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Guys, Marcus Cannon is good.
I know, I know, I know…but hear me out. I looked at the tape. I looked at when he played in 2011 as a rookie. I watched him when he played in the Dave DeGuglielmo (spelled that without having to look it up thank you very much) offense where they were rotated in and out like a clock and I watched him this preseason back under the legendary Dante Scarnecchia. He’s good.
Simms still pissed about this facemask or something?
Usually, I ignore the trolls here on the blog. I try to stick to football and educated analysis because there’s an entire market out there for people saying stupid things to get attention. And nothing gets easier attention with the NFL than someone saying something stupid about the Patriots. But when Chris Simms pops up for the THIRD TIME in two years on Boston media to tell us that Tom Brady isn’t a top-5 QB anymore, he needs to be called out.
First, I don’t give a shit about anyone’s rankings. I really don’t. Everyone’s got their top-5 this and their top-5 that and really, none of them matter. It’s all arbitrary opinions and everyone is entitled to their opinion and rankings however they want. My superpower is that I don’t get riled up by other people’s arbitrary rankings. What interests me is football. What happens on the field. Strategy. Not how a random someone stacks individual players in their own mind. You think Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in the league? Great for you.
But Chris Simms is an idiot and maybe if his dumb takes were a little more creative or at least backed up with, you know, facts, I’d have some respect for him. Let’s remember Simms coached with the Patriots for a season in 2012. Not that that should mean he’s pissing rainbows and happiness all over Brady and the Pats all the time, but maybe have a little respect? Or at least put forth some intelligent analysis about them?
Let’s take a look back at Simm’s horrible Patriots takes.
[Read more…] about A History of Tom Brady Hot Taeks by Chris Simms
It’s looking more likely that ever that Tom Brady will be sitting the first four games of the 2016 season. The second circuit court denied Brady and the NFLPA’s appeal for an En Banc hearing on Deflategate, leaving limited options for the defamed quarterback. Brady could try to take it to the Supreme Court, but he’s just about out of options.
For Pats fans, there are so many emotions. Everyone is sick of Deflategate. Even those of us who are apoplectic at the way the NFL treated their star player are ready to be done with it. And by now it’s easy to find the silver linings.
Jimmy Garoppolo is now poised to play at Arizona, vs. Miami, vs. Houston and vs. Buffalo. Three home games, but four defenses that are daunting. In the long term, it’s great for the Patriots to get a look at Garoppolo now, in his third year. Next offseason will be the last time the Pats could move Garoppolo and get something for him. So this will be an audition as much as anything.
And really, even with Brady, the Pats usually sputter a bit out of the gate. Even a 1-3 record wouldn’t be insurmountable, while 3-1 or 2-2 are usually par for the course anyway. So to the 31 teams who are reacting like the Bills, nah-nah-nah-poo-poo the Patriots are still going to be fine, not only this season, but for future seasons because they’ll truly know what they have in their backup QB.
Plus Brady gets a lighter training camp and shortened season which can only benefit the soon-to-be 39 year-old. He’ll have four weeks to stew and will be ready to unleash hell on the Cleveland Browns on October 9th, before making his first home appearance against the Bengals. I’m most curious how Brady studies the offense in those first four games, what he sees and how he can help implement ways to use new players like Martellus Bennett.
But it still sucks. The NFL played dirty from the start with this whole affair. From refusing to correct false information in the media, to planting lies in the media to support their version, to moving the goal posts after the appeal, the NFL was in it to win it the entire time. Forget the actual truth and evidence. They saw their chance to finally get those Patriots, and pulled out all the stops to make sure they prevailed.
Maybe Brady tries to go to the Supreme Court. He certainly has the legal team in place for it. Maybe, like many would love, he opens a defamation lawsuit against the NFL (that’s where things would get uber interesting). Or maybe this really is the end of a crazy charade that lasted over a year-and-a-half all over footballs that were .4% below what the Ideal Gas Law predicted they would be.
The NFL wrapped up their Top-100 of 2015 last night with Tom Brady coming in second (to Cam Newton) and Rob Gronkowski coming in ninth. You’ll have to click through to YouTube to watch the segments (Brady / Gronk). While the NFL has taken great steps forward making their content available online, they still won’t let you embed their stuff. Baby steps I guess.
Of course there’s some outrage that Brady wasn’t number one, but as someone who really doesn’t invest much time or energy in rankings, I say whatevs. Brady was brilliant in 2015, his second season in three years where his offense was effectively dismantled by injuries. Even in games where he lost key guys and the team was deflated (sorry), he still produced.
Most QBs would’ve folded after seeing Gronk go down like he did in Denver. Not Brady. Still led an epic drive with scrubs to force OT. As we saw in 2014, with a little injury luck in 2016, the Pats will be hard to keep out of the Super Bowl. Brady’s shown no sign of slowing down.
Despite Brady’s brilliance, which, let’s face it, everyone’s used to, it’s hard to say this wasn’t Cam Newton’s year. Yeah I know he sucked in the Super Bowl, but Brady also sucked in the 2010 AFCDG after being the unanimous MVP of the regular season. He still was #1 on the Top 100 that year. Everyone loves new flashy objects. That’s what Cam was after his superstar breakout season, so kudos to him.
And what does it matter? Not a whole lot. At least we get an extended segment on Brady since he’s in the Top 10. Other than that I don’t really care who was ranked where.
As for Gronk, he clearly belongs in the Top 10. It’s especially encouraging that he’s had two healthy seasons after 2011-2013 all ended with him in major surgery and rehab. You need to look no further than the final drive of the AFC Championship to see how unstoppable Gronk is. Huge fourth-down catch, huge touchdown and was open for the two-point conversion as well. That was all him and Brady, in a huge moment, doing what Top-10 players should do.
At that point Edelman was on one leg and everyone knew it was going to Gronk. They still couldn’t stop it.
If Gronk has the same injury luck for the third year in a row, the Pats offense will once again be a mostly unstoppable force.
#1 – Tom Brady – The Top 100 Players of 2011 by joshespinoza2
Binged Amazon’s All or Nothing series all last vacation week, which followed the Arizona Cardinals all of last season. It’s yet another fantastic production from NFL Films. I’ve long since given up hope that the Patriots would ever allow this kind of access, although Bill Belichick’s A Football Life came pretty close, but it’s always fascinating to see the inner workings of an NFL team going through the treacherous grind of a full season.
I can never get enough of this kind of stuff. It’s clear that NFL Films is the true propaganda wing of the NFL and it’s why many of us got hooked on the game to begin with. Here’s what stood out to me, partially from a Patriots perspective, but mostly as a football fan.
You have to start with Bruce Arians whose colorful language might distract some from the excellent football coach that he is. It’s incredible that someone like him could kick around as an assistant for so long before getting his shot, while the same old head coaches keep getting recycled over and over again. I won’t say Arians makes the whole show, but there’s no question he’s the star and his attitude and football mind permeate throughout the organization.
It’s understandable why guys want to play for Arians, and that’s why it was even more shocking to see the Cardinals completely collapse in the NFC Championship. Still, Arians can coach my team any day and I am fascinated to see what kind of game plan he puts together for the Patriots in Week 1.
That’s where I found my mind drifting during the show — Week 1, Patriots @ Cardinals.
The biggest problem is going to be David Johnson, where I’d expect Dont’a Hightower to have his hands full with the second-year back who was told by his position coach during his 2015 exit interview that his career should end with a bust in the Hall of Fame. Johnson’s a big back who can catch and that will pose a number of problems for the Patriots. The first defensive key to the game will be to stop Johnson.
On the other side of the ball the biggest question is of course which quarterback the Cardinals will be seeing in Week 1, whether it’s Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo. But the Cardinals have some questions of their own, including how ready Tyrann Mathieu will be coming off a torn ACL late in the 2015 season.
The Cardinals defense was worlds different once Mathieu went down. His leadership both on the field and off it was apparent over and over during the course of the series. And as good as Patrick Peterson is, he and the rest of the Arizona secondary are a far less intimidating squad with the Honey Badger.
Chandler Jones should be a big piece for the 2016 Cardinals defense.
The Cardinals will also welcome Chandler Jones into their mix and I’m sure the former Patriot will be fired up to play against his old team. The Cardinals are the most blitz-happy team in the league which could be extremely dangerous if they’re seeing Brady, who torches heavy blitzing teams, or extremely effective if Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t seeing his hot reads clearly in his first start.
One thing to watch though, as Chandler is being moved to outside linebacker in Arizona, is that I expect the Patriots to get him in coverage against their tight ends as much as possible. And if you see Gronk or Bennett split out wide and Chandler going with them, look out (if you’re a Cardinals fan).
I was also extremely impressed with the management of the Cardinals, led by President Michael Bidwell and GM Steve Keim. Every time NFL Films captures the owner/management relationships, it’s always pretty awkward. Bidwell’s interactions with Keim and Arians was every bit as cringe-worthy as Robert Kraft trying to talk to Belichick at times in his A Football Life. The owners always seem to come off like I worry I would come off to the “football guys”, like a fan whose genuine enthusiasm just doesn’t get the true respect of those who have been grinding in the NFL for decades.
But of course, the owners are the bosses leaving the “football guys” no choice but to accept all the tepid observations and awkward fist bumps. Although Bidwell has the eccentricity you’d expect from the latest in a long line of fortunate heirs, his love of his rescue dog who died during the show after a long bout with kidney disease humanized him. By the end of the show, he seemed more a valued member of the Cardinals organization than he did at the start, even if he was a little goofy.
Larry Fitzgerald only further cemented his place as a Hall of Famer during the 2016, capped off with amazing catch-and-run in the divisional round that set up a shovel pass touchdown to win the game on the next play. Larry has always had a reputation as one of the game’s good guys and that was on full display in the series.
I couldn’t help but find most of the player-only meetings consistently awkward. Patrick Peterson, Carson Palmer and Tyrann Mathieu were just a few to step up and address the team at various points of the season. I never felt even close to inspired or moved with them like I was when Arians spoke. It always feels forced when players try to talk to the team. Even when it was Ray Lewis. You just always get the feeling these guys are professionals and don’t truly respond when their teammates get rah-rah on them.
One conspicuous absence was any sight or mention of Jen Welter, the Cardinals’ female coaching assistant last season. I had spoken with Jen a couple times before she became an NFL coach and she is a truly passionate football person. Just watch some of the highlights from her playing days. Would’ve been nice to see a little bit on her and the significant step she took for women in the sport last season.
Overall, this was every bit the perfect production that we’ve come to expect from NFL Films. They are masters of truly capturing and framing the epic “good vs. evil” narrative we all to apply to our beloved football teams. It was stylized in the right spots, humanizing beyond football in the right spots and left you with the all-too-familiar feeling of how there’s only one happy team at the end of each season.
It may not be the Patriots, but All or Nothing is a great way to get you through the last couple weeks before training camp. It certainly got me even more fired up for the season opener on September 11th in Arizona. The Cardinals will have their best shot waiting for the Patriots.
Get a free trial of Amazon Prime and check out All or Nothing!
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Taking a little vacation this week as obviously it’s the deadest of the deadest period of the offseason. But it’s also the perfect time to catch up on anything you might’ve missed this offseason and get some in-depth analysis of what’s to come in training camp and in the 2016 season. My season preview book is packed full of information and stats, and for just $4 I promise you won’t be disappointed.
The Patriots open their mandatory three-day minicamp Tuesday at Gillette Stadium.
Source: 5 questions for Patriots minicamp | Boston Herald
Good read here from Jeff Howe, breaking down some of the specifics to look for over the next three days. But let’s be honest, it’s really just like we’re spinning our wheels because there won’t be anything monumental to take away from mini-camp. Maybe someone like Dion Lewis is out there, and that’d be a great sign that his knee is returning to healthy, but otherwise everyone is there to learn not compete for a job just yet.
I will be curious to see if we can decipher who’s playing receiver along with Chris Hogan, since Edelman and Amendola are probably sitting. Keyshawn Martin probably makes the most sense. But there will be plenty of rotation and with Brady’s possible suspension, things will be even more mixed up that usual. I also wonder at what point do the Pats start managing Brady’s throws moreso anyway. His arm showed no signs of slowing down at the end of last year, but it’s something to think about.
This will be the last time we see the boys on the field before the long break until training camp opens at the end of July. Yes, it’s the final push of the offseason, but make no mistake, football is coming.
