Monday Rodney Harrison will be inducted into the Patriots HOF. But right now it seems like the color of the jacket is the main topic.
Recently Ty Law, who is about to go into the Pro Football HOF, talked about Patriot players from the early 2000’s being overlooked. He may be right. But when you take a hard look there may not be many to follow him.
Here’s Ty Laws take on The HOF
Ty Law was a great player and is well deserving of the gold jacket, and he thinks there is a reason for the lack of Patriot players: The media. Ty said “It’s like we are looked at as a team, that’s it…Like there’s no players worthy of the HOF, at least from the media perspective, when it comes to the Patriots. It’s Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and everybody else, you know what I mean?”
Law isn’t completely wrong about this. Nationally, when it comes to the Patriots dominance, it comes down to the HC and QB. The Patriots machine has kept rolling for two decades, and the two constants have been Tom and Bill. That doesn’t mean Law thinks any less of his old teammate and coach. He blames the media. “You pretty much know, Tom Brady is the Greatest of all time,” Law said. “There’s no doubt about that. There’s no question about Coach Belichick. When you hear about our team, it was like to me, we have a hell of a lot of players out there who can play. You can’t do it with just two guys.”
Rodney agrees with Law
Harrison expanded on Law’s thoughts about the Patriot prejudice in the media. He talked about Patriots fatigue, and anti Patriots bias in the HOF.
“People don’t think we have ballers.” Rodney says “Ty Law was the greatest defensive back I’ve ever played with. He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest, Troy Brown, Kevin Faulk, these were bad, bad dudes. They weren’t just system guys.”
He added to Law’s thoughts on Bill and Tom, and how the media gives them all of the credit. “People don’t want to elevate us, or recognize, or acknowledge how great we are, because they’re such haters. Everywhere I go, people hate on the Patriots. So we don’t get credit. All I hear is Tom and Bill. But that’s such a lazy analysis. They don’t see what a team really is, and that’s really frustrating because a lot of guys get cheated and don’t really get the recognition they deserve.”
Tomorrow I’m hoping to get more from Rodney as he receives his red jacket
Harrison came to New England as Bill Belichick sent Lawyer Milloy to the Bills. The team didn’t like the move one bit. But once they saw Rodney’s work ethic and leadership he was quickly embraced as a captain. Tomorrow afternoon Harrison will be inducted to the Patriots HOF, and he seems to be happier than anyone before him going in. We will have you covered with the ceremony and behind the scenes interviews you can only find here. I will do my best to see who Rodney thinks is next in line for a Gold jacket.
Monday in Gillette stadium at 4:30, it’s free to the public. Rodney Harrison will be recognized and celebrated for his amazing career as a Patriot. So come on out, or you can wait to see everything in tomorrow’s article. You’ll only get to see the behind the scenes action right here, so make sure to check it out. Let’s Go Patriots!
The best way to succeed in life is through hard work and determination. The Brady difference as I like to call it, is what sets him apart from any other QB in the NFL. Brady’s quickly approaching his 42nd birthday in August, but if you didn’t know this you’d think he was in his 30’s.
The soon to be 42 year old will do anything it takes to improve his game. He’s looking faster and stronger in 2019 which shows his dedication and commitment. His critics will say he doesn’t have a strong arm, one even going as far to call it a wet noodle. Hi Max! Brady took to his Instagram account to fire back at the known troll.
Tom Brady hitting 61 mph on the radar gun would be the second fastest since the NFL started recording it at the Scouting Combine in 2008 (first place: Josh Allen at 62 mph in 2018). Brady still has a rifle when he needs it. pic.twitter.com/gzN8oasSRR
The Caption Brady had on his post read, “He’s gonna fall off a Cliff” along with ? ? emojis.
It’s safe to say he’s still using everything negative he’s ever heard as fuel to his fire. The Brady difference at its finest.
Tom Brady’s Leadership is Incredible like usual
After winning a Super Bowl as a 41 year old, Tom is showing everyone what a true leader looks like. Josh Gordon is trying to get back on the field in time for training camp. Brady wanted to make sure he knew the team still has his back and got him to come out and throw the ball around.
“Brady to Gordon” Hoping to hear that all season Brady isn’t just having Gordon catching footballs. The two have been going out to dinner and spending time together like true friends.
Gordon isn’t the only player Brady’s been working out with, his pal Edelman has been catching passes with other teammates. Baron Davis was spotted with Brady too, and he’s got great hands according to Tom.
Tom’s not just doing all of these things for fun either. He wouldn’t admit it but he wants the Patriots to break the tie with Pittsburgh for SB wins. Great leaders don’t care about personal achievements. For Brady it doesn’t matter what his stats are as long as the Patriots get the win.
Brady doesn’t pad his stats and will gladly hand the ball off at the 5 yard line. After Brady’s incredible throw to Gronk in the Super Bowl to get to the 5 yard line he did the smart thing and handed it off. Most QBs would want that TD pass, that’s the difference. “The Brady Difference.”
St Louis drafted David Backes in the second round of the 2003 NHL entry draft. In 2008 the Blues completed their first full season with Backes. Backes played with the Blues for ten seasons. As result of exceptional leadership Backes was team captain for five of those years. St. Louis Fans absolutely considered Backes a crowd favorite. He played a crucial part in the Blues making the playoffs in six of his ten years there. After no championship in ten seasons, or even making it to a cup final, Backes decided to turn a new leaf.
In 2016 David Backes signed a five year contract with the Boston Bruins. After three seasons with the Bruins, and a so far successful run in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, a very interesting situation has come as a result; The Boston Bruins are playing the St. Louis Blues in a Stanley Cup Final, winner take all game seven on Wednesday night.
Leader on and off the ice
Backes is seen by some as the bad guy given that he plays with quite the amount of grit, in other words, he’s not always a crowd favorite. Presenting himself in a good manor is something David Backes does very well. He’s highly active in animal rescue and animal adoption efforts. Those efforts have resulted in starting his own organization that raises funds and awareness for protecting homeless pets. Who doesn’t like a guy that saves animals? But presently Backes’ game results in him being quite dog himself. Backes isn’t the type of guy to be a crowd favorite for the fans of opposing teams. After taking on the enforcer roll, Backes is a thorn in the side of opposing players now even more so.
Feeling Blue?
Having to play the Blues in the Cup does have Backes a little torn. He even wishes the Bruins and Blues could take turns winning the cup. As a result of playing former friends and coaches for the cup, they’ve all given the cold shoulder until after the series according to Backes, therefore game seven will be open season. Given that David Backes still roots for the Blues, even as a member of the Boston Bruins, he isn’t in a lose – lose situation.I
Certainly hoping to hoist the cup himself with the Bruins, I think its easy to tell now that even if the game results in the Blues win the cup on Wednesday night there’s a little piece of David Backes that will be filled with joy, seeing his former teammates, coaches, fans, and even some close friends hoist the Stanley Cup.
Rob Gronkowski held his 7th annual Citi, Pro Camp for kids. Helping the Boston food bank along with the kids who all brought food for a great cause.
Gronk was his usual happy self on the first day of his camp this year. The future HOF TE was running around playing quarterback, catching passes and teaching kids the importance of teamwork. He’s a great role model and it showed all day.
Everyone Including 800 Children had the same question for Gronk
The Patriots could surely use his services on the football field, but for now he is enjoying retirement. Rob is helping out in the community like he’s always done in the past.
This year the whole Gronkowski gang was out participating and having a blast. The event along with the kids brought in over 6,500 food items for the Greater Boston Food Bank.
Over 6500 items of food for the Greater a Boston Food Bank. (Mike Quilty)
Gronk taking a bow (Mike Quilty)
The greatest TE I’ve ever seen is just as clutch when it comes to the community as his catches were this postseason and Super Bowl.
Gronkowski could potentially come back to the Patriots at some point this upcoming season. The decision will probably be unexpected and a surprise.
The TE had one amazing surprise for two of the Pro Camp participants, what a class act.
Gronkowski always knows how to make someone smile, whether he’s off the field continuing his charities, or suiting up for the Patriots at some point in 2019.
The decision to retire is respected by everyone, but some of his ex teammates said they know he can still play and wouldn’t be surprised by a return. Gronk is going to be Gronk whatever he decides to do, he’s a Champion on and off the field.
Thank you to the Gronkowski’s, Rob in particular and everyone involved in a winning Saturday.
Another year, another Tom Brady “controversy”. This one led to New York Mets fans losing their minds. The issue for the easily outraged was over a nickname.
Tom received massive blowback due to Brady’s marketing team filing for the trademark “Tom Terrific”.
Baseball HOF pitcher Tom Seaver was known by fans as Tom Terrific and were not happy hearing about Brady’s plan. The fact this really took place is pure comedy.
Tom Brady’s jersey is in the trash with beans on it.
The owner here says they used some black beans because Brady is a “black spot” on NYC. pic.twitter.com/XBLwRdcJaB
Brady Spoke on the situation at his press conference today
Brady’s first press conference of the 2019 season had many asking about this entire debacle. “It’s unfortunate” Brady said, adding “I was actually trying to do something because I didn’t like the nickname and I wanted to make sure no one used it because some people wanted to use it.”
Brady Said he learned a good lesson…
The quarterback went into more detail saying, “I was only trying to keep people from using it, and then it got spun around into something different than what it actually was.” Why this is such a big deal in my opinion is obvious, it’s only because it’s Tom Brady. Any other athlete named Tom who decided to do this, none of this nonsense would’ve been news.
The fact Brady is speaking about this at his press conference is silly to me. Telling reporters “it was a good lesson learned, and I’ll try to do things differently in the future.”
TB12 has already said he hates being called the GOAT and expanded on people praising him in general
Continuing to explain himself to reporters Brady went on saying “I don’t like when people give me too many nice compliments, especially that. It wasn’t something I was trying to do out of any disrespect, ill manner, or anything like that.”
Anyone with a brain already knew that Brady wasn’t being disrespectful to the baseball legend, let’s hope this story is over.
This is one of the most ignorant theories used to discredit Brady’s greatness. Another lazy and tired take. Here’s my rebuttal to the haters who claim Brady’s only good against bad teams.
“Well Brady’s Success is due to the AFC East”
The AFC “Least”- Not quite true
The AFC East is thought to be the worst and most dysfunctional division in the NFL. Believed by many as the reason Brady and the Patriots are any good. My question is, are these teams really that awful and dysfunctional, or do the Patriots make them look that way? Using stats it shows that if you remove each division winner from each division, the AFC “Least” has the highest win percentage in the NFL (.457). Looks like that theory holds no weight.
“But Brady wouldn’t thrive in ANY other division!”
Once again the Tom Brady difference shows otherwise. Brady’s win % in every division proves the haters wrong. Let’s take a look.
Here’s the AFC win percentages. AFCE: 79% AFCN: 81% AFCS: 79% and 65% in the AFCW.
Here’s the NFC win percentages. NFCE: 81% NFCN: 85% NFCS: 75% and the NFCW: 67%
So Brady Vs NFC teams is 76% and 77% against the AFC. Another theory debunked, Tom Brady would be a dominant QB anywhere he played. Case closed.
“Yeah But he Needs to Deflate Footballs to win!”
The proof that Deflategate never happened will be In part 3 of this ‘Brady Difference’ Article. Science, math and evidence will be used, along with studies from the top scientists in the country. They’ve debunked the witch hunt called “Deflategate”
That being said, let’s see what’s happened since the second half of the famous AFC championship game. The footballs were inflated to regulation regarding PSI, and Tom Brady went off on the Colts in route to SB49 against the Seahawks. Two weeks of insanity ensued and the NFL had the game balls under lock and key.
Since The Second half Tom Brady has played the best football of his career, weird huh? With regulation footballs all Brady has done is Win three Super Bowls, two SB MVPs, broke the passing record and then broke his own twice! He was also League MVP, selected to two All Pro’s, 4x Pro Bowl selections, and led the league in passing yards and touchdowns. His record since then is 47-13 with 125 TDs, four SB appearances and three straight trips to the big game. The haters will say he gained an unfair advantage, his stats show he’s only gotten better while being under a microscope.
How about a couple HOF QBs having Brady’s back. Joe Montana’ “It’s a stupid thing to even be talking about because they shouldn’t have the rule anyway.”
Dan Marino said “Every quarterback that has ever played the position understands that getting the footballs the way you like them before a game is part of the game. I mean I did it for years, Jim Kelly up in Buffalo did it, Tom’s doing it, Peyton Manning did it.” There was no unfair advantage at any point.
“Brady Doesn’t Have Any Individual records”
This is the Strangest thing I’ve seen from Brady Haters, so here’s a short list, just to show how nuts people get when talking about the GOAT.
Don’t forget about the 25 point comeback
“Brady Is the check down king”
There is this misconception that Brady doesn’t throw passes further than 5 yards. The problem with this theory is that Brady is 19th in the NFL throwing short passes. His 35.28% of short pass plays is better than quarterbacks like Big Ben, Luck, Ryan, Mahomes and the “Greatest” ever Aaron Rodgers.
The quarterback with the “most talent” Aaron Rodgers, who’s compared to Brady for reasons I don’t understand, throws short more than Tom.
Part 3 will include “Rodgers is better than Brady”, “The science behind Deflategate”, and much more. Feel free to give me any nonsense you’ve heard about Brady and we can put it on the list for the Haters.
Tom Brady theory’s or “myths” claiming he’s not a great QB make me laugh, so I’ve compiled the first edition of Tom vs Truth. I am a fan, yet I am using facts to end these ridiculous claims.
They Love you Until they Don’t
Once upon a time Tom Brady was America’s golden child, beating the greatest show on turf put him on the map. Fast forward to the present day and many things have changed. Six Super Bowl wins, multiple MVPs and a supermodel wife has had the country turned against the GOAT. Let’s start with these theory’s about TB12.
“Tom Is A Product of the Patriots System”
Haters across the country can’t stop calling Brady a system QB. While every team has a system, and 3/4s of the teams using the same style. Why aren’t they playing in February? The answer is Tom Brady. We know his skill, so let’s look deeper. Brady has had numerous Offensive Coordinators. In the beginning it was Charlie Weiss. Charlie’s offenses in NY and NE before Tom Brady were ranked 12th, 5th, 19th and 25th. Compare those numbers with a very green, backup QB in Tom Brady. Charlie’s 4 years with Tom his offenses ranked 6th, 10th, 12th and 4th. This is what I call the Brady difference. Weiss left after 4 years with Brady to coach Notre Dame, ending with a record of 41-49.
McDaniels Makes Brady
Josh McDaniels makes Tom Brady Great. Well no, not at all. He has had success with Tom just like Weiss, but without Brady his numbers declined drastically. Working with Brady, Josh McDaniels offenses have been incredible. The worst those two finished was 10th in points and 11th in yards. Every other season with Brady, New England’s Offense was ranked top 3 in points, with one top 5 finish. McDaniels in St.Louis and Denver running the same system, ranked 20th, 19th and dead last at 32nd. (Brady Difference.)
Bill O’Brien in 2011 must’ve been the reason Brady and the offense was 3rd in points scored right? I don’t think so, since leaving the Pats O’Brien’s offenses in points scored rank 14th, 21st, 28th, 17th and 11th. Quite the drop off without Brady under Center. So if you say “System QB”, I say it’s the Brady difference.
Well What About Bill Belichick? “He makes Tom Brady”
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick stands alone as the greatest HC, he must be why Brady’s so great
First let me say that while Bill is the best coach of all time, that didn’t really start until Brady came into the mix. In Cleveland Bill went 35-55, along with 5-11 his first year in NE without Tom. There’s that Tom Brady difference again.
2008 Same Team No Brady
But Matt Cassel went 11-5 when Brady was hurt
This argument often made by haters really grinds my gears: “If Brady is so good then how did Matt Cassel go 11-5?”
Well let’s break it down. The 2007 and 2008 teams had the same roster minus Donte Stallworth on offense. In 2007 Tom Brady and his offense set records for TDs, Rec TDs and points scored. The team went 18-0 only to lose the SB just missing the perfect season. The 2007 offense with Tom had a 315 point differential, compared to Cassel’s team dropping 214 points all the way down to a 101 point differential. So the same team, with different QBs went from the best offense ever, to average and missing the playoffs.
2007 Brady- 4,806 yards, 50 TD/8 INTs with a 117 Passer rating along with MVP honors.
2008 Cassel- 3,693 yards, 21 TD/11 INTs with an 89 passer rating with the same offense. (Brady Difference)
In 2010 Matt Cassel made the playoffs and the Pro Bowl with KC. He was no stiff, throwing 27 TDs to just 7 INTs, which was the second best ratio in the league that year. Who could’ve been number 1 I wonder? Tom Brady of course, as he won the only unanimous MVP in league history. Sorry to say again but the Brady Difference is quite obvious in this popular theory among haters.
“Tom Isn’t Good without a Great Defense”
The Patriots had a very good defense in Tom’s early years, and certainly was a huge factor in the first 3 Super Bowls. People say Brady was carried by his defenses, which is not the case. From 2001-2004, with Brady coming in as a backup, he put together 10 4th quarter comebacks and 15 game winning drives. The numbers seem to show he did his part and then some, but that’s not what the haters want you to think.
Brady led the NFL in TD passes in 2002, so it’s not a reach at all to say the Patriots may have not won those Super Bowls without Tom Brady. For example, in Super Bowl 38 the Pats defense gave up 29 points to the Panthers. A young QB named Tom Brady going up against a fierce defense threw for 354 yards, 3 TDs and his second clutch SB game winning drive. Without Brady things could’ve been a lot different that day.
Jumping ahead to Patriots Defenses that weren’t as talented. The four year stretch from 2010-2013, New England’s defense was never better than 25th in total yards allowed. But again Brady in 2010 won MVP and got the #1 seed. 2011 the Pats were back in the Super Bowl despite being 31st in yards against, and that’s due to Tom Brady. In 2012 and 2013, Brady and the Pats went back to the AFC Championship but lost. Some people think going as far as possible in sports and losing is worse than not making the championship game at all. Ridiculous.
In 2017 the defense was ranked 29th. Brady and the offense once again were back in the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick shocked Pats nation by benching Malcolm Butler. The defense got shredded by a backup QB, giving up 41 points. Even in defeat Brady put up historic numbers, throwing for 505 yards with 3 TDs with no INTs.
My conclusion on this theory about his Defenses is that Brady always has done his part to win games and make it to the AFC Championship or Super Bowl. I don’t see him being carried by anything, like the haters do. Another interesting stat: In 17 seasons the Pats Defense was statistically better than the offense only 3 times. In 9 of those 17 seasons with Brady as the starter, the defense was ranked 20th or worse in yards allowed. Defensive “myth” shut down with facts.
“Joe Montana Never Lost in the Super Bowl”
Key Number here is 4
The debate over Montana and Brady has many factors. Joe Montana was the Greatest ever in my eyes, up until Brady’s comeback in Super Bowl 49 against the Seahawks. Since Brady tied Montana with 4 Super Bowl wins, he has gone to 3 straight Super Bowls and won 2. The real crime here is the loss to the eagles. Brady had the best Super Bowl performance of all time.
Some people say Brady can’t be better than Montana because Joe cool never lost in his 4 chances. The fact of the matter is that every athlete would tell you getting to the Championship and losing is better than not making it there at all. As we all know, Brady’s been to 9 Super Bowls with 6 wins. Let’s not forget the amount of Hall Of Fame players Montana had on both sides of the ball. He also had a coach in Bill Walsh who came up with an offense no one had ever seen before. It took years for teams to adjust to this new style of football, a great coach and system that Montana thrived in.
Brady on the other hand did not, and still doesn’t have anywhere close to the number of Hall Of Fame players Joe had. The comebacks alone in Super Bowls favor Brady, having 6 in 6 wins. And did his part in the losses too, by getting the lead, only for the defense to break at the end.
Montana has been bounced twice in the divisional round, twice in the Wild Card and three times in the NFC Championship. Montana in 11 seasons has gone one and done in the playoffs 4 times.
The GOAT Tom Brady in 16 playoff runs is 13-2 in the divisional round, 2-1 in the WC round and 9-4 in the AFC Championship. Brady in 16 seasons has gone one and done just twice in the playoffs.
Is 4-0 better than 6-3 in the Super Bowl? If you’ve never played sports then maybe you’d say yes. The ultimate goal of any athlete is to go as far as you can. That is something Brady’s done better than Montana. Doing so with less talent, an offense that has been seen before (unlike the 49ers), all while getting better with age. Brady wins this round, the numbers don’t lie.
“Montana Played in a Tougher and Better Era”
Again, not taking anything away from Joe Montana, I’m just telling it how it is. Sure the rules for QBs have changed over the years, but Brady played in a tough era of football himself. Rule changes to help offenses didn’t make an ounce of a difference until 2011. QB numbers didn’t go up or benefit Brady for an entire decade. From 2000-2011 only two players had a season with great numbers, Brady in 2007 and Manning in 2004. Since 2011 pretty much every QBs numbers are inflated like never before.
Defining the toughness of different eras contains a few different things:
Free Agency -Montana played when teams didn’t change and Hall Of Fame players typically stayed together. Brady has had a revolving door of players throughout his entire career, mostly castaways who were turned into Champions.
Defensive players -Tom Brady has played and shredded some of the best defenders and all time defensive units and coaches. The 2000 Steelers and Ravens, 2003 Buccaneers, The LOB Seahawks were no match in the Super Bowl, 2015 Broncos, 2017 Jags, the two Giants Super Bowl teams and the 2018 Rams. Just think of the players on those teams, and how if it weren’t for Brady most of them would have Super Bowl rings.
Geography – Joe Montana Played in a sunny warm climate, while Brady’s been playing in the Northeast. Freezing temperatures, snow and rain in a division where he plays in Boston and New York. No problem for #12.
This is the first of my 3 part Myth Busting Brady Hate. Next up will be topics like “The AFC Least”, “Deflategate, “Brady has no records” and my personal favorite: QBs like Rodgers, Marino, Brees and Manning being on Tom Brady’s level. Starting to feel like I’m writing a book, so these next topics plus more will be coming out soon. Hope you Pats fans can use some of these facts when arguing with Brady hating friends.
The N.E Patriots are embracing all the hate, jealousy and disrespect. Most people growing up were taught a simple lesson at an early age: be careful what you wish for. The NFL and many media outlets have been wishing for the demise of the Patriots. New England has heard it all, and are happy to be the bad guys. The hate toward this team is nothing new, but this year the Patriots are embracing all of the talk and are using it as fuel toward Atlanta.
The Players Are Loving The Hate
Devin McCourty, Tom Brady and Julian Edelman are hearing the outside noise and using it for motivation
The Patriots have heard it all throughout this run of dominance, but have always kept quiet until now. Tom Brady was the first player to express this team’s new attitude. “You know everyone thinks we suck and we can’t win any games, so we’ll see. Should be fun,” Brady told CBS’s Tracy Wolfson. This came right after the Patriots dismantled the Chargers. The quote was a bit surprising to hear, it was not the usual “Patriot Way” response to a question. Devin McCourty followed suit post-game, sharing the same sentiment. The veteran safety said “We see it, we see our quarterback’s too old, we’re not good enough on defense, the skill players aren’t any good.” The players may not be watching these critics on TV, but one thing is for sure: they have been listening all year.
The best comment comes last, from Julian Edelman, who had a great game against LA. Edelman “Balled” so he got “the call” from the great Deion Sanders, who by the way loves the Patriots.
“They need a bad guy. We’ll be the BAD guy.” – @Edelman11 after the @Patriots win over the Chargers 👀
This all seems so new, players acknowledging that they’re listening to the doubters. We’ve always known that they have been listening throughout the years, but they never spoke about it with the media. This year, however, I think it starts at the top, with Bill Belichick using his legendary motivational tactics. Belichick reportedly told the team right after the win that they are now facing the best team in the AFC. Bill has used parade routes and opposing teams luggage as motivation before. Is it crazy to think he is the mastermind behind all of this? No, it’s not crazy at all, Bill will take any tactic to get his players up for playoff games.
Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots Will Not Die
The Chiefs are a good football team, but I’m willing to bet they’d like the media to take a week off from discounting the Patriots. New England has embraced the role of the villain, which they will use all week as they prepare. The Patriots are like Michael Myers, you may think you’ve stopped them, until they somehow rise up and terrorize the NFL every year like it’s Halloween in Haddonfield.
The country wants Brady to retire and the Patriots to suck, but I have a feeling TB12 isn’t planning on going anywhere for a while. It’s fitting Brady would post this video that has a song about many people wishing the worst on someone. In this case it’s the Patriots. Let’s Go!!
The MLS offseason is in full swing, and its time for the New England Revolution to get going. They will start what is arguably the most important offseason in their recent history. After missing the playoffs for three years in a row, the team has a lot do to compete in 2019. So what exactly do they need to do?
Playmaker
The Revs haven’t had any real and consistent playmakers ever since they traded Lee Nguyen. The lack of one has really played a big role in their downfall. Nguyen, who occupied the teams #10 role in 2017, was replaced by a few players with no real results. First, it was Diego Fagundez who started in the number 10 role, but throughout the year Kelyn Rowe occupied it, as well as Guillermo Hauché; none of whom were ever a consistent starter or consistent producers. The Revs need someone who can make plays, create, and score goals. Now with Rowe and Hauche gone, the team has the assets to get a new playmaker, but will they?
Center back
For the past 2 years, the biggest defensive need for New England has been leftback. Last year Gabriel Somi was supposed to be the answer, but that move flopped. This year they have gone out and gotten Edgar Castillo. While his age might be unappetizing, he’s a proven MLS leftback that can help this team if he stays healthy. Now that the Revs have wrapped up the left back position, center back becomes their defensive priority. Their backline may have been the most inconsistent back line in MLS last year. Every week brought a new pairing. The Revs need a new center back to play with Michael Mancienne to solidify the backline.
Goal Scorer
The Revs have struggled to find a pure goal scorer arguably since the days of Taylor Twellman. Kei Kamara was the last decent goal scorer they could rely on, and he was viewed as a bust. The Revs have lacked a pure goal scorer they can rely on to score 15 goals a year for a while. In fact, the last person to score more than 15 in one season was Lee Nguyen in 2014 when he scored 18.
The Revs have already gone out and signed Columbian Juan Caicedo. While the signing has been generally viewed as good, Caicedo has never had a season with more than 15 goals. The Revs are also rumored to be signing forward Justin Rennicks to a Homegrown deal. However, there still is no guarantee he will be producing as much as the Revs need from a striker.
Club president Brian Bilello has said the team plans on signing some high salary players, and possibly a few Designated players. Although the past has shown us the Revs’ spending doesn’t always lead to quality. It will be interesting to see how the Revs utilize the rest of the offseason and see who comes in.
Josh McDaniels Is Likely to Remain with the Patriots
It is now safe to say Josh McDaniels will remain with the Patriots for one more season. The Packers have decided to hire Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur to replace Mike McCarthy. Green Bay is the only team McDaniels has Interviewed with per Ian Rapoport. Josh also reportedly turned down a request from the Bengals.
This was the only known interview for #Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, so the LaFleur hire for the #Packers likely means Josh is back in New England for another year.
Josh McDaniels may have lost out on the Packer job, but it’s not all bad news for the Super Bowl Champion coordinator. The Patriots could be loading up this upcoming offseason while Brady’s window is still open.
He could be a part of another championship team, which would raise his stock for the future. His coaching career hasn’t been great outside of New England. His reputation took a hit last year, as he left the Colts at the alter. Maybe this is Karma coming back to bite him, although he’s still the offensive coordinator for the greatest quarterback of all time.
The Pats Had McDaniels Replacement In Kliff Kingsbury
Reports of Kliff Kingsbury stepping in as the new Patriots OC have been everywhere. Monday news broke that multiple NFL teams are interested in Kingsbury as a Head Coach. Once again it seems the Patriots lucked out with McDaniels not getting the Packers job. Kingsbury is being looked at by multiple teams, and he would surely take head coach money over OC pay. Green Bay may have just stopped the Pats plans from blowing up in their face. This situation is far from over, as we all know things can change at any moment. The Browns could still be in play for McDaniels. But for now, it’s looking like Josh will be wearing his Patriots visor for at least one more year.
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