Tag: Patriots

What I Learned from the Tom Brady Tom vs Time Epilogue

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To be honest, not much. When news of this Tom vs Time epilogue dropped out of the clouds I was a little nervous. People were theorizing that he might use it as an opportunity to announce his retirement. What it really seemed like though was a PR market adjustment attempt by Tom Brady. This offseason was not a great one for Tom’s image as rumors of infighting with Belichick, rumors of him threatening to retire, all the Alex Guerrero drama, and then of course his buddy and TB12 client Julian Edelman getting popped for PEDs.

So it seems like Tom just wanted to put his spin on everything and let people know that despite all the noise, its just that; noise. He still intends to play for as long as he can aka “5 more years.” So we’ll see, but I don’t think that 5 minutes of Tom vs Time can make you feel anything other than confident Brady is focused on getting that next ring.

With all that being said…

There is TONS of fire flames TB12 swag in the pipelines that I can only hope is coming our way soon.

Did anyone else catch this?

TB12 SHOES. Sorry Kanye, but Tom Brady just became my lord and savior in the sneaker world. So you better believe I will have my eyes open and on the lookout for these babies.

And the 5 Rings hoodie?

Just take my credit card information right now.

Tom Brady teased us for years with the TB12 hats before we were able to actually buy them. Once they went on sale I did not wait around. I bought two.

What can I say, the man knows how to market. I will, however, NOT buy a vibrating foam roller. Come on now.

 

Jets Make Sam Darnold the Youngest Week 1 Starting QB in the History of the NFL

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ESPN – The New York Jets have a new starting quarterback and a new face of the franchise.

Rookie Sam Darnold was officially named the starter Monday, coach Todd Bowles announced. He will become the youngest opening-day quarterback in NFL history. He will be 21 years, 97 days old when the Jets travel to play the Detroit Lions next Monday night.

Since my brain only works in fragments of movie quotes and pop culture references, lets set the table for this story first.

The Jets are going to make the newly minted 21-year-old, Sam Darnold, the youngest Week 1 starting QB in the history of the NFL.

GOOD LUCK!

The Jets went 5-11 last year with one of the oldest starting QBs in the league in Josh McCown aka Dolph Lundgren.

So it should come as no surprise the Jets turned to the No. 3 overall pick sooner than later to take over under center. Could a guy who just became old enough to buy a beer use a little more seasoning before suiting up for one of the worst teams in the league? Yea probably, but I guess if you’re the Jets whats the difference? You won 5 games with the veteran last year and that 5-year contract clock is already ticking so why redshirt the rookie?

Darnold looked like a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick after his redshirt freshman year at USC throwing for 31 TDs with only 9 INTs, 3086 yards, 67.2 completion % and a 161.1 passing efficiency rating. His numbers dropped pretty  much across the board though in his second and final year as a starter at USC. He threw less TDs, threw more INTs, had a lower completion % and a worse passing efficiency rating — so that would concern me.

What would also concern me is where the guy went to school. University of Southern California. Not exactly a beacon for future NFL QBs and its where the Jets have some experience.

Side note: I was at that game!

But in all seriousness, USC has produced only one real viable NFL starter in Carson Palmer. The rest of the USC signal callers turned into serviceable at best NFL QBs; Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Matt Cassel, Matt Barkley, Cody Kessler, and John David Booty! Not a lot of Pro Bowls in there.

Who knows though? Picking a QB in the NFL is a total crapshoot. With my luck he’ll turn into the next great quarterback stud and will haunt me for all the fun I’ve had at the Jets expense over the past 18 years.

BREAKING: Tom Brady Announces New Episode of Tom vs Time for Tomorrow at Noon

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Breathe, just breathe. Tom Brady just announced on Facebook that he is dropping a new episode of Tom vs Time from the clouds tomorrow at noon. Why is he doing this? I feel like Ari Gold when Terrance came to visit him at home in the bar mitzvah episode.

But seriously, this show had a very definitive ending with the Patriots losing the Super Bowl and Tom pretty openly questioning his commitment to football.

It was a pretty controversial and was really just the beginning of a completely hectic offseason that featured infighting, rumors of both Brady and Gronk threatening to retire, Alex Guerrero got his groove back, with Gronk and Brady getting reworked contracts.

But there has been a cloud over this team for the better part of 7 months and now 4 days before the Patriots are set to kick off their 2018 season, Tom Brady busts his Facebook show out of the Disney Vault after saying time and time again he was done with Tom vs Time. Why?

On 98.5 this morning they were throwing out conspiracy theories saying that Brady may announce his retirement and that 2018 will be his last season. Or maybe he just wants to put his own spin on the narrative that got away from him this offseason after one of his favorite guys in Amendola left town, skipping OTAs, as well as his WR1 and TB12 client Julian Edelman getting popped for PEDs.

Who knows what the hell is going to be said on this episode tomorrow, but I suggest everybody take their lunch break at noon tomorrow with a pair of headphones and your iPhone.

In Case You Missed the Patriots Last PreSeason Game, Rookie QB Danny Etling RAN for an 86 Yard Touchdown

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I don’t know how you could have missed the illustrious fourth preseason game, but if you somehow did you missed Michael Vick Danny Etling, and recently inducted member of the Handsome Mens Club, rushing for an 86 yard touchdown.

Good luck trying to stash those wheels on the practice squad, Bill.

The 300s Preview the Patriots (Part 6): Final Questions, Decisions, and Quick Hits Before Roster Cuts

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Image result for bill belichick press conference

The Patriots beat the New York Giants 17-12 in last night’s preseason finale, and that means the preseason is finally over. We are now just over a week away from real, meaningful Patriots football!

It also means that we’re just a day away from final roster cuts, which need to be decided upon by this Saturday. But rather than bog you down with yet another “Patriots 53-Man Final Roster Projection” – seriously, there are already a million and one out there from pretty much every Boston-based sports website or blog – I’m instead going to highlight three of the top remaining questions/issues that need to be resolved either before the end of the weekend or before the team squares off with Houston on September 9.

Who Has the Final Running Back Spot?

(OK, so maybe we’re going to start off with a subject related to the final roster projection. But it’s an important one!)

Even with the news breaking yesterday that Sony Michel is likely to miss the start of the regular season, you know he’s obviously got a spot on the team. You can also lock in Rex Burkhead, James White, and Brandon Bolden. (Some may be surprised to see Bolden as a “lock,” but the fact of the matter is Bill LOVES him and always has. Not only is he a special teams superstar, but you know you can always rely on him to come in and get it done in times of desperation. Entering his seventh year with the team, he’s not going anywhere.)

Four running backs may be enough for some teams, but the Pats usually carry at least five, and they will especially need to carry extra bodies this year with the injury concerns at the position.

At this point, it comes down to two guys: Jeremy Hill and Mike Gillislee, both of whom are similar big-bodied, goal-line-type backs who would likely be expected share most of the ball-carrying duties with Burkhead until Michel is ready to go. Most expected to see the two battle it out in last night’s preseason finale, but, for some reason, neither of them played, which leads me to believe the decision has already been made.

They have both played somewhat well so far this preseason, but Hill has looked slightly better. Not only is he averaging over a yard more per carry, but it also just seems like he’s passed the eyeball test more than Gillislee. And above all, Gillislee lost his grip on the starting job last season before being benched entirely for the rest of the year, and he’s really done nothing to prove he deserves it back.

Image result for jeremy hill patriots preseason

Verdict: Hill gets the final spot. (However, I do think Gillislee will catch on with another team in quick fashion.)

Will The Pats Make a Trade for a Receiver?

We here at The 300s, along with pretty much everyone else in the world, have made no secret of the Pats dearth of options at wide receiver.

It’s not for lack of effort on Bill’s part: Jordan Matthews was signed and then released due to injury; Eric Decker was signed and retired because he’s not good at football anymore; Kenny Britt, who was signed toward the end of last season, was cut this week after never overcoming a hamstring injury from June; Malcolm Mitchell was expected to be a key part of the group after an impressive rookie year in 2016 but couldn’t get over previous injuries and was released as well. Guys like Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson have looked solid, and we know Chris Hogan will be the team’s leader at the position this year until Julian Edelman returns. But TB12 still needs some help.

Last Saturday, ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss floated out a possible trade scenario on his personal Word Press account, wherein the Pats would trade defensive tackle Malcolm Brown and linebacker Elandon Roberts – two players at positions in which the team has at least some depth – in exchange for Golden Tate, who has had four-straight 90-plus-catch seasons out in Detroit. Why? The Lions are currently stacked at wide receiver AND Tate is in the final year of his contract. This is also the time of year where teams try to trade away assets they know they won’t be able to keep long term as they try to make room for others on the upcoming season’s squad. Again, this is just speculation by one sports writer, but sign me up!

Image result for golden tate

Seriously, Bill, make it happen!

There were also rumblings that Denver could be interested in moving perennial 1,000-yard receiver Demaryius Thomas as well, even though long-time Broncos insider Mike Klis of 9News pretty much shut that idea down yesterday:

“I heard about the speculation of Demaryius Thomas and New England and ran it by some folks. I was told there’s nothing to it.”

Well then.

There are also still some free agents the team could look at, but at this point if they’ve yet to be brought in for a workout I highly doubt the team is interested. (Dez isn’t happening, people! And it’s a good thing!) But unless the Pats really like someone such as Tate or another perfect fit some team may be willing to trade, they’re likely rolling into the season with what they currently have.

Will Team Chemistry Actually Be an Issue This Year?

This one doesn’t have to do with any particular position on the field, but anyone with a pulse can tell that things haven’t been quite so cheery over at Patriot Place since the end of last season – and it’s not because of the team’s heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl.

Leading up to training camp, most of the chatter surrounding the Pats sounded like it was coming straight from TMZ. From Brady still being upset about his trainer/best buddy Alex Guerrero’s banishment from team activities to Gronk just not “having fun” anymore and how “mean” Bill is, it was all anyone seemed to talk about.

Initially, I disregarded it as nonsense, but oftentimes when there’s smoke there’s fire. It really does seem as though there’s a palpable tension in the air with everyone in Foxborough this season, and we could be seeing the breakup of the Brady Bunch sooner than we think. The team also looked very lackluster in the preseason dress rehearsal against Carolina. Brady has also shown visible signs of frustration throughout the offseason, and all summer it’s been reported by various sources that he does not seem to be as in sync with his team as in years past.

Image result for tom brady upset

Tommy Boy doesn’t seem too happy lately.

After my “sky is falling” article about Michel yesterday, a lot of people might think I’m being a bit too negative about the team’s prospects for 2018. I get it. But, look, I’m not saying the Pats are going to fall off a cliff this year; they’re still loaded and likely will be one of the top teams in the entire league, let alone the AFC. There’s a very good chance they could still win the next Lombardi Trophy. But things could get dicey at times this year, and the flawless execution we’re used to seeing from this team may not be as apparent this time around. Only time will tell.

So there you have it: our final Patriots preview piece of the season. Now it’s time for the real deal!

(If you like what you read and want some more, be sure to check out previous editions of “The 300s Previews the Patriots” series here. Also be sure to stay on the lookout for this weekend’s podcast for a more in-depth season preview from myself and Red.)

BREAKING: Sony Michel Could Miss Start of Regular Season

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Image result for sony michel

As relayed by Rotoworld around midday on Thursday, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported that the “sense” around Pats camp right now is that rookie Sony Michel, who just returned to the practice field this week after missing most of the summer with a “minor” knee issue, isn’t as likely to be ready for the start of the regular season as Rex Burkhead, another Pats running back who is supposedly recovering from a mysterious knee injury.

COOL. At this point, with pretty much the entire offense being injured or in injury purgatory, I think I might be able to persuade Bill and Josh to at least bring me in for a workout. Right??!! (All 5’7″, 150 pounds of me, with a solid 6.0-plus-second 40-time to boot. WATCH OUT.)

But no in all seriousness, this isn’t good.

First and foremost, while I’ll admit that I was pretty amped when we initially took Michel this past May, I presented his 2018 stat projections with cautious optimism (which now might not even be cautious enough) during my initial Pats running back preview at the end of July.

My reasoning: Not only do the Pats already have a solid stable of backs, each of whom was already set to get their fair share of touches in 2018, but the team also knew full well about his deteriorating knee issues, which date back to high school, before drafting him in the first round. Lo and behold, here we go again.

So what does this mean?

It means that Rex Burkhead better friggin’ be healthy. It also means my boy James White could get more burn, and either Jeremy Hill or Mike Gillislee – whichever of the two win the final spot in the rotation – are going to need to step up as well. (It also means you should probably knock Michel down a few pegs on your fantasy draft board.)

As I said in my Patriots fantasy preview last week – another article in which I expressed concern with Michel – knee issues do not just go away, especially chronic ones that don’t result from a one-off injury. So while he certainly could be ready to play again at some point within the next month, it’s probably not likely; also, even if he is, you know we’ll eventually be right back in this boat once again in the not so distant future.

I hope I’m wrong, Pats Nation, and I’m hoping for the best. But we’re not off to a good start here, and there’s a chance it could get even worse.

Robert Kraft Keeps His Stake in DraftKings as They Transition to Sports Book. Umm, Why Wouldn’t He?

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ESPN – Two prominent NFL owners have a stake in a bookmaker as the first season with expanded legal sports betting in the U.S. gets ready to kick off.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have retained their investments in DraftKings, sources confirmed to ESPN, even as the company has shifted some of its focus from daily fantasy to traditional sports betting.

Umm yea, no kidding. Robert Kraft is no dummy. He realizes that his family stands to potentially make more money with DraftKings and legalized gambling than they could ever hope to make running a football team. While some want to straddle the fence as gambling is seen as “seedy” it is actually on the verge of being legalized in every state in the country. I can literally see the Everett casino being built from my office window in Boston.

“The NFL has been a staunch opponent of sports betting for decades and remains concerned about its impact on the integrity of the game. The NFL fought New Jersey’s efforts to offer Las Vegas-style sports betting all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

…..because they weren’t getting a cut of the action. The NFL was more than happy to promote and advertise “fake” gambling in the form of fantasy football over the past 15 years because it drove billions of dollars back into the NFL.

Now? Like a bookie, they want the juice on the action.

So for Kraft or Jerry Jones to cut bait now, just because DraftKings changed their position (and millions of dollars of lawyer fees arguing) from “We are NOT gambling” to now saying “um forget all that, we are NOW a sports book” is crazy. DK is going to only become exponentially more valuable with the influx of legalized gambling and I can imagine Kraft didn’t just buy a handful of shares. A guy like that jumped in with both feet and realizes how much money his family could earn in the long run. Thats a smart guy right there.

Also, I will never forget the look of disappointment in Papa Giorgi’s eyes when I told him that Robert Kraft did not actually earn his fortune running the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese empire, rather he made his money in paper products. It was like telling a kid theres no Santa Claus.

Eric Decker Announces Retirement. Who is Going to Catch Passes for the Patriots?

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Okay, now I’m officially nervous. Eric Decker announced his retirement last night and posted the following message on Instagram.

All training camp and preseason I’ve been saying don’t worry about the receiver depth and that the Patriots will figure out a way to patch everything together for the first month until Julian Edelman returns. Then Malcolm Mitchell got cut. Then Jordan Matthews got cut. Then Kenny Britt got cut. Then Eric Decker retired.

Shit.

People obviously weren’t as high on Decker as I was, but I viewed him as a proven veteran who could catch the ball, no more no less. He definitely struggled in his short stint with the Patriots though as he was dropping lots of passes.

I still think Decker would have been able to right the ship. Maybe he’s not blowing by guys off the line anymore, but you don’t just lose the ability to catch the ball overnight. And for a guy that had four 80+ catch seasons I would have given him the benefit of the doubt. But maybe the Pats saw the writing on the wall. With all the drops it looked like Decker may have been on the outside looking in on Brady’s circle of trust. Once that happens its hard to get back in.

Former players were saying that Decker was thinking too much as he was trying to digest the Patriots playbook and was thinking more about where he was supposed to be rather than just catching the ball. Well it would seem like Belichick was over it and was going to cut Decker, but gave him the option to “go out on his own terms” and retire instead, which is exactly what Decker did.

Well now the Patriots receiving corps looks like this:

  • Chris Hogan
  • Phillip Dorsett
  • Cordarrelle Patterson
  • Braxton Berrios
  • Devin Lucien
  • Riley McCarron
  • Paul Turner (aka Paul Turner the IT Guy, or “something called Paul Turner” as Big Jim Murray nicknamed him)
  • Matthew Slater

That is not exactly confidence inspiring. And no, bringing in Dez Bryant is not the solution here, but hell if I know what that answer is.

Not all these guys are even a lock to make the roster and Doug Kyed over at NESN thinks the Pats might only keep 4 receivers total, which includes special teams captain Matthew Slater, and just try to stay above water until Edelman returns from suspension.

I can’t say I’m okay with the Pats slotting in Matthew Slater as the No. 4 WR as we’ve all seen what Slater can(not) do as a pure receiver.

The Pats may just lean on the deep RB group that they have, but even half of those guys are dealing with injuries. Rex Burkhead has missed some time with a tear in his knee, although reports have said he’ll be able to play through it. First round pick Sony Michel remains sidelined with his own knee injury too. Suddenly the RB depth isn’t what it appeared to be a few weeks ago.

Belichick and co. seem to like what they have at the TE position with Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, and Jacob Hollister has made headlines this preseason for his play. So the Madden expert that I am would not be surprised to see a lot of James White screens and 2 and 3TE sets to start the season for the Patriots.

I honestly doubt the Pats bring in anyone from the FA scrap heap at this point in the season. They’re more likely to see who may be available on the trade block as they did last year with Phillip Dorsett. The hot rumor this past week has the Patriots eyeing Denver’s Demaryius Targaryen, er, Thomas. I would be fine with that if the price is right, plus he’s a big dude at 6’3″, but at $8.5M I can’t see Belichick taking that on as is.

We’ll see what the Patriots do, but either way its time to start battening down the hatches as the regular season kicks off Sunday, Sept. 9th at 1 pm.

The 300s Previews the Patriots (Part 5): Hey! We Might Actually Have Pass-Rushers This Year!

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New England Patriots defensive ends Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise

Photo credit: David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images

With the Pats set to square off against Carolina on Friday night in the preseason dress rehearsal, we’re now less than three weeks away from football that actually matters!

There’s still much to be decided for many teams throughout the league before the season starts, the Pats included, and a lot can still change before final cuts are made on September 1. Everyone knows the third week of the preseason is usually when we see the most important action, and things could look a lot more clear after Brady & Co. wrap things up with the Panthers tomorrow night.

In truth, a lot has already changed for the Pats since the start of the summer, for better or worse, but perhaps the most encouraging thing we’ve seen so far is the fact that the overall pass-rush has looked pretty solid.

unsure stephen colbert GIF by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Even though the Pats finished tied for seventh in the league last year with 42 sacks, there might not be a more misleading statistic from 2017.

There were times last season when the team’s pass-rush looked downright awful, and it was one of the main reasons why they allowed the third-most passing yards in the league. In fact, Pro Football Focus ranked the group as one of the very worst in the NFL at the end of 2017, before ranking them slightly higher at just 27 in this year’s preseason rankings.

It did start to improve a bit toward the end of the season, giving fans some hope – until the Super Bowl, that is. Never in my life have I seen such a pathetic output from a defensive front, which not only failed to put a lick of pressure on Nick Foles all night (0 sacks; 5 QB hits) but also allowed both LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi to EACH average over six yards per carry throughout the game. For as much as people want to get on the secondary and Bill’s decision not to play Butler, the lack of any impact up front was probably the main reason why Brady doesn’t have a sixth ring.

Fortunately, Bill made a conscious decision to try and improve the pass-rush this offseason by signing Adrian Clayborn just three days after free agency began. Clayborn, who had 9.5 sacks for Atlanta last season, looked great against the Eagles in the team’s preseason game last Thursday night. He finished with one sack but was one of the main reasons why the team was able to produce eight sacks in total by “dominating” the Eagles offensive line, as ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss put it, and creating opportunities for his fellow teammates on multiple plays.

The team also went out and acquired defensive tackle Danny Shelton to pair up with Malcolm Brown on the inside, and both are capable of creating some pressure from the middle of the line.

Trey Flowers also returns. After contributing 2.5 sacks as a rookie in the Super Bowl against Atlanta in 2016, Flowers was able to lock down one of the starting defensive end roles as a second-year player last year, finishing with seven sacks and a very impressive overall rating from Pro Football Focus:

He was easily the best guy the team had in the defensive front last season, and Belichick wasn’t too shy about his feelings for Flowers when speaking with the media on Monday, discussing specifically the positive influence he’s already had on some of the younger players at the position (h/t Patriots Wire):

“Yeah Trey’s great… he does an outstanding job with his teammates at that position. He hasn’t had a lot of practice time this year but when he does, and the opportunities he has in meetings and things like that, he’s a great example for them. If they just watch what he does and do what he does, you couldn’t do much better than that.”

(Here’s to hoping the team actually re-signs Flowers, who is set to become a free agent after this season, rather than trading him away for pennies like they did with Chandler Jones, who only LED THE LEAGUE IN SACKS LAST SEASON. But I digress…)

There are also three second-year guys who should make a significant impact in 2018, two of whom will be seeing their first action on the field after missing their respective rookie seasons due to injury.

First, there’s Deatrich Wise, who last year was one of my favorite Pats rookies that I’d seen in a while. Every time he was on the field, he always seemed to be involved in the play. Even when he didn’t get an actual sack – of which he still finished with a solid five – he was always in the opposing quarterback’s face, and he plays with the unabashed confidence of an experienced vet. This kid’s a gamer, and I expect a HUGE leap from him in Year 2.

Image result for deatrich wise

(HOT TAKE ALERT: Wise is my sneaky pick for this year’s Patriots defensive MVP.)

The two other sophomores I alluded to above are Derek Rivers and Keionta Davis.

Rivers was a highly-touted third-round pick in 2017 before tearing an ACL last summer, which forced him to miss his entire rookie season. After setting the Youngstown State sack record, though, the talent is definitely there and the team is reasonably excited about what he can bring to the table in 2018.

Davis is another former FCS standout that fell victim to a tough injury at a very inopportune time. Unlike Rivers, however, he was diagnosed with a bulging disk just before the 2017 draft, and he went undrafted altogether. Two weeks into training camp last summer, he was signed by the Pats, who stashed him away on the reserve list, allowing him time to heal before unleashing him this summer. The long wait paid off, as he has looked fantastic through two preseason games and has been one of the team’s best pass-rushers so far with 1.5 total sacks. He still needs to officially make the roster, but at this point it looks like a foregone conclusion.

Other players like Lawrence Guy and the group of linebackers we touched upon last week will be asked to chip in as well, but it’s going to need to be the guys mentioned above who get it done this year.

Regardless of just how much the pash-rush will improve in 2018, all I know is it sure as hell can’t get any worse.

(Like what you just read? Be sure to check out the previous four parts of “The 300s Previews the Patriots” series here.)