For One Week, The Pats Were Not A Complete Disgrace As They Won 17-14 In Pittsburgh

 

    Let's be real here, barring anything insane, the Patriots (1-1 overall, 1-1 road) are not going to win the Super Bowl this season. With that said, coming off an utterly depressing 20-7 loss in last weekend's season-opener at Miami (2-0), today's 17-14 victory at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh (1-1) was a huge step forward by a team that has been in crisis mode since this bizarre summer began. Even if you didn't see the game, you can probably guess just by looking at the final score that it was not a work of art by any means but if the Pats are going to win more than a couple games this season, odds are that they will have to look like this since their offense is a work in progress to say the least.

    New England quarterback Mac Jones (21-for-35, 252 yards, TD, INT) had another shaky outing but he was better than Steelers stiff I mean quarterback Mitch Trubisky (21-of-33, 168 yards, TD, INT) so there is that. The Pats defense carried the day while the Steelers-who were missing All-Pro linebacker and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt-could not stop New England's final drive of the contest and the visitors were able to successfully run out the clock. Ironically one of the biggest plays came from former Patriots great Gunner Olszewski who muffed a punt allowing new Pats special teams hero Brenden Schooler to pounce on it. That led to incredible field position for New England which ended with a two-yard touchdown run by running back Damien Harris (71 yards rushing, 16 yards receiving). Kicker Nick Folk's extra point made it 17-6 Pats late in the third quarter. 

    Those turned out to be the final points for the Patriots as they held on despite an eight-yard touchdown catch by Pittsburgh's tight end (and MA native) Pat Freiermuth to open the fourth quarter. The Steelers cut it to a three-point game as wide receiver Diontae Johnson (6 catches, 57 yards) made a spectacular diving catch for the two-point conversion trimming New England's lead to 17-14. Pittsburgh drafts and develops wideouts as well as any franchise in the NFL but today, the Patriots outproduced them thanks to Nelson Agholor's (6 catches, 110 yards) best performance for the club along with Jakobi Meyers' (9 catches, 95 catches) usual reliability.

    Folk's 28-yard field goal were the only points in the first quarter and Steelers kicker Chris Boswell's 36-yard field goal answered that midway through the second quarter. Each quarterback made a major mistake as for the second week in a row, Jones forced a deep ball to wide receiver DeVante Parker (who has one catch in two games) that was deflected and intercepted by Jones' former Alabama teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick. Trubisky threw a pass over the middle that was deflected by linebacker Mack Wilson and picked off by cornerback Jalen Mills. Agholor turned in a highlight reel 44-yard catch and run for a huge touchdown with 22 seconds left in the first half. He was not open by any means but he was able to snatch the ball away from the defender then outrun him to the end zone. Where the hell did that come from? Folk's extra point gave New England a 10-3 lead at halftime. 

    Folk actually missed a 52-yard field goal attempt on New England's opening drive of the third quarter and Boswell hit a kick of the same exact distance to cut it to 10-6 Patriots. New England has the furthest thing from an explosive offense at the moment so they are going to have to play these grind it out, keep the clock running type of games to survive. The good news is that they are over quickly in like three hours or less which is fast by NFL standards in 2022. The Pats defense had three sacks, by defensive tackle Christian Barmore, linebacker Matthew Judon and some linebacker named Jahlani Tavai who had I had never of before this afternoon. 

    You never want to read too much into early season results in the NFL because they are always wacky but at least the Patriots' loss in Miami didn't look so bad as the Dolphins rallied for an incredible 42-38 win in Baltimore (1-1) at the same time as the Patriots-Steelers tractor pull. Seeing Cincinnati (0-2) lose 20-17 to Cooper Rush and the Cowboys also proved that maybe Pittsburgh's Week 1 overtime triumph against the defending AFC Champions was not as impressive as we were led to believe. Still, the Ravens are going to be fired up and rightfully pissed off after they blew a 21-point lead and were outscored 28-3 in the fourth quarter on their home field. That means that New England's home opener against Baltimore on Sunday (1, Fox) at Gillette Stadium will be a tough task but hey, at least there is a little joy around this team after so much deserved negativity for the past few months.

One Of The More Underrated Patriots During Their Second Dynasty-RB James White-Quietly Retires

 

    There is a reason that the NFL is sarcastically said to mean Not For Long instead of National Football League. Unless your name is Tom Brady or you are a kicker or punter, your career even if you are very good will probably be over before you know it. We were reminded of that ever-present theme this morning as Patriots running back James White retired after three Super Bowl titles and eight seasons in the league-all here with New England. During both of their dynasties, the Pats have been blessed to have some brilliant pass-catching running backs like Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen, Danny Woodhead and White. Of those guys, Faulk (who is rightfully a Patriots Hall of Famer) seems to get most of the attention. I believe that White also deserves to get plenty of love too since he had some excellent seasons with Brady as well. 

    There is no greatest comeback in NFL history-when New England famously rallied from a 28-3 halftime deficit against Atlanta in Super Bowl 51-without White who probably should have been named the Super Bowl MVP instead of Brady. He scored 20 points all by himself (3 TDs and a 2-point conversion) in the second half and overtime combined including the winning touchdown run to memorably clinch it in the extra session. White was neither big (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) nor exceptionally fast, hence why he lasted until the fourth round of the NFL Draft in 2014 when the Patriots snatched him at pick #130. Still, who could have imagined what the running back from the University of Wisconsin would turn into performing in the perfect system for his unique set of skills? 

    After playing together for years, he and Brady seemed to have an innate ability to connect for just enough yardage when New England really needed it on third down. The shelf life of the average NFL running back is quite short but James managed to put together six solid seasons (14+ games) in a row after appearing in only three games in his rookie season. A brutal hip injury last season limited him to only three games and it ultimately spelled the end of his wonderful run with the Patriots. For his career, he finished with 381 catches for 3278 receiving yards and 25 receiving TDs along with 1278 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in the regular season (95 games). In 12 playoff games, he had 59 catches for 506 receiving yards and three receiving TDs along with 146 rushing yards and five rushing TDs. 

    More than anything, he should also be remembered as a team leader (he was named an offensive captain multiple times) who also persevered through an unspeakable tragedy early in the 2020 season when his father was killed in a car accident and his mother was left in critical condition. New England has some quality young running backs right now in Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson but who knows if they'll ever be as clutch or tough as White proved to be? Looking over his stats, my favorite one is that he only fumbled four times in his entire Patriots career in 795 touches! Thanks for all the awesome memories James and enjoy retirement with your wife and kids. 

As We All Thought, The Bruins Are Getting The Band Back Together For One More Farewell Tour

 

    At long last, the Bruins finally confirmed the news that we all knew was sure to be coming for months now: hours apart this morning, their longtime centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci both signed bargain one-year deals to return to Boston for what has to be a final attempt to win another elusive Stanley Cup with the black and gold. The timing of it all is one of the most interesting aspects of this expected story since Bergy took forever to thankfully decide to avoid retirement for another season while Krej apparently had more than enough of his homeland (Czech Republic) in one forgettable campaign back there. You have to wonder how much of a factor Jim Montgomery being the new head coach of the B's these days rather than that meanie Bruce Cassidy had to do with it all. 

    While it is way too easy to make fun of these moves by the Bruins on the surface, you cannot say that GM Don Sweeney has left them with many better options if they do not want to commit to a full scale rebuild. Sadly, this is what happens when you do not draft and develop well for years on end, you are forced to cling to the glory days from way back when. To their credit, Bergeron and Krejci are each taking very team friendly contracts even by hockey players' normally selfless standards. Bruins captain Patrice will make $2.5 million plus another $2.5 million in (quite attainable) performance-based incentives. David gets $1 million plus an additional $2 million in performance-based incentives. It says something about the character, professionalism, leadership and competitiveness of these guys that they both chose to play another season with the only NHL club that they have ever known rather than spend much more time with their families and friends.

    After last season, we still have a good feel for what the 37-year-old Bergeron has left in the tank because he had a real nice 2021-2022 with 25 goals, 40 assists and plus-16 in 73 regular season games followed by seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in their seven game, first round exit vs. Carolina. Krejci is a year younger than Bergy and a bit more of a wild card since the Czechia League is a far cry from the overall quality of the NHL, sorry Jaromir Jagr! Therefore, his numbers from good old HC Olomouc are completely irrelevant. When we last saw him stateside, David had 44 points (8 goals, 36 assists) in 51 regular season games in the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season then nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 11 playoff games. Bergeron is probably going to end up in the Hall of Fame and Krejci has been a great Bruin-particularly in the postseason-so despite their ages, Boston is a much better team today than they were yesterday when we were not sure (yeah right!) that they would be back in the B's lineup starting next month when training camp and the preseason begin.

After Almost Two Seasons Of Buffoonery, The Red Sox Finally Got A Real First Baseman-Eric Hosmer

 

    Today the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline came and went with the Red Sox (53-52 overall) thankfully making one final important move: they acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer (a four-time Gold Glover!), two minor leaguers and cash considerations from the Padres (60-46 overall) for minor league LHP Jay Groome. The back story is that Hosmer was supposed to be involved with the blockbuster Juan Soto trade from the Nationals (36-69 overall) but he used his no-trade clause to reject a move to DC. This allowed Boston's chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to swoop in and obtain the 32-year-old Hosmer with San Diego footing the rest of his contract. It was a move that would make Patriots head coach Bill Belichick proud in the way that Bloom was able to get a quality player and still make someone else pay for him.

    Boston's lack of a true first baseman had become a complete embarrassment these last few years. No more being forced to watch Franchy Cordero or Bobby Dalbec stumbling around trying to play a position that neither could handle at all. Hosmer was an All-Star in 2016 and he helped win the 2015 World Series with the Royals. The Padres had also picked up first baseman Josh Bell (who reportedly had been a Red Sox trade target) in the Soto deal so this left Hosmer as the odd man out for what is now one of the best teams in baseball. You cannot blame him for rejecting a move to Washington since the Nationals are going to be rebuilding for years to come. It's not like the Red Sox are exactly World Series contenders at the moment but at least he goes to a market and team that matters so if he plays well, he can set himself up for one last nice contract in MLB before he retires.

    Going back to his days with Kansas City, Hosmer (the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft) had long been rumored to be coveted by Boston. On a personal note, he is married to former NESN sideline reporter and host Kacie McDonnell who is currently pregnant with their first child. In 90 games this season with the Padres, Hosmer was hitting .272/.336/.391 with eight HRs and 40 RBIs. He has a reputation as a leader and a good clubhouse guy which Boston certainly needs more of both of those things these days. He won't be a Hall of Famer but he has put together a notable career in MLB, hitting a career-high 25 homers in both 2015 and 2016 with a career-best 104 RBIs in his All-Star season (when he was also the All-Star Game MVP). He even won the Silver Slugger for the American League first basemen in 2017 and for his career, his batting splits are .277/.336/.429. The Christian Vazquez trade to Houston (67-38 overall) doesn't make a ton of sense although the former Red Sox catcher admitted that he'd be open to returning here this winter in free agency but at least Boston drastically improved its biggest weakness-first base-with the addition of a fine pro like Hosmer.

On The Eve Of The MLB Trade Deadline, The Red Sox Flipped Christian Vazquez To The Astros

 

    With the Red Sox (52-52 overall, 26-25 road) firmly going nowhere this season, they finally started to make some notable moves with the MLB Trade Deadline now less than 24 hours away (Tuesday night at 6 pm EST). Ironically, they opened a three-game series tonight in Houston (67-37 overall, 33-16 home) and actually beat the Astros 3-2 but the move that the Red Sox made right before the game was particularly memorable since it involved catcher Christian Vazquez going to Houston. The homegrown catcher who is having a career-year offensively, was dealt for a pair of minor leaguers: infielder Enmanuel Valdez and outfielder Wilyer Abreu. I will not pretend to know anything about either of those guys but apparently, they are both supposed to be pretty good (at the Triple A and Double A levels respectively). 

    He nearly made his first All-Star team this season as the 31-year-old Vazquez is batting .282/.327/.432 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs. Heading into free agency this winter, he was an obvious asset to use since catcher is one of Houston's only weaknesses as they seek another World Series title. It's a good move personally for him since he will get to go for his second championship and cash in after he helped Boston win the 2018 World Series. The scary part for the Red Sox is that they have absolutely no other decent catcher at the Major League level (haha Kevin Plawecki is the definition of a terrible backup catcher at best in MLB) or in chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's beloved farm system. The role of catcher has become pretty irrelevant at least offensively as evidenced by the fact that Vazquez is one of the better hitting catchers in the game these days. He was known much more for his defensive prowess when he made his Red Sox debut in 2014 but as the years have gone on, his bat has gotten way better (in 2019 he topped out with 23 HRs and 72 RBIs). 

    In the other two much less important moves of the day, Boston acquired outfielder Tommy Pham from the Reds for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Also, they traded their crappy lefty reliever Jake Diekman to the White Sox for a backup catcher who stinks named Reece McGuire. Rumors have swirled for weeks with Boston's season going down the drain that starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (who pitched really well tonight) and designated hitter J.D. Martinez are the other biggest names that could be moved before the deadline now that (thankfully) third baseman Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are both said to be off the table. The addition of a third Wild Card team in the playoffs makes some people want to believe that the Red Sox are still in it since they are only three games out of that last spot but if you've watched this team at all in 2022, there is a reason (or rather many) that they are in last place in the AL East.

    Nobody needs a better deadline than Bloom since the shine has quickly come off of him in what has all the makings of a lost season. From what we can tell (since we rarely see that robot or hear from him), he still thinks that he works for the Tampa Bay Rays and operates on a shoestring budget with a media and fan base that is non-existent and therefore does not care. Baseball in general and the Red Sox certainly are not what they used to be in terms of relevance both nationally and locally but this is one of the few markets where it does still matter. With their basically unlimited payroll, Boston should never be this average (if you're being nice) or fatally flawed. It is wonderful that he has built their minor league clubs up (apparently) but so far, many of his top prospects have performed like far from gamechangers when they have finally reached the Red Sox. The Dodgers have also proven lately that you can be a World Series contender every year while still fielding a great farm system as well. Losing Vazquez stings and he is another guy (much like Kyle Schwarber with the Phillies and Hunter Renfroe with the Brewers this season) who will immediately do well on another better team than Boston. The clock is ticking on Bloom, he has to turn things around soon or else they will need to go in another direction ASAP before things get damaged any further.

In A Bit Of A Surprise, UMaine's Jim Montgomery Is The New Head Coach Of Your Boston Bruins

 

    Right in time for the Fourth of July long weekend, the Bruins finally figured out who their new head coach will be for this upcoming season: former University of Maine star Jim Montgomery is here on a three-year deal worth around two million dollars per year. Most recently, the man that they call Monty (because everyone in hockey has to have a goofy nickname) was an assistant with the Blues and before that, he was the head coach of the Stars from 2018-20. Unlike the other rumored candidates that the B's had considered-namely David Quinn, Jay Leach and something called Mike Vellucci-Montgomery feels like the best choice to be the Bruins head coach for a couple of reasons. 

    While he wasn't a star by any means, Montgomery played in the NHL for 122 games on five different teams (Blues, Canadiens, Flyers, Sharks and Stars) after being undrafted following a great career at Maine capped off by an NCAA title in 1993 playing with Black Bears legend Paul Kariya. He was a pro hockey player for 14 seasons as he also competed in 451 AHL games. This means that he knows what it takes to grind and make it at the highest level. Additionally, he was a very successful college head coach from 2013-2017 at the University of Denver where he helped the Pioneers win an NCAA title in 2017. 

    He has only been an NHL head coach for less than a season and a half because after leading Dallas to the second round of the playoffs in his first year, he was fired after 31 games the next season because of a serious drinking problem that forced him to go to rehab and reevaluate his entire life. In terms of life-changing experiences, I would imagine that it doesn't get much more real than that so I'm hoping that he would be able to relate to his players on a much deeper level than most other coaches that they've ever encountered in pro hockey. In 113 games in charge of the Stars, he went 60-43-10 and then 7-6 in the playoffs.   

    Jim will have big shoes to fill since the previous Bruins head coach-Bruce Cassidy-quickly became one of the best in the NHL. There is still a good (albeit aging) nucleus in Boston: center Patrice Bergeron, left wing Brad Marchand, right wing David Pastrnak, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and goaltender Jeremy Swayman should ensure that even though it feels like they are rebuilding, the black and gold should still be in the postseason in 2022-23. The early word is that his players love Montgomery so perhaps he has a bit of a softer personality than Cassidy who was very open in his criticism of his team and players. The only thing about Jim that is hard to look past is that he's from Montreal originally but I guess that we won't hold them against him. Haha after all, nobody's perfect. 

Don't Ask Me Why But The B's Rewarded GM Don Sweeney With A Multi-Year Contract Extension

 

    Ever since former Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy was unceremoniously fired two weeks ago on a Monday night in mid-June, it's been a rather strange period of time for the black and gold. Last week, it was reported that B's captain Patrice Bergeron would be returning for another season with the club but thus far, nothing has been neither confirmed nor denied about that key piece of news. The team still doesn't have a new head coach yet with the leading candidates apparently being former BU and Rangers head coach David Quinn and former Providence Bruins and current Seattle Kraken assistant Jay Leach. Meh. Remind me again why exactly that Cassidy was fired? Today, things took another predictable but still gross turn as Boston signed its average GM Don Sweeney to a multi-year contract extension. 

    Don't get me wrong, Sweeney is a smart guy (did you know that he went to Harvard?!) and he clearly works hard at his very demanding job but his draft record is nothing short of appalling. Granted it is an inexact science and you will always miss out on countless players who develop into stars but Sweeney's swings and misses have been notorious, none more so than when he had three first round picks in 2015 and right wing Jake DeBrusk is the only one that has done anything at the NHL level. So what does he do well? His free agent signings are usually nothing impressive, leaving some decent trades to be his calling card. I will say that he has done pretty well with some of those like getting center Charlie Coyle from Minnesota and defenseman Hampus Lindholm (we hope!) from Anaheim but nothing that has set the world on fire or brought another Stanley Cup to the Bruins. 

    The fact that Sweeney is still here (where he has been working since 2015) while Cassidy has already moved on to Las Vegas is maddening. President Cam Neely is also still getting paid by the Bruins' absentee owner Jeremy "Mr. Burns" Jacobs for whatever he does (nobody is really sure what Cam is in charge of day-to-day). Don seems to be obsessed with players and coaches with ties to New England, meaning that they either are from this area or went to a local D1 hockey school like BC or BU. Hiring Quinn or even Leach who also played for the Providence Bruins and went to Providence College (go Friars!) would be another sign that he lacks the creativity and open mindedness to get the Bruins out of their current middler status in the NHL. The draft is next weekend and free agency begins in a few weeks so I'd love to believe that Sweeney should feel the pressure to drastically improve Boston's roster but unfortunately, today's news means that it'll probably be more of the same for the B's. They are just good enough to make the playoffs (all that the Jacobs family really cares about, their precious playoff crowds) but not in the same area code as the teams in the Stanley Cup Final this season-Colorado and Tampa Bay.