New England Patriots links 12/07/22 - Captains commit to turning the ship; Analysts claim it’s sunk

Dec 7, 2022 - 1:30 PM

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TEAM TALK

• Mike Dussault reports how coming off two losses, David Andrews used an extended weekend break to refocus on building a strong season ending.
• Paul Perillo’s NFL Notes: Pats still searching for answers on offense.
• Patriots announce Lawrence Guy Sr. named the Patriots’ nominee for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
• Press Conference transcript: Bill Belichick.
• Press Conferences: Deatrich Wise Jr. - David Andrews - Lawrence Guy - Bill Belichick.
• Patriots Unfiltered 12/6: State of the offense, Bills leftovers, Looking forward to west coast trip. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• Karen Guregian reports Dante Scarnecchia believes Bill Belichick will get Patriots out of offensive slump.
• Karen Guregian highlights David Andrews on how the players are ‘committed’ to turning the season around.
• Chris Mason relays David Andrews explaining why football is ‘the greatest team game’.
• Andy Hart notes Matthew Slater hopes the upcoming road trip is a ‘springboard’ for the Patriots.
• Andy Hart says that unfortunately for the Patriots, ‘effort’ isn’t enough to get the job done in the NFL.
• Sara Marshall (MusketFire) Former staffer Michael Lombardi says Patriots “don’t have an offense.”
• Zack Cox’ Patriots Practice Report: Pats severely shorthanded to start Week 14.
• Mike D’Abate (Patriots Country) Damien Harris, Jakobi Meyers among 9 injured Patriots missing practice.
• Bob Socci’s 3-and-out: An injury-riddled roster, an injury replacement and an injury-delayed start.
• Dakota Randall highlights Bill Belichick on offering high praise for Cardinals QB Kyler Murray and what sets him apart from other mobile QBs.
• Khari Thompson notes Bill Belichick clarifies comments about not making major changes on offense. “I think we need to do what we’re doing better,” “Look, we’re not going to do to the wishbone offense here,” Belichick said. “We’re not going to run the veer. Defensively we’re not going to run some other team’s defense or whatever. Major changes, yeah absolutely [wouldn’t happen]. We wouldn’t be able to practice it.”
• Dakota Randall notes Bill Belichick spent five minutes, 881 words answering a question on advanced preparation.
• Kevin Tame, Jr. (Patriots Country) Bill Belichick brushes off criticism of Patriots play-calling. /It’s not that he doesn’t want to hear it - he’s just not going to talk about it.
• Sean T. McGuire gives us his Week 13 takeaways: Importance of star wideouts can’t be overstated.
• Andy Hart takes a look at how the Patriots are doing statistically 13 weeks into the season: Mac Jones-led Patriots’ red zone woes rank worse by the week.
• Khari Thompson calls Bill Belichick a dinosaur that is losing his battle with evolution.
• Matt Dolloff talks about Peter King openly speculating about Bill Belichick’s job security.
• One Patriots Place podcast: Steve Balestrieri and Clare Cooper talk all things Patriots with Mike D’Abate filling in for Murph. (53 min.)
• Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike D’Abate and Steve Balestrieri discuss the Pats postseason prognosis, Patriots-Raiders flexed out of prime time and if the Pats should bring back Bill O’Brien. (37 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) David Andrews: Season can go one way or the other, we’re committed to the right way.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Bill Belichick: DeAndre Hopkins is every bit as good as anybody I’ve ever coached against.
• Kyle Hightower (AP) Execution, not creativity the priority for Patriots offense.
• Jeff Kerr (CBS Sports) One thing we learned about each NFL team in Week 13. Patriots: Jon Jones is excellent in the slot, but not against No. 1 receivers.
• Sam Monson (PFF) Offensive line rankings ahead of Week 14. Patriots No. 6. ”Against one of the league’s best pass rushes, the Patriots’ offensive line allowed 11 pressures on 41 passing plays. Michael Onwenu let up 25% of his pressures this season (two) against Buffalo last week.”
• Sam Monson (PFF) Grading all 32 first-round picks after Week 13. OG Cole Strange: Overall rookie grade: 50.0. Principle opponent: Ed Oliver. Week 13 snaps: 54. “Strange allowed one pressure and was called for a penalty back on Thursday night against the Bills. He also had three more pass-blocking losses that didn’t get a chance to become pressure, which impacted his grade. Though he has been far from elite this season, given the opposition he has faced, Strange has held up relatively well as a starter and has allowed 18 pressures on 399 pass-blocking snaps.”
• Barry Werner (TouchdownWire) NFL reveals games shifted to December 17 tripleheader.
• Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports) Grading NFL’s next generation of quarterbacks in Week 13: Brock Purdy thrives, Mac Jones flops. Grade: D. Commentary included. /Take a swig of coffee first.
• David Carr (NFL.com) Offensive player rankings, Week 14: Four teams whose 2023 starting QB isn’t on the current roster.
• Eric Edholm (NFL.com) Five playoff contenders facing the toughest schedules down the stretch.
• Ryan Young (Yahoo! Sports) Report: 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t need foot surgery, could return in 7-8 weeks.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) Ravens’ Lamar Jackson has PCL sprain, could be out up to three weeks, per report.
• Ben Solak (The Ringer) The Titans fired their GM. What’s next? Even bad NFL teams rarely make front office changes midseason. Playoff teams never do. What are the Titans thinking?
• Brad Spielberger (PFF) 2023 NFL free agency primer: Top five free agents at every position and more.
• Matthew VanTryon (USA Today) ‘A silent hell’: The night Andrew Luck broke down, and what he regrets about his retirement.
• Off The Pike podcast (The Ringer) Brian Barrett chats with Charlie Weis about the Patriots’ offensive issues and Tom Brady over the years. (1 hour)