FOXBOROUGH – January 7, 2024 may forever be remembered as Bill Belichick’s final game as head coach of the New England Patriots, and it won’t be a pleasant memory. The offense had one final dud left in a year full of them, putting up just 119 yards and six first downs in an ugly 17-3 loss to the Jets to finish off a disastrous 4-13 season, the worst for the…
What a year. It was highlighted by some amazing players. This is our attempt to honor the best ones, as we did three full teams and an honorable mention. As is always the case, we can’t highlight every single player. There will be some we leave out. Please do not take that as disrespect. We respect every player who suits up. So without further ado, here is our NEFJ 2023…
Let me start off by saying that if Sunday isn’t Bill Belichick’s final game in New England, I’ll be copying and pasting this when the day finally comes anyway, so you might as well just read it now. A few different things hit me listening to what could be Belichick’s final bit of Friday media availability. First of all, rooting for him and Tom Brady as a fan is the…
As Matt Slater stood at the podium on Thursday morning answering questions about his (most likely) retirement and career as a whole, there was already a sense of acceptance in his voice that this will in fact be the end of a tremendous career. Slater still says he’s going to go through the same process he does at the end of every year, which includes prayer and discussions with his…
David Andrews has been a walking, talking definition of leadership this season despite all the ups-and-downs. As a captain once again, Andrews has played 100% of the snaps the Pats have had on offense this season and has routinely been the first guy at the podium following some of the ugly and downright embarrassing losses the team has had in 2023. As his ninth year in the league comes to…
Dylan Laube will get a yet another opportunity to prove that he is one of the top running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft by competing in the NFL Scouting Combine. Laube announced that he accepted the invite on Wednesday. Laube has already accepted offers to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. Laube has been one of the most productive running backs in the country, at…
For most of us, knowing the end is near at a place of employment could lead to a number of different actions. There could be a sense of disappointment and possibly a drive to mend some fences before leaving. For others, they could completely shut down, barely interact with co-workers and simply watch their final hours tick away. Or, for some with a sense of humility, maybe an apology or…
Image courtesy of Nick Cammett/Diamond Images This very well could be the final week of the Bill Belichick era in New England. As rumors continue to swirl about the future of the organization, one guy at the center of much of the discussion is Jerod Mayo. Mayo is finishing up his fifth year as an assistant under Belichick and at some point, he’s going to be a head coach in…
Image courtesy of Adrian Kraus/AP Photo) Ugly is an understatement when trying to sum up the Bills-Pats game in Orchard Park on Sunday. Turnovers ruled the day as New England handed Buffalo the ball four times en route to a 27-21 loss. Bailey Zappe had three first half interceptions and even though the Pats were in it late thanks to another impressive defensive effort, New England dropped to 4-12 on…
Image courtesy of New England Patriots The only thing Patriots fans really know about Chris Board is that he makes a significant amount of money to play special teams. Around here, that usually means you draw more criticism than praise unless your impact is glaring. No. 45 doesn’t get mentioned much on the TV broadcast (aside from the penalty last week that negated a 76 yard punt), but his impact…