Tag: NFL

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

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

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

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

– Red Sox inching closer to Opening Day

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

– Red Sox Going With a Closer by Committee?

– Steven Wright suspension

– WEEI 8 man radio rotation

– Patriots Offseason/Free Agency

– Michael Bennett in, Trey Flowers out?

– Danny Amendola Reunion?

Michael Bennett Close to Joining the Patriots

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

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

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

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

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

***UPDATE BECAUSE I’M A GENIUS***

-Joey B.

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

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

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

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

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

OK then.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!”

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

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

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

HAHAHAHAHHAHA FUCK YOU LEBRON!

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

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

My hat stays on for you Mr. James.

-Joey B.

If Cardinals Draft Kyler Murray at No. 1, Should Patriots Trade for Josh Rosen?

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The NFL Draft is just a few weeks away and we are in full on wild speculation mode the closer we get. Kyler Murray to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 1 overall seems to be a done deal if you listen to pretty much anyone in the media these days.

Although these quotes from this Yahoo article have Kliff Kingsbury trying to throw some cold water on all the rumors.

“Yeah, just rolling around Indy saying it’s a done deal. I would have to adamantly deny that…It makes it fun having the first pick because nobody knows if you are trying to throw smokescreens or telling the truth or what. There are a thousand different ways you can go with this, and we are still 50 days away.”

Believe what you want, but I find it hard to believe Kliff was just pumping his opponents tires when he showered love bouquets on Kyler Murray just a few months ago.

So if you’re like me then you believe the Cardinals will absolutely scrap their long suffering quarterback of the future plan just 12 months after taking Josh Rosen at No. 10 overall. If in fact that does happen then the Cardinals would likely be looking to trade Rosen. Sure they could keep him like the Redskins did a few years back with RGIII and Kirk Cousins. It’s not like they couldn’t afford it, but I think having two highly drafted QB’s on the same team creates more animosity than competition.

Rosen had a pretty rough rookie year (11 TDs, 14 INTs, 2,278 Yards, 55.2 Completion %)  but we’ve seen QBs have shitty rookie seasons only to become great. Most famously Peyton Manning who threw 28 (!) INTs his rookie year or more recently Jared Goff who was absolutely atrocious his first year and made the Super Bowl in his third year. So it’s not at all unprecedented for a guy to struggle before becoming a successful QB in the NFL.

Now the reason I keep coming back to this as a possibility for the Patriots is because of our favorite word in New England: value. The ask for Rosen was expected to be a 1st round pick since he’s literally 12 months removed from being the 10th overall pick, but recent reports by Peter King have pegged a 3rd rounder as a more likely compensation. The Patriots just so happen to have 6 picks in the first 3 rounds, including the last pick in the second round at No. 64, the pick they got from the Lions at No. 73 overall as well as compensatory selections at No. 97 and No. 101 in the 3rd.

Bill is in poll position if he wants to make a move.

Another point in the Patriots favor is the fact that Rosen makes PEANUTS. Seriously, for a guy drafted in the Top 10 I cannot believe how low his salary is. Over the next three years Rosen makes base salaries of $1.3 million, $2.1 million, and $2.9 million.

Thats before we even get to the rumors of the Patriots wanting to move up and grab Rosen at the draft *last* year. Doing so would have taken significant draft capital and multiple picks to jump up to No. 10.

So now the Pats could have a 22 year old quarterback that they allegedly were interested in last year for just a 3rd round pick and a couple million bucks a year? If the Patriots were in fact intrigued by Rosen last year, they’d be stupid not to make this deal. That is however assuming they actually want him as there has been plenty of negative reports on everything from Rosen’s injury concerns, to personal makeup, and attitude.

“The questions arise regarding Rosen’s non-football traits. Some regard him as arrogant and narcissistic, with a combination of intelligence, confidence, and individualized ambition that could strain relationships in a locker room.”

Personally? With a quarterback that will be 42 at the start of next season and the opportunity to acquire a Top 10 pick from just last year at a fraction of the price in order to restart the clock on the next QB succession plan; I am all in.

Golden Tate Wants to Sign With the Patriots!

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Earlier this week, former Seahawks, Lions, and Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate, who is currently a free agent, appeared on the Prostyle Podcast and let it be known that he’d love for the chance to play with TB12 & Co. next season:

“Man, I would love it. I would love it. That organization, they’ve proven to be champions year in and year out. They work hard, for sure. But you know where you’re going to be at the end of the season. You’re going to be looking at not going to the playoffs, but you’re going to be looking at maybe a first-round bye, which is key.”

“You gotta admire that organization. They do things right. They’ve been doing it for a long, long, long time. So, I’d definitely love to be a part of something like that and catch a few passes from ol’ Tommy Boy. Julian [Edelman] is a buddy of mine. I’m real good buddies with him and I’ve heard good things. Kyle Van Noy, who got traded from Detroit and has been there and has been balling out since, has said great things about the organization. I definitely would not mind going over there for sure.”

(h/t Sports Illustrated).

Sign. Me. Up.

Tate and the Patriots would be a match made in Heaven. The 31-year-old has compiled 446 receptions over the past five seasons, which included four-straight 90-plus-catch campaigns in Detroit from 2013-2017. He is one of the very best slot receivers in the game, and his high football I.Q. and route-running prowess would make Brady drool.

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This guy was an absolute stud out in the Motor City.

Yes, the Pats already have one of the game’s best slot guys in Julian Edelman, but adding someone like Tate to the mix would give opposing defenses absolute FITS over the middle of the field. Tate’s presence would allow the Pats to do what they do even better: wear down the opponent with short, quick timing routes that help move the chains and kill the clock all game long. As much as this team could benefit from a big-play receiver on the outside – especially if Gronk leaves and Josh Gordon doesn’t come back – Brady has always been much more successful with smart, possession receivers like Tate. It almost makes too much sense.

Tate has also had at least four touchdowns in every season since 2012. He also finished with the 11th-most yards after the catch at the wide receiver position last year, so he actually does have some big-play ability as well.

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With Edelman being the only receiver of note who is guaranteed to be on the field for the Pats next season, the position will obviously need to be addressed this offseason. And rather than go out and spend lavishly on a player like Odell Beckham or Antonio Brown, the team could spend far less to bring in a guy like Tate, who would probably be much more effective in the Patriots’ system anyway.

I know, I know, the team doesn’t have the best track record with free-agent wide outs, but I would be absolutely shocked if someone of Tate’s caliber and acumen didn’t work out here. Again, this one just makes too much sense. MAKE IT HAPPEN, BILL!

Post-Weekend Robert Kraft Update and a Few Other Patriots Notes

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Folks throughout the nation are still trying to process the news that broke on Friday about Patriots owner Robert Kraft, with a full spectrum of reactions ranging from “So what? It’s his own personal life” to “HE NEEDS TO SELL THE TEAM!”

Myself and the boys already provided you with our initial reaction to the story in this week’s podcast, so I’m not here to rehash what I’ve already said. (To be entirely honest, it’s still a very fluid, very contentious, and very far-reaching story – for which we still don’t have all the facts – so I feel as though I’ve said all I needed to say so far.)

But many are wondering what’s going to happen next, and we did receive at least some more insight regarding the potential fallout, which all started very early on Monday morning with this tweet from ESPN’s Michele Steele:

Steele also notes later on in the thread that, to this point, Kraft is not being charged with anything implicating his involvement in any form of human trafficking.

The NFL also released their first official statement regarding the matter this morning:

So, as of lunch time on Monday, here’s what we know so far:

  1. Kraft is being charged with a misdemeanor and arrested for soliciting prostitution.
  2. Kraft, at least as it currently stands, is NOT being charged with any involvement (or knowledge of) human trafficking relating to the establishment he visited.
  3. The NFL is letting the full investigation play out before making a decision regarding how they plan to punish Kraft.

OK, so at least it didn’t get any worse than what we first learned on Friday.

When trying to project what type of punishment Kraft could receive from the NFL, it’s important to remember that the league is actually kind of limited by the CBA in regards to what it can do to reprimand owners. Besides issuing a “maximum fine” of $500,000 (which is NOTHING to Kraft), the league can simply choose to suspend him for a long time. They cannot technically force him to sell the team or step down in any way.

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Your move, Rog.

How long will they suspend him, you ask? That’s where it gets interesting. Everyone wants to bring up Indianapolis Colts owner/CEO Jim Irsay, who was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 back in 2014 after being arrested for driving under the influence (which came after a series of other previous drug-related “infractions”). Tom Benson and the Saints also lost $500,000, along with two draft picks, for the whole Bountygate scandal in 2012. And way before Roger Goodell’s time, former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo was fined and suspended for an entire year in the late ’90s after getting caught up in a gambling scandal.

But, in truth, a more recent example might serve as a more telling indicator of what may lie ahead. After being accused of years-long sexual misconduct and racism as owner of the Carolina Panthers, Jerry Richardson was pretty much shamed into selling the team last year AND ultimately ending up shelling out almost $3 million, all told. Especially after their mishandling of the Ray Rice situation – as well as the fact that they have STILL yet to determine any sort of punishment for Kareem Hunt – the NFL could look to make a similarly strong statement against Kraft as the one they took against Richardson; after all, these are owners who are (so they say) supposed to be held to a much higher standard.

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Richardson suffered a pretty harsh, and well-deserved, punishment just last year.

And that’s really the whole scoop on Kraft for now, with plenty more still to come in short order. Stay tuned.

In other Patriots news…

(Don’t Call It a Comeback): While we did receive word last week that safety Devin McCourty would be returning next season, we still don’t have an answer about Gronk. Apparently, he’s been seen around the team facility over the past couple of weeks, so that’s a good sign. But otherwise, all we’ve got so far is this quote from Gronk’s agent Drew Rosenhaus from last Tuesday:

“I checked in with Gronk a couple of days ago. I talked with the Patriots about it. Right now, Rob is thinking it through. He is giving it a lot of thought. Rob will certainly I think make a decision in the foreseeable future. I don’t want to put any pressure on him and give him a timeframe, but I would imagine it will be sometime in the next couple of weeks.” (h/t WEEI.com)

Cool. Thanks for literally nothing, Drew.

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What are ya thinking, big fella?

Hopefully, Gronk is considerate enough to let the team know his decision before the new league year and free agency starts on March 13.

(The Other McCourty Wants Back In, Too): After being reunited with his twin brother and having a career year topped off by a Super Bowl win in 2018, Jason McCourty made no secret of his desire to return to Foxborough when speaking to the media on Sunday. Unlike his brother, however, Jason is not already under contract and is instead set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. In fact, he is one of 18 Pats players scheduled to hit the open market next month. Fortunately, though, besides maybe Stephen Gostkowski, he looks like the most likely to return, and I’m fully confident both sides will get something done quickly to make sure No. 30 is back in a Pats uniform next season.

(What About Flowers and Brown?): Technically, there haven’t been any concrete updates pertaining to Trey Flowers or Trent Brown – who are easily the team’s two biggest free agents – but it doesn’t change the fact the entire offseason is predicated on what happens next with these two (particularly Flowers). Just this morning, Bleacher Report posted a story about how Flowers could be the “NFL’s top free agent” this offseason, proving just how difficult it may be to bring the stud defensive end back – especially when you consider the team’s typical frugality relating to free agents in the past. Brown is likely off to greener pastures, but the Pats’ offseason truly cannot start until Flowers’s next move is known. I am praying that Bill & Co. open up the purse strings on this one. We can’t let Flowers walk. We just can’t.

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PAY THIS MAN, BILL!!!

(Sitting Pretty for the Draft): Last week, it was announced the Patriots would be given a league-high four compensatory picks in the upcoming draft, giving them two additional picks in the third round as well as an extra pick in each of the sixth and seventh rounds. That means the Pats now have seven picks in the first four rounds (!) of the 2019 NFL Draft, allowing them to bring in hoards of young talent this offseason or, even better, using the capital they have to make a shrewd trade for another helpful piece. No matter what they do with the picks, it’s a really nice position to be in.

That’s it for now, but with the 2019 league year set to kick off in just about three weeks, we’ll have plenty more in store for you along the way. So be sure to keep checking in with The 300s for all your Pats offseason news and updates!

The 300s Talks Patriots Offseason, Red Sox Preview, and WTF is Wrong With the Celtics?

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The 300s boys are back in the podcast studio! We’re talking Pats offseason, Red Sox preview, and WTF is wrong with the Celtics?

-Media Coverage of the Robert Kraft Story

-Patriots Offseason Preview

-Patriots Draft Needs

-Free Agency: Trey Flowers or Trent Brown?

-What is Wrong with the Consistently Inconsistent Celtics?

-The Defending World Series Champion Red Sox Are Back in Action

-Is MLB Free Agency Broken or Have Players Become Disillusioned?

Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Busted Allegedly Soliciting Prostitution

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So this is awkward. According to a report by various news outlets Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being charged with “soliciting another to commit prostitution”…allegedly.

I knew a man with this much drip could only stay above the law for so long.

Until more details come out, and you know they will, I don’t want to speculate too much on this story. So I’ll just leave you with how I am imagining this scene unfolding in my head.

DEVIN MCCOURTY IS NOT RETIRING

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ESPN – Safety Devin McCourty, who said he might retire if the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII, will be back for a 10th season in New England.

“Yeah, I’m gonna play,” McCourty told the Sports Spectrum podcast in an interview published Thursday.

Phewwwwwwwwwwww. That’s a big one off of our shoulders. No matter what we always are going to go through the free agency “shit our pants and wait” process every few years with the Pats – we’ll we worry about losing key FAs, lose them, get pissed at Belichick, and then end up winning anyway and realizing he’s smarter than us at football. But losing a key piece of our “D” to just flat out retiring out of nowhere, that would suck.

McCourty has been an anchor on our D and a leader overall for this team for awhile now. He had to be. There were some rough times on the non-Brady side of the ball. But whether it has been playing center field, strong safety, in the box, or basically as a coverage corner, McCourty has showed up and done his damn job. He’s not always perfect, but he gives it 120% no matter what.

We still have to wonder about the end of the line for #32. His brother, Jason, said Devin was just being dramatic when he said he might retire with a Super Bowl win this year. But the fact is that he is now a three-time Super Bowl champ, a two-time Pro Bowler, and an eight-time team captain. There is not a lot left for him to accomplish and by the end (and actually the beginning) of this season he’ll be 32 years old and will have played 10 years. That could be enough.

But for now we have our defensive stalwart back. We can turn our full worries to FA Trey Flowers and company. The original star from Rutgers remains safely at the back end of our “D” where he belongs.