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. 

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.

Thanks To Zach Wilson, The Patriots Win Their 15th (!!!) Straight Game Against The Jets 15-10

 

    The wins for the Patriots (1-2) this season will probably be few and far between so we have to celebrate them-albeit briefly-no matter how ugly they are, including today's 15-10 tractor pull at MetLife Stadium against the hapless Jets (1-2). In the wind and rain, the Jets' offense was non-existent (171 total yards) while the Patriots never made it into the red zone and missed two field goals. Did I mention that the only touchdowns of the game were scored by New England's third tight end-Pharaoh Brown-and New York's fullback-Nick Bawden? Yeah, it was that kind of extremely forgettable and ugly game just as you knew that it would be but at least the Pats are not 0-3 and talks of firing head coach Bill Belichick will calm down for a few days. New England almost gagged it away too as it came down to the final play: Jets quarterback Zach Wilson's (18-of-36 for 157 yards, 3 sacks) hail mary attempt was knocked down at the goal-line but receiver Randall Cobb dropped the ball that was deflected right to him. Yeesh, never in doubt for the Patriots who have now won 15th straight contests against New York-the longest current streak in the NFL-dating back to 2016. 

    Other than not losing, it is hard to feel that great about this hollow victory for the Pats since if they faced a competent quarterback, let alone an elite one, we realize that this would have surely resulted in another loss. Instead, thanks to Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury in Week 1, they got to face Wilson who appears on the fast track to being one of the great busts of his generation. What a clown, only the Jets would refuse to sign a veteran QB to help them or at least give backup Tim Boyle a shot. Can he really be worse than Wilson who is the worst starting quarterback in the league (and I am sure that many backups are better than him as well)? By comparison Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (15-for-29, 201 yards, TD) who is the definition of average at this level looks like a future Hall of Famer. 

    It is scary that this game was not decided until the final play. Pats rookie kicker Chad Ryland hit two long field goals-from 48 yards in the first quarter and from 51 yards in the third quarter-but he also missed two others after a pair of bad snaps from Joe Cardona. New England's lack of explosive players and chunk plays is pathetic. Brown's 58-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter came solely because New York somehow left him wide open down the seam. Ryland's PAT made it 10-0 and the only thing that saved New York from getting shut out in the first half was a 52-yard field goal by veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein late in the second quarter. 

If you thought that the first half was dull (and boy was it ever!), the second half was even more unwatchable as the lone points came from that Ryland field goal, Bawden's one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and then the requisite safety allowed by Wilson who could not get rid of the ball before Patriots defensive end Matthew Judon sacked him in the end zone. The win gets New England out of the basement of the AFC East although Miami (3-0) and Buffalo (2-1) each looked infinitely better than these sorry clubs this afternoon as the Dolphins beat the Broncos (0-3) 70-20 (yes, that is a real NFL score) and the Bills (2-1) nearly shut out the Commanders (2-1) in DC 37-3. Next Sunday's matchup (4:25, Fox) in Dallas (2-1) looks a little less hopeless as the Cowboys clearly did not take the Cardinals (1-2) seriously in Arizona and paid for it by losing 28-16 in a surprising yet very Dallas like choke job.

    Despite what happened today, the Cowboys still have an excellent defense so it is hard to imagine that the Pats will be able to move the ball and more importantly, score many points against them. Perhaps it will be a revenge game for ex-Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott (16 carries, 80 yards)? You will remember that New England has not even topped 20 points so far this season in their first three games which is a recipe for disaster. They should be a double-digit underdog and it feels like a bounce back spot for Dallas (if they are a true contender) after that no-show. The Pats' only real advantage is Belichick vs. the Cowboys' buffoon head coach Mike McCarthy but that can only get you so far when your roster is not in the same area code in terms of depth and talent. An upset in Dallas would be one of New England's best wins in the post-Tom Brady era but I cannot see it happening in real life unless something truly crazy occurs deep in the heart of Texas at Jerry World. 

A Terrible Season For The Patriots (8-9) Thankfully Ends Without An Undeserved Postseason Berth

 

    For months, this doomed to fail season for the Patriots needed to end and finally, it all came crashing down on Sunday afternoon in Orchard Park, NY as they fell 35-23 to the Bills (13-3). They would have made the playoffs if they had beaten Buffalo, something which they can't do anymore without the help of a biblical storm. Besides having very little free time to write these days (haha who knew that a baby was so much work?), this version of the Pats gave me few reasons to bother mentioning them during this utterly pathetic campaign. I never openly rooted against them (although it was close more than a few times in 2022-2023) but I am truly happy that we can move on with our lives now until free agency and the NFL Draft this spring. Head coach/GM Bill Belichick gave us no reason to believe in this team from the start and hopefully finishing with a regular season record two games worse than last year and missing the postseason for the second time in three seasons brings about some real changes that they so desperately need.

    You don't have to be a football genius to know that having two complete bozos (say hi Matt Patricia and Joe Judge) take on roles that they have never had before-after each guy flamed out as head coaches in other places-would not go well. Second-year quarterback Mac Jones regressed big time this season but how much of that can you blame on him since he had a quarterbacks coach (Judge) who is best suited as a special teams coach while his offensive coordinator (Patricia) had only ever worked with defenses and offensive lines before this? It is also tough to objectively evaluate Jones when Bill's drafting history in recent years has been mostly terrible and his free agent moves have also been spotty. Did I mention that New England's offensive line was awful-one of the worst in the NFL-and their skill position guys were average at best? 

    This is now three years post-Tom Brady and it has not been a pretty picture for Belichick who has been seriously exposed without the greatest quarterback in NFL history by his side. Being the second oldest head coach in the league probably doesn't help either along with surrounding himself with nothing but yes men, his sons and his friends. The gap between the Bills and Patriots is scary-like it used to be in the opposite direction. With quarterback Josh Allen leading them, Buffalo has won three AFC East titles and they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Thanks to the Pats' loss and Miami's win in the regular season finale, the Dolphins snuck into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs (where they will have the honor of getting blown out by the Bills next weekend). New England swept their two games with the Jets this season as usual but if New York can just get steadier quarterback play, they will be right there with the Patriots if not ahead of them. 

    This is all pretty grim if you are a Pats fan. Granted, we had an unprecidented run of success with Brady here that will never be duplicated again in our lifetimes. Still, is it too much to ask to be competitive year after year? Patriots owner Robert Kraft is not dumb at all and he is also not young so you wonder how much longer he will stand for this (being a middling team in the NFL)? I'm not suggesting that Belichick will be fired this week nor that he should be but if they simply run it back with the same flawed set of coaches and incomplete roster, why should we expect different results anytime soon? Without saying it after Sunday's loss, it seemed like two of the few remaining leaders from their glory days (safety Devin McCourty and special teams ace Matthew Slater) are both about to retire thus leaving a huge void in the locker room if that is the case. The 2023 offseason is upon us for the Patriots and they are due for some serious housekeeping if they want to get back to relevance leaguewide.

In QB Bailey Zappe's First Career NFL Start, The Patriots Blanked The Hapless Lions 29-0

 

    If you are still searching for a legitimate reason to watch the Patriots (2-3 overall, 1-1 at home) this season, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe is quickly becoming a major incentive to tune in as New England beat Detroit (1-4 overall, 0-2 away) 29-0 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium in a gorgeous fall day rocking their superb red Pat Patriot throwback uniforms (which they should wear all the time if you ask me). In his first career NFL start (and only his second career NFL game), Zappe was poised and efficient as he went 17-of-21 for 188 yards, a touchdown and an interception (that bounced off of Nelson Agholor's stone hands). It was a classic Bill Belichick game as his defense was perfect with a defensive touchdown, two sacks (both by linebacker Matthew Judon who set a team record with a sack in the first five straight contests of the season), a forced fumble and recovery and another interception by promising rookie cornerback Jack Jones while the Lions were 0-for-6 on fourth down which frankly seems impossible for most other teams. Pats kicker Nick Folk added five field goals and running back Rhamondre Stevenson (25 carries, 161 yards; 2 catches, 14 yards) had a career day after Damien Harris left with a hamstring injury. 

    This result probably reflects more on Detroit's usual ineptitude (whose lovable head coach Dan Campbell is still looking for his first road win in his head coaching career) but then again, any win for New England is a good one in 2022. Furthermore, there are so many average to bad teams in the NFL these days, if you can beat enough of them, you should find yourself in the playoffs (ala the Patriots last season) at the end of the year. Also, while Mac Jones will (likely) remain the starter when he returns from his high ankle sprain, at worst this proves that Zappe is a capable NFL backup quarterback and we finally should have seen the last of Brian Hoyer in a Pats uniform. Quality quarterbacks are the most important commodity that you can have in the NFL so the fact that Zappe can play already is a huge bonus and a boon to New England's scouting department and coaching staff. 

    Folk obviously started the scoring with a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter for a 6-0 Pats lead. The play of the game was safety Kyle Dugger's 59-yard scoop-and-score for a touchdown with 3:26 left in the first half. Folk added the PAT and then a 44-yard kick as time expired for a 16-0 halftime advantage. Folk-the clubhouse leader for AFC Special Teams Player of the Week-hit a 37-yard field goal on New England's first drive in the third quarter and late in the frame, Zappe connected with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (game-high 7 catches, 111 yards) for a 24-yard touchdown catch after a blown coverage by Detroit's awful defense. Folk kicked another extra point and closed it out with a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the final lopsided margin. 

    Looking ahead, if the Pats can keep getting stable play from their quarterback(s) and the defense continues to be pretty stingy, there are a bunch of possible wins on the horizon. They are at Cleveland (2-3 overall, 1-2 home) on Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) where they will face old friend Jacoby Brissett. Much like the Lions, the Browns are born losers as they proved once again today as they fell 30-28 to the Chargers (3-2) who did everything in their power to giftwrap the game for them. The following week, the Patriots host the Bears (2-3) on Monday Night Football, followed by their first meeting with the Jets (3-2) this season-at the Meadowlands-then they host the Colts (2-2-1), have their bye in Week 10 and get the return meeting with the Jets at Gillette coming out of the break. Clearly, this is not the Pats of old where we can get silly and way too far ahead of ourselves right away. They could lose all of those matchups that I just mentioned so while it is boring and trite, we will just have to wait for next weekend and see if they can come up with another solid gameplan to help Zappe-assuming that Mac is still out-succeed while letting Cleveland puke on themselves enough to give the game away.

Injury-Ravaged Titans Hung With The Pats Then New England Rolled To Their Sixth Straight Win

 

    Is there anybody left that actually doubts the Patriots (8-4 overall, 3-4 home) this season after they dropped the top-seeded Titans (8-4 overall, 4-2 away) 36-13 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium? New England's sixth victory in a row comes with a rather large asterisk since Tennessee was missing its top three offensive players (running back Derrick Henry along with wide receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown) but that hardly matters at the moment when you consider that the Pats were 2-4 earlier in this campaign. Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones (23-of-32 for career-high 310 yards, 2 TDs) was really good and New England's defense pitched a shutout in the second half after head coach Mike Vrabel's Titans were quite frisky in the first half and only trailed by three points (16-13) at halftime.

    New England's red zone issues are still a thing since kicker Nick Folk attempted a whopping six field goals (and thankfully made five of them) but other than that, it is hard to find anything else to legitimately complain about. 

    Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 61 yards) has surprisingly morphed into the best offensive playmaker on the Pats and he added two more touchdowns. Jones hit him with a four-yard fade pass in the corner of the end zone which coupled with Folk's PAT were the only points of the first quarter. Tennessee's quarterback Ryan Tannehill (11-of-21 for 93 yards, TD, INT; 24 yards rushing) has become a solid player with the Titans but it's hard to blame him for his struggles today with such a lack of weapons. Tannehill threw a one-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine early in the second quarter but Tennessee's kicker Randy Bullock missed the point after. It was a chilly day in Foxborough so they kept Folk busy with three field goals in the second quarter (from 22, 37 and 44 yards). New England's run defense was terrible to start the year, however they had really tightened things up lately, that is until journeyman Dontrell Hillard (12 carries, 131 yards) scampered 68 yards for a score with 37 seconds left in the half. Bullock made that extra point (but he later clanked a field goal attempt), regardless the Pats had to be frustrated going into the break.

    After losing to Vrabel in their first two career meetings as coaches, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick got to exact a little revenge as his club methodically worked over the Titans. Folk had to settle for another short kick (28 yards) early in the third quarter but Bourne submitted the highlight of the day for the home team as he took a seemingly innocent pass from Jones and weaved 41 yards for the backbreaking score. Folk's extra point gave New England double the points of Tennessee (26-13) and with such a limited offense, you knew that spelled trouble for the visitors. Folk's only miss was a 53-yard field goal attempt late in the first half but he atoned for that by crushing a 52-yard kick in the fourth quarter. He is once again having a fantastic Pro Bowl caliber season and the only thing that makes you worry about him is the thought of having to attempt a long kick like that in a close playoff game. Running back Damien Harris notched a 14-yard touchdown run in pseudo garbage time and with Folk's PAT, the rout was finally on at 36-13 late in the fourth quarter. 

    New England's defense recovered three fumbles (by cornerback Jalen Mills, some linebacker named Jahlani Tevani and safety Kyle Dugger), sacked Tannehill twice (by linebackers Ja'Whaun Bentley and Matthew Judon) and cornerback J.C. Jackson recorded yet another interception while wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (5 catches, 98 yards) nearly had 100 receiving yards. With the win, the Patriots maintained their spot in first place in the AFC East. Their biggest game of the season-at least so far-comes next Monday night (8:15, ESPN) in Orchard Park, NY as they meet the Bills (7-4 overall, 3-2 home) for the first time in 2021. The Patriots and Buffalo play twice in the next four weeks (including a bye for the Pats) so those two matchups should go a long way in deciding who wins the division and also vies for that lone home bye given to the AFC's No. 1 seed. With so few certainties in the NFL this season, the Patriots have suddenly morphed into one of the only teams that you can rationally trust to play well and usually find a way to win. 

Pats Blank The Hapless Falcons 25-0 On Thursday Night Football For Their Fifth Straight Win

 

    It is going to take much more than a short week and an overmatched opponent to slow down the red hot Patriots (7-4 overall, 5-0 away) at the moment. Tonight they went to the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA and they picked up the 13th shutout in head coach Bill Belichick's tenure in New England with a pretty easy 25-0 victory over the falling apart Falcons (4-6 overall, 1-4 home). This was a very dominant performance by the Pats defense as they held shorthanded Atlanta to 165 total yards and just 11 first downs while they picked off Matt Ryan (19-of-28 for 153 yards, 2 INT), Josh Rosen (remember him!?) and the immortal Feleipe Franks a total of four times and they also sacked Ryan four times. Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon added another sack and he has already reached double-digits and a new career-high (10-5) with six games left to go in the regular season. New England's reward for a job well done is an extended break before Thanksgiving and then their schedule gets way harder down the stretch.

    Aside from linebacker Kyle Van Noy (8 tackles, 5 solo, 2 sacks, pick-6), the best player for the Patriots this evening was kicker Nick Folk (minus that missed PAT in garbage time). Folk started the scoring with his easiest kick of the night-a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter. New England took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter as rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-26 for 207 yards, TD, INT) hit wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 19-yard catch and run touchdown where he was never even touched by a Falcons defender. Folk's point after made it 10-0 and he added a 44-yard field goal as time ran out in the first half. With no Falcons No. 1 wide receiver Calvin Ridley nor former Patriots great Cordarrelle Patterson in the lineup, the 13-0 advantage by the road team felt like twice that much if not more. 

    This being Thursday Night Football, the second half was a complete bore featuring no points in the third quarter and two additional field goals by Folk to start the final frame (from a season-long 53 yards and 33 yards). Lastly, Van Noy added the laugh track with a 35-yard interception return for a score against Rosen who will probably be out of the league any minute now. Safety Devin McCourty and cornerback J.C. Jackson had earlier picked off Ryan and safety Adrian Phillips made a sweet diving interception on rookie Feleipe Franks who had only one pass attempt. Yeesh. That marked the first time in the NFL since the Chargers way back in 2000 when three QBs on the same team threw INTs in the same game. 

    The next two matchups on the schedule should be the hardest for the Pats in the 2021 regular season: they host the Titans (8-2) a week from Sunday (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium before going to Buffalo (6-3) for Monday Night Football (8:15, ESPN) on Dec. 6 and their first meeting with the Bills in this campaign. Most would say that those are the two best teams in the AFC so facing them in back-to-back weeks should be a daunting task. Still, after they started this year 2-4, who would have believed that the Patriots could even be in this position? They are clearly a playoff team that should be fighting for an AFC East division title and homefield advantage. How they do in the next few contests will tell us what we can reasonably expect in the postseason this winter.

The Pats Scored 45 (!) Unanswered Points In A 45-7 Drubbing Of The Browns & A Fourth Straight Win

 

    The complete turnaround by the Patriots (6-4 overall, 2-4 home) over the last month has been nothing short of remarkable. This afternoon at Gillette Stadium, Cleveland (5-5 overall, 2-3 away) marched down the field on an impressive opening drive (11 plays, 84 yards, 4:55) and capped it off with a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield (11-of-21 for 73 yards, TD, INT) to tight end Austin Hooper. No sweat, Browns kicker Chase McLaughlin's extra point was the last point of the entire game for Cleveland as New England rattled off 45 consecutive points en route to a throughly impressive 45-7 victory. Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (19-of-23 for 198 yards, 3 TDs) had his best and most efficient game as a pro and New England's defense combiend for five sacks as they won their fourth game in a row. 

    Earlier this season, we wondered if Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was losing his fastball on the sidelines and now, if he keeps this up he has to be considered a front-runner for the NFL Coach of the Year (which would be his 4th, tying Don Shula for the most all-time). More importantly, his team has transformed itself from an afterthought to one of the hottest in the league that seems to get better every week not to mention a legitimate threat in the weak AFC. Tight end Hunter Henry caught two touchdown passes (giving him TD catches in 6 straight games and 8 overall in that time span) and rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson (20 carries, 100 yards, 2 TDs; 14 yards receiving) returned from last week's concussion to record a solid performance. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (4 catches, 98 yards, TD; 3 rushes, 43 yards) has also proven to be a valuable weapon for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as he continues to open up what started out as a pretty basic playbook in 2021.   

    This being the Browns, they just had to fall apart in epic fashion. Mayfield hurt his knee which forced his backup Case Keenum to finish the game for him. The two teams' numbers on third down told the entire story as New England was seven-for-nine and Cleveland was one-for-11. Henry caught a third yard touchdown pass from Jones late in the first quarter and Nick Fok's point-after tied it at seven. After Patriots safety Kyle Dugger picked off Mayfield and returned the interception to Cleveland's five-yard line, it took one play for Stevenson to punch it in and give New England a lead that they would never relinquish. Folk's kick made it 14-7 and that quickly became 21-7 after Jones' strike through two defenders to Bourne for a leaping 23-yard touchdown catch. Folk's 38-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in the second quarter handed the Patriots a commanding 24-7 lead at halftime. 

    Stevenson added a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Folk's extra point made it 31-7 in favor of the home team. In the fourth quarter, Henry caught another three-yard touchdown from Jones and Folk hit another point after. Finally, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers ended the highlight reel filled day for the Pats with an 11-yard touchdown catch and run from backup quarterback Brian Hoyer-his first TD catch in the NFL after three long seasons. Folk's sixth point after gave New England its final margain of 45-7. 

    It will be a short week for the Pats as they will travel to Mercedes Benz Stadium for a Thursday Night Football (8:20, Fox) matchup with the Falcons (4-5 overall, 1-3 home). Atlanta had been playing alright until they got smoked 43-3 this afternoon in Dallas (7-2). Did I mention that they have another rookie head coach-the immortal Arthur Smith-for Belchick to beat up on? So yeah, as always anything can happen in the NFL (as proven every week in this crazy year) but you have to like the Patriots' chances to keep their win streak rolling.

The Patriots Traded Cornerback Stephon Gilmore To The Panthers For A Sixth-Round Pick In 2023

 

    The Stephon Gilmore era as a Patriot came to a predictable but nonetheless disappointing end this morning. At first, reports said that New England was about to release him but a few hours later, he was flipped to Carolina for a sixth-round draft pick in 2023. That makes a huge difference, not! (Borat voice). Ugh, look we all knew that his days were numbered here last year once he held out and suffering a season-ending quad injury did not help matters. He began this season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list so he never actually played a game in 2021. Still, he just turned 31 years old a few weeks ago and this is a guy who was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 so the fact that Pats head coach/GM Bill Belichick basically gave him away for nothing is a joke. 

    Many of us have started to question Bill's ability to coach in today's modern NFL but don't get me started on his numerous shortcomings as a GM. The scary part is that Gilmore was the team's best player and the closest thing they currently have to a No. 1 cornerback is J.C. Jackson who is going to be a free agent after this season so is there any doubt that he will soon be gone too? Gilmore had four mostly great seasons as a Patriot: he made 13 interceptions (11 in the regular season & 2 in the playoffs) and scored two touchdowns, he went to three Pro Bowls, was named an All-Pro twice and most importantly was a key part of their last Super Bowl title in 2019 vs. the Rams. Not only does he basically get to go home now (he grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina) but he will supposedly return in Week 7 when he's eligible to get back on the field and he wants to play out the year on his current deal-something that he had no interest in doing here. 

    This is yet another star player for the Pats that got run out of town for having the audacity to want to be paid what he is actually worth. Haha the nerve of that guy! The problem now is that without Tom Brady the greatest quarterback in NFL history on his side, Belichick is going to have a hard time attracting top free agents like Gilmore (who was signed after spending his first five NFL seasons with Buffalo). New England was a mess last season and finished 7-9 as they missed the playoffs. This season, rookie quarterback Mac Jones has looked promising but the fact is that they have started 1-3 so it is going to be an uphill battle to get into playoff contention. If the team continues to slide into mediocrity, what will be the draw to come here? Our crappy weather or mediocre home stadium and facilities? Bill completely bungled one of his few really valuable assets that he had left. He should have traded Gilmore before last season, instead he is left with almost nothing in return for a guy who pretty recently was a top player in the league. 

In The Most Hyped Regular Season Game In NFL History, The Bucs Squeaked By The Pats 19-17

 

    The most anticipated regular season game in New England sports history took place tonight at Gillette Stadium as quarterback Tom Brady and his Buccaneers (3-1 overall, 1-1 away) returned for a showdown with his former head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots (1-3 overall, 0-3 home). What was expected to be a complete blowout by the Super Bowl champs from Tampa Bay actually turned into a nailbiter but in the end they held on for a 19-17 victory as New England kicker Nick Folk's potential go-ahead 56-yard field goal with 55 seconds left in regulation hit the left upright and bounced harmlessly away. With the win, Brady (22-of-43 for 269 yards) became the fourth QB in NFL history (joining Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Drew Brees) to beat all 32 teams. 

    It is not even close to a hot take to say that Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones (31-of-40 for 275 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) outplayed Brady by a noticable margin, the problem was that the home team had a pair of turnovers and allowed three more sacks (4-1) while the more talented Bucs were way better on third-downs (9-of-19 vs. 2-of-9), ran 20 more plays (74-54) and possessed the ball for almost eight additional minutes (33:55-26:05). Moral victories are useless in professional sports but this felt like one of those rare occasions where the Pats earned plenty of respect by the way that they performed. However, they will need to carry it through the rest of the season to make it really mean anything. It should be easy to get up for a huge game like this, the question is if they can similarly be ready to go say next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) at Houston (1-3) who got blasted 40-0 earlier today by Buffalo (3-1) and look like they are in the discussion for the worst team in the league. 

    All week we wondered how New England's suspect defense would slow down Tampa's lethal offense and it turns out that a couple of unexpected factors played into that: the absence of former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (punctured lung, fractured ribs) was a big loss for the Buccaneers particularly in the red zone (where they settled for five field goal attempts, four of which they made) along with the fact that it poured for most of the night. With basically no running game (a total of eight carries for -1 yard), Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had to get extra creative and he did with nine different guys catching passes from Jones while they also successfully ran two trick plays that Tampa had no chance to stop. Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers had a game-high eight catches (for 70 yards on 12 targets) along with a pair of throws for 45 yards, did you know he was a quarterback at NC State? Brady did not find as many guys as Jones but the difference was the caliber of players that TB12 has on his new team: wide receivers Mike Evans (7 catches, game-high 75 yards), former Patriot for a second Antonio Brown (7 catches, 63 yards) and Chris Godwin (3 catches, 55 yards) would all be the No. 1 receiver on the Pats or many other clubs. Running back Leonard Fournette (91 yards rushing, 47 yards receiving) was Tampa's best player all game, who saw that coming? 

    Patriots owner Robert Kraft had to enjoy seeing all the money that he spent in the offseason on free agents finally come together in the same contest as New England's tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith each caught a touchdown from Jones while wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 58 yards) and Nelson Agholor (3 catches, 55 yards) both went over 50+ receiving yards. Meanwhile, linebacker Matt Judon (4 tackles, 3 assists, sack, 2 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits) continued to be the best defensive player for the Patriots and it's not even close. Unless you are a weatherperson with a gambling problem, I doubt that many people took the under for this matchup but that quickly came into view with a 3-0 first quarter in favor of Tampa (thanks to a 29-yard field goal by Ryan Succop). Jones and Co. put together an awesome drive (11 plays, 74 yards, 6:21) in the second quarter that ended with a 11-yard touchdown catch and run by Henry (his first score as a Patriot) then a point after by kicker Nick Folk. Succop hit a 44-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the first half but the Pats shockingly led 7-6 at halftime.

    You kept waiting for Tampa Bay to turn it on and leave New England in their dust but it never happened. Bucs running back Ronald Jones II ran for an eight-yard touchdown late in the third quarter which along with Succop's PAT gave the Buccaneers a 13-7 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Once again, the Pats wrestled back the lead with a pretty drive (7 plays, 77 yards, 3:32) capped off from a one-yard catch by Smith and another PAT from Folk. Tampa marched down to the red zone once again but New England's defense held them to a 27-yard field goal by Succop that gave them a slim 16-14 lead. Folk hit the exact same chip shot field goal to hand the Patriots their final lead of the game at 17-16. After missing a 36-yard field goal very early in the second quarter, credit to Succop for nailing a 48-yard field goal with 1:57 left in regulation. Jones brought his team to the 37-yard line with 59 seconds left before Belichick opted to attempt the 56-yard kick rather than try to get a little more yardage (he had 1 timeout left). 

    It is the first time since 1995 that the Patriots have started 0-3 at home and they currently sit tied with the Dolphins (1-3) and Jets (1-3) at the bottom of the AFC East. Most importantly, they have to prove that this performance was not a fluke and they can play much better than they did against Miami in the season opener or last week against the Saints (2-2), two frustrating and puzzling losses. There is still hope left in this season (that sounds silly to say after four weeks) but that might all disappear if they lose to the Texans who saw their own rookie quarterback Davis Mills throw four interceptions in today's loss as they gained a total of six first downs in the entire game and 109 total yards. With Deshaun Watson sitting out while they sort through all his troubling allegations, Houston is in full tank mode so the Pats need to do something that they could not do last season: win in Houston and get this season back untracked. 

The Cam Newton Era Is Thankfully Over Now For The Pats With Mac Jones Being Named The Starter

 

    The 2021 NFL regular season hasn't even begun yet but the Patriots made a huge decision this morning that hopefully brings many more wins and excitement to the franchise both this year and in the near future after last year's complete flop in our first taste of life after Tom Brady. Out of nowhere, quarterback Cam Newton (who had started all three preseason games this summer) was released meaning that rookie Mac Jones will be the starter when the team opens the season a week from Sunday (September 12) at Gillette Stadium vs. the Dolphins at 4:25 p.m. New England head coach Bill Belichick proved that he can still be as ruthless as an old school mob boss since we thought that he was Cam's biggest fan left in the world. It turns out, not so much as the 15th overall pick from Alabama will become the first rookie quarterback to start for the Pats since Drew Bledsoe many moons ago in 1993. 

    Ultimiately, Newton's time here was short and pretty bizarre from start to finish. He was a late addition in free agency last summer and he started every game but one (when he had Covid-19) as New England sputtered to a 7-9 record. In the offseason, the Pats spent a ton of money to upgrade many parts of their mediocre team including two new high-priced tight ends (Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith) with the purpose of breathing some life into New England's predictable high school style offense. By all accounts, at 32 years old Cam seems like a great guy but the basic observation that quickly appeared last season-that he simply cannot throw the ball anymore-did not magically change in 2021. The fact that he is still not vaccinated yet and recently missed five days of practice after not following protocol for Covid-19 did not help his cause either in my humble opinion. We wish him well in his future endeavors but we are also extremely thankful not to have to watch him slog through another miserable year of turning the ball over and making critical mistakes that led to more losses for the Patriots. 

    Mac Jones should serve as a breath of fresh air in many ways for a fanbase that wants something to be positive about: he's only 22 years old (!!!) and he comes with Nick Saban-one of Belichick's best friends and most trusted allies-seal of approval. There were five quarterbacks drafted in the first round this year and while nobody would consider Jones to be the most electrifying or talented of that potentially special group, his main attributes (being smart, well prepared and making the correct reads) should mesh well with Belichick's club. He might never be an NFL MVP like Newton was in 2016 but at this moment, it was clear to everyone that Jones should give them a better chance to succeed from day one than Cam. In turn, it also gives fans a little boost of faith that Belichick has not competely lost his mind and he was not stubborn enough to keep running Newton out there again and again for some silly reason. 

    With all the rosters around the league being cut down to 53 active players today, there were a few other notable moves made by the Patriots: star cornerback Stephon Gilmore will start the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list as he continues to rehab from quad surgery meaning that he is out for at least the first six weeks while undrafted rookie kicker Quinn Nordin beat veteran Nick Folk for the starting job. New England has more than a full week of practice left before the season-opener and you know that Belichick will make good use of all that extra time to get guys like Jones and Nordin up to speed. Don't forget that beginning with this season, there is an additional game in the regular season making a winning record like 11-6 or 10-7 something that the Pats should be realistically aiming for along with a playoff spot after missing the postseason in the cursed year of 2020. 

Adios To The Other GOAT-Adam Vinatieri-Who Also Should Have Been A Patriot For His Whole Career

 

    I am old enough to remember when the Patriots once employed the greatest player in NFL history at his respective position. Yes of course I could be talking about Tom Brady but in this case, I'm referring to Adam Vinatieri who kind of announced his retirement from the NFL this afternoon on the Pat McAfee Show. There have been plenty of great kickers in the NFL but I am pretty certain that nobody will ever have a resume that matches a guy from South Dakota State that went undrafted and once played in NFL Europe before catching on with the Pats. He won four Super Bowls (3 with New England and 1 with Indianapolis that we won't talk about), was a three-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler.

    Much like Brady, Vinatieri's longevity and durability-granted kicker isn't the most physically demanding position in football-are legendary. He didn't play in 2020, but even so he played in 24 seasons in the NFL which is insane. He was 47 years old in 2019 when he last appeared in 12 games for the Colts. He also made kicking a little cooler which is hard to do for such a specialized role that is usually so isolated from teammates except for the long snapper and holder. He was tough (check YouTube for his tackle of Herschel Walker on a kickoff in Adam's rookie season) and he could throw the ball on the rare trick play (like the sweet touchdown pass that he threw to Troy Brown in 2004). 

    His records are endless: he's the NFL's all-time leading scorer (2673 points), he made the most field goals (599), had the most postseason points (238) and hit the most overtime field goals (12). More than anything though, he was incredibly clutch. His kicks in the blizzard against the Raiders in the 2001 playoffs are some of the greatest plays in any sport that I've ever seen. He had last second game-winning field goals in New England's Super Bowl upset over St. Louis that season followed by two years later, he did basically the same thing in another Super Bowl victory this time against Carolina. Finally, he capped his Patriots career with a field goal and three extra points in their Super Bowl 39 win vs. Philadelphia. All three of those Super Bowls were three-point wins by the Pats which was not a coincidence. 

    After playing for 10 seasons in New England, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick thought it was time to go with a younger kicker (that sounds loosely familiar) so they drafted Stephen Gostkowski (a fine kicker in his own right who also won 3 Super Bowls with the Pats but no Vinatieri). Adam left in free agency for the Colts where he would play for 14 seasons. In his first season in Indianapolis, they won their lone title under Peyton Manning as they beat the Bears in the Super Bowl (he had 3 field goals and 1 extra point) in the 12-point win. Through it all, Vinatieri never showed any ego and appeared to be the nicest guy in pro sports. He is a lock of the century to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025-the first year that he's eligible to go in. Not bad for a quiet guy from South Dakota.

The Patriots Kept The No. 15 Pick In The NFL Draft & Used It On Alabama Quarterback Mac Jones

 

    For the first time in his very long NFL head coaching career, Bill Belichick finally used a first-round draft pick to select a quarterback. Tonight, the Patriots had the No. 15 pick and rather than trade up, trade down or use it on a nameless lineman, they kept it which paid off as Alabama quarterback Mac Jones slid to them at just that spot. I have my doubts regarding whether Jones will make much of an impact in the National Football League but at this point, I'm ready to give anyone besides incumbent Cam Newton a shot at QB this season for the Pats. Jones became the seventh Crimson Tide alum to be selected by the Pats since 2010-hello Nick Saban-and the first quarterback taken by the Patriots in the first round since No. 1 overall pick Drew Bledsoe way back in 1993. 

    I would still love to see New England try and swing a trade with San Francisco that would bring Jimmy Garoppolo back here but at least this shows that Belichick has some semblance of a plan for the team's future at the most important position in sports. This was thought to be a draft class deep with talented quarterbacks and most teams seemed to think so as four other guys (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Justin Fields) all went before Jones was picked by the Pats. Jones is a throwback in terms of style: he's a big, slow dropback passer that will rarely choose to run the ball. In many ways, he's a very poor man's Tom Brady. Still, I hope he gets some time to develop before he's thrown in there when Newton inevitably plays terrible. As for Jarrett Stidham, don't expect him to be seeing the field much at all this season (not like he did in 2020 even when Cam struggled mightily) if all goes well.  

    Jones led Alabama to a national championship last season, granted he was throwing to the Heisman Trophy winner (DeVonta Smith) and another wide receiver (for a few games at least before he got hurt)-Jaylen Waddle-who were both Top-10 picks tonight. Until recent years, Alabama QBs have not had a ton of success in the NFL but with Tua in Miami and Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, that narrative appears to be changing for the better. With all the money that they spent in free agency this off-season, New England has made a concerted effort to ensure that 7-9 doesn't happen again in 2021 (please note that this season will have 17 regular season games so that final record is now impossible to attain). Jones seems genuinely excited to play for Belichick and if you can have success under Saban, you at least should know what to expect from Belichick who has a quite similar prickly personality. Even if Mac Jones never does much of anything for the Patriots, this was a calculated risk that they had no choice but to make. Roll Tide!

Farewell To The Ultimate Patriot-Julian Edelman-Who Announced His Retirement This Afternoon

 

    You knew that this day was coming soon but it was still a sobering moment on a chilly Monday in April when I saw the news that Patriots wide receiver 34-year-old Julian Edelman was retiring from football. Selfishly, I hoped that he would play for another season or two with the Pats but with all the injuries that he's suffered over the years from playing such a brutal sport, who could blame him for getting out while he can? When I thought about it for a little while, I came to the conclusion that not only was the three-time Super Bowl champion and one-time Super Bowl MVP (who has the second most catches and receiving yards in NFL postseason history) the best receiver in Patriots history but he's also the most relatable and fun player that they've ever had at least since I became a devoted fan in the 1990s. 

    By now, we all know the familiar story: Edelman was a quarterback at Kent State and then a completely unknown seventh-round draft pick by New England in the 2009 Draft. I'm pretty sure that for awhile he was just insurance for when Wes Welker got hurt but soon after playing special teams and even occasionally cornerback, he got his chance to make a big splash in 2013 when he recorded his first of three 1000-yard receiving seasons. With the greatest quarterback of all-time Tom Brady at the helm, slot receiver for the Patriots had become a coveted position over the years: starting with Troy Brown, then Welker and finally Edelman. They each had their own immense skills but give me Jules any day (and for the record I own a Brown jersey) for his combination of toughness, smarts, skills and propensity to make his biggest plays in the biggest games. 

     Anyone who was lucky enough to be a Pats fan when Brady was employed in New England (that still hurts to say) and winning six Super Bowls will always love him but TB12 for all his brilliance on the field is not exactly the first person you'd want to spend a few hours with at a bar or in a social situation. Not so with Edelman who famously dabbled in the night life himself and eventually had a child with a supermodel as well just like his best friend Tom. His performances at the Patriots Super Bowl parades were legendary and his occasional troubles off the field proved that he was mortal like us and not the superhumans that we think the NFL is filled with every week.

    He was super versatile too which made him a favorite of New England head coach Bill Belichick from day one. He could still throw the football once in a blue moon on a trick play and he was a huge part of three championships here: in 2015 vs. Seattle, in 2017 vs. Atlanta (when he made one of the greatest catches in NFL history) when he was fittingly named MVP and in 2019 against the Rams. When you consider that he's listed at 5-foot-10 and 198 pounds, his career numbers are remarkable: 620 catches for 6822 yards, 36 TDs and 413 yards rushing in the regular season; 118 catches for 1442 yards (only trailing Jerry Rice in both categories), five touchdown catches along with 81 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown in the playoffs. If that's not enough, he had four punt return touchdowns in the regular season; two forced fumbles and 21 tackles (16 solo tackles and five assists) in the regular season; a forced fumble and three solo tackles in the playoffs; 128 passing yards (6-for-6!) and one touchdown in the regular season; a 51-yard touchdown pass in the playoffs. 

    He's a lock to be in the Patriots Hall of Fame in four years and who knows what the next chapter holds for Edelman but whatever he ends up doing, it'll be fun to watch. He has personality for days and seems like a genuinely decent guy that loves watching many other sports plus has tons of interests outside of football and self-promoting on his top-notch social media accounts. Julian is the rare pro athlete that you can truly look at and say that hard work, dedication and effort turned him from a fringe NFL player to one of the best receivers of his era. I think it's fitting too that unlike Brady or Rob Gronkowski for instance, he never played for any other NFL team besides the Patriots. Talk about a perfect match between a player and a crazy fan base-that he both understood and respected better than most, particularly for a guy from California. For those and many other reasons, there will never be another Julian Edelman in Foxborough.

The Pats Surprisingly Were Able To Re-Sign Two Of Their Captains: James White & Lawrence Guy

 

    After a flurry of moves last week, it feels like the Patriots are mostly done in free agency which is why it was such a pleasant surprise this morning to wake up to the news that they are going to bring back two very underrated players: running back James White and defensive lineman Lawrence Guy. I figured that both guys were probably as good as gone since they are exactly the type of solid players and leaders that any decent team could use. For whatever reason, the two captains decided to stay in New England which helps to further build a much more promising roster for the 2021 season. Now, all head coach/GM Bill Belichick has to do is add another quarterback to compete with and eventually take Cam Newton's job. 

    Excluding his rookie season when he barely played, White is coming off his worst year as a pro (out of six) and if anyone deserves a mulligan on 2020 it has to be him. Early in the season, he suffered a brutal tragedy as his parents were in a car accident where his dad died and his mom was in rough shape. Combine that with the fact that he had to adjust to playing with Newton rather than Tom Brady (who he had built amazing chemistry with) and you can understand why things can only get better for him next season. He did turn 29 last month which is almost over-the-hill by NFL running back standards but regardless, a one-year deal for $2.5 million-fully guaranteed according to ESPN's Adam Schefter-is an absolute steal for one of the best third-down backs in the league and a three-time Super Bowl champion. In the regular season, he has 35 career touchdowns (25 receiving, 10 rushing) and eight in the playoffs (3 receiving, 5 rushing). He also should have been the MVP of Super Bowl 51 (sorry Tom) vs. Atlanta and he is one of the most clutch Patriots of all-time. 

    Obviously, I don't pretend to watch the All-22 game film every week so I cannot give you a full breakdown of all the stuff that Guy does for the Pats but I trust the former players and coaches who know way more about football than I ever will that constantly have good things to say about him. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that it will be a four-year contract worth $11.5 million for Guy pending a physical. He has been in New England for the past four seasons and 2020 was the first time that he missed any games (2) due to an injury. He turned 31 last week and he is one of the best defensive players on the Patriots. He anchors the middle of the defensive line and is adept at occupying blockers which allows his teammates to make plays around him. He also makes things happen for himself with seven sacks, 16 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries in his career as a Patriot. 

    The quarterback situation is the last piece of the puzzle for Belichick. Will he sign or trade for another veteran QB like Alex Smith? For the first time ever, will he draft one in the first round next month? Hopefully, he doesn't stand pat now and blindly hope that Newton and Jarrett Stidham somehow can improve by leaps and bounds with a full off-season and better weapons around them. Sorry, I don't want to bum you out since overall today was another good day for the Pats.

One Pats Great Retires & Another Unexpectedly Returns Here After A Brief Taste Of Free Agency

 

    One of the craziest weeks in Patriots history continued today with three more moves involving solid veteran players. This morning, longtime Pats safety Patrick Chung announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the NFL. This afternoon, kicker Nick Folk was re-signed to a one-year deal with $1.225 million guaranteed. Finally, tonight came the biggest news of all: center David Andrews was returning to New England with a new four-year contract after he look destined to leave in free agency a few days ago. The net result of these transactions is that the Patriots are fortified by not having to worry about finding another quality kicker or center going into next season. 

Chung spent all but one season (2013 with Philadelphia) in the NFL with the Patriots and he won three Super Bowls along the way. A tough, versatile guy that got much more consistent in his second go-around in Foxborough, he will be missed. He could help shut down top tight ends in the passing game and was also able to provide help stopping the run. You could tell that he was one of head coach/GM Bill Belichick's favorite players to work with in recent years that he really respected. He had opted out of last season and he will turn 34 this August so he could probably see the writing on the wall after he played through his share of injuries in the NFL. Enjoy retirement, you earned it!  

    Folk has been on the Patriots the last two seasons after he won their kicker tryout in the middle of the 2019 regular season. It's been a long time since he made his lone Pro Bowl appearance way back in 2007-his rookie year in Dallas-but he's dependable and that's all you can ask for from a kicker that's not named Adam Vinatieri or Justin Tucker. He was 26-of-28 on field goals in 2020 for the best field goal percentage (92.9%) of his career. He also went 30-of-33 on extra points and while he will turn 37 in November, he seems to keep himself in decent enough shape so there isn't much to worry about there at least as far as next season goes.

    Andrews is one of New England's biggest success stories since he was an undrafted free agent coming out of Georgia in 2015 and he morphed into a captain and one of their team leaders. After missing the entire 2019 campaign due to a scary blood clots condition, he returned last season to play and start in 12 games. When the Pats signed their former offensive lineman Ted Karras to a one-year deal worth $4 million dollars earlier this week, most of the beat writers figured that signaled Andrews was gone. There were reports of other teams that wanted him and he definitely could have cashed in during free agency but props to him for returning here probably at a hometown discount whenever the full contract details are publicized. Cam Newton and whatever other quarterbacks play for the Patriots this season will be thrilled to have him back.

After A Year In Miami, Kyle Van Noy Returns To New England Where He Became A Standout

 

    In recent years, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was one of the greatest success stories for the Patriots. In October 2016, he was rescued from Detroit (along with a seventh-round draft pick in 2017) for the pittance of a sixth-round draft pick in 2017. In 3.5 seasons in New England, he became one of the best players on their defense and helped them win two Super Bowls in the process. Nobody could blame him for taking the money and hightailing it to sunny Miami last off-season but are you surprised that he's coming back here on a two-year deal worth up to $13.2 million? You shouldn't be, after he was released by the Dolphins last week, we all had a feeling that he could be returning to Foxborough even sooner than we could have imagined. 

    Strangely enough, it doesn't seem like he was a bust in his one season for Miami head coach (and former Patriots assistant) Brian Flores. Van Noy played in 14 games (13 starts) and accumulated six passes defended, he forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles and had six sacks. He made 46 solo tackles, 23 assists, with a career-high 10 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits. He'll turn 30 next week so he is in the prime of his career. So what's the catch, why were the Dolphins so ready to get rid of him after they couldn't find a suitable trade partner? It starts and end with the silly deal that they gave him (4 years, $51 million) that they probably regretted from day one not because he's a bad player but rather he's not that type of gamebreaker which you expect at that cost. 

    It was another busy day for head coach/GM Bill Belichick and the Pats on Wednesday as they agreed to a one-year, $4 million dollar deal with another ex-Patriot who spent last season with the Dolphins-center/guard Ted Karras. He could start in 2021 since this afternoon also brought the news that Patriots center David Andrews was going to become a free agent. The team also re-signed special teamer Cody Davis to a two-year deal and they used a second-round tender on cornerback JC Jackson meaning they can match any offer sheet that he signs or get back a second-round pick. 

        Andrews will be missed if he is in fact gone but the headline was obviously Van Noy deciding to come back here. Another sign that like Karras and Trent Brown, there are a few players left in the NFL that see the value of Belichick's rigid system and old school values. I'm sure that Kyle had offers from a host of other teams-most of which probably would have paid him more money-but for whatever reason he chose to return to a familiar place helped to put him on the map. It's also an added bonus that Van Noy is one of the few players for the Patriots under Belichick that had a personality and a sense of humor so in addition to his on-field impact, I look forward to more interesting interviews and soundbites from him. 

Bill Belichick Continues To Spend Like A Madman In Free Agency, Hunter Henry Come On Down!

 

    Just when you started to give up hope that Patriots head coach/GM Bill Belichick would ever change in any way, he starts going wild the first few days of free agency in the NFL. Of course, Cam Newton is still his quarterback which is a fatal flaw but at least he's making the team much better around him as he signed another top tight end-Hunter Henry-to a three-year deal worth $37.5 million with $25 million guaranteed. In the span of a few days, New England went from having the worst tight ends in the entire league (sorry Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene but the truth hurts) to one of the best with the addition of Jonnu Smith on Monday and Henry on Tuesday. 

    As we found out last season when the Patriots were playing the Chargers, Belichick had reportedly been following Henry's career since he was in high school which isn't weird at all. A native of Arkansas, Henry was a second-round draft pick (35th overall) in 2016 for the Chargers out of the University of Arkansas. He's been in the NFL for five seasons now (he missed all of 2018 with a torn ACL) and two things stand out: he's never played in all 16 games of a regular season but on the bright side, his catches have gone up each year that he's been on the field.

    In 2020 with LA's sensational rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, Henry had 60 catches on a career-high 93 targets for 613 yards and four touchdowns. His career-high in yards is 652 in 2019 and his most touchdowns (8) came in his rookie campaign. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he gives the Patriots a great red zone target plus a key weapon on third down and in short yardage situations for Newton or whoever else is their quarterback in 2021 and beyond. I haven't seen every Chargers game beyond highlights on NFL Red Zone and playing fantasy football helps fill in some of the picture but I'm pretty sure that he's not the most physical tight end when it comes to blocking, meaning he's more Travis Kelce than Rob Gronkowski in that regard but that's fine. 

    New England desperately needed an infusion of talent all over its thin roster and while Henry's injury history is a little troubling, the fact that they already have Smith is reassuring so at least all the pressure isn't on Hunter. Newton struggled so much passing the football last season but having two upper-level NFL quality tight ends should help him immensely rather than a pair of third-round rookies that can't seem to do anything right. Henry has only played in one career NFL playoff game so he'll no doubt be extra motivated to help the Pats return to the postseason and their former winning ways albeit without Tom Brady aka the greatest quarterback of all-time.

For Once, The Patriots Decide To Spend Like Crazy On The First Day Of Legal Tampering In The NFL

 

    For the first time in over a year, it was fun again to be a Patriots fan today as the legal tampering period began this afternoon in the NFL and the team spent like drunken sailors. All told, their aggressiveness paid off as they signed seven free agents headlined by tight end Jonnu Smith (4 years, $50 million) and linebacker Matthew Judon (4 years, $56 million) along with two wide receivers, two defensive linemen and a cornerback. What's even more exciting is that they are supposedly not done yet either as GM/head coach Bill Belichick is expected to add other new players to a roster that desperately needed some major upgrades. 

    This went against what we usually see from New England when free agency starts: no huge deals and tons of patience as they wait to sign their preferred types of players to team friendly contracts. The odds are that at least a few of those six guys won't ever do much for the Pats but regardless, it's nice to see some urgency in the club once again after such an awful 2020-a 7-9 record and no playoffs for the first time since 2008 had to leave a mark. No matter if Cam Newton is still the quarterback this season (shudders) or someone else, they had to have some better weapons to throw to and Smith was one of the best tight ends on the market while wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne are not flashy names but they've been productive players in the league on other teams. 

    Judon is super talented and he fits the profile of great Patriots defensive players of the past: he's big, tall with long arms and very versatile. Jalen Mills is coming off a rough season with the Eagles but he can play cornerback and safety which you know Belichick must love. They also signed former Jets defensive lineman Henry Anderson to a two-year deal. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about Davon Godchaux-a former Dolphin-but he's a big fat guy that they can plug in the middle of their awful run defense and he should help there immediately. The team also re-signed defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. but I'd rather not talk about that since he frankly stinks.

    Former Patriots guard Joe Thuney signed a massive deal (5 years, $80 million) with the Chiefs and last night, New England flipped right tackle Marcus Cannon (who opted out of last season) to Houston and the teams are trading fourth, fifth and sixth-round draft choices. It'll be interesting to see where else Bill tries to upgrade before the NFL Draft next month. We've been waiting for the team to show any sign of a pulse after the debacle that was last season coupled with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski winning the Super Bowl in their first year with the Buccaneers. Today was a positive start as the Pats fight to get back to relevance both on and off the field once more.

My Worst Fear Has Come True: Cam Newton Is Returning To The Pats For Another Awful Season

 

    If you had any doubt left in your heart of hearts, Patriots head coach/GM Bill Belichick has officially lost his mind. The final damning proof came this morning as reports emerged that quarterback Cam Newton is re-signing with New England: a one-year deal worth up to $14 million (with $6 million tied to incentives regarding NFL honors and the playoffs that honestly he won't come close to reaching). Make no mistake, Newton will be the starting quarterback this fall with the Pats. Belichick is notoriously cheap so there is no way that he would pay a backup QB that type of money. Keep in mind that Cam has never been a backup probably his entire life so you think he's going to embrace that transition? Please, get real. 

    All we could hope as fans of the Patriots was that last season's 7-9 misery (while Tom Brady and the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in his first year there!) would serve as a bridge to a brighter future for New England. They would sign someone better in free agency, trade for a guy and draft a promising young QB while they were at it. Nope, instead we are forced to pretend that last year didn't happen (which with Covid-19, don't we all wish that it did?) and perhaps with a full off-season, a slight upgrade in weapons (still impatiently waiting on those), perhaps Cam can resemble an NFL-caliber signal-caller and not a player whose best years are far behind him and should probably retire before he suffers another serious injury. 

    Newton went 7-8 as the starter for the Patriots last season (he missed one game with Covid) and his numbers tell the whole pathetic story: he threw for 2657 yards with eight touchdowns (8!) and 10 interceptions. Always known more for his running ability than throwing ability-which is totally shot at this point-he rushed for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns but he also fumbled five times. Cam will turn 32-years-old in May which doesn't seem old by NFL star quarterback standards these days but don't forget how much of a pounding he's taken his whole career based on his playing style and huge size.

    The timing of this move somehow turned out to be even more painful since it came on the exact same day and basically at the same hour that Brady agreed to a four-year extension with the Bucs that voids to a one-year extension that will keep him in Tampa through the 2022 season. Tom has famously outlasted all his peers and with today's events, you have to wonder if he'll still be excelling in the NFL while his old head coach is forced to retire after multiple losing seasons in a row. That's not hyperbole, think about it. If the Patriots keep going down this road to mediocrity and irrelevance, you have to think that at some point the Krafts will have to step in and take grandpa's car keys away from him. Seriously. For a man that always preaches team first and that winning is the only objective in everything that he does, Belichick proved once and for all that what he cares about most now is someone that will be his lackey (Newton) vs. a much more talented person that would dare to challenge his infinite wisdom (Brady). Ugh, I'm going to need many beers to drown out this terrible feeling on what should be a great day-it's 60+ degrees and sunny in Massachusetts in mid-March.