Author Archives: @stevea1127

About @stevea1127

I'm 25 from Taunton Ma and have a passion for sports especially Boston. My strong sports are MLB and the NFL. I'm hoping to get a job in sports writing someday.

Where Was That Performance Six Months Ago from the Patriots?

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Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl Rematch in the Preseason

Last night was preseason game number two for the Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. It was a Super Bowl rematch from six months ago, when New England’s defense was awful. However, last night the defense was ready to play. The Patriots opened better with the Eagles than last week when they played the Washington Redskins. Tom Brady started and looked sharp as ever. The 41-year-old quarterback connected with his trusted players on the field the first drive of the game. Brady hit Chris Hogan for the first touchdown of the game. James White also helped move the ball down the field. Overall, Brady threw 19 of 26 for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Eagles.

Defense Was Great, Brady Was Solid

The defense was also good in the win last night. Nick Foles had an opposite performance last night from Super Bowl LII. Adrian Clayborn had a blindside strip sack that led to Ja’Whaun Bentley’s 54-yard touchdown return. Also Deatrich Wise, Adam Butler, and Derek Rivers had a dominant performance on the defensive side of the ball. The cornerbacks are still a question mark for the season. Stephon Gilmore is the number one cornerback on the team as he did have a good training camp this season. Jason McCourty didn’t really have a good game as he was beaten by Philly’s Shelton Gibson for a touchdown in the first half.

Bill Belichick Liked the Effort the Patriots Had but Still Work to Do

Bill Belichick liked the performance last night, but there’s still lots of work to do.

“I thought our guys came out and played really competitively tonight. We got off to a good start. We were able to play from ahead and made some plays in all three phases of the game. Yeah, again, I thought we did some good things. There’s certainly some things we need to work on. It was far from perfect. We’ll take a look at the film, build on the positives and correct the things that need to be corrected.” Belichick said.

The NFL Should Follow the Examples of Jalen Ramsey and the Patriots

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Jalen Ramsey Makes Headlines

Via Daily Shark

Jalen Ramsey has been making headlines after a no-holes-barred interview with GQ, holding nothing back. He didn’t care what was coming out of his mouth.

Ramsey isn’t sold on the Buffalo Bills pick Josh Allen. Ramsey said “I think [Buffalo Bills draft pick Josh] Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I’m excited as hell. I hope he’s their starting quarterback. He played at Wyoming. Every time they played a big school—like, they played Iowa State, which is not a big school in my opinion because I went to Florida State, and he threw five interceptions, and they lost by a couple touchdowns or something like that. He never beat a big school.”

Matt Ryan Is Overrated According To Ramsey

Aaron Rodgers andTom Brady don’t suck in his opinion, but Matt Ryan is also trash. “I think Matt Ryan’s overrated. You can’t tell me you win MVP two years ago, and then last year, you a complete bust, and you still got Julio Jones? There’s no way that should ever happen. I don’t care. ” Ramsey on his teammate Blake Bortles he said “Blake do what he gotta do… I think in crunch time moments, like last year’s playoff game—not as a team, because we would have trusted him—but I think as an organization, we should have trusted him more to keep throwing it. We kinda got complacent and conservative. And I think that’s why we lost. We started running it on first and second down, throwing it on third down, every single time we were out there. [The Patriots] caught on to that.”

Does The NFL Need More Of This?

Does the NFL need more outspoken players like Ramsey with personality? The answer is yes, the more outspoken players who say what’s really on their mind the better, and makes the game more fun. The Jaguars game against the Bills this year is now a must watch after Ramsey’s comments.

As for the Patriots, if you’ve watched Hard Knocks with the Cleveland Browns, you’ve seen the dysfunctional mess of that that team. From Hue Jackson to his players there’s no discipline or attention from Jackson’s own coaching staff. Meanwhile, the Patriots win every year and everyone is talking about rifts and friction. Yes, there’s tension but I’d rather be the Patriots with their tension and go to Super Bowls rather than the Cleveland Browns and go 1-16 every season.

Tom Brady And Bill Belichick Still Share The Same Goal

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Tom Brady Is Frustrated With His Receivers

Training camp for the Patriots has been a light workload thus far. This week, Bill Belichick turned up the volume a bit and the receivers were dropping like flies. Tom Brady finished this training camp 152 of 215 (70.7 percent) with three interceptions. In 2016, Brady was 89 of 270 (70 percent) with two interceptions. One key difference- Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman manned the first-team reps last year.

Courtesy of 247 Sports

Newly-acquired receiver Eric Decker has been having a difficult time connecting with Brady. TB12 said after Tuesday’s practice: “He’s got to use his skillset, the one he’s learned and used for a long time. He knows how to get open. Now, it’s just about learning what we do and how we do it, which is always a little different from how other teams may do it. But he’s worked hard. He’s been out here every day. You can tell he’s a real pro, and hopefully, he can add something to the group.” Yesterday, Brady punted a football into the stands out of frustration.

Brady And Belichick Still Share The Same Goal

Brady and Belichick still have the same goal in mind: winning. The quarterback said in his weekly radio show on WEEI: “I think our priorities are the same that they’ve always been, and I think that’s why we get along so well. We’re here to win. It’s been a very professional environment he’s created, and I think I’m very lucky to be in that environment. I think he’s the best coach who ever coached in the NFL, and I feel very privileged to kind of be mentored by him as long as I have.”

Belichick And Brady Praise One Another

Bill Belichick also spoke highly of Brady on his weekly interview, saying, ” I have a good relationship with Tom. I have a lot of respect for Tom. We’ve won a lot of games together, and I hope we can win some more together. I know he feels the same way.”

Courtesy of Business Insider

Tom Brady also spoke about the $5 million added to his contract and was asked if he was happy with the change. He replied, “I’ve never talked about my contract, and that’s never been the top priority for me. I love being here, this community, this organization. I love winning, and I love that my family has had a home for a long time. Those have been my priorities as long as I’ve been in this game.”

Will Brady Retire At The End Of 2019?

Brady was asked if he plans on playing past 2020. His response seemed very candid: “I hope so. You gotta have goals for the long term and short term, and I have long-term goals that I set for myself that I would love to be able to accomplish. I know it’s not easy. Anyone game could be the end. At the end of the day, I think that’s what you realize as a player.”

What Does Tom Brady’s Latest Contract News Mean For His Future? (@steveA1127)

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Brady Gets No Years Added To Contract

With the NFL preseason getting underway tonight, the Patriots released some contract news on the 41 year old quarterback. Tom Brady’s contract was not extended past the 2019 season. Brady, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, will have “a variety of performance-based incentives to bring him closer to market.” The deal will be completed by Friday.

He’s Top Ten In Highest Paid QB’S In The League

Tom Brady, after winning the MVP last season, was scheduled to make $15 million this season, $14 million of which in base salary and another $1 million in a roster bonus. Brady will now earn an additional $5 million in 2018, making the maximum $20 million. That would put him at tenth in the league as the highest paid quarterback. Brady is now tied with Blake Bortles of Jacksonville.

Brady will not be making as much as Jimmy Garoppolo, who singed a 5 year, $137 million dollar contract with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. With no years added past 2019, Brady will likely be retiring at the end of the 2019 season.

The Contract Is To Appease Brady

This contract had to come from the Krafts, who did this to appease Brady for just a bit longer. All of the talk of family time and skipping OTA’s this offseason was unusual for the star quarterback. Brady also has had a light training camp thus far. He has not taken a lot of reps and looks shaky, according to multiple reporters.

Brady is not expected to play when the Patriots take on the Washington Redskins tonight. For the final time, Brady will have to earn his money and show he’s still elite in the league. The talent he has is subpar, but Eric Decker has the potential to help.

Get Ready For A Danny Etling-Josh McDaniels 2020 Season

Overall, the succession plan was all set; they could’ve kept both quarterbacks. They would’ve let Brady ride off into the sunset after 2019 and had Jimmy Garoppolo and McDaniels for the next decade. Instead, that’s all wishful thinking now, as Brady is done in 2019 and handing over the reigns to Danny Etling.

Red Sox Run Away With The American League East

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The New Boston Massacre

The Boston Red Sox have run away with the American League East. After the come-from-behind victory last night over the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have a commanding 9.5 game lead in the division. The Yankees have lots of injuries and the Red Sox took advantage of it with a four-game sweep. Even with Chris Sale missing his start on Thursday, the Red Sox still got the bats going in a 15-7 win. On Friday and Saturday, the Red Sox would win 4-1. Craig Kimbrel ran into a little trouble in the ninth inning on Saturday. But he sealed the win and the Yankees left the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Then, Andrew Benintendi knocked the game-winner in the tenth inning on Sunday to complete the four-game sweep.

Aaron Boone Is A Bad Manager

The Red Sox have been criticized all season for how they can beat bad teams and lose to the good ones. However, the Yankees are struggling with injuries and haven’t been good against the bad teams. Between J.A. Happ and Aaron Judge, the team needs help ASAP. Aaron Judge is a big piece to the Yankee lineup and it’s clear his bat is missed. Aaron Boone isn’t that great either and it’s showing.

Alex Cora is faced with injuries as well, but he has overcome them. Dustin Pedroia, Chris Sale, and Ian Kinsler are on the DL. Yet, the Red Sox still find a way to win games. He even had Mookie Betts play Friday night at second base and he made a nice stop.

Dave Dombrowski, who’s been criticized for not getting bullpen help, sure is winning right now. The Red Sox picked up Nathan Eovaldi and Ian Kinsler; both have been great so far. The Red Sox should really have the division in their pocket now and be able to breeze through October.

A Book About Tom Brady Being Released

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A new book is coming out soon on Tom Brady. It gives an inside scoop on what really happened during the deflate-gate saga. That whole drama about the deflation of the footballs in the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Tom Brady would play in the Super Bowl two weeks after that and win his fourth ring. The following season he would serve a four-game suspension. That is when we would get a first-hand look at Jimmy Garoppolo. The book, “12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Fight for Redemption” by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge says Brady offered to pay a $1 million dollar fine. But Roger Goodell had other ideas.

Brady Was Offered a Deal in Deflate-Gate

The book says that Brady had to publicly throw former Patriots equipment employees John Jastremski and Jim McNally under the bus. Brady had to state that they purposely tampered with the footballs, even without his knowledge. Brady would say no and serve his four-game suspension. Robert Kraft spoke at the NFL’s owners meetings and Kraft said he would not appeal the four-game suspension handed down on Brady and the team fine. Tom Brady didn’t like that too much.

Brady Didn’t Feel like He Was Getting the Support He Needed

According to the book, Brady was devastated by Robert Kraft’s comments. Tom Brady would call DeMaurice Smith and say.”What the [expletive]?,” Why am I not getting the support I deserve on this thing?”

Smith said that the NFLPA would fight on Brady’s behalf. At this point is when the so-called “rift” started, between the team and Brady. Brady was mad that Kraft didn’t have his back during deflate-gate.

So when it came time to trade Garoppolo, that’s when Kraft stepped in and made sure he was behind Brady and not do him wrong again. Belichick traded Garoppolo for a second-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers.

Spotlighting The Patriots Issues At Wide Receiver

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Patriots Lack Wide Receiver Depth

Via 985The Sports Hub

The New England Patriots have a really weak wide receiver group heading into the season. With Julian Edelman out the first four games of the season, It will be up to Chris Hogan and a bunch of average receivers to step their game up. Danny Amendola had 659 yards last season and two touchdowns. That is more than the current receiving core today, excluding Julian Edelman. Phillip Dorsett had zero touchdowns and just 194 yards last season. Chris Hogan had five touchdowns and 439 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson had zero touchdowns and 309 yards. Riley McCarron was on the practice squad.

This maybe the second weakest group of receivers Tom Brady has had in his career, only behind the 2006 team with Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney.

The Patriots Worked Out Eric Decker

Via Heightline

The Patriots worked out Eric Decker on Monday. Decker had 563 yards and one touchdown last season for the Tennesse Titans. The Patriots also placed Jordan Matthews on IR today after a hamstring injury he suffered at Sunday’s practice.

It’s worth noting there are a few examples of receivers Belichick has brought in who haven’t worked out. Case and point – Chad Ochocinco’s dismal 2011 season. Ochocinco couldn’t get a handle on the offense after all the hype over the summer. Eric Decker could be in line for a similar showing if he makes the team. The lack of depth at the position is a problem, especially during the first month of the season.

Would Dez Bryant Help/Hurt The Team?

Rumors are flying that the Patriots may take a look at Dez Bryant. Would he be helpful or hurtful to the team? He would be a great add because of his production on the field, but not for the drama that comes with him. There would likely come a point where he’ll be complaining he doesn’t get the ball enough.

The Patriots have enough distractions surrounding their team. They really don’t need anymore, so perhaps it would be best to stay far away from Bryant. Eric Decker might be the best option for Brady to throw to at the beginning of the season.

Belichick: Drafting The Next Quarterback Who Will Never Start For Him

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Did Bill Belichick Draft The Next Quarterback For The Patriots?

Via The Kicker

Just like Theo Epstein in baseball, Bill Belichick could’ve been the first coach ever to draft two quarterbacks to have Hall of Fame careers. Epstein built a team with the Red Sox and won the World Series in 2004, erasing an 86 year curse. He then went to Chicago and built a World Series team there, erasing a 108-year curse. Belichick drafted Brady in 2000 and has won five Super Bowls with him. Belichick then drafted Jimmy Garoppolo and saw the same attitude Brady had when he arrived in Foxborough: the willingness to be the best he can be, no matter what. However, Brady saw that coming from a mile away and was having no part of it.

Trading away Garoppolo must have been really hard for Belichick. The head coach wanted Garoppolo to be the next starter. When he was forced to trade him, it clearly upset him to no end. Reports were that he texted Garoppolo after every win in December. Garoppolo is who Belichick wanted to be Brady’s successor. If Tom Brady keeps winning, it helps Belichick’s legacy, but the same canbe said for Garoppolo. Even if Brady does badly, Belichick still wins because he wanted to move on from Brady in the first place. Either way, Belichick can’t lose and he’ll always win.

Belichick Thinks Garoppolo Will Have Success

People will argue that without Brady, Belichick would be nothing. However, we have to give credit where credit is due. Belichick is the one that drafted Brady and saw something in him 18 years ago. The same mentality should apply to Garoppolo. Belichick will watch Jimmy G grow as a quarterback from afar and be maybe become one of the best in the league.

Tom Brady’s drive to keep his job was a win for himself. Brady has done so much for the organization in these 18 years. It truly is amazing. However, Garoppolo will always be the quarterback Belichick wanted and will never start for him.

Brady Talks Relationship With McDaniels, Chemistry With Receivers (@steveA1127)

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In a series of recent interview, Tom Brady has addressed topics such as his relationship with Josh McDaniels, Bill Belichick, and his new core of wide receivers.

Brady Does Not Like The Boston Globe

Via CBS Boston

It was an offseason unlike any other for Tom Brady. The QB had some time with his family, traveled the world, and worked on getting ready for another football season. Tom Brady did interviews this offseason with Oprah Winfrey and Jim Gray. In those, he hinted that the end is coming sooner rather than later. Also, he pleaded the fifth when asked if he felt appreciated by Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft.

Tom Brady skipped all offseason voluntary workouts and only attended when he had to be there. Brady spoke with local reporters for the first time on Saturday and the question about Alex Guerrero and Julian Edelman really seemed to get under his skin. He abruptly left the podium, sending the mass media into a frenzy.

Tom Has Great Relationship With McDaniels, Mum On Relationship With Belichick

Brady was asked about his relationship with Josh McDaniels and if he had a role in bringing him back. Brady responded, “Josh and I had a great relationship for 18 years, and he’s one of my best friends. I love working with him and we have a very special relationship that I cherish. It’s kind of been that way for a long time. We talk about everything, and like I said, he’s a great friend of mine. I love him, I love his family, and we’re very close. When you work together with somebody for that long, you have a great rapport and relationship. I’m happy he’s on our team, happy he’s coaching me, and I want to go out there and do well by him.”

When Tom Brady was asked about his offseason drama with Bill Belichick, Brady responded, “I have no thoughts.”

It’s been reported that Brady looks rusty through the first four practices of camp. Perhaps his absence from the voluntary workouts has caught up with him. Brady was asked if he was behind with his chemistry with the receivers at the moment. His response was, “I don’t know. Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, we have a long time. We have a lot of work to do. We’ll do the best we can every day to get the work in when we can and try to go out there and have a great year.” The overall sentiment was that it’s probably nothing to worry about long-term. Hopefully, the age doesn’t become the excuse factor; Brady turns 41 this week.

The Ego’s Are Getting In The Way

Every organization has disagreements. Belichick and Brady have been around each other for a long time. They both want to win, but their egos are getting in the way. It won’t stop them from winning, but you might see what happened in last year’s Super Bowl happen again: benching a star player to make Brady do it all himself.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out come regular season.

Malcolm Butler Has No Bad Blood with Bill Belichick (@steveA1127)

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People Need to Get over the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl Benching

Via SI.comPeople still can’t get over why Malcolm Butler didn’t play in Super Bowl LII. Last week, Bill Belichick was asked about benching Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl, but he wasn’t having any part of that question. Belichick is strictly focused on the 2018 NFL season. Whatever happened in the past is in the past. However, Malcolm Butler is one of the reasons they won Super Bowl XLIX. Without that historic interception by Butler to end the game, Brady wouldn’t have gotten his fourth Super Bowl ring. Last season Butler played in 98% of the snaps all season long. In the Super Bowl, he wasn’t on the field for defense except a special teams play.

Malcolm Was Benched Because He Missed the Team Plane

Malcolm Butler was sick and missed the team plane, and Belichick had enough and benched him the entire game. Now as a Tennessee Titan, he’s proving he belongs in the NFL. Butler told reporters on Saturday, “I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me, I don’t want a feel-sorry-for-me story. No bad blood between me and Bill Belichick. One of the greatest coaches ever and I care about him …I know he cares about me. And this a hurtful game sometimes and it can look different than what it is. But that’s my guy. … I got a lot of respect for him.”

Belichick and Butler Have No Hard Feelings

If it wasn’t for Belichick, Butler wouldn’t be where he is at today. Belichick didn’t want to sign Butler long-term, which is why they gave that big contract to Stephon Gilmore. Butler realizes that he wouldn’t have gotten paid either if it wasn’t for Belichick. Belichick called Butler after he signed with Tennessee to congratulate him. Just like he texted Garoppolo after every win in December. Was it a football decision to bench Butler in the Super Bowl? Yes, and also a personal decision. Butler missed the team plane and that is what ticked Belichick off.

Butler has a great coach in Mike Vrabel who also is a former Patriot. The five-year $61 million dollar contract will be worth it for Butler.