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.

No, Days Off!

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Since Bill Belichick has been with the Patriots, he has stressed having no days off and doing your job. That has been Belichick’s motto for a long time. Now, with Belichick nearing retirement and Brady not participating in the offseason workouts, the Patriots took the final two days off of OTAs this week. You won’t see them on a practice field until training camp. The No Days Off Patriots are now the No, Days Off! Patriots. Bill Belichick went to Viva La France to get away from diva La Brady. I’m joking, but it’s clear Belichick wasn’t getting anything out of Hoyer and Etling. So since Brady wasn’t there, what’s the point of having the final two days of practice. Just wait until everyone is together when training camp starts. This way, there are no dropped passes, and Brady knows what he is doing.

Having Fun Doesn’t Win Championships

The Patriots went to Fenway Park on Monday for a team bonding exercise. On Tuesday, Bill Belichick had a history lesson on football. One of Bill Belichick’s famous quotes is “There are no shortcuts to building a team each season. You build the foundation brick by brick.” That’s from the combine all the way until the start of the season. Everything is important. Julian Edelman is about to be suspended four games of the season, and there are some rookies on this team who could use the reps. However, when the starting quarterback isn’t there, it might be best to wait until camp to start when everyone is together.

There’s been a lot of gossip and drama going on in New England to the point now that it might be sickening. From the Malcolm Butler benching all the way to Brady, it’s been something every day with this team. Robert Kraft spoke last week. He called the reports that the Patriots were going to trade Rob Gronkowski last Friday hogwash. However, they were looking to trading Gronkowski three days before the NFL Draft. That was when Gronkowski was complaining about not getting enough money. Enjoy the next month of hopefully no Patriots drama. When training camp starts, it will be strictly focused on football.

 

Robert Kraft Calls out ‘Hogwash’ Reporting

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Lots of Hogwash Reporting

The Patriots have the next two days off of OTAs. This means the next time the Patriots take the practice field will be when Training Camp starts on July 26th. The Patriots have had a wild off-season, and owner Robert Kraft brought back an old word yesterday: ‘hogwash.’ Kraft used the word in reference to the Rob Gronkowski trade rumors from last Friday. Robert Kraft was trying to be clear that Gronkowski was never going to be traded. Tom Brady took the week off and so did Rob Gronkowski following the mandatory minicamp last week.

To recap the Patriots’ off-season, they had Josh McDaniels come back, and drafted a quarterback and singed Etling to a four-year deal. There has been lots of fake news and hogwash reporting going on according to Gronkowski and the owner Robert Kraft. Tom Brady has been quiet while training at TB12 and throwing to Julian Edelman after OTAs. Julian Edelman got popped for PEDs, but it’s an unknown substance, so who knows if Edelman could win his appeal. Alex Guerrero quickly denied that TB12 had anything to do with Edelman’s positive drug test.

Looking Ahead

Putting all the hogwash reporting aside, it should be a fun season. This may be the last season we’ll ever see from Brady and Belichick. People seem to disagree with that statement, but why else was Josh McDaniels brought back? Rumor has it Josh McDaniels has his eye on a quarterback in next year’s draft. Rumor also is Josh will draft a quarterback next season, so if or when Brady retires after 2019, Etling will be the starter.

On to Training Camp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV9c3FOTJxM

That might be thinking too far ahead. We will get a good look into this season starting in a month with Training Camp. Those hot days in July when the stands, grass, and ramps at Gilette are filled with people and reporters. This time around it might be a little different, but it’s exciting to see another football season.

Lots of Fake Reporting Going on in Foxborough

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Some False Reporting Going on in Foxborough

Friday was an off day at Gillette Stadium. The team didn’t have practice and Belichick was enjoying the off day in New York City. According to Barstool Sports, however, there were reports that Rob Gronkowski was no longer going to be a Patriot by the end of the day. Another “reliable” source reported that Belichick had a meeting with Kraft about trading Gronkowski. Brady stepped in and threatened to retire if they traded Gronkowski. Needless to say, that was all fake and the meeting never happened.

Gronkowski was going to be possibly be traded in the offseason, according to Tom E Curran of NBC Sports Boston. All of the fake reporting Friday was quickly shut down. The real reporting comes from the beat reporters and people that cover the team. When I said in April Belichick was retiring at the end of the season, I found out from an insider at Patriot Place. There is tension there is drama, but Friday was all nonsense and believing some guy from Attleboro because he has a blue check mark on Twitter. Pathetic.

Tom Brady Wasn’t Going to Retire

Tom Brady wasn’t going to retire after this season. He might have threatened it in the offseason if they traded Gronkowski, however, he wasn’t going anywhere. Why should he retire when Josh McDaniels was returning? There was no meeting on Friday. Maybe there was in the offseason, and Barstool just wanted to break something big. Then other “reporters” wanted to join in on the fun.

As for Tom Brady, he’ll be skipping the rest of OTAs. Don’t expect to see him until Training Camp which begins in July. Brady will probably spend the next month with his family, doing fundraisers, and be traveling the world. He’ll also prepare at TB12. Enjoy all the gossip talk on the radio this week on how Friday was a fake news day in Foxborough.

Tom Brady Speaks

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Tom Brady Speaks to the Media

Via Chat Sports

Tom Brady finally spoke to the media yesterday. According to him, nothing has changed with his relationship with the team and Belichick. He’s having fun and feels appreciated, so the things he said about pleading the fifth to Jim Gray a month ago mean nothing. When Bill Belichick spoke earlier in the week, he also said he’s always had a good relationship with Brady. All this drama and gossip since last October has been blown out of proportion and there’s nothing to see here. Really, however, they are trying not to let it get in the way of their football operation on the field. So saying the right thing would be pushing the drama aside and focusing on what’s more important.

Now with Edelman possibly facing suspension, will Brady show up for next week’s optional throwing camps? Brady said yesterday, “we’re not even through today yet”. Brady also wouldn’t talk about his contract: “I’ve never talked about my contract, I’ve never brought up money for a lot of reasons that I’ve said over the years. Those things are very personal.”

Is Brady Lying?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycvNVxhxgRU

The keyword is personal. Everything about Brady is personal. It’s weird though he’ll tell Jim Gray he pleads the fifth if he feels appreciated by Belichick and Kraft. Then with the local media, he says he has a good relationship with Belichick. Which one is it, Tom? Do you not feel appreciated enough by your coach? Or do you not feel appreciated by your coach? Tom Brady has accomplished a lot in his 18 years here and has won five Super Bowls. Now he’s starting to take this diva lifestyle behind the scenes. Like complaining about Garoppolo being there and his trainer not being allowed in the locker room. Then in front of the camera, he’s acting like everything is good because he doesn’t want the distraction to be talked about on the field.

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady Had Their Annual Physicals Today

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Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady Had Their Annual Physicals Today

Rob Gronkowski was not only spotted at Gillette Stadium today, but he was also spotted at the Brigham and Women’s Health Center. Gronkowski was there for his physical before mandatory minicamp. Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan both drove themselves to the medical center this afternoon. This comes before the first day of minicamp tomorrow. Tom Brady also had his physical today at the Brigham and Women’s Health Center.

It seems Brady and Gronkowski are all in on this season, even though they skipped the voluntary team workouts. Usually, Gronkowski goes into the Health Center often in the offseason. However,  today was his first appearance there. Both Gronkowski and Brady have been getting treatment with Alex Guerrero. They’ve been at TB12 at Patriot Place all offseason. Tom Brady’s approach to this offseason has been different than years past, putting himself and the family first before the team. Same with Gronkowski, who is rumored to have a new contract soon after complaining he wasn’t getting paid enough indirectly.

Is Everything Back to Normal in New England?

Tom Brady hasn’t spoken to any local media yet about why he skipped the offseason workouts.  It will be interesting to see if he speaks tomorrow. Brady, Gronkowski, and Hogan passed their physicals with no issues. Tomorrow, we’ll see Brady probably with the first team throwing to Gronkowski, Hogan, and Edelman. Danny Etling for the first time will get to see how Brady runs the offense. Etling will probably learn a lot from Brady like Jimmy Garoppolo did.

Bill Belichick will probably speak to the media and say nothing about Brady being there. He’ll just snort and grunt and say the same things he always says. Everyone expected that Brady would be back for mandatory minicamp this week. There are still some questions though that need to be answered by Brady himself. For Brady, Gronkowski, and Hogan to have their physicals today is a good sign that they’ll be ready to go.

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Are Back

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Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Are in the Building

(Foxborough, MA, 01/13/16) Wide receiver #11, tight end #87 Rob Gronkowski, and quarterback #12 Tom Brady warm up for Patriots practice at Gillette. Wednesday, January 13, 2016. Staff photo by John Wilcox.Relax people- Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have arrived ahead of mandatory minicamp tomorrow. At a charity event yesterday, Gronk said he was going to be attending mandatory minicamp this week. With Brady and Gronkowski missing OTAs, it will be interesting to see how Belichick approaches minicamp this year. Both Brady and Gronkowski attended Fantasy Camp today at Gillette Stadium with the rest of their teammates.

Both Gronkowski and Brady have been getting treatment all offseason long at TB12. The drama between Brady and Belichick really shouldn’t stop them from winning because the AFC is so bad. Josh McDaniels’s return helps, because Brady would rather listen to Josh more than Belichick. Tom Brady will probably be with the first team with the start of minicamp tomorrow.

The Voluntary Workouts Are Over

Teammates didn’t have a problem with Brady missing OTAs last week. They were stressing all along that it was voluntary. Dont’a Hightower said last week, “12 (Brady) is a big part of this team and he means a lot to us in the locker room, but as far as the culture goes, it’s always been next man up. Whether it’s 12, or Gronk, or me missing, or whenever (Jerod) Mayo went down, or (Vince) Wilfork or whatever, it’s always been next man up. That’s the kind of way Bill has built this culture. Whenever the next guy is up, they’re just looking for that next chance and opportunity.
We’re not going to work harder just because 12’s not here or because Gronk’s not here. Dwayne Allen’s doing a great job. Tye’s doing a great job. Niklas is doing a great job. All of these guys are getting those extra reps and getting better and wanting to contribute to this team.”

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. There are still some questions about how Brady will approach Danny Etling at camp? Will Brady give him the cold shoulder like he did with Jimmy Garoppolo? Or will Brady just realize that his time is coming to an end anyway, and give Etling the reps he needs? Minicamp is a big part of the off-season program. Believe it or not, training camp starts in late July.

Tom Brady Is Doing Things His Way

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Brady Is All About Himself and His Brand

Mandatory minicamp begins next week, and we should expect to see Tom Brady there. Lately, he’s been working out at TB12, traveling to Morocco, throwing a football off a boat, and training with Julian Edelman in the practice bubble. During OTAs, Julian Edelman has practiced with the team and then afterward went to the bubble to work out with Tom Brady. In past years, Brady only cared about the team above anything. Now this year he’s putting himself first.

The Final Curtain Call with Brady and Belichick

Don’t worry though, the Patriots have already punched their ticket to the AFC Championship game because the conference is so bad. They will win another division title, and possibly play in another Super Bowl. Bill Belichick is only talking about the players participating in the OTAs, and not the players who are not participating in the program. Tom Brady is the only quarterback in the league not participating in the OTAs. If this was Peyton Manning, Patriots fans would be up in arms about him not putting the team first. But because Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, it’s okay for him not to be with his teammates.

Kobe Bryant spoke to the team this week. Honestly, why couldn’t Brady do that? Brady knows what it takes to win, but because Belichick is not happy with Brady’s attitude, he decided to bring in someone else.

Also, it’s clear Belichick isn’t taking in the TB12 meal plan. He was video recorded at a Chick-Fil-A drive-thru and didn’t look happy about being recorded.

It will be interesting to see Brady back with the team starting next week at minicamp. Will he be with the first team, or will he get demoted to the second team because he missed OTAs.  I think Brady will be with the first team personally, and should be fine. Belichick is done at the end of the season anyway, so Brady will be mostly listening to Josh McDaniels.

Robert Kraft : ‘Everything Is Normal’

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Kraft: ‘Nothing to See Here’

Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn’t worried about Tom Brady skipping out on OTAs this year. Kraft according to NFL Network said: “These are voluntary workouts… I think he’s in great shape. I think he’s at an age where he’s blessed to have 3 children, has responsibilities. It’s hard to fulfill those during the season.” Also, Kraft confirmed Rob Gronkowski will be at minicamp in June.” On Brady’s relationship with Bill Belichick, Kraft said, “nothing has changed.” Overall, sportsbooks tend to agree.  Many of them, including NetBet, still have the Patriots as the odds on favorite to win Super Bowl LIII.

Bill Belichick at Tuesday’s Press Conference

However, yesterday Bill Belichick said that he won’t talk about the players that aren’t participating in the OTAs. Belichicks quote on Monday was, “The guys who are here are improving, they’re working hard. Those are the guys we’re going to focus on.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHRZr4T4bR8

Brady’s Comments in 2013 on How the OTAs Are Important

Back in 2013, Tom Brady spoke about how the OTAs are important for preparation. Brady said, “[Bill Belichick] talks about, you think it’s just an OTA in the springtime and it’s not that important and all those things that probably could enter your mind. The truth is, this lays the foundation for the start of training camp and if you have a good training camp, it usually means a good start to the season. A good start to the season leads to good position entering the second half of the season. Everything ends up having some significance to it. You’re not just out here running plays and going through different things that aren’t going to mean anything.

We’re out here trying to get a lot of things accomplished. I think we have done that, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. It’s really never ending, especially when you play for Coach Belichick. Especially in practices when the offense goes against the defense because if the offense makes a play then the defense sucked and if the defense makes a play then the offense sucked so someone is really going to get yelled at on every play. There’s always lowlights when we come in on the next day.

Even if it was a great offensive play, he’s going to yell at someone on the defense. We’ve become a bit used to that now and that’s part of the learning process and also learning how to play for the Patriots and understand the criticism that you’re getting and hopefully use it constructively so you can improve as a player.”

Robert Kraft Is in the Middle

Kraft is sticking up for his player, while also trying to appease Belichick with granting Guerrero limited access to the stadium. Guerrero is not happy about it, which could also be the reason for Brady to not be going to the OTAs. Kraft is basically in the middle of this whole mess.

Astros Are a Big Test for the Red Sox

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Red Sox vs. Astros

Alex Cora returned to Houston last night for the first time since becoming the manager for the Boston Red Sox. Lately, the competition for the Red Sox has been pretty bad, and the Red Sox have been taking advantage of it. The Red Sox took care of business this week sweeping the no-name Toronto  Blue Jays. The real test begins with this series against the defending World Series Champions. The Sox fell 6-4 last night in the first of the four games.

J.D. Martinez is on Fire

J.D. Martinez has been on fire lately. He has belted 18 home runs on the season for the Red Sox thus far. Drew Pomeranz, who has struggled lately pitched last night for Boston. Alex Cora seems to still have confidence in the left-handed pitcher.

Tonight, Chris Sale is pitching, and the Red Sox seem to not be able to hit still when he’s on the mound. On Saturday, David Price will pitch. He had some interesting comments the other day, saying. “I’m the softest guy in this clubhouse. If it bothered me, I’d be out of the game. I’m soft. … It wasn’t painful. I’m fine. If it was painful, I would have come out.” He was referring to when he was hit by a line drive in the first inning on Monday.

Rick Porcello will make an appearance during the final game of this series on Sunday. Porcello so far this season is  7-2 with a 3.65 ERA. Against Toronto he pitched six innings and allowed just five hits and two runs. The real test begins this weekend, when the Sox can show they are a contender in the American League.

Cassius Marsh: ‘No Fun in New England’

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Cassius Marsh Didn’t like the Drama in New England

Via Niners NationSan Francisco 49ers defensive end Cassius Marsh hated being with the New England Patriots last season. Marsh didn’t even enjoy his time just a little bit with the Patriots. Bill Belichick is known for running a tight ship in New England, and some players like it and others don’t. Even with the recent drama with the team, Belichick is still trying to run a tight and strict operation.

Marsh told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, “They don’t have fun there. There’s nothing fun about it. There’s nothing happy about it. I didn’t enjoy any of my time there, you know what I’m saying? It made me for the first time in my life think about not playing football because I hated it that much.” Marsh also added that he requested to be cut by the Patriots last November.

“I confronted [Bill Belichick] about all the things that were going on. I won’t get into detail, but it was B.S. things they were doing… And so I, basically, without asking to get cut, I kind of asked to get cut… I had confidence that I would have an opportunity elsewhere and I would take advantage of it.”

The Strict Lifestyle in New England Wins Championships

Cassius Marsh, also told Branch, “They asked me to do a bunch of stuff that I had never done: Covering running backs and receivers and basically almost never rushing the passer, which is what I did in playing defensive line.”

After the Patriots released him in November, the 49ers picked him up on waivers. Marsh was upset with the whole Patriots’ operation. Marsh didn’t want to get into the detail of what was going on because it’s already been released. At the end of the day, though, if you don’t like the strict lifestyle of the Patriots, then it’s not the right team for you.