It Looks Like Pats TE Hunter Henry Will Be Sticking Around For A Few More Seasons After All

 

    You are lying to yourself if you claim to know anything about the Patriots in 2024. They have so many gaping holes to fill on a terrible roster with a rookie head coach (Jerod Mayo) and GM (Eliot Wolf). They do have the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft but what they will do that-besides hopefully selecting a quarterback-is anybody's best guess. I sure am bored to death of mock drafts with still a month and half left to go before the actual draft begins which is why it was refreshing to see some real Patriots related news today: they are re-signing tight end Hunter Henry to a three-year deal with a base value of $27 million that can get up to $30 million with performance-based incentives. 

    On paper (and in real life) this is far from the sexiest move possible except that Henry is a solid and dependable veteran on a team that is lacking in guys that can be described with either of those positive characteristics. Sure, he is coming off his worst statistical season out of three in New England-and arguably in his seven-year NFL life-but that is understandable when you remember that he was catching passes from Mac Jones and then Bailey Zappe-arguably the worst QB situation in the league last year. After four nagging injury-filled seasons with the Chargers, Henry actually played in all 17 games in 2021 and 2022 with the Pats before missing three games last season. He has shown a durability and toughness that watching from afar, I did not think that he possessed. 

    Who knows who will be the Patriots' starting quarterback in Week 1 this September but whomever it is, needs to quickly develop some chemistry with Henry who is a legitimate red zone threat on a team that is severely lacking in those. His best season in Foxborough was in 2021 with rookie Mac Jones: 60 catches, 613 receiving yards and a career-high nine touchdown catches. Those numbers dipped the following year with bozo Matt Patricia as the offensive coordinator: 41 catches, 509 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. In 2023, Henry was limited to 42 catches and 419 yards but he did have six touchdown grabs which seems like a miracle for such a pitiful offense that was totally allergic to the end zone. 

    He will never be confused with Ben Coates or Rob Gronkowski-the two best tight ends in team history (and in Gronk's case, maybe NFL history)-but Henry is a professional and worthy of investing in while he is only 29 years old and with (fingers crossed) some productive campaigns still left ahead of him. No matter if the Pats are starting a rookie QB or a stop-gap veteran, either of those guys will desperately need someone that will get open in the middle of the field and not that far away from the line of scrimmage. Enter Henry who has good hands and sneaky athleticism for a white guy from Arkansas. 

    Henry's career-high for catches (60 in 2020 with the Chargers) and receiving yards (652 in 2019 with the Chargers) might be unattainable at this point for a variety of reasons with the Patriots but at least they are something to shoot for. Unless they sign a bunch of good wide receivers in free agency, he is likely to be their best pass catcher for at least the near future. It is also nice for once to see them rightfully pay a guy who has been a good soldier throughout some turbulent years (for the team) here. He has played on a bunch of average to bad NFL teams, therefore Henry is deserving of competing for a winner. When the Patriots will return to being a true contender and playoff team again hopefully is not that far away.

Brayan Bello-One Of The Few Reasons To Watch The Sox These Days-Signed A Six-Year Extension

 

    It is hard to fathom how irrelevant the Red Sox have become both across MLB but even in their own home region. Last-place finishes the past two years and three out of the last four campaigns (but who is counting?) will do that to you, even in one of the few great baseball markets left in America. With that said, there is rarely anything to write about this mostly anonymous club. Following their 2018 World Series championship-arguably the greatest team in franchise history-Boston has taken a complete nosedive as their owners have clearly tuned out while the rest of the AL East teams load up year after year. Tell me who they are better than: the Yankees, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays are all better run and most importantly, they have far superior rosters as well. 

    I made a personal rule a few seasons ago: I will not pay for Red Sox tickets until the ownership group (hi John Henry!) proves that they care once again about more than using Fenway Park as their own personal ATM. Sure, I will take a free ticket a few times a season and have a good time on a nice summer night but other than that, who can possibly devote that much energy to this team that is destined to go nowhere anytime soon? Mercifully, there was a welcome bit of good news yesterday as reports came out that Boston's promising young right-handed pitcher Brayan Bello had agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $55 million with a seventh-year club option for $21 million. 

    In parts of two Major League seasons, Bello has only made 39 career starts and it is not like his numbers will blow you away: 14-19 with 4.37 ERA in 214.1 IP with 187 strikeouts, 72 walks, a 1.46 WHIP and .283 opponents' batting average. Under former GM Chaim Bloom, the Red Sox were trying (quite unsuccessfully I might add) to be the Tampa Bay Rays. This reminds me of a Rays style deal since it is primarily based on potential instead of production thus far. If you have seen Bello pitch, you do not have to be new Red Sox GM (and former MLB reliever) Craig Breslow to recognize his special talent in terms of outstanding stuff. His size won't blow you away (generously listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds) and he will be 25 years old (in Domincan years so he might be 35) on May 17. Still, Boston has so rarely been able to draft and develop starting pitchers-think about the Patriots and wide receivers-that when they finally might have a real one like this, it is a cause for much celebration. 

    With (somewhat) notable free agent signing Lucas Giolito likely headed for yet another Tommy John surgery, the scary part is that Bello might have to be their de facto ace/No. 1 starter from the start of the regular season on March 28 when they kick things off in Seattle. In a perfect world, Bello would only have to be like a third or fourth starter on a good team and not need to feel the pressure right away of being a bad team's stopper from day one. However, maybe part of the thinking for his deal is that it will take some of that stress away from him. Very few guys throw 200+ innings anymore in MLB-somewhere your grandfather rolls over in his grave-so it is notable that Bello logged 157 innings last season across 28 starts. You can bet that even checked out Red Sox manager Alex Cora will be extra cautious with Bello since Boston's rotation is undoubtedly their biggest weakness/question mark heading into this ill-fated season. 

Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz (remember them?) are the most recent quality starting pitchers that the Red Sox drafted and developed through their minor league system, so yeah it has been a minute. Regardless of how Bello performs in 2024, it is unlikely to make that much of a difference in term's of his crappy team's win-loss record. He could be great and an All-Star but that will probably only matter in the bigger picture of all things Red Sox. They are essentially acting like a small market club in the way that most of what they can sell to the fanbase is hope for a brighter future ahead because the present promises to remain rather ugly.

After 24 Seasons As The Patriots' Head Coach, Bill Belichick Is Finally Done & Jerod Mayo Takes Over

 

    It has been quite a whirlwind week for the New England Patriots. After finishing up 4-13-their worst season since 1992 (!)-on Sunday, we waited around until Thursday morning when reports finally surfaced that arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history (Bill Belichick) was out as the Pats head coach. A few hours later that morning, New England owner Robert Kraft and Belichick had a brief but cordial press conference where they took no questions. They "mutually agreed to part ways" and a few hours after that, Kraft returned for a solo press conference where he talked a little more in depth and actually answered a few questions from the media. Fast forward to yesterday morning when linebackers coach Jerod Mayo was hastily named the new head coach of the Patriots. 

    Just like when Tom Brady left the Pats-albeit in much different circumstances-no matter who replaces Belichick has impossible shoes to fill. In case you forgot, under Bill's watch (and Brady's unparrelled success), New England went to nine Super Bowls and won six of them. I am confident that we will never see a run like that with any other NFL team for the rest of our lives, no matter how long that we live. With that said, at 71 years old and with no playoff wins since Brady left, it was clear that the Patriots needed a new voice in charge. There is no question that he can still coach at a high level but he had been an awful GM thus undercutting his ability to win on the field. Furthermore, surrounding himself with his kids, friends, friends' kids and other assistant coaches that had been with him forever, it was obvious that Bill did not have to answer to anybody besides Kraft once in a while which is not a good thing. He made it clear at the final press conference that he still wants to coach-it is not like he has any other hobbies or interests in his life-and depending on where he ends up next, he could certainly do well. Granted, he probably won't win a Super Bowl like Brady in his first season post-Patriots. 

    On the surface, there is plenty to like about Mayo (37) who is now the youngest head coach in the NFL. He is also the first black head coach in franchise history, he won a Super Bowl with the Pats and was a captain for seven of his eight years as a middle linebacker on the Patriots-the only NFL team that he ever played or coached for. The scary parts are that he has never been a head coach at any level, how much does he know or care about offense while he automatically got this promotion written into his contract last season. With huge names like Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban all surprisingly available, Kraft didn't have any second thoughts of opening up the process a little bit more? Things change quickly in life, why were they so anchored to Mayo? 

    Belichick's greatest gift that he left to the Patriots is the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Like he said in his final words at Gillette Stadium, the NFL is all about players and as their record indicated, the Patriots currently have a million holes to fill on both sides of the ball. However, if they can draft well and spend money in free agency, there is no reason why the team cannot be a fringe playoff contender as soon as next season if many things go right. Still, Buffalo and Miami are not going anywhere anytime soon and even the lowly Jets finished with three more wins than the Patriots this season so it will be an uphill climb to relevance let alone contention for the once model club in football. 

    This entire miserable season and basically the four years since Brady left has been a daily reminder that as Patriots fans, we had it so good for so long. Tom having success right away with the Bucs-one of the great loser franchises in sports before then-coupled with Belichick running the Pats into the ground had put an end to any question as to who was more important to the dynasty-Brady or Belchick. It has been easy to kick Bill when he has been down these last few crappy seasons but make no mistake, at his peak he was right there with any other head coach in American sports history. He was the perfect leader for Brady and the Patriots for all those years, until he was not anymore and no doubt it was harder and harder to relate to new generations of players that were so much younger than him. Regardless, we must thank Bill for all the wonderful moments in the past 24 years. There will never be another extended period of dominance like that in any of the major professional sports in the U.S. 

What Rivalry? The Red Sox Traded Alex Verdugo To The Yankees For Three Meh Pitching Prospects

 

    That Mookie Betts trade to the Dodgers continues to haunt the Red Sox as tonight they gave up the one decent part of that deal-outfielder Alex Verdugo-to the Yankees (of all teams!) for three right-handed pitchers that nobody outside of true baseball nerds has ever heard of before now. After four up and down seasons with Boston, Verdugo was moved no doubt because manager Alex Cora and the Red Sox front office were sick of all his unnecessary drama. He was benched not once but twice last season and for a guy that is 27 years old and has been in MLB for seven seasons but never reached a single All-Star Game, you have to cut your losses at some point. Granted, this is only the eighth ever trade between Boston and New York in the Divisional Era (since 1969) so that tells you that the Sox do not think much of Verdugo at this point. 

As always with prospects, I won't sit here and pretend like I know anything about Richard Fitts (NY's #12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline), Greg Weissert or Nicholas Judice. Weissert is 28 and the only one of the three to appear in an MLB game so far: he had a 4.60 ERA over 29 appearances for the Yankees between 2022 and 2023. Fitts who is 23 years old went 18-13 with a 3.57 ERA in 49 career minor league starts over the past two seasons. Judice is only 22 and he was just drafted this past season in the eighth round of the MLB Draft so needless to say, he has not made his MLB debut yet. The way I look at it, these guys are all scratch tickets meaning that there is no way that the Red Sox will hit on all three of them. If they are lucky, two turn out to be serviceable major league arms or one will be really good. 

    Verdugo had the makings of a guy that could have been a star here (well at least when people still cared about baseball and the Red Sox) but he never made that next step beyond just a good player. He is a decent hitter (.264/.324/.745 last season) but he does not possess much power (13 HRs and 54 RBIs in 140 games). He is a good defender-a Gold Glove finalist in left field in 2023-that is versatile enough to play all three outfield positions well. Finally, he has a fiery personality and unique style-two distinct elements which are quite lacking in most MLB players these days. 

    Will Verdugo finally grow up and take the next step in his career with the no fun allowed Yankees? Probably not but it would be so Red Sox for them to bungle this trade with him becoming a better and more consistent player while these three pitchers are never heard from again. The scary part is that Verdugo was one of Boston's top MLB players and the last thing they need is more of a talent drain. Hopefully this is just the start (but I doubt it) for the Red Sox when it comes to making some real moves this winter. Like the Patriots, they have so many issues to address before they can even be considered any type of contender next season and beyond. Good luck, Craig Breslow!

The Bruins Began Their 2023-24 Regular Season Campaign With A 3-1 Victory Vs. The Blackhawks

 

    It seems like only yesterday that the Bruins were choking away a 3-1 series lead and losing another excruciating Game 7 on their home ice, this time to the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs last spring. You cannot blame Boston's fans for having even more PTSD after the Bruins made the best regular season in NHL history nothing but a useless footnote. With that said, it is time to move on with our lives and focus on a new season for the Black and Gold. Additionally, with how terrible the Red Sox and Patriots are these days, we need the B's and the Celtics to be the title contenders that we believe them to be. Tonight, the B's hosted the Blackhawks (1-1-0) at TD Garden and they turned in a solid performance that resulted in a satisfying 3-1 win for the home team. 

    The league schedule makers did the Bruins a favor since Chicago had played last night (an unexpected 4-2 triumph in Pittsburgh). The Blackhawks received an early boost by their young phenom and the No. 1 overall pick center Connor Bedard who scored his first career goal at 5:37 of the first period with a nifty wraparound. Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (20 saves) was a little slow to react and the baby-faced 18-year-old Canadian corralled a rebound and quickly twisted around the cage to net what will be the first of likely hundreds of goals in the NHL. Former Bruins Taylor Hall-who later left with an upper body injury following a check from B's defenseman Brandon Carlo-and Ryan Donato (the pride of Harvard) provided the assists on Bedard's historic tally. Chicago's lone lead was brief though as Boston tied it up less than six minutes later. Left wing Trent Frederic deftly tipped in Carlo's shot from the point at 11:22. Rookie center Matthew Poitras picked up the second assist, the first career point for a 19-year-old who burst onto the scene at Boston's training camp and earned himself a surprise spot in the opening lineup. 

    It was knotted at 1-1 after the first period but the Bruins slowly started to take over against the understandably tired Blackhawks in the second period. They took a 2-1 lead midway through the frame that served as an early dose of Bruins porn for their always thirsty fans. Old friend and left wing Milan Lucic made his triumphant return to the Garden with a nice backhand assist to right wing David Pastrnak who ripped a low shot past Chicago's backup goalie something named Arvid Soderblom (30 saves) at 13:09. After scoring a career-high 61 goals last season, it is unlikely that Pastrnak will reach that lofty height this time around but as long as he can bag 40+ goals, the Bruins will take it. Boston led 2-1 heading into the third and you had a feeling that Chicago was gassed out. 
    Each club was 0-for-3 on the power play so the B's had to wait until the Blackhawks pulled Soderblom for an extra skater to finally put this one to bed. In his first official contest as captain Bruins left wing Brad Marchand won a puck battle along the wall and unselfishly gave up the puck to Pastrnak for an easy empty-net goal at 19:04. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy registered the second assist on David's second goal of the night. Overall, it was a fun game for the B's who saw two of their recent draft picks make their NHL debuts: center John Beecher and right wing Jakub Lauko who teamed up with Lucic on the very effective fourth line.

    Boston will practice for a few days before their next matchup-on Saturday night (7, NESN)- Nashville (0-1-0) pays them a visit. Following that matchup with another Western Conference club, the B's are off to California (San Jose, LA then Anaheim) and a return date with Chicago as their first road trip of this season is four games long. We are a few weeks away from Halloween so the weather is still pretty decent in New England and unless you are a hardcore fan, it is hard to focus on the Bruins this early. However, winter will be here soon enough and the Pats could be the worst team in the NFL so local sports fans need a team to put our unrealistic hopes on. Hello Bruins (and Celtics)! Longtime Bruins centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are now retired plus there is a decent amount of new faces on this roster. Last season was a forceful reminder that the regular season in hockey is mostly useless other than qualifying for the playoffs. Regardless, the NHL postseason does not start for a long time so we need entertainment until then and this likeable group should fill that void very well indeed.

With Judon & Gonzalez Likely Out For Rest Of The Season, Bill Belichick Brings Back J.C. Jackson

    By any measure, Sunday's game at Dallas (3-1) could not have gone much worse for New England (1-3) as they got embarrassed 38-3-the worst loss of Bill Belichick's head coaching career-in front of a national TV audience. It was so gross that I did not feel like writing about it afterwards since how many different ways can you get the obvious point across that they suck? The pain from that debacle will last for a long time since the two best players on the Patriots-defensive end Matthew Judon (bicep) and cornerback Christian Gonzalez (shoulder)-each suffered what seem to be season-ending injuries that will both require surgery. Facing a brutal 1-3 start for the third season in a row, Belichick worked the phone lines and came up with a cornerback that we all know very well: J.C. Jackson. This morning, LA traded Jackson to New England along with a seventh-round pick in 2025 for a sixth-round pick in 2025. Sweetening the deal for Bill is the fact that the dopey Chargers are paying almost all of his salary ($9.33 million) for the rest of the season with the Pats only on the hook for $1.5 million. 

    Back in the good old days when the Patriots were one of the best teams in the NFL every season (you know, because they had Tom Brady), a move like this would be universally lauded. Instead, this is a frustrating move now for a couple reasons: 1) I understand that New England's defense just lost two standout players but Bill spends way too much time and money on that unit to begin with while he completely ignores the offense. 2) If the Chargers did not pay most of Jackson's money, is there any chance that Belichick would pull the trigger on this deal? Nope, because he loves cheap deals more than actual talent which is totally backwards if you want to win championships. Jackson is still only 27 years old and in his sixth season in the league (4 in New England and 2 in Los Angeles) but he has become the latest poster child for a guy that rightfully cashed in on a career season (he was an All-Pro his last season with the Pats and second in the NFL with 8 INTs) but he has done nothing since then.

    He ended up only playing seven total games with the Chargers after hurting his knee in Week 7 last season and in Week 3 a few weeks ago, things got so bad that he was a healthy scratch. After accumulating 25 interceptions as a Patriot and becoming an unlikely star who was undrafted out of Maryland, he only snagged one pick with LA. His monster deal in free agency-5 years, $82.5 million-runs through 2026 so you can bet that no matter what, New England will not want to pay that so he will probably be gone from Foxborough once again when this miserable season comes to an end. It is also troublesome that Belichick only appears to be interested in hiring coaches (Bill O'Brien) that he has already worked with or getting players that have previously played for him. If you only surround yourself with familiar faces and players that nobody else wants, how are you supposed to grow and gain new knowledge? 

    For this and many other reasons-quarterback Mac Jones had the worst game of his life against the Cowboys-the Pats are clearly at another pivotal moment in their franchise history. They host the Saints (2-2) on Sunday (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium. New Orleans' quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is banged up so even if he plays or if goofball Jameis Winston is the starter, this should be a winnable game. However, other than the Jets, it is tough to favor New England against anyone else at the moment. They have so many holes on their roster which was mediocre at best to start the year. Judon was a legitimate Pro Bowler and Gonzalez looked like a steal and an early favorite for the Defensive Rookie of The Year. They are in such rough shape that we all hope that Jackson starts on Sunday after only being back here for a few days. Have you seen fellow cornerback Myles Bryant try to play football? Even if the Patriots win a rock fight against the Saints, it is hard to see them getting the requisite nine or ten wins that it will take to reach the playoffs this season.

Celts Made Another Major Trade: Robert Williams & Malcolm Brogdon To Portland For Jrue Holiday

 

    With training camp starting this week, it was nice to see the Celtics finally show some urgency to win their first NBA title since 2008. After seeing the Bucks acquire superstar point guard Damian Lillard last week, Boston responded by trading center Robert Williams and point guard Malcolm Brogdon to Portland (along with a 2024 and 2029 first round pick) for point guard Jrue Holiday. We have always overrated Williams but for many reasons, I truly do not think that you will miss him all that much unless you love alley oop dunks and highlight reel blocked shots in the regular season. I liked Brogdon very much but Holiday is unquestionably better as a two-time NBA All-Star (including last season) and more importantly, an NBA champion with the Bucks in 2021.  

    Williams had always been such a tease as a Celtic, often flashing incredible athleticism and talent but his game never really developed offensively and he is one of the most injury prone players in professional sports. Truthfully, he is a bit of a dinosaur in the league since big men that do not shoot 3-pointers are almost totally extinct. Brogdon was only here for one season but he was a true pro and the Sixth Man of the Year but you knew something would happen when the C's tried to trade for him over the summer to the Clippers while they wanted him to get surgery on his elbow (that severely limited him in the playoffs) but he disagreed. I know that he was close with Jaylen Brown so hopefully this move does not piss off Jaylen too much. Likewise, Time Lord was tight with Jayson Tatum so same deal there. 

    More than anything, this aggressive move by the C's proves that Brad Stevens understands that they cannot wait around for the next championship to appear out of the mist. For too long, the franchise has acted like they are the Warriors or the Bulls in the 90s in terms of multiple titles in recent history when they truth is that all they have is two bitter losses in the NBA Finals (in 2011 vs. the Lakers and in 2022 vs. the Warriors) since capturing their 17th title 15 long years ago. As long as they have a healthy Tatum and Brown, they will always be in the mix in the Eastern Conference and for the Finals. You don't win championships because of role players and bench guys but Boston clearly needed to upgrade its roster that was way too thin behind their top two players.  

    Besides being a very solid player who averaged 19.3 points per game, 7.4 assists per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and 1.2 steals per game in 2022-23, Holiday is an adult. He is 33 years old and married to former USWNT star Lauren Holiday who has battled some serious health issues since she was forced to retire early. Jrue is a good but great shooter (38.4% on 3-pointers and 85.9% free throw percentage) who has famously struggled with his shot in the postseason but you can always count on his outstanding defense, leadership and winning mentality. He won't beat himself and force things searching for his points. This is all to say that both on the floor and in the community, I think that he should be an excellent fit (much like Brogdon was) for the Celtics and someone that is very easy to root for.