Tag Archives: #PatriotsNation

Roger That !! Goodell Scores a Five-Year Contract Extension

Leave a reply

Imagine this if you will.   Just visualize the insanity I speak of.  As the chairman of a large corporation, you have a great relationship with your board but a lousy one with all of your other employees. Probably not the recipe for a rather large contract extension you would not think? Only in the bizarro world that is the NFL would this craziness ever actually take place.

Despite all of the chaos that has occurred in the back offices, in court, and on the field, Roger Goodell has received a five year contract extension through the 2024 NFL season. Looks like money talks to the owners, really all they care about in NFL world. The extension starts at the end of his current contract, which runs out in 2019. Terms were not directly disclosed, but it is thought to be for around 40-42 million dollars annually (sorry that is not a misprint).

Goodell Still Has The Owner’s Support

Goodell took on probably the two most powerful owners in the NFL in Kraft and Jones.  But that does not seem to have cracked the foundation holding up that giant inflated head of Goodell. The owners appear to be solidly on Goodell’s side as long as the NFL machine continues to make money.

Both of Goodell’s run-ins with the Patriots (I won’t even say anything about, this I promise) and the Cowboys involved player suspensions. I personally thought that the owners would turn on Goodell like a pack of wolves with these suspensions. Brady’s four-game sentence came right out of the Dark Ages, requiring no proof if the Overlord (that’s Goodell by the way) wants things to happen a certain way. That’s enough of the old wound, Pats’ fans. The suspension that the NFL and mainly Goodell levied against Ezekiel Elliott seemed along the same lines, in my opinion. Elliott avoided a  criminal offence charge, but the NFL forged ahead with a six-game suspension. I am not saying that Elliott is a model citizen, but six games seems like a hefty suspension without the man even getting criminally charged. If the Overlord wants it to happen, then damn it make it happen, he says. Let’s not forget the  whole “Bountygate” fiasco where Goodell hung the entire Saints organization out to dry because he felt like he should.  Ridiculous.

Show Me The Money

The NFL has taken a hit in the ratings department recently, but that does not stop the cash from flowing into the NFL vault. The league makes bushels from TV rights, merchandise sales, multimedia rights, and ticket sales, the rationale for owners signing Goodell to the whopping extension. If the owners are making money and Goodell takes the flak for all of the stupid moves he makes, then they will welcome him with open arms.

Another reason that Goodell gets the owners’ blessings?  There will likely be labor unrest when the current CBA ends in 2021. Goodell and the owners previously locked out the players and hammered out a deal that has benefited the owners handsomely. The players got screwed in the current CBA and the owners made out like champs, and this is what the owners are hoping for again. I will bet you that the whole mess of guaranteed contracts will be the stickiest point for the two sides to deal with, That will be a nasty negotiation and may require a long work stoppage.

Can The Clown Negotiate A New TV Deal?

Goodell’s biggest challenge, outside of the new CBA, will be negotiating the new TV contracts for the NFL. The cable companies have crapped the bed and only the major networks will be carrying around any cash for the NFL. I do not see how they will be offering the enormous dollar figures that the league has become accustomed to. Let’s see how Goodell will spin that around to make it look like someone else’s fault.

To sum things up, you can be a gem of a person to your immediate superiors who are the NFL owners and you will receive a great new contract. It does not matter that you treat the actual employees of the company (the players) like a herd of cattle.  Goodell does not believe that the growing body of evidence that playing football causes head injuries has merit.  This fact alone makes Goodell a major idiot in my books. How can you deny something so obvious?   Simply ridiculous to believe otherwise. Oh yeah, because the owners want him to think that way. Goodell might be an ass, but he is a rich one that is way up the owners’ butts.

Recap of the Patriots’ First Preseason Win in Detroit

Leave a reply

Tonight’s game was a bittersweet game for the Patriots as they earned their first victory of the preseason against the Detroit Lions. Players showed evident improvement this week as they continue to prepare for the regular season.

A fast-paced start from the Patriots’ starting offense was quickly brought to a halt, at the sound of a whistle for an injury timeout. Julian Edelman went down in the opening minutes of the first quarter with an apparent knee injury and was shortly carted off into the locker room.

Ian Rapoport and mutliple sources have reported after the game’s conclusion that Edelman has suffered a torn ACL, and will undergo an MRI in the days to come.

With Edelman’s season likely over prematurely, fellow wide receivers Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola are expected to step up. Whoever takes over the role left vacant by Julian Edelman will likely run more complicated routes in the middle of the field, rather than simple fly routes like Brandin Cooks.

On a more optimistic note, on the other side of the field, the Patriots’ defensive starters showed marked improvement in this game compared to their last two matchups. Stephon Gilmore had a great performance early in the game, while only batting down a pass and recording a tackle he showed success in covering his assignment. The starting defense as a whole made key stops in order to shut out the Lions starters in the first quarter.

The backup defense appeared better this week, but the secondary squad allowed a comeback in the second half against the Lions starters. The influx of points let up by the backup squad was expected by Coach Belichick, but he saw it as a challenge for them.

Overall, the Patriots are showing the growth and development needed to live up to their high expectations this season.

New England Patriots v Detroit Lions : News Photo

 

Recap of the Patriots’ Preseason Week 2 Loss in Houston

Leave a reply

The Patriots returned to Houston for the first time since their Super Bowl victory at NRG Stadium 195 days ago. The memory of that monumental win (including some confetti left over from the game), still sat fresh in the minds of Patriots’ veterans and coaches. Unfortunately, the outcome of the preseason match-up against the Texans did not live up to the team’s expectations. Though, still early in the preseason, the Patriots have shown struggles on both sides of the field. At the same time they have shown hints of talent in certain positions. This is to be expected to happen when the team inserts players into certain schemes or situations in a game to see their long term worth. These are the most prevalent aspects to take away from this loss:

Rex Burkhead Rolls with the Starting Offense

Burkhead showed early that he can keep up with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’s interchangeable game plan. He made a short appearance in the game lining up in the backfield, however performed well as a receiving back for Tom Brady. Rex ran for 20 yards on seven attempts but his stats were more impressive catching the ball, racking up 50 yards and a touchdown from 3 catches. Burkhead’s highlight of the game was being able to pull away from his defender in the second quarter to easily haul in a touchdown pass from Tom Brady.

Rex Burkhead is slated to become a special teams threat and has the potential to make plays like this, accumulating reps from both on the ground or in the air. Rex has strong competition at the running back position behind Mike Gillislee, James White, and Dion Lewis, but he can serve his purpose in special situations on offense for the Patriots. He is stocky and quick enough to run the ball in on the goal line, and at the sametime share reps with James White as a receiving back.  

Defensive Breakdown

So far in this preseason the Patriots defense has been less than perfect. The backups have looked sluggish and have struggled to make plays. Two missed tackles on a slant route in the third quarter led to a whopping 63 yard gain for Texans’ D’Onta Foreman. A short pass that turns into a huge gain is never pretty for a defense, especially backups fighting for a job.

The drive ended with another defensive breakdown where Kony Ealy failed to bring down Deshaun Watson in the backfield. Deshaun Watson then capitalized by running up the middle of his offensive line and into the endzone with ease. Kony Ealy is presumed to start at defensive end, mistakes like this should be corrected before the season starts.

Malcolm Butler, another starter for the defense, gave up a touchdown in broken coverage in the first quarter. This is an issue which certainly needs to be worked on before the regular season begins.

New England Patriots v Houston Texans : News Photo

Offensive Line Looks  Lost

The backup offensive line did not protect Jimmy Garoppolo to their best ability to say the least. Defensive pressure and failed coverage led Garoppolo to make some mistakes against the Texans. He gave up a fumble due to a failed blocking assignment in the third quarter and more of the same lead to an interception in the early stages of the fourth. In general Garoppolo did fairly well despite the turnovers. It definitely would have helped if he had more time to set up in the pocket from play to play. Offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia transformed the Patriots’ offensive line back to its former dignity in his first season back with the team last year, but this preseason has shown some regression with the backups, showing he has some work to do in next week’s practices.

Cyrus Jones Impresses as Return Man

Cyrus Jones has actively been trying to fix his special teams problems from last season. In his rookie season he fumbled the ball five times and was ultimately pulled from the return team. This preseason, the Patriots have been giving him chances to return the ball again, and has so far impressed coaches. After the game Coach Bill Belichick praised Cyrus’s work, saying to the press, “I though Cyrus did a good job in the return game, both in punts and kickoffs. Ran hard. Ran aggressively. Made good decisions with and without the ball. Had a couple of situations where the ball either hit the ground or was going out of bounds. I thought he did a nice job”.

Coach Belichick’s words might translate into Cyrus regaining his returning role back, and certainly will help him gain opportunities to return the ball for the team in the final two preseason games.

Image result for cyrus jones texans

Rookie DE Derek Rivers Out for the Season

Leave a reply

The Patriots lose a promising young defensive end to an injury

Earlier yesterday morning ESPN’s Mike Reiss and Field Yates confirmed that Derek Rivers had suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice. Rivers went down clenching his knee during a kickoff coverage drill in a joint practice with the Houston Texans on Wednesday.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported earlier that initial MRI results have shown that Rivers has suffered a torn ACL and a sprained LCL. Derek Rivers reportedly intends to get a second opinion to confirm if surgery is needed.

Derek Rivers is the Patriots’ highest pick from this year’s draft, being selected 83rd overall in the third round from Youngstown State. He finished his collegiate career with 120 tackles and 37.5 sacks in his four year tenure. The Patriots brought him on board to be a young addition to an aging defensive end corp. The group has been given the task of stepping up in the wake of Rob Ninkovich’s retirement.

Next man up

Luckily the Patriots have multiple options to consider in the weeks before the regular season kicks off. With the loss of Rivers, there are multiple ways that Coach Belichick and company can find a replacement.

Kony Ealy is presumed to be the starter at defensive end, parallel to Trey Flowers. However, Kony struggled in his first game as a Patriot last Thursday against the Jaguars. More depth will likely be needed on Kony’s side to ease the pressure for him to perform. The Patriots could easily inquire within the roster for a defensive end role and move Geneo Grissom up to the number two slot in the depth chart. Ex-edge rushers Shea McClellin, Kyle Van Noy, and Harvey Langi could also see some playing time filling in the role where needed.

Beyond Gillette

The Patriots could always look for a direct replacement outside of the team as well. Talented veteran defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Mario Williams are currently both available on the free agent market. Coach Belichick has seen plenty of both of these players in the past and knows how well they can perform. Dwight Freeney, for example, might be one of the league’s elders at age 37, but he can still exhibit his explosiveness and some of his speed on command. For a younger player, the Patriots could look for a trade. However, it would be more useful to have some veteran talent for the season and continue developing Derek Rivers starting in the spring.

Whoever might replace Derek Rivers this season, it’s always next man up in the NFL.

 

Image result for derek rivers

The Brandin Cooks Effect in New England

Leave a reply

The Archer has found a new home in Foxborough

Back on March 11th, the Patriots agreed to trade their first and third (No. 32 and 103) picks in the 2017 Draft to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for their 23-year-old star wide receiver Brandin Cooks and their fourth round pick (No. 118). As a personal fan of Cooks since he entered the league in 2014 from Oregon State, coach Bill Belichick has since been ecstatic about adding him to the Patriots’ already talented receiving corps. Belichick commented on Cooks’s raw talent when the Patriots and Saints held joint practices and played each other in the preseasons of 2015 and 2016.  “I’m glad we don’t have to play him twice a year and he’s not in our division. He’s a really good player”.

Cooks made a splash in his three seasons in New Orleans, racking up 2,861 receiving yards from 215 receptions and catching 20 touchdown passes. Although the number-one wide receiver on the Saints early in his career, the team deemed him expendable after rookie receiver Michael Thomas had proved his worth. The Saints have not fallen under fourth place in total offense since 2010.   However, on the other side of the ball, their defense struggled, ranking thirty first in points allowed this season.  To improve their ailing defense, the Saints begrudgingly parted ways with their emerging receiver Cooks this off season.

Patriots 2017: all the more scarier on offense

Brandin Cooks’s incredible speed is his primary weapon to make some of the unbelievable catches that he has hauled in during his three-year tenure in the league.  This clearly aids him in evading the opposing cornerback and creating separation as he runs routes with ease.  Cooks possesses extraordinary awareness when running routes with his ability to place his hands in the perfect position to haul in any pass. Cooks has averaged a 69.5% catch percentage in the 315 times he has been targeted in the NFL, which illustrates his reliability as a receiver, even when he runs deep.

Image result for brandin cooks gif

Versatile Cooks Meets Indomitable Brady

Tom Brady finally has a new a new deep-threat star receiver.   One that already has been drawing comparisons reminiscent of Randy Moss’s  time with the Patriots.  No stranger to working alongside an elite quarterback, Cooks holds praise for Tom, saying, “To play with a guy like that is special. The way that he pays attention to the game, he makes you up your level a little more.” Cooks intends to do whatever he can to quickly become a valuable receiver for Brady, and has proven himself thus far on the practice field.

For the first time in his NFL career, Brandin Cooks will be part of a deeply talented and competitive group of wide receivers. He will likely not face the same workload that he did in New Orleans, with split reps, but he will enjoy being part of such a selfless group. Cooks will presumably assume the role of running go-routes and streaks down the sideline as a deep threat, a duty Chris Hogan possessed last season. Cooks will definitely run many diverse routes as well, but his speed makes him a front-runner to be the offense’s new vertical threat.

Brandin Cooks will show quickly that he will fit into the Patriot’s aggressive offensive scheme and has a chance this season to build off of having two consecutive years with 1100+ yards.

Image result for brandin cooks patriots practice

 

 

Patriots Projected Roster Shows Surprise Cuts Coming

Leave a reply

The Patriots are so full of talent; they look like Vince Wilfork trying to squeeze into Tom Brady’s skinny jeans. Where is the sympathy from the other 31 teams? You think those insensitive jerks care that the struggles of the Patriots having to release skilled players is real? Should Pats fans start a GoFundMe page so Patriots-Haters can purchase sensitivity classes so they understand the hardship of rooting for the G.O.A.T., quarterback, coach, and team?

Ha! Ha! Boy has Lady Karma kicked every Patriot-Hater where it hurts. (Not that there’s much to kick.) And you know what is a cringe worthy thought? She hasn’t skipped Leg-Day since February, and she’ll be Kung-Fu kicking ALLLLLLLLL year until the Patriots perfect season has been completed.

How does that saying go? You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs? Well there’s a new saying up here in New England: you can’t go 19-0, without making some tough cuts. I have watched the first pre-season game against the Jaguars three times, focusing on coverages and line-of-scrimmage play. Here are my roster surprises.

Quarterback: 3

Tom Brady

Jimmy Garoppolo

Jacoby Brissett

No surprises here. Just the best back-up quarterback in the league, and oh, the greatest football player of all-time!

Running Back: 5

Dion Lewis

Mike Gillislee

Rex Burkhead

James White

James Develin

It’s time for Brandon Bolden to go. There is enough “leadership” and Special Teams specialist to cut bait. Bolden had one of the worst drops anyone had ever seen in the Patriots loss against the Bills last year (three drops for the season for a guy who hardly played offense.) He also accidently kicked TWO balls that were about to be downed inside the 10 yard line into the endzone, resulting in the other team starting at their 25 yard line. Yuck. Hopefully, D.J. Foster squeaks onto the practice squad.

Wide Receiver: 7

Julian Edelman

Brandon Cooks

Chris Hogan

Malcolm Mitchell

Danny Amendola

Austin Carr

Matthew Slater

Although the rest of the league is as useless as a tree stump solving a calculus equation, one of them at some point has to stop letting the Patriots stash talent on the practice squad. This actually started last year, when the Patriots lost two talented cornerbacks (Cre’Von LeBlanc and Darryl Roberts) I believe Austin Carr is going to have such a good preseason, that there is no shot of sneaking him onto the practice squad, thus forcing the Patriots hand to keep him on the roster. Hopefully, the up-and-comer deep threat, Devon Lucien, sneaks onto the P.S.

Tight End: 3

Rob Gronkowski

Dwayne Allen

Jacob Hollister

The same dilemma arises with Jacob Hollister as it does with Austin Carr. James O’Shaughnessy is a legit, slightly above average, NFL Tight End. Matt Lengel is a one trick pony who can only block. A case can be made that Hollister is also a one trick pony who can only catch passes. Gronk and Allen are considered elite blocking Tight Ends, plus they love using a Tackle as a third blocking TE, so the Pats can get away with one less blocking TE. Allen is overrated as a pass catcher, but isn’t going anywhere with three years left on his contract and Belichick just trading for him. Hollister provides a poor-man’s Dallas Clark-type ability, in case the dreaded happens once again that we will not speak of … you-know-who goes down.

Offensive Line: 8

Marcus Cannon

Nate Solder

Joe Thuney

David Andrews

Shaq Mason

Ted Karras

Tony Garcia

Cole Croston

Can someone break into Cam Flemmings house, crack his safe, and destroy the incriminating pictures he owns of Bill Belichick doing who-knows-what? How the hell, does this matador—red cape holder who does nothing but Ole! the charging pass rusher—continue to take up a roster spot on this championship organization? That finally catches up to him this month. Complete stiff. Waddle isn’t much better. Look for Karras to earn a starting spot at some point during the year at Guard or Center. He’s a complete bulldozer. Croston showed really well in the first preseason game, but the jury is still out on him. They will try to sneak Conor McDermott onto the Practice Squad.

Cornerback: 5

Malcolm Butler

Stephon Gilmore

Eric Rowe

Jonathan Jones

D.J. Killings

If Belichick has one weakness, it’s his ego. There have been times where he lets it get in the way of his decision-making. This will be the case if Cyrus Jones isn’t cut by next week. Yes it will make Belichick look bad that his first selection in the 2016 draft is released after one year, but MY GOD! Cyrus Jones is a walking Mark-Sanchez Butt-Fumble! All … he … does … is … screw … UP! Coleman is the tough cut here. He’s good with staying on his receiver’s hip, but has no instincts as to when he should look for the ball. So many passes are completed with the ball sailing right over his shoulder or helmet—no ball-hawking skills whatsoever. D.J. Killings was the most sought after cornerback not drafted. It’s why the Patriots offered him more money than your standard undrafted free agent. He looked good in the first pre-season game, like another potential Malcolm Butler.

Safety: 5

Devin McCourty

Patrick Chung

Duron Harmon

Nate Ebner

Brandon King

Sorry folks, have to call it like I see it, but, Belichick may be the WORST drafter of Safeties in the history of the NFL. Devin McCourty doesn’t count because Belichick took him as a cornerback, and once he found out Devin was incapable of playing the positions, he move him to safety, and luckily, it worked out. Duron Harmon is average, can’t be counted on to play man coverage with below average TE’s, and was projected by everyone to be drafted in the 6th or 7th round. Belichick took him in the 3rd. Tavon Wilson needs no explanation, and now we have Jordan Richards. Richards couldn’t cover a turtle on its back. See … you … LATER! Complete bum.

Linebacker: 5

Dont’a Hightower

David Harris

Elandon Roberts

Kyle Van Noy

Shayne McClellin

Get Jonathan Freeney’s ass out of here! He’s another one of those, “good locker room guys.” How about we rent a locker-room-guy bus, and ship Freeney, Bolden and Fleming to Cleveland? Talk about useless. Freeney might be the worst zone coverage linebacker in the history of football, and every tackle he makes during the regular season is 8 yards down field.

Defensive Line: 8

Trey Flowers

Alan Branch

Malcom Brown

Vincent Valentine

Deatrich Wise

Lawrence Guy

Derek Rivers

Adam Butler

Harvey Langi

Kony Ealy is the Pablo Sandoval of football. Showed up to camp after clearly not lifting a finger during the off-season, unless you count him pinky-scooping frosting, and stuffing his face. He looks overweight, slow, and disinterested. He will be out of the league REAL soon. Adam Butler has been a surprise in camp. Huge, strong and moves well. He didn’t flash much in the first pre-season game, but some of that had to do with the Jaguars double-teaming him often—maybe because he was a force during the inter-squad practices? Harvey Langi is the other surprise here. If there’s one concern about the Pats, it’s their pass rush. He’s a project, but could help on third down situations.

Special Teams: 3

Stephen Gostkowski

Ryan Allen

Joe Cardona

No surprises here. It would be nice to See Gostkowski get his crap together, but he’s still better than most kickers in the league.

Pats fans, please show me some love by retweeting this and follow me @StevenViner1 and I will follow you back!