and signed Stephon Gilmore (6’0″) and in the other cornerbacks they’ve started to fill the team with:
    • Johnson Bademosi – 6’0″
    • Duron Harmon – 6’1″
    • Eric Rowe – 6’1″
  • The only Patriots cornerback to crack the top 10 in snaps played last year was Malcolm Butler who was? Yup, 5’10” The Pats may look to go a route similar to the way they built their defense in 2014 when they featured big, tall, physical corners in Darelle Revis (6’0″) and Brandon Browner (6’4″).
  • Not to mention this:

So it seems like it would be a great fit, assuming Sherman’s achilles is up to snuff, I don’t see a way this doesn’t happen. A team like the Jets or the Browns could blow him away with big money, but I can’t see a competitive freak like Sherman, after years playing on arguably the best defense in football, suddenly playing for the Jets just because of a bigger paycheck.

Former Bengals Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh Drops in from the Clouds, Calls Bill Belichick and Patriots a “Dictatorship”

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NESN – “Former Cincinnati Bengals wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who has been out of the NFL since 2011 and irrelevant for the past decade, was a guest on FOX Sports 1’s “Speak For Yourself” and jabbed Belichick for how he runs the organization.

“I think every team is player driven,” Houshmandzadeh said. “Every team is player driven. They’re just kind of fed up. I was watching football this past fall, and it just tripped me out when I’m watching the Patriots playing Miami Dolphins, and then I see a (Rob) Gronkowski interview. I couldn’t believe it. He’s, ‘Oh, I want to talk about the celebration but I’m scared that Bill is going to get mad at me. I really want to talk about, but I guess I can’t I’m scared.’…They are completely scared of Bill, it’s a dictatorship in New England

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, he of the 1 Pro Bowl, 1 playoff win and 8 playoff catches pedigree, recently came out of the clouds to criticize the way Bill Belichick runs the Patriots, calling it a dictatorship.

As much as I respect the opinion of TJ Hooshamazode

I’m gonna have to go ahead and disagree with him on this one. People see a more rocky than usual ship in New England and want to use it as an opportunity to criticize the Patriots so if they ever do fall off they can be the one to say I told you so. And don’t get me wrong, that day may come, but to criticize Belichick with comments like this are asinine:

“They are completely scared of Bill, it’s a dictatorship in New England. Things are going to have to change or he’s going to lose the team.”

Its literally been this way in New England for 17 years. Things aren’t going to have to change, TJ. Not after winning 5 Super Bowls. You know where things probably should change? Cincinnati, which is where TJ played for 8 seasons and won a total of 0 playoff games under Marvin Lewis. In fact, Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990, which is a cool 27 year stretch. Shit like that will lose you a team.

So while the Patriots locker room probably isn’t as fun as a Chucky Cheese birthday party like the Bengals may be under Lewis, I’d rather take the consistent systematic success for nearly 2 decades straight.

Happy Trails, Ed Hochuli

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Editor’s Note: We’ve experience a reblog today, but its Ed Hochuli; he deserves it.

It’s a sad day in the world of sports officiating, as 67-year-old Ed Hochuli has finally decided it’s time to hang up the boy’s medium referee uniform that he’s wearing for the past 28 NFL seasons.  It’s hard to believe that Guns McGee has been roaming NFL sidelines since before Tecmo Super Bowl for NES hit store shelves.

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Ed Hochuli is a legend in his own time. He’s the only official in sports that is known by name but not because he’s an insufferable bastard. [Looking at you, Joe West.] Countless hours at Gold’s Gym, before it was fashionable, is what made Hochuli a household name. That and his Juris Doctor degree.

Sure, some of Ed’s explanations could be a little bit long winded. But I always enjoyed a mini episode of Law & Order in between plays.

But every once in awhile, you’d actually learn something new about the NFL rule book from one of his soliloquies.

The good news today is that at least the NFL sidelines won’t be without a Hochuli next year. Back judge Shawn Hochuli has been promoted to referee and will take his dad’s place.

Only time will tell if Shawn, #83, will ever be able to fill his dad’s sleeves.

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Jerry Jones Responds to Roger Goodell Stealing More of His Money by Opting Out of the NFL Ticket Deal and Investing in its Direct Competitor

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Sports Illustrated – The Dallas Cowboys have reportedly agreed to a deal to opt out of the NFL’s deal with Ticketmaster and instead work with SeatGeek as their box office, per ESPN’s Darren Rovell. The Lions opted to use a different provider back in 2013, but they moved back to Ticketmaster for the upcoming season. In November, the Saints switched to SeatGeek. 

So earlier this week it came out that the NFL and Roger Goodell were demanding millions of dollars from Jerry Jones and the Cowboys to cover legal fees from Jones’ various spats with the league last season. It would seem Jerry did not appreciate that too much as he not only opted out of the league’s ticket deal with Ticketmaster, but he is also buying a 15% stake in its DIRECT COMPETITOR in SeatGeak.

I guess this move in of itself isn’t totally unprecedented as the Lions and the Saints have kicked around the idea of separate ticket deals, but when Jerry Jones does something it makes waves. The man is a tastemaker and has been pulling shit like this for year.

“Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is no stranger to making deals outside of the league’s partners. In 1995, he made a deal with Pepsi when the league was partnered with Coke. In 2002, he opted out of the NFL’s licensing deal that split revenues equally. The Cowboys are still the only team that does this.”

Listen this singular move may not have Roger Goodell shaking in his boots, but thats why Jerry Jones is a goddamn assassin. Its not this move thats going to kill Roger, its 4 moves from now that will be the death knell. And opting out of the NFL ticket deal, besides being a power move, does two things. 1.) It sets a wicked precedent. What if Robert Kraft now wants to go with AceTicket and what if the Rooney family wants to do an exclusive deal with StubHub? What if the owners just start chipping away at the NFL’s oligarchy? The smaller share of the pie that the NFL and Roger Goodell control, the less the owners need or care who the commissioner is. The days of the $40 Million salary for the NFL commissioner could be numbered all because Roger Goodell flew too close to the sun and tried to expense his legal fees to Jerry Jones.

“The move has nothing to do with the news that Jones will have to reimburse the NFL $2 million in legal fees in his fight against commissioner Roger Goodell over Goodell’s renewal.”

Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib Reportedly Interested in Joining Patriots

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Boston Herald – The Patriots should focus on a couple power hitters to replace outgoing cornerback Malcolm Butler. Suffice to say, two of the most intriguing corners in the NFL have their eye on the Patriots. For now, Richard Sherman is a Seahawk and Aqib Talib is a Bronco, and the Pats can’t do anything about that. But there’s an understanding in league circles that both could become available at some point this offseason…Last offseason the Pats did call the Seahawks about Sherman, who turns 30 at the end of this month, but the trade interest was brief. Sherman was receptive to the idea of joining the Patriots then and still is now if Seattle goes in another direction, according to a source..Talib, 32, would be receptive to the idea of rejoining the Patriots, according to a source. So if the Broncos unload him prior to free agency, that potential courtship could begin in the coming days.

As Howe mentions here, last season the Patriots actually explored a potential deal with Seattle for Richard Sherman, which obviously didn’t go through. But you have to think the framework of a potential deal is at least there with the price only having gone down since then.

Now as Felger and Mazz producer Jimmy Stewart points out, both Sherman and Talib are (or will be) on the wrong side of 30 by next season and the Patriots decided to move on from Darrelle Revis at the age of…yup you guessed it, 30.

But I think more of that had to do with Revis’ compete level than his actual age.

If there’s one thing that Sherman…

…and Talib…

…absolutely do not lack it is a psychotic compete level. Plus cornerback isn’t like runningback where you just completely fall off a cliff at 30. So I wouldn’t be as concerned with that.

Now obviously Sherman is coming off a torn achilles soo that would give me a bit of pause. Contrary to popular belief that injury is less than ideal, but hey guess what? The cupboards are bare at cornerback. So unless something better becomes available I will take one (or both) of these guys in a second. Now obviously both are still under contract with their respective teams so the Patriots can not and should not wait on these guys, but hey if they are still rice paper thin at cornerback once the summer gets here then they’d be downright negligent to not at least kick the tires.

I Sense Much Fear in You, Patriots Fans

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Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.

A lot of my friends are still pretty pissed off at Bill Belichick for decisions made that may or may not have lost the Patriots a Super Bowl (i.e. benching Malcolm Butler). With all the negative publicity surrounding the Patriots recently fans are seemingly wavering in their confidence. There are a ton of dominoes that will need to fall one way or another before next season, which is what Patriots fans fear most.

Rob Gronkowski could be jumping ship to go hit people with steel chairs.

That would have sounded insane just a couple of months ago, but the longer we go the larger the possibility is that Gronk will walk away from the NFL to join the WWE and chase Hollywood. On the outside looking in that is preposterous because he’s arguably the greatest TE to ever play the game, only 28 years old, playing for an elite team with an elite QB, and coming off one of his healthiest seasons. But he’s also already made tens of millions of dollars and despite his relative health this season, another concussion notwithstanding, Gronk may be starting to think about his mortality. Is it worth it to play a few more years and possibly blow out my knee again, break my arm again, break my back again? People forget just how banged up this guy has been. With the recent run of NFL players retiring young these days it wouldn’t surprise me. It would borderline tragic as a Patriots fan to see Gronk step away, but I wouldn’t fault him.

The Patriots leading rusher Dion Lewis could be gone

Lewis sounded like a guy reserved to a fate of playing in Indianapolis or Tampa Bay next year in a recent podcast with Adam Schefter.

“I love it here…Hopefully it will work out, but at the same time, you can’t really think that way. You have to take care of yourself and your family…At the same time, I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket,” he said. “I know how the team likes to handle their business, and as a running back, you have to make the most of your opportunity…My main thing is just making sure I’m valued. That’s my biggest thing — to make sure I’m valued the way I value myself.”

Similar to many players that excel with the Patriots, Lewis bounced around the league for years before putting it all together and breaking out in New England. It would be a shame to see him leave as the Patriots are nearly undefeated with a healthy Dion Lewis on the field. Thats the key word there though; healthy. While another team may be willing to roll the dice on Lewis’ knees and pay big bucks to sign the RB, I don’t see Belichick doing the same.

Malcolm Butler is gone.

This one’s not even a question. I think Belichick could have burned Butler’s house down and we’d have a better shot at him coming back than we do after Bill benching Malcolm for the entire goddamn Super Bowl. Butler resigning with the Patriots would shock me more than him not playing in the Super Bowl.

Nate Solder is a free agent

He could return to protect Brady’s blind side, which might be the single most important job in all of New England, but he’s also dealing with some very serious real life issues as his young son continues to battle cancer. At some point the commitment it takes to play in the NFL may be more than Solder is willing to sacrifice at this point. I wouldn’t blame him if he walks away to spend more time with his family.

Danny Amendola is a free agent

After taking pay cuts each of the last 3 years, Amendola’s original 5-year contract is up. So while Amendola has clearly demonstrated he is a company man, does he want to play for less than market value yet again? He has carved out a folk hero-esque role here and seems to be BFFs with Tom Brady, so maybe he does, but if someone knocks down his door with a big money offer does that make  him think twice?

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Okay, thoroughly depressed now? Time for some SILVER LININGS!

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Tom Brady is the reigning MVP

Whether you believe Alex Guerrero is the next coming of Christ or if you think the TB12 Method is a total crock of shit, you can’t deny whatever Brady’s doing is working. He’s the goddamn MVP at 40 years old and just threw for 500 fucking yards in the Super Bowl. As always with an older player, I fear the end of the road, but Brady has been so damn good its hard to know if thats coming next year or if he’ll be collecting Social Security checks while under center. Either way, life is good.

Julian Edelman will be back

He has been posting workout videos almost daily and while I cringe watching him sprint, jump, and cut on his surgically repaired ACL, I gotta say he looks great. All that while not even rocking a shirt, impressive stuff.

Dont’a Hightower will be back

The Patriots missed him in a bad, bad way this past season. Relying on the likes of 40-year old James Harrison and signing guys like David Harris (who just retired) to fill in for the likes of All-Pros like Kyle Van Noy. So Hightower will be back next year. Until he gets hurt again. But he will be back!

Brandin Cooks will have a full offseason to work with Tom Brady

Who knows, he may even get invited out to the TB12 Neverland Ranch in Montana to work out with the rest of the receiving corp! A lot of the Boston media was pretty down on Cooks, which I just do not get. Was he 2007 Randy Moss? Of course not, but he was one of the most immediately successful wide receivers Belichick has ever picked up behind only Moss and Wes Welker. Usually these receivers come into Foxborough and are a disaster because they just don’t have it anymore, they can’t figure out the system, or they fall out of Brady’s circle of trust. Joey Galloway, Ocho Cinco, and Brandon Lloyd. In his lone season playing with Brady, Cooks had 65 catches for 1,082 yards and 7 TDs. Not too shabby, now give him 6 months to study the playbook and work with Brady and Belichick.

Fear not, young padawan. The city of Boston is not falling into a sinkhole. The Patriots are still elite and while there are some holes to fill and some air needs to be cleared, they will still be one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LIII. That’ll do, pig.

 

Dexter Manley Rips Tom Brady, Says Joe Montana is the Goat. Wait, WHO?

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NESN – Dexter Manley won a pair of Super Bowls in his day, and when asked a question about the best quarterback he ever played against (mind you his playing career stretched from 1981-1991), he used it as an opportunity to really rip into the New England Patriots quarterback. “People give Tom Brady too much credit,” Manley said, via WEEI.com. “It is a team effort. No. 1, he gets the ball out of his hand quick. He has good mechanics, but he’s no Joe Montana. My daughter could out-run Tom Brady. Joe Montana is the best of all-time. He’s the best passer — him and Dan Marino. That guy don’t fit in those categories. I don’t care what they say.”

So former Washington R-Words defensive end Dexter Manley was on TV discussing who he thinks is the greatest QB of all time.

Dexter scoffed at the idea that Tom Brady is the best to ever do it. Why?  He gets the ball out quick, he has good mechanics, he has 5 Super Bowl rings, but he can’t run fast so I gotta give the nod to Joe Montana here.

Ya know what Tom Brady doesn’t have?


Oh and Dan Marino is better too? The guy with as many Super Bowl rings as me. Makes sense, Dexter.

Sure Brady has had great players around him too. Take for instance Randy Moss, who he played with for parts of 3 seasons (not including the year Brady missed to a knee injury) and never won a SB with. He also has Gronk of course, who is a first ballot HOFer no doubt, but Brady has won 4 Super Bowls without him. Brady’s had 5-star recruits and household names like the 7th round QB out of Kent State he turned into one of the best receivers in the NFL in Julian Edelman. Or the time the undrafted WR out of Texas Tech came out of nowhere and Brady molded him into the most reliable hands on the Patriots. TWICE. Danny Amendola and Wes Welker of course. I could go on and on.

Meanwhile Joe Montana had by all accounts the greatest receiver to ever play the game IN HIS PRIME. The NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns played with Joe Montana for 6 seasons, winning 3 Super Bowls together.

All that and Tom Brady still has him beat by the numbers. Tom Brady has a better career Completion Percentage, TD Percentage, INT Percentage, Passer Rating, more 4th Quarter Comebacks, more Game Winning Drives, and Brady has over 26,000 more career passing yards, and over 200 more Touchdowns than Dexter Manley’s lord and savior Joe Montana.

What about the fact that Brady “gets the ball out quickly” and just dumps it off as Dexter Manley put it? Well Tom Brady and Joe Montana actually have the same exact average Yards per Attempt at 7.5.

Oh and Tom Brady also has more Pro Bowls, wins, division titles, Conference Championships, Super Bowl rings, Super Bowl MVPs, and NFL League MVP awards.

Hey Dexter?

If the TB12 Method Works for Hanley I Will Never Drink Pepsi Again

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hanley

AP – Coming off a career-worst batting average and sizeable drop in production, Red Sox DH Hanley Ramirez turned to a new offseason workout routine — he’s following Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady’s TB12 method.

The 34-year-old Ramirez felt like entering the later stages of his career that it was time to make a change. For him, who better to follow than a 40-year-old QB that just captured his third MVP award.

“I went on the Tom Brady side,” said Ramirez, who reported on Friday, a few days before full-squad workouts begin. “I think it’s 100 percent everything he says in the book, the work he does, makes sense.”

I’m on record as saying that I will never read The TB12 Method. I’m more of a Bartolo Colon Big Sexy Cookbook kind of guy. I love my nightshades. But if the TB12 Method works for Hanley Ramirez, I will gladly pour out my Pepsi bottles, dispose of my Frosted Flakes and move to “the Tom Brady side.” If the TB12 Method can work for Hanley Ramirez, that’s enough proof for me that it can work for anyone.

For the sake of this Red Sox season I hope that the TB12 Method does work for Hanley. Do I believe that he has read every word of the The TB12 Method, cover to cover? No. At least he’s saying the right things at the start of spring training, though. It shows that he is focused and that he is motivated. With or without J.D. Martinez the Red Sox need production out of Hanley to compete for a title this year. If Hanley’s 2018 looks anything like his 2017, the Red Sox would be lucky to win even one game in the playoffs.

It also happens to be a contract year for Hanley Ramirez, which might explain his focus this spring. If he makes 497 plate appearances this season his $22 million option for 2019 will kick in. Only three times in 12 years has Hanley failed to make at least 497 plate appearances. All the more reason for the Red Sox to sign J.D. Martinez and keep Hanley’s workload in check. Five years at $25 million a year for J.D. Martinez sounds a lot better if it also allows you to move on from Hanley Ramirez sooner.

Even if Hanley doesn’t make 497 plate appearances a strong 2018 will still allow him to maximize his earning ability as a 35-year-old free agent a year form now. If he’s adhering to the TB12 Method, even if his big-money days are behind him, maybe it’s a sign he would still like to play for a few more years and make some decent dough at the end of his career.

Baseball-Reference is projecting 539 plate appearances, a .255 batting average, 24 home runs and 73 RBIs for Hanley this year. If the Sox don’t add J.D. Martinez, I bet Hanley does make the necessary amount of plate appearances to come back for $22 million in 2019.

While his time in Boston as a whole has been disappointing, Hanley was a 30 HR / 100 RBI guy in 2016. He had offseason surgery on his left shoulder and said he was “hitting with one arm last year” when he hit 23 home runs and still made 553 plate appearances. I wouldn’t be surprised if a healthy, motivated and focused Hanley Ramirez puts up numbers more like 2016 (than 2017 or 2015) this season.

If Hanley has 20 HRs and 65 RBIs by the all-star break, I will head down to Patriot Place and buy The TB12 Method book, the TB12 weighted vest, medicine ball, looped band kit, and all the salt water electrolytes I can get my hands on.