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.

Without Further Ado, Let The Trent Brown Back With The Patriots 2021 Reunion Tour Commence

 

    For the first time in months, we woke up to positive news today involving the Patriots. They re-acquired massive offensive tackle Trent Brown from the Raiders and all it took was a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 sent to Vegas in exchange for the biggest guy in the NFL (6-foot-8, 380 pounds!) and a seventh-round draft pick in 2022. Brown only played in New England for one glorious season but it was a great one as he started every game in 2018 when the Pats won the Super Bowl against the Rams and he was named to the only Pro Bowl of his career. As anybody with half a clue could predict, he quickly bolted in free agency to the highest bidder which turned out to be the Raiders: four years, $66 million contract.

    The truth is that Brown was probably about to be straight up released by Las Vegas any day now but with that said, it's still nice to see New England make a move rather than wait for that to happen where they would have to sift through the discount rack with every other NFL team. To say that Brown's brief time (2 years) with the Raiders was bumpy would be generous. He only played in 16 games combined for the Silver and Black: 11 in 2019 and down to five in 2020 due to a variety of injuries plus multiple trips to the Covid-19 list. We all know head coach/GM Bill Belichick's obsession with a good deal and he certainly got one here with Brown's restructured one-year contract only worth up to $11 million which will likely feature a ton of incentives that he won't reach.

    Clearly signing an offensive lineman isn't going to move the needle too much for Belichick and the Pats who both desperately need some good publicity but all we can hope is that signing Brown is perhaps a sign that the Patriots are ready to fortify even more one of their few areas of strength (the offensive line) which in turn will help a new quarterback-whoever that may be. With his monstrous size, Brown is naturally great in pass protection assuming (a big if with him) that he's in better playing shape but you'll remember during that awesome postseason that New England turned into a power running team and he was instrumental in that aspect too. I won't bore you (or myself) with a deeper dive about offensive linemen but this also likely signals the end of guard Joe Thuney's time in Foxborough; he played under the franchise tag last season but they are not expected to do that again as the price would increase by three million dollars from $14.7 million to $17.7 million in 2021.

    You also wonder what this means for tackle Marcus Cannon who opted out from last season but he is expected to return to play this year and center David Andrews who will probably be signed to an extension sometime soon. Brown was never a big-time prospect coming out of the University of Florida since he was drafted in the last round (7th, 244th overall) in 2015 by the 49ers. He played in 31 games for San Francisco over three seasons before he was flipped to the Patriots along with a fifth-round pick (linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley) for a third-round pick (safety Tarvarius Moore) to San Francisco. As you can see, Brown made a boatload of money and became a household name (haha work with me on this) thanks to his one season here. Judging by his social media posts today on Twitter and Instagram, he seems excited to return but without Tom Brady as a teammate, we'll see how long that lasts for. Bottom line, it's nice to see the Patriots do something after being inactive for so long while plenty of other teams around the league make moves to improve their club-what a crazy concept after a a terrible 7-9 campaign! It's also refreshing to see a guy that's played for the Patriots in recent years want to come back when other notable guys lately (Brady and Rob Gronkowski) want nothing to do with Bill or the franchise anymore. 

Six Patriots (and counting) Have Now Opted Out of the 2020 Season, What Are We Doing Here NFL?

From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic that started in mid-March (which feels like it was roughly 150 years ago), the NFL of all the big-time professional sports leagues in America seemed the most difficult to safely return. While college football hasn't officially been cancelled yet for this fall, it's probably only a matter of time with so many players testing positive for Coronavirus since going back to their respective schools this summer. MLB started its laughably unorganized 60-game regular season last Thursday and already, there is an outbreak with the Miami Marlins (shocker!) suspending activities indefinitely after almost half of their team came down with this dreaded ailment. The NHL (with hub cities in Toronto and Edmonton) and the NBA (all at Disney World) have put together the most comprehensive plans for returning to action, they realized that the best option was to create bubble cities. With the sheer size of NFL rosters not to mention coaching and support staffs, that has never really been discussed for the world's most profitable sports league.

With teams around the NFL gathering at various times this week for the start of the most bizarre training camps in history (no preseason games whatsoever), you are starting to see players choose to opt out for 2020 with that deadline quickly approaching on Saturday. Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that the New England Patriots (who have so many respected and smart veterans that have won multiple Super Bowls) are at the forefront of this topic because they've had a whopping six players so far punt on this ill-fated campaign. Illustrating how much things can drastically change in a single day during a pandemic, it all started last night as their new fullback Dan Vitale along with a backup offensive lineman Najee Toran (who?) were the first ones to opt out. No big deal, Bill Belichick loves fullbacks more than any other NFL head coach from the last 20+ years but you can literally find that dinosaur position anywhere (boxing gyms, MMA misfits, local rugby leagues, etc.). As for Toran, I had never heard of him before yesterday so again, no huge loss there.

Today was the sobering reality check for Pats fans as a team captain and one of their best overall players-linebacker Dont'a Hightower-as well as three other extremely valuable guys (in their roles)-running back/special teams ace Brandon Bolden, right tackle Marcus Cannon and safety Patrick Chung-all understandably opted out of 2020. I'm not usually into doom or gloom, but honestly what's the point of having the NFL this season if it poses so many long-term health risks to everyone involved? At least the league will rightfully pay guys who make the decision not to play based on a myriad of reasons (family, friends, personal health, etc), remember this is the same shameful group of owners that has no use for guaranteed contracts despite a majority of players having very short professional careers which are then compounded by life-long injuries and issues.

Don't get me wrong, I love football at every level. I never played it formally but there are countless lessons and positive elements to be gained from such a brutal activity. A fall and winter without high school football, NCAA football or the NFL would be bizarre beyond belief. Finally, fantasy football is by far the best of all fantasy sports. For instance, I'm in a Yahoo league with many buddies from high school that is the main thing that helps us keep in touch from year to year. Still, if the pandemic has taught has anything (let's be real, hopefully it's shined a light on many aspects of your own life), it's that sports aren't everything. Trust me, I am obsessed with sports. I have been a sportswriter for almost fourteen years (damn, I'm old) since I graduated from Providence College. There are more sides to me than just sports but I am as into them as anyone I know. That's not a humblebrag either. Regardless, putting people's health on the line for a football game or season is beyond reckless and absurd. The NFL is such a physically demanding sport plus you cannot socially distance yourself from your opponent or wear a mask while you play, so it is impossible to prevent positive Covid-19 tests from happening in large numbers with teams becoming the Marlins of football in no time. Woof.

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Week 14 Injury Report: Patriots vs. Browns

Aside from the fact that Bill Belichick was head coach of the Browns roughly 50 years ago, I can't think of a much more boring NFL team than Cleveland (4-8). It would have been fun if Brian Hoyer-New England's (9-3) former backup quarterback-was starting for the Browns on Sunday (1, CBS) but his season ended early with a torn ACL.

Today the injury reports for this sure to be instant classic were released. Right tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle) and wide receiver Aaron Dobson (foot) were both ruled out for the Patriots while quarterback Brandon Weeden (concussion) is out for the Browns hence why journeyman Jason Campbell was named the starter.

10 Patriots are questionable: Kyle Arrington (groin), Marquice Cole (shin), Alfonzo Dennard (knee), Steve Gregory (finger), Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm/hamstring), Michael Hoomanawanui (knee), Brandon Spikes (knee), Will Svitek (ankle), Aqib Talib (hip) and Kenbrell Thompkins (hip).

Three Browns are questionable: linebacker Tank Carder (shoulder), tight end MarQueis Gray (hamstring) and linebacker Craig Robertson (knee).

After so many close games this season, it would be nice if New England had a good old-fashioned season's beating to hand to the hapless Browns. We know Cleveland isn't going to win at Gillette Stadium with Campbell so there is no need to waste any of our time.

Check back here on Sunday for the rest of the inactives.

UPDATE 12/8: Patriots inactives are Steve Beauharnais, Jake Bequette, Brandon Bolden, Cannon, Dobson, Hoomanawanui and Thompkins. The Browns inactives are WR Josh Cooper, OL Reid Fragel, OL Garrett Gilkey, TE Keavon Milton, QB Alex Tanney, OL Martin Wallace and Weeden.

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Week 13 Injury Report: Patriots at Texans

Coming off primetime matchups and possible playoff previews the last two weeks against the Panthers and Broncos respectively, this week's Patriots-Texans game has about the same amount of appeal as the fourth preseason game. Houston (2-9) has lost nine games in a row so even though lazy writers and announcers will be calling it a trap game for New England (8-3), come on get real folks.

Anywho, today the injury report for this sure to be forgettable game was released. New England has already declared three guys out for Sunday (1, CBS): Marcus Cannon (ankle), Aaron Dobson (foot) and Michael Hoomanawanui (knee). Seven Patriots are questionable: Marquice Cole (shin), Rob Gronkowski (back), Alfonzo Dennard (knee), Aqib Talib (hip), Kyle Arrington (groin), Steve Gregory (thumb) and Chris White (back).

Things are much simpler for the Texans. They only have one guy that is out so far: safety Jawanza Starling (hamstring). Two players are questionable for the home team: cornerback Kareem Jackson (ribs) and cornerback Brice McCain (hamstring).

Not that you care but I will update this on Sunday before the opening kickoff at Reliant Stadium.

UPDATE 11/30: Dennard is out. I have no idea why the Patriots rushed him back so quickly last week vs. Denver coming off knee surgery.

UPDATE 12/1: The inactives for the Patriots: Steve Beauharnais, Dennard, Jake Bequette, Dobson, Stevan Ridley, Hoomanawanui and Cannon. For the Texans: T Andrew Gardner, DE Tim Jamison, G Alex Kupper, OLB Ricky Sapp, Starling, G Cody White and QB T.J. Yates.

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Tom Brady Named AFC Offensive Player Of The Month For December

With the New England Patriots on a bye before their playoff game next Saturday night (8 p.m.) at Gillette Stadium, expect not much meaningful news to come out of Foxborough.

That is why I won't pay attention to practice news until next week. It means nothing when stars aren't practicing now. Moving on, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won his second straight AFC Offensive Player of the Month award for December/January (since Week 17 ended on New Year's Day).

New England was 5-0 over that span (they're on an eight-game winning streak) and not surprisingly, Brady put up big numbers (124 of 190 for 1608 yards, 11 touchdowns, 2 interceptions).

In most seasons, Brady would be a shoe in for the NFL MVP award but not in 2011 which was the year of the quarterback. Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and Drew Brees of the Saints both had even more insane performances than Brady. Of course, all this talk of awards is ultimately meaningless. The Pats have lost their last three playoff games, including the last two at home (in their openers) so it's time for Brady and Co. to make a run deep into January.

The only other nugget of pertinent information related to the Patriots today is that rookie offensive lineman Marcus Cannon captured the 2011 Ed Block Courage Award as voted on by his teammates. I doubt anyone else received votes since who has a better or more inspiring story than him?

Keep in mind this weekend when you watch the AFC Divisional round games: if the Bengals beat the Texans, they'll come to Gillette. Otherwise it will come down to the winner of Steelers-Broncos.

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Underrated Great Story For The Patriots Plus A Cameo By Ross Ventrone

Today at 4 p.m. was the deadline for players to be activated off the reserve/non-football injury list. The Patriots made a corresponding move by activating rookie offensive lineman Marcus Cannon.

You might have forgotten his story but the 2011 fifth-round draft choice out of TCU is in full remission after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He returned to practice last month and his three-week window expired today.

New England had the choice to either put him on the 53-man roster or place him on season-ending IR. To make room for him on the roster, safety Ross Ventrone was cut for the 10 millionth time in the past month. Also, rookie cornerback Malcolm Williams was added to the practice squad. He takes Ventrone's place after the safety was added to the roster for Sunday's game against the Jets.

When you are reading the tenth sappy story about Cannon in the next week, remember where you were first reminded about his amazing journey: here. He's certainly an easy guy to root for and since he's healthy enough to contribute, he could see playing time at any point in the rest of the season.

UPDATE 11/17: Ventrone is back on the practice squad while cornerback Josh Victorian was released off the practice squad to make room for the envy of NFL scrubs everywhere.

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Enjoy The Bye Week Ross Ventrone & Sterling Moore But Please Keep Your Phones On

The New England Patriots bye week has begun and with it, they have already made a few roster moves in anticipation of injured players returning before their next game Sunday, October 30 in Pittsburgh.

Now that six weeks have gone by in the 2011 NFL season, players that started on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list are eligible to start returning. For New England, that means defensive linemen Ron Brace and Brandon Deaderick along with rookie offensive lineman Marcus Cannon and iconic running back Kevin Faulk can start practicing and could even play against the Steelers if all goes well.

Safety Ross Ventrone and cornerback Sterling Moore were both released although they each are eligible for the practice squad (which has one empty spot since Moore was promoted this past weekend).

Apparently Moore played on special teams (punt return) vs. Dallas yesterday but I can't say I saw him. He might have been out there or not, who knows other than him and his relatives plus the Patriots special teams coach?

I am certain that Ventrone had been playing on all four special teams units (kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return, punt coverage) and I almost spit out my dinner last night when I realized he had subbed in when the Cowboys were near the goalline. Luckily Dallas and its quarterback Tony Romo were too dumb to notice that scary fact.

Enjoy the time off guys but remember that you'll more than likely be needed in some capacity next week when the team fully reconvenes at Gillette Stadium.

UPDATE: 10/18 The Pats re-signed cornerback Philip Adams while Faulk, Deaderick and Brace were taken off the PUP list.

UPDATE 2: 10/19 Ventrone was signed to the 53-man roster while Moore was signed to the practice squad. Their agents (assuming they have them) must be the busiest guys in the NFL, this is absurd.

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Patriots Say Goodbye To Ty Warren, Alge Crumpler, Nick Kaczur And Others

It is basically impossible to keep up with all the moves the New England Patriots are making this week. I realize that's how it is with all NFL teams right now but it's hard to compare the last 36 hours in Pats history to any other time.

Yesterday, they added Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco. Today, they cut seven players including Ty Warren, Alge Crumpler and Nick Kazcur. CB Tony Carter, DL Marcus Stroud, undrafted rookie LB Ryan Coulson and LB Tully Banta-Cain (which we already knew) were also given their pink slips.

Warren is the most shocking loss since he missed all of the 2010 season with a hip injury but he was back in camp yesterday ready to go. I guess visions of a 4-3 with him, Vince Wilfork, Haynesworth and Mike Wright will never materialize.

Warren was a first-round pick in 2003 who played a key role on both the 2003 and 2004 Super Bowl teams. He started 92 of 105 games. A consummate pro, he was well respected on and off the field and he should have a few more good seasons left in him.

Kaczur spent six seasons with the Pats after being drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft. After starting 62 of 68 games, he also missed the bulk of last season with injuries. He's most famous for getting busted for drugs a few years ago.

A Pro Bowler from 2003-06 with Atlanta, Crumpler played one season with the Patriots and even served as a captain, making six catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns although he caught a possible touchdown in the playoff loss against the Jets. He was a great veteran leader for rookies Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski to follow last season. My guess is they'll pick up another older tight end since those aren't too hard to come by especially at this time of year.

Stroud was signed in March after playing in Buffalo so never played with the Patriots. He was a Pro Bowler from 2003-05 with the Jaguars.

Carter played in two games last season, while Coulson was an undrafted free agent rookie out of Nevada.

In addition to those subtractions, the Patriots signed rookie quarterback Ryan Mallett (third-round pick) and rookie offensive lineman Marcus Cannon (fifth-round pick). Terms were not disclosed for both who are intriguing prospects long-term. If nothing else, the Pats can build up their value and eventually trade them away to a needy team.

Mallett set a school record with 3,869 passing yards in 2010 for Arkansas. He had 69 TD passes and 24 interception in a college career split between Michigan and Arkansas.

Cannon played left tackle as a senior at TCU after playing on the right side. He didn't allow a sack in his final two seasons in college.

Finally, Kyle Arrington agreed to a 2-year deal worth up to $3.275 million. A minor deal for a guy that's decent depth help for the Patriots secondary.

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