You Can Take Sam Darnold Off The Jets But You Cannot Take The Stench Of The Jets Out Of Him

 

    All around the NFL today, weird things happened in Week 9. Tons of upsets occured but not at Bank of America Stadium this afternoon in Charlotte, NC as the Patriots (5-4 overall, 4-0 road) dominated the Panthers (4-5 overall, 2-3 home) 24-6 to win their third straight game for the first time in two years. After it looked for most of the week like backup quarterback P.J. Walker would get the start at quarterback for Carolina, head coach Matt Rhule decided to go with former Jets bust Sam Darnold (16-of-33 for 0 TDs, 3 INTs) and boy oh boy it did not turn out well. In fact, it was a good reminder that Pats head coach Bill Belichick vs. Darnold is one of the locks of the century in the league as New England improved to 4-0 against him while Sam has managed just one touchdown and nine interceptions combined in those four losses.

    This was like a very early Tom Brady game with the Patriots (hear me out) in the sense that our favorite rookie quarterback Mac Jones (12-of-18 for 139 yards, TD, INT) could not have done much less to get the win. Instead, New England relied on a stiff defense and a solid running game that combined for 151 yards. Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey (54 yards receiving, 52 yards rushing) returned for the first time since Week 3 but he did most of his damage in garbage time when the game had long since been decided. Pats rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson (62 yards rushing, 44 yards receiving) was having his best performance as a pro before he left with a possible concussion. Another New England running back-Damien Harris-also departed with a head injury in the fourth quarter which meant that good old Brandon Bolden (54 yards rushing, 27 yards receiving) was left to grind the win away. 

    This was far from the most exciting football game that I have ever seen since it was 0-0 after the first quarter and neither team scored in the fourth quarter either. Carolina's kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a pair of field goals in the second quarter (from 39 yards and 49 yards) but those were sandwiched around a three-yard touchdown run by Harris and a five-yard touchdown pass from Jones to tight end Hunter Henry (his 5th game in a row with a TD catch) along with a pair of point afters by kicker Nick Folk. New England led 14-6 at halftime and that became 21-6 midway through the third quarter as Darnold made a horrific mistake by throwing a pick-six (that went 88 yards!), the first of Jackson's career. The free-agent-to-be earned some more money thanks entirely to Darnold who forced another pass into the end zone where Jackson was able to snag it. Linebacker Jamie Collins also made a spectacular interception by jumping up at the line of scrimmage right as Darnold tried to fire the ball over the middle and linebacker Matthew Judon added yet another sack to his impressive total. Folk's 37-yard field goal late in the third quarter turned out to be the last points of the contest. 

    The Patriots will host the Browns (5-4) next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium where New England has surprisingly struggled in 2021 by going 1-4. Cleveland embarrassed the Bengals (5-4) 41-16 today in Cincinnati. Former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. goes on waivers tomorrow and if he goes unclaimed, he would be a free agent on Tuesday. I mention that because I would not be shocked to see Belichick take a chance on him for the rest of the season. The Pats are far from a great team and they still have many needs but you wonder what adding such a volatile personality would do to the mix. Still, their receiver group is pretty weak and guys with Beckham's talent (assuming that he's not completely washed up at this juncture of his career) are hard to come by particularly when Bill cannot draft them to save his life. I mention all of this because it should be a competitive game to begin with and adding Odell to the situation would make it even more fascinating. We shall see what happens over the next few days but thankfully, the Patriots should be a playoff team this season and who knows, maybe they could even push the Bills (5-3) for the AFC East title after Buffalo somehow fell 9-6 at Jacksonville (2-6) today. New England still has both meetings with the Bills left to play. 

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. 

Pats Don't Let The World Ending Stop Them From Breaking Social Media By Signing Cam Newton

I haven't written anything on here for over a month since A) you probably didn't know this but there hasn't been any professional team sports in America from mid-March until yesterday (when the NWSL-National Women's Soccer League-kicked off their tournament in Utah) during the global pandemic and B) there really hasn't been anything worthy of a post for way too long. Thankfully, we all got a bit of respite from our collective misery as the news broke tonight that the Patriots have signed Cam Newton to a one-year deal worth a little over a million dollars (veteran's minimum) that with incentives can reach a maximum $7.5 million dollars.

If for nothing else, this was a taste of the good old days for Pats fans. You know, when talented but troubled (Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Darrelle Revis, etc) veterans came here and revitalized their careers through a combination of winning and Bill Belichick doing his best to gloss over all their flaws. Lately when we think of New England, we have night terrors of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski choosing to go to the Buccaneers which will never sound right while we had to grudgingly accept that the dynasty was finally over after all those unforgettable years.

Don't get it twisted though, I'm not a Cam Newton fan at all. I think that he is undoubtedly one of the biggest bozos in sports. I can't even pretend that he has much left since coming off of two shoulder injuries and a foot injury, he only appeared in two games last season for the Panthers and was unceremoniously released by the only team that he's ever played for in the NFL after being drafted No. 1 overall out of Auburn in 2011. That surprising move happened at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in America but it might as well have been 20 years ago given how the last few months have aged us all in dog years.

Hell, I'm not even convinced (who could be?) that there will be an NFL season this fall and winter. Still, this was a classic Belichick move because there is basically no risk to him or the team while the possibility of a huge reward from an ultra-motivated former NFL MVP (in 2015) who led his team to the Super Bowl that season (where he of course epically choked). He's also a three-time Pro Bowler and he was once an All-Pro. The anointing of the completely unproven Jarrett Stidham as Brady's replacement has been laughable from both local and national media alike to the many Patriots fans who lost their objectivity three or four Super Bowl wins ago.

Conversely, this should motivate Stidham as well (and don't bother mentioning the definition of a backup QB Brian Hoyer) and show him that he'll have to work extremely hard to be the Patriots starting quarterback even if they are in full rebuilding mode. It is crazy that Newton was a free agent for three and a half months before the Pats finally gave him a job. I lost count of how many Newton to the Pats rumors, stories and odds from Vegas sportsbooks that I read during quarantine before like everyone else, I rightfully moved on and focused on more pertinent subjects like you know, the world coming apart at the seams due to this horrifying epidemic and all the protests around the globe following George Floyd's tragic death.

Assuming that he ever plays a snap for the Patriots (a big if given Belichick's tendency to trade or release just about anyone in training camp), Cam will make this team way more interesting to follow. Who knows anything about Stidham or moreover, enough to make you excited to see him with far too much responsibility heaped on him in only the second year of his NFL career. Newton's press conferences are always must-see for his one-of-a-kind questionable fashion choices plus his absolutely mercurial interview style. Most importantly, you can bet that if he has any pride-or common sense-left, he will understand that this is his last/best chance to get his NFL journey back untracked. Success here would no doubt make him a star once again and not just a punch line or hey whatever happened to him type story? If he wants to be a top player in the NFL once again, the greatest head coach in the league's history and one of the best run franchises in American sports will surely find a way to get the most out of him no matter if he is here for a single season or five.

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Patriots Lose In Unforgettable Fashion Once Again, What's With This Season?

I can deal with a Patriots loss just fine but to see them lose for the second time this season on a dubious play is tough to swallow, again. Carolina (7-3 overall, 4-1 home) held on for a 24-20 win over New England (7-3, 2-3 away) tonight at Bank of America Stadium on Monday Night Football. Ted Ginn Jr. of all people had the winning score: a 25-yard touchdown catch and run that came with 59 seconds left in regulation.

After moving the ball down the field, on the final snap of the game Tom Brady (29 of 40, 296 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) threw the ball into the end zone intended for Rob Gronkowski (5 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD). Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly (12 tackles, 8 solo) wrapped Gronk in a bear hug, making sure he had absolutely no chance to catch the pass. While this was happening, rookie safety Robert Lester picked it off to end it.

The questionable part of the play is that the refs actually threw a flag at first but then retracted it thus the game ended. Some would say the ball was uncatchable but I can only counter with look at what all the ex-players and officials (save for Grandpa Gerry Austin) concluded: it should have been a penalty for defensive holding.

The worst part is that one stupid play will dominate the airwaves for a few days. I guess we need to be happy that there is one less day to relive it before New England's next game-Sunday night (8:30, NBC) vs. Denver (9-1).

I also have to give the Panthers credit, I thought they might be frauds that took advantage of an easy schedule. Cam Newton (19 of 28 for 209 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs; 62 yards rushing) made a bunch of big plays and their defense is formidable. Carolina head coach Ron Rivera seems too conservative which could come to bite them (no pun intended) in the playoffs and yes I think the Panthers will make the playoffs in the superior NFC.

Brandon LaFell (7 catches, 59 yards) started the party with a nine-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter. This came after plenty of fighting between Aqib Talib and Steve Smith (4 catches, 62 yards) that resulted in Talib getting a penalty and a seat on the bench (for a while).

Graham Gano's 43-yard field goal made it 10-0 before the Patriots finally woke up with a 42-yard-field goal by Stephen Gostkowski late in the first half. New England's offense started to find a rhythm in the third quarter. Brady tied it on a 9-yard pass to Gronk who broke the tackle of three Panthers.

Newton responded with his best throw of the night: a 15-yard touchdown to Greg Olsen in the corner of the end zone where only he could get it. The Pats appeared ready to get an impressive road win as Stevan Ridley (48 yards rushing) tied it with a 1-yard touchdown run. LeGarrette Blount led the Patriots with 49 yards rushing while Shane Vereen had a great return to action with a team-high eight catches for 65 yards. Ridley had another fumble, this time in the red zone which led to a brief benching of his own. Will it ever end with this guy?

An incomplete pass on 3rd-and-1 proved to be costly for the Pats when they settled for a 26-yard field goal by Gostkowski that temporarily gave them a 20-17 lead. Carolina went down the field, gaining yards and burning clock before Newton connected with Ginn Jr. for his only catch of the night. The former first round bust of the Dolphins was able to make Kyle Arrington miss a tackle before he turned on the Jets.

There is no rest for the weary as the Patriots host the Broncos in another highly-anticipated game. Who knows how things will shake out in January but it could very likely be an AFC Championship Game preview. New England is 5-0 at home this season but it'll be tough to beat Denver with such a depleted defense. Losing back-to-back games against Super Bowl contenders would be harsh for the Pats' playoff hopes.

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Week 11 Injury Report, Monday Night Football special edition: Patriots at Panthers

You are not alone if it feels like five months since the Patriots last played (their blowout win over the Steelers) a game. Since then, they had a bye week and now we have to wait an extra day since they play Monday Night Football (8:40, ESPN) at Carolina (6-3). I can't say it's the game of the week since Denver hosts Kansas City on Sunday Night Football but the silver medal in this case is no small feat.

The injury reports were released today and there were a few notable items. Safety Steve Gregory (thumb) is out but you already knew that since his thumb is broken and he had surgery on it. Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (knee) is also out, I had missed it during the week but I guess he got hurt in practice. Yikes, hope that's not too serious. Leon Washington (ankle), Kyle Arrington (groin) and Aqib Talib (hip) are all questionable for the Pats.

For Carolina who is arguably the hottest team in the NFC, tight end Ben Hartsock (knee), linebacker Chase Blackburn (foot) and guard Chris Scott (knee) are all out. Cornerback Drayton Florence (groin) is the only Panther that is questionable.

Enjoy another full day of NFL Red Zone tomorrow and at some point, I'll update this on Monday when more inactives became available.

UPDATE 11/17: Washington is out, he hurt his ankle in Week 5 and hasn't been seen since. I don't understand why he's not on IR, this is a waste of a roster space if he never is on the field.

UPDATE 11/18: Shane Vereen will be activated for tonight's game, his first appearance since Week 1 when he broke his wrist. The four other inactives for the Pats are LB Steve Beauharnais, Brandon Bolden, DL Jake Bequette and OL Chris Barker. The inactives for Carolina: WR Tavarres King, WR Marvin McNutt, RB Kenjon Barner and DE Frank Alexander.

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Wes Welker is no Randy Moss, which is a good thing

For the last month as the Patriots have been in their worst tailspin in years (losing three out of four), it's become clear that for whatever reason Randy Moss is bailing on this team.

Things reached a boiling point on Wednesday when he showed up late for a meeting, along with Derrick Burgess, Gary Guyton and Adalius Thomas. Bill Belichik sent all four home for the day and Thomas wasn't active yesterday.

Burgess (3 tackles, sack) and Guyton (1 tackle) actually played decent in yesterday's 20-10 win over the Panthers at Gillette Stadium but Moss (1 catch, 16 yards, fumble) had his worst game in a Patriots uniform.

It doesn't help Moss that Wes Welker is a teammate; Welker represents everything Moss is not known for: hard work, toughness, going over the middle, a good attitude. On a day when Tom Brady struggled again (19 for 32, 192 yards, TD, INT), Welker was the passing game. He finished with 10 catches for 105 yards.

New England (8-5) had to win this game and while they played rather poorly and were fortunate to be facing a team going nowhere (with a backup quarterback), it's still a win. The Jets and Dolphins both won to remain one game behind New England in the AFC East.

The Patriots survived two fumbles and the interception by Brady. The good news was the defense looked good (save for a few breakdowns) and the running game was very productive on a rainy, messy afternoon.

Laurence Maroney had one of the best games in his career with 94 yards on 22 carries. Kevin Faulk added 58 yards rushing and a touchdown while Sammy Morris had 35 yards rushing (although he was stuffed on a predictable fourth down call and also fumbled).

Steve Smith gave Carolina (5-8) a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 41-yard touchdown catch from Matt Moore. Shawn Springs was left alone in coverage after Brandon Meriweather went to cover another Panthers receiver and Springs will never stop Smith by himself.

Faulk tied it up in the second quarter with a 3-yard run 1:08 before halftime.

Ben Watson (3 catches, 37 yards) capped off New England's longest drive of the season (13 plays, 96 yards) with a 5-yard touchdown catch from Brady. Watson is known for his Braylon Edwards-esque stone hands but give him credit as he held on after being drilled by a Carolina defender.

John Kasay's 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter made it 14-10 New England but Stephen Gostkowski sealed it with two long kicks of his own (48 yards and 47 yards).

For reasons unknown, DeAngelo Williams (13 carries, 82 yards) didn't get the ball much even though it was obvious that Moore (15 for 30, 197 yards, TD) couldn't make the easiest of throws.

Burgess and Jarvis Green both recorded sacks on the final Carolina drive as New England showed some semblance of a pass rush for once. Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork both left the game with injuries so hopefully they'll be back next weekend. The Pats can't afford to have their two outstanding defensive lineman out for any time.

There are three games left in the regular season and the Patriots look for their first true road win next Sunday in Buffalo. Odds are there will be three feet of snow on the ground.