Author: Brent Schwartz

Nick Bosa INT vs CAR

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Bosa, Sherman leading ferocious 49ers defense

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

An upstart NFC team equipped with a hungry defense, a young quarterback and a bruising running game has taken the season by storm.

This is nothing new to 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, who is having a mini-renaissance in his second season as a 49er.

“I’m not new to this, I’m true to this,” Sherman said after the game, quoting rapper Drake.  “My 15 minutes started an hour ago.”

Sherman, who had an interception late on Sunday, was the face of the brash-talking Seahawks that made back-to-back Super Bowls a few seasons ago.

But those Seahawks, which revolved mostly around the ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary and a steady pass rush — before Bobby Wagner evolved into what he is now — didn’t have Nick Bosa.

The No. 2 overall pick from this past draft tallied four sacks and an athletic interception — and long return afterward– that set the tone for the victory.

Bosa has seven sacks this season, anchoring a loaded offensive line, mostly of former first-round picks, that has finally played up to par in 2019. They played above expectations on Sunday, sacking quarterback Kyle Allen seven times and nothing 13 interceptions in their 51-13 destruction of the Panthers.

In addition to their defense, the NFC-leading 49ers rushed for 232 yards, with Kyle Shanahan-product Tevin Coleman adding 105 of those yards and three scores on 11 carries. And newcomer wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders added the game’s first touchdown after a tipped ball, and subsequently soaked in the winning atmosphere at Levi’s Stadium. Sanders a veteran of the Steelers and Broncos, knows a thing or two about winning football, as he was one of the primary weapons on the Super Bowl 50 champion Broncos.

“All week the energy has been so positive,” Sanders said after the game. “This locker room is just amazing… I will never forget going out the tunnel with these guys. Everybody was laughing & smiling. I was like man this is football, this is fun. Im blessed to be here.”

Unlike the AFC in the 21st century, which has been dominated by the Patriots, Steelers and Peyton Manning-led teams, the NFC has seen a variety of different franchises have their two or three year run at the conference. These upstarts usually burst onto the scene swiftly, like the 49ers and Seahawks of the early 2010’s, or the Rams in the past few seasons.

So now the 49ers have made the jump with a different era of players. They’re ending the decade just as they begun it, creating a team built for a special run of seasons.

With the Seahawks, Packers, Ravens and Saints on the schedule in the next six weeks, we are set to learn more about these 49ers. But what we’ve learned already, is that they’re a legitimate Super Bowl LIV contender.

“We haven’t reached our potential,” 49ers defensive end Dee Ford, an offseason acquisition from Kansas City, told NFL.com.

“We’re just going to keep chopping wood and squeeze out every bit of potential that we can. I don’t know if we’re getting each team’s best shot, but I know they’re getting ours.”

 

QUICK-HITS 

– Bill Belichick picked up his 300th win on Sunday in the same matchup that brought him his first win. Belichick was the Browns head coach, winning in New England, for his first career victory. Almost 30 years later, Belichick has since created the greatest sports dynasty perhaps in history in New England. Belichick has experienced it all and then some up in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but he hasn’t had a defense quite like this. With a slow-to-start offense under Tom Brady and a revolving door of personnel, the defense again picked up the slack, forcing three turnovers in a row in the first half, which virtually put the game out of reach right then. New England won 27-13 behind another outstanding performance by Jamie Collins (1.5 sacks), who was released by the Browns this offseason before coming back to New England. Collins’ playmaking ability encouraged Belichick to switch his defense to more of a two-down lineman base with four linebackers — sometimes a 3-4 front — that has allowed Kyle Van Noy to be a force on the edge full time. With the Ravens up next week, it’ll be interesting to see how Belichick defends their quarterback — the uber-spry Lamar Jackson.

– Simply put — the Eagles bullied the Bills on Sunday. Behind rookie sensation Miles Sanders, veteran Jordan Howard and even Boston Scott (not to be confused with Survivor celebrity ‘Boston Rob’) Philadelphia rushed for 218 yards versus a stout Buffalo defense that came into the game ranked third in total yards allowed per game. Still in need of help on defense, the Eagles clearly took out their frustrations over the past seven games on their Week 8 opponent in a windy matchup in upstate New York. Like the Rams and Cowboys, Philadelphia has the talent to go on a major run during the latter half of the regular season. As we approach November, the real season is about to begin. The Eagles have made two consecutive winter runs under Nick Foles. Can Carson Wentz take the torch?

– The Colts weren’t on their A-game on Sunday. And could they be? The Broncos (2-6) are a train wreck of a team that has turned into a fire sale as we approach this week’s trade deadline. But Denver gave Indianapolis all they had, and it was almost enough. But Jacoby Brissett did just enough. Down 13-12 late, and ffter evading Broncos superstar pass rusher Von Miller in his end zone for a 35-yard sideline heave to T.Y. Hilton, the Colts quarterback did his job in getting his team in field goal range. Adam Vinatieri did the rest. The NFL’s best clutch kicker ever missed a field goal and extra point earlier, but the 46-year-old nailed the game-winning 51-yarder. He always seems to come through when it counts. And in doing so, the Colts showed the grittiness needed to win when you’re not playing your best. That’s a good sign for a team that is battling for a first-round bye in a cluttered AFC after New England.

THE BETTER HALF

1. New England Patriots (8-0) (Last week: 1). As we enter the second half of the regular season, the Patriots schedule increases tremendously with difficulty. They’ll need more out of their offense, perhaps starting next week in Baltimore. Anyone want to bet against Tom Brady?

2. New Orleans Saints (7-1) (Last week: 2). Drew Brees looked fresh and potent, and the Saints steamrolled yet another opponent. They’re the class of the NFC thus far.

3. San Francisco 49ers (7-0) (Last week: 4). Can you believe this defense? They belong right there with the Saints and Packers as the NFC’s top-tier contenders at the moment.

4. Green Bay Packers (7-1) (Last week: 3). Rodgers was magnificent in Kansas City, and running back Aaron Jones caught seven balls for 159 yards and two long scores. He can’t be covered solely by a linebacker. What a weapon he’s become on that offense.

5. Indianapolis Colts (5-2) (Last week: 5). They survived versus Denver. They can win ugly. This is a totally different Colts team than we’re used to seeing.

6. Seattle Seahawks (6-2) (Last week: 6). They let up late, but that 24-0 start was something you usually don’t see from them on an early east coast game. Russell Wilson still leads the tightest NFL MVP race in years.

7. Minnesota Vikings (6-2) (Last week: 7). They travel to Kansas City this week. Even with Matt Moore starting for the Chiefs, this will be tough. Can Kirk Cousins keep it rolling with a huge road win on Sunday?

8. Los Angeles Rams (5-3) (Last week: 9). Cooper Kupp — 7 catches, 220 yards, one touchdown — is the engine for this Rams offense. They’re a much more efficient offense when he’s rolling. He was certainly on his A-game in London.

9. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) (Last week: 8). The Chiefs kept up with the Packers at home under Matt Moore, but the defense ultimately collapsed. They face a similar test at Arrowhead versus the Vikings on Sunday, another NFC North foe. The good news for them is that this may be their last game before Patrick Mahomes returns under center.

10. Dallas Cowboys (4-3) (Last week: 10). The Cowboys have a monster bye week, seeing as they don’t play until next Monday in New York, versus the lowly Giants.

11. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) (Last week: 11). The Patriots come to town for a Sunday Night Football game that may be Lamar Jackson’s biggest game in the NFL thus far. Can he solve this defense?

12. Philadelphia Eagles (4-4) (Last week: 13). Their beatdown of the Bills in Buffalo was much needed. Can they go on another run this winter?

13. Houston Texans (5-3) (Last week: 14). Deshaun Watson was incredible once again, but the bigger story was the season-ending injury to J.J. Watt, who shared a message to his teammates and fans on Twitter, after the game. This is Watt’s third season-ending injury in four seasons. He’s bounced back each prior time, and I would be on him doing it again. He’s a warrior.

14. Buffalo Bills (5-2) (Last week: 12). Ugly loss at home for the Bills. I think we know where they belong. They’re a team with a tough defense and a below-average offense that won’t beat good teams on the road, and may not beat them at home, either. But, they should still make the playoffs.

15. Detroit Lions (3-3-1) (Last week: 16). They made some of their usual mistakes, but they did enough to hang on and beat the troubled Giants.

16. Carolina Panthers (4-3) (Last week: 15). That was a stinker that will rightfully question whether or not Cam Newton should start again this season. Not sure Newton would have looked that bad in San Francisco. But it’s considering that’s his first career loss, this is no time to bury Kyle Allen (5-1). Not yet.

Next up: Jacksonville, L.A. Chargers, Chicago, Tennessee, Oakland

Lamar Jackson vs Seahawks

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Lamar, Ravens best Wilson as Patriots await

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

With how this season was going, Sunday’s game in Seattle had all the makings of another stepping stone for Russell Wilson, the NFL’s new (possibly) best player. So much for that.

On this day, a younger, flashier breed at quarterback stole the show.

By juking and maneuvering his way around Century Link Field for 116 yards and a score, Lamar Jackson led the Ravens (5-2) to a surprising 30-16 victory over the Seahawks (5-2), putting Baltimore in a commanding lead in the AFC North.

After a four-game stretch in which Baltimore was lucky to come out of with a 2-2 mark, the Ravens reenergized themselves to win in perhaps the hardest venue to do so, over a team led by the aforementioned Wilson, the still-leader in the NFL MVP race.

In addition to Jackson, Baltimore’s defense made a statement.

Wilson entered the game with a 14-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio that was dented after he was victimized by the new-acquired Marcus Peters via a game-changing pick-six in his first game as a Raven. The play sucked the life out of a crowd that is known for it’s energy.

“Once it was in the air, I felt it,” Peters said of the play after the game.

Marcus Peters pick-six vs Seahawks
In his first game with the Ravens, Marcus Peters victimized Russell Wilson for a pick-six. (Screenshot: NFL on FOX)

Former Seahawk Earl Thomas had a front row seat to the type of victory this city has seen many times this decade. After a game in which Thomas forced Wilson complete less than 50 percent (20-for-41) of his passes, he embraced his former teammate with a hug and jersey swap after the game.

Still, it was Jackson and Baltimore’s 199 yards on the ground that made mince meat out of an improved defense in Seattle — compared to last season. The Ravens followed up a month of sloppy play offensively with a punishing running game featuring both old and new-school tactics, a formula that may be Baltimore’s best chance at a deep postseason run.

At this point in the season, the time for experimentation is waning. The Ravens know that, and in turn, have seemingly found what works.

After their upcoming bye week they’ll see if their current formula is good enough when they become the first in a line of teams with winning records to face the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots (6-0) starting in the first week of November.

Can their best beat the best? In two Sundays, we’ll find out.

QUICK-HITS 

– Sunday’s games provided a clear line in the sand in two divisions — the AFC South and NFC East.

In Dallas, the Cowboys (4-3) hit the Eagles (3-4) in the mouth within minutes, jumping out to a 14-0 lead en route to a 37-10 whooping of their NFC East rival. The win snapped a three-game losing streak and puts Dallas virtually two games up on Philadelphia in the division. Sunday’s win was a back-to-basics game for a team that is pretty loaded in the running game and on defense. Despite collecting what seemed to be an influx of talent, the Eagles don’t seem to be meshing. Their secondary is porous and their rush defense joined the pity party in Dallas on Sunday. Then there’s Carson Wentz, who is a top-tier quarterback according to Pro Football Focus and just about everyone else. For the Eagles, the talent is there, but the production is not.

In Indianapolis, Jacoby Brissett (26-for-39, 326 yards, four touchdowns) showed the NFL world just how complete of a team the Colts are. Already loaded with a top-tier offensive line and a fast defense consisting of an up-and-coming secondary, Brissett exploited Houston in a way they probably didn’t see coming. After making quick work of the Chiefs in Kansas City, the Colts sat and watched the Texans do the same during their bye week, as everyone praised Watson as an MVP candidate. It was Brissett who outplayed Watson on Sunday, as the Colts (4-2) moved ahead of the Texans (4-3) in the AFC South. It’s clear that they’re at least slightly ahead of teams like the Ravens (5-2) and Chiefs (5-2) for bragging rights as the second-best team in the AFC, for now.

– When Kirk Cousins is on, the Vikings do well. One of the league’s most talented teams knows that their hopes for success rely on Cousins playing consistently well. After a tough 42-30 road win in Detroit on Sunday, Cousins has now flourished for two straight weeks in Minnesota victories — eight touchdowns, one interception and 333.5 passing yards per game. They have a home bout with Washington next week, and then travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, who will probably be without superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. These may be games where the Vikings rely more on Dalvin Cook, who is looking like a top-five running back this season. But it would be wise to throw enough to at least keep the momentum going with Cousins, who has a great chance to lead his club to a 7-2 mark after these next two weeks.

– The NFC is truly a loaded conference at the moment. Aaron Rodgers finally has some defensive help in Green Bay, as well as a new offense tailored to succeed in the colder months. San Francisco is struggling some on offense, but have implemented a  power-running game with Matt Brieda to go along with perhaps the league’s best pass rush. They have transformed over night. The Seahawks aren’t quite up to par with San Francisco in terms of overall talent, but they’re close. With additions such as Jadeveon Clowney and D.K. Metcalf, the Seahawks — despite their loss on Sunday — have improved their roster behind Russell Wilson, the NFL’s best QB at the moment. Having Wilson makes them forever dangerous in their division and conference.

Then there’s the Saints, whose defense looks better than ever during the Sean Payton era, complimenting an offense that mimics it’s secret weapon, Taysom Hill, as a unit that can do just about everything. With Alvin Kamara out, the offense’s other star, Michael Thomas, hauled in 131 yards on nine catches, while the bruising Latavius Murry rushed for 119 yards and two scores in Kaamra’s absence on a day in which he looked every bit like Adrian Peterson. And this has all been led by backup QB Teddy Bridgewater. When Drew Brees returns, there’s little doubt that the Saints hold the NFC’s most complete unit.

THE BETTER HALF

1. New England Patriots (6-0) (Last week: 1). The Patriots have issues — mostly due to injuries — at wide receiver and along the offensive line. Expect them to have problems tonight in New York against the Jets. Also, keep your eyes on the transaction wire from now until the trade deadline on October 29. New England will be looking to bring in a pass catcher such as: A.J. Green, Emmanuel Sanders, Mohamed Sanu or O.J. Howard.

2. New Orleans Saints (6-1) (Last week: 2). The Saints continue to win behind Teddy Bridgewater (5-0 as a starter in 2019) and their swarming defense. Sean Payton should consider sticking with Bridgewater versus the Cardinals next week, as their bye comes the week after that. Then, it’s Drew Brees time.

3. Green Bay Packers (6-1) (Last week: 3). The defense has been solid this year, and after a slow start, Aaron Rodgers — five touchdown passes, one rushing score, 158.3 passer rating on Sunday — has come alive in his first season under Matt LaFleur’s offensive system.

4. San Francisco 49ers (6-0) (Last week: 5). Jimmy Garoppolo is now 14-2 as a starter in the NFL, but the 49ers have got to this point by leaning on their suffocating defense. That was certainly the case in Sunday’s win over Washington in the slosh.

5. Indianapolis Colts (4-2) (Last week: 6). Most major media outlets had Indianapolis somewhere between No. 12 and 15 in their power rankings heading into this week. The Colts are criminally underrated. They are one of the NFL’s most complete teams, and they proved that this week.

6. Seattle Seahawks (5-2) (Last week: 4). The loss — and the pick-six — hurt, but Russell Wilson still leads the NFL MVP race.

7. Minnesota Vikings (5-2) (Last week: 8). Kirk Cousins has been awesome these past two weeks. When he looks like that, the Vikings are a contender. Will he keep this up? Minnesota could also have better performances out of their talented, but underachieving defense.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) (Last week: 7). By most indications, it looks like Patrick Mahomes will return sometime after missing three to five weeks. It would be wise to keep him out through their bye week around Thanksgiving. Andy Reid has had success with backup quarterbacks such Koy Detmer, Doug Peterson, A.J. Feeley and Jeff Garcia in Philadelphia. They can survive with Matt Moore or Chad Henne. The latter should be returning from an injury soon.

9. Los Angeles Rams (4-3) (Last week: 10). Jalen Ramsey provided an immediate and noticeable spark to a team that desperately needed it.

10. Dallas Cowboys (4-3) (Last week: 13). Dallas took a commanding lead in the NFC East behind efficient play in virtually all areas of their win over the Eagles. They needed that.

11. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) (Last week: 14). Just like that, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are back in the mix of contenders. That was an impressive win that I certainly didn’t see coming.

12. Buffalo Bills (5-1) (Last week: 12). They survived what would have been an inexplicable home loss to the Dolphins. They’re virtually a playoff lock with their schedule.

13. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) (Last week: 9). They’ve got issues. If they are to make the playoffs, it’s going to be by passing Dallas to win the NFC East. They’re not off to a good start. But they have time to correct what they’ve done. Can they? Maybe.

14. Houston Texans (4-3) (Last week: 11). The Texans’ offensive line continues to be a major problem. It’s a legitimate achilles heel for a team led by a fearless and fantastic young passer in Deshaun Watson.

15. Carolina Panthers (4-2) (Last week: 16). The Panthers head to San Francisco this week in a game that is more important than we ever thought it would be.

16. Detroit Lions (2-3-1) (Last week: NR). They belong here over any other team not listed. It’s inexcusable that they’re not 5-1, but two of their three excruciating results (two losses, one tie) have been their fault. And of course, we know what happened last Monday night in Green Bay. This is an up-and-coming team with talent that needs to get out of its own way.

Next up: Chicago, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Cleveland

Deshaun Watson vs KC

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Watson outduels Mahomes + What football means to the Schwartz family

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

When I went to journalism school in Northwestern in 2017, our class with media veteran J.A. Adande consisted of writing about topics of our own choice.

My most passionate paper that year was when I lobbied that Deshaun Watson should be the first quarterback taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. I later doubled down on Watson in a NFL Draft recap show us students created a few weeks later.

The National Championship-winning quarterback from Clemson has made me proud thus far.

His stats — 30 of 42, 280 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions — weren’t as flashy, thanks to a number of dumbfounding drops. But the result, a 31-24 win over the Chiefs in Kansas City, tell the real story.

As soon as Watson converted a 4th-and-3 on a gutsy pass to DeAndre Hopkins to seal the game, one thing was clear: Watson is an MVP candidate worthy of lofty comparisons to fellow new-wave superstars Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson.

While his moxie and leadership skills were already uncovered in college, it’s Watson’s pure passing skills that have kept the Texans in the mix in the AFC, despite having a slew of roster efficiencies like their offensive line.

The Texans head to Indianapolis next week, meaning we should know more about the division then. As admirable as Jacoby Brissett has played, he’s no Watson. But the Colts have the vastly superior team and the better head coach.

Good news for Houston — Watson produces when the chips are down, and stacked against his squad.

*******

For Kansas City, this is the second week in a row I featured their loss at the top my column. Two AFC South teams have beaten the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium last week, showcasing what we already knew about the 2018 AFC finalists — even Patrick Mahomes and this explosive offense will have trouble making the Super Bowl with this defense.

Even with a change at defensive coordinator — Steve Spagnuolo replacing Bob Sutton — and a slew of player additions — Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu — Kansas City’s defense remains futile.

Their inability to stop the run will only make things harder for them come January. Although this is a new era of football capable of producing a champion with a team of this nature, don’t bet on it. The Chiefs should and will explore the trade market for additions on defense this month.

LIFE AND FOOTBALL — THE GREAT SCHWARTZ INTERSECTION

Truth be told, basketball was my favorite sport until I was about 10 years old. I was also better at basketball than I was at football until I grew into my body around age 16 or 17.

But the moment I became hooked on football — which is basically the Schwartz family crest — was midway during the 1999 NFL season. I began watching after asking my Dad one simple question: “Who is our team?”

“The New England Patriots,” he responded, almost non-caring.

To be a Patriots fan was to barely care, at that point. Boston was a town ruled by the rich history of the the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins.

I cared though. And I cared a lot, even though it all started on a whim.

Doug Flutie and the Buffalo Bills defeated the Patriots 17-7 in the first game I remember watching. The Patriots missed the postseason in 1999, and again in 2000, when they sported a measly 5-11 record under new head coach Bill Belichick.

But football quickly became my favorite sport to play and follow. I took in and processed all the information about the NFL that I could through Almanacs, Sports Illustrated issues, NFL preview magazines, Madden, and the internet back in the dial-up days — and that’s while I lived in Germany.

At one point during a holiday vacation to a resort in the Grand Canary Islands in December of 2000, I begged my dad to take me to the internet cafe so I could check the scores.

Unfortunately, my eagerness to learn was at a much higher level than the Patriots’ success.

That didn’t last long.

In September of 2001, a week after 9/11, the NFL resumed, and the 0-2 Patriots had dropped a close home game to the 2-0 New York Jets. But a major event happened — Tom Brady had replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe. And the rest was history.

I’d say three of New England’s six Super Bowl wins — Super Bowls 36, 49 and 51 — would make the top five of my favorite moments in life at this point, seeing as I am a 28-year-old, yet-to-be married dude who has no kids (yet).

Through the Patriots, I became ultra-close with my Dad’s mother, Grandma Schwartz, when she followed us to Jacksonville, North Carolina in 2005 after we moved there from Germany the year before.

I was often dropped off at her house during NFL Sundays — the first being a Patriots loss to the Panthers in 2005.

The most memorable moments with her were probably New England’s unbelievable upset over the Chargers in San Diego in the 2006 playoffs, and celebrating the Patriots clinching a 16-0 record together in their 2007 Week 17 win over the Giants. We even hugged with joy after the record-breaking Brady-to-Randy Moss score for the win.

The thing is, football brought our family closer. And although much of the Schwartz family were already Patriots fans, I do take credit (not fully) for spearheading the brigade, from when I became a fanatic. Soon, my Father, a UConn football alum who loved football but just casually enjoyed the NFL, was a huge Patriots fan. My mother became a fan, and my sister even ride or dies with the team.

Through football, my cousins Ryan, Brandon, Dylan and Kyle — who are basically like brothers — all love the game as much as I do, and we talk non-stop, almost each day, about the Patriots and the game.

The Patriots are so important to me that I could tell you where I was for just about every game since 2001. It’s insane. I remember those moments probably more than any other type of event in my life.

And the weirdest thing is, things seem to happen based on what has happened in my life. Of course this is probably all a coincidence, but it is weird that the Brady-Belichick era began JUST after I became interested in the sport.

And after a 10-year title drought, filled with SpyGate jokes and such, New England brought home the title on Malcolm Butler’s interception in Super Bowl 49, just three months after my Grandma Schwartz passed.

New England then won Super Bowl 51 just after my Grandpa Schwartz, another die-hard New England sports fan, passed away. That greatest-of-all-time comeback that cemented Brady as the greatest of all time, happened to be my year in J-School, and I covered the event that week down in Houston, even attending the press conference with Brady and Belichick the following morning.

Football has taught me about love, heartbreak, the importance of family and friends, and an arsenal of other lessons.

I suffered one bad adult breakup in my life, as we all do. Looking back, I’m obviously no longer sad as I was, but how bad as it was then, it was NOWHERE NEAR as sad as some of the Patriots biggest losses — the 2006 AFC Championship Game, Super Bowls 42, 46 and 52, etc.

But during those times, I was with family and/or the best of friends. And after ignoring sports media for a few days, I got back up on the horse, and looked forward to next season. I persevered, and my family was right there with me, ready for the new season.

Nowadays, I call my Dad after almost  every game to discuss, even if he just likes talking to me, and can care less how well New England balanced the run and the pass.

As we enter the fall and winter once more, the Patriots are 6-0 and on track for a run at an unprecedented seventh title.

I’ll travel to both North Carolina and Dracut, Massachusetts, this Holiday season, as I have for the past few years. And I’ll enjoy the games with my immediate family, my extended family (shoutout to Uncle Kevin, Auntie Linda and the Dracut clan, which is like my second home, or home 1B) and with lifelong friends.

What a great tradition.

*******

I decided to write this section this weekend after dealing with the loss of my last childhood dog, Mickey.

To deal with the loss of a pet, one should try to look at the bright side, with all the memories you will forever have by sharing with the lovely creature. A lot of my memories will involve watching football with family, with Mickey hovering around, gleefully. So I remembered those times while also reading some of my favorite dog obituary columns by the great Peter King and Bill Simmons.

Brent and Mickey
Several memorable moments in my life have come from watching big Patriots games, often with the late Mickey, and her sister Spock. They were great dogs.

This is not meant to be an overly-somber cheesy memorial. Mickey was an awesome dog, and whatever lies after life on Earth, she’ll be there with her sister rat terrier pup, Spock — named by me, of course — waiting for the rest of us.

Mickey is no longer with us in a physical presence. Sometime in the way distant future, neither will my father, or even, me.

But the bond in our family created by the Patriots, and football, remains.

*******

Now without further ado, more fun and football. Here is my first take on the NFL MVP race this season:

NFL MVP RACE

This is my first ranking of NFL MVP candidates for 2019. I plan on including this section again after Week 9, Week 12 and then each week after Week 14.

1. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks. Wilson willed the Seahawks to wins over the Rams and Browns, and has officially ushered in Seattle’s new era under his leadership. His legacy will be defined by this era. This is a good start.

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers. Judging by voting in recent seasons, McCaffrey is probably slated for the OPOY award, but not the MVP. Voters like quarterbacks. There was a time when running backs often won this award.

3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs. He has the offensive weapons, but his protection is waning, and his defense is still awful. He makes up for a lot.

4. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans. Even behind a lackluster offensive line, Watson keeps his cool, and delivers.

5. Jacoby Brissett, QB, Indianapolis Colts. Yeah, I said it. He has a great coach and team backing him, but Brissett was thrust into this spot after Andrew Luck’s retirement, and he’s kept the Colts’ playoff aspirations afloat. His stats are pretty, too. He belongs here.

Next up: Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

THE BETTER HALF

1. New England Patriots (6-0) (Last week: 1). I somehow found myself in the middle of a heated Twitter debate on Sunday, defending Julian Edelman’s name to a portion of NFL Twitter that continues to dog him. It’s incredible that this happens on a Sunday in which New England wasn’t even playing. Listen, Edelman will likely have to play three more seasons, and would have to provide some more memorable moments to help win another Super Bowl or two, to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He just doesn’t have the regular season success. But the way in which football twitter places him as a system player not worthy of even top-25 receiver discussion at the moment — I believe Edelman is certainly in the top 20 right now, and was once a borderline top-10 pass catcher — is just nauseous.

Did they see his sweet move to beat a Giants double-team on Sunday?

Even in a game in which New England struggled on offense, and he was often doubled in coverage, Edelman hauled in nine catches for 115 yards on 15 targets. They don’t win any of these past three Super Bowls without him, and Brady’s play without him in the last few seasons is well-documented. He isn’t as good as Rob Gronkowski but he’s as equally — possibly more —  important to this Patriots run of the 2010’s. He’s a major part of the offense. As it stands, New England should be searching for another receiver to add to their arsenal, but make no mistake — without Edelman, they’d be in much more trouble offensively.

2. New Orleans Saints (5-1) (Last week: 2). Another defensive-led win for the Saints. Teddy Bridgewater is solid, but when Drew Brees returns, the Saints know they may finally have the team and formula needed to win their second Super Bowl.

3. Green Bay Packers (4-1) (Last week: 5). Aaron Rodgers and the Packers defense should be able to squeeze by the Lions tonight.

4. Seattle Seahawks (5-1) (Last week: 6). Going west to east for an early kickoff is always going to be a tough one for the Seahawks. Thankfully, Russell Wilson pulled another one out of his hat. MVP?

5. San Francisco 49ers (5-0) (Last week: 10). They’re up top in the NFC despite semi-shaky play from Jimmy Garoppolo. That’s scary, because he’ll improve as we get farther away from the date of his brutal ACL injury. In the last two weeks, the defense has allowed a combined 10 points versus the star-studded offenses of the Browns and Rams.

6. Indianapolis Colts (3-2) (Last week: 8). The Colts move up during the bye week. They have perhaps the AFC’s most complete team.

7. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) (Last week: 3). Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes. But it appears even he can’t win a Super Bowl with this defense. Will they attempt to make some midseason changes?

8. Minnesota Vikings (4-2) (Last week: 16). Maybe a three-touchdown performance will temper Stefon Diggs’ desire to leave? Regardless, Kirk Cousins was awesome on Sunday, even if he was pitted against Philadelphia’s atrocious secondary.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) (Last week: 4). Their defense is holding them back. They need to swing a trade for Jalen Ramsey or Patrick Peterson, badly.

10. Los Angeles Rams (3-3) (Last week: 7). Yeah, they have issues. But I still think there’s a few more memorable moments to come in the Sean McVay-Jared Goff era. Let’s be patient. I think this tweet by a Rams beat reporter sums things up for now.  But losing back-to-back games to NFC West opponents puts them squarely in the wild card race. I don’t think they’re winning the division.

11. Houston Texans (4-2) (Last week: NR). Big win for the Texans. They have a more important game next week in Indianapolis. A win over the Colts would put them 1.5 games ahed of Indy in the division.

12. Buffalo Bills (4-1) (Last week: 13). They have the second-best winning percentage in the AFC, and a laughable schedule the rest of the way. It’s time to start thinking of these Bills as the AFC’s No. 5 seed come January.

13. Dallas Cowboys (3-3) (Last week: 9). Three straight losses. All in ugly fashion. So much for the Dak Prescott MVP/new contract talk. If they lose at home to the Eagles on Sunday Night Football this week, they may fully spiral out of control. The talent is there. This is a perfect game for them to get back on track. Especially since it seems the NFC East may only send one playoff team.

14. Baltimore Ravens (4-2) (Last week: 14). Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have been sloppy after their two easy wins to begin the year. Had Ben Roethlisberger not gotten injured, I think the Steelers would take the AFC North. But with Ben’s injury and the Browns’ disastrous season, Baltimore should win the division. With that cushion, they should work on fixing their issues before January.

15. Chicago Bears (3-2) (Last week: 12). Other teams impressed this week, so they move down a few spots during their bye. They have a chance to move back up in a big way with a home bout with the Saints. They can win this.

16. Carolina Panthers (4-2) (Last week: NR). The Panthers have won five straight games with Kyle Allen, and have lost eight straight games with Cam Newton at the helm. Newton is certainly a better football player right now, but sometimes things just need to change. Allen is the hot hand, and Carolina should stick with him if he continues to play like this.

Next up: Detroit, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Denver

Justin Houston vs. Chiefs

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Colts stun Chiefs + Is McCaffrey NFL’s best RB?

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

Not many believed the Colts could do it. Not after an ugly home loss to the Raiders the week before.

But here we are.

The Colts laid claim as the AFC’s No. 3 team by picking up what owner Jim Irsay called “the biggest regular season win in franchise history,” 19-13 over Patrick Mahomes and the mighty Chiefs in Kansas City.

They did it with defense. They did it with a punishing ground attack. They did it with mauling offensive line play and a young quarterback with the mettle to move past his mistakes to deliver the next big throw.

In a game in which wunderkind Mahomes was playing, it was offensive guard Quenton Nelson who was the best player on the field.

The most fascinating was former Chiefs pass rusher Justin Houston, who returned to Kansas City as a member of the Colts and made the game’s biggest play.

Houston stopped Chiefs rusher Damian Williams behind the line of scrimmage on a 4th-and-1 attempt late in the fourth quarter with the Chiefs deep in their own territory down six points.

“We came into their home when nobody expected us to beat their ass” Houston told his teammates after the game.

According to NFL Network’s James Palmer, Houston was very emotional returning to Kansas City. So emotional, that he had to get to Arrowhead Stadium extra early so he could take the field and get the emotions out of the way.

That emotion seemingly returned via feelings of overwhelming triumph, as Houston was jubilant and animated after what proved to be the game-winning stop.

Indianapolis became the first team to ever hold Mahomes’ Chiefs to under 26 points. They allowed just half that.

And they did it without two defensive stars, Malik Hooker and Darius Leonard — the latter was last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and an All-Pro.

On offense, the Colts won in the trenches. They out-gained the Chiefs 180-to-36 in total rushing yardage. Nelson, who is already the NFL’s best offensive lineman, plowed over defenders the entire night. As a group, Indianapolis produced running lanes for much of the evening. And even when there wasn’t a lane, Marlon Mack exhibited Le’Veon Bell-like patience to find the right path.

A game-time decision due to injury, Mack tallied 132 yards on 29 carries, exposing a deep-rooted defensive flaw that many saw the Patriots take advantage of in last year’s AFC Championship Game in this same stadium.

After an ugly postseason loss at Arrowhead in January, Frank Reich said he was confident this week, because of how well the team practiced.

That confidence was on display in Jacoby Brissett, who shook off a terrible first-half interception in the red zone to calmly weather the storm en route to victory.

When Andrew Luck’s retirement during a Colts preseason game shocked the world, it shocked Brissett, too. It appeared he found out from Luck in real time on the sidelines. Now, Brissett is leading the Super Bowl-caliber roster that Luck left behind to victories over a team like Kansas City, an AFC finalist who pounded Luck in January in what looks to be his final NFL game.

General manager Chris Ballard has weathered the storm during the backing out of Josh McDaniels as head coach, the moving out by Andrew Luck at quarterback, with a 1-5 mark to start 2018 in between. Ballard has built a great roster with a lot of depth, and little flaws, in such little time.

With Luck, I had Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. Without him, they are still in the mix under Brissett.

“We a complete team,” T.Y. Hilton said after the game. “We got it all.”

The long game suggests that the AFC will still come down to New England and Kansas City. The Patriots are the Patriots, and Patrick Mahomes makes up for a lot of the glaring deficiencies that plague the Chiefs.

But don’t tell the Colts that.

“This is a really hard place to play,” Colts head coach Frank Reich admitted to his team after the game.

“But look at what we did.”

IS MCCAFFREY THE NFL’S BEST RB?

After the clock ran out in an entertaining 42-28, Panthers-over-Jaguars victory, the tweets came in.

Christian McCaffrey had stolen the show.

First off, any player who can play in the same game as Gardner Minshew and transcend him as the game’s top story, is special. Of course, we didn’t need Sunday’s performance to realize how special Christian McCaffrey is. But we got it anyway.

Three touchdowns. 237 yards from scrimmage. One huge put-the-team-on-his-back performance by perhaps the game’s best running back against a Jaguars defense that was considered the NFL’s best less than two years ago.

That’s right — the NFL’s best running back. 

Look, there are no tomorrow’s at this position, which is why the ‘best in the game’ belt is passed every so swiftly. One moment, Shaun Alexander is the NFL MVP after a record-setting season, gracing the Madden 07 cover. The next year he’s averaging 3.6 yards per carry and in his second-to-last full season as a starter. One moment Todd Gurley is an unstoppable MVP candidate, the next, he’s getting less than 10 touches a game buried in the running back power rankings. You just never know.

So with perhaps the NFL’s most talented running back ever, Saquon Barkley, currently nursing an injury, the belt should be McCaffrey’s. Even if this lasts just another week or two, McCaffrey has proved his worth.

With Cam Newton out, the do-it-all running back for Carolina has kept the team’s playoff aspirations afloat.

In comparison, McCaffrey is outperforming his closest counterpart — in terms of skill set — Alvin Kamara, and he’s a better all-around back than bell cow Ezekiel Elliott.

When healthy, the belt perhaps belongs to Barkley, but for now, it lies with the son of a Broncos possession-receiver who caught passes from John Elway in the 1990’s.

With Steve Smith in the house for his Panthers Hall of Honor induction speech, it was McCaffrey who proved he’s the most talented non-QB on offense that this franchise has ever seen.

The elusiveness, pass-catching skills, speedy burst and tenacity make the looming 2019 Offensive Player of the Year a perfect weapon at the perfect time in today’s spread-it-out display of offenses.

Even when you know he’s getting 30 touches, good luck stopping him.

QUICK-HITS 

– The Packers bullied the Cowboys on Sunday, winning 34-24 in a game in which the score was not indicative of the actual result. Dallas’ mad dash in semi-garbage time made the game’s final moments more interesting. But the Packers led 31-3 in Dallas in the third quarter, as Aaron Jones had already scampered for a franchise record-tying four touchdowns. Green Bay ran all over Dallas’ talented defense, and on offense the Cowboys were similarly out of answers. Dak Prescott threw three interceptions and the Packers dropped a few more. Although it’s still early, recent matchups for teams like the Cowboys, Packers and Eagles sort of sets the stage in the NFC. Now, Philadelphia has the upper hand in the NFC East after Dallas’ fast start has come to a halt. Both the Cowboys and Eagles should make the postseason, as should the Packers, whose QB situation vaults them ahead of the talented Bears and Vikings — as well as the underrated Lions —  in the NFC North. If Philadelphia can get their secondary straightened out versus better passing teams — they beat up on Luke Faulk and the lowly Jets on Sunday — then they are right with the Saints as the teams to beat in the NFC. The Packers, Seahawks, Rams, Cowboys, and possibly, the 49ers, rounds out a very-talented second-tier in the NFC early on. Of course, more of this will make sense to readers after indulging in my weekly power rankings section below.

– It was an under-the-radar game, and the Falcons defense is indeed, terrible, but Deshaun Watson put up an all-time performance in the Texans’ 53-32 stomping of Atlanta.

Most of Watson’s damage came via an aerial assault with WR2 Will Fuller, who brought in 217 yards and three touchdowns on 14 catches. It’s remarkable Watson’s stat line (see above) was as is, considering DeAndre Hopkins — arguably the NFL’s best receiver — contributed a scoreless performance with just 88 receiving yards. The Texans still have a subpar offensive line, and their defense is probably their worst in years, but their new era dawns with the best quarterback in the organization’s history. In a search for the AFC’s third best team — with is probably the Colts — the Texans are in the mix, even if they have more holes than any other candidate. That’s what we’ve learned — under Watson, Houston may always be in the mix.

THE BETTER HALF

1. New England Patriots (5-0) (Last week: 1). Ho hum, another ridiculously-good performance by the Patriots defense. “We’re the boogeymen,” Dont’a Hightower said of New England’s linebacking core after the game. They’ll face the two New York City teams in prime time these next two weeks, so we should see more of the same from them.

It was also cool to see both Adrian Peterson and Donald Penn ask Tom Brady for his jersey after the game.

2. New Orleans Saints (4-1) (Last week: 3).  The Saints continue to impress on both sides of the ball. Teddy Bridgewater’s leadership and poise during this run should be a bigger story.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) (Last week: 2). They’ve been outplayed two weeks in a row. They couldn’t escape this time. We know who they are. For them to win the Super Bowl, Mahomes has to play almost perfect. He makes up for a lot of issues with that defense. Getting Tyreek Hill back will help them outscore most.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) (Last week: 6). Sure, they were playing Luke Falk and the Jets, but Philadelphia racked up 10 sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and two defensive touchdowns on Sunday. They have the talent, but will they find some consistency? It’s all on Carson Wentz’s play in big games and the defense’s ability to hold up. It’s a long season. We’ll see.

5. Green Bay Packers (4-1) (Last week: 7). Big bounce-back victory for Green Bay. Their defense is legit. And Aaron Jones is a budding star.

6. Seattle Seahawks (4-1) (Last week: 9). They’ve earned this spot. There’s more help for Russell Wilson this time around. It does seem like they may be missing one offensive playmaker. Regardless, Wilson can take them the distance. He’s that good.

7. Los Angeles Rams (3-2) (Last week: 4). They have a lot of issues, but they’ll figure them out and will go on a big run come November or December.

8. Indianapolis Colts (3-2) (Last week: 16). They earned the biggest win in the AFC so far. They have the make-up of a team that could beat anyone. They’re deep, talented and versatile. Now, they have a bye week to rest up. They’ll return to host four of their next five games. That’s huge.

9. Dallas Cowboys (3-2) (Last week: 5). Two ugly losses bring Dak Prescott and Dallas back to earth. They’re still a team that should make the postseason.

10. San Francisco 49ers (3-0) (Last week: 10). We’ll know more about the 49ers after tonight’s game. They’re in a weird place, having played two less games than most of the teams on this list.

11. Cleveland Browns (2-2) (Last week: 11). See above. Let’s see what the talented Browns do tonight.

12. Chicago Bears (3-2) (Last week: 8). They looked jet-lagged in London. Perhaps it was their odd decision to travel to England just 48 hours before the game? Still, their quarterback screwing things up is about what we’d expect. Bad mistake late by Chase Daniel.

13. Buffalo Bills (4-1) (Last week: 15). The Bills have one of the league’s best defenses, yet like the Bears, they have some big problems on offense. At least Josh Allen has come through in the clutch. All four of his wins this season have come via a game-winning drive.

14. Baltimore Ravens (3-2) (Last week: 12). They were lucky to win in Pittsburgh. Lamar Jackson’s breakout performances versus Miami and Arizona seem like eons ago. He needs to return to form. He will.

15. Detroit Lions (2-1-1) (Last week: 14). The Lions sit here during the bye. They’re a tough team with talent.

16. Minnesota Vikings (3-2) (Last week: NR). We know what we need to see from Kirk Cousins. He needs to beat winning teams. He has a shot when Philadelphia comes to town this week.

Next up: Oakland, Carolina, Houston, L.A. Chargers, Jacksonville

Nick Chubb vs Ravens

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Ordering a muddled AFC

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

Known for being a month of unpredictability and little importance, September of NFL’s 100th season concluded with a flurry of bizarre results, mostly affecting the AFC.

No result in the conference was more notable than the Browns (2-2) dismantling of the Ravens (2-2), 40-25, in Baltimore.

Nick Chubb — 20 carries, 165 yards, three touchdowns — helped power Cleveland to a monumental win that now puts them on top of the AFC North.

That’s an unanticipated slot for a team that was off to a disastrous start that made Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd and an army of Baker Mayfield haters giddy just days ago.

The AFC North now shares similarities with the logjam that is AFC South.

The inconsistently-average division saw the Texans (2-2) and Colts (2-2) suffer demoralizing losses at home, while the Jaguars (2-2) and Titans (2-2) produced wins that evened out their record.

The Patriots (4-0) and Chiefs (4-0) each survived road scares by the previously-unbeaten Bills (3-1) and Lions (2-1-1). Thanks to a handful of upsets on Sunday, the 49ers (3-0), who were on a bye, are the only other undefeated team remaining.

At this point, it’s apparent that the the December 8th matchup between Kansas City and New England will be one of two contests between those teams this season. The AFC Championship Game in January should be a rematch of last season’s all-timer. It would be shocking to see any other AFC squad masquerading as the conference’s third best team in that game.

After the beasts, there are a few talented teams looking to right the ship in the Browns and Chargers (2-2). Then there’s Texans and Ravens, who have two gifted quarterbacks in Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson, but have other holes that leave them liable to the occasional sink fest.

The Bills have one of the NFL’s best defenses, but Josh Allen’s accuracy issues leaves them suspended for the time being.

By January, one or two teams in the AFC will get to 11 wins outside of the Patriots and Chiefs. But will they be a viable threat to either team in the race toward Super Bowl LIV? It’s too early to say for sure, but that answer looks like a resounding “no” for now.

QUICK-HITS

– Down goes Dak Prescott in the Cowboys in New Orleans. The Saints held Dallas to 257 yards of total offense — 45 rushing yards — in a stingy 12-10 win that forces us to reassess the NFC. Teddy Bridgewater had his own issues on Sunday night, struggling to throw for a touchdown and therefore keeping the game closer than it needed to be. Luckily, with a stingy effort from their defense, and 184 total yards of offense from Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, the Saints did just enough to produce a huge victory in the Bayou. Drew Brees is expected to miss another month or more, but in a struggling NFC South that already is without Cam Newton in Carolina, and the mess that is the Falcons (1-3), the Saints are in good position as the Fall season begins.

– The Buccaneers (2-2) led the Rams 21-0 and 45-27 in Los Angeles before overcoming a few mistakes for a shocking 55-40 win over the defending NFC champions on the road. The win was the weekend’s most shocking, and similar to Tampa Bay 48-40 win in New Orleans to kickoff the 2018 season. Under head coach Bruce Arians and possibly wunderkind offensive coordinator Byron Leftwhich, even the inconsistent Jameis Winston should look good at times. Minus an embarrassing pick-six late to the Rams’ Marcus Peters, Winston was electric — 28-of-41, 385 passing yards, four touchdowns — and gaffe free, mostly targeting the underrated Chris Godwin — 12 catches, 172 yards, two touchdowns.

Jared Goff did his best to battle back from an ugly outing, finishing 45-of-68 for 517 yards and two scores, but his three interceptions were too much to overcome. Suddenly, the Rams (3-1) find themselves in a tough spot, as they travel to NFC West rival Seattle in three days for a Thursday night contest.

– Down goes Nick Foles and Cam Newton, and to the bench goes Eli Manning. In comes Gardner Minshew, Kyle Allen and Daniel Jones. The latter trio has combined for a 6-1 record this season over the last two weeks. Jones has faced too easy opponents and Allen received a huge boost from Carolina’s stout defensive front yesterday, but Minshew overcame an erupting Denver defense early to produce a game-winning drive resulting in a walk-off 33-yard field goal by Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo. Even with better teams like the Colts and Texans in the division, and the moderate drama surrounding Jalen Ramsey, the Jaguars have rallied behind their eclectic rookie quarterback to pit themselves in the thick of things in their division. The Panthers (2-2) may not have enough to remain in the NFC mix, but there is a long season ahead. The same goes for the Saquon Barkley-less Giants. Jones has been solid, but he’ll see his first real test when New York hosts the Vikings (2-2) and their defense next week, before heading to New England for a Thursday night contest four days after. Regardless, all three passers have been impressive to close out September.

THE BETTER HALF 

1. New England Patriots (4-0) (Last week: 1). Their defense is the best in a league that includes the mighty impressive unit over in Chicago. This year’s version of Tom Brady is obviously miles ahead of Peyton Manning’s final form, but there are striking similarities between the 2019 Patriots and the 2015 Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) (Last week: 2). They survived in Detroit. Even on an off day, Patrick Mahomes delivered.

3. New Orleans Saints (3-1) (Last week: 6). Thanks to an impressive defensive stand versus the Cowboys, Teddy Bridgewater and the Saints move above the team that has handed them their last two losses. Now that he’s settled in, Bridgewater should be able to do enough to keep the Saints afloat without Drew Brees.

4. Los Angeles Rams (3-1) (Last week: 3). That was a bad home loss. It happens. But to surrender 55 points at home means something is wrong with the defense. Is it fixable?

5. Dallas Cowboys (3-1) (Last week: 4). Dak Prescott’s hot streak came crashing down in New Orleans. Will he bounce back at home against Green Bay?

6. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) (Last week: 11). That was as big of a win as any team has had in 2019. Carson Wentz finally delivered in a big game, on the road, nonetheless. The Eagles still have major issues on defense, but their overall level of talent pits them near the top of the NFC.

7. Green Bay Packers (3-1) (Last week: 5). Aaron Rodgers finally caught fire on Thursday, just in time for their red-hot defense to be extinguished. They’ll need to return to their previous form in Dallas next week.

8. Chicago Bears (3-1) (Last week: 14). No matter who plays quarterback for the Bears, they just need to play well enough to compliment the NFC’s very best defense. The Bears are a contender in the same sense as they’ve always been — a great defense mixed with a shaky quarterback(s).

9. Seattle Seahawks (3-1) (Last week: 10). They still look like a wild card team, but Sunday’s road dominance was a good sign.

10. San Francisco 49ers (3-0) (Last week: 16). Thanks to a number of disappointing efforts by teams that played this week, the bye-week 49ers move up here.

11. Cleveland Browns (2-2) (Last week: NR). After a disastrous start to their season, the Browns’ talent won out in Baltimore.

12. Baltimore Ravens (2-2) (Last week: 7). All of the sudden, Lamar Jackson’s breakout performances versus the Dolphins and Cardinals — two teams with a combined 0-7-1 record — don’t look so good. How will he respond to reoccurring criticism?

13. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) (Last week: NR). The Chargers are under the radar for a reason — they haven’t played up to par. But in a middling AFC, they’re in position to reassert themselves.

14. Detroit Lions (2-1-1) (Last week: 13). It’s dumbfounding that the Lions aren’t 4-0. But then again, dumbfounding is what the Lions usually are. In translation — Lions are gonna Lion.

15. Buffalo Bills (3-1) (Last week: 15). Their defense is extraordinary. Their quarterback is need of a masterclass in smart quarterback play.

16. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) (Last week: 9). That was as disappointing a loss as any this weekend. Were they caught looking ahead to next week’s Sunday Night Football matchup in Kansas City?

Next up: Minnesota, Carolina, Tennessee, Houston, Tampa Bay/Oakland/Jacksonville

Patrick Mahomes vs Ravens

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Mahomes continues to prove he’s NFL’s best player

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

With each passing week of football, Patrick Mahomes continues to prove he’s the NFL’s best player.

Although a young star-in-the-making, Lamar Jackson is not in Mahomes’ class. Nobody is, outside of six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. And even the GOAT can admire what he’s seen from Mahomes.

The Chiefs (3-0) raced out to a 30-13 lead, holding on for a 33-28 victory over the Ravens (2-1) — one of the AFC’s few contenders.

Mahomes — 27-for-37, 374 yards, three touchdowns — was brilliant in finding DeMarcus Robinson and newcomers Mecole Hardman and LeSean McCoy for highlight-reel scores that we’re accustomed to seeing each week from the young phenom.

At just 24 years old, Mahomes is playing quarterback at a level that we have not yet seen from anyone. A rocket-armed passer with a baseball background, Mahomes’ athleticism and ungodly football awareness are only half of what makes him great. The Chiefs’ franchise player has shown poise and leadership in his 21 career starts, which have led to a 17-5 record to begin his career.

Among the other ridiculous stats, Mahomes registered a 100.0 passer rating for the 16th time in 20 regular season starts, and has 60 touchdown passes in his lat 19 contests.

With the controversial Tyreek Hill slated to return later this season, the reigning NFL MVP will re-add perhaps the NFL’s best deep threat added to his arsenal.

Of course there is a hill Mahomes has yet to climb. In two meetings with the New England Patriots, Mahomes has struggled — scoring a combined seven points in both first halves — early before rallying his team late, only to come up short versus Brady and Bill Belichick.

The budding rivalry between the Chiefs and Patriots is starting to have a ‘can-you-get-over-the-hump?’ feel to it for Mahomes.

For Michael Jordan, it was the Detroit Pistons. For Peyton Manning it was the Patriots. And for LeBron James it was a mix between the Pistons, Celtics and Spurs. Many young superstars fall victim to a more-established championship-level team for multiple seasons before climbing the hill. With Mahomes, the Chiefs may be Super Bowl-bound in just his second season, which would be an accelerated path that the aforementioned sports legends failed to follow. Manning didn’t defeat the Patriots until eight season, and failed to win his first Super Bowl until his ninth campaign. Mahomes has a good chance to host a Lombardi Trophy before that, but nothing is given in this league, and the Chiefs have more work to do on defense.

Mahomes will see the Patriots in New England in a Week 14 matchup that should decide home field advantage throughout the conference.

They may even see Baltimore again in the postseason. New Raven Earl Thomas was adamant on the matter after the game.

“We’re going to see them again. And when we see them down the line, we’re going to have it,” Thomas said.

Frankly, whichever team sees Mahomes and the Chiefs is going to have their hands full.

QUICK-HITS 

– In just three years as the Colts general manager, Chris Ballard has built one of the best rosters in the NFL in Indianapolis. And even with the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck, the franchise’s new passer has kept the Colts’ (2-1) playoff dreams afloat. Jacoby Brissett completed his first 16 passes and added a few clutch throws downfield late, to stave off the Falcons (1-2). Brissett was thought to have had intangible qualities needed for his role, but many would agree that he had much to improve on in terms of being a NFL-quality passer. Brissett has answered the bell, and clearly looks like one of the better all-around quarterbacks in pro football through three weeks.

– Matt Patricia has taken his fare share of criticism since taking the Lions head coaching job. After a week 1 tie with the lowly Cardinals — in which Detroit blew a 24-6 lead — the inconsistent franchise looked like a team in for more of the same in 2019. But Detroit has since taken down two of the league’s most talented teams, the Chargers and Eagles, to move to 2-0-1. The Lions are moderately stout in several different areas — the line of scrimmage (offense and defense), secondary, running game — giving them a well-balanced attack on both sides of the ball. Matthew Stafford has improved mightily. One of his major criticisms was his inability to beat good teams on the road. Stafford helped Detroit do that on Sunday. The Lions host the Chiefs next week in the weekend’s most interesting showdown.

– The league’s quarterback carousel produced a litany of impressive performances on Sunday. Rookie Daniel Jones replaced Eli Manning and rallied the Giants (1-2) from an 18-point deficit to beat the Buccaneers (1-2) on the road in his first career start. Teddy Bridgewater filled in for Drew Brees and helped the Saints (2-1) beat the Seahawks (2-1), handing Russell Wilson his first career home loss in September. And Kyle Allen took Cam Newton’s spot and threw for four scores as the Panthers (1-2) downed the Cardinals (1-2) in Arizona. There were a few performances from this group that were left to be desired. Luke Faulk and the Jets were no match for the Patriots. Josh Rosen was given little help from his Dolphin teammates in Dallas. And despite some fourth-quarter heroics, Mason Rudolph and the Steelers were out-dueled by Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers (3-0) in San Francisco.

THE BETTER HALF 

1. New England Patriots (3-0) (Last week: 1).  The Patriots allowed just 105 total yards versus the Jets on Sunday — their best effort in their 20 years under Bill Belichick. Is this their best defense ever?

2. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) (Last week: 2). Can anyone slow down Mahomes?

3. Los Angeles Rams (3-0) (Last week: 3). He threw a bad pick late, but Jared Goff still exorcised some road demons in Cleveland. The Patriots, Chiefs and Rams are in a different class than the rest. They’re the true contenders at this point.

4. Dallas Cowboys (3-0) (Last week: 4). Dallas picked up the pace versus Miami after a sloppy start. A win in New Orleans next Sunday night — even with Teddy Bridgewater in for Drew Brees — would show the nation just how good America’s Team is, in 2019.

5. Green Bay Packers (3-0) (Last week: 7). The Packers are quietly building their case in the NFC. Their defense is much improved. Their offseason signings are paying off.

6. New Orleans Saints (2-1) (Last week: 9). The Saints rallied around Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday. If they hang around .500, that should be enough for them to win the NFC South with a returning Drew Brees. Bridgewater can do at least that, it seems. Maybe more.

7. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) (Last week: 5). Lamar Jackson rallied the troops late, but the Ravens were flat for almost the entire game in Arrowhead. They aren’t up to par with New England or Kansas City in the AFC just yet. But we knew that.

8. Minnesota Vikings (2-1) (Last week: 11). Dalvin Cook continues to fry defenses (smooth, I know).

9. Indianapolis Colts (2-1) (Last week: 12). The Colts are a damn good team, and Jacoby Brissett is a damn good quarterback.

10. Seattle Seahawks (2-1) (Last week: 8).  That was a rough loss at home. They aren’t quite a top-tier contender in the NFC, but they’re probably a postseason team, just like last season.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) (Last week: 6). They have some major problems on defense. And it’s time to really consider if Carson Wentz is stuck in Nick Foles’ shadow. I think he’ll eventually respond nicely, though.

12. Houston Texans (2-1) (Last week: 15). Deshaun Watson rallied the Texans on the road. They still have some issues, but they look like a playoff team in the AFC. Beating the Chargers may prove monumental if both teams are later in the wild card hunt.

13. Detroit Lions (2-0-1) (Last week: NR). Are we still asking for Matt Patricia to be fired? Didn’t think so. Him and Matthew Stafford have been awesome so far this season.

14. Chicago Bears (1-1) (Last week: 10). They play Washington tonight. If they’re a slam-dunk playoff team, they’ll win this.

15. Buffalo Bills (3-0) (Last week: NR). Their defense has been solid but Josh Allen has produced almost only in the clutch. Just how good is this team?

16. San Francisco 49ers (3-0) (Last week: NR). Like the Bills, the 49ers are an undefeated team that has beaten up on lesser opponents, and are at this point — basically unproven.

 

Todd Gurley vs Saints

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Rams lead the way in NFC; Patriots eying another 19-0 run?

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

Two weeks into the season and there’s already a headline that can be ruled out for the remainder of 2019.

There will be no silence of the Rams this year.

The Super Bowl loser’s curse had already lost some it’s oomph over the last few seasons. After all, the Patriots just won Super Bowl LIII over the Rams after losing Super Bowl LII the year before.

With the exception of that curse, or notion, there was no other reason to believe the Rams would not seriously contend to return to the Super Bowl.

After their 27-9 victory over the Saints in an NFC Championship Game rematch, it’s clear the Rams are the current favorite in the NFC.

Granted, Drew Brees left the game early after Aaron Donald swatted his right thumb on a passing attempt, knocking him out of the game, and possibly the next two months, the Rams still were clearly the better team.

John Johnson added another interception of Brees early on, as he did in overtime in the NFC title game. Clay Matthews notched a sack in his first game in his hometown (Matthews grew up in the valley in Aguora Hills) and Aaron Donald and Eric Weddle were their usual dominant selves.

On offense Jared Goff threw dimes downfield to Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley flashed a few brilliant stretches of healthy-looking dominance.

But Los Angeles’ most important development is the play of slot receiver Cooper Kupp after his torn ACL last season. Only when Kupp was lost for the season last year did the Rams realize just how important he is to their offense. Los Angeles was stymied several times — most notably versus the Bears and Patriots — without the trusty Kupp to move the chains on third downs.

Kupp hauled in a game-high 120 yards on five catches versus New Orleans, showing just how much of a threat he can be when defenses key on Cooks and Robert Woods on the outside and Gurley in the backfield.

With Kupp, Sean McVay’s offense has a better chance of moving the ball against some of the league’s better defenses. Without Kupp, teams were able to key on the team’s outside receivers, making Los Angeles somewhat predictable in their often-used three-receiver bunch sets.

With Kupp’s unique skill set, the Rams have re-added perhaps their most important player in their passing game.

With Brees out, the Cowboys, Seahawks and banged-up Eagles appear to be the biggest threats to the Rams’ throne. But at this point in the season, it’s clear the Rams are a step ahead.

Patriots are on a mission

It’s hard to imagine the Patriots ever coming as close as to a 19-0 record as they did in 2007, when the campaign was halted by the miraculous ‘Helmet Catch’ of Super Bowl XLII.

Enter New England’s 2019 squad.

The Patriots throttled the league-worst Dolphins in Miami, 43-0, exorcising some demons in their house of horrors, while moving to a mind-numbing point differential of plus-73 (76-3) in their first two games.

The Patriots have been to three straight Super Bowls — and our of the last five — and their current squad is unquestionably their most complete team this decade.

New England’s chameleon approach to attacking defenses focuses on their ability to switch formations as smoothy as they change the focus of their game plan, which could revolve around power-running behind Sony Michel, or a spread attack with their multitude of pass-catching running backs and a league-best wide receiver core.

Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman and the underrated Phillip Dorsett make up a top-tier group on their own. Adding the best wide receiver of the decade makes this group sublime.

By now, we know Antonio Brown’s situation. The 31-year-old superstar has been accused of three different incidents of sexual assault, including rape, in a civil suit filed by his former trainer. SI’s Robert Klemko also released a bombshell long form report this morning detailing an alleged another incident of sexual misconduct by Brown with another woman. The NFL is meeting with Brown’s accuser today, and Brown is subject to discipline if more evidence is released, or if the NFL sees fit.

Antonio Brown vs Dolphins
Antonio Brown celebrates his first career catch as a Patriot. Brown’s future availability is in question due to a civil lawsuit filed by his former trainer. (Screenshot: NFL on CBS)

When discussing Brown, his serious situation(s) off-the-field should be discussed. But what Browns brings to New England on the field is the league’s best route runner and all-time best sideline catch specialist capable of rendering the Patriots unbeatable.

Between Gordon on the outside, Edelman in the slot, and Brown and the speedy Phillip Dorsett Jr. moving around their formations, New England may have the best four-receiver sets every assembled.

Brady looked Brown’s way on his first three pass attempts, completing all three for 36 yards. Brady then looked Brown’s way a fourth time in the end zone, but eventually threw the ball away as Xavien Howard was called for a defensive holding call on Brown after he was beat on a nifty whip route usually reserved for Edelman — see: Super Bowl XLIX.

In all, Brown tallied four catches for 56 yards and a beautiful back-shoulder touchdown on eight targets from Brady.

There were clear instances of miscommunication. Brady hit the back of former Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe in an end zone under throw to Brown in the second half. Brady slammed his hands on his helmet after the misfire.

With the new SI report out, it’s fair to wonder if Brown has played his last game of the season. There will be pressure on the NFL to at least place him on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. But the Patriots are force on offense without him.

Still, New England’s best unit is their league-best defense, which has allowed three points in two games this season, and six points in three games if you include their 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams — the second-best offense in 2018 — in Super Bowl LIII.

Bill Belichick’s varying defensive fronts and blitz schemes, often in a ‘amoeba’ look (several stand-up defenses on the line scrimmage) causes confusion for quarterbacks, who are already dealing with the league’s deepest secondary, equipped with the NFL’s best cornerback, Stephon Gilmore.

Gilmore added a pick-six and a skying, one-handed deflection of a pass that ended up in the arms of Patriots safety Devin McCourty.

But New England’s ace in the hole has been Jamie Collins and his return to the team in which he earned his eventual mega-contract with the Browns.

Collins posted a sack and a half, a pick-six, an additional interception, as well as another wallowing hit on a running back in the backfield.

With the likes of Kyle Van Noy and Chase Winovich on the edge, and Collins and Dont’a Hightower moving all around the defensive front, the Patriots will be able to slow down a myriad of offenses.

The bottom line for New England is this — with or without Brown, they’re the best team in football. With him — and their easy schedule with the exception of a midseason stretch — a 19-0 season is in the cards.

The Patriots weathered the media storm from Spygate in 2007 by crushing the Chargers in Week 2 with the help from a superstar former Raiders receiver in Randy Moss.

They did the same in Week 2 this week with the well-warranted talk of former Raiders receiver Antonio Brown this week. If the allegations are to be true, Brown should be outlawed from the league. It’s also fair to want Commissioner Goodell to keep Brown off the field until the matter(s) are sorted out.

Regardless, the Patriots are rolling on all cylinders, and are the overwhelming favorite to return to Miami in February for Super Bowl LIV.

QUICK-HITS 

– In a league in which older quarterbacks have dominated in recent seasons, a flurry of young quarterbacks seem to be making their push into the NFL’s top tier of signal callers. Of course, such seems to be the case every year, but many passers don’t last as top tier guys for longer than a few seasons — see: Cam Newton.

Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott and Jimmy Garoppolo appear to be leading the latest wave of young quarterbacks poised to lead their franchises to success. But all three passers should be placed in the ‘be-weary’ column that should have been applied to guys like Newton, just because quarterbacks lately seem to have a spurts of great seasons before falling back to earth.

One quarterback whom this need not apply is Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has continued on his torrid pace in 2019, as he’s seemingly on track to repeat as NFL MVP if he keeps up his current pace.

If the decade started with Aaron Rodgers showing us a level of quarterback talent we’ve never seen before, then Mahomes will end the decade by surpassing Rodgers as the most talented quarterback to ever play. Mahomes is already that. After the Raiders surprised many in getting off to a 10-0 lead at home, Mahomes erased that cushion in a matter of minutes, throwing for four second-quarter touchdown passes to take the game.

With Kansas City continuing to struggle some on defense, it will be up to Mahomes to slay the mighty Patriots to lead Kansas City back to the Super Bowl. If any quarterback is to do that without a defense, it will be Mahomes. He’s that talented. And yes, he’s also that good.

First, Mahomes will deal with Jackson and the Ravens coming to town next week in a battle of two very-early NFL MVP leaders leading two early-season heavyweights in the AFC.

– After a flurry of embarrassing seasons in the 2000’s and a run of utter dominance in this decade, the NFC West appears to be highly competitive once again with the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks each posting 2-0 records to begin the season. Granted, Seattle and San Francisco have played subpar opponents at this point in the season. The Rams are the clear favorite in the division, but both the Seahawks and 49ers are staking their claim as teams that will be in the mix down the stretch. And lest we forget about the Arizona Cardinals (0-1-1). Rookie Kyler Murray was out dueled by Lamar Jackson in a a showdown of young gunslingers, but Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals have shown some flashes of offensive efficiency. The NFC West is certainly trending up.

– Drew Brees’ aforementioned thumb injury has required him to stay in Los Angeles today as the rest of the team heads to Seattle. Brees reportedly has met Dr. Steve Shin, according to ESPN’s Stephania Bell. Shin is regarded as one of the best hand specialists in the country. Seemingly after that, Brees was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right thumb. The injury will require surgery and the star passer is expected to miss up to six weeks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Between Brees and Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending right elbow injury, some of the game’s best quarterbacks are now on the shelf. In New Orleans and Pittsburgh, the likes of Teddy Bridgewater and Mason Rudolph as fill-in-starters may be enough to keep the Saints and Steelers afloat, but both are major losses. It’s also worth wondering if Roethlisberger will retire after this injury.

THE BETTER HALF 

1. New England Patriots (2-0) (Last week: 1). They’re already the best team in the NFL without Antonio Brown. But with him, they’re essentially the Steph Curry and Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors. Add in their defense, and then yes, 19-0 is in the cards. It’s not too early to begin the undefeated talk.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) (Last week: 2). Mahomes seems primed for another MVP award. He’s the greatest talent this game has ever seen at the quarterback position.

3. Los Angeles Rams (2-0) (Last week: 4). They’re still the team to beat in the NFC, for now.

4. Dallas Cowboys (2-0) (Last week: 6). Many believe a young QB’s fourth season is the most telling. If that’s the case, Dak Prescott is building a legacy.

5. Baltimore Ravens (2-0) (Last week: 8). Lamar Jackson has clearly improved as a passer, but the Ravens have beat up on lesser opponents these first two weeks. Can he keep up with Mahomes and the Chiefs in Kansas City?

6. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) (Last week: 3). A flurry of major injuries and a ton of bad luck downed the Eagles in Atlanta. They’ll be near the top of the conference come December.

7. Green Bay Packers (2-0) (Last week: 12). Green Bay’s defense may be the most underrated unit thus far. Once Aaron Rodgers fully adapts to the Packers’ new offense, look out, NFC.

8. Seattle Seahawks (2-0) (Last week: 11). Looking ahead at these next couple weeks, the Seahawks may quietly move to 4-0 before hosting the Rams in Seattle.

9. New Orleans Saints (1-1) (Last week: 5). With Brees expected to miss a good chunk of time, the talented Saints will turn to Teddy Bridgewater, a quarterback who has been through his fair share of adversity.

10. Chicago Bears (1-1) (Last week: 14). Chicago has the best defense in the NFC, if not, the NFL. Mitch Trubisky may not be the answer as the franchise’s quarterback, but he does often come through in the clutch. Add in a kicker who doesn’t double-doink it, and the Bears are in business.

11. Minnesota Vikings (1-1) (Last week: 7). Like their NFC North counterpart in Chicago, the talented Vikings will only go as far as their inconsistent quarterback takes them. Kirk Cousins has to play better.

12. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) (Last week: NR). The wide-open NFC South is Atlanta’s for the taking.

13. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1) (Last week: 9). They still have a ton of talent, but something’s not quite right here. Doesn’t seem like their season.

14. Indianapolis Colts (1-1) (Last week: 16). Jacoby Brissett, franchise quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, has earned his title.

15. Houston Texans (1-1) (Last week: 13). The Texans are entering what most likely will be a season of crazy up-and-down play.

16. Tennessee Titans (1-1) (Last week: 10). Every time the Titans look like they’re about to enter a winning streak, they stop themselves dead in their tracks.

Next up: Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers

Brady, Dorsett vs Steelers

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Patriots drop sixth banner, pound Steelers, as Antonio Brown awaits

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

The Patriots celebrated their sixth Super Bowl win in front of the the only other franchise with as many. Then, they dismantled them on a national stage.

New England pummeled Pittsburgh, 33-3, by dominating in most facets of the game. Another banner drops, another in sight.

But the biggest story surrounding the most talked about team in sports remains the acquisition of superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown, which will become official today. After forcing his way out of Oakland in the most bizarre of circumstances, Brown signed a one-year deal worth $15 million — with a $9 million signing bonus — after leaving $30 million on the table in Northern California after several childish acts.

The Patriots were there to pluck Brown, and now it’s fair to wonder: where will Brown fit in this offense.

The logical answer is that he’d take the Z-receiver position, or flanker, considering he’s the better at that spot than anyone in the history of the NFL. But that role is currently occupied by Phillip Dorsett, who hauled in four catches on four targets for 95 yards and two scores.

Dorsett’s rapport with Brady is well-documented. The former first-round pick from Indianapolis has improved in each of the last two seasons in New England, and should continue to be apart of the team’s offensive plans, even as a No. 4 guy. After the game, he displayed nothing but awe for Brown’s career when asked about him.

“I was like, ‘Wow’ because I can’t wait to work with him,” Dorsett told NESN’s Doug Kyed. “He’s always been a guy I’ve looked up to when it comes to just football. He’s a beast. We all know that. I can’t wait to learn from him because we have similar body types, similar play types. I’ve always wanted to learn from him. Now I get to see him every day and work with him. So, I can’t wait.”

New England’s top two receivers, Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman, also had outstanding nights. Coming back from yet another suspension, Gordon displays his physicality in hauling in three catches for 73 yards and a nifty, after-the-catch score. Edelman was his usual self, providing a game-high six catches for 83 yards.

After a few antsy misfires, or bad balls, Brady improved as the night went on, finishing 24-for-36 for 341 yards and three scores, including his impressive deep touchdown to Dorsett, and another long bomb to Gordon.

Adding Brown to this offense is not only comical, it is terrifying to even the best of defenses. He’s a perfect addition to a receiver core featuring the aforementioned box-out specialist Gordon and the shifty Edelman. But New England will have to get him up to speed, integrating him properly into the offense, while using his strengths to vanquish any and all opponents in their way.

The defense also looks like one of the league’s best units. Pittsburgh is without Brown and Le’Veon Bell. They no longer have the Killer B’s. But JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner are two of the better young offensive weapons in football, and Ben Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl champion and Hall-of-Famer.

The Patriots defense held them to three measly points, which is the same exact score they held the offensively-gifted Rams to in Super Bowl LIII, seven months ago.

Adding Michael Bennett, Jamie Collins and rookie pass-rush specialist Chase Winovich to a defense that already yields Dont’a Hightower and the league’s best secondary is unfair. Heck, even Kyle Van Noy, who missed the game to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, wasn’t even there. He’ll return next week.

But nothing will be as unfair as when Antonio Brown makes his Patriots debut in Miami, his hometown, versus the lowly Dolphins next Sunday. And looking at the Patriots next few games after that — vs Jets, at Bills, at Washington, vs Giants, at Jets — it’s fair to think that New England should cruise to a 7-0 start before hosting the Browns. The 19-0 talk will certainly ramp up before then.

Brown, 31, will provide New England with a Randy Moss-live presence in terms of potential production. He’s tallied the most catches (686) and yards (9,145) in the last six seasons than any other player has ever contributed over that same span. He’s the league’s best route-runner capable of being a deep threat, a slot receiver, an perimeter player and a punt returner.

If he can stay in line, and there’s no reason to believe New England can’t tame even someone of his caliber, then the possibilities are endless.

According to a report from NBC’s Al Michaels, Brady has already offered Brown a chance to stay at his home while he searches for his own humble abode. Although Brady was fairly mum on Brown to the media after the game, and Belichick deflected questions of Brown entirely.

This marriage can work, and it probably will. Shades of 2007 are upon. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots aren’t done.

ARE THE BROWNS OVERRATED? 

Among the weekend’s biggest news was the shockingly bad performance by Baker Mayfield (25-for-38, 285 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions) and the Cleveland Browns. The team was hyped to no end this offseason, after bringing in superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and others. The team even donned the cover of Sports Illustrated’s NFL preview magazine.

The headline read: ‘The Browns are back.’ Week 1 is hardly indicative of a team’s season, but it’s clear the Browns have a lot of work to do.

Mayfield threw picks to the Titans’ Kevin Byard and Logan Ryan, before Malcolm Butler added a pick-six for emphasis in the Titans’ 43-13 domination of the Browns in Cleveland. Both Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry provided some offense in the early going, eventually landing with 11 catches for 138 yards, which was hardly enough to keep them in the game.

A litany of takes will come forth today. After all, it’s Week 1’s overreaction Monday. Are the Browns closer to the ‘Dream Team’ 2011 Eagles — a perceived all-star cast that finished 8-8 — than the nearly-undefetead 2007 Patriots? Probably. But it’s worth nothing that the Titans are a tough and talented bunch. They’re also the franchise most equipped to have a few wonk games. Last season the Titans thrashed the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots at home, 34-10, before losing road games to the Colts and Texans by a combined score of 72-27. Tennessee is an enigma in itself. Also, did I mention it’s Week 1?

Mayfield should improve, Beckham Jr. will find his footing, Kareem Hunt will join the offense near midseason and Myles Garrett and the stacked defense will improve. The Browns are too talented to not finish with at least a 9-7 mark. They aren’t a Super Bowl contender, as Mayfield will undoubtedly suffer some sophomore blues. And rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens will learn a litany of lessons before he enters the upper echelon of coaches. If he does. Kitchens is not Sean McVay, but he’s a young offensive mind capable of learning on the fly, and keeping Baker focused. The two seem to have a good relationship. It’ll be good enough to weather this storm, but with all the hoopla surrounding these Browns this offseason, a mighty storm there will be, before their road Week 2 matchup next Monday night versus the New York Jets.

QUICK-HITS

– Once upon a time, NFL pundits wondered why Lamar Jackson wasn’t priming to be an NFL wide receiver, instead of a quarterback. That notion seemed silly in real time, considering Jackson was a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback at Louisville. It looks even sillier now, as Jackson’s Madden video game stat line — 17-of-20,  324 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 158.3 passer rating — helped the Ravens annihilate the obviously-tanking Miami Dolphins, 59-10, in Miami. Its worth nothing the Dolphins are obviously looking toward the future, as they field one of the worst rosters (on paper) in the history of the league. It appears things are worse than we thought in Miami. Although improved as a passer, stronger defenses will force Jackson to make tougher throws. Given his new No. 1 pass-catching option, rookie first-round pick Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown (4 catches, 147 yards, two touchdowns), Jackson should be up to the task. Antonio Brown’s first cousin (timely, I know) is everything Baltimore and first-year GM Eric DeCosta hoped he’d be. And given the Browns’ letdown and the Steelers’ Week 1 loss, can Baltimore repeat in the AFC North? It’s way too early to tell, but obviously something to think about. As for the Dolphins? They’ll host the Patriots for Antonio Brown’s New England debut. Miami is 5-1 in their last six home meetings with the Patriots, but it’s safe to say that stat won’t matter come Sunday. Miami has some work to do.

– It appears reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will remain the most dangerous offense in football. A brutal injury to Nick Foles rid the Chiefs of any urgency, but Kansas City scored at will anyway. Sammy Watkins (nine catches, 198 receiving yards, three touchdowns) was unstoppable, mostly leaving Jalen Ramsey in the dust. LeSean McCoy (11 touches, 93 total yards) and Travis Kelce (three catches, 88 yards) also thrived in the absence of Tyreek Hill, who left during the first half with a shoulder injury and was later hospitalized.   Week 1 — and September in general — should be approached with caution, but we’ve already seen what Mahomes and this offense can do. If Kansas City is to wreak havoc on a season-long basis, they’ll need Hill to return at some point, which seems to be the case. But it appears Kanas City will be tough to stop on offense, again. Who knew?

– Dak Prescott recently made news for reportedly turning down a contact extension that would net him $30 million per year, because he is seeking $40 million a season from the Cowboys. To add insult to injury, Dallas recently came to terms with Ezekiel Elliott on a six-year extension worth $90 million, and $50 million guaranteed. The deal was the biggest ever for a NFL running back. Still on his rookie deal, Dak Prescott took out his frustrations on the lowly Giants, throwing 405 yards and four touchdowns while posting a perfect passer rating. Prescott spread the ball to the likes of Amari Cooper, newcomer slot man Randall Cobb and the returning Jason Witten, in a 35-17 win. Prescott joined the likes of Jackson and Mahomes in posting video game-like stats in Week 1, and seemingly setting themselves up for special seasons.

– After falling behind 17-0 to Case Keenum, rookie Terry McLaurin and Washington early, Carson Wentz and the Eagles outscored their NFC East rival 32-10 the rest of the way, winning 32-27. We’ll see how the Saints look tonight, but the Eagles look primed to compete for the NFC championship. The still-diminutive Darren Sproles and rookie Miles Saunders were menacing in the backfield, while DeSean Jackson’s (eight catches, 154 yards, two touchdowns) return to the Eagles highlights just how efficient this Eagles offense will be. The success of the team all rests on Wentz’s shoulders, of course.

– It initially seemed like Arizona may be the Miami of the NFC, but the Cardinals’ full-throttle comeback showcased just how unpredictable this Cardinals season should be. The game featured a slew of impressive catches by future Hall-of-famer Larry Fitzgerald late, just as Lions veteran Danny Amendola added a nifty score earlier. But rookies Kyler Murray and T.J. Hockenson stole the show in the eventual 27-27 tie. Hockenson proved he may already be a top-five tight end. I mean, who else would you take over him outside of George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz? Murray shook off a ghastly interception to throw for 308 yards a touchdown, and looked calm and collected late, helping Arizona erase a 24-6 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime. The Murray-Kliff Kingsbury will be anything but boring, despite their first-half play. Next week, the Cardinals will travel to Baltimore for a young quarter back showdown between Murray and Jackson. That should be fun.

THE BETTER HALF 

1. New England Patriots (1-0). Good luck to the rest of the NFL.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0). The Chiefs’ explosive offense is still intact. With Patrick Mahomes, anything is possible.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0). The Eagles are the best team in the NFC at the moment. It’s also Week 1. I also picked them to reach Super Bowl LIV.

4. Los Angeles Rams (1-0). The Rams avoided the west-to-east early game bog to upend the Panthers in Carolina. The return of Cooper Kupp is monumental, but the Rams still need Todd Gurley to get healthy.

5. New Orleans Saints (0-0). The Eagles and Cowboys looked fantastic, but let’s not forget about the Saints. They’ll be around for the long haul in the NFC.

6. Dallas Cowboys (1-0). We hear you, Dak Prescott. It’s time for Jerry Jones to consider opening up his checkbook for another integral cog on his young and talented team.

7. Minnesota Vikings (1-0). Dalvin Cook and the Vikings defense were quietly among the most impressive things on opening weekend.

8. Baltimore Ravens (1-0). Considering their opponent — the lowly Dolphins — is seemingly the worst team in football in 2019, it would be wise to proceed with caution on the ‘Lamar Jackson for MVP’ talk. But no one can argue that he hasn’t improved as a passer. Plus, Hollywood Brown is a budding star.

9. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0). The Chargers’ monster drive to open up overtime staved off Jacoby Brissett and the upstart Colts. The talent is still there, but time will tell if they have enough juice on offense to keep up with the Patriots and Chiefs in the AFC. They’ll need Derwin James’ versatility back to help on defense. The good news is they don’t miss Melvin Gordon. Austin Ekeler’s heroic three-touchdown performance — and walk-off touchdown — was a major difference on Sunday.

10. Tennessee Titans (1-0). The Titans manhandled the Browns in Cleveland. But we’ve seen them do this during the Mike Vrabel era. They need consistency. Will Marcus Mariota finally help provide that? We’ll see.

11. Seattle Seahawks (1-0). It’s easier when Russell Wilson is your quarterback, but it appears many of us (myself included) may have been wrong about D.K. Metcalf’s NFL potential. Seattle will be the under-the-radar, lying-in-the-weeds potential postseason team in the NFC.

12. Green Bay Packers (1-0). The debut of their new offense looked rough, but they were also playing the Bears’ mighty defense. Their defense looked fantastic, but they also played Mitchell Trubisky on his worst behavior. This seems like the right spot for them for now.

13. Houston Texans (0-0). They have talent, and their division is up for grabs. They should get back to the postseason, if they’re any good.

14. Chicago Bears (0-1). They needed something, anything out of Mitchell Trubisky, to win in Week 1. They got nothing. The Bears have the best defense in the NFL, but they’ll remain handicapped until Trubisky matures, if he ever does.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1). Bare with me. The Steelers will figure things out, starting with a home victory over the Seahawks next week.

16. Indianapolis Colts (0-1). Jacoby Brissett rallied the Colts late, but never touched the ball in overtime. Sadly, their loss was decided by an Eric Ebron end-zone drop and three missed kicks by the legendary Adam Vinatieri. They can win the AFC South with Brissett.

Tom Brady -- Super Bowl LIII

Seventh Heaven? Brady, Belichick make attempt at record seventh title

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

This week marks the beginning of yet another season for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the once-again defending Super Bowl champions. Few could have predicted their still-dominant place in the league at this time just five years ago, after the team was steamrolled on a Monday night in Kansas City. Yet, the Patriots remain at the top of the league, with more success since that Fall night in 2014 than perhaps any five-year stretch of their greatest-of-all-time dynasty.

Per usual, the team has gotten a makeover consisting of several wrinkles — some are smaller (Patriots shifting to more two and three-man fronts along the defensive line) and some are larger (Rob Gronkowski’s retirement)  — that will help shape their 2019 season and it’s end result.

The two constants — Brady and Belichick — can be addressed without too much of a deep dive. Belichick returns for his 20th season as the Patriots head coach, implementing new trends and defensive schemes to help keep his team at the top.

Brady returns for his 19th season as the franchise’s key player and leader. After signing a two-year extension masked as a one-year deal, it’s officially fair to assume Brady is now on a year-by-year basis despite insisting that he’d still like to play until the age of 45. Can he play that long at a fairly-high level? Almost certainly. Will he? Especially if New England does indeed pull ahead as the only franchise to win Super Bowl titles in 2019? That’s a question to be addressed six months from now.

Brady has certainly reached uncharted territory — as has 40-year-old New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees  — but anyone doubting him would be a fool to do so, and there are many doubters.

* * * * *

It’s well-known that New England’s offense (and defense) adjust on the fly better than any other franchise over the better part of the last two decades. In 2019, the team will likely retain their chameleon approach to their opponents, which is something that has been more prominent in recent seasons with Josh McDaniels’ offenses.

“We were adaptable” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said on NFL Network’s ‘Do Your Job Part 3’ special. “You know, Tom [Brady}, if he’s supposed to hand it off 37 times and win that way, then he’ll do it. If we need him to throw it 52 times, then he’ll do that too. It’s the same way Bill [Belichick] is. Bill doesn’t care if we win 43-40 or 13-10. The willingness to be able to do that is a special trait.”

Last December and January, the Patriots relied heavily on a power-running game featuring rookie rusher Sony Michel and lead-blocking fullback James Develin. Expect that to carry over into the 2019 season as a staple of the offense with Rex Burkhead and rookie Damien Harris spelling Michel.

But with the subtraction of the game’s all-time greatest tight end, New England will have to rely on either Broncos castoff Matt LaCosse or 2018 seventh-round pick Ryan Izzo — and later Benjamin Watson — to provide support in the running game.

Neither of these players is Gronkowski, who is perhaps the greatest receiving threat and blocking threat at his position in the history of the sport. With a lackluster group at tight end, expect the position to be deemphasized in the passing game. To make up for the absence of Gronkowski, the Patriots will turn to an array of larger-bodied receivers to assist Brady. The newest Belichick trend has brought in former Broncos All-Pro Demaryius Thomas (6-foot-3, 229 pounds) and rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) to join the team’s top option on the permitter, Josh Gordon (6-foot-3, 225 pounds).

Gordon projects to be the on-the-line ‘X’-type wide receiver, while Thomas and veteran Phillip Dorsett will likely split time at the ‘Z’ receiver. The Patriots placed Harry on injured reserve with a designation to return earlier in the week, which opened up the door for Thomas to return. Later in the season, Harry may snatch away snaps from Thomas and Dorsett to become a starter in three-receiver sets (’11’ personnel). But for this entire season, Brady will likely rely on Gordon as the team’s stalwart on the outside with any consistent success coming from Harry, Thomas, Dorsett or undrafted rookie Jacoby Meyers being a treat.

This means the GOAT will rely heavily on old friends Julian Edelman and James White.

At age 33,  Edelman is now two years removed from his brutal ACL injury, but is also pressing up against Father Time, like his quarterback. Still, the tenacious Super Bowl LIII MVP projects to have the most targets of any pass catcher on the Patriots roster, working in the middle of the field in three-receiver sets, and as the flanker (‘Z’) with the option of going in motion in two-receiver sets with Gordon.

White returns as perhaps the NFL’s best pure situational scatback. Last season, he hauled in 55 receptions in the team’s first eight games before the team turned to Michel and the running game in the Winter months. Still, White caught 15 passes in the team’s AFC Divisional Playoff smackdown over the Chargers, and made several crucial catches in the AFC Championship Game win in Kansas City.

Every player in the Patriots’ projected Week 1 ’11’ personnel for the passing game brings something different to the table. Thomas has excelled in wide receiver screens, while Dorsett is speedy enough to be an occasional deep threat. Gordon is a physical specimen who excels at slants, jump balls and posts, while Edelman and White can run a variety of option routes from anywhere along the line of scrimmage, or in the backfield. In undrafted rookies Meyers and Gunner Olszewski, the team hs a flaker/slot hybrid and a slot receiver and punt returner capable of being groomed behind Edelman. When Harry hits the field, Brady will have a jump ball specialist who can line up on the outside and as a ‘big slot’ receiver capable of replacing Gronkowski as a seam-route runner operating out of the slot in shotgun situations.

But knowing the Patriots, they’ll change their offensive philosophy and strategy depending on the opponent. But sometime during the stretch run of the season, the team will likely look to employ a power-running game as their base offense. Last year, the team alternated between two-tight end sets with Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen, I-formation sets with Gronkowski or James Develin, or sometimes an I-formation with Develin and both tight ends.

“Our strengths this year will be different than some of our strengths last year” McDaniels said. 

With their uneventful tight end group at the moment, expect Develin to see the field more often, and possibly even as a H-back or blocking tight end at times. One of the last few full-tine lead-blocking full backs, Develin is an integral part of the Patriots offense.

Sony Michel vs Chargers
Sony Michel is set up for a monster sophomore campaign. (Screenshot: NFL Films)

He’ll pave the way for Sony Michel’s potential breakout sophomore season. After a slow start to his rookie campaign, Michel cruised for 336 yards and six touchdowns in three playoff games. A projected stat line of 15 touchdowns and over 1,100 yards is not out the question. But expect Michel to be spelled by rookie Damien Harris and do-it-all back Rex Burkhead as rushers that may seem time carrying the ball between the tackles. White will also spend time as a feature back depending on the opponent.

Still, all facets of the offense won’t have much success if the Patriots can’t keep up their own pace as one of the game’s best offensive lines. Dante Scarnecchia is unquestionably the greatest offensive line coach of all-time. His teaching skills will be put to the test once more as New England will work with a change at left tackle for the third straight year, and the season-long absence of team captain and starting center David Andrews.

2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn should fill in nicely as Trent Brown’s replacement. Although smaller for an NFL tackle (6-foot-2, 311 pounds), Wynn has much more potential than Brown. Plus, Wynn was the best blocker for Sony Michel while the two played at the University of Georgia. In Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason, the Patriots likely have the bets combo of guards in the AFC, if not the NFL. Thuney, a solid all-around lineman, is due for a big pay day this offseason when his rookie contract expires. Mason, who already received his payday last offseason, is arguably the best run-blocking guard in football. The Georgia Tech product came from a run-heavy triple-option offense in college. But it was his improvement as a pass-blocking guard in 2018 that vaulted him into the top-five discussion. Mason worked vigorously to improve at that aspect after allowing Eagles rusher Brandon Graham to run past him and cause the game-changing turnover in Super Bowl LII. On the right side of the line sits former All-Pro right tackle Marcus Cannon, who still has some juice left.

With Andrews out, New England will rely on veteran Ted Karras, the team’s top backup interior offensive lineman, to fill in as a quality starting center. Karras will be monitored closely. If Karras proves incapable, James Ferentz, who recently re-joined the team after Russell Bodine was released, may get a chance to shine.

In all, the Patriots will likely mix-and-match, shifting the identity of their offense to match their personnel, as well as their opponent’s defensive personnel and schemes. While many will be worried about the absences of Gronkowski and Andrews, as well as the turnover at left tackle and center, the Patriots should find a way to do what they always do on offense — score enough points to win 12 games en-route to at least the AFC Championship Game.

Week 1 Projected offense:

QB — Tom Brady

RB — Sony Michel 

‘X’ WR — Josh Gordon 

Slot WR — Julian Edelman

‘Z’ WR — Demaryius Thomas (Phillip Dorsett will likely split time with Thomas here) 

TE — Matt LaCosse (Ben Watson will replace LaCosse after serving his four-game suspension) 

LT — Isaiah Wynn

LG — Joe Thuney 

C — Ted Karras 

RG — Shaq Mason 

RT — Marcus Cannon

Situational positions:

FB — James Devlin

Scatback — James White

WR4 — Phillip Dorsett 

WR5 — Jakobi Meyers 

RB2/Scatback — Rex Burkhead 

RB3 — Damien Harris 

Blocking TE — Ryan Izzo 

Swing Tackle — Korey Cunningham 

 

* * * * *

 

If Brady, the power running game and New England’s offense is good enough for a routine trip to the AFC Championship Game, it’ll be Bill Belichick and the defense that finishes the job.

On a Monday night contest in Los Angeles last November, the Chiefs and Rams, the two highest-scoring teams of last season, combined for 105 points in a 54-51 Rams victory. With the exception of Patrick Mahomes’ fourth quarter outburst in the AFC title game, the Patriots allowed just 10 total points in seven quarters to those two clubs, in the two biggest games of the 2018 NFL season.

To win Super Bowl LIV, New England may very well see the Chiefs again, in the NFL’s version of the final four, followed by a prolific NFC offense like the Rams, Saints or Eagles in the big game in Miami.

Luckily for New England, Belichick has readied a unique and versatile defensive roster capable of carrying out complex schemes that Belichick seems set to employ in 2019.

A ‘base’ defense is a relative term in 2019, seeing as base usually pertains to a 4-3 or 3-4 defense, and not a nickel defense, which is the personnel teams usually use the most in today’s pass-heavy NFL. But a seven-man front is still sometimes used on early downs. And this season, the Patriots will shift for more of a 3-4 approach, moving away from their four-man fronts of last season.

In that front, Danny Shelton is slotted as the run-stuffing nose tackle, with Lawrence Guy and rookie fifith-round pick Byron Cowart projecting to be the team’s big-bodied, 3-4 defensive ends. Guy’s versatility as both a 3-4 defensive end and 4-3 defensive tackle is what Belichick values in his defensive lineman. He was the best defensive lineman outside of Trey Flowers in 2018, and should play up to that level this season. Cowart, a former top recruit of out high school, has the potential to thrive under Belichick’s tutelage.

But New England should spend most of their time with five or more defensive backs on the field. In doing this, the Patriots will go to more exotic fronts with just one or two defensive lineman. This is where they’ll turn to their prize offseason acquisition and best defensive lineman, Michael Bennett.

Bennett, who will turn 34 in November, quietly had a productive campaign (9.5 sacks) with the Eagles last season before being shipped to New England, along with a seventh-round draft pick, for a fifth-round draft choice. Like his brother Martellus in 2016 (and briefly in 2017), Bennett is slated to make an immediate impact as a possible replacement for Flowers, who joined Matt Patricia and the Lions on a mega-deal.

Of course, Bennett and Flowers are different players. Both are versatile, but Flowers serves as a more complete player across the board in 4-3 and 3-4 schemes, where as Bennett’s versatility stems from his ability to rush the passer both from the edge and the interior. Bennett is still productive as a run stuffer, but not as well as Flowers at this stage of his career. But despite his veteran status, Bennett will be a much better pass rusher than Flowers, especially in Belichick’s schemes.

Michael Bennett - Patriots Training Camp
Michael Bennett will bring his versatile pass-rushing skills to a defensive front that should up their sack total in 2019. (Screenshot: New England Patriots)

At one point in NFL Network’s original ‘Do Your Job’ special, Patriots director of research Ernie Adams mentions how Bennett disrupted New England’s entire offensive game plan in Super Bowl XLIX versus the Seahawks. Before Cliff Avril left in concussion protocol, Bennett had gotten to Brady on numerous occasions. But the absence of Avril allowed New England to key on Bennett via double teams. Expect Bennett to disrupt many opponents’ game plans in favor of the Patriots this season.

In two-man fronts, Bennett will mostly be joined by Guy along the interior, as he’s their next best defensive lineman. On obvious passing downs, Guy may be subbed out for Adam Butler, who is purely a sub-package rusher.

The edge should be occupied by a mix of Bennett and a few of the Patriots’ stacked linebacking core. John Simon and rookie Chase Winovich project as stand-up edge rushers in a 3-4 scheme. In New England’s third preseason contest, which is usually the week of dress rehearsals for the regular season, Winovich started along the edge. He’s a diminutive, Tasmanian Devil on the outside, capable of wrecking havoc on tasing downs. The third-round pick out of Michigan is a sleeper pick for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Don’ta Hightower and Kyle Van Noy return as two of New England’s most important players. Their versatility has already been showcased in the preseason, as they’ve been moved all around the defense. Despite slimming down this offseason, Hightower still projects as more of an off-the-ball linebacker, despite the initial notion that he may move to the edge full-time. Although Van Noy will be moved around the formation, it appears he’s due for a new role as a 3-4 outside linebacker or stand-up edge rusher in most cases. This seems like the perfect fit for Van Noy, who may be in for a career year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2FiFf0pQnH/?igshid=isj74yutld6f

Then there’s the return of Jamie Collins. A second-round pick by the Patriots in 2013, Collins blossomed as one of the league’s most athletic players before his rookie contract timed out, and he was shipped to Cleveland midway through the 2016 season. After making some money in Cleveland for two-and-a-half years of uneventful football, Collins returns and he’ll project as linebacker that will spend time as an edge rusher, as well as off the ball. Like Hightower and Van Noy, Collins’ versatility is what makes him valuable. But he’s also much more athletic than those two defensive cogs, even though he’s been burned often in man coverage by tight ends (Owen Daniels in the 2015 AFC Championship Game) and running backs (Marshawn Lych in Super Bowl XLIX). If Collins can keep his freelancing in zone coverage to a minimum, he should make it more difficult for opponents’ quarterbacks to dump the ball off to their own version of a James White.

Recently-named team captain Elandon Roberts and Ja’Whaun Bentley will battle for the role of the ‘thumper’ linebacker, which is a bigger inside linebacker who is mostly in to stop the run on early downs. They should each see time next to Hightower as inside linebackers in the Patriots’ 3-4 formations.

In the secondary, New England trots out perhaps the deepest group of cornerbacks in the league, led by the NFL’s very best at the position in Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore is perhaps the best in man coverage since Darrelle Revis’ heyday and figures to follow opposing team’s No. 1 receiver in most situations. But Belichick often likes to matchup his top cover player one-on-one with an opposing team’s No. 2 receiver, if that player is enough of a threat. This leaves another cornerback covering a team’s No. 1, with help over the top from safety Devin McCourty.

J.C. Jackson and Jason McCourty will battle it out for snaps as the team’s No. 2 guy, but both should see significant playing time. Jon Jones projects to start as a slot cornerback who can also see time at safety, a position he started and played most of the game at in Super Bowl LIII. To revisit Belichick’s scheme of putting Gilmore on a team’s secondary pass catcher, the Patriots employed Gilmore on Watkins, Kansas City’s No. 2 receiver and No. 3 pass catcher, but best traditional receiver, in the AFC title game. They did this because of Tyreek Hill’s speed and downfield ability. New England then stuck it’s fastest player, Jon Jones, on Hill with Devin McCourty shading overtop. J.C. Jackson’s ability as a bigger press-man cover corner made him a suitable match for the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, a psuedo receiver disguised as a top-tier tight end. Expect Belichick to employ different strategies against different offenses.

The Patriots’ deep group of cornerbacks ends with rookie Joejuan Williams. The second-round pick is a cornerback with massive size (6-foot-4, 208 pounds) capable of playing press man coverage on tight ends and bigger wide receivers. Williams will fight Jackson and Jason McCourty for playing time, but he projects as more of a situational matchup piece in his rookie season, while being groomed to be the team’s No. 2 cornerback of the future, or even as a replacement for Patrick Chung as a Kam Chancellor-type at strong safety.

With Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon and Patrick Chung, the Patriots will employ an aging-yet-affective trio of safeties capable of playin in three-safety sets, like they’ve done often over the past few seasons. In two-safety sets, Devin McCourty plays his usually role of free safety while Chung plays in the box. On clear-passing downs with all three on the field, Chung serves as a presss man coverage option on tight ends, while McCourty tends to play all over the field, leaving Duron Harmon as the free safety, or center fielder, on third-and-long situations. This could be the last season for both Chung and the McCourty brothers, but they still have enough left in the tank for a very good season.

Like the Patriots’ offense, Belichick will have a different game plan for each opponent. But the team’s deep group of cornerbacks and seemingly revitalized group of pass rushers have fans excited for what could be an exceptional season on this side of the ball.

Week 1 Projected defense:

Interior — Michael Bennett 

Interior — Lawrence Guy

EDGE/LB — Kyle Van Noy

EDGE/LB — Jamie Collins

LB — Dont’a Hightower

‘Thumper’ ILB — Elandon Roberts 

CB1 — Stephon Gilmore

CB2 — J.C. Jackson 

Slot CB — Jonathan Jones

SS/Nickelback — Patrick Chung

S — Devin McCourty

Situational positions:

3-4 Nose Tackle — Danny Shelton 

3-4 DE  — Bryan Cowart

‘Thumper’ ILB — Ja’Whaun Bentley 

EDGE/LB — Chase Winovich 

EDGE/LB — John Simon 

S (FS in ‘Big Nickel’ and three-safety packages) — Duron Harmon

CB3 — Jason McCourty

CB4 (‘Big’ TE, ‘X’ WR matchup CB) — Joejuan Williams

Sub Interior Rusher — Adam Butler

 

Projected record: 12-4 (AFC’s No. 1 seed)

The Patriots should revert to their knack for producing 12-plus win seasons after an 11-5 campaign in 2018. Their schedule is pretty easy throughout, but there is a potential murderer’s row from weeks 8-to-14, as the team will face Browns out home before visiting the Ravens and Eagles before returning home to face the Cowboys, playing the Texans in Houston , then ending with a home bout with the Chiefs.

With Andrew Luck’s retirement, and Derwin James’ injury the Chiefs serve as the only real threat at this point, with the Steelers, Jaguars and Browns looming as just potential threats before they prove otherwise. New England will fend off the upstarts and experienced teams to beat the Chiefs at home in the AFC Title Game. Their home-field advantage will be won when they beat the Chiefs in Week 14.

Then in Miami for Super Bowl LIV, the Patriots will break a tie with the Steelers by winning their seventh Super Bowl, while exacting revenge on the Eagles in the process.

At least for one more year, the NFL will belong to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots.

Ty Law -- Super Bowl XXXVI

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Ty Law and the Patriots’ No. 1 Cornerbacks of the Belichick era + NFL’s newest offensive trend

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

On Saturday Ty Law became the first — second if you count Randy Moss — member of the New England Patriots’ two decade-long, 21st-century dynasty to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His emotional speech was one of the better presentations of the past few years. He was apart of a fitting class that included the only higher-rated cornerback of the 2000s, Champ Bailey, and the game’s best safety of all-time, Ed Reed. Add in legendary safety Johnny Robinson and this draft class became the first to include four defensive backs, while also adding league architect and historian, Gil Brandt, perhaps the greatest tight end of all-time — with Rob Gronkowski — Tony Gonzalez, rough and tough center Kevin Mawae, and the late, great Broncos owner, Pat Bowlen.

*********************

Law’s ability to shutdown opposing team’s top receiver was matched only by his knack for playing his best in the biggest games. Law played ten seasons in New England, with his prime being from 2001 to 2003, when Law was arguably the best player on a team that won two Super Bowls during that time.

Since then Bill Belichick has shown an affinity for building his defense partly around a true No. 1 cornerback.

This piece will focus on breaking down each of the following shutdown cover men that have donned a Patriots uniform in the last 20 or so years —

Ty Law (1995-2004) 

Asante Samuel (2003-2007) 

Aqib Talib (2012-2013) 

Darrelle Revis (2014) 

Stephon Gilmore (2017-present) 

 

Ty Law

Drafted by Bill Parcells in the 1995 NFL Draft, Law earned a starting role in Week 12 of his rookie season under Parcells and then-Patriots defensive coordinator Bill Belichick. By 1998, Law became one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks under Pete Carroll, earning a First-team All-Pro nod while also leading the league in interceptions.

But it was his play under Belichick from 2001 to 2003 in which his Hall of Fame resume was built upon. Law dominated in key moments — coming away with a Super Bowl XXXVI pick-six off Kurt Warner, and three interceptions versus the NFL’s co-MVP, Peyton Manning, in the 2003 AFC Championship Game.

Law could play both man and zone coverage and was often asked to shadow the opposing team’s best receiver, many times in press coverage situations — examples including Law matched up with Isaac Bruce in Super Bowl XXXVI and Marvin Harrison in the aforementioned 2003 AFC title game.

Usually, Belichick would ask Law to shut down one side of the field, leaving the likes of Otis Smith or Tyrone Poole to cover the other side with help, while cover men such as Terrell Buckley and Asante Samuel working of the slot.

Perhaps more than any other cornerback in NFL history, Law elevated his play in the clutch. Additionally, Law thrived in two different eras, one where physicality and ‘defensive holding’ calls were fewer, and afterword, when former Colts GM Bill Polian pushed for an increased emphasis on holding calls to make things easier for receivers and the passing game in general.

And perhaps one of Law’s greatest achievements came after he was jettisoned from the Patriots in 2005. He led the league in interceptions (10) with the Jets the next season, and even returned an interception for a touchdown versus former teammate Tom Brady. After that, Law signed with the Chiefs for one more soldi season in 2006 before finishing his career with the Broncos.

Law intercepted future Hall of Fame passer Peyton Manning nine times throughout his career, with five of those picks coming in the postseason.

It took three tries and personal letters from Brady and Manning to convince voters to put Law in the Hall of Fame, but it shouldn’t have come to that. Now Law’s place in history will deservedly shine even brighter — as will his place in Patriots lore as the template for one of the most important roles on one of the best sports dynasties in history.

Asante Samuel

Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel celebrates after his pick-six off Peyton Manning in the 2006 AFC title game. (Screenshot: CBS Sports)

Asante Samuel was drafted by New England of the fourth round in the 2003 NFL Draft, and immediately showcased his affinity for pick-sixes in victimizing Vinny Testaverde and the Jets for a game-winner in his second career regular season game.

After New England released Law in 2005, the Patriots relied on Samuel to step into the team’s true No. 1 role after two seasons of productive play as a No. 2/3 CB who played both in the slot and on the perimeter.

Samuel’s prime began in 2006 and lasted until roughly 2010. The final three seasons of that stretch he spent with the Eagles after the Patriots were unable to come to terms with a deal in 2008 after franchising him for the prior season.

In 2006, Samuel burst onto the scene with 10 interceptions, tying Champ Bailey for the league lead. He added two pick-sixes in the postseason, which included a 33-yard run back versus Peyton Manning, who was looking for Marvin Harrison on a long comeback route.

Like Law, Samuel was a big-time player. His seven career postseason interceptions rank second to just Ed Reed (9) this century.

Samuel’s smaller frame (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) than the the other players on this list make him a slightly different defensive chess piece. Although he excelled some in man coverage, Samuel was a much better in zone. In fact, Samuel was the best zone coverage cornerback in football for most to 2006 to 2010.

His phenomenal instincts, quickness and innate toughness for his size made him the perfect December-January cornerback for a team that resides in the northeast.

Samuel was also one of the few players let go by Belichick that thrived for multiple seasons.

Aqib Talib

Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib makes an interception while covering Julio Jones in 2013. (Screenshot: NBC)

After Samuel left in 2008, the Patriots received a somewhat stellar season from former Browns cornerback Leigh Bodden in 2009, and a successful rookie campaign from rookie Devin McCourty in 2010, before he struggled in 2011 and was switched to safety.

So entering 2012, New England was reliant on 7th-round rookie Alfonzo Dennard and nickel back Kyle Arrington to be the team’s top two cornerbacks. Already a few seasons removed from having a true, top-flight cornerback, Belichick realized their defensive struggles over the past few seasons might have been somewhat equated to the absence of an All-Pro caliber cover man.

Enter, Aqib Talib.

Big (6-foot-1, 209 pounds) and physical, Talib was a bully in press man coverage against receivers and tight ends of all sizes.

At one point during a road win versus the Falcons in 2013, Talib successfully defended Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzales in the red zone.

Coming over during the midway point of the 2012 season, Talib instantly helped a Patriots defensive backfield turn a corner from one of the league’s worst units to a somewhat respectable group.

It’s not surprise that New England’s defense crumbled in the 2012 and 2013 AFC Championship Games after Talib left both contests with injuries.

In Talib, Belichick had a chess piece that was able to take away any opposition’s best playmaker, making it easier for New England’s other defensive backs to key on other team’s No. 2 and 3 targets.

Talib entered free agency in 2015 and signed a lucrative deal with the Broncos, forming perhaps the best cornerback duo of the decade with slot defender Chris Harris Jr. Talib also faced the Patriots as the Rams’ No. 2 CB in Super Bowl LIII this past February.

But as we travel back — New England had someone in mind to replace Talib for the 2014 season. One of the best cornerbacks of all-time.

Darrelle Revis

Darrelle Revis - Super Bowl XLIX
Darrelle Revis lines up versus Doug Baldwin in Super Bowl XLIX (Screenshot: NFL Films)

From 2009 to 2012, Revis was unquestionably the best cornerback in the NFL. In fact, his stretch of seasons is some of the best cornerback play in NFL history.

‘Revis Island’ is what his side of the field was dubbed. Revis is perhaps the best man coverage cornerback in NFL history, and also excelled in Cover 3 zones.

Even after being traded to Tampa Bay in 2013, Revis quietly adapted to the Buccaneers’ ‘Tampa 2′ scheme, and remained one fo the league’s better defenders.

So after Talib left for the Broncos, Belichick was in need of a stalwart at cornerback. Like when the Patriots admitted their lack of receivers in 2007 — where they acquired Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth — Belichick signed Revis and Seahawks’ cornerback Brandon Browner (6-foot-4, 221 pounds) in the 2014 offseason, in hopes of bolstering an important position.

Like Law, Revis was from Alquippa, Pennsylvania, and wore No. 24. Adittionally, Revis would finish his career playing for the Jets, Patriots and Chiefs, thr

After struggling the first few weeks, Revis than re-ascended to becoming the top cornerback in the NFL, helping the Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX. Belichick let Revis shadow opposing team’s best receiver, or stuck Revis on an opposing team’s No. 2 pass catcher, while keying on a bigger No. 1 target with Browner and a safety over top in a double coverage.

Down the stretch, Revis was one of the Patriots’ three best players — along with Brady and Rob Gronkowski — on one of the best teams of the past decade.

But Revis commanded a big deal the next offseason, and returned to the Jets, the team that drafted him. He had one more season at an elite level.

Although Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan combined for a formidable duo in the place of Revis and Browner the next two seasons, New England was without a true shutdown cornerback. They’d have to go to free agency once more.

Stephon Gilmore

Stephon Gilmore - Super Bowl LIII
Gilmore makes the game-clinching interception in Super Bowl LIII. (Screenshot: NFL Films)

With tension surrounding a potential long-term deal for fan favorite, Malcolm Butler, the Patriots instead chose to pay Stephon Gilmore a five-year, $65 million contract in free agency. Butler’s big deal never came.

Gilmore was successful in Buffalo, but now, he’s unquestionably the best cornerback in the league heading into the 2019 season.

It didn’t begin like that in New England for Gilmore, though. Gilmore is the best press man cover cornerback in the league, but often finds himself out of place in zone coverage. Gilmore struggled out the gate trying to play in zone coverage before the Patriots shifted to more man coverage down the stretch of the 2017 season.

It was then when Gilmore tourney flourished. With big plays like his skying knockdown of a Blake Bortles pass in the 2017 AFC title game, and the game-sealing interception in Super Bowl LIII, Gilmore has shown shades of Law in a Patriot uniform in the postseason.

It helps that he also dons jersey No. 24.

“He’s the best corner in football right now” Law said of Gilmore to the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian.

“He’s really confident, and he’s taken his game to the next level. He’s first-team All-Pro. I think he’s going to continue to do that this year. He’ll be ready to roll.”

The two have developed a close friendship, and spent a lot of time together on Robert Kraft’s annual trip to Israel this summer.

“We talk regularly during the season, get together when we can, and we’re going to continue to do so,” Law said. “Any way I can help him, I’ll offer advice.”

Law may be one of a few cornerbacks that have ever played the game that can offer Gillmore advice, since it seems like he doesn’t need it. Belichick is currently creating an ensemble of defensive backs of all different sizes and skills, but it’s Gilmore that makes things a lot easier. With No. 24 on the field, Belichick can use him to take away an opponent’s top-notch pass catcher with ease.

With Gilmore’s recent level of play and upward curve, could he be destined for eternal greatness in Canton, Ohio?

Gilmore was one of a few Patriots present at Law’s induction ceremony over the weekend and afterword the two shared an exchange while posing for a picture by Law’s bust.

“Guess what?” Law said pointing at Gilmore, “Next up, in a couple years, I’ll be standing here next to Stephon Gilmore’s bust…real deal. I promise you that.”

************************

NFL’s latest offensive trend?

Could the NFL’s latest trend on offense be lying in the weeds as a soon-to-be revisited approach?

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and NFL data analyst Warren Sharp spoke on the subject via Twitter over the weekend, as Jeremiah says he’s sensed a trend of team’s using more 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE — 2 WR) over his tour of training camps.

Of course, team’s already employ this grouping fairly regularly, but no team has used it seemingly as it’s base approach. At least not since the 2010 to 2012 Patriots flourished with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez playing the majority of the team’s snaps.

When using this personnel it’s best to used two different types of tight ends. At the beginning of the decade, New England had that in Gronk and Hernandez. Gronk is basically an all-around tight end who could block, but also act as a big wide receiver who could spread out wide or in the slot.

Hernandez was one of the most unique offensive players to ever play because he could line up all over — including as an H-back, wing back, slot receiver, out wide and in the backfield. What he lacked in pass blocking, he made up for it in quickness, strength, hands and after-the-catch ability. His versatility made him a mismatch versus but defensive backs and linebackers.

Later in 2016, the Patriots attempted to pair two ‘Y’ tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. The Patriots averaged  33.4 points per game and a produced a 4-1 record with Brady and the twin towers before Gronkowski was lost for the season. That combination was rare as the Patriots held the best tight end in the NFL, along with a top-5 tight end of the same mold.

No team in the NFL has anything close to that at the moment, so teams switching to ’12’ personnel more regularly will be look to use two different sets of tight ends if they can.

Looking back to Sharp’s quote tweet of Jeremiah posted above, Sharp explains that the Eagles are currently the best team in this grouping. It’s no surprise they have two different set of tight ends capable of performing different tasks.

Zach Ertz is the third best tight end in football after only George Kittle and Travis Kelce. He plays much smaller and more fluid than his frame (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) suggests, and that’s clearly a compliment. Ertz is the Eagles’ No. 1 passing option in a star-studded offense that includes Alshon Jeffrey and now DeSean Jackson. Ertz is not the most dominant blocker, but is always a passing threat, no matter where he lines up — which could be as an H-back or in the slot.

Dallas Goedert.. The team’s second-round pick in 2018, is more of a traditional tight end who can block, as well as be a dominant red zone threat in the future. His size (6-foot-5, 256 pounds) is almost identical to Ertz, which makes it ironic that they are such different molds of the same position. Goedert’s athleticism is top-notch and he’ll only improve in the coming years. With Ertz at the helm, the Eagles can use him off the line while Goedert lines up as a traditional tight end. Despite not being the best blocker, the Eagles may still use their ‘Ace’ formation often. That’s where both Ertz and Goedert line up at traditional tight end at opposite sides of the offensive line.

The Eagles began to showcase a glimpse of what this offense can become last season. The Athletic’s Ryan Sasaki wrote a masterful ‘All-22’ piece on the subject early last season, breaking it all down.

With the re-addition of DeSean Jackson, and the addition of Jordan Howard for a power-running game that would welcome two tight end sets regularly for extra blocking, the Eagles are perfectly alined to have their base package look like this:

QB — Carson Wentz

RB — Jordan Howard 

LT — Jason Peters

LG — Isaac Seumalo 

C — Jason Kelce

RG — Brandon Brooks

RT — Lane Johnson 

TE (H-back/Slot) — Zach Ertz 

TE — Dallas Goedert 

WR (X) — Alshon Jeffrey 

WR (Z) — DeSean Jackson 

Additionally, the Eagles can leaver in their two tight ends and the bigger Jeffrey (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) while pairing him with second-round rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside, a 6-foot-4, power forward-type threat to form an unstoppable red zone offense.

On paper, that looks to be perhaps the NFL’s most potent offensive package, in terms of talent relative to their role. Are the Eagles brewing up something this big on offense?

Brady’s latest contract

Alas, Brady’s sixth extension has been finalized on a week in which he not only turned 42 years old, but visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the way to join practices with the Lions in Michigan, that began today.

Still the best player in the NFL at age 42, Brady’s situation is unprecedented. He’s expressed multiple times that he would like to play until age 45, and this deal locks him up until the age of 44, meaning this may not be his last deal with New England.

To shed more light on the subject, NFL Network’s Mike Giardi expressed Brady wasn’t fighting for a long-term deal. Good news is the deal is masked as a year-to-year type move with a chance for both sides to move out and renegotiate going forward. In fact, since the deal includes a ‘no franchise tag’ clause, it essentially ends after the league year, voiding the final two years of the deal. So like Drew Brees, Brady will make $23 million in 2019 and then become a free agent (technically) for the first time in his career in March 2020. Although it likely won’t come to that. If Brady is to continue playing — which is likely — him and the Patriots will most likely come to terms before the 2020 league year.

 

To sum up the important details from the deal:

-Brady will likely receive a new, similar ‘masked’ year-to-year contract in roughly six months to keep him in New England for 2020.

-Brady will now make $23 million in 2019, as opposed to the $15 million he was scheduled to make.

-The extension now opens up enough cap space for the Patriots to afford Washington left tackle Trent Williams, or make additional moves with the extra room.

Going forward, deals for both Brady, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers and possibly Aaron Rodgers (in a few years) will be fascinating to monitor considering their play into later ages. Their cases are unprecedented.

A tribute to Don Banks

I was shocked to learn that Don Banks, one of my favorite NFL writers, passed away in his sleep in a hotel in Canton, Ohio on Sunday Morning. Just 56 years old, Banks was in Canton to cover the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction as part of his brand new gig of covering the NFL on a national scale for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Prior to this, Don spent 17 years at Sports Illustrated, where I grew up reading and admiring his work. He then moved over to Patriots.com and the The Athletic Boston, two of my favorite mediums for NFL content. His ‘Snap Judgements’ column was a must-read for me after an NFL Sunday, as well as his ‘Cover 2’ podcast with comedian Nick Stevens (‘Fitzy’) discussing all things Patriots and the NFL.

The NFL writing community mourning over his loss exemplifies how many people loved Don and what type of person he is. I never met him personally but shared a few quick exchanges on Twitter with him, since I admired his work.

Don, you will be missed.

Condolences to you and your family…