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.
#Bucs coach Bruce Arians on Tom Brady: "He looked like Tom Brady in practice all the time so it’s kind of unusual to see that in a ballgame because they didn’t do things that we didn’t get ready for. Everything they did we thought we were ready for.''
Bruce Arians came out of the gates FIRING on Sunday after losing the first game of the Tom Brady era and if I were Brady I would be bullshit for getting thrown under the bus in Week ONE. I’m half expecting Brady and Gronk to drop a Hit Em Up remix dissing Arians before next weekend.
Its been widely reported that one of the reasons Tom Brady left New England, other than it was just time for a change of scenery, is that his relationship with Belichick had started to grate on him. Belichick treated Brady like a first year player (or Fucking Johnny Foxboro according to Giselle) and gave him just as much criticism as the next guy in the locker room. Except Belichick did it privately. You never heard a word about this in press conferences even if Brady played like garbage, which he rarely did. Welp, if getting criticized privately bothered Brady he must love whats going on in Tampa Bay right now.
Arians went out of his way to very publicly blame both interceptions on Brady. Now I’m no film geek so I’m not sitting here watching the All-22, but I would bet my non-existent house on the fact that Tom Brady is reading coverages better than Mike Evans.
To paraphrase the great Katt Williams “…maybe we should stop beating our kids……publicly.”
Even if it was TB12’s fault, you just overhauled your entire team and moved heaven and earth to bring the greatest player of all time to a city known for nothing but strip clubs and you immediately rip the guy the first chance you get? Now that he has a real QB in the room, Arians is like Kelly Kapoor in a blazer.
Granted, Brady isn’t going to just go into the tank and pout because his coach criticized him on TV, but uhhh this ain’t exactly helpful. I had this discussion with Big Z the other day, but this is literally the worst offseason ever for a 43-year-old QB to change teams. As Big Z put it, meetings were outlawed and preseason games cancelled.
Some people thought it came off as Arians yet again throwing his QB under the bus, most notably Emmanuel Acho was chirping the Bucs coach.
But I thought it was all Jameis’ fault??
Bruce Arians QB’s ALWAYS have career high interceptions.
The problems went far beyond the QB for Tampa though as they were an undisciplined mess on Sunday with tons of penalties, miscommunications, and ugly plays like the muffed kickoff return that two Bucs had to legit work together to somehow pull off.
If, and this is a gigantic if, the Bucs can get their shit together they are obviously a very talented team and can do some damage in the NFC. I have never doubted Tom Brady once in my life, so I’m certainly not going to start now, but they better get organized.
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.
I have quoted Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech since I saw it painted on our weight room wall at UM in 1995. It’s a constant reminder to ignore the noise, buckle my chinstrap, and battle through whatever comes my way.
Talk about conflicting emotions watching this teaser for Tom Brady’s upcoming documentary, Man in the Arena. This is the type of stuff that was better than porn in my household for the last 20 years: The Brady 6, The Great Brady Heist, Tom vs Time. I could go on and on, hell I wrote a full blog about exactly this: A List of the Top Tom Brady Documentaries, Cameos, and Skits to Watch While Self Quarantining. Watching this now though is bittersweet knowing Brady is no longer a Patriot. Hopefully the NFL is able to play games this season, but even if they are my favorite player of all time is down in Florida and it’s not in a retirement home.
A lot of New England fans hold a grudge against Brady for leaving and while I am upset he left, I can’t hold it against the guy after everything he’s done for this franchise. He became the greatest player of all time with what amounts to two Hall of Fame careers, won 6 Super Bowls, and turned the Patriots into the most successful dynasty in league history. So if after 20 years of working for a hard ass like Belichick he finally had enough and wanted to enjoy himself a bit more, as a person I get that.
I can’t believe he’s partnering with ESPN for this though. Especially after the success of Tom vs Time on Facebook. On the one hand, if I was Tom Brady and the media brand that tried to smear my reputation and destroy my career multiple times asked to partner with me on a documentary I would tell them to go piss up a rope. On the other hand, Brady is trying to get his 199 Productions studio running at full speed right out of the gate and ESPN is is the Worldwide Leader so it makes business sense. I’d rather tell ESPN to kick rocks than go into business with them if I’m Brady, but I guess this is why I wouldn’t be a very good politician.
But my god get the tissues ready because this documentary is going to break me. I feel like my Perfect 10 girlfriend left me and I’ve just been avoiding those emotions for months pretending nothing happened. I advise everyone to take Bill Burr’s sage advice on how to handle a breakup and deal with the little things:
Somebody needs to do a wellness check on Julian Edelman and take away his shoelaces. But seriously, you have got to be shitting me Gronk. I’m seriously going to have to watch two of my favorite athletes of all time play together for another team this season? Holy shit did the devil collect quickly on the deal for my soul after Super Bowl No. 6.
This all came out of thin air after RapSheet tweeted Gronk was interested in coming back and was a done deal in a matter of about 30 minutes, which made it all the more jarring.
Sources: Retired #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has told New England that he’s interested in playing football again — and would want to do it with the #Bucs and QB Tom Brady. A trade would have to be worked out for this to happen.
Bucs close to getting Gronk @RobGronkowski tells me. Bucs waiting on word of physical. Still thinks to iron out but should be good within 24 hours @NFLonFOX
I didn’t even have time to craft a witty tweet before the next breaking news siren sounded. Now we’re just reacting to the cold hard news that is in fact a done deal.
If we’re being honest I was hoping for more than a 4th for Gronk and a 7th, but I guess objectively speaking it makes sense as he has just one year left on his deal and hasn’t played football in more than a year. When Marshawn Lynch decided he wanted to come out of retirement to play for the Raiders, the Seahawks were only able to swap a 6th for a 5th and thats probably the closest comparison.
But in the span of 32 days to lose the greatest quarterback of all time for nothing and now arguably the greatest tight end of all time for a 4th stings a bit.
Karen Guregian also reported that this wasn’t just a sudden urge from Gronk to play football again.
From @kguregian: Per a source, the all-world tight end has imagined this scenario of reuniting with Brady for quite awhile. This wasn’t a spur of the moment decision to request a trade. If Brady ever left, Gronkowski was going to join him wherever he landed.
I can’t say that surprises me all that much since Gronk confirmed rumors of a nixed trade to the Lions before the 2018 season, saying he’d retired before playing for another QB.
Gronk asked about the trade to #Lions report. “Yeah, it happened. Brady is my quarterback. I’m not going anywhere without Brady.” pic.twitter.com/PZqpEZCJJY
After a year doing TV, selling CBD, hosting music festivals, and winning WWE belts Gronk will be back catching balls in 2020 from none other than Tompa Brady. His off the field stuff was hit or miss, but let us never forget his Hall of Fame meathead moment on New Years Eve.
Tom Brady will soon be holding up the jersey of another team and I fully expect that sight to make me weep and/or vomit. So in the meantime while we’re all self quarantining anyways, lets break open the Disney Vault and go through all of the best Tom Brady documentaries, cameos, and skits from over the years.
The Brady 6 If you’ve never seen this NFL Films doc, it is pure Tom Brady porn so make sure you do it alone. It details all the bums drafted ahead of Brady and how all their careers played out. “He has four goats” is still the greatest ether these ears have ever heard.
The Great Brady Heist A relatively recent addition to the Brady archives, I just caught this one on FOX Sports 1 last night and it was *electric.* If you’re a fan of true crime docs then this one is for you because it details how TB12 had his Super Bowl LI jersey stolen right out of his locker after completing the greatest comeback in sports history and how the authorities got it back.
Tom vs Time This is a quick watch as most episodes are only 10-15 minutes long, but this Facebook Watch exclusive was a fascinating look behind the curtain into Tom Brady’s every day life. His family at home, his relationship with Alex Guerrero, post game phone calls with Josh McDaniels etc. It also offered a now prophetic glimpse into Brady’s future plans as the shine wore off with Belichick.
Three Games to Glory (Take your pick) These were difficult to find on the interwebs aside from a few clips here and there as they are the DVDs produced and sold directly by the Patriots. So you may need to pony up to see them all, but it never hurts to build out the collection.
Peyton’s Places with Tom Brady The full 30 minute episode is available only on ESPN+ so you might not be able to watch it for free, but this was a great piece of content. If you still blindly hate Peyton Manning and can’t get past that to watch these two legends chop it up, you’re missing out.
America’s Game: New England Patriots These are the NFL Network documentaries of the Super Bowl champs they do every year. I’m sure you’ve seen some or all of these, but holy hell are there a lot of episodes on the Patriots! Take your pick: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018. My personal favorite is the 2001 episode, solely because it features a *young* Tom Brady sharing what Drew Bledsoe told him on the sidelines during the game.
Do Your Job Bill Belichick and the 2014 New England Patriots Another masterfully produced documentary from NFL Films, this one breaks down the 2014 Patriots season. It’s definitely more of a focus on Bill, but you get some great Tom Brady highlights in there.
A Football Life: Bill Belichick Again this is another NFL Films doc that focuses primarily on Belichick, but you get some delicious interviews and mic’d up clips of Tom Brady. Released in 2011, you get never before seen footage, most notably after the 2009 beatdown from the Saints on MNF, Brady is shown venting to Bill how he “can’t get these guys to play the way I need them to play.” It’s actually two parts, both of which you can watch below.
Detail: Peyton Manning on Tom Brady This is another ESPN+ exclusive and is one I haven’t checked out yet, but Detail is an excellent watch if you’re into the X’s and O’s.
Entourage – “Fore!” One of the best cameos on a show that had multiple per episode so thats saying something. Brady dominates in all facets of life including on the links and even befriending dick head New Yorkers. Check this Season 6 episode out on HBO Go.
Ted 2 Two words. Golden. Balls.
Jimmy Kimmel Skit Matt Damon just can’t catch a break.
Saturday Night Live Tom Brady hosted SNL once and only once, back in 2005 and he absolutely killed. Probably because of the times we live in now and the #MeToo movement, but the laugh out loud funny Sexual Harassment PSA skit has all been scrubbed from the internet. But I still found it.
Tom Brady Sr. always said it was going to end badly in New England and that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t a Drew Bledsoe-esque ending where he got hurt, benched, and traded, but it was an awkward, tense, anticlimactic close to Tom Brady’s Patriots career.
It was a less than stellar final season in NE where Brady just didn’t have the weapons, the defense slowly fell apart, leading to an upset loss on Wild Card weekend to Ryan Tannehill and the Titans, with a pick-six being Brady’s final play. Now with Brady announcing his decision to move on from New England we’re left to grieve the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
It’s yet to be announced where Brady will sign, but guys like Colin Cowherd are starting to report that he’s headed to Tampa Bay. Imagine TB12 in 70 degree weather throwing to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, OJ Howard (and maybe Antonio Brown)? Good god. Tampa Bay also has the 16th hardest schedule in the NFL this year, compared to the No. 1 most difficult schedule facing New England.
We all knew this day was coming, but it still sucks to see the end of an era. I don’t fault Brady, especially if he did get a massive payday somewhere else and the Pats offered him peanuts. Can’t blame the guy for wanting to make market value after taking discounts his entire career. Especially if the Patriots and Belichick wanted him to sing for his supper just to lowball him again.
What a start to 2020 huh? A homegrown MVP in Mookie Betts gets traded, literally every sports league in America shuts down, the entire country is isolating themselves due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and now TB12 is gone.
This is going to be weird. Since 2001 the only QB to play anything more than garbage time was Matt Cassel after Brady got hurt in 2008. So who the hell is going to play QB for the Pats next season? I broke down all the potential QB options a couple weeks ago, but I still keep hearing *Andy Dalton’s* name for some reason.
Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill are both off the market. Teddy Bridgewater apparently is going to get $30M a year so I’ll pass on that. Philip Rivers is also an old so I don’t see the Pats going that way. I can’t imagine Belichick wanting to sign a guy in Jameis Winston who just threw 30 goddamn INTs. Maybe the Pats do swing a trade for Matt Stafford if the Lions draft a QB?
Or if we’re being honest with ourselves, it’s starting to look like the dawn of the Jarret Stidham era, folks.
Something that I have not been eager to explore about myself is how Tom Brady leaving will affect me as a sports fan. Brady has been under center in Foxborough since I was 12-years-old. As a 30-year-old that is aging in dog years, Brady was one of the few remaining Boston sports icon that is older than me. I’m a full blown Jersey Guy, but I do feel a little odd dishing out $100 bucks for a jersey of a guy that literally just became old enough to buy a beer. With Brady’s departure the best player in Boston is probably 21-year-old Jayson Tatum or maybe 34-year-old Patrice Bergeron or 31-year-old Brad Marchand. But with all due respect, none of those players really compare to Tom Brady.
After Mookie Betts got traded I talked with Big Z about how it didn’t really bother me all that much. Probably because we’re jaded and it’s hard to care as much as you did when you were 15. Tom Brady was the exception to that.
Now as we look to rebuild, to all my friends that are fans of the Jets, Bills, Dolphins, Giants, Colts, Steelers, Chiefs and any other fanbase crawling out of their dumpsters?
I can’t believe the day has finally come. Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots. Despite days, months, and even years of preparing for this it still doesn’t feel real. I feel like Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s day off right now; catatonic.
This one hurts. It kind of feels like the Patriots dared Brady to leave and he did just that. As we saw all the potential weapons and upgrades around the league come off the market things started to look worse and worse. Austin Hooper, Deandre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs, Jimmy Graham. Meanwhile the Pats were erasing their cap space with extensions for Devin McCourty and the franchise tag on Joe Thuney so it looks like the team had no intention of bringing Brady back.
We’ll find out soon, but as of right now we don’t know where Brady is going. We can fully expect that he got PAID by LA or maybe Tampa Bay. The numbers will really decide the reaction of Patriots fans towards Belichick and Kraft because if it’s $30 million a year for 3 years then I think people will understand. If it’s even a moderately reasonable deal and the Pats lowballed him yet again then Belichick and Kraft will get roasted for years to come.
The #Bucs made a strong offer to QB Tom Brady believed to be $30M or more. The #Chargers did, as well. And now, he’s leaving New England.
The LA Chargers make the most sense in my opinion as Brady wants to grow his brand, he pals around with Hollywood elite already, his wife would love the glitz and glamor, oh and don’t forget the production company he started last week.
Tampa probably backed up the Brinks truck and that team has a *nice* set of offensive weapons, but I just find it hard to believe Brady and Giselle are going to move to the strip club capital of the world.
We’ll have more blogs today as we grieve, but for right now I’m still in a state of shock.
With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, and the dog days of the NHL and NBA seasons upon us, it’s time to look forward to baseball season. Long summer days will be here before we know it, so now is the time to take a look at the schedules, put in those summer vacation requests, map out the road trips and book some flights.
If you’re going to make the trek to a new ballpark this season, why not get a free souvenir while you’re there? I planned my first trip to Kauffman Stadium around a Royals 50th season hat giveaway. I drove to Milwaukee a few summers ago specifically to add a powder blue Paul Molitor Brewers jersey to my collection. I once scheduled a California vacation around around Angels Oktoberfest to snag a free glass boot mug. Maybe that free powder blue Cardinals jersey is the incentive I need to finally get to Busch Stadium this summer.
With just over five weeks to go until Opening Day, The 300s will take a look at some of the best giveaways on the docket for the upcoming the 2020 MLB season. You won’t find details on schedule magnets here. We’re on the lookout for jerseys, bobbleheads, and other unique knickknacks. Stuff you can put on the shelves of your own Adam Shefter office at home. So let us help you pick out the dates to circle on your calendars, and let the Quest For 30 continue.
Today, we kick off this series by taking a look at the promotions and giveaways on tap in the American League East in 2020.
NEW YORK YANKEES
All items presented to the first 18,000 fans at Yankee Stadium unless otherwise noted.
Friday, April 24, will be Don Mattingly Bobblehead Night.
Sunday, May 10, will be Mother’s Day and before the Yankees take on the Red Sox that night they will hand out Yankees purses to the first 18,000 fans 18 and older.
On Friday, May 22, the first 18,000 fans 21 and older will receive a 2000 World Champions Commemorative Beer Stein from Budweiser.
Aaron Judge will get the bobblehead treatment on Friday, July 10.
On Saturday, July 11, the first 18,000 fans 21 and older will receive a Yankees Camo Cap from Budweiser for Military Appreciation Day.
Tuesday, July 21, will be another cap night. No further details yet on what type of cap will be offered this evening.
Thursday, August 6, will be Andy Pettite Bobblehead Night.
While not a giveaway day, Old-Timers’ Day 2020 will be Sunday, August 9.
August the 21st be with you. The Yankees will be giving out Gleyber Torres Mandalorian bobbleheads on that night.
Friday, September 25, could be a cool night in the Bronx so the Yanks will be handing out Yankees knit caps that night.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Mostly bobbleheads in our highlights of Rays 2020 promotions. Bobbleheads go to “all fans, while supplies last.”
On Saturday, May 9, the Rays host the Rangers and will give out Charlie Morton audio bobbleheads.
On Saturday, May 30, the Rays host the Brewers and will give out Willy Adames audio bobbleheads.
Tyler Glasnow will get the audio bobblehead treatment on Saturday, June 13, as the Rays host the O’s.
Saturday, June 27, will see the Rays hand out Ji-Man Choi audio bobbleheads as they host the Mariners.
Tuesday, July 28, will see Blake Snell get the audio bobblehead treatment as the Rays host the Marlins.
Saturday, August 29, will be Austin Meadows audio bobblehead night as the Rays host the Twins.
BOSTON RED SOX
No details yet on how many fans will receive each item. We’ll update this post as that information becomes available.
David Ortiz will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in April, and on Tuesday, April 7, fans at Fenway will receive a Big Papi Red Sox Hall of Fame Series bobblehead.
Also getting inducted into the Sox Hall in April is Manny Ramirez. He gets his Red Sox Hall of Fame Series bobblehead on Tuesday, May 19.
On Tuesday, May 26, Red Sox fans can receieve a Red Sox bucket hat.
Rafael Devers bobbleheads will be given out on Tuesday, June 16.
A hat designed by Xander Bogaerts will be given out on Tuesday, June 30. No further details are available at this time, but it has to be better than this year’s Sox spring training hat.
On Tuesday, September 22, Fenway fans will receive a Pedro Martinez Funk Pop.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
All items presented to the first 15,000 fans at Rogers Centre unless otherwise noted.
On Opening Day, Thursday, March 26, the first 45,000 fans will receive a Blue Jays t-shirt as the Jays open up against the Red Sox.
On Saturday, March 28, the Blue Jays will be giving away Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Home Run Counter bobbleheads.
Tuesday, March 31, will be the first dollar dog night of the season in Toronto, known as “Loonie Dogs Night” north of the border.
Monday, May 18, will be Cavan Biggio “Hit For The Cycle” Bobblehead Giveaway Day.
Saturday, May 23, will be Blue Jays Country Day and the Jays will be handing out army green Blue Jays hats to mark the occasion.
On Saturday, June 6, fans will receive a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Piña Power Beach Shirt.
On Friday, June 26, the Blue Jays will hand out Hyun-jin Ryu blue replica jerseys.
Wednesday, July 1, will be Canada Day and fans can receive a Vlad & Dad dual bobblehead to celebrate.
On Friday, July 31, the Blue Jays will hand out Randal Grichuk #NEWBLUE replica jerseys.
On Saturday, August 1, fans will receive a Blue Jays floppy (bucket) hat.
“Bo Flow” Bobblehead Giveaway Day will be Monday, August 3.
A hat designed by Hyun-jin Ryu will be given out on Saturday, August 29.
On Saturday, September 19, some chilly fans could walk home in a Blue Jays vest.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Most giveaways listed below go to fans 15 and over, unless otherwise noted.
For Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, the first 10,000 female fans 18 and over will receive an Orioles infinity scarf.
On Monday, May 25, the first 15,000 fans will take home an Orioles beach towel.
On Saturday, May 30, the first 20,000 fans will taken home a Jim Palmer bobblehead.
On Sunday, May 31, the first 20,000 fans will receive an Orioles cap.
The first 20,000 fans 21 and over at Oriole Park on Friday, June 19, will take home an Orioles floppy hat, thanks to Miller Lite.
On Saturday, June 20, the first 20,000 fans will take home an Oriole Bird Hall of Fame bobblehead.
The Orioles will hand out Orioles soccer jerseys to the first 20,000 fans on Saturday, June 27.
Birdland Hawaiian shirts will be given out to the first 20,000 fans on Saturday, July 18.
The Orioles will hand out 1970 World Series Brooks Robinson replica jerseys to the first 20,000 fans on Saturday, August 8, as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1970 World Series.
Saturday, August 22, will be Boog Powell bobblehead day for the first 20,000 fans as the O’s host the Red Sox.
Sunday, September 6, will be Cal Ripken, Jr. bobblehead day for the first 25,000 fans as the O’s host the Yankees.
Highlights of the A.L. East slate include the Yankees 2000 World Champions Commemorative Beer Stein, Big Papi and Manny Ramirez Red Sox Hall of Fame bobbles, a Blue Jays powder blue jersey, and a 1970 World Series Brooks Robinson jersey.
The Blues Jays look to have the most promising giveaway slate in the division, while the Rays could stand to add some variety. The O’s have a promising slate planned as well but lose points for limiting many giveaways to fans 15 and older. Understandably, alcohol sponsored givewaways are limited to fans 21 and older by most teams, but good luck to the Baltimore retiree working at Camden Yards on June 20 trying to explain why little Timmy doesn’t get an Oriole Bird bobblehead.
Look, sometimes I enjoy dressing like a dickhead too. Maybe throw on some white jeans when I’m in a beach town and have a couple crafties by the water. But Cam Newton cannot continue to dress like Audrey Hepburn if he is going to keep putting up these disastrous fantasy performances.
I honestly don’t know what I did to Ron Rivera to deserve such blatant disrespect for my fantasy team, but he’s about to get himself fired with bullshit play calls like this.
In reality he’s probably still hurt after offseason shoulder surgery and an ankle injury in the preseason because he missed throws that literally I could make on multiple occasions last night.
I give him credit for shouldering the blame, but I don’t know if he actually gets it. It sure as shit doesn’t seem like it with SNL worthy clips like this from his post game presser.
Cam Newton really said “It’s time for me to look myself in the mirror” out loud and didn’t laugh pic.twitter.com/82f59vWoyG
If we’re being honest I knew I was in trouble last week after I saw him strutting to the podium wearing a hat wrapped in barbed wire immediately following a 5 point performance.
Maybe this is all some abstract art project like the time Joaquin Phoenix pretended to lose his mind just because. I remember being legitimately concerned for the guy and it all turned out to be a hoax. Remember even David Letterman almost kicked his ass.
But hey, if I can’t win a fantasy football matchup, at least I can laugh at my own expense. Here are the best of the rest smoking Aunt May Cam Newton’s outfit last night.
The 300s 