Patriots Acquiring Michael Bennett Another Classic Belichick Move

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News of the Patriots potentially acquiring Michael Bennett broke on Friday and the general consensus is that the Patriots once again pulled off a coup. While 2019 will be Bennett’s 11th NFL season and he will be 34 in November, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. As Joey B pointed out on Friday, Bennett’s played in 16 games six of the last seven seasons and he recorded nine sacks last season, the second-best single-season total of his career. From that standpoint, this feels like a typical Patriots move. The Patriots see value in adding a veteran whom they believe can still play at a high level, even if other teams don’t.

There are many things that separate Bill Belichick from his contemporaries, but one thing that has allowed his teams to be so successful over the last 20 years is that he is not afraid to make the moves other coaches wouldn’t dare make. Playing Brady over Bledsoe. Cutting Lawyer Milloy. Bringing in Corey Dillon. Turning Troy Brown, a 12-year veteran at the time, into a two-way player. Trading away Jamie Collins. He’s not perfect – he moved on from Adam Vinatieri too soon and benching Malcolm Butler in Super bowl 52 was clearly the wrong move – but by and large his willingness to make unpopular decisions has won the Patriots far more games than it has lost them.

I bring this up because Michael Bennett could be a tough guy for Patriots fans to root for.

Also, Michael Bennett is generally an outspoken guy. There’s nothing wrong with being outspoken, but I don’t recall too many outspoken guys playing in Foxboro. The Patriots have mastered the art of saying as little as possible. Generally, Belichick and Patriots players never miss an opportunity to say nothing. It’d be interesting to find out how Michael Bennett feels about this type of locker room. I’m sure we’ll find out.

While I might not be the first guy in line at the Patriots Pro Shop to buy a Michael Bennett jersey this week, anyone who says they won’t root for the Patriots if they acquire him isn’t really a Patriots fan. It’s always business with Belichick. That being said, it may prove Jerry Seinfeld’s theory that we’re all just rooting for laundry.

 

The 300s Podcast: Celtics Rise Like a Phoenix on the West Coast, Red Sox Opening Day Nears, and Patriots Attack the Offseason

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The 300s boys are back in the podcast studio discussing everything from the manic Celtics to the Red Sox inching closer to Opening Day, some good old fashioned Vegas gambling stories, and the Pats are jumping right into the offseason. Lets goo!

– Celtics Rise Like a Phoenix from the Ashes on the West Coast

– What is up with Kyrie? Miserable malcontent one day and then all happy go lucky after the Lakers game.

– Red Sox inching closer to Opening Day

– Best sporting events to bet on? March madness? Just betting 10 football games every Sunday?

– Red Sox Going With a Closer by Committee?

– Steven Wright suspension

– WEEI 8 man radio rotation

– Patriots Offseason/Free Agency

– Michael Bennett in, Trey Flowers out?

– Danny Amendola Reunion?

Michael Bennett Close to Joining the Patriots

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I love this move. I would have loved it any of the last few off seasons. I feel like Michael Bennett is one of those solid veterans who is always quasi-available. This is also such a “Pats” move a la grabbing Chris Long and James Harrison where a smart, “football guy” pass rusher who wants to win for a solid organization comes aboard and does (hopefully) well.

Truth be told, Bennett is also more than solid. Since 2012, he has notched played in all 16 games and notched 7 sacks or more in every season except for his shortened 2016 campaign with the Seahawks. And now he gets to come to the Pats where he’ll probably just be asked to get after the QB, but can provide some support in the run as well. He’s in his mid-30’s now which is a minor cause for concern but had 9 sacks last year so I think he has plenty of gas left in the tank.

What also can’t be overlooked is the Bennett brothers are kind of just the shit. Just sort of wacky,  affable guys that happen to be talented as hell at football. They’re “list” guys. As in if you were to told to give your top five guys to go to Vegas with, bring on your bachelor party, invade a small country with etc. the Bennett brothers would be sneaky good additions to those lists. To this end also there is now a slight possibility Marty ends up coming out of retirement to give the Pats one more year as well which I would NOT MIND in the slightest.

This also means Trey Flowers is officially gonzo which sucks. But we knew that was happening. And Michael Bennett is a great 1-2 year fix until we find the next man up. As is the Patriot Way.

So with that we have our first official “LET’S FUCKING GO” of the not yet full incubated 2019-2020 (!) season. O boy o boy.

***UPDATE BECAUSE I’M A GENIUS***

-Joey B.

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Could the Patriots Finally Break the Bank for a Free Agent Wide Receiver?

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Image result for adam humphries jamison crowder

This is going to be an interesting offseason for the Patriots. Coming off a Super Bowl victory with an aging roster, the next few months will be crucial to the long-term success of the franchise.

The new NFL league year starts this Monday (March 11), and after the team decided not to use their franchise tag this offseason, we already know that some of the team’s biggest names from their championship squad are set to hit the open market, including:

  • Trey Flowers: Your leading sack artist for the past three seasons and one of the best young edge defenders in the league.
  • Trent Brown: The guy who served as a more than solid blindside protector for your soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback.
  • Jason McCourty: Your starting slot cornerback who had a career year and may have single-handedly saved the Super Bowl this past February.
  • Stephen Gostkowski: Your starting kicker for the past 13 seasons. He may have had some big misses in his career, but he has also been one of the league’s most consistent legs over the past decade and a half.
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With the current state of kicking in the NFL, Stevie Boy could receive a pretty penny for his services this offseason.

While I do believe the team will re-up with McCourty, it’s looking more and more likely that the other three above are on their way out of Foxborough. This also fails to mention that besides Julian Edelman, the Pats have pretty much no other wide-outs of note under contract for 2019, as all of Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Hogan, and Phillip Dorsett are unrestricted free agents as well. (Josh Gordon is technically still under the team’s control, but who the hell knows what’s going to happen with him?)

OK then.

Look, we’ve been here before. Anyone who believes that the Pats will be in dire straits next season, even if all of those players walk, obviously hasn’t been watching this team for the past 18 years. Belichick & Co. always find a way to make up for their perceived shortcomings, and their ability to bring in key guys on the cheap or in shrewd ways is unparalleled, uncanny even. Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier wrote a great piece this week highlighting Belichick’s roster-building mastery over the years.

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Relax, everybody. This ain’t Bill’s first rodeo.

But, again, with Edelman being literally the only non-running back the team knows it will be able to rely upon next season (stiiiiillll no word on Gronk…), maybe it’s time to bring in another big piece to help Brady during his twilight years.

Fortunately, the 2019 free-agent class is ripe with talent at wide receiver, a few of which the Pats have been connected to before. I already highlighted last week that Golden Tate said he would love to don the Pats colors, and Jay Glazer reported this week that the Pats apparently tried to bring in long-time Aaron Rodgers favorite, Randall Cobb, at some point last year. They ultimately ended up bringing in Josh Gordon instead…and we all know how that worked out.

Most would say that the Pats would likely want to target another outside/big-play receiver a la Gordon, and Cobb would fit that mold. Others like Tyrell Williams, John Brown, Demaryius Thomas, Devin Funchess, Dez Bryant, and even Mike Wallace (yes, that Mike Wallace) would be welcomed additions to a team severely lacking in weaponry on the boundary. I wouldn’t hate the team taking a stab on any of those guys. (Except maybe Dez. I just don’t want to deal with all the B.S. that comes along with him.)

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So Cobb could potentially go from playing with one H.O.F. quaterback to playing with an even more legendary signal-caller. Man, tough life.

But truthfully, the slot is where it’s at with this free-agent group, highlighted by the aforementioned Tate. And even though we already have one of the game’s best in Edelman, I’d much rather see the Pats open up the purse to bring in the best players possible as opposed to signing a lesser guy due to “need.” Obviously, Tate is at the top of my wish list, but he’ll likely be a bit too expensive.

But what about someone like Jamison Crowder? A 25-year-old who had 133 catches and over 1,600 yards between 2016-2017 for Washington before being slowed by a tough injury last season. Or maybe Adam Humphries, who had 76 catches on 105 targets last year in an extremely crowded wide receiver group in Tampa Bay. According to various reports, both players are expected to receive around $10 million per year, which honestly isn’t a price that should prohibit the Pats from acquiring Brady some much-needed talent to play with.

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If we can’t have Tate, then I’d say Crowder is probably No. 2 on my list.

Even Cole Beasley, who has basically been a poor man’s Julian Edelman in Dallas for the past few seasons, would be a nice piece. Michael Crabtree, Chris Conley, Dontrelle Inman, and J.J. Nelson are names to keep an eye on as well. The point is, there’s no shortage of receiver help for the Pats to choose from, and signing a guy off the wire would also allow the team to use its abundance of draft capital this year toward beefing up some other important positions.

I know a lot free-agent receiver additions haven’t worked out so well in the past for the Pats (see: Ochocinco, Chad; Decker, Eric; Wayne, Reggie), but those guys were also past their prime and heading toward the end of the line. Getting one of the marquee names available this offseason would be a different move entirely.

So, if we’re going to let Flowers walk, we might as well use that $20 million or so in cap space (which could potentially be even more if Brady restructures his contract) on something. There’s a first time for everything, Bill. Go get us a wide out!

Dustin Pedroia is Back!

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Image result for dustin pedroia scream

On Thursday afternoon, for the first time in 281 days, Dustin Pedroia saw some live action for the Red Sox!

Granted, it’s only spring training. And he did only get one at bat. BUT that at bat resulted in a nice base hit to left field and a run scored. Welcome back, Pedey:

So what does this all mean? Well, not much really. We already know that Dustin Pedroia is being given the chance to revive his career this season, battling it out with Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez to be the team’s starting second baseman. After years of serving as the team’s heart and soul, winning two World Series and a league MVP award in his first nine seasons, things haven’t gone so well for him over the past few years.

Since 2014, Pedroia has played in a total of 490 regular-season games, including all of three last year. He’s dealt with ailments ranging from a freak thumb injury while sliding into a base to a much more serious degenerative knee condition, which many believe will make it quite difficult for the 35-year-old to make a comeback in 2019, no matter how much the scrappy veteran may want to prove the haters wrong.

Regardless, today was a great way to start the attempt, and it was good to see No. 15 back out on the diamond.

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And apparently, he’s been ready to go for quite a bit now. Dave Dombrowski mentioned at the beginning of February that Pedroia had been running and working out in Arizona for months before spring training even began. Then, there was this little clip from Mass Live the other day, proving that he’s still got that signature swing and lion-esque confidence we’ve seen him display throughout his entire career (SOUND ON – and wait for the last line at the end):

There’s the Pedey we all know and love! It’s nice to know that, even through it all, he still believes the Laser Show is ready for business once more:

Again, Sox Nation will need to temper expectations. After all, he was in for less than a third of the game today, and we still have a long way to go before the regular season even begins. The team has already stated that he’s very unlikely to be an every-day player anymore, and 125 games is the benchmark the team’s brass is apparently aiming for this season.

But if anyone in the world can overcome the doubt and succeed on pure hubris and determination alone, it’s this guy. He’s done it his entire life. “Too small. “Too slow. “Not enough power.” Etc., etc., etc. He’s always been the little engine that could.

I’m not saying that he’s going to chug along the tracks like he used to in his prime, but it’s just nice to have the old conductor back. And today was a pretty solid way to start making his way out of the station.

Steven Wright Popped for PEDs. If You Thought That Body Was All Natural You’re Crazy

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ESPN – Boston Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright was suspended 80 games on Wednesday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Major League Baseball said Wright tested positive for growth-hormone-releasing peptide 2 (GHRP-2)..

The suspension will begin at the start of the 2019 season. It also means Wright is ineligible to play in any postseason games this year.

I can deeply relate to Steven Wright taking PEDs. He’s 34, the golden days of his careless youth are long gone, his career is stagnant, and he’s just trying to move the needle a bit in his life.

Just a doughy dude with a dad bod desperately trying whatever he can to pump his fastball up over 60 mph. So do I judge Steven Wright for taking some Jack3d over the offseason? No, not really. After I read Juiced in high school I realized that everyone was on something. I think if you still care about steroids you’re either a holier than thou baseball writer or you’re 8-years-old.

The silver lining here is it takes the decision of potentially making Wright the closer out of Cora and Dombrowski’s hands. Thank god. We joked on The 300s Podcast recently how hilariously bad of a decision that would be. Just chucking wiffleballs up there with 2 men on in the bottom of the 9th inning and praying the knuckleball was floating on any any given night. Pass.

At least he’ll have a lot of time to reflect on things again as he’s starting his second straight season with a sweet suspension.

PS – Never forget John Farrell wrecked this guys career because he thought it’d be funny to pinch run for someone with a fucking knuckleball pitcher.

Von Miller to Star in Animated Series About an NFL Expansion Team on Mars

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Deadline – OBB Pictures and Denver Broncos all-pro linebacker Von Miller are teaming on a half-hour animated comedy project titled Mars Martians, about the NFL’s first expansion team on Mars. Miller will voice the lead role and serve as an executive producer on the potential series, which is being written by Maxwell Theodore Vivian (The Cool Kids).

“VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!”

I’ve been yelling that at my TV for just under ten years now, whenever Von Miller lays out a QB or chases one into a bad decision. I don’t really know why I’ve always had an affinity for the bespectacled, pass rushing demon. I think part of it was that he looked that much more dominant and that much faster, even in real-time, than really any player I had watched before. Also part of it was that this was his college career and that he played for the Aggies, who I have always liked as they aren’t what you’d call a perennial National Title contender and had an underdog team back then that you could get behind. My fan-hood got complicated for a few years as we had a brief rivalry with Miller’s Broncos. Yes, in case you didn’t know he now terrorizes those under center to a similar degree of success as he did in college. But then Fuckhead With the Big Forehead retired, the Broncos receded to an extent, and I got to go back to rooting for Von’s personal success from afar.

And now this. What seems to be a pretty big deal (I don’t think Deadline covers bullshit) of an animated series has cast none other than Von Miller, who has shown a flair for acting/commercials in recent years. The show is about the son of an NFL legend, who, while crushed by that pressure and has underachieved to start his career, is sent to play with a gang of misfits on the NFL’s Mars (do you capitalize planets?) expansion team. Sounds sort of like “The Longest Yard” and the “The Replacements”. Either way I’m not a HUGE animation guy but shows like “Archer” and “F Is For Family” have convinced me to give these kinds of things a try.

But lets address the most important part of this endeavor. The part that will really drive the nail home for my and Von Miller’s relationship.

HAHAHAHAHHAHA FUCK YOU LEBRON!

This is fucking RICH. You think you’re going to come back and fill MJ’s shoes in “Kind of Space Jam 2” when an athlete who is THREE THOUSAND times more likable is already starring in a series about playing sports in an intergalactic capacity? Do you think you’re little foray onto the big screen is going to be nearly successful when you have a show like this up and, by the time your stink bomb is being made, there are full-fledged international superstars in your sport like Giannis, Zion, etc. that would be better faces to sell it than you? Think again KING!

Hats off to Von Miller for landing this. It honestly sounds like a cool/possibly funny show. Hats off to whoever came up with it.

My hat stays on for you Mr. James.

-Joey B.

Alex Trebek Reveals He Is Fighting Pancreatic Cancer

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NPR – Alex Trebek, who has hosted the Jeopardy! game show since 1984, announced Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

I feel like I always drop the emotional blogs, for better or for worse. I suppose there is something to be said for being reminded once a week or so how precious life is and what’s important.

Alex Trebek, America’s favorite game show host, revealed yesterday that he is fighting pancreatic cancer. And I’m going to start with the facts so I can grow positive not bleak. Pancreatic cancer is one of the worst kinds in terms of survival rate. A glance at the article above tells me less than 10% of those diagnosed are still around five years later. Also, Trebek is 78. He would seem to be in otherwise fighting form and certainly does not appear “frail,” but you figure you have to account for that. So take all that as you will.

His announcement, made in a short video on the Jeopardy set, was particularly jarring. The usually all-business Trebek’s voice quivered a couple of times. He was emotional and with the risk of possibly looking too hard, he looked scared. Which is 100000% to be expected and even respected when facing such a fight as his.

Trebek’s message though was run-through-a-wall inspiring. He pretty much said “fuck prognoses I’m going to win.” The always elegantly dressed, put together, and professional host was downright curt and defiant in his declaration of war over a worthy adversary. It definitely gave a lot of hope.

So here’s hoping that Alex Trebek and what is surely a team of doctors find a way to beat this thing. We’ve already been promised he’ll fight. He even joked that he kind of has to stick around because he has three years left on his contract. Maybe it will help a little that he has every living room in America fighting alongside him.

I’ll take “Fuck Cancer” for eleventy billion, Alex.

 

 

#RushHourRap – Fort Minor – Remember the Name

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Fort Minor is one of the greatest blips in rap history in my opinion. I remember stumbling onto Fort Minor my junior year in high school when Petrified (remember that??) dropped in 2005 and just being blown away. I was always a big Linkin Park fan so a new Mike Shinoda project was something I would have given a shot regardless, but this album was way more than I ever expected it to be. The one thing I always remember about the album Rising Tied was that Shinoda famously did *everything* on it.

“Shinoda told Corey Moss of MTV News that he imposed on himself a requirement to play all the instruments and write all the lyrics to the album except for the strings, percussion, or choir parts.”

And it still stands up FOURTEEN years later. Holy shit I’m old.

Something I never knew until just now though was that Jay-Z was an executive producer on the album, which makes sense after the massive success Jay and Linkin Park had on their 2004 mashup album, Collision Course.

Remember the Name is arguably the most popular track from Rising Tied, but Where’d You Go was a bigger hit commercially (it was their only single to crack the Top 25) reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This may not be the most talked about album, but I still have it in rotation all these years later. It even turned me onto indy rap groups like Styles of Beyond.

Unfortunately for whatever reason this was a one time thing as Fort Minor never made another album again. So for all the uninformed, below are a few of my favorite Fort Minor tracks AKA just about the whole album.