I was flipping back and forth between playoff baseball and the Bucs Bears game last night before settling in for the last few minutes of Thursday Night Football when I saw it was a one score game late in the 4th. The Bears were down and they were driving and after a couple boneheaded plays and a back breaking sack it looked like the Bears were cooked. Except I forgot Nick Foles is a mediocre quarterback who has made a deal with the goddamn devil. BDN dialed up a halfback wheel route rub play and lofted a perfect pass, while backpedaling, right into David Montgomery’s basket, anticipating exactly where the RB would be before he was even past the line of scrimmage.
Facing a key 2nd & 11, #Bears QB Nick Foles identified man coverage and yelled "Rub! Rub!" to Allen Robinson, scheming David Montgomery wide open against a blitz.
That sealed the deal for the Bears right? Nope! Because half the coaches in this league are morons, rather than running three straight downs, forcing the Bucs to burn all their timeouts, and then kicking the Field Goal to win it with no time left, the Bears instead opted to throw the ball and stop the clock! That left more than a minute on the clock for Tom Brady to do Tom Brady things.
Brady came out of the gates firing and rifled a 12 yard completion to Mike Evans who easily got out of bounds to stop the clock. Now the Bucs only needed like 30 yards to get into FB range and get out of there with a win.
Incompletion. Four yard completion. Clock still running. Incompletion off the hands of Gronk. Now if you’re keeping track at home, those three plays put the Bucs at 4th and 6 with a do or die play. Brady throws an incompletion to Brate over the middle. Game over.
Except you then hear Troy Aikman and Joe Buck saying Brady is still on the field looking confused…and then we get this damning shot.
Brady apparently thought it was only now 4th down. What the hell has happened down in Tampa Bay? Never in all my years of lovingly gazing at my TV watching TB12 have I ever seen him make a mental mistake like that. Sure everyone makes physical mistakes, makes bad plays, throws bad passes, but this was different. This was a pure mental error that you just do not see from guys like Brady. The internet was quick to roast him for the gaffe.
It just goes to show what happens when you go from the, as Julian Edelman would say, “Happily Miserable” structure of the Patriots under Bill Belichick to the loosey goosey, deep ball loving, win or lose we still booze head coach in Bruce Arians.
I am not a silver linings type of guy, as I said yesterday there are no moral victories in the National Football League. Yes, the Patriots lost 26-10 to the Chiefs last night, BUT there are some things to build on here for a team that was not playing with a full deck.
Defense Delights The Patriots defense was masterful for much of the night (except for 2 dropped picks) holding the Chiefs to their lowest offensive yards total all season, just a week after they dropped 517 yards and 34 points on the Ravens. Patrick Mahomes was held to 236 yards and 2 TDs (both of which were about 2 foot tosses). The Pats also stifled Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the Chiefs running game all day, holding CEH to just 64 yards on 20 carries. Travis Kelce only had 3 catches for 70 yards on the night, but killed the Pats on a 45 yard reception late in the game.
RIP to the Brian Hoyer Era The Brian Hoyer era lasted a grand total of 44 minutes.
Hoyer killed the Patriots with rookie mistakes all night long before mercifully getting benched by Belichick. I am normally a pretty calm guy watching the game and scrolling twitter in between plays, but I literally YELLED at my TV when Hoyer took that sack to end the first half and cost the Pats a field goal.
With no timeouts left and in FG position, Brian Hoyer takes a sack. That’s how the first half ends. Yikes.
You can argue that the team was too cavalier with their timeouts, but thats because they had a guy in his 12th year in the NFL under center. He should know better so that was infuriating to watch. Hoyer only made it worse later in the game when a pass rusher blew by him and instead of immediately getting the ball out, he patted the ball somehow thinking the defender was gone. Nope, that guy immediately peeled back and forced the fumble on Hoyer who for some god forsaken reason still had the ball in his hands. Hoyer’s Awareness rating in Madden must have taken a nosedive after this performance.
In came Jarret Stidham, who the Pats finally reached their breaking point and relented on letting him play after Stid had the gall to go to a wedding over the summer. All it took was less than 3 quarters of watching Brian Hoyer playing for Belichick to pull the plug on that experiment. Physically Stidham looked pretty good as he chucked the ball around with ease. He made the typical mistakes of a young QB, but he also had some alarmingly bad throws with 3 picks (1 of which was called back). I don’t know if thats an accuracy issue or a decision making issue, but one of his interceptions was on an underthrown ball in the face of pressure. If he just steps up in the pocket to avoid the rush, this is a TD.
Three interceptions for this defense today 👏 @_sleepp
He did hit N’Keal Harry with a pretty touch pass in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on his first career completion though so that was nice to see.
Harry was a huge disappointment last year for various reasons, but it seems the experience of being in Year 2 combined with the power of positive reinforcement from Cam Newton hyping him up has paid huge dividends. Ironic, considering one of Tom Brady’s best friends is Tony Robbins, the de facto king of positive thinking, but it takes Cam Newton to bring it out of Harry.
Turnovers Galore The Pats were uncharacteristcally sloppy, turning the ball over four times compared to just once by the Chiefs. You’re rarely going to win a game when you lose the turnover battle, you are never going to win a game against the Chiefs when you spot them points.
Young Guys Shine Chase Winovich has officially arrived this season and particularly in this game as he was wrecking havoc and hurrying Mahomes all night long. Very encouraging to see for a team that is desperate for some pass rushers after all the players that either left via free agency or opted out this season.
Damiere Byrd looked like a legit NFL receiver yet again with five catches for 80 yards, but he also saw 10 targets so the QBs (not just Cam Newton) seem to trust him to make plays.
Damien Harris FINALLY stepped onto the field and he did not disappoint, racking up 100 yards in his first significant NFL game action. Harris only had 4 touches all of last season and was a scratch most weeks so I have been dying to see the former Alabama back get some significant work. With Sony Michel back on IR this is Harris’ time to shine and I think he probably takes the RB1 job for good. Granted the Pats routinely roll out multiple runningbacks on any given week, but I think Harris is the locked in bellcow back moving forward if he stays healthy.
Kyle Dugger looked great and his athleticism was apparent as he made some touch tackles, which impressed me the most considering the Patriots’ top pick was essentially playing Division II football last year.
Get Well Soon Cam The Patriots showed they can hang with the class of the league if they play their best football, which they did for large shares of the night. Their QB play is what ultimately sunk them, but if these two teams meet again later this season it would be with Newton under center who obviously turns the Patriots offense into a completely different beast.
Edelman Drops Jules had the dropsies last night, including a pass deflected off his hands that turned into a walk-in pick six for the Chiefs.
Julian Edelman led the NFL in drops last season. This is now his fifth this season, and the most costly one… pic.twitter.com/dT3B2WtuW1
It’s tough to see Edelman drop more and more balls as he gets up there because he has been so money for so long for this Patriots team. It’s something to keep an eye on. He is far from washed, as we saw in the Seattle matchup when Edelman had one of the best games of his entire career with Newton slinging him the ball. But it makes sense for the Pats to not have their entire offense depend on a 34-year-old receiver.
Although Edelman’s potential heir to the New England Slot only had one catch last night, Gunner Olszewski sure as shit made it count with this one.
Give Me a Break Looot of breaks went the Chiefs way last night and the Pats were still hanging around for most of the game. By far the worst was the fumble return that was whistled dead WAY too quickly and ultimately ruled a sack.
Very quick whistle for the Chiefs. Play ruled a sack. Should have been a fumble recovery or INT for the Patriots. pic.twitter.com/6hhQkM8UOY
The clear strip and fumble return was blown dead by the refs who said they thought Mahomes was “in the grasp” of defenders.
Patriots had a tough call go against them when a would-be INT was ruled a sack by referee Tony Corrente. The call was explained by Corrente after the game (https://t.co/hFVYPZZW1k). Before moving on, I wanted to follow up with a few thoughts: pic.twitter.com/qXy5n6RW8h
Now I understand the irony of a Patriots fan complaining about a quarterback sack not being called a fumble, but that call was horrific. Total hose job.
There was also the Chiefs punt returner somehow not touching that bouncing ball a la Edelman in the AFC Championship, and the brutal roughing the passer call on Mahomes who should have won an Oscar on the play.
Overall this team looked pretty good playing the defending SB champs with their 2nd and 3rd string quarterback after commuting to Kansas City the day of the game. They showed they can hang with the best of them so I look forward to seeing this team back at full strength. The Pats are now 2-2 and 2 games back in the AFC East though trailing the Bills who look legit behind sudden MVP candidate Josh Allen. I knew the Bills would be good this year, but I did not expect this type of jump from Allen so kudos to them. The race for the AFC East crown is on now.
We are now five days away from the deadline for NFL teams to cut down to 53 man rosters. Came at us fast huh? Yikes. With a shorter training camp and no preseason, evaluating players had to of been a lot harder this year, not to mention the fact that the beginning of the season should be a gigantic shitshow.
As websites of our ilk are want to do, I figured I’d take a crack at breaking down what the Patriots’ 53 man roster might look like, based on rumblings and grumblings I’ve heard from the the various media actually allowed to attend camp. The Patriots in particular are kind of a bitch to predict given they play so positionlessly in some areas. But here goes nothing.
OFFENSE Quarterbacks (3) Keep: Cam Newton (QB1), Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer Cut: Brian Lewerke
No shockers here. If reports are accurate Cam is really starting to run away with the QB1 job. Not just because of his passing either. He has obvious superiority when it comes to athleticism and the energy he brings to the offense, I’m told, is palpable. Stidham gets another year to learn and Hoyer can stand in as old reliable.
Running Backs (4) Keep: Damien Harris, Rex Burkhead, James White, Sony Michel
Cut: J.J Taylor
Word out of camp is we could see Harris picking up a lot more carries this year. I’ll be fine with that as it takes the load off Blanco and allows him to be the de facto 2nd or 3rd option in the receiving game. Sony Michel, whichever version, will start the season splitting carries with Harris while Burkhead can fill in wherever needed
Fullback (1) Keep: Jakob Johnson
I have half a mind to doubt myself in keeping a Fullback. That said the Pats run game statistically fell off a cliff without a FB last year and Johnson by all reports has played really well this camp.
Tight Ends (2) Keep: Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene Cut: Ryan Izzo, Jake Burt, Paul Quessenberry, Rashad Berry, Paul Butler
This seems strange for me to even write but I think Belichick may go full “fuck it” and roll the rookies out there. Camp is so hard to judge on its own merits, but Asiasi has looked like the receiving threat we didn’t know existed when we drafted him and both youngbloods have looked good blocking. Thus we reach the end of the line for Izzo.
Wide Receivers (6) Keep: Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Mohammed Sanu, Jakobi Meyers, Gunnar, Olszewski, Damiere Byrd Cut: Isaiah Zuber, Devin Ross, Jeff Thomas
Probably not a ton of surprise here. Harry has apparently looked great this camp, adapting his college game of just snatching shit out of the air with zero separation to the pros. Gunnar, they say, now looks more like a WR than an interesting project. Sanu gets a chance to prove he doesn’t suck. Meyers gets to prove he wasn’t a one year preseason wonder.
Offensive Lineman (9)
Keep: David Andrews, Yodny Cajuste, Jermaine Eluemunor, Shaq Mason, Joe Thuney, Isaiah Wynn,Michael Onwenu, Tyler Gauthier, Korey Cunningham
Cut: Ben Braden, Hijalte Froholdt, Justin Herron,
A lot of this is guess work. My first six, whether they start or not, I think are shoe ins. After that I’m not too sure. An example of this is whether they’ll keep Cunningham, a veteran backup Tackle from last year’s squad, or 6th round pick Herron. I went with Cunningham.
Defense
Defensive Tackles (4) Keep: Adam Butler, Lawrence Guy, Byron Cowart, Beau Allen Cut: Bill Murray, Xavier Williams, Nick Thurman, Michael Barnett
Guy and Butler are locks and things get interesting after that. The Pats kept Cowart around so that should count for something. They have an old nemesis in Allen that they have a history of keeping around.
This is sooooo goddam tricky. Tne Patriots front seven should be considered its own state of matter. Wise and Calhoun stay for now as reports are that Josh Uche is getting a lot of looks as a MLB of all things. Jennings is listed off the edge here even though I think he’ll play a swiss army, elephant backer role akin to Hightower- If not now than in the future. One could argue Wise Jr. is also now a DT but whatttever.
Again, some are listing Uche as a rusher but he’s getting a lot of looks inside. Maluia should see a lot of snaps this year as well. Bentley gets to prove he’s the next Boogeyman.
Cornerbacks (6) Keep: J.McCourty, Stephon Gilmore, J.C Jackson, Jonathan Jones, Joejuan Williams, Justin Bethel Cut: Michael Jackson, Myles Bryant, D’Angelo Ross
I actually wouldn’t be surprised if Williams was cut, although he should get another year. Jackson looked good on the field last year but has been torched a bit this camp. Jonathan Jones was a pleasant surprise in coverage last year. JMac and Gilmore are the 1-2. Bethel gets stashed for his S/T expertise.
Safeties (5) Keep: D.McCourty, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Terrance Brooks, Cody Davis Cut: N/A
The Pats have a group of one Pro Bowler, a few solid players, and two unknowns at Safety this year. Dugger was the surprise second rounder out of the DII rankings. He has received positive reviews this camp though. My onion with him has been this: We play a ton of man. Tight Ends are all the rage so teams are drafting big ass safeties (basically small LBers, called “moneybacks”) to cover them. If all a first year guy has to do is “go cover that big ass tight end” it should be easy enough to see what we have.
Specialists (4) Kicker: Justin Rohrwasser, Punter: Ryan Allen Special Teams Ace/WR: Matthew Slater Long Snapper: Joe Cardona Cut: Nick Folk
I just cannot see Bill Belichick quitting on a 5th round pick with a big leg. Everything else is obvious.
As you all have heard by now the Patriots did the most Patriots thing ever this week and signed a former elite player on a massively team friendly deal. The marriage of Cam Newton and the Patriots is not something I expected, but I also was told by the Boston media all offseason how high the team was on Jarrett Stidham with Brian Hoyer being the adult in the room for at least a little while. Welp, it seems like Belichick had merely been eyeing a fancy new toy for months just waiting for the price to drop before finally deciding to pull the trigger. Newton comes to New England on an incentive laden one-year prove it deal as the signal caller looks to bounce back from an injury shortened season last year.
Jarrett Stidham’s head must be spinning right now. The heir apparent to the Patriots QB1 only had to beat out veteran journeyman Hoyer to earn the job. Now he’s got Hoyer and a former league MVP boxing him out of the starting gig. Stidham took a road trip to Texas with the wife and got Wally Pipped before he even got off the Pike. Stidham checking his ESPN notifications and seeing the Newton signing:
By the way, this also goes to show you to never, ever, ever discount what the wise guys are saying in Vegas. Oddsmakers had the Patriots as the favorites to sign Newton months ago and we all thought what the hell are they talking about? Whoops.
Julian Edelman seems to already be on board with the former MVP coming to Gillette though.
Using the infamous and ridiculous Cam Newton font in his post legitimately made me laugh out loud.
Although Tom Brady was immediately in Edelman’s comments like an ex-girlfriend trying to honey dick him.
You left Jules, Tom! Let him be happy with someone else.
I’ve been a big fan of Ham Newton’s game ever since his days at Auburn when he crushed my dreams as a Boston based Oregon stan in the National Championship. So I’m pretty excited to see what one of the most dynamic QBs in the game can do with the best coach in the history of the league.
KEY STATS
People point to Newton’s career 59% completion percentage as a reason why he won’t fit here, but I fully expect the Pats to run the snot out of the ball this year. They were already trending that way the last couple of seasons, drafting Sony Michel in the first round, and this past offseason using the franchise tag to bring back Left Tackle Joe Thuney. Now factor in that Newton’s completion % is nearly 10% higher on play action than it is on non-play action plays. His completion percentage on play action is 68%, which will pick teams apart if the Pats can develop a decent running game in 2020.
If the Pats do want to jam Newton into the Tom Brady quick, short pass offense? His accuracy is not as good as Brady’s (Brady is 63% career), but their time holding onto the ball and average yards per throw is surprisingly close. In 2018 (Newton’s last *almost* full season with 14 games) Cam averaged 2.69 Time to Throw compared to Brady’s 2.62 seconds and 5 Completed Air Yards compared to Brady’s 5.6. He also had a Passer Rating of 94.2 compared to Brady’s 97.7 with a Completion Percentage of 67.9 compared to Brady’s 65.8.
Tom Brady is the GOAT and my favorite athlete of all time, but Cam Newton is not a bad replacement if healthy. Newton also only threw two more picks than Brady despite having an Aggressiveness % of 17.2 to Brady’s 13.9. And if that stat is entirely new to you as it is one I found that fits my agenda, have no fear: “Aggressiveness tracks the amount of passing attempts a quarterback makes that are into tight coverage, where there is a defender within 1 yard or less of the receiver at the time of completion or incompletion. AGG is shown as a % of attempts into tight windows over all passing attempts.”
INJURY HISTORY
As with any player, especially at QB, a recent injury history like Newton’s is alarming. Pats Pulpit does a great job of breaking it down extensively, but here are the spark notes.
January 2019 – Shoulder surgery on his throwing arm
December 2019 – Foot surgery for a Lisfranc fracture
2014 – Ankle Surgery
It’s not an overly lengthy injury history, but it is a very recent one. Shoulder and foot injuries for a 31-year-old mobile QB are not ideal. Thats why he was available though and the last thing you want to do is repeat the Dolphin’s fatal mistake when they passed on Drew Brees in 2006 because of his shoulder injury. They went with Daunte Culpepper instead and have sucked for the past 14 years, meanwhile the Saints took a chance and won a Super Bowl as Brees flourished into a Hall of Famer.
FIT WITH PATS
As I mentioned earlier, this Patriots team already seemed poised to run the hell out of the ball so bringing in Cam Newton makes sense as they could utilize any of their half dozen runningbacks (is Damien Harris still alive and well?) and run the old Full House package from Madden ad nauseum. I don’t expect the Patriots to morph into an RPO team overnight like the Ravens did with Lamar Jackson, but I do expect a ton of Shotgun and spreading the defense out so Newton can utilize his strengths.
I honestly think James White might catch 100 balls this year (career high 87 in 2018). Newton looves throwing to his runningbacks. Sure he’s had the best RB in the game in Christian McCaffrey, but Newton threw to his RB1 more and more each year. From 2016-2019 McCaffrey had 80, 107, and 116 receptions on 113, 124, and a whopping 142 targets last year. Somewhat surprisingly that was *only* 8th in the NFL in total targets, but it also was 34 (!) more than any other RB in the game.
Obviously the Patriots have not had a mobile quarterback really ever, even before Brady, but when you see the actual numbers compared to Newton it is jarring.
Mobile quarterbacks have only very recently started to find success in the NFL so it clearly never hurt the Patriots before, but adding this element to their offense will be a welcome bonus to having Newton under center.
Mike Reiss said on ESPN the other day he believes the Pats will keep their offense 75% the same with about 25% changed to suit Newton.
Lets not forget that Josh McDaniels did in fact draft Tim Tebow in the first round back in 2010 while he was the HC in Denver. The Pats also had some fun with their most mobile quarterback since Doug Flutie when Jacoby Brissett was forced into emergency starting duties against the Texans in 2016. The Pats ran some RPO and Brissett ran the ball 10 times that game, including this 30 yard TD on a designed QB run.
And Brissett’s not even a mobile quarterback! He just looked that way compared to the Clydesdale that is TB12. Cam Newton ran a 4.59 40 yard dash at the combine compared to Brissett’s 4.94. Granted Newton has since had foot surgery, but my point is the Pats had a great game plan for a guy that runs a slower 40 time than me. Imagine what kind of damage they can do with a guy like Newton?
EXPECTATIONS
I’ve said in the past that watching Newton last year he looked cooked, but coming off a shoulder surgery less than a year prior and then injuring his foot really decimated any chance he had of stepping into throws. Not to mention his ability to scramble, so its no surprise he looked terrible. But Cam was great as recently as 2018 even though his season was cut short after 14 games with the shoulder injury. In 2018 Newton threw for 3,400 yards, 24 TDs, 13 INTs, 67.9% completion percentage, 94.2 Rating, with 488 yards rushing and 4 TDs. A far cry from his MVP year, but this is also with him throwing to his runningback, DJ Moore, Devin Funchess, Jarius Wright, Curtis Samuel, something called Ian Thomas, and a 33-year-old Greg Olsen. Not a ton of household names in there outside of McCaffrey.
CBS Sports’ Will Brinson was on Toucher and Rich this week calling Cam the greatest QB in league history and is *very* high on the fit.
“I think if Cam is healthy, Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick will unleash a really lethal offense…Rob Gronkowski is the second greatest red zone threat in league history and Cam Newton is No. 1 because he can run the ball.”
Although would it surprise me if Belichick just up and decides it’s not working and cuts Newton in training camp? With an incentive laden one-year contract, it would not shock me. I’d hate to see that happen though because this is the most excited I’ve been to watch the Patriots since Brady left for Tampa.
The fit remains to be seen, but I think Newton is DYING to prove he is still an elite QB in a league that is now littered with mobile QBs. Newton was the prototype so it must really piss him off to see half a dozen QBs winning with his blueprint. He wants to prove he is still the alpha and if he is fully healthy, motivation will not be a problem so I am excited to see what Belichick and McDaniels do with him.
JERSEY TIME?
I have to admit, I was pretty meh on the new Pats jerseys when they came out, but I think part of that was probably with Brady leaving town there wasn’t really any other players that made me want to buy a $100 jersey. I already have an Edelman jersey, Devin McCourty flirts with retirement more and more these days, Dont’a Hightower is also on the wrong side of 30. I love Chase Winovich, but I need to see him on the field more before I even think about elevating him to jersey status. N’Keal Harry needs to catch about a dozen touchdowns this year to get into this conversation. So who does that leave? Maybe Stephon Gilmore? I guess if I had to pull the trigger it would be either White (a Super Bowl hero) or Patrick Chung (a longtime Patriot who does anything and everything). BUT, I gotta say, this looks pretty sexy.
I have a rule that I don’t buy jerseys of players unless they have recently signed a contract extension so as to not end up with another Sergei Samsonov jersey that immediately became a throwback about a week after I bought it. But if Ham Newton has 10 touchdowns in September, it’s going to be pretty hard to keep my credit card in my pocket. Even if he is only on a one-year contract.
Would still be a better jersey to won than the two *different* guys I’ve seen wearing John Lynch Patriots jerseys in Allston over the years (Lynch retired before the start of the 2008 season).
Or maybe the injuries have finally caught up to a guy who has absolutely abused his body for the past decade and Newton really is cooked. Well its a win-win situation for the Pats. They get a 31-year-old, hyper motivated former MVP QB, who will not be fazed in the slightest about replacing a legend and ultimately dominates with a fresh start OR we get A+ fashion shows every week that will provide weeks worth of content.
CBS – The Patriots will be making a change to their uniforms, according to The Associated Press’ Joe Reedy.
Specifically, Reedy listed four teams (one of which being the Patriots) making uniform changes, along with two teams making uniform and logo changes, plus one team making a uniform tweak. Considering the Patriots aren’t changing their logo, and considering this is not merely a “tweak,” this report would seemingly add to the belief that the Patriots are set to ditch their “Color Rush” jerseys as their third/alternate jersey.
To be honest the Patriots are probably due for a jersey update and I am an unabashed jersey guy so I love to see new looks. I mean even the Cowboys mess with their jerseys every now and then so it’s okay to switch things up. The Patriots have been wearing essentially the same thing, minus a patch here or there and minor tweaks, for the past 20 years.
Julian Edelman teased us all last week when he posted a photoshop of him in the old 90s royal blue unis, which are so choice. They are gloriously 90s in the best way. Just over the top, odd colors thrown together, and ugly but in a good way. Was he actually teasing something or just messing with us?
Mike Reiss threw some cold water on the idea of a dramatic update though, but I’m going to ignore that for the time being.
What jersey would you want the Patriots to bring back? Lets take a look at what they’ve rocked over the years.
This same image has actually been hanging in my parents’ basement for the better part of 20 years.
If the reports are true and the Patriots aren’t “changing their logo” then that means they’re not going back to the throwback red unis full-time. I *love* Pat the Patriots, but the Krafts would be stupid to change the logo of the most successful franchise in sports. This doesn’t mean we can’t get a one off though. Please?
This 1960s era throwback that they debuted in 2009 and have worn several times since has actually become an incredibly difficult jersey to find these days despite being one of the most universally beloved looks. Don’t sleep on the white throwbacks either because those were fresh too.
I’ve been hunting for a throwback red Brady jersey for a while now and it is sold out everywhere except for obnoxious XXXL sizes. HOWEVER, I went back to the Patriots online store again today and suddenly these are stocked in every size with a note about how they’ll ship out in 3-4 weeks. That is interesting timing. Hmmmmmm
With a new look coming, it would seem like the most obvious casualty is the Pats axing the dark blue Color Rush jersey aka the “Jacoby Brissett.” These have actually became their third alternate recently. The all navy look was fine, but never blew my socks off.
I would love if they made the Color Rush white on whites a full-time road uni as that is one of the cleanest looks in the league. The Patriots rocked these back in 2017 on Thursday Night Football in…yup, Tampa.
I’m probably one of the few guys in New England that actually owns the silver Patriots jersey that debuted in 2003. It was definitely wonky and only lasted a couple of seasons, but I always liked them.
I’m sure it’ll end up being new piping color or something that you probably won’t even notice, but I would love to see the Patriots try something new. We are in the post-Tom Brady era so there’s no better time to shake things up than now. Rumors were swirling last season that the Pats were considering bringing back the 90’s throwback jerseys. It never happened, but the team did start aggressively marketing those last season. Maybe a little market research before making a decision for 2020?
So, what do you want to see the Patriots rocking next season?
I am exhausted from years of [insert player name] Watch over the years only to watch said player never even come close to landing on my team. We just did it with Stefon Diggs for two years, people continue to do it with Odell Beckham Jr. and don’t even get me started on Danny Ainge. Pining for a superstar your team has no shot at ever landing (Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony Towns) is basically a requirement for Celtics fandom.
With that being said, are we now doing Deshaun Watson Watch for the next Patriots QB? It sure seems like it. This all started the other day when oddsmaker BetOnline.com set Deshaun Watson as the PROHIBITIVE favorite to be the Patriots starting QB in 2021. Huh? Granted this came just days after Bill O’Brien made one of the dumbest trades in league history and gave away arguably the best receiver in the league in DeAndre Hopkins for spare parts. Getting a washed up David Johnson and a 2nd round pick for an elite talent like Hopkins (not to mention one of the last lifelines for a seemingly flailing relationship with Watson) is a fireable offense in my opinion.
There were rumors floated by HOF receiver Michael Irvin that Hopkins and O’Brien had a tumultuous, shitty, bordering on disrespectful relationship, but thats no excuse to dump your second best player for a running back who hasn’t been good in THREE years. Trust me, I’ve had him in fantasy 2/3 of those seasons and got burned every time.
The Texans No. 1 goal every year should be to keep Deshaun Watson happy. No. 2 is make the playoffs. In that order. Thats how important Watson is to this franchise…sooo maybe don’t spit in the guy’s face by trading his best weapon. This would be like if the Patriots traded Julian Edelman last year. Just doesn’t make sense.
Even with all that I still find it very hard to believe an elite young QB in his prime would somehow find his way under center for the Patriots next season. It just does not happen in the NFL. Watson is entering the final year of his rookie deal with a 5th year option in 2021 so theres no huge rush for the Texans to trade him, yet. He is going to sign a contract somewhere close to $40M per year depending on what Patrick Mahomes signs for, but as Mike Reiss reports the Patriots coincidentally are set to have around $100 Million in cap space next offseason. Hmmm
Andddd now we are officially getting subtweets from Deshaun Watson!
My team suddenly doesn’t have a QB of the present or the future and now one of my favorite young players to come out of college in years is subtweeting Drake lyrics just days after his team traded his top playmaker?
I’m not sure I’m emotionally ready to handle another [insert player name] Watch, but I don’t think we have any choice. Deshaun Watson Watch is officially on.
So Mattes and I were discussing the merits of a potential Stefon Diggs trade, which is the biggest ongoing rumor since Danny Ainge was destined to trade for Anthony Davis. Until he didn’t. It just seems like one of those things where there’s smoke there’s fire. It’s dangerous to read into social media posts with zero context, but Diggs has been subtweeting the hell out of the Vikings for months now.
I’ll admit, I’ve tweeted the eyes emoji at or about Stefon Diggs several times in the last few months.
The Patriots are in desperate need of an upgrade at Wide Receiver so there’s definitely a need for the player, but does it make sense for the team? First off they should definitely consider the move, but I can’t see the Pats trading away draft capital andthen paying his huge salary. Diggs has four years left on his deal too and you don’t see guys with that many years left getting dealt too often.
What would it take to get a guy like Diggs? Well with that many years and his level of production (165 catches, 2,151 yards, and 15 TDs the last two years) it would seem like a 1st rounder would have to be included. With the Patriots having their highest pick of their own in years it’s hard to see them dealing that away to chase yet another veteran receiver that may or may not pan out. If Diggs really pisses in the Cheerios in Minnesota and forces his way out then maybe the Pats can swing in with a lowball offer, but they’re not going to pay premium prices only to then have to pay Diggs top dollar on top of that.
In other big receiver trades of yesteryear, New England traded a 4th rounder for Randy Moss and just 2nd and 7th rounders for Wes Welker.
The Patriots did however trade a 1st for Brandin Cooks and a 4th, but they only had to pay him $1.5M, and then subsequently flipped him to the Rams for a 1st. That’s value.
Diggs is set to have cap hits of $14.5M, $15M, $15M, and $12M before becoming a free agent in 2024. I find it extremely hard to believe the Patriots would be willing to roster that kind of contract at the receiver position, especially with their highest paid WR in Julian Edelman at $7M next season.
And thats before we even get to the purple cow in the room that is one Thomas Edward Patrick Brady. The Patriots have a potentially gigantic problem looming with his contract and dead money. Basically if Brady re-signs before free agency begins on March 18th his dead cap hit of $13.5M would be split up over the next two seasons. However Brady seems pretty intent on testing free agency. So if he stays with the Patriots, but re-signs after March 18th, that massive cap hit stays on top of whatever New England pays him in 2020. Even if Brady leaves to sign with another team, the Patriots are still stuck with that $13.5M in dead money.
Yikes.
So thats kind of a problem. If he stays in Foxborough, it’s even more money eating into the team cap, which I am more than OK with, but the reality is the team will be utilizing a much larger percentage of their cap to roster Brady than they probably are used to.
So would I love to see Stefon Diggs running fly routes for TB12? One hundred percent, but I just don’t think it’s realistic unless it’s an AJ Wright level discount or Diggs is willing to significantly restructure his contract. Never say never with Bill Belichick though.
LOVE IT! Give me all the trick plays. Tulane pulled the old fake kneel out of their playbook in a tie game with 18 seconds to go. Naturally they immediately followed this up with a 60 yard hail mary TD to win the game in walkoff fashion.
I am an absolute schill for trick plays. I still remember the fake spike Brady connected with Randy Moss on for on a TD against the Washington R-Words in 2007.
Or what about the Ravens pulling out the fake punt direct snap running play against the goddamn Dolphins?
I’ll never forget the double pass the Patriots pulled off against the Ravens in the playoffs in 2014 with Edelman launching a bomb to Danny Amendola for a TD.
Hell in that same game the Patriots were confusing the shit out of the Ravens with their ineligible/eligible lineman formations. So much so that the league immediately changed the rule to prevent this.
Give me all the trick plays, hook and ladders, reverses, you name it; if you have some trickery in your playbook dump em out.
I completely forgot the Patriots also ran this fake kneel play in the Falcons Super Bowl trying to pop a walk off TD at the end of regulation.
When they finally started including trick plays in Madden is when things got real fun. I would bust out a HB toss to a downfield pass at least 5 times a game because if you connect on even one it would cause your buddy to spike his PS4 clicker. Not to mention the fake punt pass play, its just too bad every punter not named Adam Vinatieri has a worse arm than Johnny Damon.
TLDR; major props to Tulane for busting out a ridiculous fake play to help them steal a win. Need more of that in sports.
Christ, look at the tree trunks on that guy! Watching Julian Edelman make a catch on Sunday I literally turned to the Mrs. and announced “man he looks even more jacked than before he got popped for PEDs.” These are calves that Johnny Drama, and I, would kill for.
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.
The 300s 