Looking at the Patriots - 2020

Belichick: "Nick [Folk] is our kicker"



By PFF grade, Tom Brady is the third-best quarterback in the league (87.8).



Cam Newton is fifth-best (82.8).


Rodgers, Wilson, Brady, Goff, Newton. Newton is a steal for the money.
 
by Devon Clements, SI


New England, who was ranked No. 8 in the SI power rankings last week, is listed at No. 9 this week, just behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (8) and right in front of Los Angeles Rams (9).
Here is what The MMQB's Connor Orr had to say about New England's ranking this week:
I stand by my previous week’s take that Cam Newton is a quintessential Patriot. They were one 50-50 play call away from beating one of the best teams in football and once again have two punching bags in the division to tune up twice a year. If Bill Belichick can swing a trade for another playmaker before the deadline, watch out.
The Patriots only dropped one spot this week because they lost to Seattle, who are ranked No. 1 in the power rankings for Week 3. The Sunday night game between the two teams came down to a goal line carry by Cam Newton with two seconds left that was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage.
Moral victories aren't taken too lightly in New England, but if there was every one, Week 2 for the Patriots qualifies as such. The six-time Super Bowl champions competed until the last second against one of the best teams in the NFL and against a quarterback in Russell Wilson that is an early MVP candidate. That counts for something.
So, although the Patriots are now 1-1, there's a lot to be happy about as the team gets set to face the 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 at Gillette Stadium.



https://www.si.com/nfl/patriots/news/2020-week-3-si-power-rankings
 
Hmmm, not so subtle comment from N'Keal Harry when talking about Cam. "It's good to have trust from our QB".

The comments last season from him and Meyers were a stark sign that Brady was not a happy camper in Foxboro.
 
119992871_3045417458896457_3853141727170755635_o.jpg
 
Finally, N'Keal Harry played 26.3% of his snaps from the slot against Miami. He was perfect with 2 receptions in 2 targets.


38% from the slot in Seattle...but there's still a ways to go to get up to the 75% mark. The slot is where I've always thought Harry should play.
 
The entire OL has been very solid. Add to this Onwenu - his grade is 78!



EikoUfDWkAMxOZu
 
From WEEI?



Here’s something refreshing: the Patriots now have a starting QB who is wearing No. 1, and putting them No. 1, too.
If you heard Cam Newton’s weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show this Monday, you heard an interviewee who repeatedly hit balls out of the park. He was thoughtful, interesting, humble, honest, and on-point.
And most importantly for his new teammates and fan base, he was a leader. He was a unifyer.
No answer better exemplified these traits than his response to a question about whether the team needed help at wide receiver.
Highlighting the Cam quote slam was this moonshot: “Man, I’ll say this, the answers are in that locker room. Simple and plain. We got Little Bud, Doughboy, Highway 11, and MyGerms. We good to go. Let me rewind that. We have Damiere Byrd, N’Keal Harry, Julian Edelman and Jakobi Meyers.”
Now contrast that to what Tom Brady said to Howard Stern in April about how he treated struggling receivers: “I would say, ‘I don’t have any trust that this guy can help us win the game.’ I’ve definitely expressed my opinion to say, ‘If you put him out there, I’m going not to throw him the ball.’”
That’s the worst response I’ve ever heard Brady give in his 20-year career. A rock bottom response and the definition of divisive, which was something Brady claimed he never wanted to be.
But actions spoke louder than those claims in 2019, whether it was Brady skipping OTAs (where rookies Harry and Meyers might have used some mentoring) or the loss to the Houston Texans where Brady was verbally lighting up his wideouts on the sideline (“Be faster! Quicker! More explosive!”), or outright mouthing to Josh McDaniels that he was “done” with guys who had made mistakes.
Even in Brady’s first Tampa Bay’s victory this week over Carolina, TB12 was seen scolding running back Ronald Jones after a fumbled exchange. I half thought Ellen might include Brady’s toxic work environment during her apology this week.
Brady’s world has felt like it’s in turmoil for a few years now, and you can’t just blame Bill Belichick anymore.
New Tampa coach Bruce Arians already appears to be walking on eggshells around Brady, last week backpedalling on criticism of a Tom turnover quicker than the CDC changes Covid guidance.
Brady’s package deal Rob Gronkowski isn’t catching passes and it’s become a source of added Tompa Bay drama.
And the TB12 the Corporation that made the Patriots feel like Priority No. 12 continues to churn up Brady’s time and social media efforts.
Meanwhile, back in Foxboro, everything has changed. Newton is quickly revitalizing the region and restoring any lost faith after the Goat left for greener pastures.
It may seem like a small thing, but crushing a Monday interview with team-first sentiments can make a difference in workplace morale. The nebulous reports of a different vibe around the team from the past few months are totally understandable when you hear Newton speak.
Newton’s perfect responses Monday to his contract queries included, “Money at this particular point in my career is not important” and “It’s not about money, it’s about respect.”
To contrast again, Brady’s pre-2019 rebuttal to a contract question was, “Talk to Mr. Kraft.”
Last year, Brady was miserable after an 8-0 start. Newton’s personality is constantly upbeat and infectious, and even after a heartbreaking loss in Seattle it feels like a victory parade is scheduled for City Hall Plaza.
The change is significant and stunning to behold, slamming shut the old Brady era with the authority of a David Andrews end zone spike shared by Newton after a rushing touchdown.
In just two game weeks, Newton appears to have rebuilt the circle of trust inside his franchise while he continues to build a bridge to the hearts of New Englanders. ‘Superman’ is following the script from his movie and turning from outcast to adored, while the people of Metropolis are no longer afraid of that which they didn’t understand.


https://www.radio.com/weei/sports/p...button&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=WEEIFM
 
The Brady apologists would serve themselves well in reading this 2-3 times and really letting it sink in. Tom flushed any chance at success with his piss poor attitude, and it’s just being allowed to percolate to the surface now.

Now contrast that to what Tom Brady said to Howard Stern in April about how he treated struggling receivers: “I would say, ‘I don’t have any trust that this guy can help us win the game.’ I’ve definitely expressed my opinion to say, ‘If you put him out there, I’m going not to throw him the ball.’”
That’s the worst response I’ve ever heard Brady give in his 20-year career. A rock bottom response and the definition of divisive, which was something Brady claimed he never wanted to be.

But actions spoke louder than those claims in 2019, whether it was Brady skipping OTAs (where rookies Harry and Meyers might have used some mentoring) or the loss to the Houston Texans where Brady was verbally lighting up his wideouts on the sideline (“Be faster! Quicker! More explosive!”), or outright mouthing to Josh McDaniels that he was “done” with guys who had made mistakes.
Even in Brady’s first Tampa Bay’s victory this week over Carolina, TB12 was seen scolding running back Ronald Jones after a fumbled exchange. I half thought Ellen might include Brady’s toxic work environment during her apology this week.
Brady’s world has felt like it’s in turmoil for a few years now, and you can’t just blame Bill Belichick anymore.
 
Yeah, I'm fairly stunned Brady said that. It's appalling really.

Now I dare say that if Cam had been here 19 years, he might have felt similarly jaded and fed up, but it still doesn't excuse last season's 17 game strop from Tom. When you watched Brady post game in the pressers at 9-0 last season you would have sworn someone had died. The atmosphere in the lockerroom must have been terrible and I'm sure Meyers and Harry were not enjoying it.
 
Nice!

That’s circa 2001 it seems!

You know how many times Holliday has put that in the trash only for Bill to pull when she’s not looking.

Looks like Ron Borges helped with his hair this morning too.
 
From WEEI?



Here’s something refreshing: the Patriots now have a starting QB who is wearing No. 1, and putting them No. 1, too.
If you heard Cam Newton’s weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show this Monday, you heard an interviewee who repeatedly hit balls out of the park. He was thoughtful, interesting, humble, honest, and on-point.
And most importantly for his new teammates and fan base, he was a leader. He was a unifyer.
No answer better exemplified these traits than his response to a question about whether the team needed help at wide receiver.
Highlighting the Cam quote slam was this moonshot: “Man, I’ll say this, the answers are in that locker room. Simple and plain. We got Little Bud, Doughboy, Highway 11, and MyGerms. We good to go. Let me rewind that. We have Damiere Byrd, N’Keal Harry, Julian Edelman and Jakobi Meyers.”
Now contrast that to what Tom Brady said to Howard Stern in April about how he treated struggling receivers: “I would say, ‘I don’t have any trust that this guy can help us win the game.’ I’ve definitely expressed my opinion to say, ‘If you put him out there, I’m going not to throw him the ball.’”
That’s the worst response I’ve ever heard Brady give in his 20-year career. A rock bottom response and the definition of divisive, which was something Brady claimed he never wanted to be.
But actions spoke louder than those claims in 2019, whether it was Brady skipping OTAs (where rookies Harry and Meyers might have used some mentoring) or the loss to the Houston Texans where Brady was verbally lighting up his wideouts on the sideline (“Be faster! Quicker! More explosive!”), or outright mouthing to Josh McDaniels that he was “done” with guys who had made mistakes.
Even in Brady’s first Tampa Bay’s victory this week over Carolina, TB12 was seen scolding running back Ronald Jones after a fumbled exchange. I half thought Ellen might include Brady’s toxic work environment during her apology this week.
Brady’s world has felt like it’s in turmoil for a few years now, and you can’t just blame Bill Belichick anymore.
New Tampa coach Bruce Arians already appears to be walking on eggshells around Brady, last week backpedalling on criticism of a Tom turnover quicker than the CDC changes Covid guidance.
Brady’s package deal Rob Gronkowski isn’t catching passes and it’s become a source of added Tompa Bay drama.
And the TB12 the Corporation that made the Patriots feel like Priority No. 12 continues to churn up Brady’s time and social media efforts.
Meanwhile, back in Foxboro, everything has changed. Newton is quickly revitalizing the region and restoring any lost faith after the Goat left for greener pastures.
It may seem like a small thing, but crushing a Monday interview with team-first sentiments can make a difference in workplace morale. The nebulous reports of a different vibe around the team from the past few months are totally understandable when you hear Newton speak.
Newton’s perfect responses Monday to his contract queries included, “Money at this particular point in my career is not important” and “It’s not about money, it’s about respect.”
To contrast again, Brady’s pre-2019 rebuttal to a contract question was, “Talk to Mr. Kraft.”
Last year, Brady was miserable after an 8-0 start. Newton’s personality is constantly upbeat and infectious, and even after a heartbreaking loss in Seattle it feels like a victory parade is scheduled for City Hall Plaza.
The change is significant and stunning to behold, slamming shut the old Brady era with the authority of a David Andrews end zone spike shared by Newton after a rushing touchdown.
In just two game weeks, Newton appears to have rebuilt the circle of trust inside his franchise while he continues to build a bridge to the hearts of New Englanders. ‘Superman’ is following the script from his movie and turning from outcast to adored, while the people of Metropolis are no longer afraid of that which they didn’t understand.


https://www.radio.com/weei/sports/p...button&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=WEEIFM

I don't know who wrote this piece, but, it captured at least some of the reasons why I started souring on Brady over the last few seasons.

I would have added the numerous examples of Brady quitting on plays early.....TOO early......and heaving the ball in the stands rather than trying to find somebody and take a chance of getting hit.

I can't quantify that opinion in any way that I could cite, but I feel certain that it: A. Happened and B. Resulted from Brady deciding in advance that it was more important that he save himself than his team. That attitude stood in clear contrast to the way he played when he was the leader of this team in actual fact and deed rather than through reputation and force of habit. I believe his teammates understood that the Emperor Had No Clothes even if they had never read that particular story as a kid. And we're only now stating to hear the extent of it.

When he decided to stop leading the team out of the tunnel it said something important but nobody noticed. Brady knew that he didn't want to be that guy anymore and handed the torch to Julian -- his buddy who will never quit until they carry him off the field for the last time.

I will eventually learn to get over it and remember the Brady that used to be, but for now I'm glad we have Cam Newton, who is absolutely doing everything right.
 
I don't know who wrote this piece, but, it captured at least some of the reasons why I started souring on Brady over the last few seasons.

I would have added the numerous examples of Brady quitting on plays early.....TOO early......and heaving the ball in the stands rather than trying to find somebody and take a chance of getting hit.

I can't quantify that opinion in any way that I could cite, but I feel certain that it: A. Happened and B. Resulted from Brady deciding in advance that it was more important that he save himself than his team. That attitude stood in clear contrast to the way he played when he was the leader of this team in actual fact and deed rather than through reputation and force of habit. I believe his teammates understood that the Emperor Had No Clothes even if they had never read that particular story as a kid. And we're only now stating to hear the extent of it.

When he decided to stop leading the team out of the tunnel it said something important but nobody noticed. Brady knew that he didn't want to be that guy anymore and handed the torch to Julian -- his buddy who will never quit until they carry him off the field for the last time.

I will eventually learn to get over it and remember the Brady that used to be, but for now I'm glad we have Cam Newton, who is absolutely doing everything right.

Glad to see you on board with Cam now.
 
Is it possible that Brady's lack of trust stifled guys like Tony Simmons, Brian Tyms, Aaron Dobson and others?

If you think about it - in 19 years Brady only passed to Troy Brown, Deion Branch, Wes Welker, Randy Moss and Jules from the WR spot (I'm sure I'm missing someone.)

Sure there was the occasional year from Patten, Givens, Amendola and Hogan but maybe Harry and others will flourish under Cam.
 
Never thought I would ever say this but I love me some Cam Newton and couldn't be any happier with his play and attitude. He's got a bit of a strange throwing motion but his accuracy is pretty spot on, it sucks that they shut down the stadium to the fans as I would have loved to have seen him play live.
 
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