Featured image courtesy of the Boston Globe By John Sarianides The Patriots had a day off yesterday after opening training camp with four straight practices. Here some observations on how camp has gone thus far. 1. Gronk Looks Like Gronk: Rob Gronkowski has looked great thus far in camp. He looks like he is ready to go after missing eight games and the playoffs due to a back injury last…
By John Sarianides Boston College opened fall camp on Monday at the Heights. Expectations are high for the 2017 Eagles coming off of a 7-6 season and a victory in the Quick Lane Bowl. The defense will once again lead the way but an improved offense under second year offensive coordinator Scott Loeffler will allow the Eagles to be more competitive in the ACC this season. Here are five things…
By John Sarianides Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich is expected to announce his retirement today, ending his 11 year NFL career. The 33 year old Ninkovich entered the league in 2006 and after being cut four separate times by the Saints and Dolphins, he signed with the Patriots in 2009. Ninkovich spent eight seasons with the Patriots and during that he developed a reputation of playing with heart and toughness. Ninkovich…
By John Sarianides Comparing the Patriots 2007 and 2017 skill groups seems to be a popular conversation around these parts nowadays. Some folks think the 07 group is better, others think this current group is better. The only common thread between these two groups is Tom Brady and he might be the only person who could settle this debate. He won’t, so allow me to settle the debate once and…
Joe Mixon is a legit RB1 candidate in Cincinnati. By John Sarianides Fantasy football isn’t just about loading up on stars. You need to identify rookies who have the potential to make an impact in their first year in the league. If you identify those players correctly and draft them at the right time, you could be the beneficiary of some quality production. Everyone knows Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffery and…
By John Sarianides The sudden retirement of Baltimore Ravens center John Urschel should not be a surprise to anyone. In fact, get used to it. You will start to see more players retiring before or at the end of their first contract. The threat of CTE and the long term ramifications of the disease will force players to walk away from the game earlier. While some players will play longer…
By John Sarianides With training camp off and running, here five priorities for the Patriots this summer. 1. Play Brady in Three Pre-Season Games: Tom Brady is going to be 40 next week. While I am all for a pitch count at practice, Brady needs to get as many game reps as possible this pre-season. Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels need to play Brady in theee of the…
By John Sarianides Training camp is here and as usual, the roster is chock full of guys you have never heard of. Some of those guys will make an impression and end up with a roster spot as a result. Here are five names you should know as training camp opens. 1. Austin Carr, WR, Northwestern: The rookie wide receiver has been turning heads since he signed as an undrafted…
By John Sarianides The Patriots bolstered their secondary this off-season by signing free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a $65 million dollar contract. The move was surprising considering the Patriots unwillingness in the past to give cornerbacks long term, big money contracts. Bill Belichick opted to give Gilmore the big money contract instead of restricted free agent Malcolm Butler. The Patriots tried to trade Butler but couldn’t get a deal…
By John Sarianides The Patriots added some much needed speed and depth to their linebacking corp this off-season when they drafted outside linebacker Derek Rivers out of Youngstown State and signed veteran inside linebacker David Harris. Both should make a difference in 2017, especially Harris who brings a wealth of experience to the Patriots defense. For years, Bill Belichick ignored developing linebackers, instead opting to sign veterans who have experience….