I don’t know how you could have missed the illustrious fourth preseason game, but if you somehow did you missed Michael Vick Danny Etling, and recently inducted member of the Handsome Mens Club, rushing for an 86 yard touchdown.
Wait, what?!
Just your standard 86-yard rush TD for QB Danny Etling.#NEvsNYG | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/6aNijrpqc6
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 31, 2018
Good luck trying to stash those wheels on the practice squad, Bill.
As relayed by Rotoworld around midday on Thursday, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported that the “sense” around Pats camp right now is that rookie Sony Michel, who just returned to the practice field this week after missing most of the summer with a “minor” knee issue, isn’t as likely to be ready for the start of the regular season as Rex Burkhead, another Pats running back who is supposedly recovering from a mysterious knee injury.
COOL. At this point, with pretty much the entire offense being injured or in injury purgatory, I think I might be able to persuade Bill and Josh to at least bring me in for a workout. Right??!! (All 5’7″, 150 pounds of me, with a solid 6.0-plus-second 40-time to boot. WATCH OUT.)
But no in all seriousness, this isn’t good.
First and foremost, while I’ll admit that I was pretty amped when we initially took Michel this past May, I presented his 2018 stat projections with cautious optimism (which now might not even be cautious enough) during my initial Pats running back preview at the end of July.
My reasoning: Not only do the Pats already have a solid stable of backs, each of whom was already set to get their fair share of touches in 2018, but the team also knew full well about his deteriorating knee issues, which date back to high school, before drafting him in the first round. Lo and behold, here we go again.
So what does this mean?
It means that Rex Burkhead better friggin’ be healthy. It also means my boy James White could get more burn, and either Jeremy Hill or Mike Gillislee – whichever of the two win the final spot in the rotation – are going to need to step up as well. (It also means you should probably knock Michel down a few pegs on your fantasy draft board.)
As I said in my Patriots fantasy preview last week – another article in which I expressed concern with Michel – knee issues do not just go away, especially chronic ones that don’t result from a one-off injury. So while he certainly could be ready to play again at some point within the next month, it’s probably not likely; also, even if he is, you know we’ll eventually be right back in this boat once again in the not so distant future.
I hope I’m wrong, Pats Nation, and I’m hoping for the best. But we’re not off to a good start here, and there’s a chance it could get even worse.
Football is back, thank christ. So this week, as summer is winding down, we turn our attention to the biggest productivity killer in corporate America; fantasy football.
Football is back, thank christ. So we’ve got a NEW ep of #The300sPodcast. As summer winds down, we turn our attention to the biggest productivity killer in America; fantasy football. #NFL #Football #FantasyFootball #Patriots #FantasyDraft https://t.co/53Um11MT2G
— The 300s (@The300sBoston) August 16, 2018
-Flatscreen TVs are now disposable apparently
-Since I can’t play poker, Fantasy Football allows me to feel like a man and gamble
-Is DraftKings too much math and not enough fantasy?
-Hot Take: Live Drafts SUCK
Subscribe, rate, and review The 300s Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!
JUST IN: Cleveland Browns sign stadium pouring rights deal with Keurig Dr Pepper. Means Pepsi will be replaced with RC Cola, Sierra Mist with 7Up, Pure Leaf with Snapple & MUG with A&W Root Beer. Bears are only other team in NFL who have deal with Keurig Dr Pepper. pic.twitter.com/6PkKl4mrmt
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 13, 2018
Hilarious. Cleveland just can’t get out of its own way. Replacing Pepsi with store-brand soda is the ultimate “we’ve won 1 game in 2 years so we need to save some money” move.
You think Baker Mayfield drinks RC COLA? Not a chance. You drink RC Cola when you’re at your dad’s friends BBQ when you’re 9 and then complain because it tastes like flat paint.
If you want to be a respectable team it starts with the tiniest of details. Do Your Job applies to the concessions just as much as it does to the team on the field. Cutting corners like this will get you nowhere, Cleveland.
Maybe Isaiah Thomas wasn’t wrong.
Isaiah Thomas on his time in Cleveland… 👀 pic.twitter.com/xsailU04BA
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 12, 2018
Last week, we kicked things off with a look at what is likely to be a committee approach at running back for the Pats this season – a group which, come to find out, might actually have a pretty cool nickname – even with shiny new toy Sony Michel in town.
Well if this just isn’t the cutest goddamn thing I’ve seen all week. @MikeReiss #Patriots #NFL #TrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/0tBaNuvUT3
— The 300s (@The300sBoston) July 31, 2018
Now a full week into training camp, most people are focusing on exactly whom is going to replace the production of both Brandin Cooks – who was responsible for 1,082 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season – and Julian Edelman – who may not have played last year but was expected to be Brady’s main target once again in 2018 and now won’t be available for the team’s first four games.
To be entirely honest, while guys like Jacob Hollister and Phillip Dorsett are getting quite a bit of love from local-area beat guys over the past week, I still feel like it’s just way too early to speculate on anything on that front.
We’ll get there, but this time around let’s focus on who’s going to protect Brady’s ass (literally) this season. I’m talking, of course, about the battle at left tackle.
It all really comes down to two guys: rookie Isaiah Wynn and fourth-year man Trent Brown, the latter I have decided to give the nickname “Juggernaut” (for all my X-Men fans out there).
Seriously, though, LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS MAN:
Today in “Trent Brown is large,” here he is next to Sony Michel. pic.twitter.com/e75BGH9D2z
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 28, 2018
Just in case you’re wondering, he’s listed at 6’8″, 380 pounds, per the team’s website. Good Lord.
(Also, here’s a picture of Juggernaut for those who aren’t a nerd like me):
After Nate Solder departed via free agency this offseason, as expected, one of the team’s top offseason priorities was finding someone to protect Brady’s blindside. All in all, Solder was a pretty solid left tackle who, except for an injury-plagued 2015 campaign, kept TB12 pretty clean for the past seven seasons.
Still, he wasn’t worth the nearly $16 million a year the New York Giants decided to give him, and the Pats instead chose to select Wynn out of Georgia with the first of their two first-round selections in the draft this past May. While Michel might be getting most of the attention, Wynn was actually the top BULLdog (GET IT??!!) in the war room that night.
Horrible pun aside, I actually liked the pick. Even though I definitely thought we could have addressed other positions of need first, after doing a bit of research on Wynn it was hard not to get excited.
First and foremost, he’s extremely versatile, as he played both tackle and guard in college – and we all know Belichick loves versatility. Most experts projected Wynn to strictly be a guard at the NFL level due to his “smaller” size (6’2″, 310 pounds), but the guy was a Second Team All-American as a tackle last year and absolutely DOMINATED Alabama in the national championship. Even though his Bulldogs lost the game, Wynn looked flawless and didn’t allow one sack against one of the very best defenses in the country, which featured two 2018 first-round picks as well as another fourth-rounder.
Seriously, check out how good he looked (he’s No. 77):
If that didn’t do it for ya, I’mma just leave this right here:
1,104 pass blocking snaps by Isaiah Wynn (at guard and tackle) since 2014.
4 sacks allowed;
2 hits allowed;
20 hurries allowed pic.twitter.com/BFKPiGafCz— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 25, 2018
Now back to Brown…
Before even selecting Wynn with the 23rd pick in the draft, Belichick traded the 95th overall pick to San Francisco at the end of April in exchange for the 25-year-old and a fifth-rounder (which ended up becoming Ja’Whaun Bentley, a linebacker out of Purdue).
After being selected by the 49ers in the seventh round of the draft in 2015, Brown didn’t play very much until the end of his rookie season. However, he took over the right tackle spot completely in Year 2, starting all 16 games at the position in 2016 and continuing to do so last season until he was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder issue in December.
As if going from seventh-rounder to starter in less than a year wasn’t impressive enough, how about this quote from Von freakin’ Miller (h/t San Francisco Gate):
“He’s the best right tackle in the National Football League. And he may even be a top-five tackle, period, in the National Football League. There’s not another tackle who’s that tall, that big and can move the way he moves.”
That’s some pretty insane praise from a guy who many consider to be one the very best defenders in the league, if not THE best.
Belichick himself wasn’t hesitant to praise Brown this week either, and early reports from camp indicate that after a slow start at OTAs while he was finishing up his injury recovery, Brown’s been working with the first-team offense over Wynn so far in camp.
As of right now, it looks like the big(ger) fella is in the lead. Even though he has been a right tackle throughout his career, it seems like the team is confident that Brown’s beautiful synergy of size, strength, and mobility make him a perfect fit for the left side.
So where does that leave Wynn? If he loses out to Brown for the left tackle spot, is he going to replace Joe Thuney or Shaq Mason at guard – two really good lineman in their own right who were both ranked as top-15 players at their position last season, according to Pro Football Focus? Probably not. He’s also not going to replace David Andrews at center or Marcus Cannon at the other tackle spot.
So then what the hell? Would the Pats really spend such a high pick on a reserve offensive lineman? I certainly hope not, but here are a few different ways I can see this playing out:
Besides that, I really don’t see any other logical explanation for the embarrassment of riches the Pats currently have up front.
Either way, it’s a good “problem” to have, and it’s nice to know our elder statesman at quarterback will have some good protection in front of him once again in 2018.
Be sure to check in with The 300s next week for Part 3 of the series before the Pats kick off the preseason schedule against Washington next Thursday night!
ESPN – Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman has signed a deal with the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF) to compete in a boxing match later this year. Merriman, 34, has teased the possibility of competing in combat sports, notably mixed martial arts, for years. A three-time Pro Bowl selection with the San Diego Chargers, Merriman — whose nickname was “Lights Out” during his playing career — retired from professional football in 2013… A date and opponent for Merriman’s bout has yet to be determined. The event will take place this fall in Casper, Wyoming, and is expected to air via pay-per-view online…
Merriman was a standout linebacker at the University of Maryland and a Chargers first-round draft pick in 2005. He notched 39.5 sacks during his first three seasons, despite serving a four-game suspension in 2006 after testing positive for a banned substance. Injuries derailed the final five years of his career; he played just 33 games during that span.
Let me just Papa Doc my headline real quick before any of you have the opportunity to chirp me. Yes Julian Edelman is currently serving a suspension for taking a banned substance, yes Rodney Harrison served a PED suspension, yes Tom Brady was suspended for deflating fucking footballs
(Now that thats out of the way, back to the blog.)
But none of that changes the fact that Shawne Merriman is one of the biggest enigmas of our generation. The guy was an absolute savage, a preposterously strong, athletic, and menacing linebacker that tormented the league for years. Racked up 10, 17, and 12.5 sacks in his first 3 years in the league then he got popped for PEDs and had 6 sacks over the next 5 years. Maybe it was the PEDs, maybe it was injuries piling up (33 games over the final 5 years), but either way the guy was never even close to being a replacement level player ever again. Thats a pretty clear line of demarcation. Sorry, Chargers fans.
Not to mention the reason all Patriots fans loved to hate Shawn Merriman; the silly “Lights Out” sack dance.
The guy would put on this whole show after sacking a QB. But god forbid anyone mocks his pre-planned, organized dance, which is exactly what the Patriots did after yet again upsetting the favored Chargers in the playoffs in 2007. The Chargers all flipped out because doing the dance that was thrown in everyone’s face all year long was not classy.
“I would never react in that way. I was very upset,” Tomlinson said. “When you go to the middle of our field and start doing the dance Shawne Merriman is known for, that is disrespectful. They showed no class and maybe that comes from the head coach.”
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said he saw some Patriots pointing to the scoreboard, mimicking the dance and stomping on the Chargers’ logo at midfield.
“Every time I will play New England it will be a personal grudge,” linebacker Shaun Phillips said, according to the Union-Tribune. “That was very classless.”
Either way, I will absolutely be watching this bare knuckle boxing match as long as its not more than like $20. While I enjoy ragging on Merriman still all these years later, I will watch him try his hand at combat sports. Dude probably has a bundle of frustration built up over the past decade just waiting for someone to catch these hands after the way his football career ended.
I personally would like to apologize to Cole Beasley for sleeping on his debut rap album until just now because I heard it for the first time today and it BANGS.
Released last month, “The Autobiography”, popped up on my Spotify this morning while I was at the gym (no big deal) and I found myself jamming along before saying who the hell is this? Color me shocked to look down at my phone and see its none other than Dallas wide receiver Cole Beasley.
Any time an athlete releases an album I immediately think of Willie Beamen’s failed rap career. We’ve seen so many garbage musical endeavors from athletes over the years from guys like Deion Sanders, Shaq, more recently Lonzo Ball and lets not even mention Bernie Williams’ acoustic album.
But theres a few nuggets in there, hell even John Cena had a couple hits that get played to this day. Seriously, his song “My Time is Now” is featured in the new Toyota Camry commercial.
I can’t say I expected the white slot receiver from the Cowboys to put out such heat, but I should have known better with Cole Beasley. This is the guy who lives for roasting fools on Twitter.
The dude can spit, theres no denying it. He raps a lot about his money, but not in the way you’d expect. He talks about how he doesn’t have a flashy chain because he’s got his money put away for his kids’ college funds. He’s got a song about white stereotypes when it comes to rap, but more importantly how it relates to football. How he’s described as “deceptively athletic” where he says he’d probably just be “athletic” if he was black.
Cole world. #Cowboys #Giants #NFL #NYGvsDAL #NFLSunday pic.twitter.com/iHxeaf2VQf
— The 300s (@The300sBoston) September 11, 2017
Most importantly, this album has got legit beats and you can tell theres solid production value there. The guys a millionaire so I’m glad he didn’t make it in GarageBand. You can tell its not just a side project for the guy, he wants to be respected as more than just a football player. I gotta say, this is a pretty good rap album. Its not J. Cole’s KOD by any means, but there’s plenty of white space (no pun intended) to be filled in the rap scene today and believe it or not Cole Beasley’s album deserves a listen.
ESPN – “While Vince McMahon promises to bring back a revamped XFL in 2020, a son of McMahon’s partner in the original short-lived XFL venture said his football league will come first. And some big NFL names will be involved. Charlie Ebersol, who directed a documentary on the XFL that aired last year as part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, announced Tuesday that his league, the Alliance of American Football, plans to debut Feb. 9, 2019, the week after Super Bowl LIII. The season will run 10 weeks and will have 50-man teams.”
Look at Charlie Ebersol go! Dude just got the jump on Vince McMahon and the WWE commish must be furious. Vince made the mistake of announcing a brand new football league and then buried the lede that it wouldn’t begin play until 2020. Ebersol on the other hand just came out and announced his new league, the Alliance of American Football, will begin play in February 2019.
AND he’s already got games lined up to be aired on CBS with legitimate NFL names like Bill Polian, Troy Polamalu, Jared Allen, and Hines Ward behind it. Ebersol also has Barstool Sports parent company, The Chernin Group, already on board. You know Portnoy is just salivating at the potential for content with a brand new football league that won’t shun him like the NFL has done for years. That my friends sounds like a goddamn plan.
If you didn’t watch the XFL announcement press conference, Vince basically did a one man conference call to announce the league and then refused to really answer any actual questions about how the league would operate, how it would be different from the NFL, where players would come from, or where we could watch games. Not exactly ideal for building excitement. I think its safe to say Charlie Ebersol one upped Mr. McMahon here.
To be totally honest, what I’m about to say, I say a lot so take this with a grain of salt. I am a junkie for football and will watch just about any football game you put on TV. I’ve watched DII college football, Arena Football, the United Football League, the CFL, NFL Europe, the FXFL. Hell I even texted my buddy last night saying that we have to go check out a Massachusetts Pirates game out of the world famous National Arena League.
BUT, I can’t recall really watching more than a handful of these games. It was awesome watching an out of the NFL Daunte Culpepper run around in the UFL in cities like HARTFORD.
After realizing he was playing against guys that couldn’t start on my high school team though the novelty wore off. So as usual this sounds like a great idea, but it will come down to the quality of play. The NFL has been a monopoly for a long time and its not because there haven’t been challengers. Remember the USFL? The goddamn President of the United States owned a team.
But without the talent people won’t care enough to watch. So I know there are tons of D1 players that don’t make the NFL; what happens to them? I guess if you cut all the fat from the NFL like Ebersol plans to do (no TV timeouts, shorter broadcasts, no kickoffs etc.) then you could create a supplementary product that I will likely watch with a 6 pack of beer on a cold March night. Because I’ll tell you, I am dying for some football right now and Madden can only satiate that appetite for so long. Give me all the football leagues.
“What would you do if you could reimagine the game of football?”
Vince McMahon always has been and always will be the ultimate showman. Oh that ill conceived football league I launched in 2001 that only lasted one season? Well guess what, we’re doubling down and bringing it back! Vince said he’s here to “give the game of football back to fans.” What does that mean? Nobody knows! But it sure as shit fuels the hype machine.
Vince made the announcement on Twitter dot com because he’s savvy like that before taking questions from reporters. Highlights from the #XFL2020 press conference below:
So Vince was super dodgy about giving any actual details on the league, why he’s bringing it back, what exactly will be different etc. but it seems like he’s going to be giving himself more time to actually get something quality in place. Rather than rushing it, the XFL will begin play in 2020, so thats a 2 year window for Vince to get it together. Vince referenced the quality of play as the No. 1 thing that was lacking the first time around so we’ll see if 2 years is enough time to get some decent talent together.
I’m sure plenty of details and rumors will flood in over the coming days. But for now, lets get to whats really important. Whats my starting lineup for my first game in the XFL? This is assuming nobody is going to leave the NFL unless they hate money, so we’re going to have to dig deeper with some castoffs or guys that may be on their way out of the NFL.
I had Money Manziel and Adrian Peterson penciled into my starting lineup, but then Vince dropped this line:
“You want someone who does not have any criminality whatsoever associated with them. In the XFL even if you have a DUI you will not play in the XFL so that would probably eliminate some of them…If Tim Tebow wants to play, he could very well play.”
So that probably eliminates Manziel, Peterson and basically half the available players out there. We’ll go with my guy Tim Tebow instead because they will let him do whatever the hell he wants. The first coach since Urban Meyers that will be willing to build an offense around Tebow. But in case he doesn’t want to leave his cushy job at ESPN/hitting cleanup for the Mets, then we’ll smuggle former Oregon QB Vernon Adams out of the CFL and let him do his damn thing. I cannot imagine anyone other than a running QB will have any success in the XFL.
Running the ball we’ve got old school thunder and lighting with my man Reggie Bush, who should have no problem carving up the scrub DII linebackers he’ll be playing against, and Toby Gerhart backing him up because…well…hey man slim pickings for running backs not on an NFL roster these days. The Pats have 5 running backs for christ’s sake.
We got Baby Gronk at fullback because how are you going to have the XFL without a Gronkowski in it?
Who are my go-to receivers? Easy. The first two guys I’m calling are T.O. and Ocho Cinco because ya just know those guys are rearing to go and would probably play for minimum wage at this point. T.O can still play, he’s just insufferable so nobody wanted him on their team….in the NFL. Then we got old reliable Wes Welker working the slot. Unless Vince is afraid of someone getting diagnosed with CTE in the first week of the season then he might not get cleared to play.
Then we got that bum Tim Wright playing TE because he’s another athletic freak that just has not been able to make it work in the NFL so to the XFL for you, Tim.
I’m sure theres plenty of names that will become available, but with Vince throwing a wrench into everything with his morality clause we could be seeing a lot of CFL or college players roaming the field.
2020 is so close, yet so far away. The XFL is back baby!
I am a huge Johnny Manziel guy, but even I’m starting to think this may be the end of the line after seeing these TMZ pics of him hanging in Hawaii with his GF. Not getting signed to a CFL team? Sure that one stung, but this is worse. Looking more like a 24-year-old Dad Bod than a former Heisman winner on the NFL comeback trail 24-year-old.
But if you can still pull tail like this
then his game clearly isn’t hurting. So I don’tttt think playing football matters all that much. If you’re already pulling 10’s, then maybe the constant media scrutiny and guaranteed CTE isn’t even worth it.
But, as another season passes we’re reminded that Father Time is undefeated. As is guzzling Bud heavies and sitting on the beach with your girlfriend. But hey, Eli Manning has the best Dad Bod in the NFL and that guy has two Super Bowl rings so anything is possible right?
If he can get it together though, I do know of a certain football team in need of a new young, developmental backup quarterback…
The 300s 