By John Sarianides The Patriots announced that they will be picking up the fifth year option of wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The decision makes a lot of sense for a variety of reasons. For starters, it means that Cooks will now be in a Patriots uniform for the next two seasons. It gives Bill Belichick an opportunity to see how Cooks fits into the Patriots offense and if he produces…
By John Sarianides The Patriots drafted UCLA offensive tackle Conor McDermott with the 216th pick in the sixth round. Here is my scouting report on McDermott. Conor McDermott, OT, 6-8 3/4 307, UCLA Initial Quickness: McDermott is decent out of his stance but he comes up too high. He is a waist bender and that could be a byproduct of the fact that he is 6-8. McDermott needs to work on…
By John Sarianides The Patriots drafted Arkansas defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. with pick the 131st in the fourth round. Here is my scouting report on Wise. Deatrich Wise Jr. DE, 6-5 274, Arkansas Vs. Run: Wise is a one gap, nine technique defensive end. Has long arms and shows an ability to stack a tackle and shed him. Strong at the point of attack and can anchor down against…
By John Sarianides The Patriots announced on Thursday that cornerback Raymond Clayborn, linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive end Richard Seymour are the three finalists for the Patriots Hall of Fame this year. Fans voting began yesterday and it goes until May 15th. Which ever of the three finalists has the most fans votes, will get inducted into the hall in August. This is the fourth year for Clayborn on the…
By John Sarianides The NFL released their 2017 schedules tonight. On paper, the Patriots have a difficult schedule to navigate through if they want to win their third Super Bowl in four years. Here are five thoughts on their 2017 schedule. 1. Open the Season with 5 of 8 at Home: The Patriots open the season with five of their first eight games at home. The NFL season kicks off…
By John Sarianides The Patriots have been on the news a lot the past couple of days. Here my thoughts on four of the biggest stories concerning the team. 1st Down: Aaron Hernandez Commits Suicide: Look, I am not going to get on my high horse and lecture you on why Hernandez is a scumbag and how I have no sympathy for him and his family. People can formulate their…
By John Sarianides The Patriots signed Buffalo Bills restricted free agent running back Mike Gillislee to a two year, $6.4 million dollar offer sheet. Gillislee is scheduled to make $4 million dollars in year one of the deal. The Bills have five days to match the offer but all indications are that they won’t. If they don’t, the Patriots would have to surrender their fifth round pick in the upcoming…
By John Sarianides Patriots fans got all lathered up last week when the Tennessee Titans released veteran cornerback Jason McCourty. McCourty of course is the twin brother of Patriots free safety Devin McCourty. Patriots Nation is clamoring for Bill Belichick to sign the other McCourty but there are a couple of hurdles that have to be cleared before the Patriots do that. One is Malcolm Butler. The Patriots are in…
By John Sarianides According to Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks have indeed fielded phone calls regarding cornerback Richard Sherman. The Patriots are among a handful of teams that have expressed an interest in the all pro cornerback. Sherman himself is rumored to be open to the idea of playing for the Patriots. So, how would Sherman fit in? He would be a great fit. Schematically, he is…
By John Sarianides Its been about three weeks since sources reported that free agent running back Adrian Peterson expressed an interest in playing for the Patriots. Fast forward to today and the Patriots hosted the veteran running back at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots hosting Peterson is not a surprise nor is it a big deal. Bill Belichick is doing his due diligence and checking in with the veteran running back….