Tag: Josh Gordon

The Patriots Just Traded Demaryius Thomas…to the Jets!

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This *never* happens. Seriously, when was the last time the Pats and the Jets made a trade? Belichick to the Pats was technically a trade, but as Felger just put it, when was the last time these two teams made a trade that wasn’t “court ordered?” So despite all the animosity between the two sides they got a deal done after Demaryius Thomas was made expendable by the addition of Antonio Brown. We hardly knew ye.

I though Thomas looked great in the last pre-season game, but that was against 3rd and 4th stringers and soon to be insurance salesmen so who knows. But how about Belichick getting anything, let alone a 6th round pick for a guy that was a street free agent coming off a torn achilles? Thats what we in the business like to call strong asset management.

Now a 6th round pick could be a bum the Pats cut before Labor Day next summer or it could be Tom Brady or it could be another asset in a long line of assets that Belichick is continuously flipping year after year. Belichick is basically that guy who started with one red paper clip and traded with people on Craigslist until he ultimately got a house out of it.

Joey B. and Mattes Chop It Up About the Patriots’ Chopping Block

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Joey B: Ok Mattes, here we are.

To kick this off. Who do you see, Good performance or not, off the Pats roster after this game?

Mattes: Brian Hoyer. While a lot of people may be averse to placing so much confidence in the preseason play of a rookie QB, the fact is that Jarrett Stidham has looked pretty sharp. This is also a kid who was once viewed as a first- or second-round pick before a “down” season at Auburn last year. And above all, there are too many other depth questions at other positions throughout the roster to keep three QBs – something, by the way, that Belichick has done only TWICE in the past decade. It would just be straight foolish. I’d much rather keep an extra WR or DL than keep a mediocre-at-best backup QB who may never even need to see the field. I’d actually be pretty pissed if they do keep Hoyer. There’s no reason for him to be here anymore.

Joey B:  Agreed 100% on Hoyer. My only caveat would be I could see them keeping until after final cuts, which gives him less of a chance of getting snatched up right away and us a better chance of resigning him should something to Stidham or….I’m not saying his name.

I personally think it’s curtains for Duke Dawson. Despite his size and balls skills he just never has been able to actually cover anyone. Much like your stance on Hoyer, why keep an extra player here when we could use depth somewhere else.

You mentioned the WR group. Give me your 5 and 6 man versions of our corps after this week. Who stays and who goes?

Mattes: I agree; I don’t expect them to cut Hoyer tomorrow. In fact, I could see them trying to trade him to someone first. (Maybe the Colts?? I mean, they already have one former Pats backup QB, so why not another?) And I totally agree on Dawson, too. He was a real talented kid coming out of Florida, but injuries set him back pretty far, and there is just too much talent and depth at the corner position otherwise. Especially with guys like Jonathan Jones and Keion Crossen (one of my guys I said to watch in camp this year) playing so well – not to mention rookie JoeJuan Williams – I just don’t see how Dawson makes the final cut.

My prediction for the final group at wide receiver is as follows: Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers, and Demaryius Thomas. Some may be surprised to see Thomas, who just got back onto the field this week, make the roster, but apparently the team loves him. He’s a great veteran influence in a very young/inexperienced group outside of Jules, and I think they want to see if the former perennial Pro Bowler still has something left in the tank before cutting bait. Also, people might be shocked to see Berrios not make the cut. To be honest, though, he really hasn’t done much to stand out this summer, and there are even reports that he’s struggled mightily in terms of getting past coverage and muscling through defenders in practice. He’s displayed some solid punt-return ability, but to this point he’s not really proven why he’s any more special than any other “slot guy with potential” throughout the league. Hopefully the Pats get lucky and can slide him to the practice squad, because there’s some potential there. But I don’t think he’s quite NFL ready yet.

Joey B: No arguments here, I don’t think Berrios makes it either. He just hasn’t panned out plain and simple. Also, am I wrong in remembering he has actually muffed a punt or two aside from his decent returning resume so far?

The only threat to Thomas might be Gunner Olszewski. the team seems high on the kid and he has that “scrappiness” they like. If they don’t keep him then definitely expect them to try and stash him on the practice squad.

The other overload of players I see us having is on the D-Line. Any surprising stayers or goers there?

Mattes: I just can’t see Olszewski making the cut. He’s a cool story, but he’s a flash in the pan. Maybe he’s another one who can sneak onto the P-squad or something.

And there aren’t really any big surprise cuts that I’m expecting. I would’ve said Duron Harmon, because while he has been a solid role player in the secondary for years, I think he’s hit his ceiling and perhaps the staff might’ve been willing to try and get some more young talent on the roster. Further, I think newcomer Terrence Brooks has already won the staff over, and he’s a special teams stud. However, with the whole Pat Chung situation, I think Harmon is pretty much a lock to make the team now.

One surprise roster “make,” though, is DT Byron Cowart. Cowart is a former five-star recruit who the team drafted in the fifth round out of Maryland this year. Due to being misused by the coaching staff and other “issues,” he slipped a bit in the draft, but he has been a monster this summer. He really broke out against the Titans in the second preseason game, and scouts around the league are saying the Pats might have nabbed one of the biggest steals of the draft with him. Especially after the team cut bait with Mike Pennel last week, I’m excited to see what this Cowart kid could do with this opportunity.

Joey B: Hmm Harmon would be a surprise. He’s just always been rock solid and I think between him and the snaps J.McCourty has seen at Safety the Pats have any Chung absence covered. I can’t see them entrusting a newcomer like Brooks with the magnitude of Chung’s role.

Cowart has indeed been a stud. He might take Derek Rivers spot which is kind of a shame considering his promise coming out.

I kicked this thought around with Friend Of The Blog, Patty B., but I think Phillip Dorsett could be a surprise cut. I have no tangible evidence to support this, but Dorsett has always been a “one or two big plays” guy rather than a steady presence and so I wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Pats lets him go in favor of one of the young guns. I hope not though.

Either way things are going to get interesting over the next week. Hold onto ya butts.

 

 

 

 

Top Patriots Fantasy Football Players for 2019

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Though the first official 2019 NFL preseason game has already come to pass, we’re still two days away from the first slate of live action for the 30 other teams besides the Broncos and Falcons who have still yet to play. Eleven preseason games are set to take place on Thursday night – one of which being Pats vs. Lions in Detroit – with two more on Friday and three others on Saturday night.

Unless you and your leaguemates are absolute psychopaths, your fantasy draft is still likely a few weeks away. Everyone knows you always wait until, at the very least, after the third week of preseason play has concluded. That’s because most starters usually don’t play in their team’s final preseason game, and there’s nothing worse than losing one of your top guys for the year due to a B.S. injury before the season even starts. Also, there are still a ton of camp battles currently taking place, and most depth charts aren’t even set yet.

(Quick but still entirely related side story: Our very own editor-in-chief Red learned this the hard way a few years back. For some reason, we had to do our draft a little early that year, and it actually took place during the third week of the preseason. Again, this was a few years ago, and Red decided to use his second-round pick on Jordy Nelson, which was a very sound choice at the time. Not even 15 minutes later, probably somewhere in the middle of the fourth round, we all looked up at the bar’s TV screen, only to see Jordy’s knee get absolutely DESTROYED, effectively ending his season – as well as Red’s hopes of fantasy success that year. Of course, we couldn’t restart the draft at that point, and Red was pretty much screwed. So, look, I get it; I’m chomping at the bit to draft my squad already, too. But slow down there, gunpowder. Don’t get “Jordy Nelson-ed.”)

However, it’s never too early to start talking about fantasy football. Never! And that’s why I’m here to provide you with my annual ranking of the top Patriots fantasy players for the upcoming season along with their current ADP, “Mattes-Adjusted ADP,” and other little tidbits to help you win your draft.

(Rankings and predictions are based upon a 12-team, half-point-PPR scoring format. Honestly, if you’re still in a standard league which only counts yards and TDs, get out of the freakin’ Stone Age already! Also, all average draft positions [ADP] are current as of August 6, 2019 and courtesy of FantasyFootballCalculator.com.)

Let’s begin…

Julian Edelman, WR

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  • (ADP: Early fourth round / Mattes-Adjusted ADP: Mid-fourth round)

While the recent thumb injury does cause for a bit of concern, it seems as though Jules is still on track to be ready for the start of the regular season. And there’s absolutely ZERO chance he doesn’t serve as Brady’s numero uno target in the passing game once again. Minus an injury-shortened 2015 campaign, Edelman had put up three-straight 90-plus-catch seasons before last year. And he would’ve had a fourth in 2018 if he wasn’t suspended for the first four games. Even still, he finished last season with over 70 catches and 800-plus yards; he was also on pace for 99 catches were he to play in all 16 games. He even hauled in six TDs, too. About as reliable as they come, the only reason I’m giving him a slight bump down from his current ADP is due to my concerns about the team’s offense as a whole this year. But as long as Brady can keep the ship afloat, Jules will be the first mate helping him lead the way. Draft Jules as a WR2 with absolute confidence. He is far and away the safest Patriot on the board in ANY fantasy draft this year.

Sony Michel, RB

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  • (ADP: Early fifth / Mattes-Adjusted ADP: Late fifth/early sixth)

Sony might be one of the most difficult fantasy players to peg this year. There’s no doubt that he lived up to his first-round NFL draft stock as a rookie last season with a 931-yard, six-TD campaign. And if he played a full season (only played in 13 games), he was on pace for 1,146 rushing yards; that would have been good for sixth in the league. But there are multiple red flags surrounding his fantasy prospects this year. First, there’s his extensive injury history. His degenerative knee condition is only going to get worse over time and will never go away. To be fair, a few of the games he missed last year were due to a freak injury he suffered in Week 7 against the Bears – which truly looked much worse initially – and were it not for that he probably would’ve only missed one or two contests. Still, the concerns are always there. Secondly, he’s a one-dimensional back who does not provide much in the way of receptions, severely hurting his PPR value. (Even though he’s reportedly looked great as a receiver in camp so far, I’m sorry, he’s not suddenly going to become the next Alvin Kamara.) Thirdly, there’s also still James White and rookie Damien Harris to worry about. White is the team’s main pass-catching option at the position, and Harris is a back who excels in all facets of the game. In fact, some people believe Harris could steal the job outright from Michel this year if he’s not careful. (More on that in a bit.) But for me, I still think Sony is an absolute grinder who showed a lot of toughness last year. The team still believes in him and he’ll still get plenty of burn this season, especially on the goal line. His TD upside alone is enough to keep me believing in him as a top-25 back in 2019. I guess I’m OK with him as my RB2, but if you aim to grab him as an RB3 instead, I think you’ll be just fine.

James White, RB

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  • (ADP: Mid-fifth / Mattes-Adjusted ADP: Late eighth/early ninth)

Here’s where we see my first big ADP discrepancy, but it’s not meant as any disrespect to my boy Big Game James. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge fan of his, and White did actually lead the team in total targets, receptions, and receiving TDs in 2018. But that just ain’t happening again. The team’s receiving corps might have been even worse off at times last season than it is right now, especially early on when Jules was out and Gronk was a shell of his former self. Until late last season, Brady relied on White to be the keystone of the offense, but the tide started to turn in the second half. Through the first eight weeks, White was targeted an average of nine times per game; over the final eight, that number dropped to six. The team also went out and acquired more weapons in the passing game this offseason – including the aforementioned Harris, who could really cut into White’s share of the load even more in 2019. Also, White isn’t getting another 94 carries, which was 59 (!!!) more than his typical career average. I could see another 50-plus-catch season for White, which is something he’s done multiple times before. But I promise you that he will not come close to sniffing the numbers he put up last year. You can take that to the bank. Look at White as no more than a RB4/5. DO NOT draft him anywhere near the fifth round this year. Just don’t.

Damien Harris, RB

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  • (ADP: Early ninth / Mattes-Adjusted ADP: Mid-to-late ninth)

I’ve mentioned him a few times so far in this piece, but the truth is nobody has an effing clue how this kid will be used this season. For those who don’t know who he is yet, Damien Harris is one of the team’s third-round draft picks this year who served as one of Nick Saban’s lead horses down at Alabama for the past few years. Not only is he said to be a real stand-up type of dude, but unlike Michel and White, Harris is someone who is as equally adept at toting the rock as he is at catching it. In fact, many believe he has the ability to become the Pats’ No. 1 back by the end of the season. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but unless Michel’s knees completely explode, he’s too talented to cede his role entirely to Harris. Especially with the team’s continually expanding reliance and focus upon the running game, both players will still get their fair share in 2019, but Michel is still the back to own. With other running backs like Jerick McKinnon, Peyton Barber, and Carlos Hyde (*YAWN*) going around the same draft slot as Harris, though, why not take a chance on the rookie here? I wouldn’t necessarily advise against it.

N’Keal Harry, WR 

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  • (ADP: Late ninth / Mattes-Adjusted ADP: 11th round or later)

Another rookie who nobody has had a chance to even see play yet, Harry has not had as great of a camp as I expected. One of the more complete receivers to come out of the draft in years, there’s a reason Belichick made him the first-ever wide receiver he chose to take in the first round. However, Harry’s struggled with drops so far this summer, and while he hasn’t been horrible, according to reports he is being outplayed significantly by fellow rookie Jakobi Meyers as well as free-agent pickup Maurice Harris. I think that Harry has a chance to be a beast as soon as he puts it all together; especially given his elite size (6’4″, 225 pounds), he could be a key fantasy bench piece just based on his potential to be used in the red zone. But until I hear more encouraging reports on his progress, I’d rather snag guys like DeSean Jackson, Emmanuel Sanders, Keke Coutee, and Donte Moncrief, all of whom are being selected after Harry in drafts so far. But, if he does reach his potential in Year One, he could end up being one of the steals of the draft. It’s honestly just too early to tell, and he is currently the epitome of a high-risk/high-reward player.

Tom Brady, QB

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  • (ADP: Mid-11th / Mattes-Adjusted ADP: Undrafted)

Novice fantasy players might be shocked to see the G.O.A.T. so far down most draft boards – and it may be especially jarring to see that I personally wouldn’t even take him at all! However, while he is unquestionably the greatest quarterback to ever play in terms of real-life football, the same cannot be said for fantasy. There are a solid 20 or so QBs who I guarantee you will score more points than Brady this season – particularly those who will also get you points on the ground – and there’s typically only 12 who start each week. I honestly believe Brady is being drafted on nothing more than name alone, which is vastly skewing his ADP. While TB12 will have his top-12 weeks this season, you’re probably better off snagging an extra RB or WR at this point in the draft to build depth. Then you can simply stream QBs each week until one hits. Nobody loves you more than me, Tom, but you’re not going to be on any of my fantasy rosters this season.

Josh Gordon, WR

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  • (ADP: Early 14th / Mattes-Adjusted ADP: 12th round or later)

Choosing to draft Flash right now is a complete roll of the dice; I’m not gonna lie. Though he did officially apply for reinstatement with the league this past weekend, there has been less than zero indication as to when he could possibly be allowed to return to action. But after his performance in just 11 games with the Pats last year – 40 catches / 720 yards / 3 TDs – there should be no doubt that he’s still got it in him. He’s also reportedly worked out with Brady this offseason to stay fresh, so the two could start clicking again right away if and when he returns (which I think he will). If you’re comfortable with your bench and are simply taking stabs late in the draft, go for the gold with Gordon. He could truly be a league-winner.

There are other guys – like the aforementioned Meyers and Harris, and maybe even Ben Watson when he returns – who could be sneaky options at certain points this year. (And maybe, juuuussst maybe, my guy Dontrelle Inman could still come through, too. 🤞🏻) But to be entirely honest, this is likely the only list of Patriots players you should be concerned about heading into your fantasy season. Again, there’s still a lot to be fleshed out before the really meaningful action begins, but hopefully this little primer helped to whet your appetite and start to prepare you for what lies ahead.

We’re almost there, everyone! And best of luck to all in this fantasy season.

Breaking down the Patriots wide receiver depth before the start of OTAs

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Heading into the offseason, most people agreed that wide receiver was a desperate area of need for the Pats. Actually, it was probably THE biggest are of need before the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.

Up until the weekend of the draft, however, it looked like the team was barely willing to do anything to improve its laughable depth at the position, and it really looked like Brady would be throwing to Julian Edelman and a bunch of trash cans in 2019. While the team supposedly went hard after Adam Humphries in free agency – before he ultimately signed with the Titans – I’ll admit that I was pretty heated that through March and most of April nobody of value had been brought in.

Well, I mean there was the signing of Bruce Ellington, a 27-year-old journeyman with a measly 79 career catches in 44 games who is missing a third of his left hamstring! (No, but really, he is.) And I place emphasis on the word “was,” because the guy was just cut on Thursday before even getting to sniff the field in a Pats uniform. So there goes that.

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Yeah, I know, man. That’s a tough break.

The team also signed former Washington wide out, Maurice Harris, who actually might have some sneaky potential and is only 26. And they took a flyer on a likely completely cooked Demaryius Thomas.

But besides that, the team did nothing until draft weekend, when they used their first-round pick on former Arizona State stud receiver N’Keal Harry. (A move that The 300s faithful already know I wholeheartedly endorse.) And then on May 10, they made a sneaky good signing by inking Dontrelle Inman. More on him in a second.

There’s also the whole Josh Gordon saga that continues to drag on. Will he play this season? Will he fall back into his old ways? Find out on the next episode of As the Flash Turns…

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With so many new faces and questions remaining, it’s tough to keep track of exactly who will be serving as Brady’s top targets next season. And while there’s still an entire offseason and plenty of time for things to change and be fleshed out, here’s a quick look at the team’s current stock at the position along with a prediction of what the pecking order will look like heading into September.

Julian Edelman

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Old Faithful will be returning for his 10th season in a Pats uniform this year, and you can lock him in for another 150-plus targets, 90-plus catches, and at least five or so touchdowns as Brady’s No. 1 guy. Everyone knows that Jules is the engine that truly keeps the team’s offense moving, and his MVP performance in last year’s Super Bowl was one for the ages. Were it not for him (and Gronk) the team would have barely been able to move the ball in that game at all, and there is nobody who Brady has ever trusted more in his career, besides maybe Wes Welker.

Say what you want about him being 32 years old and “injury prone.” But were it not for last year’s suspension he likely would have played in 16 games for the second straight season. Also, besides 2015, Edelman had also played in at least 14 games in each of the two previous seasons before that. The point is, the whole durability issue with him is completely overplayed, and he’s shown literally zero signs of slowing down any time soon. Jules is the unquestioned leader of this group and all-time Patriots legend. Thank GAHD we still have him.

N’Keal Harry

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It is super impressive to see a rookie already being viewed as Brady’s No. 2 option at wide receiver, but that’s pretty much how it looks right now. Of course, it’s hard to predict how any newcomer will adapt to the pro level, but considering Harry was one of the most consistent and productive college wide receivers in recent memory, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

On the night he was drafted, I already wrote a quick breakdown of the type of player Harry is and what he could provide for the receiving corps. The way he uses his body to win against opposing defenders and his strong after-the-catch ability can help to provide some of the physicality missing in the absence of Gronk. (Again, “some.” Nobody is EVER replacing Gronk. I want to make sure I say that loudly enough so people in the back can hear it.)

I’ll stop there, because I don’t want project too much about a guy who hasn’t played even one NFL down yet. But I’m definitely excited about this kid.

Dontrelle Inman

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Now, some people might assume that Phillip Dorsett is automatically slated to be a top-three receiver on this team due to his familiarity with the system and the flashes he showed at times last year. But, to be honest, I think Inman will rocket up the depth chart in camp and could actually even be the No. 2 receiver by season’s end; I think this dude is being slept on big time, and I’m surprised the Pats were able to get him this late into the offseason. (I know Joey B agrees with me, too. He actually made a very astute comparison to the signing of Brandon LaFell a few years ago, and I could totally see Inman having that same type of impact.)

Inman is another big-bodied guy (6’3″, 205 pounds) who has bounced around a few teams the past couple of seasons (Chargers, Bears, Colts), and I’m not really sure why. In 2016, he put up 810 yards on 58 catches while playing with Philip Rivers. The Chargers even placed a second-round tender on him the following offseason when he was set to become a restricted free agent. And in just four starts with the Colts last year (nine games played overall), he hauled in three touchdowns with 28 catches on only 39 targets.

Again, I have no idea why he’s shuffled around the NFL as much as he has in recent years, but this is actually a really good signing. Inman could honestly surprise a lot of people this year playing with the G.O.A.T.

Phillip Dorsett

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After a disappointing first go-round with the team in 2017 after coming over in a trade from Indy, Dorsett actually took a huge leap in 2018. Not only did he almost triple his amount of receptions from the previous season (from 12 to 32), but when Brady went to him last season, it was pretty much successful every time. For such a small, “speed” guy, it’s really impressive to see that he had a 76 percent catch rate; in fact, from Week 5 onward Brady and Dorsett had a 100 percent throw-and-catch rate, meaning that Dorsett caught every single ball Brady threw his way over the final three-quarters of the season.

OK, sure, that may have only been on just 16 total targets, and there were seven games last year where Dorsett was not even targeted once. But there’s no doubt that he’s earned the trust of Brady and McDaniels, and he’s a more than solid No. 3/4 option in the passing game with game-breaking jets. And let’s not forget that this guy was once a first-round draft pick, too. I’m really glad he ended up re-signing with the team this offseason.

And now here’s where it gets a little tougher to sort out. For starters, rarely do the Pats rely much upon more than three or four wide outs every season; especially with the involvement of the tight ends and James White (the team’s leading pass-catcher in 2018), the team doesn’t really need much behind the four receivers I’ve already hit on above. But there are still two former Pro Bowlers and some other young talent on the current roster who could rise to the opportunity and secure a role at some point this year. Here’s a quick look at a few of those guys.

Josh Gordon: Where to begin? By now, I think everybody is pretty well-versed on the 28-year-old’s trials and tribulations throughout his career, but there’s no doubt he showed the ability to still be one of the game’s elite wide-outs in the 11 games he played for the Pats last year. Many might be surprised to see he put up 40 catches and over 700 yards for the team last year before once again succumbing to previous transgressions which forced him to miss the final two months of the year. But like I said in March, he might not be done just yet and did officially re-sign with the team this offseason. And if he does finally get himself back on track? Holy hell. Watch out, NFL.

Demaryius Thomas: Another one of the game’s former elites, the Pats took a flyer on Thomas this offseason in hopes he can regain some of his previous form which saw him average 96 catches, 1,303 yards, and 8.5 touchdowns per season from 2012-2017 out in Denver. (Yeah, this dude used to be STUPID good.) Age and injuries have derailed him in recent years, but much like Gordon he could end up being just another entirely unfair piece for the Pats offense if all goes well. Or he could be cut by the end of training camp… To be honest, at this point I’m not expecting too much from him at all. Fingers crossed, though, because Thomas was once an absolute monster.

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Come on, D.T.! I know you still got it in ya.

Maurice Harris: The fourth-year player out of Cal spent his first three seasons down in Washington. After having just 12 career grabs over his first two seasons, he stepped it up with 28 last year. So far, he certainly hasn’t done anything to write home about overall, but he did hang 10 catches and 124 yards on the Falcons in Week 6 last season before being forced to play with the likes of Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson. Maybe TFB can get the best out of this kid. We’ll see.

Braxton Berrios: Here’s a guy who the casual Pats fan probably hasn’t heard of yet, but his tires have been quietly being pumped by coaches and other industry talking heads for the past year. Drafted in the sixth round in 2018, Berrios didn’t set the world on fire during his time in college with Miami, but he did earn Third-Team All-ACC honors in his senior year. A former team captain, valedictorian, and allegedly competitive as hell, he seems like a perfect guy for this locker room. Apparently, he profiles as a Julian Edelman type who excels on underneath routes and quick screens. We haven’t been able to see much from him yet, especially since he was placed on I.R. last September and missed the entire season, but he is definitely a name to keep an eye on this summer.

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Jules Part 2???

The Pats also have Damoun Patterson, Jakobi Meyers, Ryan Davis, and Xavier Ubosi as the other camp bodies at receiver, but I think I probably have just as good of a chance of cracking the roster this year as any of these four.

So, again, while there’s still a lot to be figured out before the games that really matter, at least Belichick & Co. have brought in some semblance of talent at wide receiver that was missing entirely just two months ago. This is going to be one of the best position battles to watch throughout the entire league this summer, and a part of me thinks it could actually be even better than what Brady had to work with last year.

The Pats are scheduled to kick off OTAs on May 20. So be sure to keep checking in with The 300s for all your Pats coverage!

Hey Guys, Josh Gordon Isn’t Done Quite Yet

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Hopefully your eyes didn’t roll too far back into your head after reading the headline.

But seriously, while many in Pats Nation are ready to write off the oft-troubled 27-year-old after his de-railed comeback attempt with the Patriots last season, both the team and the wide receiver himself are not ready to do so.

First, we received this little nugget from one of the NFL’s leading talking heads, Ian Rapoport, back on Super Bowl Sunday:

Then, last week, the Patriots decided to tender Josh Gordon, a restricted free agent, at a second-round level. Basically, this means the team will be able to retain his rights, and anyone that tries to sign him away this offseason would need to give the Pats a second-round pick. (I promise you that nobody is going to do that, so he will be back in New England if he plays next season.)

And finally, we were treated to a couple of Instagram posts from his trainer this past weekend in an effort to let the people know his client isn’t ready to hang ’em up just yet. (Check the clips out here and here.)

OK, he looks great and all, but my fear with him was never about whether or not he could still get it done as a player. By all accounts, he was fantastic for the team in his brief time on the field last season; in 11 games with the Pats in 2018, Gordon caught 40 of his 70 total targets for 720 yards with four TDs. For the season, he finished with an average of 17.98 yards per grab; over his past six games with the Pats, he averaged an even more impressive 19.5 YPC.

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Point of the story: the guy can obviously still ball.

It’s all that “other stuff” that we need to be concerned about, as the guy just can’t seem to shake all of those off-field demons. Furthermore, we still don’t even know exactly when the NFL will allow Gordon to return to action. As mentioned in the Rapoport tweet above, he “may” be back by training camp, but there has been nothing concrete reported pertaining to when Flash might be able to play again. It’s anybody’s guess at this point.

But as Lloyd Christmas once famously said:

Here’s to hoping the young fella finally pulls it together, once and for all, and gives the Pats a weapon they so desperately need in 2019.

Keep those fingers crossed, Pats Nation.

The 300s Podcast – Are the Patriots Cooked Without Josh Gordon?

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After an uncharacteristically bad stretch for the Patriots, Red and Big Z dive into what ails this team plus we discuss the Josh Gordon news that broke before we even finished our coffee.

-Josh Gordon had worked himself into a key cog in the New England offense so how badly does this suspension hose the Patriots?

-Is this a fatally flawed Patriots team? Whether it’s struggles playing on the road, sloppy penalties, or just poor execution this team does not look like a typical Patriots team.

-Is Tom Brady hurt? Many have speculated recently that TB12 could be dealing with an MCL injury…

-New 300s SWAG! The 300s Store is now open and you can get our designs on t shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, stickers, flags, hell I’m buying a literal Time Lord clock that will go up behind me in the podcast studio after the holidays.

Patriots Bills Week 16 Preview, Odds, and Storylines

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So these last two Sundays have been really disheartening. (And now Josh Gordon is gone, too! Let’s just keep piling it on!)

After a shocking loss in Miami and then a shameful defeat in Pittsburgh, the Patriots (9-5) are now sitting as the No. 3 seed in the AFC. And though they’re guaranteed to finish no lower than No. 4 as a division winner, Baltimore (8-6) and the Steelers (8-5-1) remain right on their heels. On the flip side, however, the Pats still do have a chance at a bye if they win out AND Houston were to lose to either the Eagles or Jags.

Either way, we’re not typically used to seeing such uncertainty in December, as the Pats being a top-two seed is usually a foregone conclusion by now. But things are different this year; the team just suffered two-straight December losses for the first time since 2002 and are now 3-5 on the road this season.

Now we get our second matchup of the year with a surprisingly decent Buffalo Bills squad. This time it’s at home, and this time the Bills have a much more talented – albeit more inexperienced – signal-caller leading the charge than they did the last time these two played just before Halloween.

But before we get into this week’s primer, here’s a look at where, when, and how to watch the game along with the latest lines:

  • Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
  • Kickoff: Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET
  • TV: CBS
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Patriots: -13 (spread) / Patriots: -755 (moneyline) / 44.5 (total)

Winners of three of their last five contests, the Bills have far exceeded my expectations this year. That’s probably because while their offense has still been pretty terrible, coming in at No. 31 overall, their defense has been absolutely nasty. Currently sitting at No. 2 overall, the Bills D has allowed just 187.4 yards per game through the air in 2018, tops in the league, and they are also the 10th-best team against the run. And since giving up 41 points to Chicago on November 4, the Bills have only allowed just over 18 points per contest in the five games since.

On offense, the Bills are a bit of an enigma, and it all starts with rookie quarterback Josh Allen. After spending the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft to select him, the Bills were without Allen the first time they played the Pats this season. But since returning just after Thanksgiving, Allen is 2-2 with over 1,150 total yards and seven scores.

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Allen is proving all the doubters wrong lately with his moxie and strong play.

Notice, though, that I said “total” yards; over 30 percent of those yards have actually come on the ground for Allen – with two 100-plus-yard rushing games – and he’s only completed 50 percent of his passes since making his return. So Allen can be a bit of a conundrum; while he won’t hurt you much in the air just yet, he does have the ability to do some damage with his legs.

The Pats have actually done a great job of containing mobile QBs this year; outside of the 81 rushing yards they gave up to Mitchell Trubisky out in Chicago, they’ve held others like Deshaun Watson (40), Patrick Mahomes (9), and Marcus Mariota (21) to relatively low numbers on the ground. Still, the Pats continue to be horrendous against the run overall, allowing opponents to average 5.0 yards per carry on the season and coming off of two straight in which they’ve given up over 150 yards on the ground. Allen, along with running back LeSean McCoy, who is expected back after missing last week’s game, could put up some serious rushing totals in Foxborough on Sunday.

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: do not sleep on this dude.

Fortunately, the Pats should be able to shut down the Bills air game with ease. As I said, Allen still has quite a ways to go as a passer, and besides this Robert Foster kid – who has come out of NOWHERE with three 100-plus-yard games (!) in the last month – the Bills have absolutely nothing at receiver. (No, really, it’s kinda sad.) The Pats also have a pretty stout secondary, and there’s the fact that a rookie QB has never beaten Belichick in Foxborough in the month of December.

All I’m saying is that Allen better put on his PF Flyers if he wants any chance of having success on Sunday.

Storylines

(What Does the Offense Do Now?): Things are looking pretty bleak for the offense right now. After a fool’s gold performance in Miami two weeks ago, Gronk went right back to looking worn out and put up a dud against the Steelers. Brady also looks off – and has for weeks – and now there’s speculation he might legitimately be hurt. Sony Michel has cooled off significantly after a hot start to his career, with James White and Rex Burkhead not really doing much behind him either. And today we find out that the Josh Gordon Experience is over in Foxborough, suddenly leaving the Pats without a true No. 1 outside receiver. Considering there’s two weeks left of regular-season play, they need to figure it out fast, and it all starts this week against one of the game’s top defensive units.

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Yeah, Gronk, I agree. That’s pretty much exactly how I’ve been looking at my T.V. these past few Sundays.

(Will This Team Ever Stop the Run?): As mentioned above, the Pats have been one of the absolute worst teams against the run this year. They’ve given up over 115 rushing yards to four of their last six opponents (including three games in which they gave up over 150!). Dalvin Cook would’ve made it five-out-of-six if the Vikings didn’t stop giving him the ball a few weeks ago after he racked up over 90 rushing yards on just nine carries. So not only do I fear that the offense won’t be able to keep up in the playoffs, but the unit won’t even have a chance to get on the field if the Pats’ opponents can simply just run the clock out on them. This week is their last chance to prove their worth against the league’s ninth-ranked rushing offense.

Prediction

I know this preview seems a bit “doom and gloom,” but, come on, can you blame me? After these past two weeks? Also, I’m supposed to have confidence that this offense, in its current state, will blow doors on the second-best defense in the league? Furthermore, the Bills solid running game might actually allow them to hang around and dictate the pace of the contest. These Bills are also tough and pretty resilient; each of their past four games were decided by four points or less. The ONLY reason I am picking the Pats to win this week is because it’s in Foxborough, but it won’t be pretty. The Pats take it 21-17.

Josh Gordon Reportedly Facing Another Suspension; Stepping Away from the Patriots

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Welp that only took 11 weeks. Just when the Patriots are rolling and firing on all cylinders too. Oh wait no the team has lost two in a row for the second time this season and looks increasingly like a team in free fall ready for a Wild Card weekend exit. Ideal time for Josh Gordon to get busted once again for a to be determined drug offense.

Hopefully Gordon gets the help he needs because you need to be jonesing bad to continuously throw away opportunities to play in the National Football League. Going into the can on the Browns is one thing, but to blow a golden opportunity to be the No. 1 receiver for the New England Patriots is unbelievable. This could in all likelihood be the last we see of Josh Gordon in the NFL and thats a real shame because after watching him firsthand for the past several weeks the guy’s talent is undeniable.

This really, really hoses the Patriots though. Rob Gronkowski clearly isn’t himself, Julian Edleman is definitely dealing with some kind of lingering injury, and Tom Brady may be playing on a torn MCL. Now they’ll be without Josh Gordon and will be forced to lean on guys like Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett! This could be the nail in the coffin that is the clusterfuck of the 2018 Patriots season.

We’ll break this whole story down further when more details become available.

I Finally Got to Touch the Sacred Turf at Gillette Stadium as The 300s Went Field Level for the Patriots Game

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So through a friend of The 300s I somehow stumbled into field passes for the Patriots game yesterday and finally got to touch the sacred turf at Gillette. The same turf that Tom Brady has given me countless memories on over the years so it was a borderline religious experience.

You see all those 300s hats? That’s called branding guys. Marketing 101.

It was a beautiful monsoon-like day for a football game so naturally I had to stop at Marshalls on the way to Foxboro to pick up some waterproof pants like I was going gator hunting.

In a weird stat, Kirk Cousins threw for more yards warming up than he did in the actual game.

I thought jersey duos like this only existed on the internet, but alas I saw this couple up in the nosebleeds and it was glorious.

Check out the full breakdown below as we pretended to be part of the elite down at field level before going up into the 300s with the rest of our degenerate brethren.

Patriots Vikings Postgame Thoughts and Quick Hits

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That was a win you can feel good about, Pats Nation.

While, sure, the now 6-5-1 Minnesota Vikings are “underperforming” a bit this year, they should still be considered one of the top teams in the league. Let’s not forget they were in the NFC Championship just last year and are still absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball. And don’t forget the fact that the Pats D was able to keep the league’s seventh-rated passing offense to 10 points and less than 300 yards of total offense.

Well done, fellas. Truly.

The dominant duo of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen was held to a combined total of 10 receptions, with each receiver failing to crack even 50 yards (or, in Thielen’s case, 30). They also picked off two passes from Kirk Cousins, who barely surpassed the 200-yard mark through the air overall.

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It was a rough day on the gridiron for No. 19 yesterday.

Dalvin Cook had a great (and extremely efficient) game on the ground, though, picking up 84 rushing yards on just nine carries. Were it not for the game script, which forced Cousins to throw 44 times, Cook could’ve done more damage. Granted, he did gain most of his yards off of a 32-yard and subsequent 18-yard run at the beginning of the game, but he still averaged 4.8 yards per tote over his other seven opportunities. That’s the best and healthiest he’s looked all year outside of a solid performance against Detroit in Week 9.

In a game where the Pats were expected to – and did indeed – struggle to run the ball, Tom Brady was solid but unremarkable. It was another 300-yard performance for the G.O.A.T., but he had just one score and also threw a pick. However, he was able to get the Pats down the field by spreading the ball around to almost everyone, ultimately allowing big James Develin to rumble in for two separate scores on the goal line. The Pats offense converted 50 percent of its third-down opportunities as well, allowing the team to move the ball even with the overall subpar rushing performance.

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Oft forgotten and underappreciated – as most fullbacks are – Devs got some much-deserved shine yesterday at Gillette.

The Pats D, though, was the real story. Again, they were able to keep the three-headed monster of Cousins, Diggs, and Thielen at bay and barely allowed the Vikings to reach double-digits on the scoreboard. Trey Flowers also grabbed another sack, and so didn’t Adam Butler – whom I pointed out last week as a guy who’s been quietly skyrocketing up the depth chart and really establishing himself in the team’s hierarchy up front.

Again, it’s OK to allow yourself to be pretty happy about this one, especially considering – as I’ve mentioned numerous times over the past couple weeks – the schedule is a breeze the rest of the way outside of a huge showdown with Pittsburgh in two weeks.

Here’s a few more quick hits for ya after Sunday’s triumph in Foxborough:

  • Rookie corner J.C. Jackson continued to impress and is obviously no longer in a time share. He served as the team’s clear-cut No. 3 corner yesterday. Jonathan Jones, who did have one of the team’s two picks on the afternoon, played just three percent of the snaps, compared to 89 percent (!) for Jackson, who came up big on two almost successive plays at the end of the third quarter; with the team up 17-7, Jackson broke up two potential touchdown passes in or near the endzone, forcing the Vikings to kick. That would be the final time they scored in the game. I’ve been saying since the preseason to keep an eye on this kid!
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Get to know this face, guys. He’s quickly becoming one of the team’s key pieces on D.

  • On the team’s very next offensive series after Jackson’s heroics, Brady tied Brett Favre for third place on the all-time passing touchdown list, AND he also tied Peyton Manning for most TD passes all-time when combing regular and postseason play. OH, AAAND just for kicks, he also surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his career on a 5-yard scramble in the first. Every week it seems like he’s setting another record lately. Again: G…O…A…T!!!
  • Rex Burkhead touched the ball nine times in his return to action. In all, he was able to muster up 41 total yards, and he had two plays of over 10 yards, showing burst on both a 10-yard run and another 15-yard catch. Sony Michel (18 touches) and James White (13 touches) were still the lead backs, and should be moving forward, but Burkhead is obviously going to be a part of the plan again from here on out.
  • Josh Gordon hauled in just three passes but demonstrated how vital his big-play ability is for this offense. His 24-yard TD catch at the end of the third put the game away for good.
  • Yesterday’s victory guaranteed the Patriots their 19th straight winning season.

Up next for the Pats is a game with the Fins in Miami this Sunday. Be sure to check in with The 300s later on this week for the game preview!