Category: News

After the 2019 season I said the Patriots were about to undergo an 18-month renovation. The Brady-Belichick divorce was happening to bring a major change at QB, and with them up against the cap, they couldn’t replace the larger than normal number of guys about to leave in free agency until the winter of 2020, when they had a boatload of cap room.

Well, that turned out to be right on the, er, money. While I’m not sure the house is totally finished, the remodeling is mostly done and on Sunday vs. Miami we’ll begin seeing how good the re-done team is.

The Big Story: With the surprising release of Cam Newton, Mac Jones is now the biggest story and ready or not it’s his job now. Having said that, while he played better than Camin pre-season I think the main reason he got the job is because he does what they want in a QB better than Cam — quick decisions, quick release and accurate. Thus, as I said a couple of weeks ago, this is going to be the dink and dunk Brady 2.0 to play ball control on O with the D being the biggest part of the equation to start. Said another way, if this year were a movie it would be Back to the Future 2001.    

Strengths

Offensive line: Ultra-durable Joe Thuney has moved on and while that’s is a big loss, second man Michael Owenu slid over from tackle to his spot with little apparent change. So with guards who can play tackle, and two tackles who can play guard, the line is versatile, good in the passing game, outstanding in the run game and big. All are important, because with a rookie QB the run game and play action passing that comes with it is vital because that controls the clock and buys Jones more time to throw. How this group does is a big key to how the season goes.   

Running backs: I’m on record for being against the Sony Michel trade because it drained their depth. Having said that, the situational benefits offered by the combination of short yardage/goal line power of Rhamondre Stevenson and explosiveness of J. J. Taylor made Michel the odd man out. Plus there’s the reliable James White with a clearer head in the third down back role. Now, if lead back Damian Harris can stay healthier than his first two seasons, when he’s missed 16 games, they have something. But if he can’t, you’ll see why I would have kept Sony over special teamer/RB Brandon Bolden. 

Linebackers: Keeping nine LB’s shows this is the deepest and more versatile part of the team. Some want to include the line here to say it’s the front seven, but I’m wait and see on them. Kyle Van Noy, Josh Uche, Chase Winovich and newcomer Matthew Judon give them four quality edge rushers, while Van Noy and Judon will help the returning Dont’a Hightower and Ja’Whaun Bentley fortify the run D.  

Weaknesses

Wide receivers: Aside from Jakobi Meyers no one, especially speedy newcomer Nelson Agholor, did anything to dispel fears they could again be a weakness. So beyond the evolving Meyer they’re totally wait and see.

Injury concerns: Durability is important and while I like the new tight ends, both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith have injury histories, as do Isaiah Wynn, Trent Brown and Damian Harris. There are also the concerns expressed last week about whether the slightly built rookie QB can last amid NFL pounding for 17 games. So there is a hold your breath quality for some key parts of the team. 

Backup QB: Given what I just said, with Cam gone they have a big hole behind Jones until either Jarrett Stidham makes it back from the PUP list sooner than later, or they trade for someone like Nick Foles because Brian Hoyer isn’t up to it.

Kicker: Speaking of hold your breath issues, how about keeping the big-legged but inconsistent Quinn Nordin, who made just 72 percent of his FG attempts in college? Especially when Nick Folk made his last 26 kicks a year ago, including two game-winners as time ran out. So his course seems like a risk.  

Stephon Gilmore: Seven months seem like an awfully long time for a quad not to heal; his absence feels a lot more like a holdout than injury. Which makes the six weeks he’ll miss a test to see how they play without him during the softest part of their schedule and how JC Jackson stands up as the number corner. Both are up for contracts next year and only one at most will be re-signed. So my guess is if Jackson does well, Gilmore could be traded by the time he’s ready to come off the PUP.  

Other stuff 

The Division: It’s much tougher now because they’re competing against good coaches in Sean McDermott and Brian Flores as opposed to the band of doofuses Coach B mostly faced for 20 years. With Josh Allen at QB Buffalo is a SB contender and Miami likely takes another step up, thus the division is much tougher now, Meanwhile, the Jets should be better, but they’re not ready yet.  

Outlook: It’s harder to predict than in the good old days when you start with 12-4 and subtract, or more likely add, a win or two. They start with the softest part of the schedule with four home games (including vs. you know who) and have the Jets and quarterback-less Houston on the road. So it could be a 5-1 start. Tougher over the next 11, but they do get the Browns and Titans at home, along with the Jets, Falcons and Jags — so there’s five more wins. Then the battle for the AFC East plays out in December when they face Buffalo twice and Miami, where they win one of those three.

Prediction: 11-5 and a wild card berth.

We have begun one of the most interesting months on the sports calendar. I love September because it’s where the rubber hits the road in baseball and football begins.

It finally gives baseball the sense of urgency it mostly lacks during five interminable months of non-drama game after game. While each game played has the exact same value, wins and losses in September seem so much bigger — an irony for a game that brags it’s best because it has no clock. But it’s actually made much better as sand slips through the hourglass over the final 30 days. That ratchets up the tension and reduces the room for error to make baseball’s final month better than any other sport because they play almost every day.

The opening week of the NFL is exactly opposite of baseball, because with so few games a loss really matters, instead of just being one of 162. So the pennant race starts immediately. And while we pretty much already know who’ll be in the college football Final 4 — Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson — it offers a pageantry and excitement unmatched in other sports. Plus it gets major points for having marching bands at halftime instead of the “entertainment” shows pro sports are so married to. And with local lads Chip Kelly, Ryan (make my) Day and Dan Mullen head coaching UCLA, Ohio State and Florida respectively, there are many local rooting interests as well.

So that’s what lies ahead starting in the year’s ninth month, which, as you can probably tell, I’m jacked and pumped for! These were some of the big stories as we entered September.

Sox are in the hunt, but… The Red Sox enter the final month running on fumes as they’re not just losing to the good teams, they’re losing to the bad teams, and even when they win it’s been scary. Like winning by just a run over the 55-71 Twins on Wednesday when they yanked closer Matt Barnes four hitters into the 9th inning after blowing a 9-4 lead. The biggest reasons are (1) maybe he had to because the starters were so bad, but Alex Cora has blown out the bullpen, (2) they needed two “good” arms for the pen and Chaim Bloom got them two flamethrowers instead, (3) the big boys aren’t hitting consistently, (4) they’re terrible defensively and make dumb mistakes. Not sure how they’ll turn that around in the next 30 days.   

Sailing along: coverage: The lone piece of good news the Red Sox got in August was Chris Sale blasting out of the blocks to win his first three starts with a 2.35 ERA. That was most encouraging. And as someone who absolutely hates when a pitcher in the pitch count era wastes a pitch trying to get someone to swing at a bad pitch on an 0-2 count, you know I loved seeing him strike out three Twins on nine pitches in the third inning on Thursday. It made him and the great Sandy Koufax the only pitchers to do that three times in their career.  

Cam gets axed: Well, I didn’t see that coming. But whether sooner than later, it was inevitable that Mac Jones would eventually be the starter. Guess Coach B overcame concerns outlined by Greg Bedard in the Boston Sports Journal about the under-developed physically developed Jones could last the rigors of a 17game NFL season. Similar concerns were why Tom Brady red shirted his rookie year as the fourth QB because they knew he needed a year under an NFL training program to get stronger and sturdier. But in the end, Cam Newton’s refusal to get vaccinated and Jones outplaying him in the preseason were viewed as the more important factors. I’ll have more on this in next week’s season preview.  

Sony forecast in L.A.: Given that J. J. Taylor and Rhamondre Stevenson have demonstrated far more explosive speed and power on short yardage and plays around the goal line, the combination offers more utility than the departed Sony Michel. But, given their intent to ground and pound, I’m not sure that was the smartest move of the pre-season. The banging style of lead back Damian Harris has forced him to miss 16 games in his first two seasons and that could put their depth to a test. Yes, Brandon Bolden is a special team ace, but with him having been with Miami in 2019 and taken a Covid pass last year, they’ve survived without him for two of the last three years. So, if they are searching for help at RB due to injuries in November, tell me then whether getting picks in rounds 5 and 6 for Michel was worth it.   

Jackie Mac hangs it up:Pioneering female sports writer and one-time UNH hoopster Jackie MacMullen hung up her ESPN notepad the other day. She was a trailblazer in the once male-dominated profession who became one of the most respected voices around the NBA. She earned my respect for two observations she made soon after she began covering the Celtics for the Boston Globe. I’m a skeptic by nature and doubly so because she was a “girl” then, so I thought saying Larry Bird shouldn’t be playing hurt with his back problems was too dainty for me. She also kept talking about how good this guy Xavier McDaniel of the Seattle Supersonics was, and I didn’t think he was that good. But it just took a few games after he joined the Celtics following Bird’s retirement for me to say, “I like this guy — he’s tough and a leader.” So Jackie was right about X, and since Bird was forced to retire early because of his back issues, she was right about that too. Both observations earned my respect from then on. So congrats on a job well done, and happy retirement.