Image courtesy of the Boston Herald Day three of training camp kicks off this morning. Here are some thoughts on camp thus far. 1. Julien Edelman’s broken thumb hurts because the Patriots have a lot of new faces to break in at receiver and tight end. They could use Edelman’s experience at the position. 2. Danny Etling moving from quarterback to wide receiver was the story of day one. Etling…
The Patriots signed tight end Lance Kendricks at the start of training camp yesterday. Kendricks is a move tight end who is an ideal fit as a second tight end who can line up as a wing or slot receiver. Kendricks played for defensive line coach Bret Bielema at Wisconsin and Josh McDaniels when he was the offensive coordinator with the St. Louis Rams in 2011. Kendricks best season statistically…
Tom Brady is entering a contract year for the first time in his career. The greatest quarterback of all time is playing for his next contract this season. That is hard to believe because Brady’s contract has never been an issue but at age 41, the Patriots have a decision to make regarding their starting quarterback. On the surface, it is a no brainer. You extend Brady and ensure that…
According to the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, Patriots owner Robert Kraft is being considered for induction into the NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2020 as a contributor. The NFL is considering adding more enshrinees to next year’s class. As many as 20 candidates could be inducted. The league usually inducts anywhere from four to eight candidates but because this is the 100th season of the league, they are considering…
When Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement on March 24th, I felt at the time that he was done. I never thought he would play again. The injuries had taken their toll and at the age of 29, Gronkowski decided to walk away while he can. Since Gronkowski announced his retirement however, there has been growing speculation that he would return to the Patriots at some point this season. Despite losing…
Image courtesy of @CSimmsQB Former quarterback and current NFL analyst Chris Simms ranked Tom Brady as the ninth best quarterback in the NFL last week in his 2019 top 40 quarterback rankings. Simms cited age and playing in a quarterback friendly system as the primary reasons he ranked Brady ninth on his list. Simms is the son of former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl winner Phil Simms. He played in…
The Patriots filed tampering charges against the Houston Texans on Wednesday claiming that former Patriots team development coach Jack Easterby attempted to recruit Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio to the Texans to become their general manager. The Patriots claim in the tampering charges filed that they have video evidence of Easterby openly recruiting Caserio at the team’s ring ceremony last week. The Texans general manager job opened earlier…
The Patriots open mandatory mini camp today. Here are five things I’ll be looking for as the Patriots unofficially kick off the 2019 season. 1. The new coaching staff: The Patriots underwent a staff shake up this off-season with several assistants taking positions on Brian Flores staff in Miami. As a result, Bill Belichick had to fill several vacancies. He elevated three quality control assistants to on field roles and…
The Patriots signing of Jaime Collins is interesting. On paper, they have plenty of depth at linebacker. The Patriots don’t need him. What is on paper however means nothing to Bill Belichick. In Belichick’s mind, bringing back Collins makes perfect sense. Collins is a three down linebacker who can play all three linebacker spots in the Patriots defense and can fill a variety of roles. It is too early to…
The Patriots signed veteran wide receiver Dontrelle Inman to a one year contract last week. Inman’s signing continues a trend this off-season for the Patriots. Bill Belichick has made it a priority to go bigger at receiver. Is it a shift in philosophy? Are the Patriots going away from the smaller, slot type receivers we are accustomed to seeing? Perhaps. The more likely reason however is that Belichick is just…