Who Should the Patriots Bring Back to Their Practice Squad?

Roster cuts were yesterday, and there were many surprises including the cut of Marquis Flowers. However, provided they make it through waivers, who should the Patriots re-sign to their practice squad?

Photo Courtesy of Pats Pulpit

QB – Danny Etling

Danny Etling wasn’t spectacular by any means in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Giants besides one amazing 86-yard touchdown run on a read option. The Patriots knew he would be a project when they drafted him. Belichick has given the kid high praise for his work ethic, and the Patriots should definitely continue to groom him.

UPDATE: The Patriots signed Etling to their practice squad.

RB – Ralph Webb

Webb has impressed in the preseason. He can be a nice asset to have if God forbid one of the running backs gets injured.

UPDATE: The Patriots signed Webb to their practice squad.

WR – Riley McCarron

The Patriots really like McCarron. He is a great player to have on a team with only three wide receivers on its active roster. Like Etling, he has a great work ethic and is willing to do anything the team asks of him.

UPDATE: The Patriots signed McCarron to their practice squad.

LB – Harvey Langi

Langi made a splash last year before getting injured. The Patriots really like the kid and will definitely sign him to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

SIDENOTE: The fact that he, along with Eric Lee and Marquis Flowers, was released shows how much the team’s front seven has improved.

UPDATE: The Patriots signed Langi to their practice squad.

DE – Trent Harris

“Toolbox” Trent, as nicknamed by his Miami teammates, isn’t the flashiest player by any means. He has been called too slow and too small to make an impact. He is proving his doubters wrong by making an impact early and often in games. His nickname is what it is because Harris has a variety of moves and a high football IQ to beat defenders. He racked up several sacks over the preseason games and has the ability to play both end and linebacker.

OL – Cole Croston

Croston, like Langi, had made the team last year as an undrafted free agent. He can play every position well and can provide quality depth.

UPDATE: Croston cleared waivers.

Expectations For John Moore And Brandon Carlo

Leave a reply

In less than two months the regular season will begin for the Boston Bruins. Every player will be looking to make an impression before the season starts. Brandon Carlo and John Moore are two players to watch out for. They each have their own reasons for why they will be looking to make their mark early. Those reasons include health and the fact that the Bruins have 8 defenseman under contract for next season. If they struggle then the Bruins will have plenty of replacements to choose from.

Health

Last year Carlo appeared in 76 games after appearing in 82 his rookie season. For the 2nd straight year his season was cut short by a gruesome injury right before the playoffs began. For Carlo, he will be looking to prove that he is healthy. He has been a key player for the Bruins in his young career. In two seasons he has only missed six regular-season games. Carlo struggled last season but was playing his best hockey of the season right before the injury. With the Bruins being so deep defensively Carlo cannot afford another injury. Moore, unlike Carlo, has not had injury problems in his career. Last season he appeared in seventy plus games for the third time in his career. He established himself as one of the Devils’ best young defenseman with free agency approaching. Where he fits in a crowded Bruins defensive group remains to be seen.

Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/ Getty Images

Locks

Of the Bruin’s defenseman only Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy, and Zdeno Chara appear to be locks. This is both a negative and a positive for Moore and Carlo. Moore is also most likely a lock due to his contract but where he plays remains to be seen. The Bruins’ first defensive pair is set with Chara and McAvoy. The second pairing will most likely include Torey Krug but beyond that nothing is a lock. Carlo and Moore will be looking to make their case in camp to be on the second pairing alongside Krug.

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Final Thoughts On Brandon Carlo And John Moore

By giving John Moore a five-year deal, the Bruins showed that they see him in Boston for years to come. His skating ability allows him to contribute on the rush and recover when out of position. His skating ability also allows him to win puck battles by beating opponents to the puck. He has more offensive upside than Carlo which will play to his benefit. Before last season Moore had never seen top-four minutes. How these two play early on will have a big impact on the Bruins’ season. Even though Moore has more offensive upside, Carlo knows the system. He also has played top-four minutes the past two seasons and has shown he can handle it. How Carlo returns from his injury will determine where he starts the season.

One thing is for sure- watching these two make their case will be an interesting storyline early on.

Offensive Lineman: Post-Cut Looks

1 Reply

With the uncertainty of roster cut day behind us, we now turn towards prepping for Week 1. The Patriots are a team that believes in churning the bottom of the roster. The cuts and the signings are all about improving the team. There are several reasons for this. They have certain needs that change from week to week. Players don’t progress as expected. Injuries cause vulnerabilities at various positions. Players become available that the coaching staff views as an upgrade.

With the Texans game coming up in a few short days the coaching staff is working furiously to quickly evaluate all the names that have become available across the NFL. Taking a quick look at the New England roster I noticed one major need. The offensive line has just seven members remaining. Marcus Cannon, Trent Brown and LaAdrian Waddle are the tackles and Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, and Ted Karras fill up the interior. This is slightly thin given past history. The Patriots normally carry 8 on the roster and activate 6 or 7 for game day. An injury or two to this group will compromise the offense and endanger Tom Brady.

The Patriots will undoubtedly seek to get some of their own cuts onto their practice squad. Cole Croston, Matt Tobin and James Ferentz have provided depth in the past and I expect them to get first look at the beginning of the season. The Patriots may be turning towards veterans that are on the free agent market or waiver pickups.

Interior options

This isn’t as pressing of a need as Thuney, Mason and Andrews seem to be healthy and ready to go this season. Ted Karras has been an intriguing option for previous seasons and seems to have the trust of the coaching staff.

Zane Beadles

Zane Beadles – a 6 ft 4 inch veteran entering his 9th season. He has played for the Broncos, Jaguars, and 49ers. Primarily a guard, he has filled in at tackle and that versatility could intrigue the coaching staff. He last played in San Francisco with Trent Brown and could provide some leadership and familiarity.

Travis Swanson – A center/guard player who last played for the NY Jets. He would be an option to provide depth for Andrews. Being a former member of the Jets can only help as well. He is a little lighter at 6 ft 5 in and 312 pounds and has had trouble staying healthy.

Jeremiah Poutasi – Another guard with tackle experience. He is a little younger so they will have to claim him on waivers or sign him if he makes it through. He spent the offseason with the Denver Broncos and is 6 ft 5 and 330 pounds.

Nico Siragusa – One of my favorite prospects in the 2017 draft. The Ravens selected him in the 4th round and he suffered a knee injury in his rookie season. He’s worked his way back and may still need some time but has good speed and movement at 6 ft 4 in and 330 pounds

Tackle options

Austin Howard

Austin Howard – He should be on everyone’s radar, if only to see why he played so poorly. He was a sought after free agent when he signed with the Colts. He is a big guy at 6 ft 7 in and 330 pounds and could provide depth and competition for Waddle.

Antonio Garcia – Perhaps a year away with another team could have renewed the Patriot’s interest in Garcia. The team has been primarily concerned with his health and weight following his cut after his rookie season. New England could reconsider and see if he has improved with a claim.

Cyrus Kouandjio – Still 25 years young despite having 4 seasons under his belt. He was drafted by the Bills in the 2014 draft. He is 6 ft 7 in and 325 pounds. Cyrus could provide some size and speed behind the starters.

Chad Wheeler – Despite being and undrafted free agent and on the smaller side. He managed to play his way onto a bad NY Giants offensive line last season. The 6 ft 7 in Tackle prospect could get looks despite being sub 310 pounds.

With the Patriots coaching staff scouring the roster cuts and waiver wires they will be looking at more than just these names. Hopefully whoever they pick up will be able to help the team this season and beyond. Championship teams are built many ways, and the Patriots have mastered all of them.

All photos courtesy of Getty images unless noted otherwise.

Be sure to check out other great articles for all of your favorite Boston sports teams on Bostonsportsextra.com

Follow me on Twitter @ALykins32
https://mobile.twitter.com/alykins32

Down on the Farm 8/25-8/31

Leave a reply

*Down on the farm is a series in which every weekend, I will be updating you on weekly results from the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA). Also, the Portland Sea Dogs (AA), Salem Red Sox (High A) and Lowell Spinners (class a short season). After every team is recapped, individual stats are posted. Also, I will have a prospect of the week section at the end.

Down on the Farm – Pawtucket Red Sox

The Sox started off the week with an 8-5 win. Chavis and Ockimey went deep while Justin Haley got the win by allowing four runs in six innings. Pawtucket won on Sunday by a score of 8-3. Josh Ockimey hit a home run for the second straight night and Chandler Shepherd allowed no runs over six innings. They won by a score of 4-2 on Monday. Rusney Castillo knocked in a run and William Cuevas allowed two runs over seven innings.

The Sox lost by a score of 9-3 on Wednesday. Mike Miller drove in two runs but Marcus Walden gave up four runs in 1.1 innings. Pawtucket won by a score of 5-3 on Wednesday. The lineup tallied eleven hits and Mike Shawaryn allowed two runs over six innings. On Thursday, they lost by a score of 5-4. The offense left 19 runners on base and Rodriguez Jr gave up the game-winning run in the top of the ninth. Pawtucket closed out the week on Friday with a 3-1 loss. The offense was stagnant and Chandler Shepherd allowed two runs over six innings.

Down on the Farm – Portland Sea Dogs

Portland started off the week with a 4-3 win. Quiroz drove in three runs and Dedgar Jimenez allowed one earned run over six innings. The Sea Dogs won on Sunday by a score of 10-2. Bobby Dalbec knocked in three runs and Daniel McGrath gave up two runs over 5.2 innings. They won by a score of 12-6 on Monday. Jantzen Witte knocked in four runs and Trey Ball got the win in three innings of relief.

On Tuesday, Portland lost by a score of 8-4. Quiroz, De La Guerra, and Matheny went deep but Teddy Stankiewicz allowed five runs in as many innings. The Sea Dogs won by a score of 10-9 on Wednesday. De La Guerra went yard for the second straight day and Matt Kent got the win over five innings. On Thursday, they won by a score of 4-2. The offense was quiet and Cooney allowed two runs over three innings. Portland closed out the week with a 4-1 win on Saturday. Lopez drove in two runs and Jiminez allowed no runs over six innings.

Down on the Farm – Salem Red Sox

Salem started off the week with an 8-2 loss. The offense was stymied and Kevin McAvoy allowed three runs in five innings. The Sox lost again on Sunday by a score of 8-3. CJ Chatham drove in a run but Jake Thompson allowed eight runs over 3.2 innings. On Tuesday they won by a score of 6-5. CJ Chatham recorded four hits and Algenis Martinez got the win in three innings of relief. Salem lost by a score of 9-8 on Tuesday. Osinski hit a home run but Rusconi and Glorius allowed one run in relief to pick up the loss. The Red Sox won by a score of 10-3 on Wednesday. The offense only picked up two hits and McAvoy allowed ten runs over four innings. They closed out the week with an 8-0 loss on Friday. The offense was frustrated and Thompson allowed seven runs over 4.2 innings.

Down on the Farm – Lowell Spinners

The Spinners started off the week with a 4-3 loss in ten innings. Granberg picked up three hits and knocked in a run and Kevin Biondic gave up the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the tenth. On Sunday, Lowell lost by a score of 11-3. Trey Ganns drove in two runs but Thad Ward gave up six runs and record only two outs. On Monday, they lost by a score of 6-1. Williams drove in the lone run and Jose Gonzalez gave up three runs over five innings.

On Tuesday, they won by a score of 7-0. Northcut drove in three runs and Machamer allowed no runs in five innings. On Wednesday, they lost by a score of 7-0. The offense could not do anything and Pantoja allowed two runs over five innings. The Spinners lost by a score of 3-2 on Thursday. Marrero drove in a run but Browning allowed two runs in two innings of relief. The Spinners closed out the week with a 5-0 loss. The offense only recorded two hits and Demchak allowed two runs in 1.1 innings of relief.

Prospects of the week

Tzu Wei Lin, Sam Travis, William Cuevas, Bobby Poyner, and Robby Scott are the prospects of the week. They were all called up because of the roster expansion.

The 2018 NFL Season is a week away

Leave a reply

Patriots Season Begins A Week From Today

Here we go it officially is one week until the start of the 2018 NFL season. The weather will start to get cooler and the smell of football will be in the air. The Patriots and the rest of the NFL cut their roster to 53 yesterday. The Patriots open the season against the Houston Texans next Sunday. The most notable cuts made on Saturday was RB Mike Gillislee, QB Danny Etling, Cyrus Jones, LB Marquis Flowers, RB Brandon Bolden, and WR Riley McCarron. All the drama in the offseason has been pushed aside after Brady and Gronkowski have restructured their contracts. Now it’s all about the actual game itself finally.

Photo Courtesy of USA Today

We’ll see the offense run without Edelman for September

As we look into the regular season we start with this month as Edelman will be out the first four games. Talks of getting a receiver are pretty quiet around New England about adding one. But knowing Belichick you never know what he has up his sleeve. Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarrelle Patterson will have to step it up. Tight end Rob Gronkowski wants to play as much as possible to reach those incentives so he can make his money. Except James White to lead the running back position, along with Rex Burkhead, and rookie Sony Michel when healthy.

Patriots Initial Roster Includes Just 52 Players, Three Full-Time Receivers

Photo Courtesy of NESN

On the defensive side, Jason McCourty seems to have made the team. There was speculation whether or not he would because he played Thursday night in the last preseason game against the Giants. Stephon Gilmore will be the cornerback who had a great training camp this year. Jordan Richards finally is off this team and was traded Friday to the Atlanta Falcons. All of the bad defenders from the Super Bowl are off the team to begin the 2018 season. From Richards who again is on the Falcons to Johnson Bademosi who’s now playing for the Texans.

The Patriots as long as they still have Brady they’ll be good. We’ve been saying that for along time now. Edelman will come back in October ready to go and be a contributor to the offense. I expect Sony Michel when he is healthy to be a full force in the running game. Coming out of college he was being compared to Dion Lewis I’d like to see him be explosive out of the gate for the Patriots. Overall it should be a fun exciting year and another division win. A first-round bye and a chance at another Super Bowl.

Countdown to Celtics Tipoff: 44 Days

Leave a reply

Welcome Back to the Celtics Season Tipoff Countdown!

Each day, we’ll give a review of news surrounding the Celtics. We’ll also look back in history to see what happened on today’s date in team history (September 2nd). To round out the day’s post, we’ll give you stats and fun facts related to the number of days remaining before the first game (44 today). Let’s get to it!

Recent Team News

Terry Rozier made headlines yesterday when his name was mentioned in Phoenix Suns trade rumors. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports’ 98.7 Radio Show, Rozier was targeted by the Suns to fill their starting point guard role. The Suns struck out and, at least for the time being, Scary Terry remains in Celtic green.

2K Sports released their NBA 2k19 player ratings, and boy were they fans of the Celtics this year! Here is a quick rundown of the ratings for the starting 5:
• Kyrie Irving- 93
• Gordon Hayward- 88
• Jayson Tatum- 87
• Al Horford- 86
• Jaylen Brown- 84

The most notable rating on this list has got to be Tatum’s. The 20-year-old just polished off a phenomenal rookie campaign, but many feel that an 87 overall rating is still a tad high for such a young prospect. Then again, Tatum could blow the doors off of these expectations and elevate his game to a whole new level.

On This Date

September 1st, 2017: Kyrie Irving gives his first Celtics jersey to his father after being officially announced a Boston Celtic. Check out the video below!

"Thank you Dad" – @KyrieIrving as he hands his Dad his first Celtics jersey https://t.co/H43fQiXoQS

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 1, 2017

Stats (2017-18)

Image Courtesy of The Athletic

Marcus Smart finished the 2017-18 regular season with a 44% AFG. Affective Field Goal Percentage basketball accounts for the added point the three-point basket provides. Though teams generally shoot a lower percentage in a traditional sense, this provides a more accurate description of the number of points a team will score by upwardly adjusting the FG% on those baskets to account for the added point, and downwardly adjusting the 3-point basket to two points… more or less. It provides 1 number that describes all baskets.

Fun Facts

Jersey number 44 is a particularly famous one in Celtics history. It has been worn by 11 different players in the history of the franchise. Danny Ainge, Pete Maravich, Rick Fox, and Brian Scalabrine are some of the more notable players on the list. The most recent player to don 44 for the C’s was Tyler Zeller in the 2016-17 season.

That concludes today’s Countdown to Celtics Tipoff. Make sure to be back here tomorrow as the clock continues to tick towards the 2018-19 season!

Top Five September Call-Ups in Red Sox History

Leave a reply

September first; the day rosters expand. Today the Red Sox called several players up from the minor leagues to join the club for the final month. It is yet to be seen if any of them will make a big impact, or even be used much at all. Sometimes the call-ups get a lot of playing time, and some even have a big impact on the team down the stretch. In choosing the top five September call-ups in Red Sox history, I combine how well the player did in that final month with the impact they had on the club. I do not factor in future production, only what they did in the September they were called up.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was first called up at the tail end of June, 2007. He only made five starts before being sent back down. After spending just one day in August with the big club, Ellsbury was called back up when rosters expanded on September 1st. From that point forward, Ellsbury was a regular starter for the club despite them being in first place. During the final month, Ellsbury batted .361 with three home runs and drove in 17 runs. He was also a perfect eight for eight stealing bases.

With his stellar performance down the stretch, Ellsbury made the postseason roster despite not even having enough at-bats to remove his rookie status for 2008. Ellsbury appeared in 11 games that postseason, including all four in the World Series where he went 7-16 at the plate. Ellsbury drew two walks, doubled four times and stole a base during the World Series against the Rockies.

Jacoby Ellsbury at the 2007 World Series Parade. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Fred Lynn

The second half of the “Gold Dust Twins” was a September call-up in 1974, coming up a couple weeks after Jim Rice. Lynn got up to the plate 51 times that September and showed the fan base what was to come. Lynn had six multi-hit games, including a four hit performance against the Tigers that September. He batted .419/.490/.698/1.188 down the stretch, homering twice and driving in 10 runs.

Rudy Pemberton

Pemberton is not as well known as the others listed. By the 1996 season he was already 26 years old when he got the call. Pemberton raked after being called up in September of that season. Pemberton had logged 30 at-bats with the Tigers in the spring of 1995 before being sent down. The Red Sox acquired him early in 1996 and he batted .326 with 27 home runs and 92 runs batted in for Pawtucket. Pemberton continued to thrive, picking up 21 base hits in 41 at-bats for a .512 batting average! Pemberton homered, drove in 10 runs and posted a 1.336 OPS.

Despite his performance, Pemberton got off to a slow start in 1997 and wound up in Japan. He spent most of the rest of his career playing foreign baseball.

Dwayne Hosey

Dwayne Hosey is a similar one to Rudy Pemberton. Hosey was already 28 years old when the Red Sox gave him his first shot in the big leagues in September of 1995. Hosey had generally put up solid numbers in the minors but had never been given a chance. In 1994 Hosey batted .333 with 27 home runs and 27 stolen bases for the Omaha Royals in AAA, but was never called up.

The Red Sox acquired Hosey on August 31, 1995 after a season down in AAA for the Royals and put him on their big league club. Hosey played a bunch for the division winners, accumulating 68 at-bats that September. He batted .338 with 3 home runs and was a perfect six for six on the basepaths. Unfortunately, he was 0-12 with two walks in their postseason series with the Indians, but he had performed well enough to start in the postseason for the club.

Clay Buchholz

How can you leave off a guy who threw a no-hitter? Buchholz had made a start on August 17th, but was sent back to the minors until rosters expanded. On September 1st, 2007, Buchholz no-hit the Baltimore Orioles, striking out nine and walking three. That alone earns him consideration. He made two more appearances that September, one in relief and one more start. He finished that September with a 2-1 record, a 0.54 ERA and .113 opponent batting average.

Jason Varitek lifts Clay Buchholz after his no-hitter on September 1, 2007.

Honorable Mentions:

Mike Greenwell, Xander Bogaerts, Austin Maddox, Carlton Fisk, Scott Cooper, Ted Cox, Nomar Garciaparra

The Red Sox Bullpen Feels Shaky. Does it Matter?

1 Reply

Baseball’s waiver trade deadline passed yesterday, without so much as a peep from the top team in the majors. Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox chose to roll with the guys in the clubhouse, despite two other AL rivals (New York and Cleveland) making moves to bring in former MVPs and despite calls across their fan base to improve the bullpen.

Those desperate cries have rang out all season long. As it turns out, fans aren’t feeling too comfortable at the thought of Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, or Heath Hembree entering the 8th inning of a Game 7. Dombrowski’s reputation of building star-studded teams without reliable relievers doesn’t help matters either.

But just how shaky is Boston’s ‘pen? Is having a group of dominant relievers really so important in October? Let’s do a bit of digging to find out.

Red Sox Bullpen: Actually Good?

Photo Credit: AP Photo / Charles Krupa

For starters, the idea that the Red Sox bullpen has struggled this season is more perception than reality. There may not be a ton of big names and former closers like there are with the Yankees and Indians. That being said- the Sox’s relievers have generally been up to the task.

Boston currently ranks 6th in the majors in reliever ERA this season (4th in the AL). The five teams ahead of them also happen to be teams currently slated for a playoff spot. The aforementioned Indians, despite trading for the Padres’ Brad Hand earlier this summer and having Cody Allen and Andrew Miller in the mix, rank 26th in the league in bullpen ERA.

The Sox also rate favorably in FIP (5th in the majors, 3rd amongst playoff teams). Their bullpen’s 4.5 fWAR ranks 7th in baseball, even though their relievers have thrown only 461 innings this season (19th most). In other words, Boston’s ‘pen has provided enough value to rank in the top 25% of teams, despite appearing in fewer innings than every team ahead of them for the exception of Houston.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they’ve been perfect. Far from it in fact. Two troubling peripherals: the Red Sox rank 18th in reliever BB/9 (3.65) and 4th in strand rate (78.4%). Giving up free passes in high-leverage situations is playing with fire, especially in October. A high strand rate means that Boston has done well at putting out those fires. But, that luck can turn in a hurry.

Bullpen Matters

CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 12: Joe Kelly #56 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the third inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 12, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

All of this is to say that the Red Sox bullpen has been overall perfectly acceptable, if not dominant. The good news? Having a great regular season bullpen isn’t necessarily a predictor for postseason success, especially if you excel in other areas like Boston does.

The defending World Series champion Astros ranked 17th in baseball with a 4.27 bullpen ERA last year, yet still won 101 games. That was thanks in large part to their league-leading offense and strong starting pitching. The team they beat for the title last year, the Dodgers, ranked 4th in bullpen ERA. Both finished behind the Red Sox, whose 3.15 reliever ERA was good for 2nd best in baseball.

Here’s where the other previous six pennant winners ranked in bullpen ERA:

2016: Cubs 8th, Indians 4th

2015: Royals 2nd, Mets 11th

2014: Giants 5th, Royals 10th

Of the last eight World Series participants, four finished in the top five. Only last year’s Astros finished outside of the top half of the league. The Royals, who started this craze with their three-headed monster of Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, and Greg Holland, finished 2nd in 2015. Their bullpen effectively functioned as the team’s greatest asset, compensating for a weak rotation and unconventional lineup. It was essentially the inverse of what the ’17 Astros lineup did for their relievers.

It’s perfectly fair to critique Dombrowski for not finding a better option at either trade deadline. It certainly would have been nice to supplement Craig Kimbrel at the end of games. Ultimately, it might not matter if the Red Sox bullpen is merely above average instead of dominant. Having a killer set of relievers helps come playoff time. However, it’s not necessarily more important than timely hitting, strong starting pitching, and major contributions from stars.

Thus far, it appears Red Sox management is betting on that being the case.

Rob Gronkowski will be a Patriot as long as Tom Brady is quarterback

Leave a reply

Rob Gronkowski getting money added to his contract

Rob Gronkowski’s new deal is a lot like Brady’s. It’s all performance based for the tight end. The Patriots added $4.3 million to his contract this season. It gives him $1 million per game and $3.3 million in incentives. The total amount of his deal is now $13.05 million according to Adam Schefter. Gronkowski has been seeking a new contract since the start of training camp last season. He was also contemplating retirement in the offseason. Once he found out Tom Brady was coming back and he got a talking too by Bill Belichick he was a full go for the 2018 season.

Gronkowski wants to win championships but he also wants his money too. As Danny Amendola said- the Patriots aren’t known for playing their players. But if you want to win New England is the place to be. Like Brady, Gronkowski’s contract had no years added. Gronkowski is year to year. However, Brady’s contract is up at the end of the 2019 season. If Brady walks at the end of his contract you might see Gronkowski either retire or play somewhere else. Gronkowski’s contract is also up at the end of the 2019 season. Gronkowski will be 30 by the end of the season. The tight end wants to be on a winning team with a great quarterback, and with the Patriots he can get both.

Health is key

If he meets all the incentives he will become the highest paid tight end in the NFL. Gronkowski deserves it but he has to stay on the field. Gronkowski is so injury prone but the team really needs him healthy for the entirety of the season. If he remains on the field he’ll make the money. Same goes for Brady if he plays at a high level. With Brady skipping the offseason voluntary workouts the Patriots were questioning his commitment to the team. We could be seeing a completely different team in 2020.

The Celtics and Warriors go toe to toe in 2k19’s Player Ratings

Leave a reply

The two juggernauts could go to battle in the finals this season. Let’s see how 2k19 rated these star studded rosters.

Both Golden State and Boston enter this season with sizeable expectations. How will these rosters look in video game form you ask? No need to fear, as 2k19 has officially released team rosters for all 30 teams. While the team overall ratings have not yet been released, we can speculate those rankings fairly easily. But i’ll leave that open for interpretation.

Ratings for Golden State

Kevin Durant sf, 97
Stephen Curry pg, 95
Demarcus Cousins c, 90
Klay Thompson sg, 89
Draymond Green pf, 87
Andre Iguodala sf, 77
Jordan Bell pf, 76
Jonas Jerebko pf,76
Shaun Livingston pg, 75
Quinn Cook pg, 75
Nick Young sf, 74
Patrick McCaw sg, 73
Kevon Looney pf,71
Damian Jones c,70
Chris Boucher pf,69

Golden State’s Takeaways

Demarcus Cousins receiving a 90 overall after missing almost two-thirds of last season comes as a bit of a surprise. What’s an even bigger surprise is the fact that he received a higher ranking than Klay Thompson. A pleasant surprise is the rankings of Jordan Bell and Kevin Durant. While many thought of Durant as a 99 overall talent, he still ranks in the top 5 again in this edition. Bell is a unique player that will develop over time. Fans could expect his overall to only rise from here.

Celtics lineup ratings

Kyrie Irving pg, 93
Gordon Hayward sf,88
Jayson Tatum sf, 87
Al Horford c, 88
Jaylen Brown sf, 84
Marcus Smart pg, 80
Marcus Morris pf, 78
Terry Rozier pg, 78
Aron Baynes c,75
Shane Larkin pg, 70
Daniel Theis c, 70
Guerschon Yabusele pf, 69
Semi Ojeleye pf, 68
Kadeem Allen sg, 68
Jabari Bird sg, 67
Robert Williams c, not yet rated

Boston’s Takeaways

Although Boston’s roster is lower ranked that Golden State, this team still looks impressive. One point to mention- Shane Larkin is on the 2k roster, but has signed overseas during the offseason. While Al and Theis look a little underrated, the rating will adjust throughout the season thanks to the various amounts of game updates. While it is undetermined as of now, the rating for Robert Williams will be interesting to watch. Kyrie comes in as the 2nd highest rated point guard in the league behind Curry, and Jayson Tatum got a very favorable 87 overall after just one season. Brown rounds out the top 5 on the C’s frontline with an 84, but that number could easily rise by mid-season.

Conclusion

While we cannot debate a potential match-up off of a video game ratings list, we can have fun playing it. This is one of the few variables that you can control in the palm of your hands. So enjoy 2k19 when it comes out, but do remember it is a video game. Let’s keep Jacksonville in our hearts as we play these competitive games in the future.

All ratings and info were received from 2kratings.com